"Damn it, I cannot move."
Even though Marco had coated his entire body in Armament Haki, he had not lost consciousness after being frozen
The phoenix flames continued to burn within him, healing the frostbite little by little
Still, sealed inside such a massive block of ice, it felt as though a mountain was crushing down on him, making even the smallest movement impossible
'How is this happening?' Marco clenched his teeth in frustration
'Admiral Kuzan's ability really does counter mine to some extent'
The freezing power itself was not as overwhelmingly destructive as Akainu's Magma Magma Fruit, but its restraining force was troublesome
Marco's phoenix flames did not specialize in extreme heat
They existed mainly for regeneration
Against an opponent who could continuously suppress him with ice, his advantage was being tightly constrained
Kuzan looked at the giant mass of ice that imprisoned Marco
His expression remained calm
He knew very well that this level of freezing would not hold Marco forever
"I understand your ability," Kuzan said evenly, speaking toward the ice
"Killing you would take far too long, and I do not have that kind of time right now"
With that, he turned his back on the frozen Marco and began heading toward Fire Fist Ace
As a Marine Admiral, his duty was not only to restrain powerful enemies, but to ensure the execution proceeded as planned
'Damn it…'
Helplessly watching Kuzan leave, Marco felt a wave of anger and impatience surge through him
He immediately opened his system panel, intending to strengthen himself by adding more attribute points
However, the result was as frustrating as ever
Zero points available
Trapped in ice and unable to move a single muscle, Marco could only rely on one last option
"System," he said through clenched teeth, "is there any way out of this? I cannot move like this at all"
As if responding to his voice, the system panel suddenly reappeared in front of his eyes
The cold electronic voice echoed calmly
"New mission released."
The mission interface flickered repeatedly, urging him to open it
Marco could not move his body, so he activated it with his voice instead
"Open mission bar."
The panel shifted instantly
"Mission: Escape. Escape from the ice sphere created by Admiral Kuzan. Reward: One hundred attribute points."
The moment Marco saw the mission details, he was struck speechless
"If I could escape on my own," he muttered bitterly, "would I really need you to give me a mission?"
Naturally, the system offered no response
After displaying the mission, the semi transparent panel slowly faded from view
"Watch out, Admiral Kuzan is coming."
A frantic warning suddenly rang out from the Whitebeard Pirates' side
"Ice Time Capsule."
Kuzan formed a condensed sphere of freezing energy in his palm and hurled it forward toward Ace, who had his back turned
"Ace, be careful."
Jinbe shouted instinctively and moved at once, positioning himself in front of Ace
He reached out to block the incoming ice attack with both hands
The moment his palms made contact, the cold spread instantly
Frost raced across his skin in the blink of an eye
In seconds, both of Jinbe's hands were completely frozen
The ice continued its advance without slowing, rapidly sealing both of his arms up to the shoulders
"Jinbe…"
Ace stared in shock as he saw Jinbe's arms locked in solid ice
Then his gaze lifted to the man who had appeared behind him
The temperature of the battlefield seemed to drop even further
"It is Admiral Kuzan…"
"That is Kuzan."
"We are saved, Admiral Kuzan has arrived."
"Marco has already been defeated."
The Marines erupted in cheers as they saw Kuzan standing beside Kizaru
When Kizaru noticed Kuzan's arrival, he casually drifted closer, his expression relaxed and almost amused
"Oh, so you made it here, Kuzan. I did not expect you to deal with Marco so quickly."
Kuzan shook his head slightly
"Not completely. If he is given enough time, he will break out."
Then his gaze shifted sharply toward the ice mountain in the distance
"Go prepare Sea Stone nets," Kuzan ordered loudly
"Surround that entire block of ice. The moment Marco breaks free, shackle him with Sea Stone. Do not let him escape."
"Yes, Admiral Kuzan."
The Marines immediately moved to follow his command
From the pirates' side, every captain of the Whitebeard Pirates was staring anxiously at the towering ice sphere in the distance
Marco was trapped at its very center, completely sealed
"Someone, hurry and save Marco."
Vista shouted at the top of his lungs
"Fire the cannons if you have to. Break that ice and get him out of there."
"Yes, Captain Vista."
"Move, everyone, we are saving Captain Marco."
Whitebeard's commanders and crew charged forward without hesitation
Kuzan clicked his tongue in annoyance
"Hey, hey, I just finished freezing that guy, you know."
Kizaru added lazily, "Do not let them get close to Marco. We finally have him restrained. Do not let them take him back."
"Do not even think about it, Fire Fist."
Ace roared as flames exploded from his arm
A massive Fire Fist, more than ten meters wide, surged forward toward the ice sphere imprisoning Marco
"Hey, hey, do not act like I am not standing right here."
Kuzan raised his hand, releasing a wave of bitter cold
The raging flames were smothered instantly, dispersing into steam before they could reach the ice
His gaze locked onto Ace, cold and merciless
"The purpose of this war is your execution. Please, just die obediently."
And within the massive frozen prison, Marco remained trapped, burning with quiet fury as the battle outside continued to spiral toward its cruel climax.
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