In the center of the desolate, storm-swept battlefield, X Drake slowly pushed himself up from the dirt. He had reverted to his human form, his body aching from the impact of the Spinosaurus's tail. He wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes locked on Page One with a grave, calculating expression.
How is this possible? Drake thought, his mind racing to process the brief encounter. This is completely different from what I expected.
Drake was a seasoned warrior, a former Rear Admiral of the Marines, and a captain who had braved the first half of the Grand Line. Yet, this pirate—this kid who was more than a decade younger than him—possessed a physical strength that defied logic. The gap between them was not just a small ravine; it was a chasm.
Is this really a pirate with a bounty of only $290,000,000? Drake questioned silently. With this kind of raw power and reaction speed, even if his bounty were twice as high, it would be justified. The World Government's intelligence on the Tobi Roppo is severely lacking.
At this moment, Drake made a swift tactical decision. He had no intention of continuing this fight. To bridge the gap in physical strength, he would have to rely on his mastery of Armament Haki. However, doing so would be a strategic error. He was a spy for the secret Marine unit SWORD. His survival and his mission depended on concealment. If he revealed his full hand now, just for a sparring match, he might expose himself as a greater threat than he appeared. When there was no path to immediate victory without compromising his cover, the wisest choice was to protect himself and wait for a future opportunity.
"I surrender!"
Drake raised both hands high in the air, signaling his defeat. His expression was grim, appearing unsightly to those who valued pride above all else.
The sudden end to the match caused a ripple of dissatisfaction among the surrounding audience. The pirates had wanted blood and spectacle, not a tactical retreat.
"Hey, is that it? What a coward!"
"How boring! I wanted to see him get crushed!"
From his vantage point in the sky, Kaido looked down at the Supernova. His massive dragon eyes narrowed slightly.
"What?" Kaido's voice boomed over the thunder. "You are giving up already?"
Drake looked up at the Governor-General and shook his head firmly.
"I don't want to give up, Kaido-sama," Drake explained, his voice steady despite the jeers of the crowd. "But I am a realist. When there is such a clear and significant gap in strength, continuing to fight is simply a waste of everyone's time. I would only be inviting severe injury for no gain. However, I believe that under Kaido-sama's guidance, if you give me some time to train, I will definitely catch up to them."
Kaido stared at him for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.
"Worororo! Well said!" Kaido roared. "Blind bravery is stupidity. My subordinates should have this kind of rational spirit. Knowing when to retreat is as important as knowing when to attack. Alright, Drake. You can go down and rest first."
When the other pirates heard Drake's reasoning, they had initially been ready to mock him mercilessly. After all, the age difference was glaring—Page One was eighteen, and Drake was thirty-one. It was embarrassing for an older veteran to lose to a teenager. Furthermore, Drake spoke of needing guidance, but didn't they all have access to the same guidance?
However, hearing Kaido's encouraging words and his acceptance of Drake's surrender, everyone suppressed their mockery. If the Governor-General approved, they had no right to complain.
"Alright," Kaido's voice cut through the murmurs. "Then who is next?"
Silence fell over the Ancient Island.
Perhaps the overwhelming power Page One had displayed put too much pressure on the others. The newly joined captains—Supernovas like Hawkins and Urouge—looked at each other with hesitation. They were proud men, but they were not fools. They needed time to reassess the danger level of the Beasts Pirates' executives. None of them showed any intention of stepping forward immediately.
Instead, movement came from the ranks of the "local" Beasts Pirates. Several Shinuchi—Headliners who had recently been promoted to the rank of Captain—stepped forward. They were not infamous Supernovas from the outside world; they were the loyal grunts who had clawed their way up the hierarchy. Seeing the hesitation of the newcomers, they felt a need to prove their worth.
"Kaido-sama! I want to try!"
"Oh?" Kaido shifted his gaze to the speaker.
It was Babanuki, the Captain of the Seventh Division. He was a massive, rotund man with a thick mustache, resembling a Bull Demon King in appearance.
"Who do you want to challenge?" Kaido asked curiously.
Compared to the foreign Supernovas who held onto their pride, these local captains showed much more fear and reverence toward Kaido. To them, he was a god of war.
Babanuki swallowed nervously, sweat beading on his forehead. "Kaido-sama, I... I don't have the courage or strength to challenge the esteemed sirs of the Tobi Roppo or the All-Stars. The person I want to challenge is Holdem, the Captain of the Tenth Division. He is a captain of the same rank as me."
Holdem, a tall, burly man with a sword strapped to his waist and a fierce expression, was stunned to hear his name called. Before he could react or protest, he felt the weight of Kaido's gaze settle on him like a physical burden.
"Holdem," Kaido rumbled. "Are you willing to accept Babanuki's challenge?"
"Of... Of course!"
Holdem didn't have the guts to refuse. In the Beasts Pirates, refusing a challenge in front of the Governor-General was not an option. He steeled himself, stepped forward, and bowed.
"Governor-General Kaido, and all the esteemed sirs," Holdem shouted, trying to sound confident. "Although my strength is weak compared to the executives, I will do my best to fight!"
Thus, the second battle, Babanuki vs. Holdem, began.
——————
The reality of the situation was exactly as Holdem had admitted.
His strength was indeed weak. It was lacking not just compared to the high-ranking monsters like King or Queen, but also compared to the newly joined Supernovas like Drake or Apoo.
In fact, this weakness was a common trait among the local captains of the Beasts Pirates who had been promoted from Shinuchi. Kaido had sensed it clearly during their training sessions over the past few days. The two groups—the external Supernovas and the internal Headliners—were simply not on the same level.
If it weren't for the variable that was Kaido gathering them all here, logically speaking, the Supernovas would naturally rival the Tobi Roppo in power. They were the elites of the sea, the protagonists of their own journeys.
As for these captains like Babanuki and Holdem, they were just Shinuchi. Crucially, they were Shinuchi who had not yet eaten a Devil Fruit. Without the power of a Zoan fruit to bolster their physical stats, their combat ability was significantly lower.
And the fight reflected this reality brutally.
The battle between Babanuki and Holdem was considered incredibly boring by almost everyone watching.
There were no flashy dinosaur transformations. There were no mysterious ancient spells or acoustic shockwaves. The two combatants were simply a martial artist and a swordsman. Babanuki relied on heavy punches, while Holdem swung his blade.
The battle process was just ordinary, gritty hand-to-hand combat. To the Tobi Roppo and the Four Calamities, who could destroy islands, it looked no different from children fighting in a sandbox.
"How boring," Who's-Who muttered, not bothering to hide his disdain. He even started to yawn, covering his mouth with a gloved hand.
The palpable disinterest of the executives made the atmosphere heavy. Babanuki and Holdem, who were in the midst of their duel, felt the pressure intensely. They knew they were being judged. They knew they looked weak. This made them incredibly nervous, but it also drove them to fight even harder.
They went back and forth, exchanging punches and blows with desperate ferocity. They fought as if their lives depended on it, because in the Beasts Pirates, your position often did. Sweat mixed with blood as they tumbled through the dirt, grunting with exertion.
But even with their desperation, to the spectators, it was uninteresting.
Not to mention the high-ranking executives, even the Supernovas felt that these guys were underwhelming. Is this the standard of the veteran crew members? they wondered.
Finally, after about half an hour of grueling, unrefined combat, both men collapsed. Babanuki's face was bruised and swollen, and Holdem was covered in blood from blunt-force trauma. Neither of them had the strength to stand up. They lay in the dirt, heaving for breath, completely spent.
Sasaki, the Triceratops user, let out a sigh of relief and subconsciously blurted out, "It's finally over. What a boring fight! I almost fell asleep."
But no sooner had he finished speaking than the air grew cold.
A terrifying aura, thick with menace, suddenly descended upon the clearing. It suffocated the laughter and the murmurs. Sasaki froze. He looked up slowly and met Kaido's cold, glowing eyes. The killing intent radiating from the Governor-General made all the hairs on Sasaki's body stand on end.
At this moment, it wasn't just Sasaki. King, Queen, Jack, and all the captains felt the terrifying pressure emanating from Kaido. Their expressions changed drastically. The air felt heavy, like lead.
Babanuki and Holdem, who were still lying on the ground, felt their hearts seize. They trembled, thinking that their weak display had angered Kaido-sama. They feared they were about to be executed for boring their captain.
But just then, Kaido's voice rang out, cold and sharp as a blade.
"Sasaki," Kaido growled low in his throat. "Do you think this fight was boring?"
BOOM!
Sasaki felt as if his brain had exploded. The Conqueror's Haki pressed down on him specifically. He stammered, flustered and fearful.
"Uh... Brother... I..."
Without letting Sasaki finish his excuse, Kaido turned his gaze away from the Tobi Roppo and looked down at Babanuki and Holdem. The two men lay in the dirt, their faces pale with terror and exhaustion.
"No..." Kaido said, his voice softening slightly but retaining its immense weight. "I don't think this fight was boring at all. In fact, I think this fight was great. It was excellent."
"!!!"
At this, everyone's eyes widened in shock. The expected punishment did not come.
Babanuki and Holdem, who had been expecting death, looked up in disbelief. It was as if they had been injected with a stimulant. Their terror was replaced by a surge of emotion. To be praised by the strongest creature in the world after giving their all... tears welled up in their eyes.
Kaido addressed the entire gathering, his voice echoing across the island.
"Do you remember what I told you? This world is unfair. It is a cruel place. Some people are born with monster strength, while others are born weak. Compared to the average trash in this sea, you elites are fortunate. You were born with unique talents or found powerful fruits that allow you to possess the strength you have now."
Kaido paused, letting the words sink in.
"You might be able to mock those weaker than you because that is how this sea works—the winner takes all. Might makes right. But you have no right to mock their efforts."
Kaido's voice gradually became louder, rising to a crescendo that matched the thunder overhead.
"From today onwards, all of you will remember one sentence: Weakness can be mocked, but effort cannot!"
Kaido looked down at his crew, his gaze piercing.
"Did you remember!!!"
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