Inside the control room of Egghead Island, an urgent voice suddenly rang out.
"This is bad! It's the Marines! The Marines have really arrived. There are thirty warships!"
The one shouting was Vegapunk Edison, one of the clones of Dr. Vegapunk.
Vegapunk immediately rushed toward the monitor. The moment he saw the massive Marine fleet advancing across the sea in an imposing formation, his expression changed drastically.
"I knew it would come to this," Vegapunk muttered anxiously. "The Marines really came."
Beside him, Vegapunk Lilith looked completely unconcerned.
"What is there to worry about, Main Body?" she said casually. "Even if the Marines arrived, we can just order the Sea Beast Weapons to sink their ships."
Vegapunk instantly panicked at the suggestion.
"Absolutely not!" he shouted. "Do you have any idea how many people would die if we did that?"
He quickly corrected himself.
"Send the Sea Beast Weapons out first. Maybe their appearance alone will scare the Marines away."
At that moment, Marco and several captains of the Phoenix Pirates also walked toward the monitors.
Marco observed the fleet calmly and spoke in a steady voice.
"The Marines will not retreat that easily."
Sure enough, just as the Sea Beast Weapons began emerging from the ocean, a powerful force suddenly acted upon the battlefield.
High above the sea, all thirty Marine warships slowly began to rise into the air.
The one responsible was Fujitora, who had activated the power of the Zushi Zushi no Mi.
Standing on the bow of one of the levitating warships, Ryokugyu looked down at the massive mechanical creatures surfacing from the sea.
"So those are the Sea Beast Weapons created by Vegapunk," Aramaki said with interest.
The enormous beasts, fused with advanced technology and weapon systems, created a strange yet intimidating sight.
Fujitora spoke with a serious tone.
"The Phoenix Pirates are still on Egghead Island. This battle will not be simple."
Aramaki grinned coldly.
"But we are the Marines. We know the defenses and layout of Egghead Island very well."
Turning toward the soldiers behind him, he issued an order.
"The Gorosei have given new instructions. Dr. Vegapunk is to be eliminated."
"Although he was once the greatest scientist working for the World Government, he has now betrayed both the Marines and the government itself. His execution is unavoidable."
Meanwhile, Fujitora slowly guided the floating warships toward the island.
"It is truly unfortunate," he said quietly. "The world's greatest scientist has ultimately chosen to stand beside pirates. Losing such a talent is a heavy loss for the Marines."
Back inside the laboratory control room, Vegapunk stared at the scene unfolding on the monitor. The floating fleet made his anxiety even worse.
"That ability belongs to Admiral Fujitora," he said nervously. "And Admiral Aramaki is here as well. This situation has become extremely troublesome. The Pacifista alone cannot stop them."
Marco glanced at Vegapunk, who appeared unusually nervous, and felt slightly speechless.
Are all scientists this timid?
Still, he spoke calmly in order to reassure him.
"Doctor, there is no need to panic. We are still here."
Vegapunk took a deep breath and nodded, visibly calming down.
"You're right. Marco, you must protect me."
"I will have Sentomaru support you as well."
Marco nodded, then asked curiously,
"By the way, what about the Seraphim? Are they not ready yet?"
Vegapunk shook his head.
"They are mostly completed, but they cannot be deployed in real combat yet."
"I see," Marco replied.
Hearing that the Seraphim were not fully operational actually made him feel slightly relieved.
If the Seraphim were unfinished, then the Gorosei had not yet secured full control over them. That meant the highest command authority could still be contested later.
Marco then turned toward his captains.
"Brothers, prepare for battle."
His tone became firm.
"Vista, Jinbe, and Jozu, you remain here and protect the Doctor."
"Understood," they answered immediately.
For Marco, facing the Marines alone was not something to fear.
His strength had already reached the level of an Emperor, and his Conqueror's Haki had reached an extraordinary level.
After reaching that level, the scale of his Haki had grown tremendously. He could even precisely target individuals and temporarily suppress their Devil Fruit powers.
Marco had already tested this ability on Jozu and Portgas D. Ace before.
Once locked onto by his Conqueror's Haki, their Devil Fruit abilities could be suppressed almost completely. Aside from not rendering them unconscious, the effect was nearly identical to Seastone.
However, the effect could only last for a short time. Precisely targeting someone with Conqueror's Haki required immense concentration and consumed a great amount of Haki.
After leaving the control room with the captains of the Phoenix Pirates, Marco gave further instructions.
"Everyone, make preparations immediately."
His voice carried authority.
"Send orders to all members of the Phoenix Pirates. They are to head to Egghead Island as reinforcements."
"This battle may become something far greater than a simple clash with the Marines."
"It could turn into a war against the World Government itself."
"Oh!"
The captains and vice captains quickly moved to carry out their orders.
At that moment, Izo approached Marco.
"Captain Marco, should we inform the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates as well?"
Marco nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
"You handle the communication. Use the Den Den Mushi and inform Fossa and the others."
"As for Kaido and Big Mom, I will contact them personally."
"Understood."
Marco then took out two Den Den Mushi.
Facing the Marines alone was not a problem for him. However, if the Gorosei decided to intervene personally, the situation would become much more dangerous.
After all, the Gorosei could travel using special teleportation arrays.
They could even mobilize the God's Knights.
If all those forces arrived at once, even the Phoenix Pirates might struggle to withstand the pressure, despite Marco's current strength.
Especially since the Seraphim were not ready yet.
At the moment, the strongest forces on Egghead Island were the Pacifista.
While Pacifista were extremely effective against weaker enemies, they were far less useful against opponents at the level of Vice Admirals or above.
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
The first to answer was Kaido.
"Hey, Marco. What does this old man want with me?"
Marco replied calmly.
"Wait a moment. Once Big Mom joins the call, I will explain the situation to both of you."
Kaido seemed confused but remained silent.
Soon another Den Den Mushi connected.
Big Mom's loud laughter echoed through the receiver.
"Mama mama, what does the Phoenix want from this old lady?"
Marco spoke again.
"Good. Kaido, Big Mom, you can both hear each other now, correct?"
Kaido replied impatiently.
"Hmph, this old man can hear. Stop wasting time and speak."
Big Mom chuckled.
"Mama mama, calling the two of us at the same time. Something big must be happening."
Marco's voice remained calm and steady.
"Kaido, Big Mom, I am currently on Egghead Island."
"The Marines have already begun their attack."
"And they are coming for Vegapunk."