Whoosh!
Hyōrinmaru slashed down!
The gray world instantly gained color.
"Ah!!!"
A shrill scream echoed, and Marco instinctively felt his soul tremble!
He looked down and saw a scar on his chest, with blood continuously flowing out.
"It hurts so much!"
The scar on his chest almost made Marco faint from the pain, as if his soul had been torn apart!
A pain he had never experienced before!
He had been injured before, but never had he felt such a bone-deep pain.
"Uh… it can't be, he just got cut once."
Smoker finally couldn't help but light a cigar, looking at the scene unfolding in the sky with some exasperation.
Even if he were cut once, he wouldn't scream and yell like that, it was too embarrassing!
The dignified First Commander of the Four Emperors Whitebeard screaming in pain like a baby?
Unlike the superficial Smoker, Zephyr and Rayleigh saw something different; the Phoenix Marco was not just an empty title.
Marco truly possessed such tenacious vitality, his ability to survive was practically true immortality.
"What's going on?"
Rayleigh and Zephyr tacitly stopped their fight, both knowing they couldn't defeat the other, but the scene before them truly astonished them.
The Phoenix was screaming?
Rayleigh frowned, looking at Marco falling from the sky, and flew forward to catch him, but Zephyr blocked Rayleigh's path.
Bang!
Marco immediately clutched his chest and rolled on the ground, blood spilling everywhere.
"Damn it!"
Boom!
Azure flames ignited on his body, and the flames began to spread towards his wound.
He didn't know what had just happened, but since that woman hadn't killed him, she wouldn't have another chance!
"It's just this wound, though it hurts a lot, but!"
"What?"
Just as Marco was about to use his azure flames to heal himself, he couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"This is impossible!"
The azure flames had clearly covered his chest, but in his perception, the wound showed no signs of self-healing.
The wound was still there, only it wasn't bleeding anymore, but it left a shocking gash.
His azure flames couldn't heal this kind of damage, how was this possible? He had never encountered such a thing!
"Hiss––"
Marco, enveloped in azure flames, could still feel the bone-deep pain, as if his flesh was being torn.
That feeling was too unbearable!
He looked up at Esdeath in the sky, who still wore that haughty expression, without the slightest change.
As if she would launch an attack on him at any moment.
"Damn it!"
Marco cursed inwardly, transformed his wings, and swiftly glided across the sea, flying into the distance.
He hadn't expected to fall here!
This woman was not simple!
"It's a good thing Esdeath didn't make a move!"
Rayleigh, who had been stopped by Zephyr not far away, breathed a sigh of relief. Although he wasn't afraid of Whitebeard, if things continued like this, his peaceful life would be gone.
It wasn't peaceful to begin with, and he didn't want his retirement to become busy again.
"I'll be leaving too!"
Watching Marco leave, Rayleigh held his sword with one hand and unleashed a flying slash at an extremely fast speed.
"Pluton Slash!"
"Armored Beast!"
Zephyr's eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms, forced to block this attack, because Rayleigh's aim was the city.
Boom!
A powerful explosion instantly erupted!
Zephyr's body was sent flying, and after several rotations in the air, he landed heavily on the ground.
He looked down at his arms, a line of blood appeared, and a few drops of blood fell. He hadn't expected to be injured even with the protection of his Armored Beast.
"Rayleigh…"
He looked up, but there was no sign of Rayleigh; he had already fled.
Although he was a bit unwilling, if Rayleigh wanted to escape, he couldn't stop him, even if Esdeath joined in, they probably couldn't stop him.
This was the difference between fighting and escaping. He might be able to fight Rayleigh to a standstill, but he couldn't stop Rayleigh from escaping, even with Esdeath.
"Oh!"
"Lady Esdeath!"
"Es-death!"
Immediately, the Marines behind her cheered.
Their superior had actually driven away a legendary figure and severely wounded the immortal Phoenix Marco!
Didn't that mean Lady Esdeath was on the same level as legendary figures like Whitebeard!
The person they followed was on the same level as Whitebeard, so what were they afraid of? Who would dare to stand in their way from now on.
"Monster!"
Smoker's Jitte was almost crushed in his hand. The gap between Esdeath and him was so vast that they couldn't even see it!
It was like a chasm!
Esdeath stood in the sky, while he was in the abyss of the sea, looking at Esdeath's back.
If things continued like this, wouldn't he be a subordinate for life? Wouldn't his future be hopeless?
"Well done!"
Zephyr slowly approached Esdeath.
He had rushed over quickly because he was worried that Esdeath might be injured.
He hadn't expected Esdeath to have grown to such an extent. What had she experienced to grow so fast!
Her monstrous talent was not inferior to those three, and perhaps even stronger!
Truly the person he had set his sights on!
Before Esdeath could speak to Zephyr, Shirahoshi quickly swam over, looking at Esdeath with concern.
"Lady Esdeath!"
Her eyes were full of worry. The battle just now had made her heart pound. If anything had happened, what would she do, and what would become of Fish-Man Island?
She embraced Esdeath with both hands, pressing her to her chest, and tears fell like rain onto the ground.
"Lady Esdeath, I was so worried about you!"
"Wuwuwu…"
If one didn't know, they would think something had happened to Esdeath. This time, Esdeath wasn't the one initiating it.
Esdeath, almost suffocated between the two large mounds, quickly struggled free and breathed in fresh air.
It was too sudden; she hadn't even reacted.
"Shirahoshi, please put me down first. I'm fine."
Hearing Esdeath speak, Shirahoshi realized that she had almost suffocated Lady Esdeath in her chest.
Thinking about this, Shirahoshi cried even louder.
She was crying because of her own foolishness.
"This is Zephyr, my teacher!"
"This is Shirahoshi, my friend!"
Once Shirahoshi stopped crying, Esdeath introduced them to each other.
"Hello, Teacher!"
Shirahoshi obediently bowed in greeting. Zephyr nodded in satisfaction, revealing a relieved smile as he looked at Esdeath.
"I know you, the princess of Fish-Man Island."
Neptune, as Garp's old friend, naturally also knew Zephyr, but their acquaintance wasn't deep, so it was understandable that Zephyr knew Shirahoshi.
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