Chapter 7: Rocks Isn't Here—Then I'm Invincible![1]
"With just one blow, he instantly killed the Kama-Itachi Pirates' captain—Twin-Blade Cook, with a bounty as high as 88,000,000 beli…"
"Hiss…"
"Who the hell is this guy? With strength like that, no wonder he dares to say he'll challenge Rocks."
Watching Twin-Blade Cook die so completely in the blink of an eye, the surrounding pirates all sucked in a cold breath.
They were intimidated by the brutal strength Kaido had just shown.
The wariness they'd felt earlier—back when they hadn't seen Kaido strike personally—only deepened.
Right away, quite a few pirate captains decided to withdraw from this trouble spot first.
As for the losses Kaido had caused them, they tossed them to the back of their minds.
After all, this oni giant in front of them clearly wasn't the kind of person you could reason with.
But even if they wanted to leave—
Kaido wouldn't allow it.
Leave?
Leave to where?
He'd gone to great lengths to come to Loki Port for one reason: to challenge Rocks.
If he didn't cause a huge scene, how could he draw the Rocks Pirates' attention?
If he didn't kill people—kill a lot of people—how would he lure Rocks out?
So…
Kaido gripped Hassaikai and turned around, baring bone-white teeth in a savage grin at the pirates and criminals who were about to retreat.
"Did I say you could leave?"
As he spoke, that massive, overwhelmingly oppressive body took long strides toward them.
The pirates' faces immediately turned ugly.
A pirate captain drew his weapons and pointed them at Kaido, roaring, "You damn oni bastard! Don't push it! Don't think we're afraid of you! There are so many of us here—"
"Then come on!"
"Come kill me!!"
Kaido snarled. Amid the pirates' shock and fury, he launched his attack without hesitation.
The heavy black spiked club tore through the air like a death knell rung by the Reaper, crashing down toward the pirates' heads!
The blow was heavy, direct, without any flourish—
and unbelievably fast!
In the pirates' eyes, they only saw a black afterimage flash by, and then a piercing agony tore through their bodies.
After that, they lost consciousness.
And in the eyes of everyone else—
either their heads were smashed apart like melons, or their entire bodies were pounded into splattering sludge.
"Wororororo! Trash! A bunch of trash!"
"You call yourselves pirates?"
Kaido swung his club in a wide sweep.
More than a dozen pirates were struck at the waist—like bowling pins—snapped in half like stalks of wheat, tendons torn and bones shattered as they were flung dozens, even hundreds of meters up over the harbor, then rained down like a shower of gore.
Crimson blood sprinkled down, staining Kaido's towering body red and making the grin on his face even more vicious.
He alone chased down hundreds upon hundreds of people in the port.
Like a tiger among sheep, he slaughtered until the pirates dropped their weapons and armor, screaming and bawling as they fled for their lives.
It wasn't like no pirate captains, confident in their own strength, stepped up to try to stop him.
But they still underestimated Kaido's power.
That black spiked club, in his hands, carried momentum like a large warship charging at full speed.
Any pirate captain whose strength hadn't reached the level of a 100,000,000-beli bounty couldn't even last one exchange against his club, and would follow in Twin-Blade Cook's footsteps.
After they watched three or four pirate captains—each with bounties close to 100,000,000—get crushed like meatballs by Kaido,
the pirates finally gave up resisting and began fleeing in a desperate stampede.
Kaido stood over seven meters tall.
So much so that when he chased these pirates down, he had to bend his waist.
He truly looked like a hardworking farmer harvesting wheat in a field.
Except unlike a farmer harvesting wheat—
Kaido wasn't just "cutting wheat."
He was also smashing the entire field to pieces with his club.
Wherever he went, Loki Port's broad, level harbor looked like it had suffered an earthquake, blasted into craters several meters wide—ten meters wide.
In no more than a few dozen seconds, half of this bustling pirate port had become ruins.
"Rocks Pirates—damn it, do something already!"
"Isn't Loki Port your territory? You're just going to stand by and watch this port get destroyed?"
"Contact Rocks! Tell him to come kill this oni beast!"
The pirates being hunted by Kaido cursed furiously as they ran, shouting at the Rocks Pirates men around them who were also fleeing.
The Rocks Pirates men being cursed didn't answer, only sprinting with their heads down.
No matter what, staying alive came first.
They might be pirates under the Rocks Pirates banner, but they were only affiliated crews.
Drinking and eating well under Rocks was fine.
But risking their lives?
They weren't Marines—the kind who'd charge forward just because someone yelled about justice.
Just as the entire port fell into total chaos—
Splurt!
A long string of blood mist suddenly exploded through the fleeing crowd rushing toward the town deeper inside the port!
From the far end of the long street, a brilliant sword flash swept past in an instant.
It ruthlessly split open the packed crowd ahead!
As countless severed limbs and broken arms flew through the air, they shot toward Kaido's broad back!
"Hm?"
Kaido's hair stood on end. Every muscle in his body tensed.
His hulking frame twisted violently, swinging the black spiked club behind him in a brutal backhand smash.
Clang!
A piercing metallic blast rang out.
A spray of bright sparks burst off Kaido's club as it tilted slightly to the side.
That sudden slash had actually knocked it off course a bit.
Kaido narrowed his eyes and looked over.
At the end of the blood-soaked street—
a bald giant over four meters tall appeared, gripping a double-edged greatsword in both hands.
He strolled forward as if out for a walk, passing through the path of blood he himself had carved, coming toward Kaido.
"A rookie pirate with a 70,000,000-beli bounty, from the Grand Line's Vodka Kingdom—an oni tribesman, Barbarossa Kaido."
"Looks like your true strength far exceeds your bounty. No wonder Rocks has already taken notice of you."
Watching the bald brute draw closer, Kaido raised an eyebrow.
"And who are you?"
The bald giant stopped about ten meters in front of Kaido, holding the greatsword in one hand and dragging it along the ground.
At the question, his mouth curled into a grin.
"Samro. A combatant of the Rocks Pirates. Bounty: 280,000,000 beli."
"280,000,000? Wonder how many hits you can take." Kaido's interest sparked as he walked straight toward Samro.
Samro watched Kaido approach with cold indifference, no fear on his face, and said flatly:
"I already told you—Rocks has reviewed your file and finds you somewhat interesting. Barbarossa Kaido, if you still want to join the Rocks Pirates, stop this stupid provocation now, otherwise…"
"Otherwise?"
Kaido grinned, rotated his wrist, and shifted his grip to both hands on the club—then smashed down toward Samro's head with savage force!
"Otherwise what?!"
"Stubborn fool!!"
Seeing Kaido refuse to listen and swing the club down, Samro's expression instantly turned icy.
"You don't know the sky from the sea!"
"In that case, I'll cut off your limbs first, then throw you before Rocks to beg forgiveness!!"
Samro also gripped his sword with both hands and swung that greatsword—over three meters long—down at Kaido without hesitation!
The two heavy weapons tore through the air and collided in an instant, detonating with a screeching boom!
Then the next moment, the cold smile lifting Samro's mouth turned into shock.
"This strength… impossible!"
In his eyes, the greatsword—swung with full force, capable of cleaving even a Marine warship in two—was brutally blasted aside the instant it met Kaido's club!
At the same time, Samro's wrists shook violently.
A berserk force surged through the sword into his arms, making both forearms tremble.
The greatsword nearly flew out of his hands!
The charging Kaido—just one strike—smashed him off his feet and sent him flying backward!
With the advantage in hand, Kaido pressed without mercy.
He stomped hard with his right foot, shattering and cracking the ground beneath him.
He crouched low, compressing his body like a loaded heavy crossbow, then swung the club with both hands in a brutal arc.
From low to high, he smashed diagonally at Samro—whose weapon had been knocked away and whose chest was wide open.
That attack proved Kaido's battle sense didn't match his rough exterior.
He wasn't just mindlessly swinging.
The pitch-black spiked club came crashing in!
The raised spikes gleamed coldly, and Samro—still flying backward in midair—turned pale.
He forced every muscle in his body to move, trying to pull his greatsword back to block.
But he was half a beat too late!
In the next instant—
amid Kaido's vicious grin, the tip of the club slammed into Samro's chest, the spikes ripping through thick muscle.
Blood sprayed wildly from Samro's mouth as he was hurled even faster backward!
"This is a 280,000,000-beli combatant?"
"Trash! Weak trash!"
"Wororororo! Worororororo!"
"Rocks isn't here—so I'm invincible!"
Kaido roared with laughter and continued the pursuit, his presence surging higher and higher.
Meanwhile.
Deep inside Loki Port's town.
Another slaughter was unfolding.
Pirates who had been frightened by Kaido and fled here, intending to cross the entire island and escape from the other side, ran into another intruder.
A white-haired devil.