The sheer potency of the effect made Vir suck in a cold breath.
He actually had to eat it?
Stewing it and eating it... Didn’t seem that unreasonable.
And it was just the soul form being eaten, anyway.
It wasn’t like it was completely unacceptable.
The key point was that eating it actually granted damage immunity.
And that was ridiculously strong.
Stack it high enough, and the tankiness would be no joke.
Stack it to 100%, and he’d be outright invincible.
One hundred percent damage immunity—how would they even fight that?
[Ding! Damage immunity cap is 60%.]
Maybe even the system couldn’t stand it anymore.
It outright jumped out and shattered Vir’s beautiful delusion.
Still, even if 100% was off the table, 60% was nothing to scoff at.
In that case, he’d have to stab less.
Otherwise, if the wounds all healed, where would he get more to stack?
Meanwhile, the spectators who had witnessed the entire scene were, frankly... completely dumbfounded.
The Marines truly hadn’t expected this guy to be so ruthless.
Such a massive battlefield, with Whitebeard himself watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, and a horde of pirates desperate to kill him.
Yet, despite all that, this guy—who wasn’t even that strong—still dared to keep stabbing?
One stab wasn’t enough—he was only getting fiercer with each thrust!
Just how deep did his grudge against Marco run?!
Aokiji furrowed his brows. Kizaru wore a sleazy smirk.
Garp and Sengoku had complicated expressions.
But Akainu... on his remaining half of a face, there was genuine admiration!
’This is the new generation of the Marines!’
’The Marines will absolutely have a place for him in the future!’
A wave of magma surged forth, instantly incinerating the furious pirates in front of Vir.
Then, Akainu turned to Vir and flashed him a terrifying grin.
He even gave him an approving nod.
The message was clear: He’s all yours.
Vir blinked in surprise.
Alright, that actually made sense.
On the other side, the pirates who had witnessed "Chiba" stabbing Marco relentlessly while Marco desperately covered his mouth—
Everyone on the Moby Dick immediately understood what was happening.
Back when Vir had treated Shiki, they had all witnessed the full screaming spectacle.
It wasn’t just similar—it was identical.
Oh, so that guy was Vir.
Now Marco was definitely saved.
As for Whitebeard, he saw through everything with crystal clarity.
He was inwardly delighted, but he couldn’t let it show.
They had to keep up the act. Whatever this kid was doing, he had to play along.
With him here, they could go all out now!
Retreat? With him around, the outcome wouldn’t be bad no matter what.
"Everyone! Push toward the execution platform! Cover that straw-hat kid! The commanders will handle Marco’s rescue!"
Whitebeard’s booming voice reignited the chaotic battlefield!
A chorus of roars answered him, and soon, Luffy had plenty of allies at his side.
But as for the commanders...
On the surface, they seemed frantic.
Yet also... not quite.
Jozu even bellowed, "I’ll help you!"
Then, he immediately launched a Diamond Dash—
Straight in the opposite direction.
He charged headfirst toward Ace’s position instead.
Chaton, who was blocking the path to Marco, nearly choked in disbelief.
’How do you mess up this badly?!’
’You can’t possibly be this nearsighted, right?!’
’Even if your sense of direction is bad, it can’t be this bad!!’
Meanwhile, Vir was still stabbing Marco.
His current goal was to make Marco scream.
But this guy was stubbornly holding it in.
Refusing to make a single sound.
Only screams would generate large amounts of negative points.
Yet Marco was determined to die before letting out a peep.
Left with no choice, Vir switched up his technique.
Now, he was stabbing, slashing, twisting, and flicking the blade.
The moment his technique changed, Marco—who had been enduring silently—instantly froze.
Gritting his teeth, he slowly turned his head.
If looks could kill, Vir would’ve been dead at least seven times over.
’Seriously... was this necessary?!’
’Weren’t we supposed to be brothers for life?! And this is how you treat your bro?!’
Vir had never shown Shiki these upgraded techniques!
He pulled out the deluxe combo pack.
"Bro! I’m doing this out of love! Soft techniques don’t hit deep enough! Heavy techniques—instant results! Don’t take your blessings for granted! Watch your bro make you reach heaven on the spot!"
Vir transmitted the message directly into Marco’s mind using Observation Haki.
Yeah, high-level Observation Haki had weird tricks like that now.
Hearing this, Marco’s face stretched longer than a horse’s.
’Can you just stop for one second?! Just one!’
’Let me kneel and thank you, alright?! I’m begging you!’
’Otherwise, I won’t be able to express my gratitude!’
’I owe you too much! Might as well kill you to settle the score!’
No matter how hard Marco resisted, some sensations just couldn’t be held back.
Every man knew this truth.
Now, with half his face charred black and the other half glowing red like a ripe tomato, Marco finally—
It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming—
Can’t hold it anymore!
Marco screamed inwardly—
"AOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!!"
The bizarre sound instantly echoed across the battlefield.
Once again, the battlefield fell into dead silence.
Countless eyes locked onto the source of the noise.
Their gazes filled with bewilderment and confusion.
Even the Den Den Mushi cameras instantly zoomed in on Marco.
Closer. Closer. Closer.
If Rayleigh were here,
He’d absolutely shove a microphone in Marco’s face and ask:
"Marco-san, how do you feel about that scream just now?"
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