As everyone knows, Kaido is a highly emotional creature, easily becoming unstable when stimulated by external factors.
Born in an era where flames of war rage everywhere and growing up amid endless conflicts, he has an unshakable belief that strength decides everything, and harbors an extraordinary craving for war.
As long as you are strong enough, anything you do is right in Kaido's eyes. Even if Yamato's current goal is to overthrow him, Kaido feels no dissatisfaction at all; instead, he is delighted, and even helps her grow stronger.
Only with sufficient strength can one talk about ideals. Whether it is peace or development, everything must be seized by oneself, not begged for.
War is not a grand and glamorous game, but a despicable slaughter where lives are wagered.
Morality and righteousness are nothing more than empty words here; even long-standing alliances can easily shatter with a shift in the battle situation.
No matter who you join forces with, as long as you defeat the enemy, you can boast about the outcome afterward. Only the victor has the right to judge the past; the defeated will merely become stepping stones for others.
No matter how many halos or glorious achievements are piled upon someone, the moment they fail, none of it can save them.
The Revolutionary Army had ignited the largest revolutionary war in a century. Flames of war spread across different kingdoms, pirates on the seas take the opportunity to plunder whatever they desire, and the Marines rush about suppressing these upheavals.
Chaos has also appeared on Mariejois. Everything unfolding is exactly the situation Kaido wants to see. Yet just as this grand festival of war is about to arrive, his enemies are showing signs of falling short.
The charged attack he just launched was mainly aimed at the connection beneath Amazon Lily; it would not have much impact on the Marines. Logically, Garp coming in from the side and punching him in the head would have been the reasonable move.
This was a rare opening in his defenses. By all rights, Garp should not have given up such an opportunity, yet Garp chose to do exactly that.
If what he was protecting were some important junior with limitless potential, that would be understandable. After all, if Yamato from a few years ago had encountered such an overpowered opponent, Kaido would definitely have stepped in to stop him as well.
However, what Garp called the future of the Marines instead filled Kaido with disappointment toward the future itself.
His Observation Haki enveloped Koby. During the Summit War back then, Koby successfully awakened Observation Haki, and possessed an extremely keen ability to sense the emotions within others' hearts.
At this moment, Kaido's Observation Haki caused Koby's body to stiffen in place; his biological instincts made him unable to move.
It was as if Kaido was breathing beside him. Even without doing anything, the pressure he exuded alone was enough to shroud the surrounding area in fear.
"So boring… far too boring."
Kaido's figure gradually shrank, returning to his dragon-human form used in combat. Yet what he emitted now was no longer fighting spirit, but bitterness.
This utterly disappointing turn of events dragged Kaido's mood down to rock bottom, comparable to a worker forced into working overtime in the office.
"I thought you'd be an interesting opponent, someone who could leave a deeper impression on me. Looks like I was wrong. The Marines really are hopeless."
There was more than one powerhouse that left a deep impression on Kaido: his former captain Rocks, Whitebeard in his youth, Roger, and Red Hair, the upstart who stormed into the New World in recent years. These four were opponents he acknowledged.
Whether in spirit or in strength, each had qualities he approved of.
Kozuki Oden back then only counted as half; his martial strength was decent enough, but his brain did not work very well, so he could not make the list.
Garp previously also counted as half. Kaido had originally intended to add one more name to the list, but now it seemed he had been mistaken.
Watching Garp make this choice, Kaido suddenly had other ideas. He casually pulled out his kanabo and swung it in Koby's direction.
"Kaido, you lunatic, what are you trying to do?!"
Kaido's casual swing was blocked by Garp. An emotionally unstable opponent like this was always a huge headache. No one ever knew what he was thinking, nor how to deal with him.
With how willful he was, his actions were completely unpredictable.
"What am I doing? Didn't you say that's the future of your Marines? For the sake of that future, you ought to have a proper fight with me!"
Kaido did not care in the slightest whether Koby lived or died. Someone of that level did not even qualify as an opponent in his eyes, let alone someone worth remembering. What Kaido wanted was simply for Garp to devote himself fully to the fight, rather than being distracted by protecting others.
"If you don't start taking this seriously, you'll have to watch that hopeless future of yours get crushed by me. For the sake of your so-called ideals, you'd better get serious! Thunder Bagua!"
"Galaxy Impact!"
The difference in their sizes was considerable, yet Garp still swung his fist to meet the oncoming attack from Kaido. Among all the Marines present, only he could hold Kaido off, even if only barely.
The fist and the kanabo did not make direct contact. Instead, shrouded in Haki, they collided at a distance. At this moment, there was no contest of technique; only a straightforward clash, a head-on confrontation of Haki and raw power.
Factors of timing and terrain did not matter much to individuals, but the current battlefield was extremely unfavorable for Garp.
In the end, he was still only an ordinary human. His long-trained body had long since broken the limits of the human form, and lingering in the sky was not difficult for him, but Kaido's flight was one of his abilities.
With the aid of flame clouds, Kaido could find stable footholds in the air, but Garp could not. Air ultimately had no substance; it was fine against ordinary enemies, but Garp's opponent now was a man standing at the pinnacle of all living beings.
In the contest of strength, Garp rarely found himself at a disadvantage. As Kaido exerted more force, he was driven back and forced to descend toward the Kuja island.
At the same time, Yamakaji stared anxiously at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, making no move to provide support.
First of all, their support would have been meaningless. Whether in terms of artillery or individual strength, they were not qualified to take part in this kind of battle.
Secondly, without orders from headquarters, the Marines could not proactively engage an Emperor of the Sea. Starting a war at will when the Marines were unprepared was strictly prohibited, with the only exception being SWORD, the Secret Special Force.
Unfortunately, that unit with combat authorization did not possess sufficient combat power to handle this situation.
"Still can't get through to Fleet Admiral Sakazuki?"
"Reporting to Vice Admiral, no. Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's line still won't connect."
Sengoku was the one staying behind at Marine Headquarters, but the Marines were now under Akainu's command. Naturally, any major incident required contacting Akainu. From the moment Kaido appeared, Yamakaji had been trying to reach him, yet he had been unable to establish contact.
"Vice Admiral Yamakaji, what should we do now?"
"Have faith in Vice Admiral Garp. He should have a way."
Unable to contact Akainu, Yamakaji could only forward the intelligence from here to Sengoku first.
Sengoku had merely stepped down. Having served as Fleet Admiral for so many years, he still knew the proper procedures clearly. However, headquarters currently had no reinforcements that they could send. Its high-level forces were completely tied down, leaving no manpower to spare.
Sengoku's response was simply to report the situation to the World Government and request that they dispatch new reinforcements.
While the other Marines could only send out calls for aid, Kaido and Garp had already finished several exchanges.
"Hah… it seems I really have weakened quite a bit, to be outmatched in strength by an apprentice from Rocks' ship."
"Worororo. That era has already passed. The age of Rocks ended long ago, and you, the hero of that time, should also make your exit. Of course, if you have no successors, you'd better hang on a bit longer yourself.
"Now these punches finally look the part. You'd better bring me some more fun."
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