Chapter 24:

This had never happened before.

How could there be someone who couldn't be cut down no matter what?

In every fight Hawkeye had been in, win or lose, his sharp eyes could always spot his opponent's flaws and weaknesses. Even if he couldn't exploit them, at least they were there.

But not with Kaido.

Hawkeye had been fighting him for a while now and couldn't find a single weakness. Kaido appeared indestructible, impervious to harm.

At the same time, Kaido possessed overwhelming attack power. Hawkeye had raised his own power to its peak, achieving ultimate lethality. Yet, even this wasn't enough against Kaido. His attacks, no matter how powerful, couldn't gain any advantage in the fight. Hawkeye's proudest skill, his attack power, was being completely overshadowed by Kaido. In other areas, Hawkeye was at an even greater disadvantage.

Naturally, Hawkeye's mentality began to waver.

No matter how strong someone is, facing a battle where victory seems impossible, their resolve is bound to falter.

And so, Hawkeye's blade began to slow.

His strikes lost some of their killing power, and even his footing became unsteady.

Boom!

Kaido's club struck Hawkeye's black blade once again. This time, the sword, which had always been steady in Hawkeye's hands, trembled slightly, becoming unstable.

"What...?"

Hawkeye was stunned, staring at his black sword. He couldn't even hold it firmly! This was a clear sign of defeat.

For most people, realizing their fear and seeing their hands shake would only deepen their panic and despair.

But not Hawkeye.

As the world's strongest swordsman, his willpower wasn't that fragile. When he realized his fear was affecting his performance, he shifted his grip to hold the sword with both hands and let out a low roar, pushing through the fear to regain control.

He couldn't afford to lose like this.

Because this wasn't just a fight to determine victory or defeat—it was a battle for survival.

...

Kaido noticed the shift in Hawkeye's condition.

"Is he reaching his limit?" Kaido muttered, a bit surprised. He studied Hawkeye and assessed the situation. "That's right, his vitality isn't at the king level. Vitality includes physical strength, endurance, and resilience."

"We've been locked in this intense stalemate for quite some time. Both sides have now reached the stage of physical endurance."

"I possess king-level vitality, but he doesn't. It's only natural that he's beginning to fade."

"I just didn't expect his physical strength to diminish so quickly."

"Is Hawkeye's vitality really not even at the top level?"

In truth, this wasn't just about physical vitality.

Kaido didn't realize that Hawkeye was also battling his own fear.

When a person's mental state is compromised, it affects their physical strength as well. Even if they still have energy left, they can't access or use it effectively. It's like when someone gets into a heated argument and their whole body starts trembling, their hands sweating. Even though they're only using their voice, their body reacts as if it's under tremendous strain. This is how a weakened mental state affects physical performance.

Hawkeye's vitality was far inferior to Kaido's, and after such a prolonged fight, his physical strength was already draining. Add to that his shaken mentality, and it was no surprise he began to show signs of defeat so quickly.

But Hawkeye was still Hawkeye.

When he gripped his sword with both hands and roared, he managed to suppress his fear. In doing so, he regained control over his body and stamina.

...

This scene didn't go unnoticed by Sengoku and the admirals. They watched in silent admiration.

Hawkeye's mental fortitude and self-control were truly impressive. He was no ordinary warrior.

Indeed, Hawkeye had the strength to rival an admiral or even one of the Four Emperors.

But because of this, Sengoku found himself even more astonished as he turned his gaze back to Kaido.

"How is Kaido this strong?" Sengoku was deeply shaken by what he was witnessing. His expression was full of confusion. "We've always known about Kaido's immense strength, his monstrous vitality, and near-indestructible body. None of that is surprising."

"But when did his attack power become this overwhelming?"

"The Kaido we see now... a single swing of his club…"

"His basic strikes are as powerful as the Conqueror's Haki-infused attacks we saw in previous reports!"

"What used to be an attack enhanced by Conqueror's Haki is now just a casual blow for him."

"And when he actually coats his strikes with Haki, the power is incredible. It's so strong that he's completely suppressing Hawkeye's offense."

"This is unbelievable."

"The sheer lethality of his attacks might even surpass Akainu..."

"It feels like watching a young Whitebeard."

"Perhaps the only person whose attack power could rival Kaido now is Garp."

"This is a completely different Kaido from what our intelligence indicated."

"What's happened to Kaido?"

"Not only has his personality changed dramatically, but his strength..."

"Damn it, the world is changing so quickly. Are people changing this drastically too?"

Sengoku was full of bewilderment.

Sengoku's eyes were filled with emotion as he watched Kaido.

The Kaido of today could no longer be considered just an ordinary Emperor of the Sea. There was a sense that he might soon take a step further, becoming a living legend. Kaido was already an immense threat, and now, that threat had only grown. How could this not be a headache?

Sengoku couldn't help but turn his gaze to Garp.

Behind the execution platform, Garp stood calm and composed, showing no intention of joining the battle. This gave Sengoku even more reason for concern. Despite the numerous strong fighters present at Navy Headquarters, many were simply slacking off. One by one, no one seemed to be taking the war seriously.

As the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku was responsible for overseeing the entire Navy Headquarters. Yet, in reality, whether or not people followed his orders was completely up to them. Sometimes they listened; other times, they didn't care. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Garp and the three admirals were particularly notorious for this behavior.

For instance, Sengoku had received intelligence that Aokiji had recently encountered the Straw Hat Pirates. At that time, he'd met Nico Robin.

Sengoku's intention had been clear: the Straw Hat Pirates should be wiped out if the opportunity arose, and Nico Robin should be captured. But what happened instead?

Aokiji let them go!

He came back and reported that Garp's grandson, Luffy, was simply too strong, and he barely escaped after a tough fight with the Straw Hat crew.

Damn it.

Who would believe that?

Aokiji clearly took Sengoku for a fool.

But the real issue was—what could Sengoku do, even if he didn't believe it? What could he possibly do to Aokiji?

Then there was Kizaru.

This man was another constant headache for Sengoku.

During the incident at Sabaody Archipelago, after the Celestial Dragons were attacked, Kizaru was sent to deal with the situation. His mission was to handle some of the Supernovas, particularly Straw Hat Luffy, and capture Nico Robin. To ensure Kizaru didn't slack off, Sengoku even dispatched a large number of naval elites and Pacifistas.

What happened?

Kizaru, an admiral, didn't catch a single Supernova.

He didn't even kill any of them.

And as for the Straw Hat Pirates?

They all escaped!

Every single one of them!

Is this the kind of record an admiral should have?

And what did Kizaru report back?

He said, "The new generation of pirates is so terrifying!—"

Sengoku's blood pressure spiked instantly. He wanted to transform into his Buddha form and smash Kaido against a wall. What kind of nonsense was Kizaru talking about?

You're an admiral! You could take them down with your eyes closed! Why pretend they're terrifying?

But what could Sengoku do?

It's hard to lead when your subordinates don't follow orders.

He could only endure it.

Every day, he had to dye his white hair black—sometimes twice a day—because these subordinates in the Navy kept infuriating him.

Now, in the midst of the war at Marineford, Sengoku realized that Kaido wasn't a simple opponent. Yet, he still had no way of commanding Garp or the admirals. Whether they acted or how they chose to act was entirely up to them.

Sengoku had to stay behind to guard Ace, making it impossible for him to intervene personally. His blood pressure was reaching new heights.

...

At that moment, suddenly—

Boom!

The intense battle between Kaido and Hawkeye came to a sudden conclusion.

Unlike the previous stalemate, the fight had taken a sharp turn. Kaido spotted a weakness in Hawkeye and struck with his club.

Hawkeye was sent flying.

He crashed into the wall of a nearby building, breaking through it before falling inside. The entire structure collapsed on top of him, sending clouds of dust into the air.

The crowd fell silent.

"Hawkeye... was knocked away!?"

"Is he dead?"

Countless people stared at the wreckage in shock, a mix of fear and disbelief in their eyes.

Hawkeye had been utterly defeated—at a huge disadvantage.