"Just now! Did someone... climax?!"
"Was that Marco? Did he just let out a super excited scream?"
"Why are you sugarcoating it? He definitely climaxed, right?"
The Marines were buzzing with chatter.
Meanwhile, the pirates, led by Whitebeard, were already moving into action.
Whitebeard’s roar was filled with grief and fury!
A single devastating slash forced the two men in front of him to retreat!
He took a step forward, ready to charge toward the commotion—
But how could he possibly get his way?
Or rather, he never intended to.
Facing off against Garp, Sengoku, and Akainu simultaneously—even for him—was no easy feat.
Yet, the rage and desperation on his face only grew more intense.
Seeing this, the Whitebeard Pirates immediately understood.
"Old Marco! Damn it! They killed my Marco!"
"Damn it! That’s MY Marco!!"
"Bastards! Get out of my way! Marco!!"
"Marco!! I’ll kill your sorry asses!"
"My Marco! My Marco! Agh! What are you doing?! Save him! Hurry! Old Marco can’t hold on!"
A chorus of "Marco"s echoed non-stop, wave after wave.
Even the Marines who were joking earlier fell silent.
The enemy’s panicking—he’s clearly dying!
"Stop them! Don’t let them harm that kid!"
Akainu shouted, the corners of his lips curling slightly.
Taking out one of their top fighters first would deal a massive blow to the pirates’ morale!
As long as they kept that kid alive, their own side’s fighting spirit would soar!
The entire plaza could now be summed up in words:
"Whitebeard Pirates Mourn Their Marco."
"Little Marco! Don’t die on me, little Marco!"
From a distance, the raspy voice of Golden Lion rang out.
Though his words begged Marco not to die, deep down, he was practically praying for the opposite.
The endless cries finally made Marco himself lower his head in defeat.
Marco: Already dead. Do not disturb.
That delicate cry also made Jina widen her eyes in shock.
At first, seeing Marco get impaled had nearly shattered her heart.
But as time passed, she began to sense something... off.
That swordsman... Why did he seem so familiar?
Hadn’t she seen this exact scene not long ago?
Frowning in suspicion, Jina kept watching.
She was almost certain now.
Marco’s flushed face was way too convincing.
And then, that scream—finally confirming her suspicions.
He had actually appeared.
Which meant... he was treating Marco right now?
As a doctor herself, Jina found it hard to believe.
But to perform treatment right under the enemy’s nose... That was... impressive.
Look at that—his technique could easily be mistaken for murder.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 500,000 negative points!]
The system’s voice made Vir grin even wider.
To outsiders, though, it looked like the triumphant smile of vengeance fulfilled.
"That Chiba kid! He actually killed Marco! His life force is fading fast!"
"I always knew Chiba had potential! Just like his sister, Gion—never underestimate him!"
"Don’t stop now! Finish him off! Go, Chiba!"
"How many stabs was that? At least a hundred, right? Damn... Brutal!"
"Who’s calling him ’Chiba’ now? From today, it’s Sir Chiba! With this achievement, he might even make Rear Admiral soon!"
Quite a few Marines knew Chiba, and their cheers and discussions kept rising.
500,000 negative points, plus a thoroughly embarrassed Marco.
The psychological trauma was pretty much guaranteed now.
Next up—a nice, big stew.
Whether Marco could handle it was another question entirely.
Fortunately, Vir had plenty of burn-healing medicine on hand.
No need to worry about supplies.
Time to start cooking.
Only one problem remained—
How could he pull out a giant pot without raising suspicion?
Vir’s mind raced, and soon, he had an idea.
Suddenly, he bellowed:
"Huh?! You sneaky bastard! Hiding weapons on you?! Good thing I noticed! Hand it over!"
"Not moving? Fine! I’ll take it myself!"
With that, Vir reached straight for Marco’s crotch.
The entire battlefield froze in confusion.
The Marines were baffled.
Since when did Marco have hidden weapons?
He’d fought Akainu for so long without using any!
And even if Chiba was searching for weapons—
Why the hell was his hand going there?
Were weapons even stored in that area?
What kind of joke was this?!
Sure, everyone knew Chiba was a little... unconventional.
He often did things normal people couldn’t comprehend.
Especially after that guy Vir started making waves—Chiba had gotten even wilder.
Weapons? In his pants?
The Whitebeard Pirates were even more lost.
Marco brought hidden weapons? He never mentioned that!
Didn’t seem like him. Was Vir just screwing around again?
An involuntary chill ran down their spines.
This guy... was definitely up to no good.
Poor Marco was in for even more suffering.
Marco himself was instantly thrown into confusion.
Playing dead, he couldn’t help but twitch.
’Shouldn’t my role be over by now?!’
’Weapons?! What weapons?!’
’Unless that counts as a weapon—then yeah, I guess I’m always armed.’
’But that’s not a damn weapon!’
’Was all that earlier just the warm-up?’
’Why does it feel guy’s only now getting started?!’
’What do I do? What do I do?!’
’This is gonna be rough.’
If he’d known, he’d have just died for real from the start. Why’d he play along?
He never expected Vir to treat him right in the middle of the battlefield, in front of everyone.
’You really went all out for me.’
’You really didn’t want me to die.’
’I really didn’t see this coming.’
Marco was filled with regret.
But now, there was no stopping it.
Vir’s hand had barely gone in when—
he started pulling something out.
At first, everyone—including Marco—assumed nothing would come of it.
A pot handle emerged.
Marco nearly jumped in shock!
’Since when was that thing in my pants?!’
’I don’t remember my little bird bringing anything back with it!’
But as Vir kept tugging—
Marco, still pretending to be dead, widened his eyes to their absolute limit.
His face was the picture of shattered disbelief.
’There’s a freaking pot in my pants?!’
"HOLY CRAP! Was Marco planning to eat his own bird or something?!"
Vista yelled in shock.
"No! He was protecting it! A phoenix shielding its chick! Makes perfect sense!"
Jozu immediately countered.
And his explanation did sound more plausible.
What a way to protect the bird.
A pot three or four meters tall just to guard it?
You think you’re that big?
Everyone was stunned.
"A pot, huh? Perfect. I’ve always wanted to taste phoenix meat..."
Vir mused, stroking his chin with a devious grin.
Marco: ...It’s over. I get it. I understand everything now. It all makes sense.