Chapter 45: swap a fly

"Kaido is fine!!"

Everyone felt as though they'd been struck in the head.

Many people's pupils were trembling in shock.

The dust and smoke from the Navy's top fighters' bombing attack began to clear.

Kaido's massive, powerful body remained completely intact. He had taken a hit from Garp just moments ago.

Of course, Kaido had reacted to the blow.

But he didn't defend himself.

Why? Because Kaido wanted to test his defense.

After letting the attack hit, he then knocked Garp down with his club.

Kaido had also taken the opportunity to test how resilient he was.

He'd already endured Kizaru and Aokiji's powerful attacks without a scratch.

But could he withstand Garp's full strength?

Turns out, yes, he could.

Though this didn't necessarily mean Kaido's defense was impenetrable.

The truth was, Garp had been injured during their earlier clash, which limited the force behind his punch.

Still, Kaido could feel that his defense was being pushed to the limit.

If Garp had hit any harder, Kaido might have been wounded.

He couldn't let the Navy's strongest fighters attack him freely anymore.

So, when the attacks of Sengoku, Garp, and the three admirals came one after another, Kaido fought back.

Using his unstoppable attack power, he countered and neutralized each blow.

And now, Kaido stood there... unharmed.

"How indestructible is Kaido...?"

"The Navy's top fighters took turns attacking him, and he doesn't even have a scratch!!"

The navy was horrified.

Even Garp was surprised.

Clutching his chest, Garp struggled to stand as he stared at Kaido, his expression serious.

Kaido had taken all those hits without suffering any injuries.

This was troubling.

"Garp, I'm surprised that my blow didn't kill you. It only hurt your internal organs."

Kaido spoke, "I thought you'd be gravely injured or dead after that hit, but here you are, still standing. Impressive."

It wasn't that Kaido looked down on Garp.

It was just that Kaido's attack power was on a completely different level—'invincible,' even.

For someone to survive his attack was remarkable.

Garp had only sustained internal injuries. This showed that Garp not only had immense strength but also incredible defense and vitality.

That's right.

If Garp didn't have such a powerful life force, he wouldn't still be this strong at his age.

Kaido's words also answered the question on everyone's minds:

Garp had been knocked down earlier, not because of Whitebeard's punch, but because Kaido had already injured Garp's internal organs.

Kaido was stronger than Garp?!

Even Whitebeard was taken aback.

His punch wasn't enough to make Garp vomit blood.

Even at full strength, Whitebeard would have struggled to bring Garp down like that.

So, Kaido had been the one who injured Garp? That was astounding.

Could Kaido really be stronger than Garp? Stronger than Roger??

Garp steadied himself, fists clenched.

"I won't let pirates like you destroy the peace, Kaido."

Garp's muscles bulged as his fighting spirit surged.

Though he was injured, he was far from losing his fighting power.

Sengoku, now in his Buddha form, also prepared to battle.

Whitebeard, jumping down from the encirclement wall, stopped him.

"Your opponents are me, Sengoku, and Garp."

Meanwhile...

Marco was knocked from the sky by lava.

Diamond Jozu had his arm frozen and shattered.

With Marco and Jozu out of the way, Aokiji and Akainu joined the battlefield.

"We can't slack off anymore."

Aokiji, now serious, acknowledged the gravity of the situation.

Akainu, always serious, had struggled to keep Marco at bay, but now he was free to assist.

The five strongest fighters of the Navy had gathered.

Whitebeard, standing alone, caused an earthquake, prepared to take on all five.

Kizaru appeared in a flash of light beside Whitebeard, firing lasers from his fingers.

Suddenly...

Kizaru's pupils widened in shock.

A mace appeared before him.

So fast!!

The mace appeared out of nowhere!!

Kizaru tried to retract his move and turn into light, but it was too late.

Boom!

Kizaru was struck and sent crashing into the wall.

He hadn't been able to stop Whitebeard from triggering the earthquake.

"General Kizaru was knocked away by Kaido?!!"

"Just one hit..."

"W-What the hell?!"

"How do we fight this?!"

The morale of the navy plummeted.

Countless navy soldiers, already demoralized by Kaido's invincibility, now sank further into despair.

Even Sengoku and the others were stunned.

Kizaru, unable to dodge Kaido's attack?

They had no choice but to face Whitebeard's attack head-on.

While the top fighters weren't injured by the earthquake itself, the Navy headquarters was slowly sinking.

This was a huge problem.

But there was a silver lining.

The tsunami caused by Whitebeard's attack had been neutralized by the clash of forces between him and the top Navy fighters.

The White Whale surfaced.

Buggy the Clown and his gang scattered across the square.

Luffy and his crew also arrived.

"Ace!!"

Luffy, filled with excitement, rushed toward the execution platform.

"Stop those pirates!!"

The navy engaged the pirates in battle.

Both sides, navy and pirates alike, instinctively stayed away from the area where Kaido and the others fought.

That was a battlefield they couldn't hope to survive in.

If they approached, they'd be caught in the deadly crossfire.

At this moment, the clash between Sengoku and the others against Whitebeard reached a brief standstill.

"The pirates are closing in."

"Someone is heading toward the execution platform."

"It's Straw Hat Luffy!!"

The navy officers were grim-faced.

Sengoku turned and shouted, "Execute Ace immediately!!"

He couldn't worry about anything else now.

His sole focus was on executing Ace.

Then, he would deal with Whitebeard and Kaido.

Killing Ace first would destroy the pirates' morale.

On the execution platform...

The two executioners raised their blades.

Suddenly, Kaido unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.

The executioners were instantly stunned.

In truth, Kaido had no reason to save Ace.

Neither the main mission nor the side mission required it.

But to keep Whitebeard fighting, to prolong his spirit, Kaido intervened.

So, he saved Ace. After all, it only took a small burst of Conqueror's Haki.

Luffy was just about to use his own Conqueror's Haki, but Kaido's move stopped him before he could awaken it.

Luffy was momentarily stunned but quickly resumed his charge toward the execution platform.

"Damn it, Kaido!!"

Sengoku was furious.

Kaido had knocked out the executioners with his Haki.

And it wasn't just them.

In the square, countless navy officers fainted.

But Kaido didn't care about them.

They were just small fry to him—whether they were awake or unconscious, it didn't matter.

"I'll head back to the execution platform," Sengoku said, preparing to move.

But had he forgotten about Whitebeard?

A massive airquake from Whitebeard's attack delayed the Navy's advance.

Akainu and Aokiji tried to assist, but Kaido intercepted them both with his overwhelming strength.

With his invincible attack power, Kaido knocked Aokiji and Akainu out one by one, sending them flying to the same place where Kizaru had landed.

The three admirals were defeated, knocked out of the battlefield one after another.

"Are the admirals this weak against me?" Kaido muttered, surprised at how easy it had been. "I suppose it's no wonder I can beat Garp now."

"Damn it!" Sengoku roared, furious.

His movements were being delayed by Whitebeard, and now, Kaido had taken down the three admirals in succession.

Finally, Sengoku glanced over at Garp.

Garp's eyes were focused on the familiar figure of Luffy rushing toward the execution platform.

"Even if he is my grandson, I won't hold back," Garp said, resolute.

With that, Garp turned and left.

Hearing this, Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that, despite the situation, Garp could still be counted on to uphold his duty. Luffy had to be stopped from rescuing Ace, and Ace had to die.

Sengoku decided to focus on keeping Whitebeard at bay.

Kaido, on the other hand, saw an opportunity. He wanted to take down either Garp or Sengoku and claim the ultimate prize in this war.

But just as he was about to act...

"Hellhound!!!"

A cold voice echoed from behind Kaido.

A wave of magma surged forward, striking Kaido from behind.

Kaido was taken aback.

He had hit Akainu with everything he had earlier.

How had Akainu recovered so quickly?

Of course.

This was the man who had survived a full assault from an enraged Whitebeard, only to spit out a little blood. Akainu's endurance was extraordinary.

"Akainu's back!!"

"Can he really turn the tide against Kaido?!"

The navy soldiers watched in despair, afraid to hope too much.

After all, they had just seen Kaido take down the three admirals with ease, shattering the Navy's morale.

Even though Akainu had risen to fight back, few dared to believe it would make a difference.

And their fears were justified.

Akainu's "Hellhound" attack landed, but Kaido swung his club with brutal force, knocking Akainu away like a baseball.

Akainu flew through the air, crashing down violently.

The navy was left speechless.

Did Kaido just swat him away like a fly?!