Red Hair never believed that he could persuade people to give up fighting just by talking, so after reaching an agreement with Arceus, using force to threaten the Marines became his goal.
The Beasts Pirates and the people Red Hair brought along were few in number, but they were all top-tier combatants.
Arceus, Kaido, Yamato, Shayna, King, Queen, Beckman, Shanks — with these individuals, plus the Whitebeard Pirates, even Marine Headquarters wouldn't be able to endure it.
The most crucial factor was Arceus' strategic deterrence. Red Hair believed there were still clear-headed people within the World Government — that kind of island-destroying attack would be enough to make them back down.
And just as he had predicted, faced with Red Hair's threat, the Marines present all turned deathly pale, and even Sengoku had to support Garp by the shoulder.
"Garp, your grandson's problem has already been resolved. Don't tell me you're so old now you can't even take a punch from your own grandson."
Previously, since it involved Garp's grandson, Sengoku couldn't really pressure him. But facing these monsters, if Garp kept slacking off, then their brotherhood would end.
"I know — that just now was just a moment of carelessness."
"Take it seriously."
To be fair, Sengoku no longer wanted the war to continue. The current situation offered no advantage to the Marines at all, but since they hadn't achieved any results, just giving up would be impossible to justify.
As Sengoku hesitated, the Den Den Mushi on Tsuru suddenly rang — the latest order from the Five Elders had finally been transmitted to Marine Headquarters.
"Five Elders, are you serious?"
"Of course, Sengoku. Carry out the order. Your job now is to minimize the impact as much as possible."
"Understood."
The Marines present had already heard the Five Elders' order. Garp and Tsuru seemed used to this kind of situation, Kizaru acted completely indifferent, while only Sakazuki's eyes widened in shock.
If Sengoku hadn't already hung up the Den Den Mushi, he surely would have argued with the Five Elders.
But faced with a confirmed order, the only thing he could do was carry it out.
"The war can end, but first, the live broadcast from that Den Den Mushi must be cut off."
Ending the war — that was the order from the Five Elders. In their view, even that weapon hadn't managed to make a difference, so continuing the fight was pointless; it was better to cut their losses.
This aligned with Sengoku's own thoughts, but only under the condition that they didn't admit defeat while being broadcasted live.
There were thousands of people on the battlefield — it would be impossible to completely contain the news — but if it spread afterward, they could still try to spin it. If they openly admitted defeat in front of the Den Den Mushi, however, Marine's reputation would be utterly ruined.
For a moment, Buggy, who was holding the Den Den Mushi, became everyone's primary focus.
"Beckman, do me a favor — go find Buggy. I've already told you what he looks like."
"Shayna, King, you two go as well. Remember to bring the Den Den Mushi back."
Shanks and Arceus both gave their subordinates orders, planning to first seize the Den Den Mushi, while Sengoku also issued new orders.
"Borsalino, go bring Kuzan back. Have the messengers inform that the war is over, but be mindful of the gossip."
Before cutting the broadcast, Marines couldn't announce a ceasefire to the world; this was their final bottom line.
With the top combatants not taking action, the casualties among the lower ranks would remain within an acceptable range. To the high command, the Marines' reputation was more important than the lives of some of the soldiers.
"Newgate, you heard them. Now you can fight with peace of mind, right?"
Kaido didn't care what the ultimate outcome of this war would be — he just wanted to fight, to have an all-out battle without any interruptions.
"Gurararara, brat, if you die by my hand, don't you dare complain."
"Worororo, if that happens, it just means I was too weak. Come, Newgate! In this fight, it's either you or me who dies!"
Now that the biggest issue had been resolved, Kaido could no longer wait.
Previously, Whitebeard had been fighting against Akainu and Kizaru, while Kaido had been battling Sengoku and Zephyr — both sides had expended a fair amount of stamina, making it a relatively fair fight.
Arceus would not intervene in Kaido's battle, and Red Hair, because of his prior agreement, also wouldn't step in. As for the Marines, they had no intention of stopping the fight either — for them, the best outcome would be for Kaido and Whitebeard to destroy each other.
So the remaining people simply entered a state of mutual vigilance. For the Marines, they also had to contain the shockwaves of the battle between these two monsters, preventing them from affecting more areas.
After receiving Whitebeard's definite response, Kaido's body was already moving.
"Kaido, you really are impatient, aren't you!"
Murakumogiri in Whitebeard's hand was brandished, slashing straight down toward the charging Kaido. Amidst roaring laughter, Hassaikai and Murakumogiri collided fiercely.
The two exchanged no more useless words, only clashing kanabo and naginata in the simplest, most direct manner — no fancy techniques, just pure brute strength.
Whether it was Hassaikai or Murakumogiri, both were heavy weapons, and both Whitebeard and Kaido were men who had reached the pinnacle of power.
The thunderous booms from their weapon collisions echoed non-stop, but for the two of them, this was only the beginning.
"Worororo, Newgate, we're old acquaintances. There's no need for this level of probing anymore, right?"
"Gurararara, you're right. You're no longer that brat from back then."
A white light orb appeared on the blade of Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, and under the vibrating orb, Conqueror's Haki burst forth like lightning.
Thinking back to those years, it was Whitebeard who had conveyed Rocks' words and brought Kaido into the crew. Time had passed, and the brat from back then had now become a monster at the same level as himself.
"Worororo! That's it! This is exactly the kind of battle I want!"
Kaido's body began to swell, blue dragon scales covering him entirely. Conqueror's Haki also appeared on his weapon.
"Destroyer of Death Thunder Bagua!"
Lightning overflowed from Hassaikai, and the light orb formed using Quake-Quake Fruit exploded. If not for the surrounding people using Haki to block the attack's shockwaves, Marineford would have really been flattened.
Or rather, turned into a basin, since the aftermath of Arceus' attack had already left an enormous crater on the ground.
Though the two men remained standing firm amidst the attacks, the ground beneath their feet had already reached its limit. The rocks began to crack, and the land under them was quickly destroyed. It couldn't be told at all that just a few hours ago this place had been a magnificent plaza.
As more stones were pulverized into dust by the impact, a massive cloud of dust surged into the sky. Amidst the smoke and debris, Whitebeard leapt high into the air, and once again swung his Murakumogiri, which was carrying tremendous force, down at Kaido.
Although Kaido still managed to block this attack, Whitebeard's assault was far from over.
Using the recoil from the clash of their weapons, Whitebeard moved to Kaido's rear and smashed his fist in the air.
The air itself bore visible marks under the force of his powerful blow, and space around them seemed on the verge of collapse from the strike.
But Whitebeard knew very well—this was still not enough. As he unleashed the seismic waves, power of vibration also appeared at his heel. Borrowing the momentum of his descent, Whitebeard kicked down toward Kaido below.
The earlier attacks had merely been feints—this attack was the real one.
"Newgate, you're still just as terrifying as you were back then, both in strength and in your combat instincts," Kaido said, though there was not the slightest hint of panic in his tone. A seemingly indestructible barrier had already materialized around him.
"But it's not our first time fighting. You should still remember this, right?"
Protect's so-called absolute defense was relative; depending on the user's level, the maximum amount of force it could withstand varied as well.
The power young Whitebeard could unleash was, of course, far more terrifying than that of old Whitebeard, but Kaido had also made progress in all these years.
Compared to their last battle, Kaido had grown even stronger. Consequently, the maximum limit that his Protect could endure had also become far more terrifying. For him, relying on the barrier to tank even the Kamusari head-on was not out of the question.
Whitebeard may have returned to his prime, but Kaido had continued pushing his limits.
"Of course I haven't forgotten. But don't you forget either—I have a way to attack you through your barrier!"
Boom!
Whitebeard's strike was stopped by the barrier on the outside, but the attack itself didn't vanish.
Under the influence of the vibrations, the air behind the Protect barrier began to shake as well. By vibrating the very space, the damage was transmitted to Kaido's body. Moreover, the vibrations seemed to induce resonance within his body, inflicting internal damage much like high-level Armament Haki would.
This was the awakening of the Quake-Quake Fruit—an ability that allowed Whitebeard to push the power of vibration to its absolute limit.
In this state, the vibrations under his control were like extensions of his own limbs. Unless the barrier completely isolates one to another dimension, Whitebeard's attacks could pierce through the barrier and strike the body directly.
Kaido still remembered Whitebeard's fighting style, and likewise, Whitebeard remembered Kaido's Protect. Therefore, without wasting any time, he directly entered his awakened state as soon as the battle began.
The island was affected by Whitebeard's power. Under his relentless assault, countless cracks appeared all over Marineford, and under the influence of the vibrations, the island even began to show signs of splitting apart.
The clash between Kaido and Whitebeard triggered massive shockwaves. Violent winds, with them at the center, swept outwards, and the sky above them once again split open.
Since the start of the Summit War, the sky over Marineford had been suffering nonstop misfortune.
Earlier, Arceus' power had left a cloud ring in the sky. The ring-shaped cloud floated in the sky like an arena boundary, but now this ring had been severed once again by a single slash.
"Fire Dragon Dance Bagua!"
Scorching dragon flames wrapped around Kaido's body, especially around the tail behind him, where the fire burned even more fiercely. His body also made slight twisting movements, and along with the rhythm of his dance, Kaido once again swung his kanabo toward Whitebeard.
Anyone who had ever witnessed Dragon Dance would never allow an opponent to use it again. Ordinary fighters wouldn't even have the chance to perform Dragon Dance before being ruthlessly interrupted by Whitebeard.
But Kaido was different. As he grew increasingly proficient with Dragon Dance, he had already fully integrated the move into his fighting style—whether during his attacks or his movements, he could perform Dragon Dance seamlessly during the process.
Boom!
Even though Whitebeard's body was also coated with Haki, Kaido's attack still produced a deep, muffled sound.
Although Kaido's kanabo struck him, Whitebeard didn't stop attacking. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he brought Murakumogiri down in a slash, sending a shower of sparks flying from the dragon scales on Kaido's shoulder.
The hardness of Kaido's dragon scales, combined with his powerful Haki, prevented the strike from breaking through his defenses. However, the force of the blow still penetrated into his body. Both Kaido and Whitebeard had mastered the highest levels of Armament Haki—getting hit meant it was impossible to completely nullify the opponent's damage.
Both sides landed hits at the same time, but for Whitebeard, this exchange was not favorable.
Relying on the Quake-Quake Fruit's power, Whitebeard had a certain advantage in offensive power, but Kaido's defense and regeneration far exceeded his. Even if Kaido sustained heavier injuries from an exchange, in the end, it would still be Whitebeard who would lose.
Moreover, this wasn't a turn-based game.
Whitebeard's vibrations needed to be channeled through the movements of his limbs to unleash their full power, but Kaido was different.
Besides the kanabo, there were other weapons on Kaido's body.
Not the kind of equipment that King used—King's fighting style wasn't something Kaido liked. To Kaido, the thing he trusted the most was still his own body.
Whitebeard's slash was blocked by Kaido's Haki, but suddenly, the scales on Kaido's body stood on end. In the next instant, those scales shot out like bullets, each one infused with powerful Armament Haki.
Whitebeard's attack seemed to have triggered a thornmail effect, but it wasn't reflected damage—it was a technique actively unleashed by Kaido.
This was the Scale Shot attack of Dragon-Type Pokémon, a high-level application of their own scales, allowing them to launch them as weapons. In many cases, it produced unexpected effects in battle.
The dense barrage of scales shot toward Whitebeard, leaving numerous bloody marks on his body. Then, a white light emanated from his entire body as his tremendous vibration force repelled all the dispersed scales.
"It's not over yet! Conquerer of Three Worlds Ragnaraku • Dragon Scale Dance!"
Lightning, Haki, and the power of the dragon—at this moment, Kaido unleashed his strongest attack. Wherever his Hassaikai swept past, even the air itself let out mournful cries.
Whether they were the scales shot earlier or the ones repelled by Whitebeard, they all formed a unified whole under the pull of Kaido's Hassaikai.
The swinging kanabo practically transformed into a roaring dragon, using the overwhelming force of Conqueror's Haki as its Dragon Breath, charging straight toward Whitebeard.
"Bring it on!"
Looking at Kaido's attack, and feeling the youthful strength surging within his body, Whitebeard's heart stirred with excitement. At this moment, he was no longer fighting for his sons; he was dueling a powerful opponent.
He didn't like Kaido, but he couldn't deny that Kaido was a formidable opponent. In Kaido, Whitebeard even found traces of the feeling he had when fighting Roger back in the day. Vaguely, he even felt that this junior was gradually surpassing the Roger of the past.
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