Inside Marco's room on Sphinx Island, the atmosphere was quiet and intimate.
At the moment, Hancock and Galette were beside Marco, both resting against him comfortably.
After returning from Mary Geoise, Hancock had officially become Marco's woman. The two even held a simple wedding ceremony on Sphinx Island. Although it was not extravagant, it was enough for Hancock.
During this period, Hancock personally tortured the Celestial Dragons imprisoned by the Phoenix Pirates every single day.
Years ago, she had suffered humiliation, slavery, and abuse at the hands of those monsters. Back then, she never imagined she would one day have the chance to repay that hatred with her own hands.
But now, not only had she gotten her revenge, she had also seen the future clearly.
The World Government would fall.
Not possibly.
Not eventually.
It was inevitable.
Especially after Marco shared the Phoenix ability with her.
Her strength had increased tremendously, pushing her into the level of a Yonko-Admiral class fighter. The power boost made Hancock even prouder and more arrogant toward outsiders, but in front of Marco, she still showed the softer side she never revealed to anyone else.
At Marco's arrangement, Yamato officially became the captain of the Phoenix Pirates' Nineteenth Division, while Hancock became the captain of the Twentieth Division.
Originally, Yamato had no interest in becoming a division captain. In her eyes, remaining Ace's vice-captain in the Second Division made little difference.
However, the members of the Second Division had persuaded her otherwise.
Once the World Government fell and Marco became the ruler of the world, the Phoenix Pirates would naturally become the new rulers of the seas. Those with greater achievements would receive greater authority and status.
As a division captain, Yamato's future position would naturally be much higher.
Even if she did not care about herself, she still had to think about her future children.
Those words had genuinely affected Yamato.
After spending over half a year with the Phoenix Pirates, she had already changed considerably. More importantly, she and Ace had already discussed their future together.
After defeating the World Government, they planned to travel the world with their child.
Neither Ace nor Yamato had experienced a happy childhood. Because of that, they were determined not to let the next generation suffer the same pain they had endured growing up.
Inside the conference room, the core members of the Emperors Alliance had already gathered.
Marco sat at the head of the table while Kaido and Big Mom faced him directly.
Looking at the two Emperors, Marco spoke calmly.
"Kaido, Big Mom, have you made your decision?"
Kaido snorted heavily as he stared at Marco.
The more he looked at him, the more unfathomable Marco seemed. His strength continued increasing at an absurd rate.
Finally, Kaido spoke.
"Fine. This old man will submit to you."
His voice remained rough and prideful.
"After we crush the World Government, you can become the king of the world. But this old man wants one of the Four Seas. I'll rule it myself."
Big Mom laughed loudly from beside him.
"Mama mama mama, this old lady wants the same thing."
Marco listened quietly before answering.
"Once the World Government falls, everything they possess will belong to us."
"The Celestial Dragons will disappear completely."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or rather, we will replace them."
"At that point, titles like king won't really matter anymore."
"Still, if that's what you want, I can agree to it."
Kaido did not care much about politics anyway. What interested him more was the ability Marco possessed.
"How many people are you planning to share your Phoenix power with?" Kaido asked directly.
Marco answered without hesitation.
"The Oath of Immortality can support up to thirty-two people."
"The twenty division commanders of the Phoenix Pirates already occupy twenty slots."
"I plan to give the Phoenix ability to you, King, and Jack."
"As for the Big Mom Pirates, the chosen ones are Big Mom, Katakuri, and Smoothie."
"Dragon and Sabo from the Revolutionary Army will also receive it."
"That leaves four slots temporarily unused."
Kaido and Big Mom both fell silent after hearing that.
They had already witnessed how terrifying the Phoenix ability was.
The division commanders of the Phoenix Pirates had all experienced massive increases in power after receiving it. More importantly, the ability could coexist with another Devil Fruit.
That effectively meant one person could wield the abilities of two Devil Fruits simultaneously.
No one could ignore such power.
"Good!" Kaido declared immediately.
"Let's do it."
Soon afterward, everyone moved outside.
Marco personally signed the Oath of Immortality with the six individuals, officially sharing the Phoenix ability with them.
The moment the contract was completed, enormous waves of power erupted from their bodies.
Blue phoenix flames instantly ignited around them.
Kaido's massive body radiated overwhelming pressure.
King's black wings became covered in azure flames.
Jack's body surged with strength while blue fire spread across his mammoth form.
Big Mom burst into loud laughter as phoenix flames burned around her gigantic figure.
Katakuri stared at the flames covering his arms with a focused expression.
Smoothie silently examined the power flowing through her body.
Marco quickly evaluated their growth.
Kaido had advanced from low King level to true King level.
King rose from low Admiral level to full Admiral level.
Jack advanced from Yonko Commander level to low Admiral level.
Big Mom climbed from Admiral level to high Admiral level.
Katakuri advanced from high Yonko Commander level to Admiral level.
Smoothie rose from low Yonko Commander level to high Yonko Commander level.
Their overall strength had increased exactly as Marco expected.
"How does it feel?" Marco asked.
Big Mom laughed wildly.
"Mama mama mama! This feeling is incredible!"
Katakuri looked down at the phoenix flames covering his body.
"So this is the power of the Phoenix."
A dangerous light flashed through his eyes.
"With this strength, I won't lose to an Admiral again."
Katakuri already possessed all three types of Haki at an extremely high level. His biggest weakness had always been durability and stamina compared to top-tier monsters.
The Phoenix ability perfectly compensated for those weaknesses.
At the same time, Kaido transformed into his Azure Dragon form.
To everyone's surprise, blue phoenix flames still covered his dragon body.
Kaido burst into laughter.
"Worororo!"
"If this old man runs into Nusjuro again, I'll crush him myself."
Nearby, Jack transformed into his mammoth form as well.
Blue phoenix wings suddenly emerged from his back, allowing the gigantic mammoth to fly through the sky.
The sight looked absurd enough to make several pirates stare blankly.
With the six newly enhanced fighters, the overall strength of the Emperors Alliance increased dramatically.
The Phoenix Pirates now possessed Marco at Planetary level, five Admiral-level fighters, and fifteen Yonko Commander-level fighters.
The Beasts Pirates possessed Kaido at King level, two Admiral-level fighters, and Vergo at Yonko Commander level.
The Big Mom Pirates possessed two Admiral-level fighters and one Yonko Commander-level fighter.
Combined together, the alliance now possessed:
One Planetary-level monster.
One King-level monster.
Nine Admiral-level fighters.
Seventeen Yonko Commander-level fighters.
As for fighters below Yonko Commander level, they would barely matter in the upcoming war.
The final battle against the World Government would be decided by monsters standing at the top of the seas.
Marco looked at Kaido and the others before speaking firmly.
"Prepare yourselves."
His voice echoed across the area.
"The time to attack Mary Geoise is approaching."