"What the hell?! What's going on?! Isn't that Rayleigh? Did Vir and the others get attacked?!"
"Rayleigh's speed is so fast, it's like someone kicked him in the face!"
"Who the hell has such a grudge against Rayleigh?! That fall was no joke!"
"Hurry, hurry! If Vir sent him here, there's gotta be a reason! We gotta pull him out!"
Marco analyzed quickly.
But once he finished speaking, he realized—
Uh... it looks like there isn't anyone on board who can go into the water.
Rayleigh likes swimming.
A little water probably won't hurt...
Marco and Rayleigh were old acquaintances.
Back in the day, their crews used to clash all the time.
The old man had even taught him a thing or two.
"He looks seriously injured! What if he dies?!" Yamato said with a doubtful look.
Just a moment ago, the two of them had seen clearly.
"Tsk—that's actually possible! What do we do?! We can't get in the water!"
Marco looked worried.
"What if... we blast the sea with a big attack? Maybe we can launch Rayleigh back up?"
Yamato suggested with complete seriousness.
"That... might actually work!" Marco agreed.
And just like that, the two of them got into position, ready to unleash a massive attack—
To blow Rayleigh out of the water.
Operation: Shockwave.
Yamato transformed into her Mythical Zoan: Okuchi no Makami form.
Marco flared up in his Phoenix flames.
Neither of them noticed that Vir had already swapped places with Merry and was now standing right behind them.
And seeing the deadly serious looks on their faces as they charged up their attacks...
Did he owe them money? Eat their food?
What kind of grudge was this?!
Falling into the water and blasting him back up with a shockwave?
What sane person comes up with that?!
(Marco: Hey, as long as he comes up, right?)
Okay, okay... congratulations on getting out of the mental hospital.
That's a brilliant idea.
It would definitely bring the body back up.
It might even still be warm.
By then, the two had already unleashed their attacks.
Seriously, these two idiots are REALLY trying to kill him, huh?!
He quickly opened a spatial door beneath Rayleigh in the water, barely managing to save the poor old man.
Their attacks slammed into the sea.
A massive chunk of the sea water just vanished.
Two pirates with over a billion berries on their heads unloading full-powered attacks—this kind of damage was nothing unusual.
Robin and Chopper stared at the aftermath: a giant, hollowed-out section of sea, at least 200 meters across and 150 meters deep.
Their faces were frozen in shock.
The two idiots had made such a ruckus charging up, that their warnings had been completely ignored.
Now, seeing this overwhelming destructive power... this absurd level of strength... they were stunned.
Was this what it meant to be a pirate with a bounty over a billion?
This strength was terrifying...
Even the sea—it wasn't just disturbed. It got erased.
And wait... Vir's bounty was over a billion too. Did that mean... he could do something like that as well?
Chopper: 'BIG BRO!!! THAT'S SOOOOO COOL!!!'
Robin: 'I never realized... he was already this strong?'
"Hsss~~~ crap! Wait! Something's wrong! The water didn't splash—it just vanished!"
Marco finally snapped out of it.
Marco's face went pale.
He finally realized just how insane this whole thing was.
Why... why did he even listen to this lunatic next to him?
Where the hell was his brain just now?
Memories of Rayleigh flashed through his mind.
"OLD MAN RAYLEIGH!!!"
Marco shouted at the top of his lungs.
He couldn't hold it in anymore.
"RAYLEIGH—!! WAAAAAH—!! (voice breaking)"
Marco howled at the sky.
His voice was full of grief, his throat ripped raw, and the sheer emotion behind it—
Everyone could feel Marco's sorrow.
From the back, Vir watched Marco cry his heart out, utterly deadpan.
Marco crying over Rayleigh...
Vir had to hand it to him—Marco really knew how to put on a show.
He finally couldn't take it anymore. He walked up behind Marco and kicked him square in the butt.
"Quit crying, dumbass! Rayleigh's right behind you!"
"First, you blast him with an attack, then start wailing like a widow—what are you even doing?!"
"If I were Rayleigh, I'd wake up just to punch you twice!"
Marco stumbled from the kick, still sniffling.
This guy was hopeless.
Was there anyone normal in the Whitebeard Pirates?
Could it be Whitebeard's influence?
No way the old man was this ridiculous.
This was just the next generation outdoing the last.
After taking that kick, Marco jumped in surprise.
Then, slowly turned around as he recognized the voice.
Everyone else turned as well—and they were all startled.
Vir was kinda confused too.
He'd been standing there for a while already.
He could understand Robin and Chopper missing him.
One uses Observation Haki to predict Jozu's movements.
The other uses it to figure out how to kill Kaido.
"Vir?! When did you get here?!" Yamato gasped.
"Big Bro!!" Chopper leaped at him—
But this time, Vir blocked him mid-air.
He plopped Chopper onto his head instead.
"If you wipe your nose on my hair again, I'll slap your fuzzy face into next week!"
Chopper didn't even flinch.
Eat when it's time to eat, cling when it's time to cling!
Still, he was just happy this time. No tears yet.
"Neither of you sensed me? Your Observation Haki only works when sneaking into women's baths now?"
Vir looked like a disappointed dad.
Marco and Yamato were visibly ashamed.
But the truth was—they really hadn't noticed him.
A thought struck him.
Wait... they actually couldn't sense him?
Does "Position Swap" have a hidden function?!