Chapter 44: Sneak attack

"Vice Admiral Garp!!" the navy shouted, extremely nervous.

As a legendary marine, Garp had forced Roger into desperate situations countless times.

Could he really be defeated by Kaido like this?

No way!!

The navy refused to believe it.

They couldn't accept that something like this could happen.

"Vice Admiral Garp, nothing must happen to you!!"

"Mr. Garp..."

Even Aokiji, typically composed, had a look of shock creeping across his lazy expression.

During his previous encounters with Roger, Garp had never suffered such a crushing defeat, right?

Looking back at Kaido, Aokiji's confusion deepened.

"Kaido wasn't this strong when he fought Hawkeye just now," Aokiji muttered.

Hearing this, Akainu immediately nodded in agreement. "It seems like he was holding back when he fought Hawkeye."

"It's terrifying," Kizaru added. "Who knows if he's still holding back now."

At these words, the three admirals fell silent.

Indeed!!

When Kaido fought Hawkeye, his combat power was already at an incredible level.

After all, Hawkeye was an Emperor-level fighter.

Kaido defeated Hawkeye.

This only reinforced Kaido's status as one of the Four Emperors and his title as the strongest creature in the world.

It didn't seem like he was holding back at all. He must have been using his full power.

Now, Kaido had even knocked down Garp.

The admirals had to admit it... Kaido was hiding his true strength all along. He was absurdly strong.

"Garp..."

Sengoku stared at the ground where dust still swirled.

He wasn't worried about whether Garp had been defeated or even killed.

Death? Impossible.

What concerned Sengoku more was whether Garp had used his full power just now.

Was Garp really this vulnerable in front of Kaido?

If so, how could the navy stand against Kaido??

"Kaido..."

Whitebeard gazed at Kaido's back.

He was once again stunned by Kaido's overwhelming power.

This guy...

Time and again, Kaido displayed strength that defied logic and common sense.

He had beaten Garp so badly.

Whitebeard had only witnessed something like this once before.

It was during Rocks' era.

Rocks had taken down both Roger and Garp with a single strike, leaving them utterly defeated.

But back then, Garp and Roger weren't at their peak.

Afterward, Garp had grown into his full strength.

Whitebeard had never seen Garp in such a humiliating situation again.

Now, Kaido had humiliated Garp with just one blow.

Even Whitebeard was shocked.

"Lord Kaido..."

Doflamingo, grateful that Whitebeard's ship hadn't been destroyed, stared at Kaido's back with his mouth agape for a moment. When he snapped back to reality, his excitement bubbled over. "Lord Kaido, invincible!!"

Kaido had knocked down a monster like Garp.

What kind of strength was this?

Kaido's power seemed to surpass even that of the former Pirate King, Roger!!

After all, everyone knew that despite his age, Garp's strength had not diminished.

He still possessed the same abilities he had in the past.

Garp was equal to Roger.

If Garp was easily knocked down now, it wasn't hard to understand why Doflamingo was so excited. In his mind, Kaido could have easily knocked down Roger as well!!

"Grandpa!!"

Even Luffy was anxious.

He had come here to rescue Ace.

To save Ace, Luffy was willing to risk everything, including his own life.

This level of dedication mirrored his determination when he saved Robin from Enies Lobby. Nothing could distract him. He focused on one thing alone—bringing Robin back.

And now, the same singular focus consumed him—rescuing Ace.

But now, he also had to worry about Garp being knocked over.

Nearby, on the Moby Dick.

Several pirates had rescued Buggy the Clown.

At that moment, Buggy was resting on the deck of the Moby Dick.

Earlier, while transmitting the battle via Den Den Mushi, Aokiji had frozen Buggy and his crew.

When the Den Den Mushi froze, Buggy and his followers were frozen as well.

Later, Akainu's magma melted the ice and boiled the sea.

Buggy had fallen into the water, and the ice on his body had finally melted.

Now, his crew had pulled him out of the sea.

Buggy was in a sorry state.

He began to worry about his reputation.

Frozen by Aokiji...

Would his followers realize that he was weak?

Would they abandon him?

Without their support, his dream of climbing the ranks from Warlord of the Sea to Emperor to Pirate King—and then to King of the World—would be in jeopardy.

So...

Buggy glanced nervously at his followers.

But what he saw stunned him.

All of his followers were gazing at him with stars in their eyes.

"As expected of Captain Buggy! He's fully inherited the strength of the Pirate King Roger!!"

"Captain Buggy will definitely become the next Pirate King!!"

The followers were shouting with excitement, their voices filled with admiration.

Huh?

Huh? Buggy was dumbfounded.

What were his followers thinking?

What had happened to make them think this way? Hadn't his reputation taken a hit?

Then, Buggy learned the reason.

Apparently, Kaido had once challenged Buggy to a fight.

Buggy had knelt and begged for mercy, promising to give Kaido the location of ONE PIECE to save his own life.

When Buggy and Kaido both returned unscathed, the followers had assumed that Buggy and Kaido were on the same level.

And now, Kaido had knocked down Garp with one blow!!

That meant, in the minds of Buggy's followers, that Buggy—who was supposedly on Kaido's level—could also knock down Garp with a single strike!!

What terrifying power!!

Not only had Buggy inherited Roger's strength, but he had surpassed him!!

"I believe Captain Roger is proud of Captain Buggy in the afterlife!!"

"Captain Buggy!!"

"Lead us to conquer the Grand Line!!"

"Pirate King! Pirate King! Pirate King!!"

Buggy's followers were already crowning him as the next Pirate King.

Buggy's mind went blank.

He was utterly confused.

That monster Garp...

Was he really knocked down by Kaido?!!

Buggy, having sailed with Roger, knew firsthand how fearsome Garp was.

There had been times when Garp had leaped into the sky and, with just a few punches, sent waves of seawater surging back up toward the sky.

It was as if the sea and the sky had flipped upside down.

Garp had left an indelible impression on Buggy.

He was a true monster.

And now... Garp couldn't beat Kaido?!!

"Oh no... it looks like I can't escape my promise to take Kaido to find ONE PIECE..."

Buggy suddenly felt a wave of panic. "But even though I sailed the Grand Line with Captain Roger, I don't remember much of the route... I only said that to save myself. How can I find Raftel...?"

This was bad.

Kaido was too powerful. He would surely find Raftel.

And if he discovered that Buggy had lied to him...

Buggy was as good as dead, right?!

His scalp tingled at the thought.

But, feeling the admiring gazes of his followers, Buggy decided to calm them down first.

"Ah... hahaha."

Buggy laughed, placing his hands on his hips. "Kaido, well done. Looks like I don't need to lift a finger. By the way, Aokiji's ice cubes were quite refreshing, and Akainu's hot spring service was pretty satisfying."

Hearing this, his followers admired him even more.

"Calling Kaido and the admirals 'boys'—Captain Buggy is truly remarkable!!"

"So it turns out Captain Buggy was frozen by Aokiji on purpose!!"

"Of course it was intentional! How could Aokiji or Akainu possibly harm Captain Buggy? Even Kaido, who's stronger than Garp, couldn't!!"

"Captain Buggy!!"

Buggy's reputation soared once again.

Meanwhile, at Navy Headquarters...

In the square, the pirates seized their chance to charge in.

Whitebeard had successfully reached the square as well.

And where Garp had fallen, the dust was finally settling. A pit in the shape of Garp was etched into the ground.

A navy soldier approached cautiously, peering into the pit.

When he looked down, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"The ground... the ground... the ground has been completely shattered!!"

"Connected to the ocean below the island!!"

"Vice Admiral Garp fell into the sea!!"

What?!

Hearing this, the navy was immediately in an uproar.

In their minds, Garp had been beaten so badly that he fell straight to the seabed.

No wonder Vice Admiral Garp hadn't taken any action for so long.

But those words...

When Kaido and Whitebeard heard them, they had a different understanding.

Garp didn't have a Devil Fruit ability.

If he fell into the sea, it wouldn't be a big deal, right?

So why had he been gone for so long?

"So, you're up to something, Garp," Kaido muttered calmly, realizing the truth.

Suddenly, behind Kaido, below the encirclement wall, a figure surged out from the sea.

Garp shot up, emerging behind Kaido.

Before Kaido could react, Garp's fist had already landed squarely on his face.

Kaido's feet left the ground as he was sent flying.

From the execution platform...

Buzz!!!

Sengoku, who had returned to his human form earlier, suddenly transformed back into his Buddha form.

Without wasting a moment, he unleashed a massive punch at Kaido mid-air.

A golden shockwave crashed into Kaido.

Boom!!!

The impact created a massive explosion.

"Vice Admiral Garp is fine!!"

"He successfully sneak-attacked Kaido!!!"

"Yes!!"

"Marshal Sengoku hit the target too!!"

"The two legends took down Kaido in quick succession. Is Kaido dead?!"

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone.

Is this what war looks like?

No one knew what would happen next.

Everything was unpredictable, sudden.

After all, that's the nature of war. Strategies, tricks, and deceit fill every moment. The only thing that matters is what works and secures victory.

But the attack on Kaido wasn't over yet.

Swish.

Kizaru flashed into the air.

The other two admirals vanished as well.

"Yasakani no Magatama!!"

"Meteor Shower!!"

"Ice Age!!"

The three admirals unleashed their ultimate moves in unison.

Garp joined the assault once more.

"Fist of Destruction!!!"

The area around Kaido had become a death zone.

The three admirals, Garp, and Sengoku took turns pummeling Kaido's location.

Even if Rocks himself had been there, he would have died ten times over.