Marco had defeated Kaido, carrying the overwhelming montum of victory—and the Phoenix Pirates stood firmly in the right. If the Beasts Pirates refused to hand over Jack, there would be nothing stopping them from wiping the Beasts Pirates out on the spot.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The Beasts Pirates tensed, every gaze turning toward King. With Kaido down, he was now the highest-ranking figure present—the one who would have to decide their fate.
Yet Marco wasn't focused on them.
His eyes were locked onto Kaido's motionless body.
Sothing was wrong.
'I won,' Marco thought grimly. 'Kaido fell. So why hasn't the system responded? Why haven't I received the reward?'
Just then, a ship's doctor hurried forward with a dical kit, kneeling beside Kaido to begin treatnt.
In the next instant—
Dark-purple fla clouds erupted from Kaido's body.
The violent surge of energy expanded outward like a storm, blasting the doctor away and sending him tumbling across the ground.
Both pirate crews froze in shock, staring at Kaido's body.
Then—
Boom.
Kaido slamd his massive palm into the ground and slowly sat up.
"Worororo…"
His laughter echoed across the shattered island, wild and unrestrained. The fla clouds twisted violently, forming a roaring vortex around him.
"Kaido-sama!"
"Kaido-sama!" x 100
The Beasts Pirates erupted in cheers. Hope flooded their eyes. Their captain had not fallen.
anwhile, dread spread through the Phoenix Pirates.
"How is he getting back up again?!"
"Damn it—how can soone be this strong?!"
Instinctively, both crews retreated behind their respective captains. Everyone understood now—the battle wasn't over.
"Worororo… who did you say fell just now?" Kaido laughed, his voice filled with exhilaration.
Marco's expression darkened as he studied Kaido's new form.
Dark-purple fla clouds wrapped around Kaido's arms, waist, and chest like living ribbons. His towering seven-ter fra had shrunk to roughly five ters. The grotesque, exaggerated muscles were gone, replaced by a leaner, more balanced physique—long limbs, compact strength, and a terrifying sense of density.
The oppressive presence hadn't weakened.
It had refined itself.
"Worororo! I really have to thank you, Marco!" Kaido laughed heartily, admiring the fla clouds swirling around his body. "I never imagined I'd actually break through. This feeling… it's incredible!"
His eyes burned with excitent.
"You said fighting helped you master Haki faster, didn't you?" Kaido grinned savagely. "Then let return the favor. Fighting you finally shattered my bottleneck. My Devil Fruit… has awakened."
Marco's mind went blank.
'You've got to be kidding …'
Kiado-sensei really did return the favor.
His face turned grim as realization hit him like a hamr. Kaido—the one monster who shouldn't have awakened—had done exactly that. If this had happened in the original tiline… how in the world was Monkey D. Luffy supposed to beat this?
Suppressing his shock, Marco imdiately activated his level scan.
Kaido — Zoan Type · Fish-Fish Fruit · Mythical Zoan · Azure Dragon
Estimated Strength: Weak King Level
Marco's expression worsened.
Weak King Level.
It was only one step higher on paper—but in reality, it was a qualitative leap.
In this world, Strong Yonko Level was the ceiling. Admirals. Garp. Sengoku. None of them had crossed it.
Whitebeard beca the symbol of an era after Roger's death for one reason—he had once stood at King Level.
And now…
Kaido had reached the sa realm Whitebeard once ruled.
"I never thought you'd actually break through your limiter," Marco muttered, genuine awe mixed with dread.
Logically speaking, Kaido was supposed to be the ultimate early-ga boss of the New World—the monster Luffy needed three consecutive power-ups just to barely defeat.
Yet now, with the Azure Dragon fully awakened…
Marco couldn't help but think—'Oda, you old thief… this wasn't supposed to happen.'
Kaido grinned, his smile sharp and feral.
"Worororo… that's exactly why I said I should thank you."
This was no empty boast. During his battle with Marco—especially over these last few days—Kaido had felt it: real pain. The kind of pain that ant his body was being pushed beyond its limits.
He had only felt this sensation once before, back in his youth.
As his strength grew over the years, breaking through beca nearly impossible. The world simply lacked opponents capable of forcing him to that brink again.
Marco let out a bitter chuckle, a trace of self-mockery in his voice.
"Well, congratulations. I never thought I'd end up as your stepping stone. That's… impressive in its own way."
There was no denying it—Kaido's breakthrough had co because of him.
And perhaps it was also timing. This era fell squarely within the two-year gap of Luffy's training, when the so-called "protagonist's fortune" was at its weakest. In this window, even Kaido had been allowed to grow.
Kaido's confidence now overflowed. The power from his awakened Devil Fruit surged through him, washing away the exhaustion that had plagued him earlier. More than strength, it reshaped his mindset—this was the confidence of soone who had finally shattered his ceiling.
"I acknowledge your strength," Kaido said, eyes gleaming. "So let's raise the stakes. If I lose, the Beasts Pirates will beco a subordinate crew of the Phoenix Pirates. But if you lose—"
"Stop right there," Marco cut in instantly.
Even if Kaido now stood above him in raw power, Marco would never accept such terms. His refusal was absolute.
"I won't agree to that. The Phoenix Pirates will never bow to anyone."
Kaido burst into laughter.
"Worororo! Did you think I was going to say sothing like 'join the Beasts Pirates'?"
Marco blinked.
"Relax," Kaido continued, his grin widening. "I know you'd never agree to that—and I never planned to say it."
Then, to everyone's shock, Kaido extended a hand toward Marco.
"Marco… beco my son-in-law."
The world seed to freeze.
Both the Phoenix Pirates and the Beasts Pirates stared in disbelief.
Marco's mouth twitched violently.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
"Worororo… a joke?" Kaido shook his head, utterly serious. "No. I an it."
Through their clashes, Kaido had co to genuinely admire Marco. He even found himself envying Whitebeard—having raised such a son. Despite Whitebeard's sudden death, Marco had seamlessly taken command, stabilized the crew, and carried on his legacy.
More than that, Kaido felt a rare kinship.
Both were Mythical Zoan users. Both thrived in prolonged battles. And fighting Marco had reignited the exhilaration Kaido hadn't felt since his youth.
Unbidden, Yamato's image surfaced in Marco's mind.
Beautiful? Yes.
Powerful? Certainly.
But her personality…
A fanatical Kozuki Oden devotee, constantly trying to beco Oden—beco a man, beco a samurai. It was… exhausting.
Marrying her would feel like living with soone obsessed with a celebrity. Say one bad word about her idol, and she'd probably draw a sword.
Marco answered without hesitation.
"I'm not interested."
"Worororo… rejected, huh?" Kaido laughed, unfazed. Then his tone sharpened as he deliberately provoked, "Or is it because you saw my Devil Fruit awaken and lost the confidence to defeat ?"
His eyes glead dangerously.
"As a pirate… isn't that a little timid, Marco?"
"That's a pretty clumsy provocation, Kaido," Marco said with an amused snort. "The world keeps calling you a brute, but I didn't expect your mind to be this quick. If I got fired up by a few words from you, wouldn't that make the real brute?"
"Worororo—you saw right through !" Kaido wasn't angry in the slightest. On the contrary, he looked exhilarated. He rolled his shoulders, muscles tightening, and flashed a feral grin. "Since you won't agree, then let's keep going! This is the perfect chance for you to experience the power of my awakened Devil Fruit."
With that, Kaido took the initiative. His massive body surged forward, a pot-sized fist swinging through the air as he roared,
"Dragon Fist!"
"Phoenix Fla—Fire Fist!"
One fist large as a boulder, the other compact but blazing—both collided mid-air. In an instant, Conqueror's Haki erupted once more, tearing across Nanku Island like a violent storm. The crews of both pirate factions hurriedly retreated, fully aware that the clash between these two Yonkos was far from finished.
"Dragon Fist—Burst!"
Kaido roared, and a phantom Azure Dragon exploded forth from his fist. The sheer force overwheld Marco completely, sending him flying like a cannonball across the battlefield.
Marco tumbled hundreds of ters before blue flas engulfed his body. His wounds sealed themselves rapidly, though a deep ache lingered inside him—thankfully dulled in monts by the Phoenix Flas.
'This power… it's more than twice what it was before', Marco realized grimly.
Seeing Kaido charging again, Marco crossed his arms just in ti.
BOOM!
Kaido's punch smashed into Marco's guard, detonating with a thunderous explosion. Kaido laughed wildly.
"Worororo! So this is how you handle an awakened Zoan? Co on, Marco—don't stop now!"
This ti, even as night fell, Kaido didn't call for a break.
After his awakening, his body had undergone a comprehensive enhancent—just like Marco's had before. Every one of his six attributes had clearly surged.
Marco couldn't see Kaido's stats, but he could feel the difference. This Kaido was nothing like the one he'd been fighting earlier—it was as if he were facing a completely new monster.
"Enough," Marco said at last, panting heavily. "That's it for today."
"Oh? Another halfti break?" Kaido imdiately halted his assault, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "You want to drag this out into a battle of attrition? Fine. I'll indulge you. It's a good chance to see if my Haki can grow even further."
Since awakening, Kaido could clearly sense it—the invisible shackles that had bound his strength for years were gone. Power surged endlessly through his body, and for reasons he couldn't fully explain, he felt that fighting Marco might allow him to keep breaking through again and again.
"Damn it," Marco muttered under his breath, glaring at him.
"You're really treating like so kind of experience mob to grind, aren't you?"
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