NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 23: 23: Red-Haired in Crisis, On the Verge of Defeat
Sengoku sighed deeply, his face clouded with concern as he looked at Garp.
As humans, their strength naturally declined with age and their deteriorating physical condition. Whitebeard was already suffering from this reality, and they themselves weren't far behind.
Time is an unforgiving blade.
"Kaido's bloodline remains a mystery to this day. Combined with his rare Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit—the Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon model—his physical resilience has reached an unbelievably terrifying level."
Garp finally set down his bag of chips and raised his fist. If he were in his prime, could he have fought Kaido to a standstill?
He recalled the mountains he had once leveled with his bare fists—yet Kaido seemed even more monstrous than those obstacles.
"Pirates are becoming more troublesome than ever. Let's just hope nothing unexpected happens in the upcoming Paramount War."
---
Meanwhile, Admiral Akainu was deep in thought, recalling the events of the war as shown in the live broadcast.
If they could successfully execute Ace and ensure Whitebeard remained trapped at Marineford, any price would be worth paying.
Even if it cost him his own life.
"The pirates of the old era… they've lived for far too long."
---
Across the seas, countless civilians watched the live broadcast in sheer horror.
Many were trembling just from witnessing Kaido's Azure Dragon transformation, their legs giving out beneath them.
"This… this is the power of a Yonko? It's beyond terrifying!"
"If that dragon breath attack landed in our country, our entire nation would be reduced to ashes! What kind of monsters is the World Government even fighting against?!"
"Pirates are truly terrifying!"
---
Back on the battlefield, Shanks was beginning to struggle against Kaido's overwhelming dragon breath.
Fortunately, Kaido had momentarily halted his assault.
At the first sign of Kaido's attack, Shanks' crew had instinctively scattered in all directions, knowing they couldn't withstand such an attack.
"Captain's incredible! Even against an attack this terrifying, he's holding his ground!"
"Well, duh! That's why he's the captain, and you're not. If it were you, you'd be roasted by now! Hahaha!"
"Should we step in and help him fight Kaido?"
"Do you even understand battles between men? Look at Kaido—he came here alone, without his subordinates. If we interfere, we'll be insulting Shanks' pride!"
---
Suddenly, from the distance, another monstrous figure charged toward them.
From afar, it looked like a giant, writhing serpent with multiple heads.
"Look! that the hell is that thing?!"
"Is… is that the Yamata no Orochi?!!!"
"Wait, isn't that Kaido's ally? That should be Kurozumi Orochi, the former Shogun of Wano! His Devil Fruit is the Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan model, Yamata no Orochi form!"
"The Beasts Pirates sure have a lot of… well, actual beasts!"
"Commander! What do we do?!"
"What else? Stop him! Don't let him interfere with Shanks' fight!"
---
Orochi's monstrous form was far larger than depicted in the anime.
Each of his snake heads stretched hundreds of meters long, and a single bite could easily devour an entire house.
A legendary beast from Japanese mythology, the Yamata no Orochi was a creature of nightmares.
"KAIDO! I'M HERE TO HELP YOU!"
Orochi and his men quickly clashed with Shanks' crew, causing an uproar on the battlefield.
---
In the One Punch Man world, Genos watched in shock.
"Another monster?! The Yamata no Orochi! This isn't the Beasts Pirates—it's the Monster Pirates! Saitama-sensei… do these kinds of creatures actually exist in our world?!"
The video's ranking had started off somewhat reasonable, but as it progressed, the threats became increasingly unimaginable.
Genos was starting to feel the pressure. He wanted to upgrade his body immediately—even if it meant completely becoming a machine.
If enemies like these appeared in his world, his current strength would be utterly meaningless.
Saitama, arms crossed, remained unfazed.
"Even if they do exist, so what? If they attack human society and disturb the peace, I'll just punch them out of existence."
To him, no battle was exciting anymore. But who knows?
This ranking list was starting to intrigue him.
If Whitebeard at No. 9 was already stronger than most of the Hero Association's top-ranked fighters… who would be No. 8?
---
In the Naruto world, Uchiha Madara was equally fascinated.
"This world is crawling with monsters! Interesting!"
"That Yamata no Orochi… its size is comparable to my Perfect Susanoo!"
He had just single-handedly wiped out entire divisions of the Shinobi Alliance.
To him, the Five Kage were nothing more than insects beneath his feet.
With power on the level of gods, true loneliness set in.
He craved a real challenge.
Perhaps this world could provide one.
---
Elsewhere, Bleach's Ichigo Kurosaki observed the battle with intrigue.
"High-level Hollows? No… these beings seem even stronger. Still, compared to that dragon in the sky, they're nothing."
"I wonder if my Zanpakuto could stand against them in a fight."
---
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick…
Marco turned to Whitebeard, his face filled with excitement.
"Pops! Look! Kaido and Shanks are fighting! They're insanely strong!"
He had never truly seen Whitebeard fight at full strength.
Even in past battles, whenever they clashed with other pirates, a single swing of Whitebeard's blade would end the fight instantly.
Other pirates who had power comparable to Whitebeard feared him too much to fight seriously.
But soon, that would change.
With the Paramount War approaching, the world would witness the true power of the strongest man alive.
---
Whitebeard clenched his naginata tightly, his expression grave.
"If it were a one-on-one fight, I'm afraid Shanks wouldn't be able to defeat Kaido."
He thought back to his days aboard the Rocks Pirates.
Kaido and Big Mom had been the most monstrous figures among them.
Neither of them were pure humans—they possessed inhuman natural advantages.
The advantage of being born a monster.
Whitebeard vividly remembered the time when Big Mom's hunger pangs had led her to devour one of Kaido's prized beasts.
Kaido had flown into a rage, and the two had fought viciously.
In the end, Big Mom emerged victorious.
Had Rocks not intervened, Kaido would have died that day—becoming nothing more than Big Mom's next meal.
But now, Kaido had grown into an unmatched force of destruction.
---
Back in the battle, Shanks was starting to lose ground.
The difference in their bloodlines and physical strength was becoming more evident.
Shanks was beginning to run out of stamina.
Kaido, on the other hand, only grew stronger—soaring through the storm-covered skies, his body surging with energy.
"SHANKS!!! YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE WANO ALIVE! HAHAHAHA!"