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**Marineford**, Navy Headquarters' underground prison...
This is the prison where the legendary Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, once spent his final days. During that time, he entrusted Garp with a crucial task: ensuring that his unborn son, Ace, had the right to live.
The security of this prison is on par with the infamous Impel Down. In some ways, it is even stricter, though it lacks the torture chambers of the Great Undersea Prison.
Now, Kaido—the "Strongest Creature in the World"—is locked up within this heavily fortified cell. To keep this monstrous pirate sedated, the prison is flooded with a mix of toxic gases, nerve agents, and powerful anesthetics.
Marines operate machinery that continuously administers drugs into Kaido's system, but this is merely a temporary measure. Kaido, having mastered his Devil Fruit and possessing near-immortal endurance, is far from being subdued.
Much like how Luffy developed immunity to most poisons after surviving Magellan's deadly venom, Kaido's body is rapidly becoming resistant to the gases and chemicals being used against him. It's only a matter of time before the effects wear off completely.
Above the prison, in what should have been a typical day at Navy Headquarters, Aokiji found himself stuck at his office due to Kaido's presence.
After Sengoku returned from Mary Geoise, he briefed Aokiji and took Vice Admiral Tsuru with him to Sky Island, leaving Aokiji, Garp, and Z—now an instructor after resigning as Admiral—as the remaining powerhouses of the headquarters.
**Phoo~hoo~hoo~hoo~**
Kaido's breathing grew heavier. Aside from the first scar he had received long ago, there was now a much smaller scar on his body—this one left by Arthur. Other than that, Kaido had completely healed. Only three days had passed since his capture, and already, Kaido began to stir.
The sound of his chains rattling sent a chill down the spine of every Marine stationed nearby. Glancing at the giant, restrained figure of Kaido, they realized that he was beginning to wake up. Panic spread quickly, and every soldier fled the area immediately.
**Bang bang bang bang~**
"Aokiji Admiral! It's bad! Kaido is waking up!" a Marine soldier burst into the room, shouting as he rushed to the resting Aokiji.
Aokiji, frowning slightly, raised his blindfold with an exasperated sigh.
"Ahhh... So he's finally awake. This is going to be troublesome," he muttered lazily.
In a flash, Aokiji disappeared from the room.
Though Aokiji, along with the other Admirals, isn't known for his physical strength compared to Garp or Z, he is still an immensely powerful fighter. Even Kizaru, the least physically inclined among them, could easily take on most Vice Admirals in hand-to-hand combat.
Standing at the entrance to the underground prison, Aokiji could immediately feel the terrifying presence from within.
Kaido was fully awake.
Inside the prison, Kaido's enormous figure stirred, and his eyes snapped open. He was instantly alert, unfazed by his surroundings. He understood that the Marines had captured him after his defeat, but that didn't matter to him. Being locked up wasn't new. The Marines couldn't truly hold him.
**Click, click, click~**
With sheer force, Kaido began to break the seastone chains binding him. The supposedly indestructible seastone barely seemed to slow him down. One by one, the chains fell apart.
As Kaido sat up, a scowl formed on his face.
"That brat... Arthur actually managed to defeat me... Damn it!" he growled.
"Obviously, he's a Logia, and his physical strength isn't any less than mine. What's going on..."
Kaido, known as the world's most physically dominant being, has always prided himself on his immense body strength. Yet, being defeated by a younger opponent with comparable power frustrated him deeply.
"Damn it, kid! I swear I'll kill you!" Kaido roared, shaking the walls of the prison. The force of his voice shattered the electric lights around him.
With a furious roar, Kaido stood up and began walking toward the exit.
If Kaido wanted to leave, could the Marines stop him?
At the gate of the prison, Aokiji frowned in annoyance as he heard Kaido's roar and felt the burst of air pressure.
"What a pain... This guy..." he muttered.
**Bang!**
With one powerful punch, Kaido smashed through the prison doors, squinting as the harsh sunlight hit his eyes.
"Allah, Allah... The monster got loose again," Aokiji remarked lazily.
"Huh?" Kaido turned to look at Aokiji and sneered. "Do you Marines still think you can trap me?"
**Boom!**
Without hesitation, Kaido launched a punch toward Aokiji.
**Pop!**
Aokiji's body shattered into pieces of ice, only to reform moments later.
"Freezing Time Capsule!" Aokiji called out.
**Click, click, click...**
Ice quickly spread across the ground, freezing Kaido's fist before he could retract it. Yet, for Kaido, this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
**Crack!**
Kaido shattered the ice instantly.
"The ones I hate the most are you damn Logia types!" Kaido roared, his fist now coated in Haki as he swung violently at Aokiji.
However, Aokiji was fast, instantly shifting into his elemental form to avoid the hit. While Aokiji was also skilled in physical combat, he had no intention of going head-to-head with Kaido in a brawl.
Even among Admirals, Akainu was the strongest in physical combat, and aside from Arthur's mysterious abilities with the Thunder Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi), Aokiji preferred to avoid such fights.
"Ice Time!" Aokiji called out, evading Kaido with another ice-based technique. His attacks were meant more to stall than to defeat.
In the distance, from the Navy Headquarters, a sturdy old man with gray hair rushed toward the scene, moving swiftly through the air using the Moonwalk technique.
"**Fist Bone: Iron Ball!**"
**Boom!**
The powerful punch sent Kaido flying, his massive body rolling across the ground.
"Kuzan! Don't let him escape Marineford!" Garp yelled as he landed beside Aokiji. Their goal was clear: drive Kaido out of Marineford and back into the sea.
Kaido had been in this situation before, and the Marines knew there was no easy way to deal with him. Together, Garp and Aokiji managed to force Kaido back to the coastline, delivering blow after blow. Finally, they knocked him into the ocean, then stood on the shore, watching to ensure he didn't come back.
These moments were all captured by reporters stationed nearby. The footage would later be used in press releases detailing the battle.
Kaido, recognizing the odds against him, glared at the Marines on the shore before reluctantly swimming away.
That day, news spread across the world:
"**Kaido Escapes Marineford Detention!** Though heavily guarded, Kaido awoke in the underground prison and fought his way out. Under the combined efforts of Marine Admiral Aokiji and the legendary Marine hero Garp, Kaido was suppressed and ultimately forced into the sea, escaping with serious injuries."
To the uninformed public, this seemed like a victory for the Marines. But those who knew Kaido—and the Marines—understood it was merely a tactical retreat. If Kaido could have been killed, the Marines wouldn't have let him go.
Meanwhile, in the **Angel Empire**, Arthur was still recovering. His resilience wasn't on par with Kaido's, but his injuries were healing rapidly. To avoid scarring, he had been applying subtle electric shocks to aid his recovery. His strength had returned to about 80%, and he would be back to full capacity in a matter of days.
During his recovery, Arthur debated whether he should head to **Dressrosa** to deal with Doflamingo. After all, Doflamingo wasn't much of a challenge for him, and the warlord's reputation as a "king's second-in-command" was overrated.
Suddenly, the **Den Den Mushi** rang.
**Blubru~Blubru~**
Arthur never particularly liked the Den Den Mushi, but he answered it regardless.
"God!" the voice on the other end called out.
"Hm?"
"The Marine Marshal and Vice Admiral Tsuru are on their way. They wish to discuss something with you."
"Alright. Bring them to the shrine," Arthur replied calmly.
Three days ago, Arthur had sent **Jessica** and her team to scout Kaido's territory in the **New World**. They had returned earlier that day, bringing back a medium-sized island with a radius of 50 kilometers, a scenic addition to the Floating Island Project.
As Jessica's team got to work, Sengoku and Tsuru arrived.
Meanwhile, in the **Grand Line**, Kaido had been swimming through the ocean for a long time, growing hungrier by the minute. Spotting an island, he swam ashore to find food.
The residents, recognizing Kaido from the recent news, fled in terror, leaving the town of tens of thousands quickly deserted.
Kaido found a barbecue restaurant and began grilling meat himself.
While eating, he noticed a newspaper nearby. He wouldn't have cared, except the words "Beasts Pirates" and "sneak attack" caught his eye.
As Kaido read further, he learned that his crew had been ambushed. The **Three Calamities** had suffered severe losses: one sunk into the sea, one gravely wounded, and the other captured by the Marines. Pirate groups had begun swarming into Kaido's territory, seizing land in the chaos.
"What?! The Three Calamities... Damn it!"
**Boom!**
Kaido's rage exploded. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with fury as he smashed the ground, roaring, "That damn kid! I won't let you get away with this!"
Kaido rampaged through the town, tearing it apart, before continuing his meal. Once done, he swam back toward his territory, determined to wipe out the pirates who dared take advantage of the chaos. His loss to Arthur had infuriated him, but what truly angered him were the small-time pirates trying to profit from the situation.
No one interferes with a battle between kings. That's a sacred conflict, one fought between equals.
But for petty pirates to exploit this? That was unforgivable.
Kaido's next move would be to crush those who dared challenge his reign.