Chapter 99: Marco: Pops, Save Me
Marco was sent flying several hundred meters back, desperately flapping his wings to prevent himself from falling into the sea.
The stunned Marco finally stabilized his body, looking at Shakky with disbelief.
This seemingly unknown pirate had almost taken his life with a single punch.
Had it not been for his accelerated regenerative abilities, that unguarded attack could have either killed or severely injured him. He felt a lingering fear from the close call.
"Who are you?" Marco asked, looking at Shakky warily.
One blow had been enough to convince Marco that she was at least as powerful as he was—maybe even stronger in terms of pure attack power.
Such strength couldn't possibly have gone unnoticed in the pirate world.
"Shakky, the navigator of the Sun and Moon Pirates. Remember it!" Shakky's lips curled, her crimson eyes glinting, her pale skin looking unnaturally white. She was increasingly resembling the legendary vampire.
"The Sun and Moon Pirates have someone like this? I've never heard of her," Marco muttered, confused.
Wasn't the rumor that the only real powerhouses in the Sun and Moon Pirates were Kuke and Gion? With Kuke dead, only Gion should be left.
Why was there suddenly another terrifying figure?
"Shakky?" Marco felt like he had heard that name before but couldn't remember where.
"The captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division, and you're this careless in battle?" Shakky had somehow appeared in front of Marco.
A heavy blow sent a massive punch straight through Marco's chest, his face turning an ashen blue as he was blasted far away, the shockwave stretching into the sky.
Blue flames engulfed his body, healing his wounds swiftly.
"Damn, she's strong," Marco muttered to himself, no longer daring to be careless. He watched Shakky warily as she charged toward him.
"Phoenix Brand!" Marco retaliated, clashing with Shakky's oncoming kick. The two collided with an explosion of energy, both taking on their Mythical Zoan forms to increase their defenses.
"This isn't just an ordinary Zoan type—could it be another Mythical Zoan?" Marco was stunned once again.
She possessed an ability as fearsome as his own.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" In the air, Shakky and Marco exchanged a series of blows. Azure flames flared up and scattered continuously, only to be quickly regenerated.
In her vampire form, Shakky's body slowly became enveloped in darkness. Her Mythical Zoan vampire form had a secondary special ability—to create darkness, robbing the enemy of their sight, weakening all five senses, and even reducing the enemy's Haki perception to some extent.
In the darkness, the vampire form was Shakky's strongest state.
Her five senses heightened significantly.
An increase on one side and a decrease on the other—vampire form was perfect for ambushes and surprise attacks.
The longer the fight went on, the more unsettled Marco became. He began contemplating retreat.
"Gion hasn't even taken action, and Shakky alone is this powerful. Without Kuke, the Sun and Moon Pirates don't need anyone's protection at all. We've all underestimated them. The so-called remnants of the Sun and Moon Pirates are far from being at anyone's mercy," Marco thought grimly.
He realized he couldn't take them down alone.
Unless Pops himself got involved—but he knew that wouldn't happen.
Seeing that it was pointless to continue, Marco decided it was time to leave. He had no intention of fighting to the death here.
Marco took a heavy blow from Shakky, using the force to propel himself backward, escaping from the battlefield and from the darkness that now covered nearly a hundred meters.
"I overstepped my bounds today—just pretend I was never here," Marco said, glancing at Gion.
Since he had misunderstood their intentions, and since they had no interest in joining Pops, while he couldn't take them down, it was best to back off and let both sides go their separate ways.
Marco was sure they wouldn't refuse.
After all, except for that lunatic Kaido, nobody in the world wanted to become enemies with the Whitebeard Pirates for no reason.
"If you couldn't beat us, would you still let us go? Or would you force us to join the Whitebeard Pirates?" Shakky sneered, flying after Marco. The darkness she had created expanded as she moved.
Marco's face turned pale, his lips twitching as he found himself at a loss for words.
Where had this monster come from? It wasn't just her strength; her temper was just as fierce, not giving even the slightest consideration for Pops.
"I've already said my piece," Marco said, turning away, flying quickly into the distance.
All he had wanted was to make sure things ended on a good note and to end the fight. Since they wouldn't allow it, he was simply leaving. What could they do about it?
"Divine Punishment!"
Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt fell from the sky.
Marco looked up, his eyes widening in horror as the lightning column descended upon him. There was no time to react to the speed of the lightning.
"Boom!!"
The lightning bolt struck from the clouds, piercing the ocean below. The sea boiled, and thunder roared as monstrous waves were raised. Marco's figure was enveloped in the lightning.
The lightning disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving behind only a raging sea.
Marco's charred body was covered by blue flames, rapidly healing, though arcs of electricity still danced across his form.
His expression was dazed.
...
Opening his mouth, a puff of black smoke escaped.
He was thoroughly electrocuted.
"That lightning..." Marco stared blankly at Shakky. It wasn't her.
He then looked at Gion. It didn't seem to be her either.
Then who was it?
Marco's eyes shifted to the Radiant Eclipse in the distance, where he saw a figure surrounded by crackling serpents of lightning.
It was Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District.
"Did she get the rumored Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit?" Marco wondered.
The violent nature of that lightning left no doubt in his mind—it could only have been the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"That can't be right. How are the Sun and Moon Pirates this strong?" Marco struggled to believe it.
One Shakky was shocking enough.
Now the Queen of the Pleasure District had the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Marco began questioning everything.
These are supposed to be remnants?
They were all monsters!
Marco glanced over at Gion, Shakky, and Stussy.
...
His mouth twitched.
He had actually boasted, thinking they needed Whitebeard's protection.
Even if Pops came, these women had the strength to defend themselves.
"Where did Kuke even find these women?" Marco mused.
It had only been a little over a year since the Sun and Moon Pirates had formed—a relatively new and inexperienced crew in the eyes of the world.
And yet, they had so many powerhouses, so many top-tier Devil Fruit users.
Marco thought of the Whitebeard Pirates, then compared them to the other Yonko crews, and found they couldn't quite measure up.
How ridiculous.
"This isn't good." Marco's expression changed as fierce winds swept in, accompanied by bolts of lightning.
Gion was getting involved, and her power was far greater than Shakky's or Stussy's.
He had always thought himself to be on par with Gion, but now it was clear—
She was far beyond him.
"It's over," Marco thought, a wry smile forming, despair setting in.
Faced with three opponents, Marco knew he was doomed.
Two of them could fly, and the speed of the lightning was terrifying.
He couldn't even run.
"Boom!"
Lightning struck the sea, shrouded in darkness. Fiery slashes, wind blades, and bursts of lightning engulfed the battlefield.
Azure flames were extinguished, then rekindled, then extinguished again...
It was three against one.
Shakky and Stussy were on par with Marco, while Gion surpassed him.
He stood no chance.
After two hours of intense fighting, Marco panted heavily, despairing as another bolt of lightning came down. He closed his eyes, ready to face his fate.
I'm being beaten up...
And I can't even fight back.
Pops, save me!
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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