Dragon had clearly underestimated Kaido's stubbornness. Getting thrashed once had not quieted Kaido down; instead, he had become even more eager to provoke the Marines.
Although Garp gave him and Kozuki Oden a beating every time, he never tired of it.
It was unclear whether he really intended to fulfill his duties as Alliance Leader of the East Blue Pirate Alliance or simply wanted to spar with Garp.
In any case, with Kaido interfering, the Marines' purge was not going smoothly-or rather, it was going terribly.
Although the Marines had a considerable advantage in strength and could spare at least two Admiral-level fighters to operate independently while dealing with the Beasts Pirates, that was not enough.
They could hardly leave the Revolutionary Army unattended, could they? Someone had to guard the border.
Then Katakuri finally came to his senses: he was there to reinforce the Beasts Pirates, not the Revolutionary Army.
He brought part of the Saint Legion over to Kaido's side, giving Kaido's Admiral-level fighters a certain advantage over the Marines.
Only when the Celestial Dragons' fleet, equally displeased by Kaido's interference with their expansion, joined the fighting did the two sides regain a balance of strength.
Once the top-level combatants reached a balance, the fighting among everyone from the senior ranks down naturally turned into a chaotic melee.
The Celestial Dragons, the Marines, the Beasts Pirates, and the other pirates of East Blue instantly became locked in battle in World Government-controlled waters, unleashing the bloodiest fighting in East Blue's history.
After all, the previous East Blue campaigns could only be called vast in scale. For sheer brutality, this kind of chaotic warfare was worse.
Leaving aside the Marines and Beasts Pirates, neither of whom wanted territory in this region, the smaller factions and the armies of the Affiliated