Chapter 585: Steel Body
Hearing Kaido's roar, even the old man's upturned crescent mustache twitched involuntarily.
How many years had it been? Whitebeard couldn't remember clearly. He only recalled that ever since Roger's death, a madman named Kaido had suddenly appeared on the seas of the New World, replacing Roger as his rival and constantly clashing with him.
No one knew his origins, only that he was incredibly powerful and a complete lunatic. He not only challenged Whitebeard to duels but also picked fights with the other Emperors, and even faced the Marines' fleet alone.
Every time he appeared, battle followed—there was never an exception.
Whitebeard himself couldn't recall how many times Kaido had sought him out. Normally, dealing with such a persistent nuisance, he'd just kill him and be done with it. But the frustrating part was this: he couldn't kill Kaido!
Not only could he not kill him, but neither could the other Emperors, nor the Marines!
The old man had always believed that the title "Monster" was more fitting for Kaido...
Now, this monster had become one of the Four Emperors, with countless pirates wanting to join him. Though he had his own crew, he still acted on his own whims, traveling the world looking for fights.
And now, this headache-inducing bastard had shown up on the battlefield. Whitebeard didn't even know what to say.
"Damn it, why is he here!?" Like Whitebeard, Sengoku, Garp, and the three Marine Admirals were also deeply troubled. One Whitebeard Pirates was already enough trouble for the Marines, and now Kaido had appeared. Even though he was alone, no one dared underestimate his destructive power.
Crocodile, Jinbe, and Ivankov also knew Kaido's fearsome reputation. The moment they saw him, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Marco and Ace, too, looked shaken. Being part of the Whitebeard Pirates, they had encountered Kaido more than once...
Headache, fear, trouble, nuisance—these were the only thoughts Kaido's arrival brought to everyone. Regardless of strength, the only person in the world who could achieve this effect was probably Kaido...
After his roar, Kaido's massive body began to crouch slowly, then he bent his knees and kicked off with a sudden force!
Boom! The bow of the large ship he was riding on was crushed into the sea by the immense force of his leap, sinking instantly!
Kaido's body soared into the air, jumping toward the battlefield.
"Get out of the way!!" Seeing the shadow in the sky, the pirates and Marines at Kaido's landing point screamed, dropping their weapons and diving to the sides.
Thud!!! A deafening crash rang out as Kaido landed. Dirt and ice shards flew everywhere. The immense impact created a circular crater, and the ground nearby trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck, making it impossible to stand steady.
Kaido slowly straightened his body. His massive frame blocked the sunlight, casting a huge shadow on the ground.
Once upright, he clenched his fists. The muscles on his arms, wrapped in spiked iron rings, bulged with veins like thick earthworms, writhing and twisting. A series of cracking sounds came from his bones, sending a chill down everyone's spine.
"Whitebeard, you've done well!" Kaido's long mustaches, hanging down to his waist, twitched as he called out from a distance. "Such a spectacular war, and you didn't invite me!?"
No one answered him. Even the old man just gripped his naginata tightly, watching him in silent vigilance.
There was no help for it—many were stunned. Seeing Kaido up close, the suffocating pressure was even more intense. Kaido felt like a ferocious beast from the primordial era!
Even Ian couldn't help but gulp, swallowing his saliva.
Holy shit! he cursed inwardly. Kaido's body was even larger than Whitebeard's! The fierce aura radiating from him made even the old man seem somewhat overshadowed...
Ian studied Kaido carefully. The long, curved horns on his head looked oddly similar to Little Oars Jr.'s horns... And the red tattoo on his left arm—Ian had always thought it was a dragon, but up close, he realized it was a strange creature. It had a serpentine body, but at the forearm, the head was a skull-like pattern, not a dragon's head...
What the hell did that mean!?
Ian couldn't figure out what species or meaning the tattoo represented. But he knew that, in this world, people often chose tattoos with significance—representing their crew's symbol, their Devil Fruit ability, or their nickname. These tattoos, whether directly or subtly, conveyed information.
But Ian couldn't decipher Kaido's tattoo at all... especially the skull, which seemed out of place and didn't match the dragon-scale pattern.
So Ian immediately thought of one person: Jinbe!
Jinbe had a tattoo on his chest, the symbol of the Sun Pirates. But Ian remembered that the Sun Pirates' tattoo was originally meant to cover up the Celestial Dragons' brand of the Nine-Headed Dragon.
Could it be that the skull pattern on Kaido's arm was also meant to cover up an original design?
Ian could only speculate...
While he was lost in thought, Kaido suddenly lost his temper because Whitebeard wasn't responding to him!
"Answer me!!!" Dissatisfied with the surrounding silence, he roared wildly. Then, from behind his waist, he pulled out a massive... spiked club!
The club was enormous, even larger than Alvida's. After drawing his weapon, Kaido indiscriminately attacked the people around him!
Bang! He swung the club horizontally to the right. The pirates on that side were unlucky. As the howling club struck them, dozens of people simultaneously spat out blood. The sound of bones breaking filled the air as they were sent flying!
But it didn't end there. Kaido swung the club back to the left, this time hitting the Marines on that side!
The madman attacked both pirates and Marines at once. Countless pirates and Marines screamed as Kaido swept them away.
In a short time, Kaido had inflicted massive casualties on both sides. Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore!
Kaido swung his club again, aiming at the Marines. But this time, his club was stopped mid-swing. Kizaru suddenly appeared in its path, delivering a light-speed kick to the club!
Boom! A massive explosion of light erupted at the point of contact. When the smoke cleared, Kizaru stood with his hands in his pockets, one long leg bent, stepping on Kaido's club. His face darkened as he said, "Hey, hey, hey! You ill-timed bastard, what does this war have to do with you?"
"...Kizaru!" Kaido glanced at him, then suddenly exerted force with his arm. The halted club swung again, smashing toward Kizaru.
Seeing the deep black gleam on the club, Kizaru didn't dare take it head-on. He vanished from his spot in an instant.
"There's no reasoning with this guy..." Aokiji, watching the scene, also scowled. He suddenly leaped up, landing above Kaido's head, and pressed his hand down on Kaido's crown!
Crack! Crack! Crack! The power of ice activated. Kaido's entire body began to freeze from the head downward, spreading rapidly and encasing him in ice.
But before Aokiji could fully freeze him, the frozen parts exploded with a loud crack. Kaido broke free from the ice, reaching up to grab Aokiji!
Aokiji fired two ice spears at Kaido's hand while leaping away from his head, causing Kaido's claw to miss.
However, Ian, watching from below, noticed that Aokiji's ice spears shattered upon contact with Kaido's palm without even piercing his skin!
At first, Ian thought it was Armament Haki, but then he realized Kaido's hand wasn't coated in Haki at all...
"What's going on!?" Ian asked in astonishment.
"A true steel body!" Ace, still sweating coldly, answered in a low voice. "Kaido has the strongest physique in the world. The old man once said that even Big Mom can't compare to him..."