"Saving Ace… so this is the only mission."
Marco stared at the mission prompt, a trace of doubt creeping into his eyes. "Is it really that simple? Do I just need to get Ace off the execution platform?"
Driven by curiosity, he cautiously reached out and tapped the translucent interface.
As expected, his finger passed straight through the panel—yet the click registered instantly.
The screen shifted, new text appearing before his eyes:
Save Ace Mission:
Rescue Fire Fist Ace from Marineford and ensure his safe return to the New World.
Mission Reward: 10,000 Attribute Points
Mission Failure: No Penalty
"Ten thousand attribute points…" Marco muttered. "That's a pretty insane reward."
From his hexagonal attribute panel, he already understood his biggest weaknesses. His recovery stat was monstrously high—befitting the Phoenix—but the rest lagged far behind. None of them had even crossed the 10,000 mark. His Strength, in particular, sat at a pitiful 3,500.
In the original timeline, Ace had been rescued—only to throw his life away by turning back, leading to his death at Akainu's hands.
But before Marco could dwell on that thought, the mission panel suddenly flickered.
The screen refreshed.
A chilling line appeared:
To save Fire Fist Ace from Marineford, killing is unavoidable. Soft-hearted mercy cannot accomplish great deeds.
Below it, a list unfolded:
Kill a Marine Soldier: +1 Attribute Point
Kill a Marine Corporal: +2
Kill a Marine Sergeant: +3
Kill a Marine Staff Sergeant: +4
Kill a Marine Second Lieutenant: +5
Kill a Marine First Lieutenant: +7
Kill a Marine Captain: +9
Kill a Marine Major: +12
Kill a Marine Lieutenant Colonel: +15
Kill a Marine Colonel: +18
Kill a Marine Brigadier General: +25
Kill a Navy Rear Admiral: +35
Kill a Marine Vice Admiral: +100
Kill an Admiral: +10,000
Kill a Fleet Admiral: +20,000
Marco stared at the list, his expression turning strange.
"…This is starting to feel like grinding monsters for EXP in a game."
Despite his complaint, the implications were clear. This system gave him a path to rapidly grow stronger—one that would remain viable even after the Marineford War ended.
A thought suddenly struck him.
"By the way," Marco asked casually, "does the system have something like a New Player Gift Pack?"
"Yes," the system replied instantly. "Would you like to open the Newbie Gift Package?"
The panel flickered again. A small box appeared before him, glowing faintly, a single word hovering over it:
Open
Marco reached out and tapped it without hesitation.
"Opening Newbie Gift Package," the System announced.
"Rewards obtained: Conqueror's Haki (Entry Level), 1,000 Attribute Points."
"…That's it?" Marco stared at the rewards, momentarily speechless.
Still—he exhaled slowly and chuckled.
Better than nothing.
At the very least, he now possessed the qualifications of a king.
"System, I want to allocate my points," Marco said.
"Understood. Opening the Attribute Panel," the system replied.
The interface before him flickered, reshaping itself. A new panel unfolded, neatly divided into two sections: Basic Attributes and Special Attributes.
Displayed first were the six basic attributes:
Strength, Speed, Defense, Recovery, Stamina, Spirit.
Curiosity tugged at Marco. He reached out and tapped the Special Attributes tab.
The screen shifted again.
Special Attributes:
Devil Fruit Upgrade : Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan—Phoenix Form (Unawakened) → Phoenix Form (Awakened)
Haki Upgrades:
Haoshoku (Entry Level) → Haoshoku (Elementary)
Armament Haki (Advanced) → Armament Haki (Top Level)
Observation Haki (Advanced) → Observation Haki (Top Level)
Rokushiki :
Soru (Learn)
Tekkai — Iron Body (Learn)
Geppo — Moonwalk (Learn)
Rankyaku — Tempest Kick (Learn)
Shigan — Finger Pistol (Learn)
Kami-e (Learn)
"…I can even learn Marine Rokushiki?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "Though honestly, this stuff is barely useful in the later stages."
Rokushiki shined in the early to mid tiers of power, but against monsters at the peak of the sea? It was mostly obsolete.
Still, curiosity won out.
He tapped Soru.
Rokushiki: Soru—Cost: 10 Attribute Points.
Confirm? Yes / No
Marco selected "No" without hesitation, then moved on.
He tapped Haoshoku (Entry Level).
Upgrade to Haoshoku (Elementary)—Cost: 100 Attribute Points.
Confirm? Yes / No
"Only a hundred points…" Marco frowned. "But Elementary Conqueror's Haki won't do anything in Marineford."
After a brief pause, he declined. Right now, he needed raw combat power.
Next came Armament Haki.
Upgrade to Armament Haki (Top Level)—Cost: 10,000 Attribute Points.
Confirm? Yes / No
"Ten thousand?!" Marco clicked his tongue. "I don't even have a tenth of that."
Observation Haki yielded the same result.
Cost: 10,000 Attribute Points.
"…Figures."
Finally, he tapped his Devil Fruit.
Awaken Phoenix Form—Cost: 15,000 Attribute Points.
Confirm? Yes / No
"Damn it, that's even worse."
Marco glanced at his pitiful 1,000 attribute points and sighed. Special attributes were completely out of reach.
Left with no other choice, he returned to the Basic Attributes panel. The interface flickered once more.
"…This thing feels way too much like a tablet from my old life," Marco muttered.
His gaze swept over the numbers.
Among the six, Strength was by far his weakest. Recovery, on the other hand, was absurdly high—possibly even surpassing Kaido's, thanks to his Phoenix physiology. The remaining attributes lagged far behind monsters of that level.
After a moment's thought, Marco spoke quietly.
"Rokushiki might fall off later, but I'll have to face Blackbeard sooner or later. Learning some won't hurt."
Decision made.
Marco spent 60 attribute points, instantly acquiring all six Rokushiki techniques at entry level.
That left him with 940 points.
"I'll dump everything else into Strength. Once I reach Marineford, I can get attribute points during the war and grow stronger on the fly."
He tapped the Strength + button repeatedly.
The numbers updated:
Strength: 4440
Speed: 4400
Defense: 8500
Recovery: 45000
Stamina: 8000
Spirit: 4600
Marco checked his overall combat assessment.
Yonko Commander Level.
…No change.
Despite learning Rokushiki and significantly boosting his Strength, the evaluation remained the same.
Marco leaned back and exhaled slowly, disappointment flickering across his eyes.
"Looks like I'll have to earn the rest… on the battlefield."