Of course.
Compared to Whitebeard, Kaido's physical body was far stronger.
At the very least, in terms of defense and sheer durability.
Looking across the current pirate world, it was genuinely hard to find anyone capable of killing Kaido.
Even after personally witnessing Alex punch Whitebeard to death, Kaido still did not believe Alex could truly kill him.
After all, Kaido had been seeking death for years.
He had gone rampaging through Marineford countless times, been captured and sentenced to execution again and again—
And yet, no one had ever managed to kill him.
Not even that so-called Homelander!
Still, no matter how confident Kaido was in himself, the fact that Alex had punched Whitebeard—someone on the same level as him—to death in a single blow caused an enormous shock.
"Lord Kaido, do you think the Marines' next move will be against the other Emperors?"
King, one of the Three Calamities, spoke up in a low voice.
Under normal circumstances, King would never make such speculation.
But if the Marines truly possessed a trump card capable of easily killing an Emperor, then this was a completely different matter.
"Aren't you overthinking it, King?"
Queen, another of the Three Calamities, spoke dismissively.
"They're talking about the Four Emperors, you know.
Would the Marines really have that kind of nerve?"
After all, the Emperors were colossal forces.
Even the Marines would not dare act rashly against them.
"Lord Kaido, what should we do next?"
Jack fixed his gaze on Kaido and asked in a deep voice.
"The balance of the seas is about to change completely…"
Kaido shook his head and let out a long sigh.
For the Beasts Pirates, the goal was actually quite simple—
To gain more benefits amid this coming upheaval.
That so-called Homelander made Kaido deeply wary, but not afraid.
He would not be as fragile as Whitebeard.
---
Similar conversations were taking place within the Big Mom Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates as well.
In an instant, the remaining three Emperors all began to pay extremely close attention to Alex.
As for whether the Marines would continue and strike at the other Emperors next, all of them felt the likelihood was not very high.
After all, the Emperors were also one of the pillars maintaining order on the seas.
Yes—
Although the Emperors were pirates, it was precisely because of their presence that the seas had remained relatively stable.
If all four Emperors were eliminated, the seas would descend into complete chaos.
Unless—
Unless the Marines possessed power great enough to suppress the entire world even after the Emperors were gone.
However, no matter how much the remaining Emperors analyzed the situation, there was one thing they could never deduce:
The Five Elders had already intervened.
The decision-making power was no longer in the hands of the Marines at all.
---
Marineford.
Once again, Sengoku, Garp, and the three Admirals gathered in an office.
Naturally, Alex was there as well.
Unlike the tense and oppressive atmosphere weighing down the pirates, the mood within Marine Headquarters was one of exhilaration.
Everyone's eyes were shining.
The Marines had annihilated the Whitebeard Pirates—this was an unprecedented victory!
A milestone victory, one worthy of being recorded in history.
There was no need to think about what came next for now.
This achievement alone was enough to make people feel intoxicated with excitement.
Of course—
The absolute top brass of the Marines were comparatively much calmer and more restrained.
Especially with a suffocating presence sitting right beside them.
"As agreed, I've already taken care of Whitebeard."
Alex's voice broke the silence in the office.
Under the gazes of the Marine leadership, Alex spoke casually, as though he were discussing something utterly trivial.
"Next, I'll deal with Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks one by one. Same as before—I won't touch their crews."
"Make the necessary preparations."
The expressions of the Marine leadership all grew solemn.
Was Homelander's real operation about to begin?
Was the glorious age of the Marines finally arriving?
If the Marines truly managed to uproot all four Emperors, their prestige would reach an unprecedented height.
The Marines would ascend to a historical peak under their leadership.
This was something that made every high-ranking Marine—including Sengoku—feel their hearts pound.
Not to mention—
This operation had the backing of the Five Elders, making it utterly unquestionable.
"Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino!"
Sengoku turned to the three Admirals and issued his orders.
"All three of you stay on standby and cooperate with Homelander's actions."
An Emperor-level pirate crew was no small fry.
Each had tens of thousands of subordinates, with countless pirates boasting bounties of several hundred million.
Those pirates were extremely difficult to deal with.
Ordinary Marines simply could not handle them.
Only the Admirals themselves could suppress such forces.
"I've been ready for a long time."
Akainu was the first to speak, practically unable to contain himself.
"Homelander, when do we move? Let those bastards see what Marine justice really means!"
Ironically, the one who had most vehemently opposed "cooperating" with Alex at the start was Akainu himself.
Yet once the cooperation was confirmed, the most enthusiastic supporter was also Akainu.
"I'm ready anytime,"
Alex replied nonchalantly.
"You make your preparations. Once you're ready, let me know."
"I'll take care of Kaido first. That's all."
Whoosh!
After saying that, Alex said nothing more.
He stepped onto his surfboard and left the office directly.
Akainu was itching to follow Alex immediately and wipe out Kaido—the man who had repeatedly provoked the Marines.
But there was no helping it.
The Marines had just gone through a massive war.
Although they had won, there were still significant casualties.
Redistributing manpower was not something that could be done with a few words.
Even with Akainu personally overseeing things with his usual decisiveness, it still took seven full days to assemble a force of twenty thousand troops.
"Homelander, we're ready to begin!"
Only then did the impatient Akainu pull out a Den Den Mushi and contact Alex.
"I know."
Alex responded calmly from a certain island where he was "vacationing," then casually put the Den Den Mushi away.
Whoosh!
Stepping onto his surfboard, he shot straight into the sky and headed for Wano.
At Alex's current speed, crossing the seas took only moments.
Going to Wano barely consumed any time at all.
That wasn't an exaggeration—
It was a literal description.
Boom!
Almost immediately after Akainu ended the call, Alex's figure appeared in Wano.
More precisely—
Right outside Kaido's stronghold.
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