41-50 - Reborn as luffy

Chapter 42: Fierce Battle (Part 1)Looking at the hundreds of Marines of field officer rank and above, Marcus felt his 'Battle Intent' boiling at this moment.It was unclear if they had planned it beforehand, but the Marine Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral Darrattacked Rayleigh, while the remaining Marines charged toward Marcus and the others.This was indeed the Marines' plan: have the Marines ranked Rear Admiral and above pin down Rayleigh.Even if Pluto Rayleigh was powerful, it would take him some time to deal with them. By then, the Marines below could use that time to capture the others.Then they could use these people to threaten Pluto Rayleigh. Even if they couldn't force Rayleigh to surrender, having these people would ensure he wouldn't dare to kill them, which was equivalent to a life-saving talisman.Seeing all the Marines ranked Rear Admiral and above attacking him, Rayleigh instantly understood the Marines' conspiracy.But as the Marines had anticipated, Rayleigh knew it would take him some time to deal with these Marines, and now he could only hope that they could hold their ground.Marcus, of course, could also see through their conspiracy, but his side was not weak either; holding out for a while would not be a problem.Before they even arrived, the attacks had already reached them. Countless bullets and quite a few rockets were fired from the Marines in front, and there were even several Tempest Kicks mixed in.'Space Shield'. Blocking so many bullets was not as easy as before, so this time Marcus unleashed his strongest Space Shield."Boom, boom, boom..." Continuous explosions occurred in mid-air, and the smoke from the explosions obscured the figures of Marcus and the others.Although all the attacks were blocked by the shield, there were too many of them, and when the quantity reaches a certain level, it causes a qualitative change.The shield that Marcus had unleashed with all his might only lasted for a moment before it was shattered. This situation had only ever happened with Garp before.But this moment was enough to block most of the shells, and the remaining attacks that weren't blocked were resolved by the group in a few moments.Rayleigh, who was fighting on the other side, saw Marcus and the others surrounded by smoke and punched a Rear Admiral away. He hurriedly used Haki to sense them and, upon finding that they were fine, he breathed a sigh of relief."Tempest Kick", "Tempest Kick", "Tempest Kick".Taking advantage of the moment Rayleigh was distracted, Darr, along with two other Marines, launched three "Tempest Kicks", sealing off the area around Rayleigh.Relying on his powerful Armament Haki, Rayleighdirectly shattered the three "Tempest Kicks". Then he instantly flashed to the side of a Rear Admiral and punched him away, sending him crashing into a shop.Two punches! Rayleigh had defeated two Rear Admirals with just two punches, leaving them unable to continue fighting. However, because of Garp, Rayleigh did not kill them, only leaving them severely injured.After dealing with one Rear Admiral, Rayleighprepared to take out another, but the remaining Marines had long since retreated to the side, tightly surrounding Rayleigh."Vice Admiral, what should we do? This Pluto Rayleigh is too powerful; we are simply no match for him," one Marine said.The battle just now had terrified this Marine. Someone with the same combat power as himself was actually beaten to severe injury by Rayleighwith a single punch. Was this the strength of the legendary pirate?Glancing at the battle on the other side, Vice Admiral Darr said in a deep voice: "We can only proceed according to the plan now, to buy time for the other side."After speaking, Vice Admiral Darr attacked Rayleigh, and the Rear Admiral gritted his teeth and rushed at Rayleigh as well.Looking at the smoke filling the sky in front, Marcusthought of a good plan that would surely take out quite a few Marines.Without waiting for Hancock to react, amidst the stunned gazes of Shakky and the others, Marcushugged Hancock and whispered in her ear."Hancock, I'll take you into the air in a moment, use your'Slave Arrow' technique."Being suddenly hugged by Marcus, Hancock fainted instantly, her whole body leaning against Marcus. "Marcus... Marcus actually hugged me voluntarily! Ah... is this... is this the feeling of love?""Hancock, Hancock..."Looking at the blushing Hancock, Marcusimmediately gave a wry smile. Why are you fainting at this critical moment?Under Marcus's shaking, Hancock woke up immediately. This time, Hancock didn't faint, and Marcus immediately explained the plan he had just mentioned.Holding Hancock, Marcus took off into the air. Flying was a very simple matter for Marcus, who had mastered the power of space.It's just that the speed isn't fast right now, so Marcususually doesn't use it. In fact, what Marcus really wanted was teleportation, but Marcus had been researching it for two years without any progress."Slave Arrow". Hancock touched her lips with her fingers, creating a huge pink heart-shaped substance. As Hancock pulled back, countless pink arrows shot out from it, passing through the black fog in front.Meanwhile, the Marines had realized that Rayleighhad instantly taken out two Rear Admirals, and they also realized the gravity of the situation. Not caring about what was hidden in the black fog, they rushed straight into it.But before they could rush into the black fog, countless pink arrows shot out from the fog, and the Marines in the front row, who had no preparation, collided head-on with the arrows.When they saw the first Major hit by an arrow turn into stone, the Marines instantly realized the effect of the pink arrows and hurriedly dodged in all directions.But it was too late to dodge now. Besides, facing this overwhelming rain of arrows, how could they dodge?After this rain of pink arrows, the Marines who were originally fierce as wolves turned into gray-white stone statues one by one. Except for a few lucky ones, nearly a hundred Marines who charged at the front turned into stone statues.The smoke cleared, and looking at the hundreds of Marines turned into stone statues in front, a flash of surprise crossed Marcus's face. Although he had expected this surprise attack to have great results, he hadn't expected it to take out a third of them.Watching their comrades turn into stone statues, the remaining Marines suppressed the grief in their hearts and rushed towards Marcus with red eyes.Marcus could understand the feelings of these Marines at this moment, because for the past year, Marcus had experienced many such things, and at that time, his feelings were the same as these Marines'."Let's move the battlefield to the other side, don't let the aftermath of the battle shatter these stone statues; that way, these Marines can still be restored," Marcus said, turning back.Shakky and the others nodded and leaped to the other side of the street.The Marines thought Marcus and the others wanted to escape, so they hurriedly chased after them, thus creating a strange scene on the whole street.On the left side of the street, Rayleigh was fighting with several Marine generals; on the right, a large group of Marines was chasing five people; while in the middle was a group of over a hundred lifelike stone statues, dividing the entire street in two.The Marine generals on this side saw their subordinates turn into stone statues like this, and their eyes turned red, attacking Rayleigh with reckless abandon.However, Rayleigh could not kill these Marines, so he was always restrained in his fighting, and it would take some time to deal with these Marines.Marcus suddenly turned back and used'Space Lock' on the Marines chasing behind.Under this move, the space around the Marines became solidified, and all the Marines suddenly felt their bodies being pressed by heavy objects.Moving their arms even slightly was much slower than before, and every tiny movement required a great deal of physical strength.However, this situation didn't actually have much impact on the Marines' combat power. After most Marines adapted to it, there wasn't much difference from normal.It's just that in this situation, moving consumes a lot of physical strength, making it impossible to continue fighting for long.But this was the best Marcus could do; these were over two hundred Marine officers of Lieutenant Commander rank and above.PS: Thank you to all the readers for your support and recommendation votes; your support is the motivation for me to continue writing.UU Reading welcomes readers to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all on UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.

Chapter 42: Fierce Battle (Part 2)"Bang!"Relying on the armor formed by space power covering his entire body, Marcus forcibly withstood a slash from a Marine Major, then sent another Marinewho was sneak-attacking him flying.Turning around, he punched the latter in the face, knocking him unconscious.Before Marcus could even rest, a rocket hit his body, and the powerful impact forced him to retreat immediately.Just like that, every time Marcus beat back one Marine, several more would rush up.To prevent his identity from being exposed, Marcusdidn't even dare to use the Six Powers or the Devil Fruit abilities he usually relied on, for fear that someone interested would discover his identity through them.Otherwise, Marcus wouldn't be fighting so frustratingly; he clearly had the strength but couldn't use it.He could only use this space armor that no one knew about, but this Move also had a major weakness, similar to the 'Iron Body' of the Six Powers; it could only block attacks from sharp blades but couldn't mitigate powerful force.The Marines here were all officers of the rank of Major or above, and each of them possessed considerable strength.Having endured so many attacks, although his internal organs were not injured, many parts of his body were in excruciating pain.Compared to the frustrated Marcus, Hancock on the side was doing much better.Hancock's ability was more suitable for facing this kind of group attack, and those she faced were all men.Even now, Hancock was already devastatingly beautiful, and it could be said that not a single man present was unmoved by her.Moves like 'Pistol Kiss' and'Slave Arrow,' when unleashed randomly on a battlefield with so many people, could easily hit targets.Before long, Hancock had turned more than a dozen Marines into stone statues."As expected of the future pirate empress," Marcusremarked as he watched Hancock wreak havoc.Although Hancock had not yet become the "Empress" and had not achieved the Awakening of Conqueror's Haki, her combat power at this moment was already quite strong.What surprised Marcus the most was Shakky.Marcus had always thought Shakky was the weakest among them, but he hadn't expected her combat power to be so strong.A Marine Major was instantly defeated by her; she was truly worthy of being the female pirate who managed to escape from the Stinky Old Man back in the day."Perfume Femur!"Hancock dodged a Marine's attack sideways and kicked him, instantly turning the Marine into stone."This is a powerful fruit ability; you will turn into a stone statue if hit by her. You are no match for her, let me handle this," a Navy Rear Admiral rushed out from behind and attacked Hancock."You actually want to keep me here, disturbing my gathering with my husband? I will not forgive you! Perfume Femur!"Hancock supported herself with her hands on the ground, defeating the surrounding Marines, and immediately kicked toward the Navy Rear Admiral.However, the Rear Admiral did not turn into stone like the other Marines, but instead withstood Hancock's Perfume Femur.The Rear Admiral laughed triumphantly: "Your fruit ability is useless against someone who possesses Armament Haki. Die, pirate, and be buried with my subordinates!"The Rear Admiral suddenly exerted force, pushing Hancock back.Using Soru, he appeared in front of Hancock, a fierce look on his face as he struck toward her head, intending to kill Hancock on the spot.At this moment, Hancock had just steadied herself and had absolutely no time to dodge the Rear Admiral's heavy blow.Just then, Marcus, who had been keeping an eye on Hancock, threw the Marine he was holding toward the Rear Admiral, knocking the Rear Admiral away.As the Rear Admiral climbed up from the ground, Hancock immediately seized the opportunity."Mero Mero Mellow!" The pink heart hit the Rear Admiral accurately, and the petrified Rear Admiral still maintained an expression of anger on his face."Bang!"While Marcus was saving Hancock, his back was left exposed.A Navy Rear Admiral who had awakened Armament Haki struck Marcus's back with both fists at full force.Caught off guard, the space armor on Marcus's back was instantly shattered, and the Rear Admiral's fists struck Marcus's back with undiminished momentum.Marcus immediately felt a powerful force raging inside his body.A sweet taste filled his mouth, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out.Unable to control his body, he crashed into a building, knocking down two walls in succession before Marcus finally came to a stop.The Navy Rear Admiral who had injured Marcushurriedly entered the room, wanting to finish Marcusoff quickly and not give him any chance to recover.At the same time, he could free himself up to help the others.Seeing Marcus injured while trying to save her, Hancock was instantly enraged.She severely injured several Marines and rushed toward Marcus's direction."Marcus, you mustn't be hurt..."But the remaining Marines, seeing that they had finally managed to take one person down, were not about to let Hancock go and help.Ignoring casualties, they blocked the female pirate with all their might from going to the other side to rescue him.Seeing a figure fly backward out of the building, Hancock's face was filled with worry, while the rest of the Marines showed expressions of joy, thinking to themselves: "It seems the Rear Admiral has already dealt with that pirate."When the figure fell to the ground, everyone present looked and discovered that the figure flying out wasn't the pirate, but the Navy Rear Admiralwho had gone in after him.Seeing that it was a Marine who had flown out, Hancock and the others breathed a sigh of relief.Although they didn't know what had happened inside, they could be sure that Marcus was fine."How is this possible? What on earth happened inside?""Didn't the Rear Admiral severely injure that pirate? Why did the Rear Admiral end up flying out?""Since the Rear Admiral was defeated, where is that pirate now?"As the words fell, a figure walked out of the dust-filled building; this person was none other than Marcus.Marcus, who had been knocked into the building, had only suffered minor injuries.Seeing that the Marine had actually rushed in on his own, how could Marcus let such an opportunity pass?Going all out, Marcus defeated the unprepared Rear Admiral in a few Moves, then threw the unconscious Rear Admiral out, which led to the scene everyone outside had witnessed.Seeing that Marcus hadn't suffered any serious injuries, the Marines, although extremely shocked, still charged toward Marcus without fear of death.Because the Marines could clearly see that on the battlefield at the other end of the street, only the Vice Admiral and a Major General were fighting against Rayleigh.If they hadn't succeeded on their side yet, once Rayleigh was free, the entire Seventh Branch would likely be wiped from the Marine ranks.Looking at the remaining two Marines, Rayleighsaid: "You can't stop me with just this; you should just give up."At this moment, Vice Admiral Darr no longer had his former demeanor.His Marine uniform had become tattered, and his left hand had been broken by Rayleigh's powerful force when they clashed fists, with the entire arm bleeding continuously.Regarding Rayleigh's advice, Darr only said one word: "Fight.""As a Marine of Justice, even if I die, I will not flee before a pirate.""Soru!" The Major General instantly arrived in front of Rayleigh and punched toward Rayleigh's lower abdomen.But the difference in strength between the two was too great, and Rayleigh blocked it very easily.But to Rayleigh's surprise, a trace of a smile appeared on the Marine's face, and he immediately hugged Rayleigh's hands tightly."Finger Pistol!" How could Vice Admiral Darr on the side let this opportunity pass?He gathered all his strength into his pitch-black finger; this Move could be said to be Vice Admiral Darr's strongest technique."What?" Darr exclaimed, looking at the situation before him.But just as this strongest Move pierced into Rayleigh's back, his wrist was grabbed by Rayleigh's hand.The immense force coming from the wrist left Darr unable to Move.The moment this Marine hugged his hands, Rayleigh was moved and asked: "Why do this?""Pfft, actually, I don't know either. I only know that I am a Marine, and eradicating pirates is my mission."Rayleigh did not kill the Major General; he simply grabbed the Major General's wrist with a backhand and threw him away.That's right, neither of us is wrong; we just stand on different sides!UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.

Chapter 43: A Dirty Political TransactionRayleigh looked at Darr, who was lying on the ground, and asked, "Is it worth it?"Darr did not answer, but instead looked around at the Rear Admirals who had been seriously injured by Rayleigh, as well as the stone statues not far away and the Marines who were still fighting. A bitter smile and sadness appeared on Darr's face."What does it matter if it's not worth it? The slaves were released by pirates, and the furious Celestial Dragons have placed all the pressure on the Marines. Bearing this immense pressure, the Marines must set an example and provide an explanation to the Celestial Dragons."Hearing Darr's explanation, Rayleigh finally understood why these Marines, despite knowing they were no match for him, still risked their lives to block him."All of this is just for the Celestial Dragons to see. We, the Marines, even had our entire Seventh Branch wiped out to help you find the slaves; you can't say anything more about this, right?"In fact, earlier, when he learned that Vice Admiral Garp would not come, Darr had prepared to retreat.Darr knew that his Seventh Branch alone could never capture Pluto Rayleigh, and it would only lead to unnecessary casualties.However, later on, the order from Marine Headquarters forced Darr to abandon the idea of retreating, leading the entire Seventh Branch down a path of destruction.However, he had already ordered all Marines below the rank of officer to evacuate, so even if they all died, the Seventh Branch would not disappear from the Marines."Pluto Rayleigh, may I ask you for a favor?" Darr looked at Rayleigh with a pleading expression.Hearing that Darr was actually begging him, Rayleigh almost thought he had misheard. He had been a pirate for so many years and had never encountered a Marine begging a pirate, but he hadn't expected to run into one today.Rayleigh said curiously, "Speak. If it doesn't have much impact on me, I'll likely agree.""I hope Pluto Rayleigh can show mercy to the remaining Marines," Darr said, gritting his teeth.As a Marine Vice Admiral begging a pirate, Darr could be said to be under immense pressure, but for the sake of his innocent subordinates, Darr could afford to lose this bit of dignity.Rayleigh smiled slightly and retorted, "Why? You attacked me first, yet now you want me to show mercy?""I gave this order; everything is my fault. If you want to kill someone, kill me. These Marine Soldiers are innocent; they know nothing. I don't want these Marine Soldiers with such bright futures to die meaninglessly in this dirty political transaction."After accepting this order, Darr had already resolved himself to die. Regardless of the outcome, allowing so many Marine Soldiers to die innocently, Darr had no face to continue living."Hahaha..." Rayleigh suddenly burst into laughter.Under the puzzled gaze of Vice Admiral Darr, Rayleigh said, "Observe carefully yourself. I didn't deal any lethal blows to those Marines; I just knocked them unconscious."Hearing Rayleigh's words, Vice Admiral Darr was shocked and hurriedly used Observation Haki to observe. Just as Rayleigh said, the Marines knocked down by Rayleigh were not dead, but were all just severely injured and unconscious.When Vice Admiral Darr was about to thank Rayleigh, Rayleigh had already walked towards the other side of the battlefield...."Garp, you don't need to go support the Seventh Branch. The Seventh Branch is enough to deal with Pluto Rayleigh.""Bang!" An angry Vice Admiral Garp slammed his fist onto the table, and the entire table instantly shattered into pieces.Garp picked up the den den mushi that had fallen to the ground and, suppressing his anger, asked, "Sengoku, you bastard, do you know what this order means?"That's right, at this moment, Vice Admiral Garp was speaking with Fleet Admiral Sengoku.Just a moment ago, Marine Headquarters had suddenly issued an order to Garp via den den mushi, but this order was unacceptable to Garp.In the end, Garp used his own personal den den mushi to speak directly with Sengoku, asking for the reason, which led to the scene just now.On the other side of the den den mushi, a heavy voice sounded,"This is an order issued by the Gorosei. We at Marine Headquarters are just executing it; the rest is not something we can control."Hearing this response from Sengoku, Garp snorted heavily, "Sengoku, you should know better than I do about Pluto Rayleigh's combat power. How can the entire Seventh Branch possibly deal with Pluto Rayleigh? You are sending them to their deaths! Sengoku! Why is this happening?"By the end, Garp was roaring. Having been comrades with Sengoku for decades, Garp knew Sengoku's temper very well. How could Sengoku, hailed as the 'great tactician', agree to such a stupid order?Hearing Garp's roar, Sengoku fell silent. After a long while, Sengoku explained to Garp."Because of the incident where Celestial Dragon slaves were rescued by pirates, the Celestial Dragons have jointly pressured the World Government. If we don't give the Celestial Dragonsan explanation, they will unite with the nobles of the world and refuse to provide military funding to the Marines."After a pause, Sengoku continued, "But just when we were at a loss, we happened to know that Pluto Rayleigh was in Saxxon, and so..."Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Garp, "So, you decided to sacrifice the entire Seventh Branch to give the Celestial Dragons an explanation.""Yes," after a long silence, Sengoku replied in a low voice.Hearing Sengoku's agreement, Garp clenched his fists tightly, his expression calm to the point of being terrifying."Garp, I must tell you, you must obey this order. If we cannot give the Celestial Dragons an explanation this time, it will be a major disaster for our Marines."Garp did not answer and hung up the den den mushi directly, looking far away at the nearby Saxxon Island.Colonel Andre asked cautiously from the side, "Vice Admiral Garp! What should we do now?"Colonel Andre had heard the entire conversation just now. Although he also disagreed with the Headquarters' approach, Andre also understood that given the current situation, this was the only way to provide an explanation to the Celestial Dragons.If the Celestial Dragons really cut off the Marinefunding, the entire Marine organization would instantly fall into chaos. Without the Marines to suppress them, pirates from all over would emerge, and the damage caused then would be even greater.Garp certainly knew the consequences of this, "Obey the Marine Headquarters' order. Raise the sails and head towards Saxxon Island.""Vice Admiral Garp, didn't we say we aren't going to support the Seventh Branch? Why are we still going to Saxxon Island?" Colonel Andre asked, puzzled."Who said going to Saxxon Island means supporting the Eighth Branch? We are going to find Pluto Rayleigh."Meanwhile, on the other side, in the office of Fleet Admiral Sengoku at Marine Headquarters.Sengoku looked at the hung-up den den mushi and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.Although he understood that Garp was probably very angry right now, Sengoku was still very confident in Garp. In matters of great importance, Garp could still distinguish what was right."Tsuru, do you think the order I gave was right or wrong?" Sengoku asked the female Vice Admiralsitting to the side."Some things you already know in your heart, so why ask me? This kind of matter is not something you can decide either."Sengoku chuckled softly, "Yes! Trading an entire branch for the entire Marine Headquarters... this deal is worth it, it's truly worth it!"That smile was so ironic in Sengoku's heart at this moment.UU Reading welcomes readers to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and most popular serialized works are all on UU Reading! 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Chapter 44: The Power of a Single PunchAfter pushing back a Marine, Marcus quickly took a few deep breaths in the gap before facing the attacking Marines again.Only about ten minutes had passed since the start, but in this time, Marcus and the others had consumed a great deal of energy.These Marines were attacking with complete disregard for their lives; as soon as you pushed one back, several more would charge forward.Furthermore, these Marines were not weak; they were all commissioned officers of colonel rank or above. Even Marcus couldn't achieve a one-hit kill and had to spend several moves to finish them. Since every strike was made with full strength, everyone's stamina was starting to give out.Facing such a desperate fighting style, everyone had sustained many injuries, with Sandersonia and Marigold being the most severely hurt.They now had many wounds on their bodies; if Hancock hadn't stepped in to help from time to time, the two of them would have long since collapsed.In truth, Marcus had received the most attacks, but there weren't many wounds on the surface; however, the powerful shockwaves had caused significant internal damage to his body. If he hadn't grown accustomed to being pummeled by Garp's Iron Fist, Marcus would have knelt long ago.Looking at the hundred or so Marines remaining, Marcus felt a massive headache. "If Uncle Rayleighdoesn't finish things over there soon, I'll have no choice but to reveal my true strength."Sidestepping a Marine's fist, Marcus grabbed his wrist and spun around, using the Marine as a shield to block several attacks from behind.Just then, a pale blue shockwave swept toward Marcus from the side.Marcus instantly recognized it as the 'Tempest Kick' of the Marine Six Powers, but the timing of this move was far too perfect; Marcus simply didn't have enough space to dodge.Moreover, with Marcus's current Space Shield, even at full power, it was impossible to block it in such haste.Marcus hurriedly pulled his body inward, but he was still grazed by the 'Tempest Kick.' The Space Armoron his abdomen was sliced open like paper, leaving a deep gash across his stomach.Blood flowed from the wound like a stream, instantly staining the clothes on Marcus's abdomen red.Fortunately, he had dodged just in time and the wound wasn't deep; otherwise, he might have been sliced in half by that Tempest Kick.Looking at the Navy Colonel who had launched the 'Tempest Kick' from the side, a trace of wariness flashed in Marcus's eyes. To hide his strength for so long just to deliver a fatal blow—this Navy Colonelwas not simple.One must realize that the Marines previously struck by Hancock's 'Captive Arrow' were all in the front row, and those charging at the very front were often exceptionally powerful.Otherwise, how could Marcus and the others have held out for so long? Hundreds of Marinecommissioned officers gathered together represented an incredibly formidable combat force.The Colonel launched another 'Tempest Kick.'Marcus quickly sidestepped to dodge, but the Colonel suddenly used Shave to instantly move in front of him. He punched Marcus's abdominal wound, knocking him to the ground.His abdomen was already in excruciating pain, and being struck again by the Marine's powerful punch caused the pain to intensify tenfold. The agonizing sensation nearly made Marcus black out."Die, pirate!"Seeing the fist descending from above, Marcusknew that if he didn't use his abilities, he would truly be done for this time.Right at that moment, Rayleigh, who had finished his battle on the other side, finally arrived.With a single punch, he sent the Senior Colonelflying, crashing through several buildings.Seeing that Rayleigh had finally arrived, Marcusbreathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Uncle Rayleigh, if you had come any later, I would have been dead meat."Rayleigh looked at the complaining Marcus and scolded with a smile, "Stinky Kid, you dare try to deceive your Uncle Rayleigh? As if I don't know your strength; none of these Marines surrounding you are stronger than you.""Hehe..." Being exposed on the spot by Rayleigh, Marcus smiled sheepishly."I won't waste any more words with you, Stinky Kid. I'd better deal with these Marines,"Rayleigh said, glancing at Shakky and the others who were also struggling to hold on.Seeing that Uncle Rayleigh was about to take action, Marcus showed a look of anticipation. He hadn't seen Rayleigh's fight with those Marines earlier, so he couldn't miss it now.Marcus desperately wanted to know just how large the gap was between himself and these legendary figures.Rayleigh slowly took a few steps forward, clenched his fist until the veins bulged, and struck the ground.Crack, crack, crack...!Centered on Rayleigh's fist, the originally level ground buckled under his immense power. Like a spider web, countless cracks appeared and spread in all directions.In an instant, rows upon rows of houses on both sides of the street collapsed, and the entire street was engulfed in dust. It wasn't just the street where Marcus and the others were; even the neighboring streets were not spared.Viewed from high above, the town that was once filled with houses suddenly had a circular clearing over a hundred meters in diameter.This was the strength of Pluto Rayleigh! With a single punch, everything within a hundred-meter radius was instantly destroyed.The remaining Marines had long since stopped their attacks, their faces filled with shock as they looked at the destruction caused by Rayleigh's punch.Only then did the Marines realize that all their officers had been dealt with by Rayleigh, lying there with their fates unknown."Is this the strength of Pluto Rayleigh? How can he be so strong?""It's terrifying. In just ten minutes, all the combatants of our Seventh Branch at the rank of General or above have been defeated by Rayleigh.""With such overwhelming power, how can we possibly win?"..."Marcus, are you okay?" Hancock looked at the wound on Marcus's abdomen, her earlier joy at running over replaced by a face full of heartache and worry.Enduring the pain, Marcus smiled slightly at Hancock. "I'm fine, but how are the injuries on your body, Hancock?"Hancock shook her head to indicate she was fine. Looking at Marcus's wound, she felt as if she were the one injured, filled with immense distress."Oh, right," Hancock seemed to remember something and pulled a very exquisite glass bottle from her jacket pocket.She introduced it to Marcus: "This is a Healing Medicine I took when I escaped from Mary Geoise. It's a special Healing Medicine for the Celestial Dragons, and its effects are very powerful.""Come, Marcus, let me apply it for you," Hancocksaid as she began to slowly spread the ointment on her hand.Then, she carefully lifted his blood-stained clothes and gently applied the ointment to Marcus's wound.This ointment truly lived up to being exclusive to the Celestial Dragons; it was far better than any medicine on the market. When applied to the wound, it felt cool and refreshing, and the pain instantly lessened significantly.For someone like Marcus who was frequently injured, this was something he desperately needed.These World Nobles were truly too wealthy; for a tiny bit of ointment to have such strong effects, one could only imagine how many good things they possessed.If his strength hadn't been so insufficient, Marcuswould have felt the urge to rob the Celestial Dragons.Once the entire wound was covered with ointment, Marcus immediately felt much better, and the bleeding had already stopped.Seeing such powerful medicinal effects made Marcus even more determined to rob the Celestial Dragons if he ever got the chance in the future.Watching Hancock apply the medicine so tenderly, Marcus's heart was instantly filled with a sense of pride.To have the proud 'World's Number One Beauty' willingly do such a thing for him—it could be said that Marcus was the only person in the world who could enjoy such treatment.Marcus took the medicine bottle from Hancock's hand and said, "I can't reach the wounds on your back this way. Lower your body a bit.""Ah..." Hancock was instantly overcome with bashfulness and immediately fainted, a single sentence echoing in her mind: "Marcus actually wants to apply medicine to me...""Hancock! Hancock!..."UU Reading. We welcome all book friends to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serial works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.

After applying the medicine to Hancock, Marcushanded the bottle to Shakky and the others, who were also heavily injured.Seeing that everyone was injured but otherwise fine, Rayleigh breathed a sigh of relief. Being able to escape without serious injury while surrounded by so many Marines was truly fortunate.Facing Pluto Rayleigh, the Marines were extremely cautious. The Marines, who had previously been scattered, all gathered together, standing in a standoff with Rayleigh from a distance, terrified that he might attack them.This was the prestige of Pluto Rayleigh. Just by standing there, he was able to suppress a troop of over a hundred Marines, all of whom were at least Navy Majors.A Navy Rear Admiral suppressed the fear in his heart and said with feigned calmness, "Pluto Rayleigh, do you intend to oppose our Marines to the end?"Marcus glanced at the Marine Soldiers they had knocked to the ground, and the Marine Rear Admirals who had been seriously injured on the other side.He asked in confusion, "Aren't we already opposing the Marines? What were we doing just now? Were we playing a fighting game?"As soon as he said this, the Navy Rear Admiralimmediately regretted it, cursing himself for being stupid. How could he ask such a foolish question?Pluto Rayleigh had been a Great Pirate who shocked the world over ten years ago; aren't all pirates against the Marines?At this moment, Rayleigh spoke up: "We only want to leave. If you Marines let us pass, I won't attack you. If you insist on blocking us, then we will have to fight."For the Marines present, neither was a good option. If they let Rayleigh and his group pass, where would the Marines' dignity be? How could they face the justice in their hearts? Had those fallen comrades died in vain?But if they didn't let them pass, given the strength of the people present, how could they possibly be a match for Pluto Rayleigh?"Even if the opponent is Rayleigh, how can we retreat? We are the righteous Marines. If we retreat before pirates, how can we face the justice in our hearts?" another hawkish Navy Rear Admiral spoke up.If Vice Admiral Darr were here, he would probably slap this Navy Rear Admiral to death. This was the same Navy Rear Admiral who had previously boasted in front of Darr that Pluto Rayleigh was nothing to worry about.As soon as this Navy Rear Admiral spoke, many Marines echoed him."That's right, as Marines, we must uphold absolute justice!""Even if the legendary Pluto Rayleigh is in front of us, we cannot retreat.""Because we are Marines!"Most people joined the Marines for the sake of the justice in their hearts, or because they had grudges against pirates. If they retreated today, the belief that drove them forward would collapse.Therefore, they could not retreat, for the sake of the justice in their hearts!Seeing that these Marines actually dared to block him, a look of admiration appeared on Rayleigh's face. Marines who could sacrifice their lives for their beliefs had infinite potential.If they were not even afraid of death, what else in this world could stop them?"Although I admire you all very much, since you have decided to block us, I have no choice but to attack."As soon as Rayleigh finished speaking, a powerful Aura erupted from his body without any warning.Under this powerful Aura, the Marines opposite him fell one after another. Rayleigh did not launch any attacks.Without even moving an inch, just by relying on the powerful Aura radiating from his body, the Marineelite composed of officers above the rank of Major were almost completely wiped out.Of the hundreds of elites, only a few were still standing, and they were all barely managing not to fall by supporting themselves with their swords.Marcus, who was beside Rayleigh, naturally felt this Aura. It felt as if his entire body was being crushed by a weight of hundreds of thousands of pounds, and he couldn't even move a single bit.This powerful Aura surged toward his brain like endless waves, constantly oppressing his cranial nerves, forcing him to submit to this Aura."Conqueror's Haki."This must be Conqueror's Haki. Only Conqueror's Haki could have such powerful might, capable of knocking people unconscious just by relying on one's own spirit. Unless you had powerful strength or a firm will to resist, you would have to submit to this Conqueror's Haki.Haki is a latent power possessed by all humans in the Pirate King world, and it is also something you must possess to become a strong person. This power is innate.Even if you are not a Devil Fruit User, as long as you can skillfully use your Haki, you can possess powerful strength, and in some aspects, you are even stronger and have advantages over Devil Fruit Users.The clearest example is Pluto Rayleigh. Pluto Rayleigh has never eaten any Devil Fruit, but by relying on his use of Haki, he possesses combat power no less than an Admiral.And he doesn't have the weakness that all Devil Fruit Users possess, which is being unable to swim.If a Devil Fruit can bestow powerful strength upon a person in an instant, then Haki is a door opened by the heavens for those who work hard, a door to surpass Devil Fruit Users.Haki is divided into three types: 'Observation Haki', 'Armament Haki', and 'Conqueror's Haki'.The most powerful of the three types of Haki is 'Conqueror's Haki', which is what Rayleigh is using now. Just by relying on his own spirit to release this Aura, even Navy Colonels cannot resist it. Only those above the rank of Navy Rear Admiral can resist it, and some weak Navy Rear Admirals may not even be able to withstand it.Just like now, out of hundreds of Marines, only a few can withstand it, and even then, it is very difficult.As for how powerful Conqueror's Haki is, Marcusnow has a clear realization. Although Marcus did not faint due to his strength and will, the powerful Aurawas like a mountain pressing down on him, leaving him without even a shred of ability to resist.The physical pressure was still bearable for Marcus, but the strongest was the mental pressure, which would not give up until it crushed you.At this moment, Marcus felt like a small boat drifting on the ocean, ready to be capsized by powerful waves at any moment."Is this the power of Conqueror's Haki? It is truly powerful. Just with its Aura, it leaves me without even a shred of ability to resist. It is truly worthy of being a Conqueror's Haki that only appears in one out of millions of people."It can be said that once you awaken Conqueror's Haki, even if you are just an ordinary person, you will instantly possess the strength to completely crush anyone below a Navy Rear Admiral.Sandersonia and Marigold looked at everything happening before them with shock on their faces, "What is going on? How did all these Marines suddenly fall down?"Compared to her sisters, Hancock's observation skills were much stronger, although she didn't understand the reason why these Marines fell.However, Hancock was certain that this must have been done by Rayleigh. The only person here who could achieve this level was Pluto Rayleigh.Shakky, on the other hand, had a calm expression. Shakky had long known that Rayleigh possessed 'Conqueror's Haki'. However, what puzzled Shakkywas that ever since she had been with Rayleigh, Rayleigh had always been like an ordinary old man.But today, Rayleigh not only attacked and crippled the entire Seventh Branch but also used Conqueror's Haki. Why was he doing all this? Was he declaring to the world that Pluto Rayleigh was still alive? Or was there another reason?"Is this the strength of Pluto Rayleigh? Just by standing there, he can defeat hundreds of elite Marines." Having spent a lot of time with Rayleigh, in Hancock's eyes, Rayleigh had always been an old man who didn't care about anything and liked to gamble, without any semblance of a strong person. But today, Hancock finally saw the true Pluto Rayleigh.Before, Rayleigh was just a Stinky Old Man who liked to gamble; now, Rayleigh was a lion waking from its slumber.This is the true Pluto Rayleigh!PS: Thanks to everyone for the recommendation tickets and the support of many readers!UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read

Chapter 46: Rayleigh's TestMarcus forced himself to endure Rayleigh's Aura. Seeing Shakky and the others nearby were not much affected, a flash of insight crossed his mind.This must be Rayleigh's test for him, which was why he could feel the 'Conqueror's Haki' Rayleigh was emitting, while Shakky and the others could not.As expected of Pluto Rayleigh, not only was his Haki so powerful, but his control over it also far exceeded that of ordinary people.To be able to perfectly apply such a powerful 'Conqueror's Haki' to him without leaking a single trace, so much so that Shakky and the others standing right next to him felt nothing at all—what terrifying control!Since he knew it was a test, Marcus could not back down. Taking a deep breath, Marcus's gaze changed; like a fierce tiger, he released his own Aura without showing any weakness to counter Rayleigh's Aura.Sensing an Aura also emanating from Marcus to counter his own, Rayleigh's expression changed slightly, but it vanished instantly. He turned back and stared deeply at Marcus, who was gritting his teeth and persevering.After releasing his own Aura, Marcus immediately felt much lighter, though the mountain-like pressure still remained. Feeling Uncle Rayleigh watching him, Marcus met his gaze without flinching.Their gazes met like lightning, clashing and intertwining in the air; the entire space seemed to freeze.A smile played on the corner of Rayleigh's mouth as his Aura intensified once more. If the previous Aurawas a massive wave, it was now like a towering tsunami, and Marcus's small boat was overturned in an instant.Marcus's Aura was instantly crushed, and the intense pressure multiplied several times. Under this immense pressure, Marcus's waist immediately buckled.Simultaneously, Marcus's head spun with dizziness, and the scenery before his eyes became blurry."I cannot fall," was the only sentence left in Marcus's mind.He was someone destined to reach the Peak of this world; Pluto Rayleigh was merely a mountain Peakon that path.If he couldn't even withstand the Aura of this Peaknow, how could he talk about surpassing Pluto Rayleigh and reaching the Peak of this world?"Stand up for me, ah...!" Marcus roared in his heart.Marcus bit his lip hard, the sharp pain instantly clearing his fading consciousness. Slowly, bit by bit, Marcus's previously bent waist straightened once more.To prevent his will from blurring again, Marcus did not let go of his bleeding lip; instead, he bit down even harder. Only through this intense pain could Marcus maintain his clarity.By now, Shakky and the others also noticed something was wrong with Marcus. After all, his movements were significant, and with the blood flowing from his lip, anyone who wasn't blind could see it."Marcus, what's wrong?" Seeing his bleeding lip and agonized expression, Hancock asked with concern.Shakky and the others were also filled with confusion as to why Marcus had become like this, though Shakky seemed to understand something and glanced at Rayleigh.Seeing that Rayleigh was actually using Conqueror's Haki against Marcus, and seeing Marcus's current state, Shakky turned back, wanting to plead for him.But remembering that Rayleigh wasn't someone who acted without reason, and that there must be a special purpose for this, Shakky closed her mouth and stood silently by the side, watching the situation unfold.Under the pressure of Rayleigh's powerful Aura, Marcus couldn't speak at all; he could only smile at Hancock to indicate he was fine.Seeing the look of extreme pain on Marcus's face, how could Hancock believe him? She hurriedly took out the ointment from earlier and applied it to his lip.Although the ointment was very effective, Marcuskept biting his lip with force; even the best medicine was useless for him at this moment.Realizing Marcus was just like the Marines from before, Hancock immediately realized that Rayleighwas behind this.Moreover, Rayleigh was the only one here with the strength to do such a thing. Seeing him staring intently at Marcus without speaking,Hancock was instantly certain of her deduction."Rayleigh, you Stinky Old Man, what did you do to Marcus?" Hancock shouted at Rayleigh in anger.Rayleigh only glanced at Hancock before continuing to focus his gaze on Marcus.Rayleigh was indeed shocked that Marcus could hold out under his Conqueror's Haki for so long.Previously, regarding Marcus's ability to possess the strength of a Captain at age twelve, Rayleigh had always assumed it was due to a Devil Fruit Ability.But after seeing Marcus hide his strength and withstand an attack from a Navy Rear Admiral, Rayleigh realized then that he had underestimated this young master.Seeing Marcus endure his Haki, Rayleigh found that he had underestimated the boy once again. He was very clear about the power of his own Haki.But what shocked Rayleigh the most was that Marcus was slowly adapting. That's right! Marcuswas slowly adapting to Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki.This was why Rayleigh kept applying Haki to Marcus; he wanted to see just how far this boy could go.Seeing that Rayleigh still hadn't stopped, Hancockstood up, prepared to put an end to Rayleigh's actions.Just then, the previously silent Shakky suddenly acted, grabbing Hancock's arm to prevent her from disturbing Rayleigh."Aunt Xia, what are you doing? Can't you see I'm trying to stop Rayleigh? Let go of me quickly!" Hancock shook her arm vigorously, but Shakky's grip was too firm for her to break free.Shakky whispered, "Hancock, look closer. Marcuslooks like he's in a lot of pain, but he's only suffered minor injuries. Rayleigh is testing him right now; this is an opportunity for Marcus. If you go and stop Rayleigh now, won't you be ruining his chance?"With Shakky's explanation, Hancock slowly stopped struggling. Since this was for Marcus's own good, she shouldn't disturb him.Even though it pained her heart to see Marcus like this, Hancock could only endure it.Marigold also advised from the side, "That's right, Sister! Rayleigh won't harm Marcus; he must have his own reasons for doing this."Shakky breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Hancock was no longer trying to stop Rayleigh. If Hancock hadn't listened to reason,she might not have been able to stop her. As a Devil Fruit User, Hancock's combat power was very formidable.At this moment, Sandersonia asked curiously from the side, "Shakky, what Move was Pluto Rayleighusing just now?"Without making a single Move, just standing there quietly, he could instantly knock out hundreds of powerful Marines. What a powerful Move that must be. If she could learn it, she would surely become very strong.Shakky thought for a moment and explained to the curious Hancock sisters, "That was 'Conqueror's Haki' just now; it's considered a type of Haki.""Isn't Haki just Armament Haki and Observation Haki? How is there another type called 'Conqueror's Haki'? And this 'Conqueror's Haki' seems so much stronger than the other two," Marigold voiced her confusion."Armament Haki and Observation Haki are possessed by everyone, but Conqueror's Haki is different. This Haki is the 'Haki' of the chosen ones, found in only one in several million people. Such people are said to possess the 'Aptitude of a King'.""This Haki uses one's own 'Spirit' to intimidate or knock out enemies, but if not controlled well, it can also affect those nearby. Unfortunately, this power cannot be strengthened through training; it can only be enhanced through the user's own personal growth."This is Conqueror's Haki!PS: Thanks to Yuzhi Jinshifan for voting two recommendation tickets, Huanfengyi for three, Can'ai h Xinshang for three, Shengmoming for one, omgx Xingxing for two, Xiao Ma for nine, Please Call Me Your Majesty for one, and 13870190138 for one. Thank you for the support.UU Reading—Welcome to the site for reading, where the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.

Chapter 47: Awakening?While Shakky was explaining Conqueror's Haki to Hancock and the others, Marcus had already reached his limit.Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki was simply too powerful. For Marcus, with his current strength, enduring for so long was already quite remarkable.One must understand that under the oppression of Conqueror's Haki, every second is a huge burden on your body and will, and your stamina is being consumed at an enormous rate.Especially since Marcus was not just defending, but actively resisting the Conqueror's Haki, which accelerated his own consumption even more.Moreover, the power of the Haki was not constant; under Rayleigh's control, its power subtly changed every moment. Although the Haki's power increased only slightly each second, over time, it accumulated significantly.Resisting Haki requires strength. As the Haki's power increased, Marcus's strength could not possibly increase in a short period. Under such circumstances, it would be strange if Marcus could still persevere.Feeling his body gradually giving out, Marcuschuckled self-deprecatingly. "Just a moment ago, I thought I could easily defeat a Navy Rear Admiralwith my full strength and felt quite proud.""But in front of these true powerhouses, I am so vulnerable, unable to even withstand their Aura, and that's when they haven't even used their full strength."Rayleigh, who was using Haki to oppress, had a change in his eyes. In that instant, he felt Marcus's resistance drop sharply.Seeing the self-mockery on Marcus's face, Rayleigh's long-standing concern came to pass.Rayleigh had lived long enough to see too many Geniuses, but most of them perished midway. Some were killed, some had bad luck and died due to unavoidable circumstances, and some succumbed to their own decadence.Growing up, because one stands out too much compared to ordinary people around them, it is inevitable to develop a proud and arrogant mindset.Then one day, due to certain events, they suddenly realize how weak they truly are, and everything they were once proud of is insignificant.Some cannot bear such a blow and become disheartened, but others fight even harder, undergo a transformation, and go even further.Marcus's current performance was clearly the former, which was also related to his experiences.As a Rebirth, with knowledge of the future, and having only taken two years to possess combat power surpassing a Navy Rear Admiral, Marcusinevitably felt a bit proud.So, today, being unable to even withstand Rayleigh's Aura was a major blow to Marcus since his Rebirth.Rayleigh mused, "Was I too hasty? He's just a twelve-year-old child after all. My demands might be a bit too high."Just as Rayleigh was about to withdraw his Haki, a powerful Battle Intent suddenly erupted from Marcus, barely stopping his bending back.Facing the constantly strengthening Haki and the realization of the vast difference in strength between himself and Rayleigh, Marcus had already prepared to give up.At that moment, Marcus thought, "The difference in strength between me and Rayleigh is too great. I can't resist it at all. I might as well give up; then I can get some good rest."But just as his waist began to bend, Marcus recalled the contempt and disdain the pirates showed him when he first Rebirth into this world, and all his hard training, all for the sake of reaching the Peak of this world."How can I fail here now? I still have such a long Dao to walk. How can I retreat after only a few steps?"My ambition has not yet been realized, how can I give up here!Even if I try my best, I won't be able to resist Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki, but I can't fall due to retreat. Even if I fall, I must fall on the path forward.With this mindset, Marcus once again picked up his fallen Battle Intent.Marcus gritted his teeth, trying to straighten his bent back, but he tried several times to no avail. The difference in strength between him and Rayleighwas too great, something that a momentary surge of Battle Intent could not compensate for.Seeing Marcus emerge from his despondency, Rayleigh's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration, and he also breathed a sigh of relief. If a Geniuswere to perish in his hands like this, his sin would be immense.Given that Garp was Marcus's teacher, Rayleighwouldn't dare to do such a thing. After finally living a peaceful life for a few years, Rayleigh certainly didn't want to go back to being chased by Garp all day.Even though Marcus seemed to have a momentary resurgence, holding on for a while longer, after that brief period, Marcus finally couldn't endure anymore.Despite Marcus still struggling, his body slowly began to fall, and his consciousness gradually blurred.But at this moment, a strange power slowly generated within Marcus's body, flowing like water. As this power flowed, the pressure on Marcus's entire body gradually lessened, and his consciousness slowly cleared.In a haze, Marcus tried to control this power, but after several attempts, he found he couldn't control it at all. Moreover, this power was not only flowing within his body but also radiating outwards.Watching Marcus's consciousness blur, Rayleighknew that Marcus had reached his limit. Any further release would likely cause immense damage to Marcus's body and consciousness.But just as Rayleigh was about to withdraw his Haki, he suddenly discovered a power within Marcus's body that was actually resisting his Conqueror's Haki. Although this power was weak, its quality was no less than his own Haki.This immediately piqued Rayleigh's curiosity. Just as Rayleigh intended to investigate what this power was, an Aura suddenly erupted from Marcus. Feeling this familiar Aura, Rayleigh's face finally showed a look of shock.This is... Conqueror's Haki!That's right, although this Aura was weak, Rayleighinstantly recognized it as Conqueror's Haki, the same Conqueror's Haki as his own."I didn't expect Marcus to possess the 'Aptitude of a King' that only one in several hundred people have. No wonder Marcus could endure under my Conqueror's Haki for so long; it turns out he already possessed this potential.""It must have been my continuous oppression of Marcus with Conqueror's Haki, combined with Marcus's tenacious will, that opened the opportunity for him to Awaken Conqueror's Haki."Although only one in several million people possess the Aptitude for Conqueror's Haki.However, this world has many races. How many people do these races add up to? Hundreds of millions? Billions? Tens of billions? All are possible. With such a large population base, no matter how rare the Aptitude for Conqueror's Haki is, there are still quite a few people who possess it.But only a few in this world are known to Awaken Conqueror's Haki. This is because many people have this Aptitude, but they lack the opportunity for Awakening. Therefore, this Aptitude can only remain hidden within them until they die of old age.Although the Aura from Marcus is Conqueror's Haki, it is relatively too weak. Marcus cannot yet be said to have Awakened Conqueror's Haki; he has only touched the edge of Awakening. As long as Rayleigh continues to push Marcus's potential, there is a high probability that Marcus can Awaken Conqueror's Haki.Just as Rayleigh felt the change in Marcus, Shakkyand the others also felt it.Although Hancock and the others also felt the Hakifrom Marcus, they had not witnessed Conqueror's Haki before, so they did not recognize that what Marcus possessed was Conqueror's Haki.They just suddenly felt a very unpleasant sensation in their minds, and this sensation was emanating from Marcus, as if demanding that they submit to him.Noticing the change in Marcus, Hancock's face showed a hint of worry. If she hadn't known that Rayleigh was doing this for Marcus's good, Hancockwould have intervened long ago.P.S. Thanks to Xiao Miao for 9 recommendation votes, Can Ai H Xin Shang for 1 recommendation vote, vkb32 for 2 recommendation votes, Na Ye Jue Jue for 6 recommendation votes, 13870190138 for 2 recommendation votes, and Pin Wei Hui Yi for 1 recommendation vote. Thank you for your support.UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all on UU Reading! Mobile users please read.

Chapter 48: FailureCompared to the completely oblivious Hancock and the others, Shakky's expression was much like Rayleigh's.Being well-acquainted with Conqueror's Haki, Shakky naturally realized that what was emanating from Marcus's body was indeed Conqueror's Haki, and she was momentarily shocked. However, considering Marcus's performance, she felt it was only natural for him to possess the 'Aptitude of a King'.Becoming a Navy Colonel at twelve, with actual combat power exceeding a Navy Rear Admiral, and being able to endure for so long under Pluto Rayleigh's Haki, Marcus could be said to truly deserve the title of the Marine's most potential Marine Soldier. It was only right that he possessed Conqueror's Haki."Shakky, what is happening to Marcus?" Hancockasked, looking at Marcus with a face full of worry.Shakky smiled slightly and replied happily, "Marcusis currently undergoing a transformation. If he succeeds, his combat power will likely increase significantly."Though she had only spent half a day with him, Shakky had already grown fond of Marcus. Of course, this wasn't romantic love, but the affection of an elder for a junior. Therefore, she was genuinely happy for Marcus's potential transformation.Hearing Shakky's explanation, Hancock immediately breathed a sigh of relief, while also being overjoyed that Marcus's strength could improve.Feeling the sense of oppression coming from Marcus, Sandersonia asked curiously, "Aunt Xia, what exactly is happening to Marcus?""If I'm not mistaken, Marcus should have grasped a trace of Conqueror's Haki by now," Shakkyexplained softly."Hiss..." Hearing Shakky's words, everyone gasped. Under Shakky's previous explanation, they already knew how powerful a force Conqueror's Haki was.Everyone yearned for such power, but unfortunately, it was Innate and could not be forced. Now that Marcus had actually grasped a trace of Conqueror's Haki, it meant he possessed the 'Aptitude of a King' that only one in millions has.At this moment, for some reason, Rayleigh suddenly withdrew the Haki he was exerting on Marcus.The reason Marcus was able to awaken his Hakiwas due to the constant pressure from Rayleigh's Haki. Now that Rayleigh had withdrawn his Haki, the faint Haki emanating from Marcus's body vanished instantly.Feeling the pressure on Marcus disappear, Hancocksaid strangely, "What's going on? Why did it disappear?""Could it be a failure?" Sandersonia voiced her guess uncertainly.Everyone knew the pressure on Marcus was formed by Conqueror's Haki. Now that this Haki had disappeared, did it mean Marcus had failed to awaken it?Shakky looked at Rayleigh with a face full of confusion. She noticed that Rayleigh's Haki had disappeared; Marcus's ability to touch upon Conqueror's Haki was primarily because Rayleighwas using his own Haki to constantly pressure Marcus's potential.Originally, as long as Rayleigh continued the pressure, Marcus was very likely to awaken Conqueror's Haki. But Shakky couldn't understand why Rayleigh would interrupt at such a critical moment.As soon as Rayleigh's Haki vanished, Marcus's consciousness returned. Waking up slowly, Marcusshook his groggy head and gradually became clear-headed.Feeling control over his body return to his hands once more, Marcus immediately breathed a sigh of relief.Only a few minutes had passed since Rayleighbegan using his Haki to pressure him, but for Marcus, it felt as if a long time had gone by; every second was a form of torment.Seeing that Marcus had woken up and was seemingly fine, Hancock's heart finally settled down.She asked with concern, "Marcus, are you okay? Is your body injured?""That's right! Marcus, are you alright? Our Hancockwas worried for ages. If I hadn't stopped her, she would have gone to fight Rayleigh to the death."Seeing that Marcus was fine, Shakky was also relieved and teased Hancock.A slight smile also appeared on Rayleigh's face. Although his attention had been focused on Marcus, he had seen Hancock's earlier attempt to intervene quite clearly.Seeing everyone laughing at her, Hancock's face turned bright red, and she buried her head deep between her two large white rabbits, acting like an ostrich.Feeling everyone's heartfelt concern, a warm current flowed through Marcus's heart. This feeling of being cared for was very pleasant.Marcus looked down at the shy Hancock, squeezed her hand, and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I'm fine, my physical strength is just a bit depleted.""Rayleigh, you bastard, how dare you treat this Empress's man like that!" Hancock shouted at Rayleigh.Rayleigh could only smile bitterly at Hancock's scolding. He was actually helping Marcus, yet in Hancock's words, he seemed to have become a great villain. It was truly unfair.However, Rayleigh didn't say these things out loud. Women caught in the net of love were terrifying, especially a Little Girl like Hancock; Rayleigh didn't want to invite trouble.As the person involved, Marcus was very clear about Rayleigh's help. He looked at Rayleigh and said sincerely, "Thank you, Rayleigh. It's thanks to you withdrawing your Haki at the end."Seeing that Marcus understood his good intentions, Rayleigh was very gratified. "Marcus, your understanding of this shows that you weren't blinded by the small gain before you."Listening to the vague conversation between the two, Shakky and the others were full of confusion. How could Marcus failing to awaken Conqueror's Haki be considered a good thing in their eyes?Indeed, if it weren't for Rayleigh realizing that the current Marcus was fundamentally unsuitable for Awakening Conqueror's Haki and withdrawing his Haki in time, Marcus wouldn't be sitting here talking as if nothing had happened.When he discovered that he had actually managed to sense the existence of Conqueror's Haki under Rayleigh's pressure, Marcus was incredibly overjoyed.As a person of Rebirth, Marcus naturally knew of the existence of Conqueror's Haki, but the probability of one in millions was simply too low. Marcus had always thought that the unlucky ghost he possessed didn't have the potential for Conqueror's Haki.But discovering today that he possessed this Aptitude and had even sensed the existence of Conqueror's Haki, how could Marcus not be happy?At that time, Marcus had hoped Rayleigh would strengthen his Haki to force out his potential, which would likely allow him to awaken Conqueror's Haki.But after the excitement passed, a clear-headed Marcus immediately realized that he was currently not suited to awaken Conqueror's Haki at all.Because his Conqueror's Haki was far too weak at this moment; Awakening this kind of Haki would not be a good thing for him.Marcus knew that although his strength seemed high, it was only on the surface. He had progressed too quickly, and his early foundation had not been properly laid.Although he was far ahead of others now, without a good foundation, he would become slower and slower in the end until he was overtaken by others.Over the past year, Marcus had experienced countless battles, but his combat power had only increased by a tiny bit. This was due to his unstable foundation.Although the battles over the past year had also strengthened him, it was only a rough filling; his foundation had not been solidified.As the saying goes, 'a ten-thousand-foot building rises from the ground.' Marcus was now experiencing the consequences of a poor foundation. Not only would his future progress slow down, but if he wanted to build a good foundation now, it would take several times more effort than in the past.Awakening Conqueror's Haki now would not be natural, but rather forced by Rayleigh's push. This would make his Innate quality much worse than those who awakened it naturally.Furthermore, Conqueror's Haki cannot be strengthened through training; it can only be reinforced through the user's own personal growth.It was precisely because he realized this that Marcusdidn't want to awaken Conqueror's Haki right now, but he couldn't tell Rayleigh at the time. Fortunately, Rayleigh also saw this clearly and withdrew his Haki in time.Besides, since it was confirmed that he possessed Conqueror's Haki, it wouldn't be too late to find a way to awaken it once his foundation was solid. In any case, he already had a bit of experience.That was why Marcus thanked Rayleigh so sincerely.PS: Thanks to 'A bit impure smile' for two recommendation votes, 'Rogue by nature' for five recommendation votes, 'Leaf's Madness' for one recommendation vote, 'Only you in Reincarnation' for two recommendation votes, 'A life of choice' for one recommendation vote, and 'vkb32' for two recommendation votes.UU Reading. Readers are welcome to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.

Of course, I have a powerful ambition; how could I be blinded by such small gains?" Marcus said with a grin, though his tone was filled with determination."Oh?" Hearing that Marcus possessed such a powerful ambition, Rayleigh immediately became curious. "Ambition! What kind of ambition?""I want to stand at the top, live without restraint, and see the whole world clearly."Everyone was shocked upon hearing this ambition. It was truly so vast that, in the moment Marcus spoke, they all thought they had misheard.Even the Captain, who was once known as the one who possessed the world, did not reach that point.Although the Captain stood at the top of the world and knew the true secrets of this world, he still did not achieve true freedom and lack of restraint; otherwise, the Captain would not have turned himself in to the Marine at the end of his life.Did he use his own death to start the Great Pirate Era to achieve that goal?But looking at this youth and his face filled with certainty, Rayleigh felt, in that instant, that this youth might one day realize his ambition."It seems our little Marcus is so young, yet his ambition is so great," Shakky said with a light laugh, smoking her cigarette."Marcus, the path you have chosen is similar to becoming the Pirate King, but in some aspects, it is even harder than becoming the Pirate King," Rayleigh said in a deep voice.Regarding the fact that Rayleigh actually didn't believe in her man, Hancock said with displeasure, "Marcus will certainly be able to achieve it! Rayleigh, you're old, so don't say it's impossible just because you can't do it."In Rayleigh's view, the chance of Marcus realizing this ambition was almost negligible; even the great Captain Roger had not reached that point."Is that so? Sometimes, doesn't a person need to have a goal that has no chance of being realized to live an interesting life?""Hahaha..." Rayleigh laughed softly, shaking his head and sighing, "I'm old! I'm old! I don't have the passion you young people have."Seeing Rayleigh and Marcus drifting further and further off-topic, Shakky said helplessly, "You two, stop talking. We haven't escaped yet."Reminded by Shakky, Marcus and Rayleigh finally realized they were still surrounded by the Marineand hadn't escaped the island.After Rayleigh's display of Conqueror's Haki just now, the Marines on the scene had basically all passed out, except for the few who held on, but they no longer had the strength to stop Marcus and the others.The previous battle under Marcus's'Space Restriction' had already been extremely exhausting, and then they had to resist Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki.These few Marines who hadn't passed out could only lie helplessly on the ground, unable to do anything."Now, this Marine unit composed of officers above the rank of Captain has been defeated; they can no longer stop us."Shakky added, "There is no need to worry about the Marines outside; they cannot stop us. Now, we just need to get to the Dark Port on Saxson Island, and then we can leave this island.""Dark Port," Marcus murmured in confusion. He had been in the Grand Line for two years, but he had never heard of this place.After having Hancock undo the petrification of the remaining Marines, and under the cover of Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki, Marcus and the others moved through the town as if no one was there, escaping.Led by Rayleigh, the group traveled through a forest and arrived at a hidden port in the southwest corner of Saxson Island. This was the 'Dark Port'!When Marcus arrived at this hidden port, he was truly taken aback; hidden on this Saxson Island was a port large enough to dock any ship existing today.Seeing the shock on Marcus's face, Shakkyexplained from the side. "This world has a side of light, and therefore, it also has a side of darkness, which is known as the Underworld. In the Underworld, countless sinful transactions take place every day.""Since there are transactions, there must be transportation, but the things traded in the Underworld are all things that cannot see the light of day, such as drugs, arms, slaves...""Ships carrying these things cannot dock at those public ports, so a type of port dedicated to transporting contraband emerged. This is called a Dark Port, meaning a port that cannot see the light of day."After listening to Shakky's explanation, a look of sudden realization appeared on Marcus's face. He had been in the Marine for so long, yet he had never heard of such a place existing.Hancock asked in confusion, "Marcus, have you really never heard of a Dark Port?""No, I've never heard of it in the Marine. Have you heard of it, Hancock?" Marcus shook his head and said."Yes, our sisters have certainly heard of it," Sandersonia said, cutting in because she didn't want her sister to recall the scenes from Mary Geoise. "Back when we were in Mary Geoise, we often heard those Celestial Dragons talk about it."After listening to Sandersonia's words, a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of Marcus's mouth. No wonder he had never heard of this place in the Marine; it wasn't that the Marine didn't know, but that the Marine Headquarters had covered it up.Furthermore, building such a large port would definitely cause a commotion; if the Marine couldn't even discover this, then the Marine would truly be incompetent.I am afraid the Marine even knows the locations of most Dark Ports on the Grand Line, but the implications behind this are too great, and the Marine alone cannot touch them.These Dark Ports are directly related to the transactions of the entire Underworld; if these Dark Ports were touched, it could be said that the entire Underworld would basically be ruined.But the Marine dares not act, because the entire Underworld involves the interests of too many people: World Nobles, Celestial Dragons, powerful pirates, ambitious people, high-ranking officials of the World Government, some kingdoms, and even the Marine...As long as they touch these Dark Ports, the Marinewould basically be offending every big shot in the world, and the Marine cannot afford the wrath of these people.Looking at Hancock, who was melancholy from remembering Mary Geoise, Marcus gently held Hancock's hand and comforted her. "Now that you have all escaped, don't think about it so much. Let the past be the past.""Mm," Hancock replied. Her hand having been taken by Marcus, a flush of red instantly appeared on her face, and she was extremely shy. "This is... the third time Marcus has held my hand."Looking at the port in the distance, a meaningful smile appeared on Marcus's face. It would be fine if I didn't know about the Dark Port, but since I know such a place exists today, I won't let it go. Such a large port should have quite a lot of things, so I will reluctantly accept them.Anyway, when the time comes, I'll just push all the responsibility onto Uncle Rayleigh! Seeing the smile on Marcus's face, a bad premonition suddenly appeared in Rayleigh's mind.

Chapter 120 - 41-50