"This bastard—don't you dare insult Pops!" Jozu roared, fury exploding in his eyes. Just looking at Edward Weevil's snot-smeared face made his skin crawl. It wasn't just that Weevil looked nothing like Whitebeard—he didn't even seem humanly intelligent.
No—he looked like a complete idiot.
Marco's gaze shifted past Weevil and locked onto Miss Bakkin, his eyes icy and merciless.
"You're Buckingham Stussy, aren't you?" he said coldly. "Tell me—what exactly is this thing? Did you create him using cloning technology?"
Marco had long suspected it. In the original history, Bakkin had insisted again and again that Edward Weevil was Whitebeard's son. On top of that, she had once been part of MADS, the infamous research group led by Vegapunk. The possibility was obvious.
A failed clone.
"A clone?"
"You're saying this guy is a clone of Pops?"
"No wonder he feels… a little similar."
"Bullshit! How is this idiot similar to Pops?!"
"Look at him! That stupid face—how could he compare to the Old Man?!"
The captains erupted in shock and outrage.
Yes, some of them had felt a vague resemblance at first—but the idea of equating this grotesque fool with the towering figure of Whitebeard was utterly unacceptable.
Miss Bakkin stiffened, her eyes widening.
"How did you—"
That single reaction was enough.
Marco no longer had any doubts.
Realizing she had slipped, Miss Bakkin immediately changed tactics, putting on the air of an elder.
"Well, well… I didn't expect you to remember me, Marco."
The others froze.
"You know this old hag?" Vista asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Marco replied calmly. "I saw her a few times back when Pops was still sailing with the Rocks Pirates."
His memory was hazy—he had been young back then, newly taken in by Whitebeard—but some things had left an impression.
The crew sucked in sharp breaths.
"She was part of the Rocks Pirates?"
"Then does that mean she really—"
They instinctively glanced from the image of the majestic Whitebeard in their minds… to the short, wrinkled woman before them.
A chill ran through them.
Marco spoke again, his voice sharp and final.
"I don't know the full details. But back then, she clung to Pops like a leech—never leaving his side. Now it's clear why. She was after his genes."
He stepped forward, flames faintly flickering around him.
"I'm not interested in digging up the past. I'm here for one reason only—to demand justice for the brothers you murdered."
Miss Bakkin's plan to manipulate them collapsed instantly. Surrounded by more than a dozen commanders, panic flashed across her face.
She shrieked, clutching Weevil protectively.
"What are you trying to do to my Weevil?! He's Whitebeard's biological son! Are you really going to kill Whitebeard's only bloodline?!"
For a brief moment, hesitation flickered among the crew.
But Marco crushed it without mercy.
"Enough lies," he declared. "This idiot is nothing more than a defective clone you created after stealing Pops' genes. His very existence is the greatest insult to Whitebeard."
That was the final spark.
The commanders erupted in righteous fury.
"That's right!"
"You dare use Pops' genes to create this abomination?!"
"Unforgivable!"
"Pops just passed away, and you come here to steal his legacy?!"
"We are Pops' real family!"
Their killing intent surged.
Marco didn't give Miss Bakkin a chance to argue. His voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"You deal with Bakkin. I'll handle Weevil."
The moment the words left his mouth, blue flames erupted from his body. Marco transformed instantly into his Human–Beast form and shot forward like a comet, locking onto Weevil.
Miss Bakkin shrieked and leapt onto Weevil's shoulder.
"Weevil, retreat! Now!"
"O-Okay, Mom!" Weevil panicked and turned to flee.
"After slaughtering so many of our comrades, you think you can just run?" Ace's voice thundered. Flames surged as he unleashed Flame Net, cutting off Weevil's escape route in a blazing wall of fire.
At the same instant, Marco caught up.
"Phoenix Seal—!"
Before Weevil could even react, Marco's kick slammed brutally into his oversized face. The impact sent Weevil hurtling through the air, smashing through several houses before crashing into the ruins beyond.
Thankfully, the island had already been evacuated under Marco's orders. Now, only Marco and the fourteen commanders remained—this was an execution, not a battle.
In the original timeline, Weevil had butchered more than a dozen pirate crews under Whitebeard's banner. Now that Marco had inherited that banner, there was no way he would allow such a monster to continue existing.
"Gah—damn it, that hurts!" Weevil staggered to his feet, blood pouring from his nose, his eyes bulging with madness. Veins bulged across his face as he roared, "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"
Marco's expression remained cold and unyielding.
"Then come."
The two charged at each other.
Weevil raised his massive naginata—an imitation of Murakumogiri—and brought it crashing down. Marco met it head-on. Armament Haki surged around his arms as he clasped his hands together and caught the blade barehanded.
"Die, bastard! I'll cleave you in two!" Weevil howled.
An overwhelming force crashed down on Marco.
His eyes narrowed.
'This strength…'
Marco was genuinely surprised. His Strength stat had already surpassed ten thousand—yet Weevil's raw power was even greater.
But Marco didn't yield.
"This level of strength is nowhere near Akainu's!" Marco roared back.
His Armament Haki flared violently, surging outward. The pressure intensified—then cracks began to spread across Weevil's blade.
The fractures widened.
"Ping!"
With a sharp, ringing snap, Marco flooded the weapon with overwhelming Armament Haki, shattering the greatsword into countless fragments.
"What—?!" Weevil froze in disbelief.
In the distance, Miss Bakkin—already restrained by Jozu—stared in horror.
Marco straightened, a faint sneer curling his lips as he felt his power steadily rising.
"In terms of brute strength, you might be slightly stronger than me," he said coldly.
"But that's all you have."
His eyes hardened.
"Your Haki is trash."
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