In the initial clash between Marco and Shamlok, the advantage clearly leaned toward Marco.
As the smoke and dust slowly dispersed, Shamlok remained standing below, his body seemingly unharmed. That sight caused a flicker of surprise to pass through Marco's eyes.
Among his six core attributes, raw strength had never been his greatest asset. Recovery was his true forte, the ability that allowed him to dominate prolonged battles and outlast even the strongest enemies. Yet now, in a direct confrontation where both sides were using Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, Marco discovered something unexpected.
His strength was suppressing the opponent.
Shamlok was undeniably a Strong General Emperor level existence, but compared to Marco, there was a clear gap. Even with the upper hand, Marco could not help but feel a trace of disbelief. If his opponent had been Red-Haired Shanks instead, he doubted the exchange would have ended so easily.
Yet Shamlok showed no panic.
His eyes were cold and steady, filled with detached arrogance as he looked up at Marco. His lips curled slightly as he spoke in a tone thick with disdain.
"Hmph. For an ant like you, your strength exceeds expectations."
Marco paid him no mind. Instead of responding to the provocation, he calmly opened his system interface in midair and reviewed his current attribute points.
58,400.
The number made his brows knit together.
He had slaughtered hundreds of Celestial Dragons in a short span of time. By all logic, the reward should have been far greater. From the beginning of the operation until now, nearly half an hour had passed, yet the system showed only this amount.
Marco was not reckless. This operation had been planned with precision. He had disguised himself as an ordinary guard and lingered near the Celestial Dragons, waiting patiently. When they finally gathered in large numbers, he struck decisively, ending it in one brutal sweep.
Five to six hundred Celestial Dragons had been present. Their corpses now littered the ground, torn apart beyond recognition. If each Celestial Dragon was worth five hundred attribute points, then the total should have exceeded two hundred thousand.
Something was clearly wrong.
"Impure bloodlines?" Marco muttered internally, his expression darkening as realization dawned on him.
He remembered that earlier, when killing certain Celestial Dragons, the system had failed to issue any reward at all. At the time, he had dismissed it as a delay or an error caused by the speed of the slaughter. Now, however, the truth became obvious.
Not all Celestial Dragons were the same.
In the original history of the world, York had witnessed the luxury of the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land and developed an obsession with joining their ranks. She had betrayed Vegapunk to achieve that goal, and the Gorosei granted her wish. This alone proved that one did not need to be born a Celestial Dragon to become one.
Throughout the world, nobles and royalty worshiped the World Government and the Celestial Dragons with fanatical devotion. Some intermarried through any means possible, while others were elevated due to their contributions. Once accepted, they donned the bubble helmets and adopted the identity of a Celestial Dragon, regardless of their origins.
Only those of pure bloodlines were truly recognized by the system.
Those who gained the title through marriage or political favor were little more than imitations. Killing them yielded nothing.
With that understanding, Marco quickly let the matter go. In half an hour, he had still gained more than fifty thousand attribute points. That alone was an enormous harvest.
Rather than upgrading his Haki as originally planned, Marco made a swift decision.
He would enhance his Devil Fruit ability.
Devil Fruit Upgrade Options appeared before him.
Zoan Type, Phoenix Form Awakening to Phoenix Form Redemption required 50,000 attribute points.
Zoan Type, Phoenix Form Awakening to Phoenix Form Undying required 50,000 attribute points.
Zoan Type, Phoenix Form Awakening to Phoenix Form Impart required 50,000 attribute points.
Zoan Type, Phoenix Form Awakening to Phoenix Form Destruction required 50,000 attribute points.
Marco did not hesitate.
What he lacked most at this moment was overwhelming offensive power. The name alone made his choice obvious.
Destruction.
The moment he confirmed the upgrade, a violent surge of power erupted within his body. The familiar blue phoenix flames surrounding him began to darken, their color shifting until they became deep, ominous black.
Marco lowered his gaze, watching the transformation with narrowed eyes.
"Black flames…" he murmured.
As the flames stabilized, he opened his attribute panel once more.
Name: Marco
Age: 43
Attribute Points: 8,400
Devil Fruit: Zoan Type, Phoenix Form Awakening
Awakening Ability: Flames of Destruction
Haki:
Armament Haki, Top-tier
Observation Haki, Top-tier
Conqueror's Haki, Top-tier
Body Techniques:
Soru, Top-tier
Rankyaku, High-tier
Moonwalk, High-tier
Tekkai, Top-tier
Finger Pistol, High-tier
Kami-e, High-tier
Strength: 32,054
Speed: 6,500
Defense: 13,800
Recovery: 60,000
Stamina: 25,100
Mental Power: 18,300
System Combat Power Assessment: Weak King Level
Marco quickly noted the changes. His strength had increased by a massive twenty thousand points. Stamina and mental power had both risen by five thousand. The remaining attributes remained unchanged.
Fifty thousand points spent, yet only thirty thousand were reflected in raw stats.
The rest resided in the black flames now burning across his body.
Flames of Destruction.
Marco lifted his head and looked down at Shamlok, a faint smile forming on his lips. The timing was perfect. There was no better opponent to test this power on.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Marco descended from the sky.
The oppressive pressure rolling off his body caused Shamlok's pupils to constrict. For the first time, a hint of unease crept into his heart. Still, confidence quickly followed.
He had been granted immortality by Imu-sama himself.
A mere pirate was nothing.
Shamlok raised the rapier in his hand. The weapon began to twist and change, dark energy rippling along its surface as he spoke in a low, contemptuous voice.
"Just a pirate… Cerberus."
With a thunderous roar, Shamlok swung his sword. The blade transformed mid-swing, morphing into a massive three-headed hound that lunged toward Marco with snapping jaws.
Marco spread his arms wide.
His black flame wings expanded, stretching dozens of meters as destructive heat distorted the air around him. His laughter echoed through the battlefield, calm and confident.
"Good," Marco said, his eyes burning with resolve. "Let's test it."
The black flames surged violently.
"Flames of Destruction. Phoenix Wing."
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