"Task completed. Escaped from the ice ball. Reward: 100 attribute points."
The cold, mechanical voice of the system echoed in Marco's mind the moment he broke free. When he saw the reward, his expression darkened slightly.
"Only 100 attribute points," he thought with clear dissatisfaction. "This reward is far too low."
The explosive destruction of the massive ice sphere immediately drew the attention of both Kuzan and Kizaru. Their gazes shifted at the same time toward the sky.
Below, the Marines stared upward at the figure wreathed in blue flames, suspended in mid-air.
"Damn it, he really escaped!"
"Fire, shoot him down from the sky!"
Shouts of alarm rang out as rifles and cannons were hastily raised.
Marco showed no hesitation at all. His body tilted forward and he dove straight toward the Marine formation.
As he descended, he grabbed a fallen saber from the ground.
The moment his feet touched the battlefield, slaughter began.
His movements were ruthless and efficient. With every swing of the blade, Marines fell one after another.
Panic spread quickly through the Marine ranks.
The Commodore overseeing the unit quickly realized the gap in strength. Even with their numbers, they stood no chance against Marco and Jozu together.
Gritting his teeth, he shouted his orders.
"Temporarily retreat. All officers below Vice Admiral rank are not to confront the commanders directly."
Even in the face of retreat, Marco showed not the slightest mercy.
His recent clashes with Akainu and Kuzan had made one thing painfully clear to him, how insignificant he still was compared to the true monsters of the battlefield.
If the Admirals fought him seriously, he would stand no chance.
That reality burned into his mind and only strengthened his desire to grow stronger.
At that moment, Jozu caught up to him and shouted over the chaos,
"Marco, stop wasting time on these small fry. We have to hurry and support Ace."
Marco turned his head toward Jozu, a thoughtful glint flashing in his eyes.
His voice was calm, but heavy with reality.
"The route of our retreat has already been cut off. Look around. The sea has been completely frozen by Kuzan. It has become nothing more than an ice continent."
"With Ace in his current condition, even if we seize a warship, escape is unrealistic."
Jozu's expression tightened.
"Then what do we do?"
Marco fell silent for a brief moment.
When he spoke again, his voice carried chilling resolve.
"If we cannot escape, then we fight the Marines to the death."
His words struck like a spark to dry grass.
"That is right. We fight to the death!"
"They refuse to give us a way to live, then we will not run anymore!"
"Yes, fight them!"
The pirates around Marco erupted in anger and rage.
All the pressure, fear, and frustration that had been building from being hunted and cornered by the Marines exploded at once.
They had wanted to follow Whitebeard's final wish, to return safely to the New World.
But now the sea was frozen solid, the Marines were closing in from all sides, and their path to survival was completely sealed.
Jozu looked around at the burning eyes of their comrades and understood.
At this point, continued retreat would only lead to more meaningless deaths.
Worse still, being chased like prey had crushed everyone's pride.
Marco no longer wanted to run either.
Instead of fleeing endlessly, he would use this moment to strike back.
At the same time, this battlefield would bring him even more strength.
Looking at the determination in the pirates' eyes, Marco stepped forward.
His voice rang out across the chaotic battlefield, loud, steady, and filled with power.
"Everyone, the sea is frozen, our ships are destroyed, and we have nowhere left to run."
"Since the Marines refuse to give us a way to live, then we will make them understand what happens when Pirates are pushed to the brink."
"Running will only get us killed one by one."
"So we counterattack and hit the Marines head on."
"Even if we fall, we drag a Marine down with us."
"If you want to live, then fight for your life."
"Those who are not afraid of death, follow me."
"Counterattack."
"Follow me and fight the Marines."
With that, Marco took the lead and charged straight toward the Marine forces.
"Follow Captain Marco!"
"That is right, I am done running. I will fight!"
"For the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The pirates who had been retreating only moments before now surged forward like a raging tide.
They were already trapped with no escape.
If they could seize a warship and Ace could melt the ice with his flames, survival might still be possible.
But Ace was gravely wounded, and that hope had been crushed again.
With no way out, dying in battle felt far better than waiting for death.
On the Marine side, this sudden and furious counterattack caused visible panic.
However, Vice Admiral Doberman, Vice Admiral Onigumo, and the other hardline Marines immediately stepped forward.
"For justice, eliminate the Pirates!"
"Today, we wipe out every last one of these criminals!"
"Justice will prevail!"
This time, the Pirates did not flee.
They met the Marines head on with suicidal resolve.
Aokiji watched the blood-red eyes of the Pirates and felt a deep unease settle in his chest.
"This is bad. They really intend to fight to the death."
Kizaru observed the battlefield calmly and replied,
"If it comes to that, we can indeed annihilate them all, but our losses will be severe."
By Marco's side, Jozu's blood boiled with the same fighting spirit.
He roared as he charged alongside Marco, smashing straight into the Marine formation.
The two commanders were like unstoppable gods of war.
Ordinary Marines could not withstand even a single blow.
As bodies fell one after another, Marco felt his attribute points rising rapidly.
Amid the chaos of battle, Jozu suddenly found his way to Marco's side and shouted,
"Marco, are we really not escaping at all? Our old man ordered us to return to the New World alive."
Marco smiled faintly as he continued fighting.
"The reason I told everyone to counterattack is simple."
"If we keep running, our losses will only grow."
"The Marines will hunt us down like prey."
"Even if we escape in the end, how many of the tens of thousands of our people will still be alive to return to the New World?"
His eyes sharpened as he continued.
"It is better to fight with our backs to the wall."
"We counterattack and make the Marines understand that when people are driven to desperation, blood will flow."
Jozu understood at once.
He nodded heavily, admiration plain in his voice.
"I see. I did not expect you to start using strategy like this, stirring everyone's fighting spirit with just a few words."
Marco did not reply.
He simply tightened his grip on the blade and surged forward once more, leading the charge with unwavering resolve.
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