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Marco's gaze briefly lingered on Monet at his side. Though her appearance in the original story had been fleeting—and her end tragic—there was no denying her beauty. Unfortunately, her loyalty and heart belonged wholly to Doflamingo.
Pulling his attention away, Marco turned to Caesar and asked flatly,
"There should be a Devil Fruit on this island, right? The one Vegapunk created using technology back then. Hand it over."
"How did you know…?" Caesar blurted out in shock. The question slipped from his mouth before he could stop himself, and he hurriedly covered it halfway through.
Marco replied calmly,
"As a Yonko pirate crew, it'd be strange if we didn't have an intelligence network. Enough talk. Where is the Devil Fruit?"
Caesar didn't dare hide anything. Marco's meaning was already crystal clear. No matter how important that Devil Fruit was to his research, it couldn't compare to his own life. He quickly bent down, pried open a hidden compartment, and pulled out a box.
"U-Um, Marco-sama," he said nervously, "the Devil Fruit you're looking for should be this one!"
Marco took the box and opened it. Inside lay a pink Devil Fruit, its surface covered in scale-like patterns reminiscent of a dragon.
Caesar hurriedly explained,
"This is the artificial Devil Fruit Vegapunk created. But he claimed it was a failure, so he sealed it away."
"A failure?" Zack exclaimed, stunned, instinctively glancing at Marco.
Marco chuckled lightly.
"It's just the color that's off. Calling it a failure is a stretch. If this is a failure, then your SMILEs don't even qualify to be called something."
Those words struck Caesar like a slap to the face.
"What did you say?!" he snapped indignantly. "The SMILEs created by this great genius are already incredible! And they can be mass-produced! Vegapunk takes years just to make one artificial Devil Fruit—mine has an overwhelming advantage!"
"Shut up."
Steel flashed.
Several Phoenix Pirates drew their blades in unison, pressing them against Caesar's neck. The cold gleam instantly drained the color from his face. Even as a Logia user, he didn't dare gamble on whether these men possessed Armament Haki.
Marco continued coolly, "SMILEs may be easy to produce, but their failure rate is atrocious—only ten percent succeed. With Vegapunk's technology, solving mass production would be trivial."
After speaking, Marco handed the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit to Zack.
"Eat it."
"…Alright." Zack nodded, took the fruit, and began biting into it without hesitation.
The moment he did, his face twisted in disgust.
"This tastes terrible! If it's artificial, why does it taste even worse than a normal Devil Fruit?!"
Soon, Zack finished eating.
All eyes turned to him.
"Well?" someone asked. "Commander Zack, do you feel anything?"
"I'll try it out," Zack replied.
The moment he focused, his body began to change.
Scales spread across his skin, starting from his face. His body elongated, lifting into the air as powerful energy surged within him—an overwhelming force he had never experienced before.
"This feeling…" Zack muttered in awe.
He rose higher and higher, his transformation completing midair.
A massive pink dragon now soared above them, its body coiling through the sky.
"It's… it's really a dragon!"
"Unbelievable…"
"So Vegapunk really did it!"
The Phoenix Pirates stared upward in shock, their expressions filled with amazement as the artificial Pink Dragon roared across the heavens.
Caesar stared up at the pink giant dragon soaring through the sky, its overwhelming presence dwarfing anything he had ever created. Compared to this, the SMILEs he was so proud of felt laughably crude.
His voice trembled as he muttered in disbelief, "Is this… is this really the artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruit created by Vegapunk? Are those so-called 'failures' really nothing more than a color difference…?"
Marco, meanwhile, silently activated his level scan.
[Zack — Artificial Zoan-type Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragon Form
Estimated Strength: Yonko Commander Level]
Marco's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
'As expected of the Mythical Zoan Dragon', he thought. 'It raised him straight from Captain level to Yonko Commander level—an entire tier leap.'
'Once Zack fully masters this fruit, his strength may climb even higher.'
After all, among the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits shown in the original story, aside from the Nika Fruit, the Azure Dragon was arguably the strongest.
Not only did it grant terrifying defensive power, but it also bestowed control over wind, fire, lightning, and clouds.
In the original timeline, even Momonosuke—that perverted eight-year-old—had managed to quickly grasp techniques like Heat Breath and Flame Clouds after being forcibly aged by the Ripe-Ripe Fruit. That alone spoke volumes about the fruit's potential.
"What an oppressive aura…"
"I can feel it clearly—Zack's strength has skyrocketed."
"That's the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon! Kaido's power!"
The First Division members buzzed with excitement. Their Commander's rise in strength filled them with pride.
Marco, now in Human-Beast Form, spread his blue flames and flew into the air, stopping before the thousand-meter-long pink dragon. Compared to it, even he seemed small.
"Zack," Marco called out calmly, "how do you feel?"
Zack's thunderous voice echoed from above, filled with excitement.
"It's incredible! I feel an endless surge of power—like my strength will never run dry. Thank you, Captain Marco!"
Marco nodded and suggested,
"Try Kaido's signature techniques—Heat Breath, Blast Breath."
"Heat Breath? Blast Breath?" Zack sounded confused.
"I've seen Kaido before, but I don't really know those moves…"
Marco sighed helplessly.
"Figures. You probably haven't watched him fight. Never mind—after we take down Doflamingo, Kaido will definitely come looking for us. You can learn directly from him then."
"Yes!" Zack replied firmly.
"Now," Marco added, "see if you can revert to human form."
"Got it."
Zack focused, experimenting with his new power. His colossal dragon body gradually shrank, scales receding as he descended, until he returned safely to human form.
"That was incredible, Captain Zack!"
"You were terrifying just to look at!"
"Even for an artificial Devil Fruit, this is insane!"
The Phoenix Pirates erupted with excitement.
"Captain Marco, let's have a feast!"
"Yeah! We have to celebrate Zack gaining such power!"
Shouts echoed from every direction.
Marco smiled. With Zack's transformation, the Phoenix Pirates now possessed four Yonko Commander–level combatants. Their strength had risen to an entirely new stage.
"Alright," Marco said warmly.
"Let's have a feast."
Cheers thundered across Punk Hazard as the celebration began.
—
Meanwhile, at Marineford, inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki read the latest intelligence report, his expression darkening as he spoke in a low voice.
"You're saying the Phoenix Pirates have gone to Punk Hazard?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral," the Marine Lieutenant Commander replied respectfully from across the desk.
"I understand. You may leave."
Sakazuki waved a hand. The officer saluted and withdrew.
Once alone, Sakazuki's gaze hardened.
"What exactly is Marco doing at Punk Hazard…?"
Across the room, Kizaru leisurely sipped his tea, his usual lazy smile in place.
"Oho? Want me to go arrest them, Sakazuki?"
Sakazuki shook his head without hesitation.
"No. With Kuzan gone, you're the only Admiral left. This is when the Marines are at their weakest—we need you guarding Marineford. As for Marco, keep him under close surveillance. As long as he doesn't cause a major incident, we won't act for now. The Phoenix Pirates are at the peak of their momentum."
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, his tone still light.
"In that case, why not promote Gion and Kake to Admirals? They're Admiral candidates, after all. Their seniority and records should be more than enough."
"Their seniority, yes," Sakazuki replied coldly, "but their strength… is still lacking."
In Sakazuki's view, an Admiral was the face of the Marines—someone who could not afford to be defeated. Gion and Kake might handle ordinary pirates with ease, but against opponents of Yonko caliber, they would likely fall short.
Kizaru, unconcerned, took another sip of tea.
"Then what about the man the World Government recommended? A powerful one, apparently—and a Logia user too. Interested in testing him?"
Sakazuki's expression eased slightly.
"You mean Aramaki?"
"Mmm," Kizaru hummed.
"The World Government seems eager to push him as a new Admiral…"
Sakazuki clicked his tongue in displeasure. The World Government's interference in Marine affairs was becoming increasingly blatant—but with Kuzan's resignation, he had little room to object.
"I've seen his strength," Sakazuki admitted grimly.
"It's impressive. But he lacks roots within the Marines. Unless he demonstrates overwhelming power, it won't be easy for him to stand his ground."
He continued firmly, "The strong rise. The weak fall. That is the purpose of my World Military Draft."
Kizaru chuckled, his tone teasing.
"How frightening~ If that's the case, even my Admiral seat sounds a bit shaky. Who knows? Maybe some newcomer will push me out next."
"Enough with the jokes, Borsalino," Sakazuki replied, rubbing his temples.
He then looked at Kizaru seriously and said with certainty, "Others may not realize it, but I do. In this vast sea, I don't believe there's anyone who can truly defeat you one-on-one."
After all, Sakazuki and Kizaru both hailed from North Blue, joined the Marines in the same year, and trained together as recruits. Back then, their strength had been evenly matched.
Later, one consumed the Magma-Magma Fruit, the other the Glint-Glint Fruit. Sakazuki surpassed him in raw destructive power—but when it came to speed, Kizaru left him far behind.
Sakazuki was secretly relieved that Borsalino had no ambition for the Fleet Admiral's seat.
If he ever had to fight Kizaru seriously…
That battle would likely be far more troublesome than his duel with Kuzan.
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