Marco really wanted to curse.
Originally, among the Gorosei, three of them were at a strong Yonko level and two were at a weak King level. Now, after injecting themselves with that mysterious drug, all five had been pushed up to King level.
He'd planned to use this chance to take a few of the Gorosei off the board. Instead, their power had just skyrocketed.
Right then, the system's mechanical voice—silent for so long Marco had almost forgotten it—rang in his mind:
"Mission issued: Protect the world's greatest scientist, Vegapunk. Repel the invading enemies. Reward: 10,000 attribute points."
"Repel the enemies attempting to kill Vegapunk. Bounty: Defeat the Gorosei. Each Gorosei defeated: +10,000 attribute points."
"Defeat an Admiral. Each admiral defeated: +8,000 attribute points."
"Defeat a Marine vice admiral. Each vice admiral defeated: +500 attribute points."
Marco's eyes lit up a little. A mission again—and a bounty mission on top of that. Just taking down a single Gorosei would earn him 10,000 attribute points.
If he could defeat them, he'd have a real chance to kill them outright. His other mission, "Slay the King of the World Imu and overthrow the World Government," also carried a bounty: 10,000 attribute points for killing one Gorosei.
But the five in front of him had already taken their "medicine" and pushed their power to King level. Marco's brows drew together.
Even if that king-level strength came from an external boost, the aura they'd just unleashed was terrifying.
After taking the drug, their entire presence had transformed. Their fundamental attributes had definitely been enhanced—otherwise it would be impossible to leap from Strong Yonko level straight to a King level.
At this moment, Warcury's body had shifted into his human-beast form: a pig's head on a human body. Nusjuro had also taken on a human-beast form, a centaur-like figure with a human torso and a skeletal horse's lower body. Mars had become something even stranger—a bird's head, wings, and talons; a human torso; and a long snake's tail.
All three revealed their strongest Human-Beast Forms and blocked Marco's path.
Nusjuro spoke first. "Phoenix Marco will be handled by us. Saturn, you and Peter go deal with Vegapunk."
"Understood."
Peter and Saturn turned at once and strode toward the laboratory. Their goals were clear: kill Vegapunk, secure Punk Records, protect the Mother Flame furnace and its materials, and, if possible, preserve the lab itself.
Facing three Gorosei whose power had reached king level, Marco didn't dare relax for an instant. Their presence alone pressed down on him like a mountain.
Nusjuro stared at him coldly and gave a chilling ultimatum. "Phoenix Marco, I'll give you one more chance. Surrender to us, and you will gain the status of a Celestial Dragon. All your past mistakes and crimes will be completely erased."
Marco couldn't help but scoff. "Oh? How surprising. The lofty Gorosei are actually willing to turn an 'ant' in your eyes into a god."
Nusjuro sneered. "Ordinary ants certainly don't have that qualification. But you are different. Your strength has reached a level so close to that of a god. In the past eight hundred years, there have been very few individuals who could rival you. Therefore, we are granting you the opportunity to ascend to godhood."
He wasn't exaggerating.
Looking back across eight hundred years, the last man who could defeat an admiral singlehandedly was Rocks—acknowledged by the World Government as the strongest of that entire era.
But now Marco had stepped into that same legendary realm. And the one he killed wasn't just any admiral but the fleet admiral himself—a peak-level monster who had crushed rivals of the same rank to seize that title.
Yet that fearsome fleet admiral, whose name shook the world, had still died at Marco's hands. In pure achievement, this even surpassed Rocks.
After all, admirals were the ultimate elites, chosen from among countless elites.
For centuries there had always been only three admiral positions. Vice Admirals, by comparison, numbered in the hundreds.
It was quality over quantity. An admiral had to be the very best of the best. After layers upon layers of selection, the ones who earned that rank were the absolute top powerhouses of their age.
For hundreds of years, battles between admirals had been the standard measure of ultimate strength. The only ones who could defeat an admiral… were usually other admirals.
Pirates capable of beating an admiral were extremely rare.
And those who actually killed one? In eight hundred years, there had only been Rocks—and Marco.
"Enough. Give us your answer, Phoenix Marco." Mars's voice was icy, stripped of all emotion.
Marco's lips curled in disdain. "Of course I refuse. I have zero interest in becoming a Celestial Dragon."
"So you've chosen the path of death?" Warcury's gaze turned glacial.
Nusjuro spoke coldly. "We kindly offered a mere mortal the chance to become a god. Countless people dream of such an opportunity, and yet you don't cherish it. What a pity."
Marco's mouth tugged up again, this time mocking. "I don't know what you injected to boost your strength that much, but how long can power gained from some external drug really last?"
"Seven days." Nusjuro replied without hesitation.
"What?" Marco's eyes widened. He'd heard that right? An injection that lasted seven days? What kind of drug was that?
Normally, the effects of such drugs were extremely short-lived, yet the Gorosei's enhancement supposedly lasted a full week. It sounded absurd. Marco still doubted Nusjuro's words.
Nusjuro noticed his stunned expression and said with open contempt, "Did you think we injected some low-grade medicine? You underestimate us far too much. As gods, how could we use the drugs of mortals?"
The explanation took Marco aback. Nusjuro went on, "That is the blood of God. It purely enhances our power, with no side effects whatsoever."
"Blood of God?" Marco's shock deepened. "You mean the blood of you Celestial Dragons?"
But Nusjuro and the others refused to answer.
"That's enough. We've said all we need to say. Since you still refuse to submit, we'll just execute you." As soon as Mars finished, he stopped talking and acted, spewing a torrent of blazing fire from his beak straight at Marco.
Marco's wings flared as he took to the air. Warcury and Nusjuro instantly charged up after him.
Marco could feel it clearly—speed, strength, destructive power, defense, and even their Haki… everything about the three of them was on a different level from what he'd seen at Whole Cake Island. Compared to Egghead, it was like facing entirely different beings.
He shot upward, but in that instant, Nusjuro used an extreme high-speed movement, flickering into place behind him. The Shodai Kitetsu in his hand carried a biting chill as it slashed toward Marco.
Boom!
Fist and sword collided in midair, and red bolts of Conqueror's Haki crackled outward, raining down on the ground and surrounding buildings, shattering stone and steel alike.
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