354 One Man Standing

On the massive Noah's ship, Whitebeard set up a fighting arena. Marco and Kuzan faced each other, with other commander and crew members gathered around to watch the battle.

Even Shirahoshi was curious and joined in the fun, cheering for Marco along with others. Few cheered for Kuzan, but that was natural, considering he had been a Marine not long ago.

"Go for it, Marco! We're all counting on you!" 

Charles Vane shouted. If Marco succeeded, it would be a great morale boost for everyone else.

They all wanted to see Kuzan's true strength through Marco. After all, witnessing a Marine Admiral's full power was very exciting.

Whitebeard hovered in the air, observing both fighters. When he saw they were ready, he addressed Kuzan directly: "Kuzan, you must go all out. No need to hold back."

Whitebeard doesn't want them to just spar; that doesn't lead to much improvement. He wants a real fight, a battle where they go all out.

Only a real life-and-death battle can have a great training effect on people, but these words surprised Kuzan a little.

Kuzan is very confident about his strength. When he focuses, hardly anyone except Whitebeard can stop him. In fierce battles, every blow he delivers is very dangerous.

So, if you don't leave your hands at all, then Marco will de nitely be seriously injured, which makes Kuzan feel a little frightened, but Whitebeard immediately explained: "Don't worry, no one will be injured if I am here."

Kuzan is skeptical. Achieving this requires not only strength but also keen reflexes and excellent judgment. However, since Whitebeard has said so, Kuzan has no objections.

Soon after, Kuzan and Marco began their battle. Marco made the first move, transforming into his phoenix form, soaring into the air, and delivering a powerful kick to Kuzan, taking advantage of gravitational acceleration.

As Marco's kick descended, a cyan flame streaked through the air, followed by a rush of wind. Kuzan created an ice bird from his arm, which exuded a chilling aura, ready to meet Marco's flying kick.

As they collided, Marco's body was engulfed by the ice bird explosion, freezing him solid. The ice formed by the cyan flame took on a beautiful crystal-clear hue.

"No, is this happening again...?" 

Charles Vane gasped suddenly, and everyone around him also had their eyes wide-open in surprise.

Everyone was shocked. In the first round, Marco was completely frozen solid in ice.

Benjamin suddenly slumped to the ground. Seeing Marco's outcome against Kuzan, he realized the inevitable. This was definitely a second-round situation. If he wants to endure 20 rounds against Kuzan, it would be nothing short of extraordinary.

"How could this happen, did Marco lose immediately?" 

Jozu looked surprised. He hadn't fought against Kuzan in one-on-one combat before but had a certain understanding of Kuzan's strength.

But at that time, Jozu didn't think Kuzan's strength was so terrifying. It was strange because Jozu himself managed to hold Kuzan for a while, and Marco should be better than him.

This outcome was unacceptable to everyone present. They couldn't believe their First Commander was so far worse to a Marine Admiral.

After freezing Marco, Kuzan's expression remained indifferent. He didn't find it too difficult at first, but he was a little surprised. He hadn't expected to deal with Marco so easily.

As the ice layer on Marco seemed to tremble, Jinbei, who was watching the battle, suddenly brightened up. He immediately remarked, "It's not over yet. Marco still has a chance."

As Jinbei finished speaking, the ice layer on Marco shattered, and he reappeared in front of everyone soaked.

"Looks like I was a bit careless, but it won't be that simple next time." 

Marco said with a smile.

"Great, Commander Marco's isn't lost yet!" 

The crowd cheered again, but Whitebeard, watching intently, frowned. Marco had stumbled at the start, and even though he wasn't lost yet, the situation wasn't good.

And things went just as Whitebeard had expected. After Marco attacked again, Kuzan immediately froze both him and the surrounding area.

And this time, Kuzan didn't give Marco a chance to break free. He covered the ice with an even stronger density, firmly trapping Marco so he couldn't struggle even with his Phoenix Fire

"Damn it, is this the end for me?" 

Marco said helplessly, completely frozen and unable to move.

Marco tried to use his Haki to break some of the ice, but it was too strong. Finally, helpless, Whitebeard announced Marco's defeat.

After it was over, Kuzan released Marco. Marco walked out feeling discouraged and left without saying a word.

The other commanders felt a bit down, imagining Marco's thoughts, and realized their own lack of confidence; if Marco struggled against Kuzan, what chance did they have?

"Is this the true power of an Admiral? Kuzan hadn't even shown his full strength before" 

Jozu sighed after seeing the outcome 

"This is too much. I thought Marco could at least hold his own against Kuzan, or even be on par with him. But I didn't expect this"

Jinbei was surprised. He had been a Shichibukai for a while, so he knew how strong Marine Admirals were. Some others understand now too. And now look like he's overestimates Marco strength too much

Marco's strength is already considered good among the Four Emperors' commander. There's naturally a gap when facing an Admiral, but it shouldn't be this big.

"I'll go talk to him"

Benjamin immediately followed Marco in the direction where he left.

"Did Marco-san lose? Kuzan-san is really strong," 

Shirahoshi remarked with his cute big face

As the object of discussion, Kuzan remained unfazed, he was still standing in place, waiting for his next opponent.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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