บท 51: Chapter 49: Phoenix Marco
Shirakawa's opponents were mostly lower-ranking members of the Whitebeard Pirates. He showed no mercy to these insignificant foes.
Perhaps his ruthlessness caught the attention of a higher-ranking officer, as a division commander suddenly appeared, blocking Shirakawa's attack.
"You're quite ruthless for a newcomer. Are you a new member of the Roger Pirates?" the commander asked after the clash.
"Yes, my name is Shirakawa. And yours?"
"I'm Blenheim, the Ninth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Remember that." He pushed Shirakawa back with a powerful strike.
'A division commander. Finally, an opponent worthy of my attention,' Shirakawa thought.
He knew he couldn't defeat the top five commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, but he was confident he could hold his own against the rest.
Shirakawa's eyes hardened, and his aura intensified. The Sword of Damocles appeared above him.
"What's that?" The Whitebeard Pirates, seeing the giant sword for the first time, were startled. If it fell, it would cause massive casualties.
All eyes turned towards Shirakawa, even Whitebeard's.
"Roger, I didn't know you had such an interesting kid on your crew," Whitebeard said, pausing his fight with Roger.
"Haha, he's one of my favorites," Roger replied with a hearty laugh.
"But he's still just a kid."
Whitebeard's interest in Shirakawa grew. Roger rarely praised anyone so highly.
"Is that so? Then I look forward to seeing him grow," Whitebeard said.
The two captains resumed their battle, and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates followed suit, though their attention remained on the ominous sword in the sky.
"A Devil Fruit user?" Blenheim asked, wary of the unknown power.
"Yes, but don't worry. He's not very strong," Shanks said, trying to mislead his opponent.
"Really?" Blenheim didn't believe him. A Devil Fruit that could summon such a massive sword couldn't be weak.
The battle between Roger and Whitebeard was earth-shattering. No one dared to approach them, as Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, caused massive shockwaves and fissures in the earth with every attack. The island was split in two, one half occupied by Roger and Whitebeard, the other by the rest of the crews.
"Pops is really going all out," Marco commented, not taking his own fight seriously. Even Gaban, his opponent, seemed to be holding back, only throwing a few casual punches.
Even Rayleigh and Oden's fight was more of a friendly spar than a true battle. It seemed that only Shirakawa was fully engaged, fighting Blenheim with everything he had.
'This kid is tougher than I thought,' Blenheim realized. He regretted choosing Shirakawa as his opponent. If he had picked someone else, he could have taken it easy.
But now, he couldn't afford to slack off. If he wasn't careful, this kid with the mysterious power could actually defeat him. What was even more frustrating was that Shirakawa seemed to be able to heal from his injuries, similar to Marco's Phoenix abilities.
After a while, Blenheim couldn't take it anymore. Shirakawa's relentless attacks and regenerative abilities were too much to handle.
"What? Giving up already?" Shirakawa taunted, enjoying the fight and not noticing Blenheim's frustration.
"Marco, let's switch. I think you'll find this kid interesting," Blenheim said to Marco, who was observing the fight from a distance.
Fighting Marco, even if he couldn't win, would be more enjoyable than facing Shirakawa's endless stamina.
"Alright," Marco said, his interest piqued.
"You're going to fight Shirakawa? Good. I need a break. His ability is similar to yours," Gaban said, pushing up his sunglasses.
"Really?" Marco was even more intrigued.
"Don't worry about him. His ability is stronger than you think. If this drags on, you won't be able to beat him." Gaban took a swig from his wine bottle.
"Is that so?" Blenheim was unconvinced. The battle wasn't over yet, and anything could happen.
"You'll see."
"I heard your abilities are similar to mine," Marco said to Shirakawa, his expression stoic.
"Phoenix Marco, our abilities are indeed similar. But I think mine is a bit stronger."
Marco didn't respond. He appeared before Shirakawa instantly and delivered a powerful kick, sending Shirakawa flying backward.
"Aren't you worried about him?" Blenheim asked, seeing Shirakawa at a disadvantage and Gaban nonchalantly drinking. He wished he had grabbed a bottle of wine before the fight started.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine."
As the dust settled, Shirakawa stood unharmed.
"Wow, it's just like Marco's ability!" The Whitebeard Pirates were amazed. A normal person would have been injured by Marco's kick.
"Indeed, it's similar to the Phoenix's power." However, Marco noticed that Shirakawa didn't emit the signature blue flames of a Phoenix when he healed.
Suddenly, Marco felt heavy, as if the ground beneath him had sunk.
"Gravity?" he exclaimed in surprise. Shirakawa was manipulating gravity, slowing him down.
'This is bad,' Marco thought.
Shirakawa appeared before him in a flash. Knowing Marco could regenerate, Shirakawa didn't hold back his attack.
But just as Shirakawa was about to strike, Marco transformed into his Phoenix form, breaking free from the gravity and flying away. Shirakawa's attack missed.
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