Kaido's strength today was nothing like it had been in the past.
He was no longer the apprentice pirate of the Rocks Pirates from twenty years ago. He had grown into a true king of the sea, a renowned great pirate of the New World, standing at the peak among monsters.
And Garp's fists were no longer something he feared as he once had.
Back then, Kaido had been thoroughly beaten and forced to submit. Now that history was repeating itself, how could he possibly let it slide?
Thunder Bagua descended.
Terrifying black and red lightning wrapped around Kaido's dragon tail as Conqueror's Haki surged outward. The air itself seemed to solidify under the crushing pressure, making movement feel impossible.
This single strike perfectly displayed the power of the world's summit.
Even Garp could not ignore it. His expression turned solemn.
There was no room to dodge.
Thunder Bagua combined overwhelming speed and explosive force. As Kaido of the Beasts' signature technique, even predicting it did not mean escaping it.
Still, Garp showed no fear.
He swung his iron fist forward.
Against such a move, defense was meaningless. The only answer was to attack.
Kaido's greatest strengths were his monstrous defense and terrifying vitality. Together, they formed his so-called immortal body.
Boom!
The collision shook heaven and earth. The sky dimmed, and the violent shockwaves rippled all the way down to Marineford.
Garp was blasted backward, sent flying through the air.
Compared to him, Kaido barely moved. His massive body swayed slightly, fully displaying the tyrannical power of his full-beast form.
Flame Clouds formed beneath Kaido, lifting his body effortlessly. These clouds could control anything they enveloped, even entire islands.
Kaido roared and stared at Garp, who was still stabilizing himself in midair. He did not pursue.
He knew the truth.
That strike had not caused real damage.
If anything, Marine Hero Garp was still stronger than him.
In Kaido's memories, the young Garp had been far more terrifying. That long-buried battle, known only to a few, had left an unforgettable impression on both Kaido and Big Mom.
Kaido had come here drunk. But since he was already here, how could he leave without a satisfying battle?
As for the Marines' press conference, what did that have to do with him?
Even so, Kaido was not foolish.
With so many top-tier powerhouses at Marine Headquarters, if he stayed too long, he would inevitably be surrounded and beaten down. This was not the result he wanted, especially with the entire world watching.
Just Garp alone was not enough.
"Blast Breath!"
Kaido opened his mouth and spat out countless wind blades, sharp as Kamaitachi slashes. They screamed through the air, capable of tearing apart flesh, armor, weapons, and even Armament Haki.
The target was Marine Headquarters below.
The expressions of countless Marines changed instantly.
This was a wide-range attack.
If it landed on the plaza, the casualties would be unimaginable.
The reason so many top Marine forces were gathered here was precisely to prevent disasters like this. Kaido's arrival alone was not the problem. Protecting the Marines and reporters below was.
"What a terrifying monster," Borsalino said casually as he leapt into the air.
"Yata no Kagami."
Countless golden light bullets condensed around him, streaking through the sky at extreme speed and colliding with the descending wind blades.
Each light bullet carried explosive power. Like cannonballs, they detonated on impact, unleashing scorching heat and violent force.
Golden flashes filled the sky.
"Hey, that's blinding," someone shouted.
Explosions echoed endlessly, the light so intense that everything else seemed to fade into darkness.
Borsalino's Yata no Kagami had once shattered Kuzan's Ice Age. Its power was undeniable.
Even so, Kaido's wind blades were terrifying. A few broke through the barrage and continued downward.
At that moment, another Marine moved.
His expression was cold as his body floated into the air, propelled not by Moonwalk or light, but by invisible force.
Vice Admiral Freda.
A Repulsion-Repulsion Fruit user and an Admiral candidate.
He raised both hands, energy gathering briefly.
"Repulsion."
The invisible force erupted outward.
The remaining wind blades bent under the pressure, shattered, and were swallowed by the repulsive wave.
The force did not stop.
It surged upward and struck Kaido's massive body, pushing him hundreds of meters into the sky.
Kaido was unharmed, but the result alone demonstrated Freda's terrifying strength. The longer the repulsion was charged, the greater its range and power.
The threat was neutralized.
Cheers erupted among the Marines. Two Admiral candidates had stepped forward, their prestige rising visibly.
Borsalino and Freda flew higher. Behind the platform, Zephyr finally moved, using Moonwalk to enter the sky.
Together with Garp, four Marine powerhouses surrounded Kaido from all directions.
Yet beneath Kaido's thousand-meter-long body, they still looked tiny.
Even Kaido grew cautious.
"Roar!" He laughed, excitement surging. "Now this is a battle worth having!"
His claws rose as his massive body began to spin.
"Tornado."
Kaido rotated like a top, violent air currents spiraling outward. Several massive tornadoes formed, spreading toward Garp and the others.
A natural disaster.
If this had occurred on the ground, Marineford would have been devastated.
Borsalino instantly turned into light and escaped.
Freda, caught inside a tornado, endured the crushing rotation. His Haki-coated body resisted the slicing winds as he unleashed repulsion from within.
The tornado collapsed instantly.
Garp and Zephyr were even more direct. Their fists smashed through the air, shattering the tornadoes head-on.
Kaido chuckled.
"Not bad. How about this?"
The rotation began again, faster and more violent than before.
"Tornado Blast Breath!"
Thunderbolts crashed down from the sky, pinning each of them in place. Before they could fully evade, Kaido released his Blast Breath mid-rotation.
Countless wind blades exploded outward.
Each slash carried power comparable to a Great Swordsman's strike. Enough to reshape terrain.
And they were forced to block them.
If even a few reached the ground, Marineford would suffer.
This was Kaido's trick.
The Marines had something to protect.
And that restraint was a weakness.
Freda acted instantly, his body propelled forward by repulsion, moving faster than the wind blades themselves.
"Repulsion!"
A massive repulsive force erupted upward, covering the still-gathered slashes and engulfing Kaido and the others as well.
"Hey, hey, we're on the same side," Borsalino complained lightly as he escaped the area in a flash of light.
His lasers picked off stray slashes with precision.
Garp and Zephyr endured it head-on. The combination of repulsion and wind blades barely scratched them.
Freda continued to push.
Cracks formed, widened, then shattered.
Kaido's technique collapsed completely.
Single-handedly.
"Transfer the battlefield!" Zephyr shouted. "We can't keep fighting here!"
Everyone understood.
Once they left Marineford, they could fight without restraint.
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed and smashed another punch into Kaido's head.
"Repulsion: Rebound."
Freda appeared in front of Kaido as the punch landed. His palm pressed against Kaido's scales.
A burst of invisible force sent Kaido flying hundreds of meters away.
The coordination was flawless.
Kaido was driven out of Marineford's airspace.
Below, countless people finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sengoku remained calm.
"There was a small issue," he said steadily. "It has been resolved."
Far away from Marineford, the real battle had only begun.
Fists, lasers, repulsion, and overwhelming force crashed against Kaido's body.
Lightning, flames, and storms filled the sky as gods clashed.