Marco quietly studied the six attributes displayed on his system panel.
Among them, defense was clearly the lowest. Mental power was the second weakest.
If he wanted to improve his combat endurance, those two were the most logical areas to strengthen. Especially mental power.
During the recent battle with Saint Marcus Mars, Marco had continuously released Conqueror's Haki at an extremely high intensity. He needed that overwhelming pressure to suppress Saint Mars's immortality.
The effect had worked.
But Marco could clearly feel the price. The rapid consumption of his Conqueror's Haki had been enormous. If the battle had dragged on much longer, even he would have felt the strain.
His thoughts were interrupted by an angry roar.
"Ant, how dare you..."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Marco.
Saint Marcus Mars had been his companion for hundreds of years. The five of them, the Gorosei, stood second only to Imu in the entire world. They were the only beings granted immortality and eternal life.
In their minds, they were the true gods of this world.
Marco looked at him calmly and let out a cold sneer.
"What is that expression?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Speaking of Celestial Dragons, haven't I already killed quite a few of them before? You're just a little stronger than the others."
Those words instantly ignited Saint Nusjuro's fury.
"How dare you compare us to those wastes!"
Marco raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.
"Oh? So even Celestial Dragons look down on each other."
His voice carried obvious mockery.
"Still, immortality or not, Celestial Dragons bleed red like everyone else. And as you just saw, they can be killed too. In the end, you're not that different from the rest of them, or from ordinary people."
"Arrogant!"
Saint Nusjuro roared with rage.
Being compared to ordinary Celestial Dragons was already humiliating enough. Being compared to common people was an even greater insult.
The Celestial Dragons had strict hierarchies among themselves.
In their eyes, the ordinary Celestial Dragons were only slightly better than insects. The Gorosei stood beneath only one individual, Imu, but above billions of people.
Saint Nusjuro slowly calmed himself.
His expression turned serious.
For the moment, he did not dare to attack recklessly. Marco's strength was clearly far beyond Big Mom's level.
The gap between them was enormous.
Big Mom had not been able to injure him at all, let alone threaten his life. Marco, however, was an entirely different matter.
Even with the enhancement of the Four Soul Divine Blood, which temporarily pushed their power beyond its natural limits, Saint Marcus Mars had still been killed.
That fact weighed heavily on Saint Nusjuro's mind.
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, the Marines were shaken.
"How could this happen? Lord Saint Mars actually..."
Seeing Saint Marcus Mars killed and his body still burning in black flames, the morale of the Marines dropped sharply once again.
Saint Nusjuro had already activated the Gorosei's internal telepathic communication.
"Everyone, I have unfortunate news. Saint Marcus Mars has fallen. He was killed by the Phoenix."
The response came immediately.
Inside the laboratory area, Saint Peter and Saint Saturn were both stunned.
"How could that be possible?"
Saint Nusjuro stared at Marco with a grim expression.
"Marco's strength has exceeded all of our expectations."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Although I dislike admitting it, Marco's power is terrifying. He has reached the level that Rocks once possessed. No, he may have already surpassed Rocks."
His tone became even heavier.
"In a one on one battle, even in our current enhanced state, I am afraid none of us could defeat him alone."
After saying that, he asked directly.
"Saint Peter, Saint Saturn, have you finished dealing with Vegapunk?"
Saint Saturn's voice responded with some frustration.
"We were stopped by the Seraphim and three pirate captains. Two Seraphim have already been destroyed. Give us a little more time and we can finish the rest."
Saint Nusjuro frowned.
He had no intention of fighting Marco alone.
"The current situation is extremely unfavorable. Marco killed Saint Marcus Mars, and the balance of power is no longer in our favor."
He spoke with clear seriousness.
"We may need to report this situation to Imu."
"Agreed."
The other Gorosei quickly expressed their agreement.
At that moment, Big Mom finally arrived.
She glanced at the spot where Saint Marcus Mars had died and burst into loud laughter.
"Mama mama mama mama!"
Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Marco.
"You're really impressive, Marco. Killing a Gorosei so quickly. You truly deserve to be this old lady's son in law."
Marco rolled his eyes slightly at her attempt to claim credit for the situation, but he did not bother responding.
Instead, he focused his attention on Saint Nusjuro.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Now it's just you left here."
His tone was calm but filled with killing intent.
"After I deal with you, I'll go take care of the rest of the Gorosei one by one."
Big Mom suddenly stepped forward with renewed confidence.
"Mama mama mama mama!"
"You're facing both of us now, you know."
Her grin became ferocious.
"You cut this old lady earlier. So this old lady will definitely take your lifespan away. I'm curious how much lifespan a Gorosei actually has."
Her voice grew louder.
"It's said that during the eight hundred years since the World Government was established, you five Gorosei have always remained the same. Your appearances never changed. That's why people believe the Celestial Dragons are gods."
She licked her lips.
"Let this old lady see just how long you can really live."
Saint Nusjuro looked at her with cold disdain.
"Hmph. Mere insects daring to act arrogant before me."
He truly did not take Big Mom seriously.
However, Marco was another matter entirely.
Without hesitation, Saint Nusjuro sent another telepathic message.
"Saint Peter, hurry here and assist me. I am currently facing both Marco and Big Mom. This situation is difficult to manage."
Inside the laboratory, Saint Peter and Saint Saturn exchanged glances.
A moment later, a teleportation magic circle appeared beneath Saint Peter's feet.
Seeing this strange phenomenon, Vista and the others became alarmed. The abilities possessed by the Gorosei were unpredictable and extremely bizarre.
Before they could react further, Saint Peter vanished.
"He disappeared."
Jozu spoke with visible shock.
Saint Saturn looked at them indifferently.
"Hmph. Mere insects."
His voice was calm and dismissive.
"Dealing with all of you, this old man alone is enough."
None of them possessed Conqueror's Haki. Without it, they could not truly harm him. Because of that, Saint Saturn did not consider them a real threat.
At the same moment, another teleportation magic circle appeared beside Saint Nusjuro.
Light flashed.
Saint Peter emerged from the circle and stepped onto the battlefield.
Big Mom's expression immediately darkened.
"What?"
Another Gorosei had appeared.
Saint Nusjuro spoke in a cold voice.
"Saint Peter, hold Marco back for a moment."
His gaze shifted toward Big Mom.
"After I kill Big Mom, we will deal with Marco together."
Saint Peter gave a small nod.
But Big Mom had no intention of facing Saint Nusjuro again.
Without hesitation, she moved closer to Marco, clearly avoiding Nusjuro's direction.
"Marco!"
She pointed toward Saint Peter.
"You deal with that bald guy. His ability is troublesome for this old lady."
Marco looked at her with mild disbelief.
He understood the real reason.
It was not a matter of ability compatibility.
It was simply a difference in strength.
Saint Nusjuro possessed King Level strength. Big Mom, despite being one of the Four Emperors, only stood at Admiral Emperor Level.
The gap between those tiers was enormous.
Marco remembered the Marineford War clearly. Back then, his strength had been far weaker than it was now. When he faced Akainu, whose power was on a higher tier, he had been completely suppressed.
Big Mom facing Saint Nusjuro was almost the same situation.
Even if the Gorosei's power had been artificially enhanced by the Four Soul Divine Blood, it was still far beyond what a normal Emperor level fighter could challenge.
Still, Big Mom remained one of the leaders of the Three Emperors Alliance.
Aside from her, there was no one else capable of even slowing a Gorosei down.
Marco gave a small nod.
"Fine."
Then he added calmly.
"But the other Gorosei are extremely strong too. Be careful."
Big Mom only laughed louder.
"Mama mama mama mama!"
"Who do you think this old lady is?"
Her ferocious grin widened.
"In my opinion, that sand worm Gorosei should be the weakest one. Back on Whole Cake Island, even my son Katakuri said..."