Chapter 60 – Debt Doubled, One Hundred Years of Forced Labor!
"Oyaji already sacrificed himself once for our sake. We can't let anything happen to Ace again!"
Marco's mind raced at full speed, rapidly analyzing the balance of combat power on the island.
"That monster Akira isn't here…"
"On this island, the only ones who can truly fight are Doflamingo and Yamato!"
"That Doflamingo—no matter how cunning he is, his strength only goes so far. If several of our division commanders work together, we can suppress him!"
"As for Yamato…"
Marco recalled the Oni woman who often 'trained' together with Akira.
"I can feel it—during this period, her strength has increased at an utterly unreasonable rate!"
"But even so, even if her power is terrifying—maybe even already touching the threshold of a Yonko…"
"But!"
"She's not that sharp!"
"As long as we plan carefully and create a proper diversion… we can completely avoid her and take Oyaji away!"
"Once we're out at sea… with our experience, shaking them off will be easy!"
Marco had already made up his mind.
"We have to take our brothers and get out of this hell!"
"First, send Oyaji somewhere safe so he can recover from his injuries…"
"Then gather all of our affiliated pirate fleets, and head straight to Marineford to rescue Ace!!"
…
Night fell.
Amid the ruins of Dressrosa, hidden currents began to stir.
Marco quietly gathered Jozu, Vista, Izo, and the other core combat forces inside a concealed, abandoned building.
Even Blackbeard—who from the start had wanted to stir up trouble but hadn't dared to act because of Akira's presence—joined them as well.
"Zehahahaha… Captain Marco."
Blackbeard grinned with his toothless smile, his eyes brimming with greed and cunning.
"Looks like you couldn't hold it in any longer."
Marco shot him a cold glance but said nothing.
He didn't like this man—but in their current situation, one more bit of strength meant one more sliver of hope.
"Listen."
Marco lowered his voice and began laying out the plan.
"We move tonight."
"Jozu, you take a team and deal with the guards. Create as much chaos as possible!"
"Vista, you lead the men to the harbor and seize a ship! Even though the Moby Dick has been taken away, there are still merchant ships and transport vessels docked there!"
"Teach, you and I… we're heading to the medical center!"
"We'll… steal Oyaji out of there!"
Everyone exchanged looks. The same resolve burned in each of their eyes.
"Understood!!"
…
Midnight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Across Dressrosa, flashes of battle erupted almost simultaneously!
The division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates displayed the terrifying foundation of a true "Yonko-class" crew!
The rage they had suppressed for so long finally exploded all at once!
"Phoenix Brand!!"
Marco transformed into a blue-flamed phoenix. With a single flap of his wings, he charged forward and blew apart the gates of the medical center!
"Shining Impact!!"
Diamond Jozu became a humanoid tank, charging nonstop and smashing guards aside, sending them flying in every direction!
"Rose Rondo!!"
Vista the Flower Swordsman swung his twin blades, instantly carving a bloody path straight toward the harbor!
"What's going on?!"
"There's a prison break!!"
"Hurry and inform Young Master!!"
The "Mingo Construction Group" plunged into complete chaos.
Even though Doflamingo and Pica fought desperately—
Facing a group of "quasi-Emperors" and "commanders" who had held back their fury for far too long, while also having to split their attention to protect their so-called "assets," they simply couldn't hold on!
"Damn it!!"
Doflamingo was surrounded and attacked jointly by Marco and Teach. His sunglasses were knocked away, and he looked utterly disheveled.
"You think you can rebel?!"
"Once Lord Akira returns, he won't let you get away with this!!"
"Then let him come back and catch us himself!!"
"He already left—don't think we don't know that!"
Marco roared angrily and kicked Doflamingo straight into the rubble.
At the same time—
Pica was smashed by Jozu's overwhelming power. His massive stone form shattered instantly, and he collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
"Hurry!!"
"Oyaji has been rescued!!"
Several ship doctors pushed Whitebeard—still unconscious and hooked up to IV drips—out of the medical center.
"To the harbor!!"
Escorting Whitebeard, the group charged forward without obstruction, heading straight for the docks.
There, Vista had already seized a massive merchant ship that hadn't even had time to unload its cargo.
"Everyone aboard!!"
"Set sail, now!!"
As the mooring ropes were slashed apart, the merchant ship's engines let out a thunderous roar.
The vessel began to move, slowly leaving behind the harbor that had trapped them in despair and swallowed every humiliation they had endured.
The sea breeze swept across their faces, carrying with it the scent of freedom.
"At last…"
Jozu stared at the shrinking outline of Dressrosa. The burly man's eyes filled with tears of joy.
"At last… we escaped from that hell!!"
Everyone's faces lit up with overwhelming relief at surviving death.
Even Teach couldn't stop himself from laughing loudly.
"Zehahahaha! That Akira guy might be strong, but he's still an idiot with no brain!"
"Leaving so many of us behind and running off on his own!"
"That's what arrogance gets you!"
Marco looked at Oyaji, still unconscious. The massive weight that had been crushing his chest finally felt lifted.
"Let's go."
"We'll stop by Fish-Man Island first and let Oyaji recover there."
"Then we'll charge straight into Marineford and save Ace!"
…
However.
Just as their ship was about to enter the deep sea and fully leave Dressrosa's waters—
Splash——!!!!
The distant waves suddenly churned violently!
The disturbance was even more terrifying than the appearance of a Sea King!
"Hm?"
Marco froze for a moment and instinctively looked up.
Under the moonlight—
A gigantic shadow covered the surface of the sea.
It was a ship.
A colossal whale-shaped ship they knew all too well—etched into their very bones.
The Moby Dick.
It tore through the waves at a speed that made absolutely no sense according to the laws of hydrodynamics!
Like a colossal monster running wild atop the sea itself!
"That… that's…"
Marco's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints!
All cheers died instantly.
A deathly silence engulfed the entire merchant ship.
Clearly visible—
At the bow of the rapidly advancing Moby Dick stood the figure who had haunted their nightmares.
Akira.
He stood there with his arms crossed, his black coat whipping violently in the sea wind.
On his face was a smile that froze their souls—a mocking, taunting smile.
"Hey, all of you."
Akira's voice wasn't loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears.
"It's already this late at night."
"Where exactly do you think you're going?"
"!!!"
Every member of the Whitebeard Pirates felt their hearts stop!
He… he didn't leave?!
No—
He came back?!
"Damn it, this was a scouting trap!"
"He did it on purpose!"
"We were fooled!"
Amid gazes filled with terror and despair—
Boom!!
Akira leapt down from the Moby Dick!
While still in midair—
"Divine Manifestation Technique!!"
A low shout echoed.
His body began to expand with shocking madness!
Three meters!
Thirty meters!
One hundred meters!
Three hundred meters!
…
In the blink of an eye!
A colossal god-demon hundreds of meters tall, towering into the heavens and standing astride the sea, appeared before them!
The sheer visual impact left everyone gasping for breath!
BOOM!!!!
He landed heavily right in front of the small merchant ship!
The towering waves nearly capsized the vessel!
Splash…
Seawater streamed down his mountain-like body.
Akira lowered his head.
A pair of enormous eyes blazing with divine fire looked down at them—as if gazing upon a swarm of ants trying to flee—staring at the trembling figures aboard the ship.
"Ck ck ck."
Akira's voice boomed like thunder, shaking everyone's eardrums until they ached.
"Just a single piece of fake news about me leaving…"
"And you all got this excited?"
The corner of Akira's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"So eager to run away?"
"Do you have any idea how much money you have to pay for leaving without permission?"
"..."
Despair.
Suffocating despair wrapped around everyone.
Marco's hands and feet went ice-cold, the phoenix flames in his grasp extinguishing.
He knew it—
It was over.
Everything was over.
This had been a trap.
A trap set specifically to test them—and to utterly crush their hope!
"Looks like it."
Akira slowly extended one gigantic hand. That palm was large enough to swallow the entire merchant ship whole.
"So the lesson last time still wasn't deep enough, huh?"
"Congratulations,"
Akira whispered in a demonic voice.
"This time—"
"You've been caught by me… for the 'second' time."
His fingers slowly closed around the ship's railing.
"As punishment…"
"Your debt…"
"Will be doubled once again."
"And your term of service under me…"
Akira grinned wide, revealing chillingly white teeth.
"Will be extended to one hundred years!!!"
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