Two hours later, Beehive Island had been completely captured by the Marines.
During the battle, many pirates who had remained on the island were captured alive. From their interrogations, the Marines quickly obtained the exact location where Admiral Kizaru had been imprisoned.
Yet as they moved deeper into the ruins, an uneasy feeling filled the hearts of the Marines.
At last, Monkey D. Garp and Zephyr reached the deepest section of the collapsed dungeon.
Buried among broken stone and rubble, they finally found the body of Kizaru, whose real name was Borsalino.
His body was covered in bullet wounds, soaked in blood, and there were no signs of life remaining.
The sight froze every Marine present.
The entire operation had been launched to rescue Admiral Kizaru. Instead, it had ended with his death.
The atmosphere became unbearably heavy.
Garp and Zephyr both clenched their fists tightly.
Suddenly, Garp reached forward and grabbed a purple haired pirate by the collar, lifting him into the air.
"You bastards..."
The pirate coughed violently but then burst into laughter.
"Cough, cough. Kill me if you want, Hero Garp."
His grin twisted into something sinister.
"As an ordinary pirate, being able to kill a Marine Admiral in my lifetime is the greatest honor imaginable. Hahahaha!"
Garp's face darkened with fury.
"Bastard!"
His fist shot forward, smashing directly into the pirate's face and knocking him unconscious instantly.
Zephyr stood nearby in silence.
His relationship with Borsalino had never been particularly warm, but the two still shared the bond of master and disciple.
Seeing his disciple lying there lifeless, Zephyr could clearly imagine the brutal torture Borsalino must have endured before dying.
Even Zephyr, a man known throughout the seas as the Admiral who does not kill, felt a violent anger rising in his chest.
For a moment, he truly wanted to kill.
But he forced himself to remain calm.
The pirates who had carried out the execution were merely small fry. The real culprits were the ones who had given the order.
Garp's eyes were icy as he spoke.
"That Phoenix brat is far more ruthless than Edward Newgate ever was. These pirates had orders to execute Borsalino immediately if anyone tried to rescue him."
Zephyr nodded slowly.
"Yes. The soldiers just confirmed it during interrogation. It seems we underestimated him. That kid is not only powerful, he is also extremely decisive and ruthless."
Garp said nothing further.
Zephyr then turned toward the surrounding Marines and issued a firm command.
"All soldiers, detain every pirate on this island. Confiscate all treasure and food supplies."
"Yes, sir!"
After giving the order, Zephyr spoke again in a quieter voice.
"I hope we can exchange the lives of these pirates for the remaining Marines that were captured."
Garp's expression darkened.
"I heard Marco already handed those Marines over to Charlotte Linlin a long time ago so she could extract their lifespan."
He paused.
"By now, those thousands of Marines are probably..."
He did not finish the sentence, but everyone present understood the meaning.
The remaining captives were most likely already dead.
Zephyr understood this as well, but in such a desperate situation they could only cling to the smallest hope.
"Return to base," Zephyr finally said.
Far away, on Egghead Island, the battle was still raging.
The pressure on the Marine forces remained enormous.
Against the powerful cadres of the Three Emperors Alliance, ordinary Marine soldiers were completely outmatched. Even Marine Rear Admirals and Commodores found themselves at a disadvantage when fighting the enemy officers.
In the center of the battlefield, Marco repeatedly launched attacks toward Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
However, Saint Nusjuro had already consumed four portions of divine blood drawn from souls. His strength had risen to the level of a King tier fighter. Compared to his earlier power on Whole Cake Island, the difference was enormous.
Every swing of his blade released terrifying sword pressure that forced even Marco to remain cautious.
The slashes carried Conqueror's Haki infusion along with a freezing attribute, making them particularly dangerous for Marco.
Marco frowned slightly as he evaded another slash.
"Your strength has improved a lot. You're quite formidable now."
Despite the compliment, Marco remained extremely alert.
Saint Nusjuro was actually in a worse state. His blade, the first generation Oni Whetstone, was coated with Conqueror's Haki, and an icy aura surrounded it as he stared at Marco with intense focus.
Marco slowly exhaled.
He realized he could not continue fighting like this.
If the battle dragged on any longer, the situation might become unfavorable.
Saint Nusjuro's speed and strength were now comparable to his own. After consuming the four portions of divine blood, nearly every physical attribute had increased dramatically.
Moreover, Marco had already consumed a large amount of Conqueror's Haki earlier while defeating Saint Mars. Because of that, he could no longer maintain constant Conqueror's Haki suppression.
After thinking carefully, Marco made a decision.
He would increase his attributes again.
As long as he defeated Saint Nusjuro, he would obtain 20,000 attribute points. Then, if he succeeded in driving back the Marines and the Five Elders to complete the mission, he would receive another 10,000 points.
That meant he would soon have 30,000 attribute points available.
There was no need to hold back.
Marco immediately opened his system panel.
Name: Marco
Age: 43 years old
Attribute Points: 23,000
Devil Fruit: Zoan Type, Phoenix Form (Awakened)
Devil Fruit Awakening Ability: Flames of Destruction
Haki:
Armament Haki, Top Tier
Observation Haki, Top Tier
Conqueror's Haki, Legendary
Physical Techniques:
Soru, Top Tier
Rankyaku, Advanced
Geppo, Advanced
Tekkai, Top Tier
Finger Pistol, Advanced
Kami-e, Advanced
Attributes:
Strength: 42,054
Speed: 24,900
Defense: 13,800
Recovery: 60,000
Stamina: 25,100
Mental Power: 18,300
System Combat Power Assessment: King Level
Marco did not hesitate.
He decided to add 10,000 points to Defense and 13,000 points to Mental Power.
After all, maintaining continuous use of Conqueror's Haki required extremely strong mental power.
Soon, the attribute points were allocated.
Defense increased from 13,800 to 23,800.
Mental Power surged from 18,300 to 31,300.
A powerful surge of strength immediately spread throughout Marco's body as his combat capability rose once again.