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Rege, Herman, and Lobster nearly had heart attacks. Was that really "Dark King" Rayleigh? They'd just assumed he wasn't here, and now he'd suddenly appeared!
"Don't be like that, Mr. Rayleigh..." Marco chuckled. "If the Old Man were here to see you, the Marine Fleet Admiral wouldn't sleep a wink."
As he spoke, he glanced at the woman entering beside Rayleigh, tall, beautiful, and serene, walking directly toward them.
'Jolyne Cujoh…'
The name flashed through Marco's mind.
"Finally, you're here," Liam said. "I thought I'd have to spend the night out."
"Because you've been gone too long," Robin nodded, her gaze shifting to Marco.
Marco froze, suspicion rising in his heart. He looked sharply back and forth between Jolyne Cujoh and the "Dragon Tongue Orchid" that someone nearby was still munching on.
At that moment, Rege of the Longleg Tribe, Herman the Human, and Lobster the Fish-Man all stood up in unison, their faces flushed with excitement.
"It's you!" Robin quickly recognized them as the three slaves she had freed at the entrance of Grove 1 Auction House before entering.
Rege and Herman fidgeted awkwardly. "We haven't even thanked you for your immeasurable kindness..."
"A life-saving grace we will never forget!" Lobster the Fish-Man declared solemnly, his eyes slightly red-rimmed.
Robin sighed softly. "You don't need to thank me..."
"Let's take this conversation outside," Rayleigh said from the doorway, taking a sip of his sake.
With the Dark King's approval, everyone readily agreed and began to file out of the restaurant.
Marco walked beside Rayleigh. "I never expected to find you living in seclusion here."
"Surprised, aren't you? Me too!" Rayleigh chuckled, taking another swig of sake. "I nearly died at sea and was rescued by someone who brought me here. So I just ended up staying..."
Marco fell silent.
Years ago, after the execution of Pirate King Roger, he had heard of the joint ambush by "Marine Hero" Garp and "Black Arm" Zephyr against "Dark King" Rayleigh. Until recently, when the news broke, nearly everyone in the world, including Marco himself, believed that "Dark King" Rayleigh and the remnants of the Pirate King's crew had been systematically wiped out by the Marines in various corners of the sea.
He never imagined that after being rescued, Rayleigh would live in seclusion right under the Marines' noses on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Why are you always looking back?" Rayleigh followed Marco's gaze to see Jolyne Cujoh and Giorno Giovanna, the young couple walking side-by-side.
Marco slowly replied, "To be honest, I didn't come here for you this time..."
Rayleigh took a sip of his drink and asked curiously, "If you came for Giorno, why are you just standing there?"
"What?" Marco didn't understand at first.
Rayleigh raised his voice. "Giorno!"
The scarf-wearing youth, who had been walking and chatting with Robin, looked up.
"Jolyne Cujoh or Boa. Hancock, which do you prefer?"
"You're too old for gossip," Liam rolled his eyes. "Can't we talk about something else?"
Rayleigh burst into hearty laughter, leaving Marco utterly dumbfounded. He stared in disbelief at the scarf-wearing youth.
"You're Giorno?" Marco approached Liam, while the trio of Longleg Race, Fish-Man, and Human, who had been walking beside Robin, thought they must have misheard.
"Yeah," Liam replied, sounding puzzled. "What's wrong? Do I not look the part?"
'Do you even remotely resemble him?!' Rege, Lobster, and Herman were all stunned.
'Is he using a Devil Fruit ability to alter his appearance?' Marco guessed naturally.
"Doesn't seem like it," Robin remarked.
Liam touched the scarf around his neck, realization dawning on him. "No wonder it felt so..."
As he spoke, his figure wavered, and he began to grow taller in place. His entire body swelled like an inflating balloon, expanding several times over. The seams of his clothes strained and ripped apart with loud tearing sounds...
"...I was getting a little uncomfortable holding it in!"
His facial muscles contorted briefly before reverting to his original appearance. He rubbed his face, his voice now noticeably deeper and more resonant.
'Too slow to react?!' Herman thought, startled. 'Wait, would a normal person even be able to hold their breath for that long?!'
'He's a monster…' Longleg RaceRege stared at the miraculous transformation, dumbfounded.
Marco sighed in relief. "It really is you, huh? You scared the crap out of me... Is this some kind of Devil Fruit power?"
Rayleigh chuckled, taking a sip of his sake. "You're wrong about that. He's not using any Devil Fruit ability at all!"
"Hmm?" Marco asked, startled, instinctively activating his Observation Haki.
Just as he was about to turn his gaze toward Giorno, his eyes suddenly sharpened. He looked beside Giorno and Jolyne Cujoh, and there, hovering like a ghost between them, was a pitch-black, spectral shadow!
"...?!"
As Marco's heart jolted with alarm, a pair of narrow, glowing eyes lit up on the spectral figure's face, silently observing him.
Rayleigh's large hand clapped Marco on the shoulder from behind. "Well, what do you think? Impressive young man, isn't he?" he chuckled.
"..."
Marco's gaze flickered between Jolyne Cujoh, Giorno Giovanna, and the black shadow standing beside him, a spectral figure of similar height and build. Finally, he exhaled heavily, his expression complex, and chuckled to himself. "I believe it now... Giorno truly faced Zephyr head-on..."
"What's wrong with him?" Liam asked, puzzled.
"It seems they've finally realized how formidable you are," Robin remarked calmly from beside him.
"Such a slow reaction!" Liam exclaimed.
'What kind of reaction is that?!' the Longleg Race, Human, and Fish-Man trio inwardly screamed. 'That's a commander-level member of the Whitebeard Pirates!'
A faint smile played on Robin's lips as she murmured to herself, "So, do I prefer Jolyne Cujoh, or..."
Liam's large hand reached out, cupping her delicate face and kneading it affectionately.
...
Guided by Rayleigh, the entire group quickly arrived at Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Island 13.
Marco turned to Liam and Robin, his expression serious. "I came to find you because I have a favor to ask."
...
Marines throughout Sabaody Archipelago, from Districts 30 to 79, and on battleships anchored in the surrounding seas, raised their binoculars to the sky, scanning the horizon.
Suddenly, a Marine shouted, "He's here!"
Through his binoculars, a massive bird wreathed in blue flames rose from Sabaody Archipelago, soaring toward the Red Line.
"Confirmed! It's Marco! It's Marco!"
As the Marines relayed the information, Marco, the Blue Flame Phoenix incarnate, spread his wings and swept across the sky.
Beside him flew a black, shadowy figure, cradling a Den Den Mushi in his hands. The figure kept pace effortlessly, like a wingman flying in formation.
Hmm? B.I.B. suddenly murmured in surprise.
Marco flapped his wings, leading the way. But instead of flying directly up, he deliberately skirted along the Red Line's towering cliff-like wall for a longer distance before finally ascending vertically, clinging to the red earth as he climbed.
Behind the Den Den MushiCity fortress gate, which Stand A was carrying, Liam leaned forward to peer at the path Marco had deliberately avoided. "Why take such a long detour?" he asked curiously.
The Blue Flame Phoenix paused briefly, then spread his wings and soared over the Red Line's crest. In an instant, the vast expanse of sky and sea unfolded before them.
Both the horizon and the Red Line curved faintly into a single arc. Thousands of meters to the side, shrouded in thick mist, an ancient city slumbered peacefully atop the Red Line, Mary Geoise, the so-called "Holy Land."
"Back then, before Roger's execution, he shared one last hearty drink with Old Man."
"It was after that day that the Old Man solemnly warned me..."
Carrying Blackghost across the towering Red Line, the Blue Flame Phoenix spoke slowly, his voice nearly swallowed by the rushing wind. The words drifted to Liam and Robin, who were standing behind the gate of Den Den Mushi City Fortress.
"Never fly directly over Mary Geoise!"
Robin was visibly surprised, while Liam and B.I.B., who was holding the Den Den Mushi, seemed lost in thought.
As Stand A soared alongside the Blue Flame Phoenix, his narrow eyes glinted as he glanced back. The "Holy Land" perched atop the Red Line was shrouded in thick mist, growing increasingly indistinct with distance…
(End Of This Chapter)