Reborn as Marco phoenix after loss to Blackbeard Pirates

"Poof!"

Suddenly, the poisonous Q, who had been retreating continuously, reached his sickly thin horse. A cruel expression spread across his face.

What happened next was beyond shocking.

Without hesitation, he plunged his hand, ablaze with the eerie blue flames of the Immortal Phoenix, straight into the thin horse's stomach!

"Om~!"

The skinny horse let out a terrifying, unnatural scream as its frail body shuddered.

Rumble!

It collapsed, lifeless.

The flame that had been burning in Poison Q's hand, unable to be extinguished before, finally flickered out. However, his hand had already been reduced to nothing but white bones, fully exposed.

The sight was horrifying, and Poison Q's face twisted with even more malice, his features distorted in agony.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Marco's wound, inflicted by Poison Q's venomous slash, healed completely under the power of his regenerative flames. He was perfectly fine, as though nothing had happened.

The crowd erupted in disbelief once again.

They knew the terrifying reputation of Poison Q. After all, the Fire Knight—who had a bounty of over 800 million—was poisoned to death with just a single stab from Poison Q. His body had corroded away, and even the pirates who had tried to help him had their hands melted by the poison!

What a terrifying poison!

But Marco had been struck dozens of times by that same venomous slash.

And the result?

He was completely unharmed.

The poison had no effect on Marco whatsoever.

"The Immortal Phoenix's abilities completely counteract Poison Q's!"

Though nobody knew exactly what kind of Devil Fruit Poison Q had eaten, it was clear from the battle that his fruit's abilities were completely neutralized by Marco's Immortal Phoenix powers.

Bacchus Choate and Poison Q had teamed up, yet Marco blasted them both away—singlehandedly and with just one move.

Everyone was stunned.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield...

Katerina Devon, who had been frozen by Kuzan, shattered into pieces. The two immediately clashed again, and in the end, Katerina was overwhelmed. She was pierced straight through by Kuzan's "Two-Spined Spear" and sent flying.

With Katerina, Bacchus Choate, and Poison Q all injured, the three quickly regrouped.

"Kuzan, do you understand the consequences of attacking us?" Katerina Devon snarled, her body soaked in blood, two gruesome holes pierced through her by Kuzan's attack.

Though the three had trusted Kuzan to some degree, they had never imagined that he would side with Marco and turn against them. The betrayal was incomprehensible to them.

Kuzan remained silent.

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.

His actions had made his position clear.

"Leave these three to me," Marco said, unusually calm.

"Fine," Kuzan replied, even more composed than usual. Though inwardly surprised, he couldn't believe that Marco was planning to take on all three of Blackbeard's commanders by himself. After all, their strength was formidable, and their methods even more so.

Especially Poison Q, known as the Grim Reaper by many for his cruel, poisonous ways. Once he made a move, his opponents were as good as dead.

Though surprised, Kuzan didn't hesitate to withdraw. He knew Marco well enough to trust his judgment. Marco wouldn't take on a fight he wasn't sure of.

Since Marco was so confident, he must have a plan.

"Is he really leaving?"

Many pirates observing from a distance were shocked. They had expected Kuzan to team up with Marco and take down Katerina Devon and the others before departing. But to their disbelief, Kuzan retreated at this crucial moment.

"Could it be... Marco really intends to fight all three of them on his own?!"

"Impossible, right?"

Many found it hard to believe.

After all, these were the three commanders of the Blackbeard Pirates, each monstrously powerful. Even the Fire Knight, with a bounty exceeding 800 million, had been helpless against Poison Q alone.

Earlier, Marco had fought two of them at once and blasted Poison Q and Vasco Shot into the air.

But now... it was three of them!

Adding the Catrina to the mix completely changed the dynamic.

And besides, knocking someone away and killing them are two very different things.

"Taking on three of them at once? That's insane."

Rumble!

As Vasco Shot words fell, he was the first to charge at Marco!

Having been punched by Marco and sent crashing into the town earlier, his rage boiled over.

As Vasco charged, his massive frame caused the ground to tremble, and the wind whipped around him like a hurricane.

Right behind him, Poison Q and the Catrina attacked as well.

Three top pirates from the New World, all attacking at once, their killing intent monstrous.

Rumble~!!

Just as the three closed in, flames erupted beneath Marco's feet in a sudden blaze of fury.

In the blink of an eye, the ground for over a thousand meters around was engulfed in a sea of fire. The flames roared like ocean waves, and everything—houses, trees, and anything else in the vicinity—was swallowed up, sinking into the fiery abyss.

It was as though the very ground was being buried under an ocean of fire.

Funeral of Flames!

The roaring flames consumed everything in their path.

This was purgatory, the blazing abyss of flames!

Vasco shot and the others were already within the range of the firestorm.

In mere moments, Vasco could feel the relentless flames searing at his feet, and with every step, it was as though he was sinking further into the fiery depths!

It felt like being trapped in quicksand, or worse, a burning purgatory that scorched him alive!

This sensation was like being buried alive in flames.

Poison Q and Katerina Devon felt the same terrifying heat.

The flames filled them with dread!

They didn't have the awakened Devil Fruit powers of someone like Katakuri, who could resist the unrelenting assault of the flames.

"Kill!"

But they were commanders of the Blackbeard Pirates, fierce and decisive.

Without hesitation, upon realizing the terrifying strength of Marco's flames, they made the smartest choice.

As they neared Marco, all three of them leapt into the air, breaking free from the sea of fire below, and launched themselves at Marco with a roar, attacking him simultaneously!