"Your strength is really starting to look pathetic, Marine brat!"
The kanabo and blade clashed head-on, neither giving an inch. Kaido's face was twisted into a ferocious snarl.
"What's the matter? After forcing yourself this far, are you finally running out of steam?"
"Relax—it's far too early for that."
Nao's expression remained unchanged as he gradually forced the pressing kanabo back. He let out a cold laugh:
"At the very least, I can keep you company for another week without issue. I've got all the time in the world. But you, Kaido… I bet you're the one getting desperate, aren't you?"
In truth, after four straight days of nonstop high-intensity battle, both he and Kaido were clearly wearing down.
Their ordinary exchanges of blows didn't differ much from before, but when they burst out with power, the destruction they caused was a level below what it had been at the start.
By today, both of them had cut back on using wide-scale, devastating techniques. Instead, they stuck to fists, feet, and raw physical clashes, conserving every last shred of stamina without wasting even a drop.
"You little bastard…"
Hearing Nao's words, Kaido's expression instantly grew even uglier, his eyes so dark they seemed ready to spit fire.
Nao's words were like a razor-sharp sword, piercing directly into his heart.
He was right. Nao had no reason to feel pressed—after all, Marine Headquarters had surely already taken action. Reinforcement fleets were likely already on their way.
But Kaido was in a completely different position!
This expedition had brought out the full might of the Beasts Pirates. There were no reinforcements waiting in reserve.
More importantly, the longer he dragged this fight out with this marine, the more it eroded his reputation.
—It was just too humiliating!
Losing the battle at G-1 last year was one thing. After all, the enemy consisted of tens of thousands of elite Marines from Headquarters, and his opponent had been that old geezer Sengoku, the only remaining Admiral at Marine Headquarters.
Even if the newspapers spread the news all over the world, the pirates who respected him would only sigh and call it a close defeat. It wasn't really a big deal.
But this time was completely different.
He, one of the Emperors of the Sea, famous since the days of the Rocks Pirates, actually couldn't defeat some young punk in his early twenties after several days and nights of fighting?
A battle like this was practically building up Nao's reputation. If word got out, where would he put his face as the "World's Strongest Creature"?
That woman Linlin would probably laugh her teeth out!
Yes—
From start to finish, he had always held the upper hand.
But the outside world only cared about results, not the process. He couldn't just call every major faction to explain that he'd been suppressing this brat the whole time.
So unless he crushed his opponent today and claimed absolute victory, this battle of days and nights would only be seen as a draw with Nao—utterly disgraceful!
Boom!
At that thought, Kaido's suppressed fury ignited completely. He roared furiously, his speed surging as he unleashed a storm of violent, relentless attacks upon Nao.
However—
The more anxious and reckless he became, the more flaws his attacks revealed.
After a series of fierce attacks, Nao, relying on his Rumble-Rumble Fruit's magnetic field teleportation ability, calmly handled the situation. He hardly took a scratch, while Kaido's body accumulated fresh wounds.
Unknowingly.
The night faded, and the sun rose once more over the horizon. It was already the dawn of the fifth day…
Boom!
A cannon shot suddenly shattered the silence of the dawn, followed by a continuous barrage of deafening cannon fire that drew the attention of everyone on Hal lIsland.
"My, my…"
From his hot air balloon, Morgans smacked his beak as he watched three white warships racing across the sea at full speed.
"They've been fighting for five days already, and only now has the Marine's reinforcements finally arrived?"
"After all, the distance was too great."
Dragon lowered the telescope and spoke calmly.
"And besides, G-1 Branch most likely doesn't have a Log Pose for Hall Island."
…
Meanwhile, high above Hall Island.
"That is…"
Kaido paid no attention at all to the thunderous barrage of cannon fire. His gaze fixed on the figure standing on the deck of the central warship—clad in a flamboyant red shirt. His pupils narrowed.
"Commander of G-1 Branch… Sakazuki."
This was bad.
This Marine fleet was actually led by him personally?
Sakazuki.
Another name that had resounded across the seas for years, one not to be underestimated.
The fact that he could singlehandedly command the largest Marine branch in the New World already spoke volumes.
If they met one-on-one, Kaido certainly wouldn't be afraid—his strength was clearly a tier above, and he had absolute confidence he could beat Sakazuki bloody.
But now…
"Damn it!"
Bloodied and battered, Kaido ground his teeth. After several moments of unwilling hesitation, he finally made his decision.
Boom!
With one heavy blow, he forced back Nao's incoming strike from above, then took a deep breath and roared furiously down toward the near-destroyed forest below:
"All members of the Beast Pirates, break through and retreat!"
His roar was like thunder, rolling across the entire area of Hal Island.
Retreat?
Many of the Beasts Pirates were actually at a disadvantage.
The only reason they had managed to hold on until now was because they clung to the hope that if they just held on a little longer, Lord Kaido would defeat that Marine Vice Admiral and be able to intervene in the battle below, instantly turning the tide.
But who could have expected…
Five whole days had passed, and that Vice Admiral was still alive and kicking, as if nothing had happened. Kaido's victory never came—instead, the Marine's reinforcements did.
"Fall back! Everyone fall back!"
"Hurry up! If the ships are sunk, we'll never get out of here!"
Across the battlefield, the Beasts Pirates' officers shouted orders.
"Let's go, Queen."
Sena shifted back from her triceratops form, her body covered in blood. She shot a venomous glare at Aokiji before retreating toward the shore. Queen gave a reluctant grunt but had no choice except to follow tightly behind.
"…Couldn't pull it off, huh."
Watching the two of them retreat, Aokiji clutched the wound on his shoulder and slumped wearily against a tree trunk, a helpless smile on his lips.
So, in the end, he still couldn't match the record Nao set a year ago…
The truth was, his performance these past days had been excellent. Fighting one against two, he had kept two of the Calamities suppressed. Yet when it came to finishing them off, he still fell just a little short.
Perhaps if the battle had dragged on for another dozen hours, he might have done it?
Both Calamities were nearly out of stamina, their condition even worse than his. The possibility was real.
But… Aokiji shook his head with a sigh. With reinforcements here and the Beasts Pirates beginning a full retreat, there was no point dwelling on it anymore.
"What, you think you can just walk away?"
From the mountaintop, a flash of lightning streaked into the sky. Nao, blade wreathed in blue arcs of electricity, once again closed in on Kaido, striking toward his back.
"If you want to leave, it's not going to be that easy!"
"Get out of my way!"
Kaido turned around in a furious rage, putting almost all his strength into a swing of his kanabo.
Raimei Hakke · Kosanze Ragnaraku!
His Conqueror's Haki erupted violently, black lightning bursting forth and sweeping across. The impact blasted Nao away like a cannonball, sending him crashing through several mountain ranges and flying kilometers into the distance.
Although, in the very next instant, Nao straightened his shoulders and, as if nothing had happened, returned to the sky—still, the distance between them had already been widened.
Kaido seized the opportunity and charged full speed toward the shore.
However, when he reached the coastline, he found Akainu already standing in the sky ahead, stepping on the air with Moonwalk, waiting expressionlessly.
"What, you think just you alone can stop me?"
Kaido laughed in fury, throwing his head back with a roar. His body suddenly swelled against the wind, and in the blink of an eye, he once again transformed into that terrifying azure dragon. He opened his jaws wide and unleashed a scorching blast of breath straight at Akainu!
"You get out of my way too!"
"If you're the one trying to leave, I really can't stop you."
Akainu didn't move an inch, letting the dragon's breath swallow him whole. When the blast finally dissipated, he stood there unharmed, lifting one hand as he spoke coldly:
"But your subordinates—should stay behind."
As his words fell, a flash of ruthless light passed through his eyes.
"Meteor Volcano!"
His clenched right fist suddenly smashed upward into the sky. Endless magma spewed forth, shooting high before reaching its peak—then, like a fiery meteor shower, it rained down across the entire harbor!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The magma hit the sea, and in an instant, the waters around the harbor turned into a seething sea of fire.
Some opportunistic pirates who had tried to slip away early, sensing things were going south, suddenly found their ships swallowed by molten lava. They themselves were cooked alive like ingredients in a hotpot, their screams of agony ringing out as they wailed for their mothers and fathers.
Several of the Beasts Pirates' ships weren't hit directly, but were surrounded by the boiling waters. Trapped within the harbor, they had no chance of breaking through.
"Bastard…"
Kaido's eyes were bloodshot, his anger making his hair stand on end. The mane on his spine practically bristled. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
If this had been back in the days right after leaving Rocks' crew, with nothing to lose, he would have stayed and fought to the bitter end, even if it meant being captured or killed.
But things were different now. As one of the "Three Emperors," he had an empire to lose—too much was at stake.
"Queen! Sena!"
The azure dragon swooped over the harbor, roaring down at the deck: "What are you idiots standing around for? Get up here, now!"
The two Calamities exchanged a quick look, a flash of relief and surprise in their eyes. Then they leapt at once, landing on the dragon's back and carefully grabbing hold of the mane behind him.
"Lord Kaido!"
"Don't abandon us! Please, take us with you!"
The pirates below wailed desperately.
But the azure dragon only cast them a cold glance. And as despair filled their eyes, he shot upward in a brilliant streak, tearing through the clouds and vanishing into the distance.
Some of the mid-ranking officers, desperate, tried to use Moonwalk to leap after him, hoping to cling to the dragon's tail at the last second.
But as soon as they rose into the air, a massive magma hound's head lunged out, biting them apart and sending their screaming bodies crashing back down onto the deck.
High above the harbor, Akainu slowly lowered his left arm, his face expressionless as he descended to the highest vantage point overlooking the port.
He glanced at the azure dragon that had already shrunk to a tiny black speck on the horizon, gave a dissatisfied snort, then turned his gaze toward the streak of lightning shooting in from the distance.
"Cold-hearted bastard."
With a crackle, the lightning dispersed, and Nao emerged. Looking down at the Beasts Pirates still trapped below, his brow lifted slightly.
"There are still two or three hundred down there, even two of the Tobiroppo—and he just abandoned them like that?"
"A lizard sheds its tail to survive. If he wasn't that decisive, even those two Calamities wouldn't have gotten out."
Akainu shook his head. He looked at Nao's face—not only were there no wounds, but his eyes were still bright and full of fighting spirit, showing no signs of fatigue or exhaustion at all. The corner of his eye twitched, and he seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.
"What?"
Nao noticed his reaction and couldn't help but touch his own face. "It's only been a little over a year since we last met. What's with staring at me like that—don't recognize me anymore?"
"…It's nothing."
Akainu let out a bitter smile, but finally said it aloud:
"All the way here, I was on edge, worried sick that I wouldn't make it in time, that you'd die at Kaido's hands. But I never expected…"
His gaze grew complicated as he sighed.
"As hard as it is to admit, Nao—this time even I have to acknowledge it. You've grown into the strongest among all the Vice Admirals in Headquarters…"
A one-on-one battle with Kaido, lasting five days and five nights, ending in a draw? For the Marine, that outcome was undoubtedly a blessing. The massive weight pressing on Akainu's chest finally lifted.
But at the same time, seeing it with his own eyes when he first arrived at Hall Island—the shock it dealt to his heart was far too great…
No matter what, Akainu knew he himself could never have done such a thing.
"What nonsense."
Nao caught his reaction, slapped him hard on the shoulder, and laughed heartily:
"The strongest Vice Admiral? I'm not worthy of a title like that!"
"Hm?"
Akainu raised his head in confusion, his expression just beginning to shift when Nao spread his hands and continued:
"As long as that old man who keeps refusing promotion to Admiral is still around, nobody else has any right to that title."
Akainu froze for a moment, then glared at Nao irritably.
That old man didn't even count—how could you put him in the same category?