Fierce battle on the western front! Kaido vs. Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral

When Kaido dropped from the sky, his feet left two huge craters in the ground.

Rocks flew, and dust rose several meters into the air. The western shore was a crescent-shaped beach, now occupied by the Marines. Five landing craft sat side by side at the water's edge, more than two hundred Marine soldiers were forming ranks on the sand, and two heavy cannons had been set up, their barrels aimed inland.

The moment Kaido landed, everyone froze.

"Wh... who is that?!"

"Did he fall from the sky?!"

"He's a pirate! Prepare for battle!"

The Marines hurriedly raised their guns, but Kaido gave them no time to aim. He took the iron club off his shoulder, gripped it in both hands, and swept it at the nearest row of soldiers.

No Haki. Pure strength.

But Kaido's pure strength was enough to kill an ordinary person ten times over.

Three soldiers were swept straight off their feet, flying dozens of meters like kites with severed strings. They crashed against the rocks, spat blood, and lost consciousness. The air pressure from the iron club knocked several nearby soldiers over as well. Some fell into the sea, while others slammed into the landing craft.

"Orololololo..." Kaido laughed, planting his iron club on the ground and cracking it into a crater three meters wide. "You little Marine brats! Grandpa Kaido is here!"

"It's Kaido! The monster who escaped from Punk Hazard!"

"Don't panic! Form ranks! Form ranks!"

A major drew his sword and ordered the soldiers to surround Kaido. More than thirty of them closed in from every direction, their bayonets aimed at his vital points.

Kaido did not even look at them.

A soldier stabbed at Kaido from behind. His bayonet struck Kaido's back with a sharp clink—the tip bent. The soldier's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wh..."

Kaido turned and slapped the soldier flying. The man flew more than twenty meters, skipped across the surface of the sea several times, and sank.

"Bullets don't work on him! Neither do bayonets!"

"What kind of monster is he?!"

The soldiers' morale was on the verge of collapse. They had seen pirates, even major pirates with bounties over a hundred million, but they had never seen anyone like this: bullets could not pierce him, bayonets could not stab him, and one swing of his club could send three grown men flying.

"Move aside."

A deep voice came from the back of the ranks. The soldiers moved aside of their own accord, making way for a powerfully built man.

He wore a white Marine Vice Admiral's uniform and a cape bearing the word "Justice," with a tachi at his waist. Several faint scars marked his face. He had sharp eyes, short black hair, and a clean-shaven blue shadow on his chin.

Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga.

"Kaido." Momonga rested a hand on his sword hilt. "Weren't you supposed to be on Punk Hazard?"

"Orololololo..." Kaido laughed. "Someone rescued me. Didn't you see the news?"

"I did." Momonga slowly drew his tachi, its blade glinting coldly in the sunlight. "Lin Yuan rescued you. That former Marine recruit who defected."

"That's him." Kaido hoisted the iron club back onto his shoulder. "What, you know him?"

Momonga gripped his sword in both hands and pointed it at Kaido. "He stole the Door-Door Fruit, hijacked a World Government transport ship, broke prisoners out of Punk Hazard, and took Hachinosu from Ochoku. He has a bounty of one billion and is a high-priority target of the World Government. I didn't expect him to come to God Valley too."

"He's here." Kaido grinned. "But I'm enough on my own."

Momonga wasted no more words. He stepped forward, his tachi tracing a silver arc through the air as he slashed at Kaido's neck.

The blade was coated in pitch-black Armament Haki.

Kaido did not dodge. He did not even block with his iron club; he merely turned his body slightly. The blade struck his shoulder with a metallic clang.

Sparks flew.

Momonga's pupils contracted slightly. His Armament Haki was among the best of the Marine Vice Admirals, and that slash was powerful enough to cut through steel. Yet it left only a faint white mark on Kaido.

"That's it?" Kaido tilted his head and looked at the white mark on his shoulder. "Is that all a Vice Admiral can do?"

Momonga did not answer. He withdrew his sword, stepped back, and unleashed three consecutive slashes. The first went for Kaido's throat, the second for his abdomen, and the third for his knee. The three strikes were as fast as lightning, leaving three silver streaks in the air.

Kaido blocked the first slash with his iron club and the second with his left arm. The third struck his knee and likewise left only a white mark.

"Too weak." Kaido shook his head, disappointment written across his face. "I thought a Marine Vice Admiral could put up more of a fight."

Momonga's expression darkened. He was Zephyr's student, renowned at Marine Headquarters for his swordsmanship and Haki. He had carried out countless dangerous missions and slain more pirates than he could count. But against Kaido, his attacks were like chopping at a moving block of steel.

"The strength of Armament Haki depends on its user's will and physique," Momonga said quietly, as if speaking to himself. "Your physique is the strongest I've ever seen, but your Armament Haki... isn't necessarily stronger than mine."

He took a deep breath. Black Armament Haki spread from his arms to the blade until the entire tachi turned black. The Haki on the blade was twice as dense as before, with a faint black mist swirling along its edge.

"Try this one."

Gripping his sword in both hands, Momonga covered four meters in a single stride and brought his tachi down from above. The strike was nearly twice as fast as before, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

Kaido's eyes lit up.

He did not dodge or block with his iron club. He raised his left hand and caught the blade barehanded.

Clang!

The screech of grinding metal pierced the air. Black Armament Haki clashed against black Armament Haki. A shallow cut opened across Kaido's palm, and beads of blood seeped out, but the blade did not reach the bone.

Momonga pulled hard, but the sword did not budge. Kaido's fingers held the blade like an iron vise.

"You..." Sweat beaded on Momonga's forehead.

"Orololololo..." Kaido laughed. "Your Haki's good. Stronger than before. But it's still not enough."

He twisted hard, wrenching the tachi from Momonga's hands. Kaido raised it before his eyes for a look, then gripped it with both hands and bent it with all his strength.

Crack!

The tachi broke in two. The blade fell to the ground with a clear ring.

Momonga stepped back, his face ashen. It was his favorite sword, the one he had carried for fifteen years.

"Here, have it back." Kaido threw the broken sword to the ground. "Get a better one and try again."

Gritting his teeth, Momonga drew the spare short sword at his waist. He knew he was no match for Kaido, but he could not retreat. More than two hundred soldiers stood behind him; if he retreated, they would all die.

"Everyone, concentrate your fire!" Momonga shouted. "Aim for his head and joints! His Armament Haki can't possibly cover every part of his body!"

The soldiers snapped out of their daze, raised their guns, and fired. Bullets rained down on Kaido. Some aimed for his eyes, others for his throat, and others for the joints behind his knees.

Kaido did not dodge. He crossed his arms in front of his face, covering his entire body in Armament Haki. The bullets struck him with a series of metallic pings, as if hitting a steel plate, then bounced away.

"I told you it was no use." Kaido lowered his arms, revealing a crazed grin. "My turn."

He took a step, and the ground exploded beneath him. He charged into the crowd of soldiers like a cannonball, sweeping his iron club across them. Three soldiers went flying. He swung the club backhand, and two more flew away. He slammed a fist into the ground, cracking it and sending rocks flying. More than a dozen soldiers were thrown down by the blast.

In less than a minute, half the more than two hundred soldiers were down.

Momonga charged in, thrusting his short sword at Kaido's eye. Kaido turned his head aside, and the blade grazed his temple, drawing a thin line of blood.

"Oh?" Kaido touched the wound on his temple, staining his fingers with a little blood. "You finally broke the skin. Not bad."

Momonga did not answer. He thrust seven times in succession, aiming each strike at Kaido's eyes, throat, ears, and temples—the vulnerable spots most difficult to cover with Armament Haki.

Kaido laughed as he dodged. His laughter grew louder and wilder.

"Orololololo... interesting! Now this is interesting!"

He stopped dodging. Momonga thrust his short sword at his left eye, and Kaido raised a hand and caught Momonga's wrist.

"Got you."

Momonga's face went deathly pale.

Kaido slammed a fist into Momonga's chest.

He used no iron club or weapon for that blow, just his bare fist. But Kaido's fist was heavier than his iron club. Bones cracked in Momonga's chest, and he flew like a cannonball, breaking through three palm trees before smashing into a boulder. The boulder shattered, leaving Momonga embedded in the rubble, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Cough—cough, cough—"

Momonga struggled to stand, but the agony in his chest left him unable to move. At least three of his ribs were broken, and his internal organs might have been injured as well.

"Vice Admiral!"

"Vice Admiral Momonga!"

Several soldiers rushed over, trying to dig Momonga out of the rubble. But Kaido was already approaching, dragging his iron club along the ground and leaving a deep furrow.

"Out of the way."

He swept the soldiers aside with his club, walked up to Momonga, and looked down at him.

"You're strong," Kaido said. "Stronger than I expected. Your Armament Haki can break my skin, and you're fast enough to keep up with my reactions. If you trained for a few more years, maybe you could fight me to a draw."

Momonga gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"But you're no match for me." Kaido hoisted the iron club back onto his shoulder. "I won't kill you today. Go back and tell the Marines Kaido is here."

He turned and headed inland.

Momonga watched his retreating figure, reached for the Den Den Mushi at his waist, and used the last of his strength to call Sengoku.

"Admiral Sengoku... western front... Kaido... requesting support..."

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku was silent for a few seconds.

"Understood. Pull back and have the medics come over. I'll send someone else to deal with Kaido."

"Who?"

Sengoku did not answer. He hung up.

Momonga lay in the rubble, gazing at the sky and gasping for breath.

In the distance, Kaido's laughter still echoed.

"Orololololo... come on! More! Is this all the Marines can do?!"

Aboard a Marine warship, Sengoku put down the Den Den Mushi, his expression grave.

"On the western front, Kaido defeated Vice Admiral Momonga's two hundred men single-handedly," he told Tsuru, who stood beside him.

Tsuru set down her teacup and frowned. "Momonga's Haki isn't weak. How did he lose so quickly?"

"Kaido is too strong." Sengoku rubbed his temples. "His physique was already extraordinary, and with Armament Haki on top of that... an ordinary Vice Admiral is no match for him."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Sengoku was silent for a moment.

"Send Garp to the western front."

Tsuru glanced at him. "Garp is going after Roger."

"I'll keep an eye on Roger," Sengoku said. "We can't ignore Kaido. If we let him run wild on the western front, our entire defensive line will collapse."

Tsuru did not object.

Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi and called Garp.

"Garp, go to the western front."

"No," Garp said over the Den Den Mushi. "I'm going after Roger."

"Kaido crippled Momonga. The more than two hundred men on the western front have all been wiped out."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.

"Kaido? That brat who escaped from Punk Hazard?"

"That's him."

"All right," Garp said. "I'll go face him. I'll look for Roger after the fight."

The call ended.

Sengoku put down the Den Den Mushi and looked toward God Valley.

Thick smoke billowed over the western front. Kaido's laughter could be heard from several kilometers away.

And on the other side of the island, the other battles were also erupting in full force.

On the southern front, Bullet was locked in a fierce battle with CP0 agents. On the northern front, Moria's shadow flitted through the dense forest. On the eastern front, Kuma had begun rescuing civilians. In the central highlands, Lin Yuan and King were already closing in on the prize warehouse.

The melee on God Valley had only just begun.

(End of chapter 35)