Hakuka Batsu
"Big News Morgans... Big News Morgans!"
A hot air balloon hovered in the sky some distance away.
On the yacht, several journalists were frantically taking pictures of the scene.
Beside it, the Den Den Mushi also wore a clear telescope on its face, transmitting everything it saw to Morgans' office.
"Unbelievable, one of the Gorosei is such a monster, with abilities I've never heard of before."
One of them stroked his chin, marveling at Nusjuro's appearance.
"That's right. With Egghead's disappearance, Admiral Ryokugyu's ruthlessness, and the strength of the Las Noches executives, this show is sure to be a bestseller!"
The other person's face was filled with excitement, as if he could see piles of money being thrown at him.
"Don't you find it strange? Since the president knew that something big was going to happen here, he should have come in person, as is customary."
The remaining person, who seemed more rational, raised his question.
"Of course they're going to promote us!"
"What a troublesome ability..."
Nusjuro looked at his wound, which was covered with a thin layer of frost.
It seemed like nothing was wrong, but the frost prevented his wound from healing and showed signs of seeping deeper into the wound.
He hardened his heart and used his knife to cut away the frost-covered wound, flesh and bone together, and only then did the wound begin to heal.
"Hell for all beings, the blade of reincarnation!"
His Saijo horse swayed, and his long sword, carrying a chilling aura, was aimed at Nolan.
"You guys are so annoying~"
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
Nolan waved his little hand, and a blue flame shot out from his palm, engulfing Ryokugyu's entire body, causing him to writhe on the ground in pain.
"The Dance of the Beginning - Moonlight".
Soaring White Snow gently drew a circle on the ground, and then the circle expanded, enveloping Nolan within it.
"Clang!"
Nusjuro's attack arrived immediately, striking Soaring White Snow's sword heavily with a crisp sound.
However, the chilling aura of the Kitetsu Grade 1 could not affect her at all; on the contrary, her own chill easily covered her.
"What's this..."
When Nusjuro realized something was wrong, his body had already begun to stiffen.
"This circle is my freezing range."
"Don't get too cocky, kid!"
Just as Nolan was about to strike him again, Ryokugyu's vines swarmed up and stabbed in her direction.
"Bang!"
Nolan leaped into the air, causing large sections of the ice to collapse. Ryokugyu retracted his vines, Nusjuro had narrowly escaped being stabbed, was among those trapped.
"Forbidden Forest of Hatred!"
Ryokugyu's body continued to grow, and at the same time, the vines and branches growing from his body began to twist together.
In no time at all, a dozen or so wooden giants surrounded Nolan.
"Even with Observation Haki, you'll never find out which one is the real me!"
Ryokugyu's face was filled with arrogance as he launched dozens of punches at her in the middle.
"No need to distinguish, just cut them all down."
Frost began to form on Nolan's face, and the dense frost on the blade of the Soaring White Snow sword shone like jewels.
What appeared to be merely a sword flourish in the air actually resulted in the smooth slicing of almost all the wooden giants.
The cut was already covered by a thick layer of ice.
"Puff!"
Despite having powerful Armament Haki as a defense, Ryokugyu's body was still left with a deep sword wound, and blood was flowing continuously.
"Wound..."
Ryokugyu felt the cold spreading into his wound, his eyes filled with rage.
"Frost Moon One Sword Style!"
Thinking he had found an opening, Nusjuro teleported to Nolan's side as his horse trotted out, preparing to swing his longsword with all his might.
"How... how is this possible?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief at what he was seeing.
His knife was still raised high, yet his chest had already been pierced.
Moisture in the atmosphere condensed on the tip of Soaring White Snow's blade, extending the blade a certain distance, and it pierced his body the moment he teleported and landed.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you the current temperature."
Absolute zero.
Nolan's pupils seemed to be flashing, his face was as pale as snow, and a powerful chill was transmitted into his opponent's body through the blade.
One of the Gorosei, Nusjuro, was covered in frost, collapsed to the ground, and shattered into pieces, never to be restored.
"Phew~"
Then, Nolan drew his knife, took a deep breath, and his body temperature began to rise rapidly but steadily, and his face regained its rosy color.
"She's incredibly strong... but it seems like she might be a burden for you too!"
As a seasoned veteran, Ryokugyu naturally noticed that Nolan's expression was somewhat off during that short period of time, and that he was eager to stop the power.
As for Saint Nusjuro, the dead cannot be brought back to life. What he needs to do now is to take this opportunity to capture the other party.
"I just don't want to waste my time with you guys."
Nolan smiled and did not deny what he said.
"If I take down the Second Division Captain of Las Noches, that lord will surely look at me with new respect! I really want to hear him say 'Well done!'"
Ryokugyu seemed to have thought of something, a smile appeared on his serious face, and then he slowly approached, his entire body covered in Armament Haki.
"What a pathetic creature. I'm kind-hearted, so how about I let you die knowing why?"
Nolan's words made Ryokugyu somewhat uneasy.
"The mission to pick up Vegapunk should have been a few days ago, but Captain Cifer specifically asked me to do it before you arrived. Do you know why?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
The Ryokugyu did not move forward.
He didn't know if this was a tactic the other party was using to stall for time, but these words certainly piqued his curiosity.
"There's someone else who wants to get rid of you."
"After all, a domesticated dog whose mind has been completely tamed by the Celestial Dragons will only get in the way sooner or later, don't you think?"
She smiled and didn't say anything too explicit.
"Impossible... How could that person be? You're trying to sow discord! I'll kill you!"
"Forbidden Forest of Hatred!"
Ryokugyu refused to believe it. He felt a surge of anger rising in his heart and recklessly activated his Devil Fruit power once again.
"Believe it or not, it's just so you can die with some understanding."
Ryokugyu's enormous hand blocked out the sunlight, and Nolan, enveloped beneath it, gently lifted his Soaring White Snow.
"Bankai · Hakuka Batsu!"
Starting from the tip of the knife, frost spread throughout her entire body.
Her skin, which had just regained a sliver of color, became flawless white again, and even her hair, pupils, and eyelashes were tinged with snow.
She wore a hairpin with ice crystal tassels on her head, and frost draped her in a snow-white kimono that covered her entire body, with a white ribbon in the shape of a butterfly tied around her back.
"This is..."
Before Ryokugyu could even react to what was happening, a chill had already begun to creep in.
A gigantic, disc-shaped mass of pure white, frigid air appeared in the sky, followed by a surge of frost rising from the ground and connecting with the disc.
Meanwhile, centered on Nolan, a massive wave of frigid air swept across the entire ice surface, even affecting a group of reporters hiding in the air nearby.