At that moment, the system's mechanical voice sounded in Marco's mind.
Mission complete. You have defeated one of the Gorosei, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro. Reward: 10,000 attribute points.
Seeing another ten thousand attribute points added to his total, Marco quietly exhaled. Even after the fierce battle, his expression remained calm, though the exhaustion in his body was undeniable.
Just then, a loud voice rang out across the battlefield.
"Marco, hurry and save me!"
Big Mom rushed toward him while shouting for help.
Marco frowned slightly as he watched her approach. The wounds covering his body had not fully healed yet. Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's attacks had carried a terrifying chill that penetrated deep into the bones, combined with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki. Those injuries were far more difficult to recover from than ordinary wounds.
Even with Marco's extraordinary regenerative power, the healing process still required time.
Still, when he saw Big Mom running toward him while clearly under pressure, Marco did not remain indifferent.
Big Mom quickly arrived beside him.
At the same moment, Saint Peter stepped forward and stopped several meters away from Marco. His expression was far more serious than before.
Before Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro disappeared, he had already left them a message through the transmission ability of the Holy Land. The information he received had made Saint Peter's heart sink.
Saint Peter stared at Marco coldly.
"For all this time, we believed Kaido was the strongest member of the Three Emperors Alliance."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"It appears the intelligence we relied on was wrong."
Saint Peter's gaze grew heavier as he continued.
"The true strongest person in the Three Emperors Alliance is you."
Big Mom was equally shocked.
She had never expected Marco to defeat Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro so quickly. She had fought that Gorosei herself, so she understood clearly just how powerful he was.
A wide grin spread across her face.
"Mamamama! Marco, I'll leave this old monster to you. I'm going to deal with those Marines."
Without waiting for Marco's response, Big Mom immediately turned and charged toward the battlefield where the Marines were still fighting desperately.
Big Mom had already understood something very clearly. With her current strength, fighting the Gorosei directly would only put her life at risk. If she forced the battle, she might actually be killed.
Right now, what she needed most was time.
She needed souls.
Her severed arm still had to be restored.
Saint Peter kept his attention fixed on Marco. He did not make a move immediately.
If Marco could defeat Saint Mars and Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro one after another, then defeating him would not be impossible either.
If they had not arrived on Egghead Island through the summoning circle of the Holy Land, which allowed them to retreat at any moment, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro might truly have died here already.
Saint Peter silently admitted something he had not said out loud.
Aside from Imu, Marco was the strongest person he had encountered in hundreds of years.
Even Rocks D. Xebec from decades ago was far inferior.
Rocks had only managed to defeat a Marine Admiral.
Marco, however, had already defeated one Gorosei and severely injured another.
The difference in strength was obvious.
Marco himself was not in a hurry to attack either.
Black Flame continued to circulate around his body, steadily repairing the damage left by Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's attacks.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted elsewhere on the battlefield.
"Big Mom is here!"
A Marine soldier shouted in panic.
The Marines were already struggling against the pirates of the Three Emperors Alliance. With Big Mom suddenly joining the battlefield, the fragile balance instantly collapsed.
Big Mom wasted no time.
She opened her mouth and unleashed her terrifying ability.
"Soul Pocus!"
Fear spread through the Marine ranks. Their lifespans were forcefully extracted as Big Mom began collecting souls to replenish her power.
Far away, Kaido watched Marco defeat two members of the Gorosei consecutively.
For a brief moment, even Kaido felt shaken.
Were the Gorosei weaker than expected, or had Marco simply become too strong?
However, Kaido quickly forced those thoughts out of his mind.
With a furious roar, he launched another powerful attack toward Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
Through Marco's previous battle, Kaido had realized something important. Fighting a prolonged battle against the Gorosei was extremely dangerous.
Even if their immortality could be broken, their regeneration was still terrifying.
Dragging the battle out would only put them at a disadvantage.
After reaching that conclusion, Kaido abandoned defense entirely.
He focused everything on offense.
The sudden change caught Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro off guard. For the first time, the Gorosei was forced into a defensive position.
Because now Kaido's attacks could truly hurt him.
On another side of the island, inside the laboratory.
Vegapunk closely watched the battlefield through multiple monitors.
His eyes lit up with excitement.
"Excellent! Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro has also been defeated."
He quickly adjusted several screens while speaking to himself.
"That means only three Gorosei remain on Egghead Island."
Vegapunk rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It seems I might not need to abandon Egghead Island after all."
At the same time, another monitor displayed the battle inside the laboratory itself.
Saint Saturn stood at the center of the room, facing an unusual group of enemies.
Five Seraphim.
And three pirate captains.
Because of his immortality ability, Saint Saturn remained almost completely invulnerable to their attacks.
However, defeating them was not easy either.
The Seraphim possessed an extraordinary ability.
They could learn during battle.
Although this was their very first combat mission since being created, they adapted quickly. After several exchanges, they had already learned to avoid Saint Saturn's spider-like leg attacks.
Even a Seraphim would be injured if struck directly by those terrifying limbs.
Soon, the five Seraphim and the three captains changed their strategy.
Instead of attacking recklessly, they began to continuously restrain and pressure Saint Saturn, limiting his movements inside the laboratory.
Back outside, the war continued to escalate.
Vegapunk observed the battlefield with a complicated expression.
The Marines were steadily collapsing.
With Big Mom joining the fight, their morale had completely broken. They were already unable to match the combined forces of the Three Emperors Alliance.
Admiral Aramaki was currently being held back by Ace and Yamato.
Admiral Fujitora was surrounded by more than a dozen captains from the Phoenix Pirates.
Meanwhile, the remaining executives of the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates continued attacking the Marine forces from every direction.
The Marines were losing ground everywhere.
Now that Big Mom had personally entered the battlefield, the situation had become even worse.
From Vegapunk's perspective, it looked like a one sided slaughter.
Watching so many Marines fall caused a trace of unease in Vegapunk's heart.
After a moment of hesitation, he took out a transponder snail.
Then he activated an island wide broadcast.
"Satan Saint, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, Saint Peter, and all Marines on Egghead Island."
His voice echoed across the entire battlefield.
"I am Vegapunk, the greatest scientist in the world."
The sudden broadcast stunned everyone.
Both Marines and pirates paused briefly in confusion.
Why was Vegapunk speaking now?
Vegapunk continued firmly through the transponder snail.
"Satan Saint, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, Saint Peter, and also Marco, Kaido, Big Mom."
He took a breath before finishing his statement.
"Both the Marines and the Three Emperors Alliance have already suffered heavy losses."
"There is no need for more meaningless deaths."
Vegapunk's voice echoed across the island.
"How about we end the battle here?"
"As long as the Marines withdraw from Egghead Island, I guarantee that the Three Emperors Alliance will not pursue you."
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