Marco laughed heartily as well, his voice rolling through the tense battlefield like thunder.
"Got some backbone, yoi! Fine, we'll leave Fujitora to him."
With that, both men naturally shifted their attention away from Katakuri and Fujitora's fierce confrontation and swept their gazes across the vast bay.
What they saw was a breathtaking scene.
Kizaru blazed like a miniature sun, Aokiji was surrounded by bitter cold, while Momousagi moved with astonishing agility.
The three Marine powerhouses were displaying extraordinary strength, yet Jozu, Bullet, and Crocodile had each locked one of them down.
Both sides traded deadly blows without pause, every collision releasing tremendous waves of energy.
Elsewhere, the six Seraphim fought like messengers from hell against Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido.
Their attacks came with the fury of a storm, while their defenses resembled impenetrable fortress walls. None of those battles looked close to reaching a conclusion.
Almost every part of the central battlefield had become its own clash between supreme fighters.
Light flashed.
Explosions thundered.
It felt as though heaven and earth themselves were being torn apart.
The situation changed with every passing instant.
Before long, Marco and Vista's sharp eyes settled upon the rear of the battlefield.
More than a dozen figures wearing the coats of Marine Vice Admirals stood out immediately.
Each possessed an imposing presence, their calm yet powerful auras resembling towering mountains that could not be underestimated.
The Vice Admirals were commanding roughly fifty thousand elite Marine soldiers.
Those troops stood in disciplined formations, arranged into a solid defensive line. Their expressions were resolute, their eyes filled with determination and courage.
Every soldier operated like a gear within a vast machine, fighting in coordination and bringing the full strength of the formation to bear.
Their opponents were the pirates belonging to the Divine Kingdom alliance and the three Emperors' forces.
A brutal melee was already raging between them.
The clang of steel, battle cries, and explosions overlapped into a deafening roar that seemed powerful enough to tear the world apart.
"Looks like…"
Marco slowly rolled his neck, producing a faint crack as though preparing himself for the next round of combat.
The blue flames forming his wings fluttered gently and released waves of heat, distorting the surrounding air.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"There aren't any Admiral-level opponents left for us, yoi. Pops and the others already claimed all those troublesome Seraphim too."
There was a faint trace of resignation in his voice, though it was mostly simple acknowledgment of the situation.
Vista, meanwhile, had already grown impatient.
He swiftly drew both swords.
Their blades gleamed coldly beneath the sunlight, perfectly matching the eager determination in his eyes.
A sharp, confident smile appeared on his face.
"Isn't that perfect?"
He glanced toward the Vice Admirals.
"The ones left over are hardly pushovers. Every one of them is experienced and dangerous."
His smile widened.
"If we wait too long and Ace, Jozu, and the others finish their fights first, there won't be any decent opponents left for us. Where's the fun in that?"
Vista tightened his grip on his swords until his knuckles turned white.
"Exactly!"
Marco's gaze sharpened.
The blue flames surrounding him suddenly flared, engulfing his body until he resembled a warrior wreathed in living fire.
"Then we'd better hurry and pick out a few strong Vice Admirals!"
He grinned.
"If we're too slow, we'll be stuck cleaning up irrelevant grunts. That's not the kind of fight we came here for, yoi!"
Before his words had completely faded, both men shot forward like arrows released from their bows.
One became a streak of brilliant blue light, the other a blazing red blur.
Their speed generated violent gusts that sent dust swirling in their wake.
Like tigers descending from the mountains, they charged directly toward the Marine formation where the Vice Admirals had gathered.
Another fierce confrontation was about to erupt—
This time among the battlefield's senior officers.
It would be a collision of power and technique, courage and experience, certain to leave its own mark upon the war.
Unfortunately, Marco's joking remark about "picking from whoever was left over," along with Vista's mockery that there would soon be "no decent opponents left," had not exactly been spoken quietly.
Their words reached the Vice Admirals waiting in formation perfectly clearly.
These men were the backbone of the Marines.
Every one of them possessed an impressive combat record, having survived countless battles against pirates and accumulated years of hard-earned experience.
They were proud warriors who held tightly to their own understanding of justice and honor.
They were not accustomed to being dismissed like insignificant nobodies.
"Bastards! How dare they look down on us!"
One Vice Admiral's eyes widened furiously, veins bulging across his forehead as his voice thundered through the air.
"Those damned pirates are getting far too arrogant!"
Another clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, fury blazing within his eyes.
"What do they think we are?! Weaklings they can just pick and choose from?!"
A third Vice Admiral roared in humiliation, sounding like an enraged lion.
The humiliation and anger spreading among the dozen Vice Admirals ignited like a powder keg.
Their faces darkened.
Blood vessels stood out in their eyes, while their chests rose and fell sharply beneath barely restrained fury.
To them, being publicly treated with such contempt was far more unbearable than any physical wound inflicted by a sword.
"If that's how you want to play this…"
The middle-aged Vice Admiral standing at the front stepped forward.
A vicious scar stretched across his face, a reminder of battles long past that only made his expression more intimidating now.
"Then don't blame us for using extraordinary measures."
...
The Vice Admiral's expression was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a tightly sealed metal vial.
Cold light gleamed across its surface, while inside swirled a dark, viscous liquid that seemed capable of swallowing every trace of light around it.
This was the legendary third-generation Super Green Blood serum.
A weapon carrying the Marines' desperate desire for victory and their determination to reclaim their dignity.
And now, it was about to reveal its true power on the battlefield.
The faces of the surrounding Vice Admirals hardened.
Fire burned within their eyes—the unwavering conviction to uphold justice, no matter the cost.
"For the justice of the Marines! What does one year of my life matter?!"
The scarred Vice Admiral straightened his back and shouted, his voice ringing like a great bell.
Every word carried an iron determination and the resolve to walk willingly into death.
His hands trembled slightly, but not from fear.
It was excitement.
Resolve.
He gritted his teeth and released a low growl that seemed to come straight from the depths of his soul.
Without another moment of hesitation, he grabbed the vial and tore out the stopper.
Then he tilted his head back, staring upward as though he could already see the future glory of the Marines waiting ahead.
He poured the entire contents into his mouth.
And swallowed.
Gulp.
The dark liquid slid down his throat.
It sounded almost like the first turn of some unseen wheel of fate.
The other Vice Admirals watched him, and the same fierce determination immediately appeared across their faces.
They exchanged a brief glance.
No words were necessary.
They could see the same conviction and courage reflected in one another's eyes.
Without hesitation, they each pulled out an identical vial.
Their movements were almost perfectly synchronized, as though they had practiced this countless times.
One after another, they raised their heads with expressions prepared for death and drank the mysterious serum.
Gulp.
The first swallow broke the brief silence.
Then—
Gulp.
Gulp.
More followed in succession, blending together into a grim and solemn rhythm.
The moment the serum entered their bodies, horrifying changes swept through them like a violent tide.
The Vice Admirals began trembling uncontrollably, as though enormous currents of electricity were ripping through their bodies.
Their muscles spasmed violently.
Every twitch revealed the pain and struggle taking place beneath their skin.
Thick veins bulged across their bodies like writhing worms, twisting into grotesque patterns.
Then ominous black energy began seeping from within them.
It crawled outward like tentacles reaching up from the depths of hell, twisting and swaying around their bodies while radiating a chilling presence.
The darkness seemed eager to consume them whole.
Their eyes changed as well.
The light within their pupils gradually disappeared, replaced by complete blackness.
They became like two bottomless holes, impossibly deep, as though endless power and mystery were concealed within them.
A strange aura surrounded every one of the Vice Admirals.
It seemed capable of devouring the energy around them, causing every nearby Devil Fruit user to feel an instinctive sense of unease.
This was the effect of the Dark-Dark Fruit!
For that moment, the Vice Admirals seemed to have become messengers of darkness, prepared to sacrifice even their lives in the name of Marine justice.
...
The precious enhancement drugs previously reserved for veteran Admirals had been powerful, but they possessed a troublesome drawback—
Once the effect ended, the user would enter a period of severe weakness.
The third-generation Super Green Blood serum before them was different.
It was more like a forbidden substance dragged up from the deepest abyss.
Its effect was far more direct and domineering.
But so was its price.
Each dose burned away an entire year of the user's lifespan.
Yet for these proud Vice Admirals, fury had already overwhelmed all concern for such consequences.
Their only thought was to reclaim the dignity that had been trampled upon.
One year of life?
What did that matter?
Compared to the humiliation burning in their hearts and the fighting spirit erupting through them like a volcano, a single year seemed insignificant.
The scarred Vice Admiral was the first to experience the serum's full effect.
In an instant, a terrifying and almost distorted power erupted throughout his body.
He could clearly feel the surging darkness flooding every inch of his flesh and every blood vessel like an unstoppable tide.
At the same time, his physical strength skyrocketed.
It was as though an active volcano had suddenly awakened inside his body.
The unprecedented sensation of power nearly drove him mad with excitement.
A roar that hardly sounded human tore from his throat.
"ROAR! Power… it's surging through me!"
His already intimidating face became even more grotesque.
Pitch-black eyes locked onto Marco and Vista as the two rushed toward them.
There was no hesitation or mercy in that cold, murderous stare.
Only killing intent.
Only resolve.
The corner of his mouth slowly stretched into a vicious smile, like a sneer rising from the depths of hell.
"Commanders of the Divine Kingdom?"
His voice was low and hoarse, but filled with ruthless authority.
"Today, you'll become nothing more than ghosts of that kingdom!"
Each word cut toward them like a sharpened blade.
"Your crushing defeat will wash away the Marines' humiliation!"
He raised one arm and shouted, seemingly declaring their determination for revenge to the entire battlefield.
Even the surrounding air grew hotter and tighter beneath their raging fighting spirit.
"Attack! Crush them!"
At his command, the auras of more than a dozen Vice Admirals who had consumed the third-generation Super Green Blood serum exploded upward.
Distorted black tendrils twisted around their bodies, writhing like living creatures and radiating a horrifying presence.
At that moment, they resembled savage beasts released from their chains.
Their reason and humanity seemed to have been swallowed by the power surging through them.
Only hatred for the enemy and an overwhelming desire to kill remained within their blackened eyes.
...