Chapter 27: Admirals make their move

Kaido was frozen solid.

This sudden turn of events shocked everyone, but also reignited their hope.

Just moments ago, Kaido had been swinging his kanabo, the Eight Precepts, aiming to finish off the already defeated Hawkeye.

Everyone thought Mihawk was as good as dead. And that was the last thing anyone wanted.

After all, Hawkeye and the navy were both on the side of justice, while Kaido represented evil.

But no one could stop Kaido.

If even Hawkeye fell to him, who else stood a chance? Whoever tried would surely be defeated as well, which left many in despair.

But then, unexpectedly, at the critical moment, an admiral made his move.

In an instant, Kaido was turned into an ice sculpture.

Both Kaido and his weapon were encased in ice. Under the sunlight, the frozen figure sparkled.

"Admiral Aokiji has taken action!!"

"He froze Kaido completely!!!"

"Is Kaido dead?"

"Could turning into an ice sculpture kill him? Maybe he'll freeze to death?"

"He won't die from this, he's one of the Four Emperors who just defeated Hawkeye... but it will definitely affect him."

"The admiral is so strong!!!"

"Yes! The admirals can suppress even the Four Emperors! We're saved!"

The crowd was in a frenzy.

After Hawkeye's defeat, many had lost faith in the admirals. After all, Mihawk was on par with Red-Haired Shanks and held the title of the world's strongest swordsman. If he fell so easily, surely the admirals, even if strong, couldn't stop Kaido.

But then the unthinkable happened.

With just one move, Aokiji froze Kaido.

People started to suspect that Aokiji's strength might surpass even that of the Four Emperors.

The might of the Marine Headquarters' admirals was no joke.

As Aokiji froze Kaido, another admiral, Kizaru, leapt into the air.

"Yasakani no Magatama."

As Kizaru announced the name of his technique, light in the sky condensed into a radiant four-pointed star.

From it, countless light bullets rained down, directed at Kaido's frozen form.

The barrage was extensive, but Kizaru controlled it masterfully, ensuring it didn't hit Hawkeye or the nearby marines. Most of the marines had already evacuated due to the earlier battle between Kaido and Mihawk, leaving a large area clear.

The light bullets pounded Kaido relentlessly, shattering the ice and bombarding his body, turning the battlefield into a sea of light.

The entire scene was blindingly bright.

Kaido was completely engulfed in the radiant bombardment.

This overwhelming display of power had a profound impact on the onlookers. Their confidence soared.

"Too strong!!"

"Admiral Kizaru is terrifying!!!"

"The sheer number of light bullets is enough to kill tens of thousands of pirates in one attack."

"If Kizaru were alone, he could take down a fleet of 100,000 small-fry pirates with this move."

The crowd marveled at the monstrous power of the admirals.

Their strength seemed so far beyond anything ordinary people could comprehend that even the thought of resistance felt futile.

Sabaody Archipelago.

"Admiral Kizaru has made his move!!!"

The people on the archipelago were ecstatic.

Aokiji's freezing of Kaido had already lifted their spirits. It proved that the navy still had the strength to contend with Kaido, and Mihawk's defeat was not the end.

Now, Kizaru unleashed his ultimate attack.

With countless light bullets raining down on Kaido, the hope of victory grew stronger.

Even if Kaido survived, he would surely be gravely injured after taking Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama head-on.

People's faith in the admirals soared to new heights.

"This is the power of an admiral! With this strength, Kizaru could annihilate a pirate fleet of tens of thousands, sink all their ships, and kill all the pirates with a single blast."

"It's terrifying!!!"

"Kizaru's light looks like a sun—a blazing sun!!"

"If Kaido survives this, I won't accept it. There's no way he could take such a high-frequency, all-encompassing attack and still stand."

"The admiral is invincible!!!"

"Aokiji freezes, and Kizaru finishes—this is so cool!"

"It's because of the admirals' strength that the Four Emperors stay confined to the New World. They wouldn't dare return to the first half of the Grand Line."

"Kaido is done for!!"

Although the battle wasn't over, people were already celebrating. Some had even popped champagne.

To any reasonable observer, based on the sheer destruction and power unleashed upon Kaido, it seemed impossible for any creature to survive.

Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama rained light bullets for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually, the light from the four-pointed star in the sky began to fade and finally disappeared.

Kizaru transformed into a beam of light and casually returned to his position beneath the execution platform. He moved with such grace and calm that it was hard to believe he'd just unleashed such devastation.

All eyes were on Kaido.

Though the bombardment had stopped, dust and smoke from the explosions filled the air, obscuring Kaido's figure.

But as the dust settled, Kaido's silhouette became clear.

To everyone's shock, Kaido was standing there, completely unharmed.

Wide-eyed, people searched for any sign of injury.

Amazingly, there were none.

Kaido looked as fresh and unscathed as when he first appeared.

"Impossible!!!"

The navy's hopes crumbled in an instant.

Despair crept back in.

This was unreasonable. Totally unreasonable!

How could Kaido be this indestructible? Was this kind of defense even possible for any living creature?

He had withstood the attacks of two admirals, yet not a single scratch marked his body.

Could this even be called human?!?

Even aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard was surprised.

Kaido defeating Mihawk hadn't elicited much of a reaction from him. After all, Hawkeye was just a junior in his eyes—a kid who'd risen in recent years.

But Kaido enduring Kizaru's entire ultimate move without a single injury? That was shocking.

Even Whitebeard, at his peak, would have never dared to face an admiral's full-powered attack head-on without using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit to deflect it.

In Whitebeard's experience, it was impossible for anyone to withstand an admiral's ultimate move without suffering any damage. Not even Rocks had done that!

If even Whitebeard was surprised, one could only imagine the reaction of Sengoku.

Even Garp, standing beside him, now wore a grave expression.

"Garp…" Sengoku said quietly, "Do you think you can defeat Kaido like this?"

Hearing the question, Garp narrowed his eyes.

The meaning behind Sengoku's words was clear—he wasn't confident.

He believed that the three admirals might not be enough to stop Kaido, and that Garp might need to step in.

For the first time, Garp was deadly serious as he stared at Kaido.

"I will never let a pirate who wants to bring destruction run free," he said firmly.

Hearing that, Sengoku couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Garp meant he was ready to take action.

But…

Even Garp seemed unsure.

Sengoku rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the situation. The execution of Ace had already made things complicated, and now Kaido's overwhelming defense was only adding to the chaos.

Under the Execution Platform

"Oh my... It seems we really can't hurt him, Kaido," Kizaru remarked, sounding both amused and frustrated.

Even Kizaru, with all his powerful moves, hadn't been able to harm Kaido. He felt an unusual sense of helplessness, something he wasn't accustomed to. Normally, Kizaru liked to act as if things were out of his control, but now, that feeling was genuine.

Aokiji, standing beside him, scratched his head. "This is troublesome," he muttered.

Kaido had just stood there, allowing them to attack freely. Yet, despite all the admirals' efforts, they hadn't left a single mark on him.

What were they supposed to do next? How could they fight against this kind of monstrous defense?

Meanwhile, Kaido had barely reacted to the attacks.

It wasn't that he was trying to show off his invulnerability. No, the truth was far more surreal.

[Whitebeard's survival time in the war at Marineford: 3 minutes.]

[Mainline Reward: Received.]

The calculation method for Whitebeard's survival had changed due to the ongoing war. Instead of needing to survive for a week, as he would during peacetime, Whitebeard had lasted just three minutes in the chaos of battle, and the next stage reward had already arrived.

Kaido, at that very moment, was preoccupied with studying this new reward.

That's why he hadn't even bothered to dodge or defend against the admirals' attacks.