Just as the Straw Hat Pirates and Heart Pirates set course for the Boing Islands, chaos erupted at Marine Headquarters.
A massive azure dragon hovered ominously above the base, its Conqueror's Haki pulsating in waves that knocked every marine soldier to the ground.
This blue dragon could be none other than Kaido of the Four Emperors!
"Marine Headquarters! I've returned! Come and kill me if you can!" Kaido bellowed, once again expressing his infamous death wish.
The Marines had grown accustomed to these intrusions but remained furious at Kaido's brazen behavior. To challenge someone of his caliber required at least Admiral-level strength.
This time, however, the Marine officials weren't rushing into battle. Instead, they all wore sinister smiles.
Just as Kaido prepared to unleash his devastating breath attack, he spotted Garp standing on the rooftop with legs spread wide, clutching a peculiarly patterned fruit in his hand, posed as if ready to launch his signature Fist of Love.
Kaido instantly recalled that bastard Carl, instinctively closing his dragon mouth and covering it with his claws.
"Wahahaha! Kaido, don't you want to die? Open your mouth and let this old man feed you a Devil Fruit!" Garp laughed heartily while taunting him.
"Garp! What the hell are you trying to pull?!" Kaido roared angrily, though still carefully shielding his mouth.
"Wahahaha! Don't concern yourself with my methods, Kaido! You're not leaving here today! Sakazuki! Borsalino! Kuzan! Sengoku! Come over and restrain Kaido! Today, this worthless Devil Fruit is going down his throat!"
As soon as Garp finished shouting, the three Admirals and Sengoku had positioned themselves strategically around Kaido, each fixing him with a menacing stare.
Kaido immediately sensed the Marines' malicious intent.
Akainu sneered continuously: "Kaido, you've disrupted Marine Headquarters countless times. Today, you won't be leaving!"
Kizaru displayed his characteristic nonchalant smile: "Oh my, oh my~ The Emperor's title is just for show if you're going to die here today."
Aokiji remained silent, but his stance betrayed his eagerness for combat.
Meanwhile, Sengoku had already transformed into his golden Buddha form, clearly having awaited this moment for far too long.
Kaido had forced his way into Marine Headquarters countless times, each incident resulting in substantial losses for the Marines and embarrassment for Sengoku as Fleet Admiral.
Today was the perfect opportunity to restore their honor!
Suddenly finding himself in a precarious situation, Kaido turned to flee.
"Where do you think you're going?! Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!"
"Ice Ball!"
"Inugami Guren!"
"Great Buddha Shock Wave!"
The four powerhouses attacked simultaneously. Kaido immediately took heavy damage, yet he stubbornly kept his mouth covered, not daring to leave even the slightest opening. If Garp managed to force that "Devil Fruit" into his mouth, he'd surely explode and die.
Though Kaido often spoke of suicide, he didn't truly desire death!
However, because he was focused on protecting his mouth, Kaido couldn't properly counterattack and found himself overwhelmed by the three Admirals and the Fleet Admiral.
The four seemed intent on releasing years of pent-up frustration, attacking Kaido mercilessly.
It didn't take long for them to beat Kaido into a battered state.
Yet Kaido's legendary durability proved its worth—even after such an onslaught, he had sustained only minor injuries.
Growing impatient, Garp used Geppo to launch himself forward and delivered a powerful punch directly to Kaido's chin.
Garp's "Fist of Love" truly lived up to its reputation for strength. The blow was so forceful that Kaido couldn't help but open his mouth, crying out in pain.
"Wahahaha! This old man has been waiting for you to open your mouth!"
Garp seized the opportunity and stuffed the Devil Fruit into Kaido's mouth.
Humiliated and enraged, Kaido raised his massive dragon body, somehow producing his kanabo from nowhere, and swung it at Garp. Undeterred, Garp met the attack with his iron fist.
But Kaido stood alone against the Marines' collective might.
In a flash, Kizaru appeared beside Kaido, clutching ten Devil Fruits and attempting to force them into the dragon's massive maw.
Furious, Kaido kicked at Kizaru but was immediately frozen by Aokiji. Simultaneously, Akainu scorched Kaido's back with his Inugami Guren, while Sengoku delivered a powerful punch to the same area.
A mouthful of blood erupted from Kaido's throat.
"You Marines are so dishonorable... Ugh!"
Before finishing his sentence, Kaido clamped his mouth shut. The Devil Fruit in Kizaru's hand remained pressed against Kaido's lips, unable to enter.
"Oh my, oh my~ Weren't you just talking big? Come on, let me feed you this fruit." Kizaru's taunting smile pushed Kaido to the brink of exploding with rage.
This invasion of Marine Headquarters had turned into a complete disaster.
The Marines must have learned from that little bastard Carl about how to drive him away; otherwise, they wouldn't resort to such shameless tactics.
Kaido realized he could no longer casually invade Headquarters in the future. One wrong move, and he might actually die—consuming a worthless Devil Fruit and exploding to death would be utterly humiliating for one of the Four Emperors!
While lost in these thoughts, Kaido endured several more punishing blows from the five Marine powerhouses.
Garp's strikes were especially painful, yet Kaido didn't dare cry out or even speak harshly, fearing he might inadvertently open his mouth.
After glaring intensely at Garp, Kaido mustered all his strength to break through their encirclement. Transforming into his azure dragon form, he fled in disgrace into the distance. This had to be his most humiliating defeat since he began challenging Marine Headquarters!
"Worororo! Garp! Sengoku! Three Admirals! You shameless bastards! If you have any honor, fight me one-on-one!"
"You're all as irritating as that little bastard Carl! I won't forget this!"
After shouting these final insults, Kaido hastily flew further away, fearing Marine pursuit.
Witnessing this, Sengoku exhaled deeply in satisfaction.
Finally! Even the mighty Kaido knew when to retreat!
"Kaido! The next time you dare to come here, don't expect to leave alive!"
Sengoku's bold declaration brought him immense satisfaction. After so many years, he had finally salvaged his pride.
When the Marine soldiers witnessed Kaido's panicked retreat, their morale soared. They erupted in wild cheers for Sengoku, Garp, and the three Admirals. News of the incident spread rapidly across the seas, and Kaido became the subject of widespread mockery.
Sengoku leveraged Marine propaganda networks, circulating the story of how Kaido had forcibly entered Marine Headquarters, nearly been beaten to a pulp, and ultimately fled in disgrace.
The Marines' message was clear: even the mighty Four Emperors could be humbled, and the Marines stood as the sea's greatest power!
Consequently, civilians throughout the world felt encouraged, while pirates everywhere were intimidated. For a time, the Marines enjoyed unprecedented prestige.
The Straw Hat Pirates remained blissfully unaware of these developments.
Over the past few days, they had purchased Eternal Poses on other islands and successfully navigated to the Boing Islands.
Fortunately, the Boing Islands weren't too distant, though their remote location and dangerous reputation meant few visitors ever arrived. The lack of people suited the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates perfectly, as they planned to establish a temporary base there for their upcoming training.
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