New World, aboard a pirate ship docked at Bawa Bay.
Kaido, having replenished his supplies, was ready to set sail.
His next destination was a legendary nation of samurai—Wano Country.
Rumors had it that what Kaido sought was hidden there.
The seas had gradually calmed down, with most forces in the New World having demarcated their territories—except for the Golden Lion.
Since Golden Lion Shiki had been taken down by the Navy not long ago, some upstart pirates had seized parts of his former domain.
Kaido had long coveted that area, but at the time, he was too far away.
When Shiki left his territory, Kaido was busy challenging Whitebeard.
Though he failed once again at Whitebeard's hands, it was clear that even the "Strongest Man in the World" couldn't kill him.
Kaido's monstrous constitution played a huge role.
Now, what he prided himself on most was his nearly invincible physique, which had allowed him to challenge the Navy and other great pirates nine times and still survive on these seas.
Every time he was defeated, his enemies exhausted every method to torture him.
Yet, even when subjected to hanging, he would snap the chains; even on the guillotine, he'd shatter the blade; even when pierced by spears, the spears would break.
It was through this terrifying defense that Kaido gradually made a name for himself worldwide.
"King, let's go seize Shiki's territory," Kaido laughed heartily.
His club, the Hassaikai, felt as light as a straw in his hands, wielded with effortless grace.
However, the King facing him was no weakling either.
Clang!
The clash between the Hassaikai and King's sword sent a shower of sparks flying.
The collision of Armament Haki stirred up gusts of wind strong enough to tousle hair.
King, whose raw physical strength still fell short of Kaido's, was forced to retreat several steps to dissipate the impact.
"Kaido-san, I'll follow your lead in everything," King said, shaking his slightly numb right hand.
In his view, Kaido was destined to become a legendary Great Pirate.
Since they currently had no territory, taking over Shiki's domain was a logical step.
They could just assign a portion of their crew to manage it later.
"Captain, we've spotted a Marine warship in the distance accelerating toward us!"
Just as Kaido was about to continue sparring with King, the lookout atop the mast shouted.
Hearing this, Kaido's expression turned serious for a moment before he scratched his head and laughed.
"It's just one warship. I'm not afraid of them."
He then asked, "Any distinctive features on that ship? Can you tell which Marine officer it belongs to?"
Most Marine warships were standard, but high-ranking officers often customized their vessels, especially around the figurehead.
"Can't identify it. This ship is different from other warships. We can't determine who commands it."
After listening, Kaido nodded and remained unconcerned.
His confidence came from his own strength and his near-immortal constitution.
"King, steer the ship away. It's been a while since I've fought the Marines—I could use a warm-up."
Kaido wasn't worried about his own safety, but he feared the battle might damage his ship or interrupt the journey to Wano.
"Kaido-san—"
King wanted to say more, but Kaido had already stopped listening.
He launched himself toward the distant Marine warship using Geppo, streaking through the air like a meteor.
...
Aboard the Marine warship, Raleigh, who had been quite relaxed, suddenly sat upright.
Through his Observation Haki, he sensed Kaido charging toward his warship at incredible speed.
Scratching his head, Raleigh remarked helplessly, "Typical of you, 'Teacher' Kaido. Now I see where Jack learned it from."
Regardless of who the opponent was, if Kaido felt like fighting, he'd charge straight at them.
That was Kaido's mindset, and that was how he operated.
However, Raleigh didn't consider Kaido a fatal threat.
Although Kaido possessed overwhelming overall combat prowess, he differed from the Golden Lion, whom Raleigh had fought before.
Kaido was the type with high defense and heavy hits, but he lacked the erratic, tricky nature of Shiki.
As long as one avoided his signature techniques, survival was possible.
"Enel, why don't you test yourself against Kaido?" Raleigh asked calmly.
Hearing this, Enel grew eager, excitedly replying.
"I'll give it a try Raleigh-sama!"
Then, Enel's body transformed into blue lightning, charging toward Kaido with frenzied speed.
...
In mid-air, a flicker of surprise crossed Kaido's eyes.
To his knowledge, no Marine Vice Admiral or above possessed lightning abilities.
So when Enel appeared, even the fearless Kaido felt a hint of caution.
Of course, this soon ignited Kaido's anger—
Clang!
Enel's golden spear stabbed against Kaido's Hassaikai, producing a deafening metallic ring.
Kaido's pupils dilated, staring in disbelief at the youthful boy before him.
He never expected that the one daring to attack him would be such a young Marine.
"I thought it was someone important. Turns out it's just a little kid."
"A little kid? Has the Navy started using child labor now?" Kaido laughed heartily, mocking Enel to his face.
Enel's cheeks flushed red with anger, his movements growing increasingly sharp.
"Damn pirate, I'm going to tear your head off!"
The two exchanged threats while continuously clashing in mid-air.
However, they both tacitly moved toward the direction of the nearby island, soon landing on the solid ground to continue the bout.
Kaido grew more and more excited the longer they fought.
Kaido's advantage lay in his astonishing physical defense, allowing him to face Enel's attacks without needing to dodge.
He moved like a rampaging dinosaur, each swing of his club carrying terrifying power.
Enel was the complete opposite—he possessed speed far surpassing Kaido's.
Although his attacks weren't very effective against Kaido's absurdly tough skin, Enel didn't give up.
After all, Kaido couldn't hit him either, so he might as well treat it as training.
Raleigh finally stepped off the warship onto the port.
Watching the two locked in an intense battle, Raleigh had no intention of intervening yet.
Kaido was a perfect sparring partner.
If nothing urgent came up, Raleigh thought it would be best for Enel to grind his skills against a top-tier opponent.
"Damn brat, take this!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Electric sparks flickered around Kaido's club, the spiked weapon smashing toward Enel with immense force and speed.
"Too slow."
With his top-tier Observation Haki (Mantra), Enel naturally had ways to predict Kaido's attack.
However, Kaido's lips curled into a triumphant smile.
BOOM!
Enel was caught off guard by the deceptive speed of the Thunder Bagua.
His body was launched backward, crashing into the rocks behind him.
Kaido rested his club on his shoulder and laughed uproariously.
He knew his own weaknesses well, so he had specifically trained his speed for Thunder Bagua to compensate.
If anyone thought they could dodge Kaido's normal attacks and therefore evade Thunder Bagua, they would be brutally punished.
"Divine Retribution!"