Marco once again unleashed the peak of both Conqueror's Haki Infusion and Armament Haki Infusion, meeting Kaido's spiked club head-on.
Yet fist and weapon never truly touched.
Instead, their Haki collided in midair, ripping through the battlefield like an invisible storm. The ground beneath them screamed as it split apart, and a crushing gale exploded outward in all directions, flattening everything in its path.
'Tch… damn it—he's strengthening it even further!'
Watching Marco's control grow sharper by the second, a surge of irritation flared in Kaido's chest.
The next instant, his entire body erupted once more with an overwhelmingly violent wave of Conqueror's Haki.
And yet—despite the frustration—an uncontrollable thrill surged through him.
"Worororo!" Kaido laughed wildly. "Unwilling as I may be, I am Kaido of the Beasts!
Awakened Devil Fruit or not… Conqueror's Haki Infusion or not… I will not lose!"
His killing intent roared like a storm.
"When it comes to drawn-out battles… when it comes to one-on-one fights—I have never feared anyone!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Kaido charged again, launching another brutal assault.
Marco didn't hesitate.
Now that he had crossed the threshold of Conqueror's Haki Infusion—and with his strength freshly replenished—fear had no place in his heart. Blue flames flared violently as he plunged straight back into the inferno of combat.
—
Far offshore, in the azure waters surrounding Nanku Island, both the Moby Dick and Kaido's fleet watched the clash in silence.
Jinbe stared at the battlefield, where both Marco and Kaido had reverted to their human forms—clear proof that they were nearing the limits of their physical endurance.
"They've been fighting… for three days and three nights without stopping," Jinbe said gravely.
"If this continues, both of them could die."
The unease spread through both crews.
This battle was nothing like Marco's fight against Big Mom.
That fight had stretched over ten days, yes—but there had been pauses, moments to breathe, time to eat and recover. Here, there was nothing. No rest, No water. No reprieve. No chance to recover stamina.
Even King, who had always believed Kaido to be the destined Joy Boy, couldn't hide the tension in his expression.
He had never imagined anyone could push Kaido to this extent.
Nanku Island itself was dying.
Massive fissures now split the island's center, seawater flooding in through the fractures as its foundation crumbled under the relentless impact of their battle.
If this continued, Nanku Island would soon vanish from the map—reborn only as a shattered archipelago.
Marco gasped for breath, his chest heaving as he locked eyes with Kaido across the ruined battlefield. Kaido, too, panted heavily, his gaze unwavering.
Bracing himself on his spiked club, Kaido drew in a deep breath—and slowly forced himself back to his feet.
Seeing Kaido stand once more, Marco's eyes widened in disbelief.
Despite the exhaustion gnawing at both his body and spirit, he shouted hoarsely,
"No way… how can your stamina be this insane?!
Your Devil Fruit isn't even awakened, yet your endurance is absurd!"
Kaido threw his head back and laughed.
"Worororo! My greatest weapon has always been my stamina!"
His voice carried both pride and savage certainty.
"No one has ever dared to fight me in a prolonged battle.
Whitebeard. Roger. They all tried to finish me quickly."
He planted his club into the ground, eyes blazing.
"As long as someone challenges me over time, the victor will always be me."
Then, his gaze sharpened as it locked onto Marco.
"And you—you are the first man who's ever pushed me this far."
Marco steadied himself, quietly absorbing Kaido's words.
By now, he had fully grasped Conqueror's Haki Infusion, and through the system panel, he knew that his Haoshoku had reached its maximum tier.
Yet even so, his overall combat rating still lingered at Strong Yonko Level.
He had not crossed into King Level.
Reaching the peak of Conqueror's Haki, awakening his devil fruit, increasing his healing rate to an absurd level—and even pouring in 8,000 attribute points—was still not enough.
To truly step into King Level, Marco understood he had only two paths left:
either continue raising his base attributes over time… or accumulate 30,000 attribute points and directly elevate one of the Three Types of Haki to Legendary rank.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"…Now I think I finally understand why your Devil Fruit never awakened," Marco muttered quietly.
'If that absurd power had truly awakened… how could Luffy ever have defeated you?'
Marco had already awakened his own Devil Fruit.
He had mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion through three days and three nights of brutal combat.
And yet—he still could not bring Kaido down.
That alone spoke volumes about just how monstrous Kaido truly was.
Marco couldn't help but feel that this was a kind of invisible limiter, an unspoken rule imposed upon Kaido's existence. After Whitebeard's death, Kaido had already become the strongest creature on land, sea, and air—the undisputed king of one-on-one combat.
In the original timeline, Luffy had required three consecutive power-ups in Wano, plus a relay of battles, just to barely defeat Kaido. Kaido had faced Oden's retainers each capable of having 500 million berries worth bounties, Yamato who had mastered conqueror's infusion and would roughtly be worth 1.5 million berries, Zoro, Luffy in continuous battles that single night…
If Kaido had awakened the Azure Dragon Fruit even then—
There was no doubt Luffy would have stood no chance.
It wasn't that Kaido lacked talent.
It was simply that the world itself would not allow him to awaken.
After all, in the very next arc—Egghead—Kaku managed to awaken his Devil Fruit after barely two years of possessing it.
Kaido, who had wielded the Azure Dragon Fruit for over thirty years, still remained unawakened.
The answer was painfully clear.
If Kaido had awakened… the Sun God would never have risen.
Marco exhaled softly and looked at Kaido—not with fear, not with hostility—but with a trace of genuine pity.
Kaido wasn't weak.
He was simply a boss-level opponent, a wall the protagonist was destined to overcome.
And no matter how desperately Kaido struggled against fate, that destiny would not change.
Kaido noticed it.
The faint pity in Marco's eyes.
The words Marco had murmured—quiet, but not quiet enough.
His brow furrowed.
"…Marco," Kaido asked in a low voice, "what did you just say?"
Marco straightened, his breathing finally steady again. His gaze hardened.
"I said this," he replied coldly.
"By all logic, your Devil Fruit should have awakened long ago."
He paused, then added quietly—but firmly:
"But perhaps… it was suppressed.
By some unseen force—one that never intended to let your power go any further."
"An… invisible force?"
The thought struck Kaido like lightning. His pupils shrank abruptly, and he blurted out in disbelief,
"Are you talking about Joy Boy?"
Before Marco could respond, Kaido's eyes widened even further. He stared at him intensely and demanded,
"Marco… don't tell me you are Joy Boy?"
"…Huh?"
Marco froze for a split second. He hadn't expected Kaido to jump straight to that conclusion.
Then again, Kaido's current predicament did seem closely tied to Joy Boy's existence.
He shook his head and denied it outright.
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm not Joy Boy, and I have no interest in becoming anyone's reincarnation. But—"
his eyes sharpened, voice firm, "—give me enough time, and I'll surpass Joy Boy myself."
"Worororo!" Kaido burst into laughter. "You've got some nerve, brat!"
Kaido knew a fair amount about Joy Boy—mostly from King. According to King, Joy Boy was a man destined to change the world, its long-awaited savior. King even believed Kaido himself might be Joy Boy's reincarnation.
Kaido never truly believed that.
And yet… deep down, he couldn't deny it—he wanted to be that man.
The one who overturned the world.
"Hey, Kaido," Marco suddenly called out, his voice hoarse, "how about we take a break?"
Whether Kaido could endure it or not was one thing—Marco knew he was already at his limit. Three days without food and water, coupled with nonstop, high-intensity combat, had pushed his body to the brink.
Kaido wasn't in much better shape.
Even with the monstrous physique of an Ogre—dozens of times stronger than an ordinary man—this kind of relentless battle was taking its toll. Glancing at the darkened sky, he let out a low chuckle.
"Worororo… I never thought I'd end up choosing to rest—just like Linlin."
He snorted. "I wanted to crush you in one go, but it seems that won't happen. Fine. Let's take a break."
Marco finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
But Kaido wasn't finished.
"Don't misunderstand," he added coldly. "I'm not that Old hag. Just because we pause doesn't mean you'll defeat me."
His gaze locked onto Marco.
"Tomorrow morning. Five o'clock. I'll be here. Don't be late."
"Alright," Marco replied without hesitation.
As long as he could rest, he could keep fighting.
In raw destructive power, the Azure Dragon Fruit undeniably surpassed his own. But when it came to recovery—that was where Marco held the advantage.
Even Kaido, as a Mythical Zoan user, couldn't avoid the buildup of internal injuries and hidden damage. The longer this battle dragged on, the more those wounds would accumulate.
And with Marco's overwhelming regenerative ability—
Time itself was on his side.
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