— Cough, cough, cough, hey… PTEW! — pale-faced Karl spat out a mouthful of blood, and a golden glow erupted over his body, instantly restoring color to his face.
— Marco's strength is indeed greater than Karl's, but he's not that easy to defeat. — Not to mention the magical skill "Move Like a Rabbit," the healing effect of the Sacred Light alone can allow Karl to fight in a sneaky style like a mythical beast.
— Ha-ha, is that all? I thought he'd be stronger! — Surprise flickered in Marco's eyes. He's smart! And his ability is similar to his own. At the very least, it's safe to conclude that he has a healing ability.
— You shameless man! Don't beg for mercy later! — "Crane Beak!" — Karl held his breath, calmed himself, and preemptively dodged Marco's attack. In the next second, Marco charged at him and knocked him away with a shockwave.
— Six Styles Secret: "Rokkugen"! — Karl roared, and his dark hands struck downward, aiming at Marco's waist! A massive shockwave instantly pierced through Marco's body and tore through the deck behind him.
— Pfft! — Marco was thrown more than ten meters to the side, like the end of a kite string.
— Do not underestimate anyone! Phoenix Marco. — Karl tore off his blood-soaked Marine uniform and Cloak of Justice, revealing his muscular body, and his entire demeanor changed.
— Crash! — Marco rose from the wreckage, blue flames burning on his body, healing him, with a dark expression, saying nothing.
— Is this the Captain of the first division of the Whitebeard Pirates? I think you're only like this because of the old man Whitebeard and can boast about his strength. — "Without him, you're nothing!" —
Marco was silent for a moment. Although he wanted to refute, he knew that would be futile, and the best response was to retaliate forcefully.
Marco's figure began to change. His arms transformed into phoenix wings, his legs into phoenix claws, and several long tail feathers appeared.
With a hiss, Marco soared into the sky and then descended like a meteorite.
— "Phoenix Seal"! — Karl's pupils contracted, and he desperately rolled to the side. Behind him, a loud explosion thundered as a shockwave erupted.
The entire "Witch" pirate ship trembled and emitted a creaking sound as if it was about to fall apart.
Karl rose from the wreckage, with scratches on his body, but they soon healed under the effect of the Sacred Light.
Suddenly, a lightning-fast figure shot out from the smoke and kicked Karl in the chest.
— "Armored Iron Block"! —
— Bang! — Karl took several steps back before he could shake off the force of the blow. He painfully rubbed his hand, but soon Marco charged at him again.
Not giving Karl time to consider a countermeasure, Marco engaged him in close combat.
— "Iron Body · Steel Elbow"! — "Whip Cannon Arm"! — "Bloody Strike · Rupture"! —
In this high-intensity battle, Karl's combat skills were rapidly improving, and he used nearly every part of his body to its limits.
But Marco was able to rely on his physical strength to handle all the changes. After exchanging blows for a while, Marco gained slight advantages, while Karl suffered minor damages.
— This guy is really hard to deal with! Such mastery of the Six Styles, did he learn the Six Styles since childhood? — Marco couldn't help but complain to himself, though his facial expression remained unchanged.
But Karl was different. Although he was hit a lot, his combat skills were improving by leaps and bounds, making it increasingly difficult for Marco to block his attacks.
— No, I need to finish the fight as soon as possible Sister Whitey bay's condition won't last long. — Marco's eyes narrowed as he prepared to get serious. Though it was unpleasant to admit, this Marine had given him a lot of trouble, and he was not an opponent to be underestimated.
Just as Marco was about to act, a mocking voice echoed from the air.
— Oh~ Isn't it Phoenix Marco, the Captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates! Why is he losing so disgracefully? —
— Could it be that my assistant hit too hard? —
Hearing this familiar voice, Marco blushed with shame.
— Damn, it's Kizaru! —
This is trouble. Kizaru is much harder to deal with than Karl. The most important thing is that with Kizaru nearby, it's nearly impossible to kill Karl.
Kizaru transformed into a photon and blinked in front of Karl, looking at Marco impassively: "Don't be so distant! After all, we're opponents who have clashed several times."
— Hmph! We, the Whitebeard Pirates, will remember this! — Saying this, Marco approached Whitebee, briefly aided her, and flew off with her on his back.
Kizaru simply watched as Marco quietly left, not attempting to pursue him until they had disappeared.
— Are you okay? —
Karl bitterly smirked and said, "Do you think I look okay?"
Looking at the corpses on the ship, Kizaru clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk-tsk-tsk~ You're really ruthless! Now you've fully offended the Whitebeard Pirates!"
— So what? I'm just doing what a Marine should do. Not killing Whitebeard is already a gift to that statue! —
Kizaru shook his head, seemingly a bit disappointed: "Let's go! Why are you still standing here?"
After setting the pirate ship on fire, Karl returned to the warship using the "Moon Step." Now the Marines were looking at him differently.
— Major Karl, you're so cool! You destroyed the Witch Pirates and stood your ground against Phoenix Marco. You're so strong! —
— Yes! I just saw it. Those pirates didn't stand a chance against Major Karl! —
— Look at those well-trained muscles! Major Karl must have trained a lot to become so strong! —
Ahem, right. Between hard training and idleness, Karl chose idleness. All his strength was acquired through his own abilities!
As for the change in attitude among the marines, this was also within Karl's expectations. Whether marines or pirates, they always admired the strong. Only through strength could one earn respect.
Facing the admiring and awed eyes of the marines, Karl calmly waved his hand.
— Don't worry, defeating pirates is nothing. I just want to tell you that marines are the masters of the seas, whether it's Whitebeard, Big Mom, or Kaido! —
— They're all just pirates. A marine is born to be the archenemy of pirates, so we have nothing to fear! — They are the ones who fear us, fear Justice!!!
Hearing Karl's inspiring words, the marines flushed with excitement, eager to take down a pirate right away to boost their morale.
Returning to the lounge, Karl collapsed onto the sofa and rubbed his neck with effort. He needed to make up for the time spent in battle, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to complete today's daily tasks.