Chapter 231: Teach is Dead? I Don't Believe It!
[Devil Fruit User 'Marco' Discovered]
[Confirmed Devil Fruit: 'Zoan · Mythical Type · Phoenix Form' (Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix), analyzing...]
[Effects by Level]
[LV3: Gain full fruit effects. Transform into mythical beast 'Phoenix', gaining physique and stamina unique to mythical beasts. Can fly. Body burns with 'Blue Flames of Resurrection'. Can perform elementalization through this. Blue Flames have no offensive power, but can defend and burn souls. Nullify all attacks. As long as stamina is not depleted, even turned to ashes can resurrect in flames. Requires 1.5 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[LV4: Deep-Dive Development. Use Blue Flames to heal others, but effect inferior to self-healing. Essentially restoring 'Vitality', effective even against viruses and diseases. Requires 6 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[LV5: Fruit Awakening · Phoenix Fire. Fruit Awakening. Body surrounded by Zoan-Awakening-specific flame clouds. All attributes comprehensively enhanced. Grant allies special 'Fire of Life' forming a contract. All damage received by contracted allies transfers to user until user actively cancels contract. Requires 12.6 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[Analysis Progress: Completed]
Listening to the report from the Fruit Encyclopedia in his ear.
Saru (Monkey) sitting on the Kintoun (Somersault Cloud) was quite satisfied.
Phoenix Fruit—the first Mythical Zoan fruit appearing in the original story, also top-tier among all Mythical Zoan fruits.
Excellent flight ability, 'Mythical Beast Elementalization' more exaggerated than Logia fruits, and true immortality... fruit effects were quite astonishing.
The only flaw was its awakening effect wasn't very powerful in combat, just an auxiliary effect.
But picking up such a top-tier fruit for free, he was naturally happy.
Now, he and Marco were flying toward the colosseum.
"..."
On the way, Marco clearly saw the citizens gathering toward the colosseum below—most bore wounds.
Since the colosseum could only hold one-third of Dressrosa citizens, most people tried hard to squeeze in but couldn't, only gathering outside.
"Lord Saru!"
"Lord Saru, please—defeat Doflamingo!"
"Your Excellency from The Zodiac, you saved my child... you are Dressrosa's hero!"
"Mom... who is beside Lord Saru? Is it another Zodiac member Tori (Rooster) you mentioned? He looks like a chicken!"
"Don't talk nonsense, he doesn't wear a Sea Beast Mask, should be Lord Saru's follower..."
"Hey! Don't talk randomly, that's from Whitebeard Pirates..."
Looking at Saru and Marco flying through the sky, the citizens below began discussing excitedly.
"..."
'Follower' Marco had good hearing clearly, face darkening while looking at Saru. "You are quite popular here."
Saru said matter-of-factly, "Of course, after all I am not a pirate."
Marco: "..."
Couldn't refute.
"'Heavenly Yaksha' really always does disgusting things."
Looking at Dressrosa's miserable state, Marco frowned slightly.
He was principled and calm.
Most times, he wouldn't intervene in others' disputes rashly to avoid trouble for partners.
But as a 'Doctor', he indeed disliked seeing innocents suffer.
Of course, his Pops Whitebeard was the same.
Although not liking to be nosy, if witnessing bullying of innocent weaklings, Whitebeard would also destroy those annoying guys.
Of course, Whitebeard wouldn't admit his true thoughts himself.
"Hey, don't think I did it to protect you."
Every time clearing evil pirates, he would laugh loudly telling protected citizens.
"I am a pirate, seeing eyesores naturally want to clean up... Gurararara!"
Thinking of this, Marco withdrew his thoughts.
Fortunately—although Dressrosa citizens didn't meet Whitebeard, they met this guy beside him.
He knew well.
With Saru's strength, solving Doflamingo shouldn't be a problem; no need for him to be nosy.
While thinking...
"Oh? Arrived—that below, is the person you look for, right?"
Now, Saru said 'Oh'.
So Marco indeed saw—not far away, he could see a colosseum.
Before five gates of the colosseum, fierce fighting continued.
But amidst fighting, four figures clearly occupied advantage, at the forefront of four gates.
Those were naturally Three Disasters under Kaido, and...
That strong man constantly waving invisible air cannons blasting enemies away.
So...
"Asu Soria!"
Saru heard Marco's roar.
Next moment...
WHOOSH!
This Whitebeard Pirates number two flapped wings, diving down at extreme speed.
"Marco... cough cough... wait..."
Now, Asu Soria arriving at the colosseum gate turned seeing Marco, expression changing abruptly. "I'm already the winner of No. 4 Gate, according to rules—you can't attack me anymore... cough cough... hurts!"
Speaking, he spat blood constantly.
This made Saru frown slightly as he watched.
But clearly, Marco didn't care about these now.
"Rules?"
He sneered while flying. "Whose rules?"
Speaking, intense flames burst from his bird claws.
Armament Haki wrapped on them; his figure swooped down already.
"..."
Only now did Asu Soria seem to realize his mistake.
Yes.
According to Doflamingo's rules, winners of five gates would enter the final, competing for Caesar's ownership.
But the key was—Marco didn't come for Caesar; he wouldn't be threatened by Doflamingo with Caesar.
In this situation...
"I actually wanted to use Doflamingo's rules to restrain 'Whitebeard Pirates'?"
In this instant, Asu Soria felt incredible himself.
When did this absurd idea appear in his brain, making him believe it firmly?
"Phoenix Brand (Hoo-in)!"
But now, Marco's attack arrived.
So Asu Soria ignored everything else.
"Air Cannon · Fire!"
He raised hands; intense air cannons gathered.
At the same time, his body began elementalization.
[Logia · Gas-Gas Fruit (Gasu Gasu no Mi)]
[Fruit Ability: Control air/gas, transform into gas, but cannot make air disappear]
Seeing this.
Saru felt stranger.
"So weak."
He concluded instinctively internally.
Yes—very weak.
Asu Soria's fruit ability wasn't weak, even considered good among Logia fruits.
His 'Supernova' title was deserved—relying on Logia ability, enough to gallop in Paradise.
But his development of fruit ability was visibly primitive.
Before a powerhouse of Marco's level, this large-scale elementalization was almost seeking death.
"A guy like this actually killed a member of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Saru was truly curious.
But just the next moment.
Saru's curiosity turned into surprise and disbelief.
Because now...
"Indeed... noticed before, you guy are very weak!"
Now, Marco naturally reached a similar conclusion to Saru.
Gritting teeth, his usually calm face showed rare anger. "With your strength, impossible to kill Teach."
Hearing this.
Under Saru's mask, Roy's expression became solemn instantly.
"Teach?"
He repeated this name incredulously internally.
Then he finally realized what Marco said.
"The Whitebeard Pirates member this guy killed is Marshall D. Teach?"
To be honest, since arriving at Dressrosa.
This was almost the most incredible news Roy heard.
Who was Teach?
Son of Rocks, future 'Blackbeard' and Four Emperor.
Such a guy... died?
Died in the hands of that rookie named 'Asu Soria' below?
"Impossible!"
Roy reached this conclusion instantly.
He knew Teach too well, maybe one of the people understanding Teach best in this world.
He knew clearly, Teach was one of the biggest heroes of chaos in the pirate world.
To obtain 'Dark-Dark Fruit' (Yami Yami no Mi), one of the most special fruits, he lurked on Whitebeard's ship for decades, just because he thought Whitebeard was most likely to obtain this fruit.
In these decades, he hid his strength—clearly a powerhouse capable of hurting Red-Haired Shanks with own power, yet pretending to be a simple honest ordinary crew member without schemes.
He even prepared to stay on Whitebeard's ship forever.
But when Dark-Dark Fruit appeared, he could abandon everything accumulated in the past without hesitation, killing former 'Comrade' to seize this power.
This was Teach—a 'Monster' acting only for ambition, deep scheming, never acting without absolute certainty, but absolutely fatal once acting.
Such a person, even with butterfly effect influence, Roy absolutely didn't believe would die silently in a Supernova's hands.
But just then...
BOOM!
Marco's strike shattered Asu Soria's air cannon instantly.
His bird claws slammed into Asu Soria., blasting the latter away—but before flying far, he was grabbed by Marco directly, lifted up.
Intense Armament Haki made Asu Soria unable to elementalize and dodge.
Subsequently, Asu Soria heard Marco's interrogation through gritted teeth, "Confess honestly what happened that day!? How exactly did Teach die?"
In anger, what he asked was exactly his second purpose coming to Dressrosa.
Just as news reported.
Recently, Whitebeard Pirates crew member 'Teach' and some grassroots members encountered and conflicted with this Supernova due to unknown reasons while purchasing supplies.
Whitebeard Pirates sent support immediately, but when support arrived, only saw wreckage.
The 'Supply Ship' Teach and grassroots members rode, and Asu Soria's 'Air Pirates' were destroyed.
At the same time, Teach's 'Vivre Card' left in Whitebeard Pirates burned out completely—representing his death.
Marco and others naturally couldn't accept this.
They didn't care about World Economic News Paper's exaggerated reports.
But Teach joined Whitebeard Pirates for many years, considered one of 'Family' long ago.
Family's death naturally saddened them—and knowing Teach as a veteran member fought many pirates under Four Emperors.
They couldn't believe no matter what, Teach would fall in a rookie's hands.
So hearing Asu Soria reappeared in Dressrosa, Marco rushed over.
"Teach..."
But hearing Marco's questioning, Asu Soria struggled constantly.
What puzzled Marco was, Asu Soria's expression was inexplicably bewildered now.
"Teach... who is it?"
"Ha?"
Hearing this, Marco's anger grew naturally. "You guy, playing dumb..."
He wanted to question angrily, but next moment discovered abruptly.
"Hm?"
Blood spurting from Asu Soria's mouth, and body weakness, seemed to become more intense at this moment.
"Wait, this guy..."
Marco was startled—he didn't use that much force just now?
But next moment, he made the best choice decisively.
WHOOSH!
Blue Flames of Resurrection spread toward Asu Soria instantly, wrapping him.
And Marco's expression changed abruptly too.
"What's with your body?"
Now as a doctor, probing vitality with Blue Flames, he discovered.
Although Asu Soria's body looked strong, actually weak to the extreme.
His body seemed hollowed out by something—organs, blood, vitality, all decayed to the extreme.
This level of weakness, even his 'Blue Flames' couldn't restore.
This guy was dying!
And facts were so.
"Teach..."
Now, Asu Soria was still murmuring this name.
Dying, he discovered—many of his thoughts and ideas during this period seemed chaotic, as if another person was in his brain.
Or at some moments, he seemed to become another person, merging with him.
And now, the name Marco mentioned gave him a familiar feeling.
As if the other person he became was named Teach.
He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something.
"..."
But finally, he couldn't say anything.
His head tilted to the side, and his hands fell limply.
He died.
"Hey! Hey!"
Looking at suddenly completely dead Asu Soria, Marco's expression was ugly.
"Looks like your mission isn't going well?"
But now, he heard Saru's voice aside.
"..."
Marco glanced at this Zodiac member without speaking—wasn't it obvious?
But immediately after...
"If you really want to know the truth, keep his corpse."
He heard Saru's words.
"...Corpse?"
Hearing this, Marco frowned instantly, then showed surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Insider's death represents disappearance of secrets."
Saru grinned here. "But for The Zodiac, not necessarily so—even the Underworld (Yin Cao Di Fu) has to give my Boss some face."
Hearing this, Marco naturally thought of that rumor—said at the end of Battle of Totto Land, that Star Lord appeared personally, taking away Big Mom's soul.
In other words...
"You mean, Star Lord can..."
Marco had that incredible guess in his heart.
But now, Saru didn't answer him.
"Specific matters, I will explain to you later."
He just waved his hand.
Then looked at the colosseum not far away, and that Doflamingo on the central throne.
"Now..."
"I have things to solve first."
☆☆☆
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