Kizaru scratched his head helplessly.
"What a monster…"
Still, to Kizaru, it was just troublesome—nothing more.
He could simply kite Kaido to death. Kaido's mobility wasn't great to begin with. He mostly stood there taking hits—after all, the guy just didn't like using Armament Haki for defense.
Aokiji soon joined in, unleashing another barrage that gradually pushed the battlefield back into G-2 Base.
"That's about enough. Let them take turns fighting Kaido."
The four Vice Admirals nodded, faces full of anticipation—so much so that Karl briefly felt confused.
Wait… don't tell me they want me to go in?
No way.
Then it clicked.
Karl slapped his forehead.
Right—their Holy Light buffs were almost depleted. Time to refresh.
"May the Holy Light bless you all."
Simple. Monotonous.
But brutally effective.
One application—one hour of full uptime.
With Holy Light renewed, the four Vice Admirals surged forward with renewed confidence.
Aokiji and Kizaru withdrew in turn. Judging from their breathing, they were still in great shape—hardly even winded.
That was the point of rotational warfare.
"Hah… this guy just keeps getting harder to deal with," Aokiji complained.
Advisor Tsuru nodded gravely.
"Aokiji, how long do you estimate before we can subdue Kaido?"
"Hmm… about three days. With Karl around—two days should be enough."
Tsuru massaged her temple, then smiled at Karl.
"Major Karl, can your stamina last two days?"
"Don't worry. Two days is more than enough."
As long as there was food, even if they ground the大道 itself into dust, Karl could still squeeze out another heal.
On the battlefield
"Why is it you lot again? Where are Aokiji and Kizaru—did they give up?"
"Shut up, pirate!"
Vice Admiral Momonga roared, gripping his greatsword and thrusting it toward Kaido's side.
Kaido sneered.
If I crush these annoying flies, those two Admirals will have no choice but to step in.
He raised his kanabo high and swung with full force.
A pillar-like shockwave of club-force slammed straight into Momonga before he could dodge.
"Pff—!"
Momonga spat blood as he was sent flying, crashing to the ground—his life hanging by a thread.
The Holy Light within him was consumed instantly, prioritizing emergency healing.
That was the nature of Holy Light:
No injuries—focus on enhancement.
Injury detected—all output goes to recovery.
But this was a full-power strike from Kaido, an Emperor of the Sea.
This amount of Holy Light wasn't enough.
Karl's expression sharpened as he sensed the Holy Light vanish from Momonga's body.
"Bad. Vice Admiral Momonga is critically injured. If we don't treat him immediately, his life's in danger."
Tsuru's eyes widened.
"You already used Holy Light on him?"
Karl gave a bitter smile.
"Exactly. That's why he's only critically injured."
Tsuru sprang to her feet.
"Aokiji. Kizaru. Cover Major Karl.
Hold Kaido back—do not let him interfere with the treatment."
The two Admirals exchanged a glance and re-entered the fray alongside the remaining Vice Admirals, stopping Kaido in his tracks.
"Karl—this is your chance. Momonga's in your hands!"
"…Got it."
Karl inhaled deeply.
After all, he was about to operate under the threat of one of the three great rulers of the New World—a single misstep, and his head would be smashed flat.
Moonwalk!
He stepped into the air and landed beside Momonga amid the raging battle.
"Karl! Is Momonga okay?"
Gion disengaged and rushed over, temporarily taking on guard duty.
"No major problem."
Karl placed his hand over Momonga's crushed ribs, flooding his body with Holy Light.
Fractured bones realigned.
Crushed tissue regenerated.
His color returned, breath steadying.
Three minutes later, Momonga opened his eyes and coughed up dark blood—his condition restored to peak.
"Thank you, Karl. I almost thought I was done for."
Karl waved it off.
"Vice Admiral, it's nothing. If I were in danger, would you really leave me behind?"
Without hesitation, Momonga grabbed Karl's hand, eyes serious.
"Never. From today on, you're my brother.
If you ever need me—I'll go through fire and water for you."
Now that, Karl thought, is how connections are made.
"Brother Momonga, can you still fight? You could rest for now—leave it to Gion and the others."
Gion nodded immediately.
"Yes, Momonga. We've got this."
Momonga stared toward Kaido, eyes burning.
"Retreating because of injury isn't my style.
You fall—you get back up."
He rose to his feet.
"Karl, be careful. Vice Admiral Gion—let's go!"
Who are you telling what to do?
Karl turned and bolted without hesitation.
No shame.
Every single one of these guys is a monster.
Weevil. Kaido.
Which one of them looks even remotely normal?
If they were all like Smoker, Karl would've gone in swinging.
Kaido notices
When Momonga returned to the fight completely unharmed, Kaido looked like he'd seen a ghost.
That guy was half-dead just moments ago—
How the hell did he recover that fast?
Who's the real immortal here?!
Kaido's gaze followed Karl's retreating back—and realization struck.
That kid…
Replaying the battle in his head, Kaido grew more convinced.
Hard to deal with was one thing.
But everyone's regeneration was absurd.
Something was definitely wrong.
And it had to be related to that brat.
"Oi! Is that kid the reason you bastards recover so fast?"
Gion snorted coldly.
"Sharp eyes for once. Didn't expect that from you."
Kaido grinned.
Damn right—I was born smart.
"Enough talk. Keep attacking!"
Under relentless rotation from four Vice Admirals and two Admirals, Kaido's stamina finally began to fail.
At last, Aokiji's Pheasant Beak smashed him into the ground—
and this time, he didn't get back up.
It was faster than Aokiji had expected.
He'd underestimated the combined impact of the Vice Admirals—
and the overwhelming support of Karl's Holy Light.
Karl looked over the devastated G-2 Base and let out a long breath.
Finally… it's over.
Watching this battle had taught him one thing clearly:
This was the true meaning of an Emperor of the Sea.
Unmatched physical strength.
Near-invincible defense.
Bottomless stamina.
Terrifying regeneration.
Refined combat instincts.
Mastery of Haki.
All of it combined—
That was what made Kaido, a ruler of the seas.
The four Vice Admirals were completely spent, gasping for breath.
Aokiji and Kizaru looked far better—
honestly, they could probably even spar with Big Mom at this point.
Whitebeard, though?
Yeah… better not.
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