As for Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo, and Gecko Moria, none of them had truly fought yet. One was too far away, one tended to behave cautiously around overwhelming powerhouses, and the other preferred quick appearances before disappearing again. Still, based on what Marco knew, their strength should not differ too much from the others.
The only exception was Dracule Mihawk.
Hawkeye had gradually earned the title of World's Strongest Swordsman over the years, and his repeated duels with Shanks had all ended in draws. Just that record alone was enough to make people wary of him.
Although Marco sometimes wondered whether Shanks had intentionally held back during those battles.
Still, none of that mattered right now.
What truly mattered was the terrifying monster standing directly in front of him.
Marco could clearly tell that White Lion Sali had not used his full strength during their fight.
This was no longer a simple matter of being somewhat stronger than him. In Marco's judgment, Sali had likely already stepped into the realm occupied by monsters like Whitebeard and Kaido.
If that was true, then the reports about him overwhelming Crocodile and Doflamingo back then suddenly made perfect sense.
Those two simply weren't on the same level as him.
While Marco quietly recovered his stamina, Sali casually glanced across the battlefield before looking back at him.
"By the way, why do all of you call Whitebeard 'Pops'?"
Marco paused, clearly caught off guard by the question.
Still, he didn't mind talking. Every second of conversation allowed him a little more time to recover.
A trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes before he answered firmly.
"Because that man calls us his sons."
"Huh?"
"Even people like us, people rejected by the world, he still accepted us as family."
Sali remained silent.
Marco lowered his gaze slightly.
"That alone makes us happy. Even if it's only a single sentence, it means everything to us."
"We're proud to have a father like him, so we're willing to carry Whitebeard's mark."
After hearing that, Sali looked confused for a moment before suddenly understanding.
So that was the reason.
A group of people abandoned or despised by society had finally encountered someone willing to acknowledge them and treat them like family.
And because of that, they willingly accepted him as their father.
Such a straightforward explanation, yet they made it sound so complicated.
Sali clicked his tongue.
"Good thing my comprehension skills are decent."
Then another thought crossed his mind.
If Ash were standing here instead, what would he say?
Almost instinctively, Sali opened his mouth again.
"So where are your real fathers? And why exactly does the world hate you?"
Marco froze.
Seeing no response, Sali frowned slightly.
"Why aren't you answering? Don't know? Or too embarrassed to say it?"
Marco remained silent.
"Did your fathers abandon you? Or are they dead?"
Marco's expression darkened further, but he still refused to speak.
Sali rubbed his chin lazily and continued analyzing things on his own.
"If they abandoned you, why? Did they leave to become pirates? Or did they realize you weren't actually their children?"
"Or maybe they really died. Do you know how? Pirates? Marines? War? Starvation?"
"If pirates killed them, then why become pirates yourselves? Shouldn't you hate pirates?"
"And if Marines killed them, then your fathers were probably pirates too. So your fathers abandoned you to become pirates, then after growing up, you also became pirates and recognized the strongest pirate alive as your father. Is that how it works?"
"Or maybe it's war and starvation. If that's the case, then the World Government and the nobles ruling your kingdoms definitely share responsibility."
"Then let's go back to the main point. You said the world hates you. Why?"
Sali stared directly at Marco.
"There's usually a reason for hatred."
"So what exactly did all of you do?"
"You're not secretly the children of the Pirate King or Dragon the Revolutionary, right?"
"Honestly, I think the World Government's idea of inherited guilt is idiotic. Just because a father commits crimes doesn't mean the child should inherit them."
"Luckily, I already know where those two men's sons are, and none of them are here."
"So we're back to the same question."
"Are you hated because your fathers were criminals?"
"Or are you hated because you yourselves are criminals?"
"I'm genuinely curious."
"Why did you stop talking?"
"Don't know the answer?"
"Or too embarrassed to admit it?"
The strange thing was that Sali normally wasn't this sharp-tongued.
The entire conversation only happened because he subconsciously imagined how Ash would respond in the same situation.
In fact, those words sounded unusually harsh coming from Sali.
If Ash had said them instead, nobody would have found it strange at all.
Kirk and the others, who had been observing the battlefield while searching for entertainment, instantly noticed it too.
"If those words came from Ash, I wouldn't think anything of it," Kirk muttered while nearly dropping the cigarette hanging from his lips. "But hearing them from Sali feels completely wrong."
The others nearby unconsciously nodded in agreement.
Ash resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Living around these people was exhausting.
But before anyone could continue joking around, Sali suddenly began trembling violently while floating opposite Marco.
In the next instant, his body uncontrollably shifted into his Hybrid Form.
Then immediately reverted.
Then transformed again.
Then reverted again.
The process repeated several times in rapid succession, so quickly it became difficult to follow with the naked eye.
Ash and the others instantly became serious.
Everyone knew Sali had deliberately avoided using his Hybrid Form throughout the entire battle with Marco.
This sudden loss of control clearly meant something was wrong.
Most likely, his Devil Fruit powers were spiraling out of control.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Could this be... a Devil Fruit Awakening?"
"Devil Fruit Awakening?!" Kirk and the others exclaimed in shock.
"We'll talk later."
Before the sentence fully left his mouth, Ash had already vanished.
A split second later, he appeared directly beside Sali.
Looking at Sali's tightly shut eyes and violently trembling body, Ash immediately confirmed his suspicion.
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