"Fire! Cover Vice Admiral Garp!" As Garp moved into range of the Marine warships, the surrounding vessels swung their cannons onto Kaido and opened fire.
Boom—boom—boom.
Shells hammered at Kaido. They couldn't pierce his dragon scales, but the explosions' shockwaves forced him to halt. He glanced at the attacking ships, irritation plain on his face.
"Annoying trash..." Kaido muttered, a ball of wind gathering in his mouth.
Garp, alarmed, shouted, "Stop, Kaido! Your opponent is me!"
Kaido ignored him and roared, "Wind Blade!"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh
Dozens of colossal wind blades, each tens of meters long, tore toward the ships. In an instant those few vessels were cleaved into fragments, scattering like broken building blocks.
Garp's fury erupted. "Kaido!!!!"
"Bone Fist!" came the counter.
"Worororo—are you angry?" Kaido's spiked club intercepted Garp's punch. He sneered, "Then come and kill me! Avenge your subordinates!"
Sengoku watched the situation worsen, his face growing grim. It was obvious Garp alone couldn't stop Kaido. If the fight continued, they risked total annihilation.
The crucial fact was Kaido himself. With his Devil Fruit awakened, his strength had subtly surpassed even Whitebeard and Roger at their prime.
Both he and Garp were old now. Together they might have contended, but the Beasts Pirates had overwhelming numbers.
In ships, personnel, and top-tier combatants, the Marines had no advantage this time. Even fighting from their ships, which softened the numerical gap, they had no one capable of halting Kaido.
After a long moment, Sengoku made his choice. "All Marines, listen up! All personnel, retreat!"
Garp, still locked with Kaido, and Zephyr, engaged with Vergo and Who's-Who, were stunned. Why retreat now?
"Sengoku, what are you doing?!" Garp demanded, bewildered.
Sengoku's voice cut through: "Garp, retreat! We can't stop them. There's no need to suffer excessive troop losses."
Kaido watched the Marines pull back and said coldly, "Oh—choosing to retreat after weighing the pros and cons, are you?"
King, hearing Sengoku's order, frowned. "Kaido-san, this might just be a temporary retreat. If they harass us from behind while we're heading to Cake Island, that would be bad."
Kaido wasn't foolish. King's words clicked into place. As much as he wanted to support the Big Mom Pirates, leaving Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr unchecked would be a hidden danger. With those three together, plus the several thousand Marines still under their command, their force could rival a Yonko crew.
Leaving that power sitting at his back made Kaido nervous. He glared at Sengoku, Garp, and the others and sneered, "Worororo, who do you think I am?! You're the ones who actively intercepted us, and now you're the ones who want to run away. You three can escape if you want, but everyone else has to stay in this sea area!"
With that, Kaido turned and attacked the Marine warships.
If Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr tried to flee, Kaido could at best stop one of them. But the ordinary Marines on those ships were another matter—if he destroyed the ships, they would be stranded here with no way out.
"Damn Kaido..." Sengoku's face darkened as he watched Kaido charge the fleet. It was clear Kaido had no intention of letting them go.
"Don't even think about hurting them!" Garp stepped forward again and threw a punch at Kaido.
Kaido watched Garp advance, lips cold: "If you want to escape, then hurry up and save yourselves! But I'm going to destroy your power to fight back first."
Garp only answered confidently, "If we want to leave, no one can stop us."
Sengoku and Zephyr used Moonwalk as well, taking up the task of covering the retreat. Kaido looked at the three standing in front of him, then at the warships already beginning to pull away, and his expression hardened. He sneered, "Worororo, come on!"
Soon Kaido clashed with Garp again while King pressed Sengoku. The Marines' goal was simple and urgent: delay them long enough. Once they'd bought enough time, the three would use Moonwalk and leave.
The Beasts Pirates found themselves in a dilemma—pursue the retreating Marines or go help Big Mom. King flew to Kaido's side and asked, "Kaido-san, are we going to pursue the Marines next, or go support the Big Mom Pirates?"
Kaido watched the dozen or so Marine warships slipping away and weighed the risks. If they pursued, they might still fail to eliminate Sengoku and the others. If they stayed, those Marines could suddenly turn and strike them from behind. After a pause, Kaido decided, "No, our current mission is to support the Big Mom Pirates. The Old Hag and her crew are in a very bad situation right now."
King nodded, glancing at the now-distant ships. Though far, they were still visible. "Then should we fly directly or go with the fleet?"
Kaido understood that the Marines feared him; if he left the Beasts Pirates and flew off alone, they might turn back and press the attack. Without Kaido, the crew's combat effectiveness against Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr could be insufficient. After a moment's hesitation, he took the risk. "King, you and I will go ahead. Head to Cake Island at the fastest speed to support the Old Hag and her crew. Right now, they are not only facing the Marines but also the Gorosei. I'm worried the Old Hag and Marco won't be able to hold on. If they fall, then the Beasts Pirates will probably be next."
The Beasts Pirates listened solemnly. They were allies, and even as pirates they held a rudimentary sense of mutual honor.
Kaido continued, "Jack, lead the rest of the Beasts Pirates and follow later."
"Yes, Lord Kaido," Jack nodded firmly.
Kaido added, "If Sengoku and the others turn back to attack you after I leave, then you can choose to engage, or you can choose to retreat. Decide for yourselves at that time."
"Yes," Jack replied firmly.
Kaido nodded, his body shifting into a blue dragon, and he flew off toward Cake Island.
—
The fighting on Cake Island showed no sign of letting up; both sides were paying a brutal price.
Once the Gorosei intervened, the Shichibukai who had been sitting on the fence were shoved back into the fray by the Gorosei's overwhelming authority. With the Gorosei watching, the Warlords could no longer hold back and threw themselves at the Big Mom and Phoenix pirate cadres.
As the clash dragged on, the advantage of the Gorosei's apparent immortality became obvious. Even when Marco landed fatal-seeming blows, Marines and the other Gorosei rushed in to shield the wounded, buying them enough time to recover. The longer the battle lasted, the more it favored the Gorosei.
"Phoenix Seal..." Marco muttered, then kicked Nusjuro again, shattering his right arm and sending him airborne.
"Don't get cocky, you ant…" Saint Peter snarled, charging with a haki-infused fist.
The blow slammed into Marco's head; he took the impact. "Destruction Black Flame…" Flames flared across Marco's body, forcing Saint Peter backward several steps. Marco charged, teeth bared. "Fire Fist…" Another punch drove through Saint Peter, flinging fragments of flesh like debris.
"What is that...?" Marco finally got a clear look at the marks on Nusjuro's and Saint Peter's backs and right shoulders. They were strange tattoos—he didn't know their meaning—but he noticed that in combat they avoided taking damage to the tattooed areas. That detail, after all the wounds he'd inflicted, only deepened his curiosity.
Before he could think more, a gigantic bird's claw swept down. Marco rolled away and found Saint Mars blocking his advance. Facing three Gorosei at once, he had no easy options.
He jabbed at them, mocking, "It seems you have some special tattoos on your bodies! Do Celestial Dragons, who are so high and mighty, also like tattoos or body art? Or is that some kind of slave mark?"
Saint Mars, Saint Nusjuro, and the wounded Saint Peter all scowled. They'd tried to hide the marks, but Marco had seen them—the repeated damage had made the magic circle visible.
"You mere ant, you talk too much," Mars said coldly.
Nusjuro's broken body was knitting itself back together. He advanced on Marco, voice frosty. "Don't play dumb, Phoenix Marco. Even if your recovery is strong, you've been injured so many times by us your stamina must be depleted. We acknowledge your strength, but you are merely strong in recovery. You can never defeat a god."
Saint Peter added, "We'll give you a chance. Surrender to us, and we can bestow upon you the noble status of a World Noble. All your past mistakes can be forgiven."
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