With a thunderous boom, Saint Mars's body crashed heavily into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that immediately drew the attention of nearby pirates and Marines.
"That's… one of the Gorosei!"
"Captain Marco knocked him down!"
"Did Captain Marco win?!"
Cheers erupted among the surrounding Phoenix Pirates.
"As expected of Captain Marco!"
But Marco's voice quickly cut through their excitement.
"Don't celebrate yet!"
He shouted loudly from the sky.
"Keep attacking him! All of the Gorosei possess immortality!"
His tone was urgent.
"I blew off his head, but he's still alive. If you give him time, he'll recover!"
"What?!"
The pirates and Marines below were stunned.
During the battle, many had already begun to suspect that the Gorosei possessed some kind of undying ability.
But hearing Marco confirm it outright still sent a chill down their spines.
On the ground, Saint Mars lay motionless.
Black flames continued to burn across his body.
Around him, fragments of flesh and bone—like scattered debris—were slowly wriggling and reconnecting, trying to rebuild his shattered form.
One pirate swallowed hard.
"This monster… his head was blown off and he's still alive?"
"How the hell do you fight something like that?!"
Marco didn't hesitate.
"Attack him!"
"Don't give him time to regenerate!"
His voice rang across the battlefield.
"Cut his body apart! Seal the pieces in an iron box and throw them into the sea!"
"Even if he's truly immortal, he won't be able to revive down there!"
A brief silence followed—
Then realization struck.
"I see!"
"So that's the trick!"
"Quick! Dismember the Gorosei!"
Dozens of pirates rushed forward toward Saint Mars.
Seeing this, the Marines panicked.
"Damn pirates! What are you trying to do to the honorable Elder?!"
Several Marines charged forward as well, attempting to protect him.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the commanders currently fighting Saint Saturn also heard Marco's words.
Their eyes lit up.
"So that's it!"
"As expected of Captain Marco!"
"If we tear their bodies apart, even immortality won't help them!"
"Exactly!" another captain shouted fiercely.
"When you're chopped into pieces, you can regret having immortality!"
"Arrogant insects!"
Saturn roared in fury.
"How dare ants dream of slaying a god?!"
His monstrous spider-like legs lashed forward violently, stabbing toward the surrounding commanders.
Meanwhile—
Seeing that Marco had successfully brought down one of the Gorosei, Big Mom burst into laughter.
"Mamamama!"
"I knew you wouldn't disappoint, Marco!"
Across from her, Saint Warcury frowned deeply.
By now, he had also transformed into his strongest Human–Beast form.
But Big Mom was one of the Four Emperors—an "Steel Balloon" with monstrous durability and overwhelming power.
In the short term, Warcury had no reliable way to defeat her.
And similarly—
Even Big Mom found it difficult to deal with him.
Neither side could gain a decisive advantage.
Elsewhere, Katakuri was locked in a brutal one-on-one battle with the sandworm.
At this moment, he was struggling.
Regardless of the opponent's immortality—
Even without that ability, Katakuri knew one thing clearly.
He could not defeat Saint Peter in a fair one-on-one fight.
Just holding this terrifying monster back had already pushed him to his limits.
Seeing Marco defeat Saint Mars, a complicated expression flickered across Katakuri's face.
"He… defeated a Gorosei?"
For a moment, doubt crept into his mind.
"Has the gap between us already grown this large?"
They had fought each other before.
At that time, the two of them had been evenly matched.
But how long had it been since then?
Marco's strength had already reached such a terrifying level.
Marco was only a few years younger than him.
Katakuri couldn't understand how someone who had once stood at the same height as him could suddenly grow so powerful.
When they were younger, their strength had been nearly identical.
Was this what people called a late bloomer?
Or had Marco's true potential only fully awakened after becoming a captain and standing on his own?
But Katakuri had no time to dwell on these thoughts.
Before him stood Saint Peter, now in his grotesque Human–Beast form, half human and half insect.
Facing such a monster alone—
The pressure on Katakuri was immense.
"Katakuri, I'll help you!"
At that moment, Perospero rushed over, his candy cane staff clutched tightly in his hand.
"Brother Peros…?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Katakuri's eyes when he saw his eldest brother arrive.
Then his expression tightened.
"How is Smoothie?"
Perospero's gaze dimmed slightly.
"She's out of immediate danger for now… but you know her." He gave a bitter smile. "She's already returned to the battlefield."
His voice grew heavier.
"We've lost far too much in this war."
"Too many brothers and sisters… are already gone."
Perospero tightened his grip on his weapon.
"As the eldest son of this family… I won't allow you to die before me."
Saint Peter looked at him coldly, his monstrous eyes filled with disdain.
"Endless ants…"
His voice carried pure contempt.
"Do you insects truly believe numbers will change your fate?"
Katakuri felt a moment of warmth at Perospero's words.
But his expression remained serious.
"Be careful," he warned quietly.
"Even if this monster didn't possess immortality… his strength alone would still be terrifying."
Elsewhere in the sky—
Saint Nusjuro's expression had already twisted with fury.
His blade descended again with terrifying force.
"You insolent ant! How dare you—"
CLANG!
Marco raised his arm, coated in Armament Haki, and blocked the strike head-on.
The collision echoed loudly through the air.
Marco laughed lightly.
"Oh? It seems even the mighty Gorosei can lose their composure."
With a sudden surge of strength, Marco forced Nusjuro backward.
Then his wings flared with black flames as he shot forward again.
"Now…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…it's your turn."
Nusjuro's face darkened.
For the first time, genuine unease crept into his heart.
Earlier, even with Mars fighting beside him, they had failed to defeat Marco.
Now—
He was facing Marco alone.
How was he supposed to deal with this monster?
Yes, the Gorosei possessed immortality.
But Marco's earlier words echoed in his mind.
If they were truly sealed inside iron boxes and thrown into the sea, even immortality would become meaningless.
They had already overestimated Marco before coming here.
And yet—
It still hadn't been enough.
Marco's strength far exceeded their expectations.
Originally, they believed Marco's threat mainly came from his Phoenix regeneration.
But after fighting him directly, they realized the truth.
Marco's raw power and speed were also monstrous.
And after the Phoenix Fruit's awakening, those black flames possessed terrifying persistence and extreme heat.
Worse still—
Those flames seemed to suppress their immortality.
If they had known Marco was this strong…
They would have prepared far more carefully before coming.
As he parried Marco's attacks, Nusjuro silently transmitted a thought through telepathic communication to the other Gorosei.
"…what should we do?"
"Marco's strength… has exceeded our expectations."
Hidden beneath those words was something unusual.
Hesitation.
Even a hint of retreat.
The Gorosei were not without their trump cards.
But this time, they had acted too hastily.
They had believed that with all five elders present, the operation would succeed easily.
But they had miscalculated one critical factor.
Marco.
The power he displayed had shattered their expectations.
Marco's extraordinary recovery allowed him to withstand their attacks while delivering devastating counterblows.
Although the Gorosei could regenerate from severe injuries, those injuries still slowed their movements temporarily.
They had relied on each other to cover those moments of vulnerability.
But now—
Nusjuro stood alone against Marco.
If Marco inflicted another serious injury…
There would be no one left to cover for him.
Warcury immediately rejected the suggestion.
"Even if we withdraw… Mars cannot."
Saint Peter spoke next, his voice cold.
"I will cover Mars."
He glanced toward the battlefield where Mars was still struggling to recover.
"Since we have already taken action, how can we retreat so easily? These pirates must be eliminated."
Saint Saturn also expressed his agreement.
"I can have Fujitora provide additional cover for Mars."
Warcury continued calmly.
"These ants may possess some strength, but the only ones truly capable of harming us are Big Mom and the Phoenix."
His tone carried absolute confidence.
"Big Mom is mine to handle."
"You only need to remain cautious of Marco."
Hearing this, Nusjuro's earlier thoughts of retreat gradually faded.
Despite possessing immortality, the Gorosei—who had stood at the pinnacle of the world for centuries—were naturally wary of danger.
The higher one stood, the more one feared falling.
For beings who had ruled the world for so long, even the slightest threat had to be avoided whenever possible.
But after reconsidering the situation—
Even if Marco's Haki was powerful, it still could not truly break their immortality.
Which meant… there was nothing to fear.
Still, Nusjuro spoke solemnly.
"Very well. But I request additional support."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Facing Marco alone is… somewhat difficult."
"That black flame of his is extremely persistent—and it suppresses our regeneration."
— I require assistance in defeating him. tab
Meanwhile—
On the side of the Beasts Pirates.
Several hours had already passed since Big Mom's request for reinforcements.
Yet the Beasts Pirates remained locked in combat with the Marines, unable to break through.
At first, Kaido had intended to force his way through by sheer power.
But the combined resistance of Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr proved far stronger than expected.
Even when Kaido fought alongside King, they still couldn't break through the Marine line.
Only after Jack arrived with the Tobiroppo as reinforcements did the situation begin to shift.
The Marines gradually began to fall back.
However, in truth, this was part of Sengoku's strategy from the beginning.
Fight… and retreat.
The Marines blocking the Beasts Pirates had limited manpower—essentially no more than the strength of a Buster Call fleet.
If they clashed head-on against the full might of the Beasts Pirates, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses.
So Sengoku chose a safer tactic.
Harass the enemy while slowly withdrawing.
But this strategy only enraged Kaido further.
Big Mom's calls for help had already arrived several times.
The most recent message carried even worse news.
The Gorosei themselves had arrived at Cake Island.
That information made Kaido uneasy.
Even though he knew the Phoenix Pirates had already gone to assist, the Marines were backed by the World Government.
Even if the Big Mom Pirates and the Phoenix Pirates joined forces…
They might still struggle against such an overwhelming enemy.
High above the battlefield, Kaido clashed with Sengoku and Garp in the sky.
The Marines were fully aware of their current situation.
The Beasts Pirates had deployed two-thirds of their total forces, giving them a huge numerical advantage.
Thus, the Marines deliberately shifted the battle toward naval combat.
Marine warships surrounded the sea lanes, using artillery and formation tactics to slow the pirates' advance.
Fighting on land would have been disastrous.
Their numbers simply couldn't match the Beasts Pirates.
"Damn you old bastards—get out of my way!"
Kaido roared furiously.
His spiked kanabo swung through the air, coated in terrifying Haki.
The weapon unleashed violent shockwaves that forced Sengoku and Garp to retreat.
After being pushed back, Garp exhaled heavily.
"This damn Kaido…"
His eyes hardened.
"That strength of his is monstrous."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"It might even surpass Whitebeard and Roger."
Sengoku was also breathing heavily.
His gaze fixed on the swirling flame clouds surrounding Kaido.
Those clouds marked the awakening of Kaido's Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Sengoku's voice turned solemn.
"His natural strength was already terrifying…"
"And now his Devil Fruit has awakened as well."
He shook his head slowly.
"Other than the late Rocks D. Xebec…"
"I've never seen such a monster."
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