Chapter - 60

"This all could've been so simple. Why fight? It seemed pretty futile wouldn't you say?" The yonko asked lighting a cigar.

Inuarashi laughed lowly while coughing out blood. "W-why you...asked...why I fought..." the canine turned his head looking at the carnage of his fellow minks. "I-I fought for MY peo-"

"You don't seem to get it do you? You fought a battle knowing you couldn't win and got your people killed." Kizaru spoke slightly raising his tone.

The Duke chuckled once more. "N-no matter how..." Inuarashi coughed up large amounts of blood, he didn't have much longer. "how much stronger people are, you always fight to the death, for your ideals..." the canine was coughing up more blood slowly bleeding out.

"That's nonsense." Kizaru stated shooting a final ray of light into Inuarashi's forehead ending his suffering.

Taking a couple drags from his cigar, Borsalino looked around the pile of mink corpses and the surrounding area.

"Hmm maybe I overdid it." Taking one more long drag he grabbed the body of the deceased canine Duke, teleporting towards the high councilor.

Marco's battle with the Cat Viper and his mink tribe were faster than he anticipated. The battle was evenly matched due to both of them missing an arm. Though it did nothing to hinder their physical abilities, it was an interesting matchup nonetheless. Marco had always admired the Cat Viper, as he was a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates—long before he joined.

On the Moby Dick, the feline's name was always mentioned in war tales. He was a living legend. But as far as Marco was concerned the Whitebeard Pirates were officially dead. After the death of Pops and the defeat at the hand's of Blackbeard, the name became tarnished, there was no order within the ranks. Marco had no desire to live up to the mantle of Whitebeard, he did not have that type of ambition. Before Pop's death, Marco felt like his family was whole, now a hole was left in his heart at the lost of his family. He still wasn't sure what brought him to join the regime. He pledged himself to the high councilor—becoming a new yonko. Marco was sure at first it was because Luffy had killed Blackbeard, thus avenging his family. Now what drove him was the understanding of Luffy's pain. He wasn't sure what it was like to lose to that degree, but he lost most of the family he'd known— the family he loved dearly.

Marco cut down approaching minks like swatting flies. The Phoenix flames burned brightly illuminating his path. He assumed the feline would attempt to hide in the trees. His opponents never realized, you can't run or hide from Marco the Phoenix.

Minks jumped down from the nearby trees surrounding him, prepping their shocks.

"Come on then, I'll show you the technique that made me first squad commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."

Without a second to waste the minks all moved to attack. Marco slid his foot slightly behind the other one staggering his stance a bit.

The minks were caught by the whirlwind Marco created, spinning his flaming wings around in circles, trapping the enemies. The flaming Phoenix released his whirlwind sending the burned corpses flying into the forest.

Marco quickly jumped backwards out of the path of an angry Cat Viper.

"Why do you serve that monster Marco the Phoenix?" The large feline asked approaching the still emperor.

Marco wasn't entirely sure himself. Only in due time would he truly know, for now he told himself to make the world better.

"He plans to make the world safer wouldn't you want that?" Marco retorted.

The Cat Viper knew that was what he was planning to say. All rulers of the world are the same, it's in their nature. Power hungry, blood thirsty, and vengeful to a fault. He also knew Marco was different, he had to be if he was apart of the Whitebeard Pirates—especially as first squad commander.

"You do realize your spitting on everything Whitebeard's code stands for. To serve someone like him makes you a disgrace."

Marco grew agitated at the feline's words, he'd abandoned them. Maybe if he was there, Whitebeard and Ace could've still been with them. His family would've still been together.

"I'm no disgrace, I served the Whitebeard Pirates until the last day before we disbanded. A coward like you has no right to call me a disgrace. Pops believed in you and you weren't even there when he was murdered!" Marco the Phoenix shouted his flames growing brighter.

The Master Cat Viper looked remorseful for a second before returning Marco's death glare. "You don't know what you speak of boy." The master challenged charging his attack.

"You do realize there's no way you can win right?" Marco asked calmly.

Cat Viper wordlessly charged heading straight for the emperor.

"Beast Chain!" Marco yelled transforming into his flaming Phoenix form dashing straight for the feline. Before the cat's hand could touch Marco he was knocked off his feet by the powerful Phoenix. His attack had completely bypassed the Phoenix's body. Marco's attack proved to be entirely too much speed—juggling the cat in the air swooping in, hitting him repeatedly a couple times with a forceful flaming attack. Coming down one final time, Marco sent the feline into a nearby tree with a loud crash.

The Cat Viper emerged charging an even larger attack, rage over his features, this attack was meant to kill in an instant.

Marco summoned his flaming wings.

"It ends here." The man began to run side to side towards the feline hoping to throw his timing off. Once close enough Marco was able to slip past his attack once more landing a kick straight under his chin sending him up in the air. Marco summoned his flaming talons to go along with his wings. He began kicking his taloned feet mercilessly assaulting the Viper who was overwhelmed. The emperor used the momentum from his kick to backflip high above the falling Cat Viper. Once more he transformed into his full Marco the Phoenix form he descended rapidly towards the Cat—it was over. A huge explosion knocked the feline into a large crater.

Marco transformed back into his human form wiping the sweat from his brow. He hoped he had enough for the trip back.

Cat Viper emerged from the crater a minute later, bloodied and battered from the attack leaking massive blood from his wounds.

"You should stop, don't do anything more foolish then you already have." Marco said hoping he wouldn't have to finish off the former master.

The old feline just laughed reigniting his pipe. "Can't finish me off?"

"No your done." Marco spoke grabbing the Viper by his collar flying back towards the high councilor.

Luffy continued slicing and incinerating any mink coming within a few feet of the samurai. He had been slaughtering so many he didn't even care about where how he killed them. Heads would be sliced in half, split right down the middle, straight through the skull. Every way imaginable the minks were mercilessly killed.

The horrified faces of the minks contorted in horror as limbs went flying off. He decapitated a group of minks coming up behind Momonosuke and his family.