Kaido gasped for breath, a strange glimmer flickering in his eyes. He didn't respond to Marco's taunt. After more than ten days of relentless combat, the truth was undeniable—he was at a disadvantage.
This was the first time in his life that Kaido had fought for so long.
And the first time he had ever been worn down in a battle of attrition.
In the past, whether facing Whitebeard, Kozuki Oden, or Red-Haired Shanks, none of his fights had lasted even half a day. Most ended within an hour.
His clash with Whitebeard had ended in defeat simply because Whitebeard's power was overwhelming—Kaido could not endure it.
His duel with Kozuki Oden was different. Oden's attacks were terrifyingly sharp, carving the only scar Kaido bore to this day. But Oden himself lacked caution; his body was fragile, and he fell the moment Kaido landed a decisive blow.
As for Red Hair—by then, Kaido had already reached his peak. He could endure Shanks' damage, but Shanks was sly. The moment he sensed that the battle wouldn't be decided quickly, he retreated without hesitation, never giving Kaido the prolonged fight he craved.
Only Marco—whose raw attack power was inferior to all three, even weaker than Kaido himself—had managed to push him this far. And he had done so not through overwhelming offense, but through terrifying regeneration and endurance.
Yet paradoxically, this endless struggle seemed to illuminate something Kaido had not felt in ten years.
A faint crack…
A sign of a breakthrough.
Kaido drew in a deep breath. Though he stood at a disadvantage, his eyes burned as he looked at Marco.
"I think I finally understand why Linlin lost to you," he said slowly. "That old hag wasted her strength birthing monsters year after year… but you—your endurance in prolonged combat is monstrous."
"For years, you hid beneath Whitebeard's shadow. Everyone only saw his terror, and no one paid attention to you. You kept your head down in the Whitebeard Pirates, showing only a fraction of your true strength."
Marco listened, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
"Is that praise coming from the 'Strongest Creature in Land, Sea, and Air'?" he chuckled. "I'll gladly accept it. Recognition from an enemy is far more valuable than praise from an ally."
"Hmph…"
Kaido laughed softly.
How long had it been since he felt this?
This exhilaration… this pressure of impending defeat?
Perhaps only in his youth had he felt something so raw.
Even if he were to lose next, this battle had reignited the passion he thought he'd long since buried.
Marco tilted his head, eyes gleaming.
"Still, it's impressive. Even without awakening your Devil Fruit, your stamina is absurd—and your recovery isn't far behind. That's not from your fruit, is it? That's the Ogre physique."
Kaido remained silent, tacitly confirming it.
Marco laughed openly.
"Monsters born like you… honestly, they make people jealous."
'But even monsters can't escape the protagonist's halo…'
Marco kept that thought to himself.
Kaido's expression darkened. He snorted coldly, irritation flaring—Marco's tone felt like condescension. Blood surged, and he coughed heavily.
Marco made no move to attack.
In the first three days, when Kaido had smashed him into the ground and he struggled to recover, Kaido had shown restraint and never struck him while he was down. Marco had no intention of breaking that unspoken code now.
When Kaido finally steadied his breathing, Marco spoke calmly.
"Even if your stamina can barely keep pace with mine, your recovery can't. Compared to my Phoenix Fruit, your self-healing falls short. The injuries you've accumulated over these eighteen days—just because they're invisible doesn't mean they're light."
Kaido instinctively touched the scar across his waist—the wound left by Kozuki Oden, permanent and unmistakable.
Marco's damage was different.
Invisible. Internal. Relentless.
Every blow had piled up, and unlike Marco, Kaido could not simply regenerate it away.
Even when Kaido wounded Marco, those injuries vanished quickly under phoenix flames.
He let out a bitter smile.
"…You're right. I'm badly injured now."
Then he met Marco's gaze squarely.
"In terms of recovery," Kaido admitted, "I'm willing to call you the strongest."
Hearing Kaido's words, Marco's expression darkened. His voice dropped, cold and resolute.
"That won't be necessary. I'll defeat you—and take the title of 'strongest' with my own hands."
Kaido grinned broadly, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Worororo… Titles like that aren't taken with talk alone, boy."
"You're right."
Marco didn't waste another second.
He burst forward.
"Tekkai—Phoenix Flame! Phoenix Elbow!"
"Blazing Bagua!" Kaido roared back, swinging his fist to meet him head-on.
Their blows collided again and again, fists crashing into flesh with thunderous force. Shockwaves rippled outward as both men exchanged brutal strikes. Suddenly, Kaido coughed violently—dark blood spilling from his mouth as old internal injuries finally flared.
Marco's eyes flashed.
Seizing the opening, he sharpened his hand into a blade and roared,
"Undying Azure Flame—Phoenix Sword!"
Szzzz—!
His hand-blade, wrapped in Azure Flames, Armament Haki, and roaring Conqueror's Haki, pierced straight through Kaido's dragon scales and plunged into his body.
Marco's heart surged.
Kaido's scales were infamous—nearly indestructible. Until now, Marco had only been able to force damage inward through Haki shock. This was the first time he had shattered them outright.
Without hesitation, Marco followed through.
"Phoenix Flame—Super Spiral Incineration Cannon!"
A torrent of blue fire erupted from his palm and detonated inside Kaido's body. The internal shockwave ripped through him—blood spraying from Kaido's mouth and nose as his massive frame was blasted backward.
Kaido's body spun through the air before crashing into the ground, skidding more than a hundred meters before finally coming to a halt.
Marco panted heavily, eyes locked on Kaido.
He didn't relax for a second.
Even fallen, Kaido was still Kaido.
"Kaido-sama…!"
King stared in disbelief. This was the first time he had ever seen Kaido lying on the ground.
On the opposite side, the Phoenix Pirates erupted.
For eighteen long days, both combatants had fallen countless times—only to rise again moments later. But this time was different. Kaido wasn't getting up.
"Did… did Captain Marco win?"
"They fought for eighteen days… and he still won?"
"That's incredible!"
"Captain Marco… he's the strongest now!"
"He's inherited Pops' title—the strongest man in the world!"
The cheers grew louder and louder, overflowing with relief and pride. If Marco truly became the new strongest, then the nightmare that followed Whitebeard's death was finally over. Everything could return to how it once was.
Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates stood frozen.
Shock, disbelief, and denial filled their faces.
They simply couldn't accept it.
Kaido of the Beasts—the strongest creature in land, sea, and air—had fallen.
Marco could feel it clearly now—Kaido's aura was fading, thinning with every passing second. He advanced slowly, one measured step at a time, his gaze never leaving the fallen giant.
The moment King sensed this shift, a deep sense of dread seized him. He shot toward Nanku Island at full speed. At the same time, the Phoenix Pirates reacted, sprinting toward Marco without hesitation.
King arrived first.
Kaido lay motionless, his eyes rolled back, his massive body finally still.
For a brief moment, King stood frozen.
This outcome was impossible—or at least, it was supposed to be. He had always believed Kaido was the legendary Joy Boy. The man destined to change the world. Yet now, Kaido had fallen.
King clenched his fists, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked at Marco.
"Then… could it be that you are Joy Boy?"
He remembered Kaido's words all too clearly:
'If I'm not Joy Boy, then the one who defeats me will be.'
No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, reality stood before him.
"I'm not Joy Boy," Marco answered calmly, meeting King's gaze.
At that moment, Ace and the others stepped forward, instinctively forming a shield around Marco. Even though Marco had defeated Kaido and claimed victory, eighteen days of relentless battle had pushed him to his absolute limit. As his crew, it was their duty to protect him now.
Jozu let out a relieved smile.
"Looks like… we've won again."
Everyone had once believed that Whitebeard's death would plunge them into their darkest era. Yet instead, by continuing to follow Marco, the Phoenix Pirates had grown even stronger.
They had defeated Big Mom.
Crushed Wang Zhi.
And now—Kaido of the Beasts, the so-called strongest creature in land, sea, and air.
With this victory, Marco had reclaimed the title of the world's strongest. And if that was the case… how far could the Phoenix Pirates truly be from reclaiming their position as the strongest pirate crew in the world?
Across the battlefield, the Beasts Pirates wore grim expressions. None of them had ever imagined such an ending.
Ace rushed to Marco's side, concern written all over his face.
"Marco, how are you holding up? Are you alright?"
"I'm… fine," Marco replied weakly, forcing a small smile.
Vista, however, stepped forward, his excitement barely contained, resentment flashing in his eyes.
"According to the agreement, we won," he said firmly. "Jack should be handed over to us."
At those words, the Beasts Pirates stiffened—especially Jack himself. This duel had always been a gamble with his life on the line.
Vista's lips curled into a sharp grin.
"This was the wager from the very beginning," he said coldly. "If you refuse… then we'll simply take him by force."
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