Perhaps Big Mom had been caught off guard, or perhaps she never expected Marco to actually dare lay a hand on her.
The impact of Marco's kick struck her squarely in the face, instantly drawing blood from her nose and mouth.
She flew back dozens of meters, carving a deep trench into the ground.
"Mama…" The Big Mom Pirates stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
But Big Mom quickly pushed herself up with her hands, covering her bleeding nose, and slowly rose to her feet.
Blood continued to seep from her nostrils, a sight her subordinates had never witnessed before.
"Mama… she's actually injured," muttered one of the Charlotte children.
Big Mom, famously known as the 'Iron Balloon,' had skin harder than steel.
Even swords or axes couldn't pierce her defenses, yet Marco had drawn blood with a single kick.
"You brat…" Big Mom's fury erupted.
Standing fully upright, she glared at Marco, her eyes blazing red.
"Your Armament Haki is impressive. It seems you truly have the qualifications to challenge this old lady. Then I'll show you the power of a true Four Emperor."
"Napoleon, Prometheus, Zeus…"
"Yes, Mama…" The three Homies immediately merged with her.
Napoleon merged with Prometheus's flames, while stepping on Zeus granted her the ability to fly.
In the next moment, she surged toward Marco, unstoppable.
"Then come on!" Marco replied without hesitation.
He soared into the air, meeting Big Mom head-on, their attacks colliding mid-flight.
In sheer destructive power, Big Mom had the upper hand, but Marco's future-predicting Observation Haki granted him a decisive edge.
Every move she made, he anticipated, honing his Observation Haki further with each exchange.
The battle was meticulously balanced.
Marco avoided direct trades of force, knowing Big Mom's attacks and defenses outclassed his own.
Instead, he leveraged his recovery and Observation Haki to offset her brute strength and overwhelming resilience.
The fight raged for over ten hours.
Marco's Armament Haki strikes repeatedly pierced Big Mom's defenses, causing her discomfort despite her formidable durability.
Big Mom retaliated in kind, striking Marco multiple times.
Yet even with his potent Phoenix recovery, Marco needed the drawn-out engagement to survive.
Big Mom's attacks caused mainly internal damage, while Marco's regeneration healed his wounds swiftly.
"I'm so hungry!" Big Mom muttered, exhaustion creeping into her booming voice.
Her original plan had been to wear Marco down slowly, confident his recovery ability would eventually falter.
But she hadn't anticipated his formidable resilience and Haki precision.
Despite her superior attack and defense, Marco's agility and future-predicting Observation Haki made her broad, sweeping strikes largely ineffective.
She could only counter when he initiated an attack.
The Charlotte Pirates watched, mouths agape.
Marco could fight Mama from day to night, and neither seemed to gain a clear advantage.
"Stop, stop it…" Big Mom finally shouted, her voice cutting through the battlefield.
Marco, panting from the grueling fight, maintained his focus.
His speed was not his strongest attribute, but Big Mom's massive, less flexible frame allowed him to kite and evade effectively.
Still, there had been moments of danger.
Once, Big Mom caught him in a devastating blow that forced him to expend significant energy healing with his Phoenix flames.
From that moment, Marco fought with even greater caution.
Trading injuries might work against high-attack, low-defense opponents, but it was useless against a high-attack, high-defense tank like Big Mom.
After ten exhausting hours, Marco was near his limit, holding on with sheer willpower.
Had Big Mom not called a halt, even he would have struggled to continue.
Taking a deep breath, he masked his fatigue with a composed demeanor.
"What's wrong, Big Mom?" he asked casually.
"It's late. Let's stop here for today. This old lady is almost starving," she said coldly.
Marco nodded, not protesting.
"A halftime break, then?"
Big Mom snorted. "Exactly."
It was a sensible pause.
Marco needed to recover as much as Big Mom.
"Alright. Don't say I'm bullying an old lady. Take all the time you need."
"Hmph, tomorrow morning at seven, same place," Big Mom instructed.
"Understood." Marco responded, and both parties departed, returning to their respective pirate ships to rest and prepare for the next day's clash.
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