Chapter 42: Old cheat

People looked at the execution platform in shock.

All that was left were flames.

The flames remained unchanged.

This meant that those inside hadn't even tried to resist.

Were they all burned to death?

The Navy had been waiting for its strongest force to break through, but despair thickened in the air.

Both the Navy and the pirates were filled with worry and fear.

Although the encirclement wall was broken, which was a positive outcome for the pirates, the situation was still grim.

Especially considering that Kaido had destroyed the Navy Headquarters.

This was a much bigger advantage for them.

However, the pirates' main goal was to rescue Ace.

Kaido had demolished the headquarters with his heat breath, swallowing up the Navy's strongest forces.

But what about Ace? Did he get burned too?

If that were the case, the pirates' feelings would be extremely complicated.

How could they even face Kaido? Should they consider him an enemy or a friend? No one knew.

"Ace, are you okay?"

"Couldn't he have been burned to death as well?"

"Won't these flames devour and destroy everything?"

"Please, Ace, don't let anything happen to you."

The pirates were nervous.

In the sky, Aokiji, who had just unleashed his Ice Age attack, was now descending slowly, eyes locked on the execution platform, his expression serious.

"What kind of power is this?" he murmured.

As he landed, Aokiji turned back to look at what used to be Navy Headquarters.

The tall, iconic building that symbolized the Navy's might and reputation had been completely demolished. Once, from a distance, you could see the word "Navy" on that huge structure, a sight that struck fear into pirates. But now? It was hard to even tell what this place had once been.

"What a mess, Kaido…"

Aokiji was deeply moved.

Kaido's power was far more terrifying than even Whitebeard's.

On the White Whale, Doflamingo stood stunned.

He knew Kaido was strong, but this? This was beyond anything he had expected!

The headquarters had been utterly flattened by flames, and the Navy's strongest warriors, swallowed by the inferno.

Kaido was truly invincible.

Doflamingo felt fortunate to have aligned himself with such a powerful figure.

Whitebeard stared at the spot where the execution platform once stood, as if he could see through the sea of flames.

Gradually, the heat died down.

Kaido's attack was over.

The flames continued to burn for a while but slowly began to die out.

The execution platform, once consumed by fire, began to emerge again.

Finally, the scene within the flames became clear.

The execution platform was completely intact!

And there stood Sengoku, in his golden Buddha form. His body radiated golden light, shielding the entire platform, protecting Ace, the admiral, and Garp. The platform had been bathed in flames for so long, yet it remained untouched.

"The top combat force is fine!!!"

On the Navy's side, despair gave way to hope.

They saw a glimmer of light.

Sengoku, Garp, and the admirals were all unharmed.

Not even a single injury.

There was still a real chance to defeat Kaido!

Morale within the Navy quickly rebounded.

"How did the Fleet Admiral Sengoku transform into a giant Buddha?"

"That's the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Great Buddha model! Like Kaido, it's also a Mythical Zoan type."

"A mythical beast?!"

"My god, it's a real Buddha."

"Golden light... blessing the execution platform!"

Many in the Navy were witnessing the power of Sengoku's Buddha form for the first time.

After all, Sengoku rarely engaged in battle these days.

The sight of this giant Buddha was awe-inspiring.

If any believers were present, they might have felt compelled to kneel. The pirates, meanwhile, were feeling conflicted.

"Ace is safe!"

That relieved them immensely.

Ace's safety was the best outcome.

But seeing that the Navy's top fighters were also unharmed? That wasn't as welcome.

The pirates gazed at Sengoku's Buddha form and the golden light surrounding him, completely shielding the platform from Kaido's flames.

They were glad Ace was unharmed, but the fact that Sengoku and the others were fine filled them with unease.

What an intimidating sight... as if a Buddha had descended upon the battlefield.

If Sengoku decided to fight, it would be terrifying.

On the White Whale:

"Mythical Zoans…"

Kaido gazed at Sengoku in his Buddha form, remarking with some disdain, "The most dishonest of all Devil Fruits."

"Any creature that doesn't exist in reality, only in legends, myths, and fantasies, can exist as a mythical beast..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if one day a Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit: Amaterasu model showed up."

"Or maybe a Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit: Zeus model."

"Eight hundred years ago, wasn't it the War of the Gods? Everyone consumed Mythical Zoan fruits of various 'gods,' calling themselves gods. Their descendants considered themselves superior too."

"Even Luffy, a Paramecia user, has now transformed into the Mythical Zoan: Nika model, becoming the Sun God."

"They're all gods or Buddhas."

"Of course, my own Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragon model, isn't worthy of standing among gods and Buddhas, so I'm stepping out early."

Kaido sighed.

In the end, the world of One Piece was a battleground of gods.

But Kaido didn't mind.

The previous Kaido, a blue dragon, was not worthy of being compared to gods. But the current Kaido is different—he's a time traveler who has also eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Sooner or later, he will awaken and become the Sun God. Now, he too is a god, with a ticket to the highest echelons of this world. So it doesn't matter anymore.

As for his Heat Breath not affecting the Navy's strongest forces?

That's no surprise.

After all, his attack had already expended a significant amount of energy when it hit the encirclement wall, and some more when Aokiji intercepted it. The remaining energy, after shattering the wall, mostly scattered behind the execution platform, obliterating Navy Headquarters.

By the time it reached the platform, the energy left was minimal.

And Sengoku—once a general, now a Fleet Admiral—easily blocked what little energy was left.

It would have been strange if he couldn't.

…

As Kaido gazed at Sengoku, reflecting on the power of Mythical Zoans, the golden light surrounding Sengoku began to dim and retract.

Then, beside Sengoku, a figure rose, breaking his earlier low profile.

"You've destroyed the entire Marine Headquarters. What a traitor, Kaido."

An angry voice echoed across Marineford.

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.

The Navy's morale soared.

"Hero Garp!!!"

"Vice Admiral Garp is furious!!"

Countless naval officers were ecstatic.

Garp!!

He was the legendary figure who fought Pirate King Roger, forcing Roger into dire situations countless times before finally prevailing!

Roger may have turned himself in, but to everyone, Garp was the true victor.

To this day, Roger's name invokes fear as a legendary criminal.

And here stands Garp—the man who bested Roger—alive and well before them. More powerful than even the Pirate King.

How could the Navy not feel invigorated?

Garp's anger surged, and the excitement of the Navy grew stronger.

"I won't let this go on any longer."

Garp clenched his fists, disappearing in a blur, leaving only a shadow behind.

In the blink of an eye, Garp was high in the sky.

"Uh-oh... Mr. Garp is really mad…" Aokiji muttered as he quickly retreated.

Despite his age, Garp's strength hadn't faded.

That terrifying power was etched into Aokiji's memory, and he wanted no part of what was coming.

The other two admirals also looked on in shock.

It had been so long since they'd seen Garp fight like this.

Not even during their pursuit of Roger had Garp been this serious.

Several admirals had once followed Garp in the hunt for Roger, and they recognized that same intensity now.

"Vice Admiral Garp!!"

Navy officers gazed up at Garp's figure in the sky, more excited than ever.

The pirates, on the other hand, were filled with dread.

Damn it.

That legendary monster has been unleashed!

Whitebeard observed Garp with calm eyes, though he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

He himself was old and sick.

Yet Garp seemed to be in his prime—he hadn't weakened at all, still looking exactly as he had back in the day.

It wasn't fair.

If there truly was a creator in this world, then that creator clearly favored Garp.

At the bow of the White Whale, Kaido stared up at Garp.

Garp looked furious, his face dark with anger.

He had destroyed the Navy's headquarters, reduced its grand buildings to rubble, and now he had truly touched Garp's reverse scale.

The next moment, Garp's voice boomed across the battlefield.

"Fist of Love Impact!"

Boom!!!

With a single punch from the air, the impact crashed down.

Though Kaido was hundreds, maybe even thousands of meters away in the sky, the wind from Garp's punch—charged with Haki—unleashed a terrifying force like a storm.

Even without a Devil Fruit, Garp's fists could cause massive, long-range devastation.

His physical strength and mastery of Haki had been honed to their absolute limits.

Kaido's heart raced. He was facing a legend.

Killing Garp would be a prize in itself.

It was the perfect chance to test the true extent of his so-called "invincible" power against Garp. He leaped into the sky, swinging his spiked kanabo to meet Garp's attack head-on.

Boom. Boom.

The two forces collided.

A massive shockwave, hundreds of meters wide, erupted from the clash.

Garp, using nothing but his fists, generated a shockwave on par with Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

That old cheat!!!