Marco truly had no effective way to deal with an opponent who used their Devil Fruit to hide and evade like this.
Hovering dozens of meters above the battlefield, Marco watched the ground below with cold, focused eyes.
Gradually—
A small sapling sprouted from the earth.
It grew rapidly, branches twisting and expanding at an unnatural speed. Within seconds, the sapling thickened into a towering trunk, stretching upward as limbs formed and bark hardened.
Soon, it reshaped itself into a massive humanoid figure.
Ryokugyu had returned.
Once again, the Admiral transformed into a gigantic tree-man more than thirty meters tall.
But this time, Marco didn't rush forward.
Earlier attempts had already proven one thing clearly—Ryokugyu could retreat underground at any moment. Compared to abilities like the Island-Island Fruit or the Stone-Stone Fruit, this power was even more troublesome.
Marco folded his flaming wings slightly, his voice turning cold.
"You mentioned earlier that you're holding out for reinforcements."
His sharp gaze fixed on Ryokugyu.
"So the World Government or the Marines are sending backup soon… and you're deliberately stalling me here."
Ryokugyu's bark-covered face twisted into a sinister grin.
"That's right."
His voice carried a tone of contempt.
"A mere pirate alliance… your strength is impressive, I'll give you that."
"But pirates are nothing more than low-class trash."
"The Celestial Dragons are the true gods of this world."
"Gods?" Marco let out a faint scoff.
The word amused him.
"You only joined the Marines during the World Military Draft, didn't you?" Marco said casually. "Why worship the Celestial Dragons so much? Were you working for the World Government before that?"
Ryokugyu laughed proudly.
"Hehehehe… that's correct."
"I once had the honor of serving as a Celestial Dragon's personal guard."
His tone grew reverent.
"Because of that, I understand the power of the Celestial Dragons far better than any of you ants ever could."
Marco's eyes turned cold.
As someone who had crossed into this world with knowledge of its truth, he felt nothing but disdain for the so-called "gods" of the World Government.
"Gods?" Marco sneered.
"When I stormed the 'Holy Land', I killed hundreds of them."
His voice was calm—almost indifferent.
"Their blood is the same as anyone else's."
His eyes hardened.
"And one day, I'll kill even more of those pigs… until that disgusting race is wiped out completely."
Ryokugyu's expression twisted with rage.
"Bastard!"
"How dare you blaspheme the gods!"
Marco only looked at him with mockery.
"You really are a loyal dog of the Celestial Dragons."
Then he spread his wings slightly and smirked.
"If you're that loyal, come kill me."
"Go on."
"Kill the sinner who dared to insult your precious gods."
Despite the blatant provocation, Ryokugyu didn't lose control.
His expression quickly returned to calm.
Earlier, Sakazuki had been provoked into fighting Marco head-on—and that decision had ultimately cost him his life.
Ryokugyu would not repeat that mistake.
During this confrontation, he remained extremely cautious.
He refused to lower his guard even for a moment.
And he absolutely would not engage Marco in close combat unless forced to.
The example Sakazuki left behind was far too clear.
Instead, Ryokugyu relied entirely on his devil fruit, keeping Marco at a distance while manipulating the battlefield around him.
Although he had great confidence in his regenerative abilities—believing them to surpass even Sakazuki's—he knew one thing very clearly.
He could not surpass Marco's recovery.
Their earlier clash had already revealed the truth.
Marco had the advantage in Haki, speed, and raw combat power.
And that terrifying Destruction Black Flame posed an especially dangerous threat to Ryokugyu.
Because of that, his current strategy was simple.
Avoid direct confrontation.
As long as he could keep Marco occupied here until reinforcements arrived—
That would be enough.
Meanwhile, Marco's gaze drifted across the battlefield below.
What he saw made his expression darken.
Big Mom was rampaging through the Marine forces like an unstoppable natural disaster.
On this battlefield, almost no one could stop her.
Only an Admiral might have been capable of slowing her down.
And even that was uncertain.
Against weaker opponents, Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit was nothing short of terrifying.
Anyone who felt even the slightest fear toward her would instantly have their lifespan stolen.
Against enemies of equal strength, the ability might be limited—or even useless.
But when used against ordinary soldiers…
It was no different from a shinigami harvesting lives.
One by one, the Marines were falling.
Looking at Ryokugyu, who had transformed into a towering tree-man, Marco understood one thing clearly.
His earlier feat of killing Sakazuki had completely shaken the Admiral.
Ryokugyu had become extremely cautious.
Not only had he turned his body into wood, but he had also merged himself with the earth itself. The moment he sensed danger, he could retreat underground and vanish instantly.
Against an opponent like that, ending the fight quickly would be extremely difficult.
"Marco!"
At that moment, Ace walked over.
Behind him followed two members of the Second Division, supporting a severely injured man between them.
It was Kid.
"We've taken care of this guy," Ace said with a grin as he approached. "I've got to admit, he's pretty tough. No wonder he managed to defeat Whitey Bay and Wolf Baa before."
Marco glanced down at Kid.
The pirate was tightly restrained, his body covered in burns and deep knife wounds. It was obvious that more than just Ace had participated in the battle.
Kid had made enemies everywhere.
Not only had he clashed repeatedly with the Phoenix Pirates, but he also had grudges with the Big Mom Pirates.
There was no reason to keep someone like him alive.
Without hesitation, Marco stepped forward.
He took the heavy cleaver from one of the second division members.
With a swift motion—
Slash.
Kid's blood-soaked head rolled across the ground.
A moment later, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in Marco's mind.
"Mission complete. Target: Eustass Kid eliminated. Reward: 3000 attribute points."
Marco's eyes flickered slightly.
With this reward, his attribute points had reached 23,000.
And once they successfully repelled the Marines…
He would gain another 10,000.
Ace blinked in surprise.
"Marco… didn't you say we were going to livestream his public execution?"
Marco smiled faintly and gestured toward the battlefield around them.
"Look around."
"Marines, pirates, even the Shichibukai are all gathered here."
He shrugged slightly.
"Isn't this already a public execution?"
Ace paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.
"…Fair enough."
Marco's expression soon turned serious again.
"Ace. You came at the perfect time."
He raised a hand and pointed toward the towering tree-man in the distance.
"Go fight him."
Ace blinked.
"Me?"
But the next second, excitement flashed across his face.
His eyes locked onto Ryokugyu, blazing with fighting spirit.
Marco continued calmly.
"I've already taken care of the Fleet Admiral, yet the Marines still refuse to retreat."
"That means one thing."
"They're waiting for reinforcements."
His gaze sharpened.
"So before their backup arrives, we need to weaken their combat power as much as possible."
Ace nodded slowly.
His eyes remained fixed on the thirty-meter-tall tree-man.
Flames flickered faintly across his shoulders as excitement surged through him.
"Perfect."
"I've been wanting to test something anyway."
After months of relentless training, he had been eager to measure the gap between himself and a Marine Admiral.
"Let's see how much closer I've gotten."
Marco watched him with a faint smile.
Ace truly lived up to the bloodline of Roger.
In just half a year since the Marineford War, his strength had surged from the level of a weak Yonko's subordinate to that of a Strong Yonko Commander.
The speed of his growth was astonishing.
Not long ago, he had merely been at the level of an ordinary Yonko Commander.
But after marrying Yamato—perhaps unwilling to fall behind his wife—his strength had skyrocketed once again.
Now, he had reached the same level as her.
Still, Marco remained blunt.
"In a one-on-one fight, you're probably still not his match."
Ace didn't seem offended in the slightest.
Marco continued.
"But his Forest-Forest Fruit is a Logia-type that controls wood."
"Your Mera Mera no Mi controls fire."
Marco's eyes narrowed slightly.
"In terms of abilities, your flames naturally restrain his trees."
"So even if you can't defeat him…"
"You should still be able to give him a serious fight."
Ace listened to Marco's explanation and clicked his tongue.
"You know," he said with a hint of sarcasm, "I already learned how terrifying the Marine Admirals are back at Marineford."
He crossed his arms, half-complaining.
"I know I probably still can't beat one yet… but you don't have to be that blunt about it."
Before Marco could respond, a furious voice boomed across the battlefield.
Ryokugyu had noticed Marco shifting away.
"Hey, Phoenix!" the Admiral shouted. "What's the meaning of this? Trying to run away?"
Marco slowly turned his head back.
His eyes were calm—and faintly disdainful.
"Run away?" Marco replied coldly. "You're the one who's been avoiding a real fight this entire time."
His gaze swept over the towering tree-man.
"Since you refuse to face me directly, I see no reason to waste my precious time chasing you around."
Then Marco's lips curled into a playful smile.
"Besides… now that I know reinforcements are coming—"
His voice hardened.
"—I should reduce your high-end combat power as much as possible before they arrive."
Ryokugyu's heart sank.
'What…?'
Marco's gaze suddenly shifted toward another part of the battlefield.
In the distance—
Yamato was locked in an intense duel with Admiral Candidate Tokikake.
Their weapons clashed repeatedly, shockwaves rippling through the air.
"Yamato!" Marco called out.
Hearing her name, Yamato glanced back briefly.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
During this fight with Tokikake, she had felt a rare sense of exhilaration.
Aside from Ace, it had been a long time since she'd faced an opponent who could truly match her.
But Tokikake's style was completely different from Ace's.
Ace relied heavily on his Devil Fruit and physical combat.
The man in front of her, however, was a pure swordsman.
And his swordsmanship was incredibly refined—perhaps even deeper than that of many samurai in Wano.
Marco's voice rang out again.
"Yamato! Go join Ace and deal with Ryokugyu!"
He pointed toward the towering tree-man.
"I'll take care of the Marines over there."
The moment he finished speaking, Marco's wings ignited with black flames.
He shot toward Yamato's position like a blazing comet.
"Got it!" Yamato replied excitedly.
Without even glancing back at Tokikake, she turned and sprinted toward Ace.
Ryokugyu's face twisted with anger.
"Damn it, Marco! Stop right there!"
Tokikake was equally furious.
"Don't think about escaping!" he shouted. "I'm your opponent!"
But before he could chase Yamato—
"Fire Fist!"
Ace's roar echoed across the battlefield.
A massive pillar of blazing fire erupted forward, slamming directly into Ryokugyu.
The raging flames engulfed the tree-man instantly, forcing Ryokugyu to halt.
Ace stepped forward, flames swirling around his body.
"Your opponent is me now."
Meanwhile, Tokikake tried to pursue Yamato—
But suddenly—
A rain of black flames descended from the sky.
The fire struck the ground and instantly surged upward, forming a towering wall of dark fire that blocked his path completely.
Tokikake skidded to a halt.
Above him, Marco hovered in the air.
"Thanks, Marco!" Yamato laughed loudly as she dashed past the barrier.
Marco grinned back.
"Go all out, Yamato!"
His eyes flicked between her and Ace.
"With the two of you working together, Ryokugyu shouldn't be too hard to handle."
His tone was calm but confident.
"After all, both of you possess Conqueror's Haki… and the potential to become Emperors of the Sea."
"Together—defeating him isn't impossible."
Yamato's grin widened.
"Mm!"
She dashed over to Ace.
"Ace!"
Ace glanced at her as she arrived beside him.
A warm smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like this is our first time fighting side by side, huh, Yamato."
Yamato nodded eagerly.
"Yeah!"
She cracked her knuckles and looked toward Ryokugyu.
"Let's use him to warm up first…"
Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Then we'll go challenge that old geezer together."
Ace chuckled awkwardly.
Yamato clearly still carried a lot of resentment toward Kaido.
Unfortunately for Ace… Kaido was now technically his father-in-law.
He decided it was wiser not to comment.
Instead, he said seriously:
"Yamato… be careful."
Yamato's expression immediately sharpened.
"Mm."
Her playful grin disappeared, replaced with fierce determination.
Across from them, Ryokugyu's face had already turned livid.
The veins on his bark-like skin bulged with rage.
"You're using me to warm up…?"
His voice dropped dangerously.
"Just the two of you…?"
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