Suddenly, Marco's talons locked onto the heads of two Navy Rear Admirals, lifting them into the air with brutal force. The two men thrashed helplessly, their faces twisting with panic.
Reaching a certain height, Marco loosened his grip, letting both Marines plummet. They barely managed to use Moonwalk in an attempt to stabilize themselves, but Marco appeared above them in an instant, a short blade in each hand. With two swift strikes, he pierced their hearts and drove both bodies crashing down onto the frozen battlefield.
"Rear Admiral Bud, Rear Admiral Will…" The surrounding Marines cried out in anguish.
Two Rear Admirals had been eliminated as easily as if they were nothing but fodder. The sight chilled every Marine watching.
"Cough… damn pirate…" Even while dying, the two Rear Admirals clung desperately to Marco's arms, refusing to let him escape. "Now's your chance, finish him!"
Marines surged toward Marco immediately.
Gunshots rang out as bullets tore into his body. Several officers seized the opening and stabbed their blades directly through his torso. Marco didn't retreat. Pain was pain, but exchanging wounds for advantage was still a victory in his eyes.
Blue flames replaced blood, licking at the blades embedded in him.
"Marco…" the Whitebeard Pirates shouted, their worry rising.
Despite the Phoenix Fruit's legendary regeneration, Marco was not invincible. Excessive damage could still overwhelm him.
"Don't get too arrogant," Marco growled, releasing a burst of Phoenix Flame that forced the surrounding Marines back.
As he pulled every blade from his body, a sharp hiss escaped his throat, but the agony quickly faded. The flames closed his wounds at a visible pace, until not a single mark remained.
"How is this possible?! The wounds vanished!"
"So that's the power of the Mythical Zoan Phoenix!"
"Damn it… how do we beat a monster like this?!" The Marines trembled as they watched him.
Marco felt it too. His stamina was draining. Regeneration was a double-edged sword, and he would need to reinforce his endurance with attribute points later.
"That attack wasn't bad," Marco said coldly, "it actually hurt."
His mocking tone contrasted sharply with the icy cruelty in his eyes.
At his feet, the two Rear Admirals were barely clinging to life. Their resilience impressed him for a moment, but not enough to spare them. To continue gaining attribute points, he calmly drew his pistol and ended both of them with a shot to the head.
The system messages chimed.
"Defeated a Navy Rear Admiral, rewarded 35 attribute points."
"Defeated a Navy Rear Admiral, rewarded 35 attribute points."
"Everyone, together!" Rear Admiral Yukimura shouted. "Even if his recovery is strong, it has limits!"
"That's right, take him down!" The Marines, instead of being crushed by the deaths of their commanders, grew even more desperate, rallying for another charge.
But Marco had backup as well.
Sak rushed forward, shouting, "First Division, follow Captain Marco and crush them!"
"Kill them all, clear a path!"
"We're rescuing Ace today!"
The battlefield plunged back into chaos as Marco resumed cutting through Marines with ruthless efficiency.
"The casualties are too severe…" Admiral Kizaru finally stood up from his seat. His eyes swept the battlefield. The division commanders were tearing through Marine lines with frightening momentum.
Vice Admirals should have been deployed to counter them, but aside from the Giant Vice Admiral, the rest had already moved to block the Whitebeard Pirates' allied crews outside the bay.
Among all the commanders, Marco stood out the most. He was not simply defeating Marines, he was eliminating every enemy left on the ground. In a matter of minutes, hundreds had died under his relentless assault.
Kizaru's brows knit slightly. According to intelligence, Marco wasn't a bloodthirsty man.
Why was he killing with such ferocity today? Was it Marineford's pressure? The urgency of saving Ace?
Whatever the reason, Kizaru could not allow the massacre to continue.
"If this keeps up, the losses will be unacceptable. To stop the troops, you stop their leader."
His body dissolved into shimmering particles of light.
If he attacked Whitebeard, Marco would surely be forced to retreat and defend his commander.
A blinding glow burst above Marineford, as brilliant as a second sun. Marines and pirates alike squinted up at the sky.
Kizaru crossed his arms.
"Yasakani no Magatama…"
A storm of light bullets rained down toward Whitebeard.
"Pops!" The Whitebeard Pirates cried out.
Marco could have intercepted the attack, but he didn't. Blocking it would drain far too much stamina. Besides, he knew Whitebeard could handle it.
As expected, Whitebeard clenched his fist, veins bulging as he struck the air. Space itself cracked under the might of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. The shockwave collided with Kizaru's attack and flung all the light particles backward.
Streams of golden light crashed into the plaza, exploding in bursts of fire.
"I may have caused a bit of trouble," Kizaru muttered lazily.
Whitebeard smirked. "Gurararara, trying to show off, Flash Boy?"
A sudden sword slash cut toward Kizaru.
"Rose Rondo…"
Kizaru flashed downward and landed lightly, his gaze falling on the swordsman approaching him.
"Fifth Division Commander… Flower Sword Vista," he said.
Vista smiled politely. "You know me? I'm honored."
Then his expression sharpened. "I've heard the great Admiral Kizaru is also a master swordsman. I wonder if I'll have the privilege of crossing blades with you today."