Katakuri had only recently grasped Conqueror's Haki infusion. Pushing it further in such a short time was nearly impossible.
At this moment, Sak, King, and Katakuri each held off a member of the God's Knights. Yet none of them had found a way to overcome their enemies' immortality.
"Emperor Big Mom."
A hooded figure stepped forward, his voice cold as he approached her. "I will be your opponent."
Big Mom's brows furrowed slightly. Her instincts, sharpened through countless battles, immediately picked up the difference. This man was not like the others.
"Who are you, brat? You think you can challenge me?" she asked, her gaze turning icy.
The man slowly removed his hood.
Figarland Gorumba revealed a face that closely resembled Red-Haired Shanks, almost identical at first glance.
"You are not qualified to know my name," he said coldly. "I only wish to test the results of my recent training."
The battlefield fell into brief silence.
Both pirates and Marines stared in shock. That face was far too familiar.
However, unlike Shanks, this man bore no scar over his eye. He also looked much younger, no more than in his twenties, like a youthful version of the Red-Haired Emperor.
Big Mom's pupils shrank as she roared, "Who the hell are you? Why do you look exactly like Red-Haired Shanks?"
At the mention of that name, Gorumbasaint let out a disdainful sneer.
"Shanks… I have not heard that name in a long time. He is my elder brother."
The revelation sent a wave of shock across the battlefield.
A Celestial Dragon and member of the God's Knights… and his brother was a pirate Emperor.
Big Mom's expression changed instantly. "That red-haired brat… he's actually a Celestial Dragon?"
In the distance, Marco, who was fending off both Saint Peter and Saint Garling, also heard the exchange. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Three brothers.
He recalled his earlier assault on the Holy Land, where he had encountered someone named Figarland Shamrock, a man who also resembled Shanks and claimed to be his elder brother.
Now, this man before him was Shanks' younger brother, while Garling appeared to be their father.
This family was terrifying in its own right.
Gorumbasaint's gaze turned colder. "About twenty years ago, he returned to the Holy Land once. Yet he chose to remain in this filthy lower world. If my elder brother represents the glory of the Figarland family, then Shanks is its disgrace."
His voice carried clear contempt.
"He inherited our bloodline and strength, yet abandoned his status as a World Noble and chose to become a pirate."
Marco continued flying at low altitude, maintaining distance while dealing with Saint Peter and Saint Garling. Even under their combined assault, he remained composed.
Still, fighting two opponents of this level at once made it impossible to finish them quickly.
The main issue was his Conqueror's Haki.
To counter the immortality of the Gorosei and the God's Knights, he needed to continuously release powerful Conqueror's Haki to suppress them.
At the same time, they could resist using their own Conqueror's Haki.
That meant Marco had to keep expending his own Haki just to maintain the advantage.
When he defeated Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro earlier, he had already consumed a large amount. Now, his reserves had not fully recovered.
Without sufficient Conqueror's Haki, he could not break their immortality.
At the same time, they could not deal with him either.
Marco's ability to fly gave him overwhelming mobility.
'I can't keep wasting time here.'
His gaze shifted across the battlefield, landing on the other members of the God's Knights.
No matter how the situation evolved, he remained the strongest combatant present.
Instead of being stalled here, it was better to eliminate the others first.
Still, someone needed to hold back Saint Peter and Saint Garling.
Both of them possessed terrifying strength. Saint Peter was at least at top-tier level, and despite his age, Garling was not any weaker.
Only Kaido and Big Mom might be able to stall them.
Marco glanced again at the God's Knights.
To him, they were not just enemies, but opportunities.
Defeating one would grant 7000 attribute points from the Vegapunk mission, and another 5000 from the mission to overthrow the World Government.
He already had 10000 points saved.
Taking down just two would be enough to further enhance his Haki.
With that in mind, Marco made his decision.
He turned and flew toward Big Mom.
"Big Mom!"
She looked up, clearly annoyed. "What now?"
"You hold those two off. I'll deal with the rest."
Her face darkened instantly. "Are you out of your mind?"
Marco did not slow down. "Show them the true power of a Four Emperor."
Without waiting for her response, he flew past her.
"Bastard… Marco, you…" Big Mom snarled, her anger rising.
She had already used her full strength and still struggled against the Gorosei. Now she was expected to face Saint Garling and this new opponent as well.
Before she could say more, Saint Peter and Saint Garling closed in.
"Mama…" Katakuri called out, concern evident in his voice.
At that moment, Marco shot toward Katakuri.
"Katakuri, switch opponents. I'll handle this one. Go support Big Mom."
Katakuri frowned, clearly displeased, but he did not hesitate. He immediately moved to reinforce Big Mom.
Saint Jaygarcia Heim watched as Katakuri withdrew, only for Marco to charge straight at him.
Instead of fear, excitement flashed in his eyes.
"So my opponent is you this time. That makes things more interesting."
Yellow dust gathered in his palm as he roared, "Dust Storm!"
Marco did not even attempt to dodge.
His Conqueror's Haki surged violently, suppressing everything in its path.
In the next instant, his fist, coated in Conqueror's Haki, struck forward with overwhelming force.
Saint Garling's expression changed drastically.
"No, Heim, retreat!"
But it was too late.
Marco's punch landed squarely on Saint Heim's head.
Under the crushing suppression of Conqueror's Haki, the so-called immortality shattered instantly.
His head exploded on impact.