Chương 98: Chapter 98: Shakky's Dominance, Marco is Stunned
"I'll leave this to you guys." Kuke looked at Gion.
Marco was not worthy of his attention.
"I'll do it." Shakky volunteered. Having just acquired a Mythical Zoan power and regained her youth, she was eager for a fair fight to restore her combat experience.
"Don't let him escape," Kuke instructed.
Since he was here, he wouldn't be allowed to leave.
Let the sea know the consequences of trying to rob the Sun and Moon Pirates.
Even Whitebeard would be no exception.
Let everyone abandon any such thoughts—only Kuke could rob others, not the other way around.
"Why don't we join forces and practice our teamwork?" Stussy suggested, also treating it as a rehearsal for the upcoming battle at Sabaody.
The Navy weren't the only ones who could rely on numbers.
"Too bad he's a bit weak," Gion said regretfully.
Whitebeard's first division commander, Marco, was weak in her eyes.
"Let's go." Gion spread her arms, transforming them into phoenix wings, and took flight.
Shakky's arms turned into bat wings, and she took off as well.
Stussy didn't move, but with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, she could attack from long range.
From afar, Marco saw two figures flying from the Radiant Eclipse.
One of them, he instantly recognized as the famous Gion.
The other, however, left Marco puzzled.
He didn't recognize her.
Few people on the sea now knew Shakky's true identity, especially with her restored youth. Even if Whitebeard himself were here, he might struggle to recognize her as his former crewmate.
Marco casually observed Shakky.
She appeared as a young woman, seemingly an unknown Zoan user within the Sun and Moon Pirates.
It didn't bother him much.
The Whitebeard Pirates consisted of tens of thousands of members—Marco wouldn't claim to know all of them.
Encountering a pirate he didn't recognize was hardly unusual.
It seemed like an ordinary Zoan.
He didn't give it much thought.
This was also a distinction of the Mythical Vampire Form. Unlike other Mythical Zoans like the Phoenix or Azure Dragon, whose forms were easily recognized, Shakky's bat wings made her look like just another Zoan user.
Marco refocused himself.
He stopped flying, hovering in the air.
Curious, he watched Gion. Both had transformed their arms into wings, assuming a half-beast form.
"I know what you're here for. Let me take you," Marco said with a smile, sounding genuinely warm.
In his mind, Gion was already a future member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
She was likely to fill the vacant second division commander's position.
"What do you mean by 'purpose'?" Gion frowned slightly.
"Huh? Aren't you here seeking shelter with Pops?" Marco was momentarily stunned.
You came near our territory—what else could be the reason?
"When did we ever say we were joining Whitebeard?" Gion's tone turned icy.
He thought they were going to abandon the Sun and Moon Pirates' name?
Ridiculous.
Even if something happened to Kuke—even if he died—they would never abandon the Sun and Moon Pirates to seek refuge with others.
"Heh, Whitebeard has grown more arrogant over the years. Ridiculous." Shakky chuckled.
She held no respect for the current Emperor of the Sea.
They were from the same era.
Marco's brows furrowed. "You can't insult Pops."
Anything was acceptable to him—except insulting Whitebeard. For that, Marco would fight to the death.
"This is considered an insult?" Shakky laughed. "Do you want me to tell you about Whitebeard's embarrassing moments from his youth?"
No one is born a king.
Everyone has had their downtrodden moments.
And Shakky had seen many such moments in Whitebeard's past.
"Who are you?" Marco looked at Shakky with annoyance.
She looked young but boasted she knew embarrassing stories about Pops in his youth—how laughable.
"Who am I? Go ask your Pops. Of course, whether you'll make it back, that's uncertain," Shakky said.
Marco squinted as he scrutinized both Shakky and Gion.
Their tone and attitude didn't seem like they were here to join.
More like they were picking a fight?
How could they dare?
They were exiles, with the whole world after them, and they still dared to provoke us? Marco couldn't understand it.
"Are you here to challenge Pops?" Marco's warmth vanished.
"Challenge Whitebeard? Where did you get that idea?" Gion retorted.
Did we attack the Whitebeard Pirates?
Or did we arrive uninvited?
"We haven't entered Whitebeard's territory. Are even the outer seas off-limits now? Are you saying that sailing into the New World is an affront to Whitebeard?"
Shakky's response was even more direct.
Marco's expression grew increasingly grim.
He couldn't seem to find a way to argue back.
"And yet here you are, first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, tracking us. On the sea, this could be considered a declaration of war. Are you prepared to face the consequences?" Shakky began gathering her energy.
Marco was stunned.
No one had ever called him out like that before.
Following someone without permission was indeed rude.
But who was he?
He was the number two of the Whitebeard Pirates. Until now, no one had dared speak to him like this.
"I'm here to help you. You're in a dangerous position. We're trying to help," Marco said gruffly.
"Help? The Op-Op Fruit is what you're really after, isn't it? Without it, would you have come here? It's ridiculous—we're all pirates. Talking about honor and favors is meaningless."
Shakky flapped her wings, charging toward Marco at high speed.
Marco looked a bit embarrassed.
She had seen through him.
If not for the Op-Op Fruit, he probably wouldn't have asked Pops for help. Even if Whitebeard recognized the Sun and Moon Pirates, he wouldn't involve himself lightly.
The Whitebeard Pirates hated trouble and wouldn't easily involve themselves in chaos.
"True, pirates solve things the pirate way."
Marco smiled wryly.
Talking big was pointless.
A fist—that was real.
"Then I'll have to bring you back. Eventually, you'll realize there's no one else but Pops who can protect you. Sooner or later, you'll willingly join us."
Marco looked at Gion. "In this fight, I won't hold back."
The meaning was clear.
Apart from Gion, no one from the Sun and Moon Pirates could face him.
Not even the well-known Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy.
And certainly not this unknown Shakky.
"Am I being underestimated?"
Shakky flew up to Marco, wind swirling around her. Her arm, covered in Armament Haki, threw a punch.
The air exploded.
A visible shockwave struck Marco.
His expression changed drastically.
What kind of power was this?
Was this some kind of joke?
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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