Saint Marcus Mars's Observation Haki suddenly revealed a horrifying glimpse of the future. In that brief moment, he saw the image of his own death. The vision struck him like a blade through the heart, and fear surged violently through his mind.
His expression twisted with terror.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his fists with both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki. The power around him surged violently as he swung his fist backward toward Marco with desperate force.
"Let go of me, you lowly ant!"
His punch moved as fast as lightning and struck Marco heavily.
The impact echoed through the battlefield.
Yet Marco did not retreat.
The force slammed into his body, and the pain shot through his muscles, but he endured it without stepping back. Instead, his lips curled into a disdainful smile. His eyes were filled with contempt as he stared at the Gorosei in front of him.
Then he laughed.
"Die. Super Spiral Burning Cannon!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, a terrifying torrent of Black Flames surged violently from Marco's arm and poured directly into the body of Saint Marcus Mars.
A moment later, the power erupted.
Inside Saint Marcus Mars's chest, a spiral shaped explosion of Black Flame detonated with devastating force. The energy burst outward from his body, and the flames blasted through his back before slamming violently into the ground of Egghead Island.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The earth trembled.
With Marco standing at the center, the surrounding ground began to crack open continuously. Massive fissures tore through the island, and from those cracks, waves of Black Flame burst out like volcanic eruptions.
The scene looked like the end of the world.
In the distance, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro saw everything.
His face changed instantly.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his current position and rushed straight toward Marco, completely ignoring Big Mom.
"Stop!"
Big Mom's voice thundered across the battlefield.
"Your opponent is me!"
However, despite her shout, she did not rush forward immediately. Deep inside, she actually felt relieved.
Marco's strength had already exceeded her expectations. The monster had easily broken through her defenses earlier, and she had no desire to confront him directly again.
So instead of chasing at full speed, she followed Saint Nusjuro at a slower and more relaxed pace.
Meanwhile, Saint Marcus Mars was in a miserable state.
"Cough... cough..."
Marco's attack had pierced through his chest, leaving a massive wound. Blood flowed continuously as the overwhelming pain and the looming shadow of death crushed his composure.
For a brief moment, his mind went blank.
In such a desperate life and death situation, he almost forgot that he could call for help through telepathic communication. The agony was simply too overwhelming, making it difficult for him to focus his will.
All he could do was shout instinctively.
"Stop... stop! Let me go!"
His voice trembled with panic.
"I can make you a World Noble! I can even give you the position of Gorosei! Cough... cough..."
Hearing those desperate words, the contempt in Marco's eyes deepened.
He looked down at Saint Marcus Mars like he was staring at something pathetic.
"Heh. This is really ugly."
Marco shook his head slightly.
"Saint Marcus Mars, one of the world's highest authorities, begging like this? Isn't that embarrassing?"
"Lord Saint Mars!"
The Marine soldiers who witnessed this scene were filled with panic. Several of them attempted to rush forward to rescue him, but they were immediately intercepted.
The Phoenix Pirates stood firmly in their path.
Not a single Marine managed to break through their defense.
In the distance, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's face darkened further.
He could clearly see the situation, but Kaido stood in his way like an immovable mountain.
There was no chance of bypassing him.
Kaido looked at Marco with a hint of admiration.
"Worororo... well done, Marco."
At the same time, a dangerous thought rose inside Kaido's mind.
He wanted to kill a Gorosei too.
Especially the man standing in front of him.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro was undoubtedly one of the strongest opponents Kaido had faced since awakening his Devil Fruit power.
Kaido's eyes sharpened as he stared at him.
A fierce grin spread across his face.
"Now I have almost figured out how to break your immortality. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Saint Nusjuro's eyes flashed with killing intent.
"Hmph. Even if you discovered the method, it changes nothing. Insects will always remain insects."
But despite his words, a trace of unease existed deep inside his heart.
At the beginning of their battle, Kaido's attacks infused with Conqueror's Haki had no effect on him. However, as the fight continued, Kaido adapted quickly.
His Conqueror's Haki had grown stronger.
More precisely, Kaido had discovered the correct method to harm him.
Saint Nusjuro realized something unsettling.
He had unknowingly become Kaido's whetstone.
Even so, his confidence did not collapse.
After consuming the Four Soul Divine Blood, all of his physical abilities had been greatly enhanced. His defense had reached a terrifying level.
Even if Kaido could break his immortality, defeating him would still be extremely difficult.
Besides, he still had an escape option.
Through the teleportation array connected to the Holy Land, he could leave the battlefield at any moment.
Thinking of this, the brief fear in his heart quickly disappeared.
The Gorosei had ruled the world for centuries. They had lived too long and stood too high above everyone else.
Even if Saint Nusjuro possessed strength comparable to Kaido, he had long lost the desire to risk his life in a brutal fight against pirates.
At that same moment, Marco released a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki.
The pressure crushed down on Saint Marcus Mars like a mountain, completely suppressing him and preventing him from activating the teleportation array.
Marco spoke coldly.
"As one of the Gorosei, the so called highest authority of the world, even calling yourselves gods..."
His eyes hardened.
"At least die with some dignity."
"Stop!"
Saint Nusjuro's furious roar echoed across the battlefield as he rushed forward with everything he had.
Marco did not even look at him.
Without hesitation, he raised his fist again.
The Black Flames gathered violently around his arm as he aimed directly at Saint Marcus Mars's head.
Saint Nusjuro's eyes widened.
"Stop!"
But he was too late.
Boom.
Marco's fist slammed down.
Saint Marcus Mars's head exploded instantly like a smashed watermelon. Blood and fragments scattered across the ground in a horrifying scene.
For a moment, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Saint Nusjuro stood frozen.
His Observation Haki clearly sensed the truth.
Saint Marcus Mars's life aura was fading rapidly.
Then it vanished completely.
One of the Gorosei, a man who had lived for centuries and possessed immortality, had just died.
Marco slowly stood up.
He looked down at the headless corpse on the ground, his expression cold.
"Just to be safe..."
He lifted his hand.
Black Flames erupted violently and engulfed the body of Saint Marcus Mars, burning it completely.
Soon, nothing remained except ashes.
At that moment, the system's mechanical voice sounded inside Marco's mind.
"Defeated one of the Gorosei, Saint Marcus Mars. Reward: 10,000 attribute points."
"Killed one of the Gorosei, Saint Marcus Mars. Reward: 10,000 attribute points."
Marco paused slightly.
Twenty thousand attribute points had been added instantly.
His current total rose to twenty three thousand.
Looking at that number, Marco fell into brief thought.
If he distributed those points now, his strength would increase significantly. Even if he did not reach the Strong King Level immediately, the improvement would still be enormous.
Besides, the rewards were clear.
Each Gorosei killed granted twenty thousand attribute points.
If they repelled the Marines and the remaining Gorosei, another ten thousand points would be added.
After that, he could continue strengthening his Haki.
With that thought in mind, Marco opened his system attribute panel.
Name: Marco
Age: 43 years old
Attribute Points: 23000
Devil Fruit: Zoan Type, Mythical Zoan Phoenix Form (Awakened)
Devil Fruit Awakening Ability: Flames of Destruction
Haki:
Armament Haki (Top)
Observation Haki (Top)
Conqueror's Haki (Legendary)
Body Techniques:
Soru (Top)
Rankyaku (Advanced)
Moonwalk (Advanced)
Tekkai (Top)
Shigan (Advanced)
Kami-e (Advanced)
Strength: 42054
Speed: 24900
Defense: 13800
Recovery: 60000
Stamina: 25100
Spirit: 18300
System Combat Power Assessment: King Level.
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Patreon = _Zeph