The surrounding pirates wisely withdrew, keeping their distance from Marco and Akainu.
They had just witnessed the terrifying clash between the two—and understood all too well that with their strength, intervening would only mean instant death. Even the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates were powerless against a monster like Akainu.
For now, all hopes rested on Marco alone.
Akainu didn't even spare the lesser pirates a glance. They were irrelevant. His primary objective—turning Squard—had already been accomplished. Originally, he had intended to deal with that giant, Little Oars, but running into Marco instead made little difference.
Among the Whitebeard Pirates, only Whitebeard himself was worthy of Akainu's attention.
His cold gaze locked onto Marco.
"From your tone," Akainu said slowly, "it sounds like you believe you can stand against me."
Marco exhaled softly.
After their earlier clash, he knew the truth—despite reaching the Strong Yonko Commander level, there was still a clear gap between him and Akainu. But unlike the original timeline, he wasn't being completely overwhelmed.
A faint smile touched Marco's lips.
"The Admirals truly deserve their reputation as the Marine's strongest," he replied calmly. "If we clash head-on, I may not be your equal… but it won't be easy for you to bring me down either."
"Hmph." Akainu sneered. "Is that so? Then let me see what you're made of."
His fist instantly ignited, transforming into seething magma. He kicked off the ground and charged forward with terrifying momentum.
Marco didn't retreat.
He pushed off as well, blue flames coiling around his arms as powerful Haki surged through them.
"Phoenix Flame—!"
BOOM!
Marco met Akainu's magma fist with his open palm.
He deliberately chose his palm instead of a clenched fist—because he knew better than anyone that he couldn't win a straight power contest. In this war, his role wasn't to defeat Akainu.
It was to hold him back.
At first, Marco attempted to block with a single hand—but the force was overwhelming.
Without hesitation, he brought up his other hand, Armament Haki spreading over both arms. Only then did he barely manage to receive the lava-heavy punch.
Even so, pain surged violently through his body.
Fortunately, with the Phoenix Fruit's terrifying regenerative ability, Marco was confident he could endure it.
His original plan had been to block with one hand, leaving the other free in case Akainu followed up with a second strike. Otherwise, the next punch would land squarely on his face.
But Akainu never did.
As an Admiral, he was arrogant.
For decades, the Magma-Magma Fruit had allowed him to crush opponents with a single blow. Needing a second punch—especially against a mere division commander—was unthinkable to him.
In Akainu's eyes, forcing him to use both hands against Marco would already be an insult.
Akainu's magma fist continued to swell with power. He stared coldly at Marco, who was straining with everything he had to hold the attack back.
"So this is the Phoenix's power," Akainu said icily. "That regeneration must be devouring your stamina. How long do you think you can last, pirate?"
"Don't underestimate me, Akainu—AAAAAAHHH!!"
Marco roared as his strength surged again. Even after pouring hundreds of points into his Strength attribute, he could clearly feel it—the gap between them was still immense. To keep Akainu's fist at bay, he had to continuously burn through his stamina.
Blue flames raged violently around his arms, forcing back the magma by sheer will. The ground beneath their feet cracked and buckled, fissures spreading outward as violent shockwaves and scorching winds blasted across the battlefield.
Akainu narrowed his eyes.
'This brat… his strength is higher than before.'
With a sharp motion, Akainu suddenly withdrew his fist. Almost instantly, his left arm transformed into magma.
"Don't get carried away," he growled.
"Great Eruption."
The moment the pressure eased, Marco involuntarily relaxed for a split second.
That was enough.
The incoming magma fist smashed into him, blasting Marco backward more than ten meters. Then—
BOOM!
The magma detonated, erupting into countless volcanic bombs that tore through the air in a terrifying spectacle.
At the center of the explosion, Marco was swallowed by searing heat. The volcanic blasts hurled him back dozens of steps, scorching his body and leaving deep burns across his skin.
But blue flames surged.
The Phoenix's regeneration activated at full force. The burns healed at a visible rate, vanishing completely within seconds.
Marco steadied himself, breathing heavily. His gaze locked onto Akainu, grave but unwavering.
"An Admiral really is something else," he said deeply. "That power… it's no joke."
"Tch." Akainu clicked his tongue. "That Phoenix regeneration is troublesome."
He turned away in irritation.
"Consider yourself lucky today, Marco."
If it had been any other division commander, Akainu would have ended them on the spot. But Marco was different—without question, the second-strongest presence in the Whitebeard Pirates, surpassed only by Whitebeard himself. Taking two of Akainu's heavy blows and still standing was something almost no one else could achieve.
More importantly, Akainu had no intention of wasting time here.
He was the core of the upcoming Surrounding Wall operation. And unless Marco could be killed in a single decisive strike, his Phoenix abilities would simply keep restoring him.
Watching Akainu depart, Marco didn't try to stop him.
Only now did he fully realize the truth—he had just fought Akainu at full strength.
No wonder.
In the original timeline, Marco had faced an Akainu already gravely wounded by Whitebeard. And even then, that weakened Akainu had still held off more than a dozen Whitebeard commanders and Crocodile alone.
'This guy… is on a completely different level.'
Behind him, the pirates erupted in cheers.
"Incredible! Captain Marco actually forced Akainu back!"
"With Captain Marco here, even Admirals aren't unbeatable!"
'When did I ever force him back?' Marco complained inwardly.
The clash had only looked even. In reality, he'd been suppressed the entire time. If the fight had continued, he would have lost—without question.
I still need more attribute points… much more.
Raising his voice, Marco shouted,
"Brothers! Take down the Marines—advance and land on Marineford!"
"OHHHH—!!"
The roar of the pirates surged once more as Marco spread his wings, diving back into the battlefield—fully aware that the real struggle had only just begun.