Hearing the two Admirals volunteer to take the field, Sakazuki felt a quiet satisfaction stir in his chest. Their strength was slightly inferior to Kizaru's—but that was precisely why they were useful. With no deep roots or backing within the Marine hierarchy, their actions would inevitably be more restrained.
More importantly, they had no faction to rely on.
That made them dependent.
And that dependence pleased Sakazuki.
Admirals without political backing had no choice but to lean on the Fleet Admiral himself. Otherwise, the entrenched powers below would bury them in endless internal strife. Such men would work harder, move cautiously, and remain firmly under his control.
Keeping his expression calm, Sakazuki said evenly,
"There's no need to rush. I have personally verified your strength—you are more than qualified to shoulder the responsibility of an Admiral. Once the conferment is complete, I will naturally assign you appropriate missions."
—
Meanwhile, far away in the New World, the battle on Nanku Island raged on without pause.
Marco's duel with Kaido was nothing like his grueling war against Big Mom.
Big Mom, shackled by her ravenous hunger, could only sustain combat for a limited number of hours before being forced to stop and eat.
Kaido was an entirely different beast.
As an Ogre and a Mythical Zoan user, his stamina bordered on the inexhaustible. The clash between the two monsters raged continuously for two days and two nights—without rest, without reprieve.
Had Marco's Devil Fruit not already awakened, he would have collapsed long ago. Even so, after forty-eight hours of relentless combat, his stamina was draining at an alarming rate. The exhaustion creeping through his body now felt eerily similar to the seventh or eighth day of his ten-day battle against Big Mom.
The difference was stark.
Against Big Mom, there had been lulls—brief moments to breathe, to recover.
Against Kaido, there was none.
The instant Marco slowed, even for a heartbeat, Kaido pounced like a predator sensing weakness.
Yet it was precisely under this merciless pressure that Marco's Conqueror's Haki grew sharper, more refined—tempered like steel hammered in flame.
"Worororo! How does it feel, Marco?" Kaido boomed, his face showing traces of fatigue—but far more excitement. His laughter echoed across the island. "Can your stamina keep up? If you're running dry, I don't mind letting you rest for a bit! How about it—want to pause?"
Marco gasped for breath, instantly catching the mockery beneath Kaido's words.
It was obvious—Kaido still had more in the tank.
Though both stood at the level of Strong Yonko, Marco was still slightly inferior in raw Haki. That gap, small as it was, translated into countless disadvantages. Add to that Kaido's Drunken Dragon Bagua and Flame Great Torch forms, and the pressure became suffocating.
The Drunken Dragon Bagua looked absurd—but its unpredictability was a nightmare to deal with.
As for Flame Great Torch…
In his Human-Beast Form, Kaido wielded destructive power rivaling Akainu's magma, yet possessed recovery far superior. Even Marco's Undying state struggled against the blazing inferno of Kaido's fire dragon.
Still—this was no time to retreat.
Fixing Kaido with a steady glare, Marco shot back,
"What's wrong? Are you the one giving up?"
"Worororo!" Kaido roared with laughter, his stomach growling loudly. "You're the first person who's managed to keep up with me this long in a high-intensity battle!"
Both of them were clearly nearing their physical limits.
"I've heard you beat Linlin by dragging her into a war of attrition," Kaido continued, lifting his spiked club onto his shoulder. "But when it comes to endurance—"
His grin widened.
"I'm very confident."
With that, Kaido stepped forward once more, his killing intent surging as the battle resumed without mercy.
Marco drew a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his racing pulse. At the same time, a chill crept through him—Kaido's stamina was simply absurd. Even without Awakening his Devil Fruit, Kaido's raw physical power was already monstrous beyond reason.
'No time to hesitate…'
Marco made his decision in an instant. 'I'll use the system.'
Without the slightest pause, he opened the system panel.
His Conqueror's Haki was still at the advanced stage—short of its absolute peak. Even so, in the crucible of his battle with Kaido, he had already managed to use Conqueror's Haki Infusion multiple times. Imperfect, yes—but he had crossed the threshold.
There was no time to overthink it.
Marco's gaze shifted to his remaining attribute points.
8000 points.
After prolonged combat with Kaido, one truth had become crystal clear: Kaido was nothing like Big Mom. He was stubborn to the core, relentless, and utterly unaffected by hunger. He would never pause mid-battle—not even for an instant. He would fight until one of them fell.
Marco acted decisively.
Five thousand points flowed into stamina, pushing it to 20,100.
The remaining three thousand poured into mental strength, surging it to 13,300.
The moment the final point was allocated, Marco felt it.
His exhaustion vanished in an instant.
Strength flooded back into his limbs, his breathing steadied, and his body felt reborn—as if something deep within him had been reforged.
The sudden transformation made Kaido halt mid-step.
His pupils narrowed as he sensed the drastic shift in Marco's presence.
"…That just now," Kaido growled, "was that another ability born from Awakening? Your aura skyrocketed."
Marco didn't answer.
Instead, he exhaled slowly, adjusting his breathing as his power settled into harmony.
Kaido watched him in silence, a thought forming in his mind.
'So Awakening truly grants abilities beyond raw strength…'
For the first time, something close to envy surfaced in Kaido's voice.
During their clash, Marco had steadily grasped the essence of Conqueror's Haki Infusion. Though still unpolished, he had undeniably stepped into that realm. Meanwhile, Kaido—despite battling with everything he had—had gained no insight into Awakening at all.
The path before him remained shrouded in fog.
Kaido's fingers tightened around his spiked club.
'Is this… my limit?'
Ever since defeating Kozuki Oden, his growth had slowed—then stagnated. Nearly ten years had passed since his last true breakthrough. He had trained endlessly, challenged death itself, even sought annihilation—yet nothing changed.
His stamina grew. His Haki reserves expanded.
But their quality refused to evolve.
Kaido knew the truth better than anyone—Armament, Observation, Conqueror's Haki… each had a higher realm.
Rocks had once reached it.
Red-Haired Shanks stood there now.
Kaido's glare burned as he fixed it on Marco.
"Marco," he demanded, fury laced with frustration, "how exactly did your Devil Fruit awaken? I tried what you said—and nothing happened. Are you mocking me?"
Marco froze mid-motion, genuinely startled.
"…After fighting this long," he asked slowly, "you still haven't felt even the slightest sign of Awakening?"
Kaido didn't answer.
Because he already knew the truth.
If Awakening were possible for him, it would have happened long ago.
No matter how fiercely he trained, no matter how brutally he pushed himself, only his reserves increased—not the essence. He could feel the ceiling above him, unbroken, immovable.
And that realization burned more fiercely than any wound.
His silence was answer enough.
Even without a Devil Fruit, Red-Haired Shanks possessed Haoshoku and Observation Haki that clearly surpassed Kaido's. No matter how relentlessly Kaido trained, he could not force his Haki into the same realm. It felt like pouring water into a cup already filled to the brim—one more drop should make it overflow… yet the breakthrough never came.
He stood at the edge of transcendence, and still could not step beyond it.
Seeing the storm of emotions flicker across Kaido's face, Marco let out a quiet sigh.
"Everything in this world has its limits," he said calmly. "Even the Yonko aren't exempt."
For a split second, disappointment crossed Kaido's expression.
He knew, rationally, that limits applied to all things—but accepting that truth was unbearable. The title of Yonko had never been enough for him. It was only a milestone, not the summit he truly sought.
Then—
His heart shook.
For the briefest instant, the thought of giving up flashed through his mind.
Kaido felt instant fury—and shame.
The next moment, his Conqueror's Haki erupted violently, flooding the battlefield with an overwhelming, tyrannical pressure.
"Limits?! Bottlenecks?!" he roared. "If they exist, then I'll crush them! I'll tear them apart with my own hands!"
He planted his foot hard into the ground and surged forward once more. His spiked club was coated in both Armament Haki and blazing Haoshoku as he bellowed,
"Come on, Marco! Let's keep fighting—Great Dragon Thunder Bagua!"
Marco met the charge head-on, flames roaring to life around his fist.
"Phoenix Flame—Fire Fist!"
Fist and spiked club collided in midair without touching, detonating in a violent explosion of blue and purple lightning. Conqueror's Haki crackled like thunder, forming a raging storm that pulverized the surrounding rock into dust and blasted outward in crushing waves.
BOOM!
Both fighters were thrown back, landing heavily yet firmly on their feet.
Kaido narrowed his eyes, his voice low and grudging.
"Hmph. Your Conqueror's Haki Infusion is getting sharper. At this rate, it won't be long before you fully master it."
Watching Marco grow stronger in real time—while he himself remained trapped behind an invisible wall—filled Kaido with suffocating frustration. He had always been a genius. Any technique, any combat art—one glimpse was enough for him to grasp its essence.
Yet now, whether it was Devil Fruit Awakening or further refinement of his Haoshoku, it was as though an unseen giant hand had clamped down on him, refusing to let him advance.
Marco, on the other hand, felt exhilarated.
He could clearly sense it—his control over Conqueror's Haki Infusion was stabilizing. The failures were fewer. The successes were mounting. More importantly, the feeling was becoming familiar.
Grinning, he called out teasingly,
"Looks like I'm finally getting the hang of it. I can remember the sensation now."
Then, with a playful glint in his eyes, he added,
"No wonder they call you Kaido-sensei. I'm starting to believe it—you really do have a knack for making people learn Haki the hard way."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Kaido's face darkened.
Veins bulged on his forehead as fury exploded from him. With a thunderous roar, he swung his spiked club and charged again.
"You damned brat—don't you dare call me a teacher!"
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