Lancelot showed no intention of retreating.
His fist shot out like lightning, carrying unparalleled force as it smashed fiercely into the fireball.
With a loud "boom," the fireball instantly shattered into countless sparks, scattering in all directions.
Lancelot's gaze fixed intently on Marco, his eyes narrowing slightly as if observing his reaction.
After a moment, the corners of Lancelot's mouth lifted into a curious smile as he said, "Since I can easily break through Jozu's strongest defense, let me see if I can harm you next."
Before the words had even faded, Lancelot's hands began to gather powerful electric currents.
These currents spun rapidly in his palms, emitting a sizzling sound as if countless tiny serpents were dancing.
Simultaneously, a terrifying Conqueror's Haki surged forth from Lancelot's body like a raging torrent, sweeping through the surroundings.
Marco's expression turned grave at that moment.
His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
He never imagined that Lancelot could unleash such powerful Conqueror's Haki—and its intensity was not the slightest bit inferior to that of Red-Haired Shanks!
Just as Marco was reeling in shock, the electric currents in Lancelot's hands intertwined with the Conqueror's Haki, merging together in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, a colossal dragon soared into the sky, claws bared and imposing.
This dragon shimmered with dazzling electric light, as if forged from countless bolts of lightning, its terrifying aura enough to make one's heart tremble.
Hiss!
Marco drew a sharp breath, his inner shock surging like towering waves.
He stared wide-eyed at Lancelot before him, as if beholding a monster.
The last time he had witnessed such a terrifying Conqueror's Haki technique was from Shanks himself.
Back then, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki had crashed over them like a tidal wave, chilling to the bone.
Yet now, this very technique had appeared in Lancelot's hands. It was utterly astonishing.
Marco could hardly believe his eyes, for the level of Conqueror's Haki Lancelot displayed was not only comparable to Shanks' in raw power, but even in technique and skill.
What did this mean?
It meant Lancelot not only possessed top-tier Conqueror's Haki, but had also mastered techniques to match it.
He was practically another Red-Haired Shanks!
No, perhaps even stronger than Shanks.
After all, Shanks was a combination of top-tier Conqueror's Haki, top-tier technique, and a Great Swordsman.
But this guy before him possessed all three while also being a Zoan-type Dragon Ability User, having developed his power to the level of Awakening.
This meant his defense was even more formidable than Kaido's!
Not only that, Lancelot was also proficient in Rokushiki, further enhancing his combat prowess.
When all these factors were combined, his strength was simply unimaginable!
Thinking this, Marco inwardly pondered, 'Where did this monster Lancelot come from? His power is terrifying! Perhaps only Pops in his prime could match him!'
At the same time, Marco's heart rose to his throat.
He knew very well that while his own ability was powerful, it was not truly infinite regeneration.
If the damage he sustained exceeded his recovery speed, or if his stamina was completely depleted, he would likely be unable to withstand Lancelot's terrifying strike.
However, for now, there was no need to fear.
After all, his stamina had not yet been heavily drained. As long as his stamina remained, he was practically invincible.
No matter who came, they could not kill him.
He instinctively glanced back at the Whitebeard Pirates rushing toward him, his gaze once again turning resolute.
At this moment, he had already made up his mind: like Whitebeard, he would fight to the death here for his family, without hesitation.
"Phoenix Seal!"
Marco acted decisively, choosing to strike first and give Lancelot no chance to catch his breath.
He swiftly enveloped his feet in blazing phoenix flames, then compressed them into an energy sphere resembling a miniature sun.
Finally, he released this sphere as a powerful shockwave, its target unmistakably Lancelot.
This was one of Marco's signature techniques.
In the original story, he had used this move to hurl the Big Mom Pirates' ship off a waterfall, and even successfully interrupted Queen's laser cannon attack, leaving him coughing up blood.
This clearly demonstrated the astonishing power of this technique.
Faced with such a formidable attack, Lancelot's lips curled slightly upward, seemingly unafraid of Marco's move.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch, and a dragon formed from the fusion of Conqueror's Haki and purple lightning shot straight toward Marco's attack.
Boom!
Their attacks collided in mid-air like two meteors, producing an earth-shattering roar.
The energy released from the impact was akin to a TNT explosion, unleashing an immense shockwave that swept across the area with overwhelming force, obliterating everything in its path.
Had this fierce battle taken place on the ground, even the thick layer of ice would likely have been unable to withstand such tremendous force, ultimately shattering into pieces.
However, despite Marco's considerable strength, he had only reached the level of a Yonko Commander.
His ability to engage in combat with powerhouses like Admirals, Emperors, and Lancelot was primarily due to his unique Devil Fruit ability.
In other aspects, however, he still fell short compared to true top-tier fighters.
Thus, after the immense shockwave passed, Marco's attack was utterly destroyed like fragile porcelain, vanishing without a trace.
Clearly, their attacks were not on the same level.
In contrast, the divine dragon's momentum remained undiminished, as fierce as ever.
It carried an endless oppressive force and slammed mercilessly into Marco's body.
In an instant, Marco's body was completely shattered by Lancelot's attack, as if he had been disintegrated into countless fragments.
These fragments then rapidly ignited, forming a blazing inferno.
This astonishing scene was enough to prove the immense power of Lancelot's strike.
However, just as everyone thought Marco had suffered a severe blow, something surprising happened.
The flames seemed to have a life of their own, quickly converging together.
Within a few breaths, he stood there completely unscathed, as if nothing had happened at all.
Yet, upon closer observation, one could see fine beads of sweat on Marco's forehead.
This indicated that although he had successfully withstood Lancelot's attack and recovered from his injuries, the process was not without strain for him, and his stamina had still been somewhat depleted.
Lancelot narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly noticing the sweat on Marco's forehead.
This further convinced him that while Marco's ability was powerful, it had an obvious weakness—it consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.
"Alright!"
A faint smile curled at the corner of Lancelot's lips. "I have to admit, your ability is truly terrifying. Before your stamina runs out, I doubt anyone in this world could truly harm you. In that case, I'll just have to find a way to keep draining your stamina."
Upon hearing Lancelot's words, Marco's expression changed drastically.
He never expected his Devil Fruit ability to be completely seen through by his opponent in such a short time.
This meant the battle ahead would become exceptionally difficult, as his opponent had already found a way to counter him.
However, Marco showed no intention of retreating in the face of this predicament.
In fact, to hold Lancelot back, he had no plans of leaving this place alive today.
If even death no longer frightened him, what else was there to fear?
Resolutely, he raised his legs, and a blazing inferno gathered at his feet like a volcanic eruption.
At this moment, he had only one goal in mind—to stall Lancelot and prevent him from pursuing the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Just then, Lancelot, now completely unrestrained, launched his attack without hesitation.
He paid no heed to Marco's actions, instead following his own line of thought and unleashing over a dozen Tempest Kick slashes toward the space above Marco.
These Tempest Kick slashes shot through the air like lightning streaking across the night sky.
In an instant, they exploded mid-air, transforming into countless special attacks that rained down like a downpour.
The dense, seemingly endless barrage enveloped Marco entirely.
Each droplet-like special attack carried the force of a bullet.
Before Marco could even react, his body was riddled with holes, as if turned into a sieve.
"Huh?"
Marco's brow furrowed tightly, as if weighed down by an invisible pressure.
Such attacks were nothing to him—with his Devil Fruit ability, they couldn't cause any real harm.
However, what surprised him was that, while these attacks posed no threat to his ability, they forced his body to continuously regenerate.
This realization tightened Marco's heart.
He knew that if this continued, his stamina would be drained bit by bit, while his enemy, Lancelot, kept attacking relentlessly.
Clearly, his opponent intended to wear him down to death.
And judging by Lancelot's performance, it was highly likely he would succeed in doing so in a short time.
Marco glanced back at the members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
They were fighting desperately against their enemies, each one giving their all to break out of the military port and reach the pirate ships on the outskirts.
His fists clenched unconsciously. He knew he had to hold on, at least until the Whitebeard Pirates successfully escaped.
Otherwise, they would have little chance of fleeing this dangerous place.
Having made this decision, Marco no longer cared about his own safety.
He resolutely endured the enemy's attacks, allowing the rain-like bullets to fall upon him.
At the same time, his own attack erupted like a volcanic explosion.
A massive pillar of fire, like a blazing meteor, shot toward Lancelot at an astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, the fire pillar reached Lancelot's chest, striking it with thunderous force.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed as Lancelot was sent flying by the powerful impact, tracing a long arc through the air.
His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, soaring a full thirty meters.
However, Lancelot was no pushover.
In mid-air, he displayed astonishing strength and skill, taking several steps, each imbued with immense power that even caused sonic booms in the air.
This maneuver allowed him to stabilize his body, avoiding the embarrassment of crashing to the ground.
Lancelot's expression instantly darkened, and his eyes emitted a dangerous aura.