Without the slightest hesitation, the Vice Admirals charged straight toward Marco and Vista, their overwhelming presence threatening to swallow everything in their path.
Originally, the mid-level fighters on both sides should have remained relatively balanced.
But the Marines' ruthless decision to sacrifice part of their own lifespans shattered that fragile equilibrium in an instant.
Like a chain of falling dominoes, the entire battle suddenly became even bloodier and far more unpredictable.
The thick smell of blood hung over the battlefield, while the shadow of death loomed above everyone.
No one knew what the next moment would bring.
...
Vice Admiral Momonga had survived countless battles throughout his career and earned both status and respect within the Marines.
Yet now, he could genuinely feel the humiliation of being looked down upon cutting into him like a blade.
That humiliation burned like fire inside his chest, sharpening his gaze until it seemed capable of piercing anything before him.
Without hesitation, Momonga reached out and took hold of the dangerous vial filled with dark liquid.
The serum promised unimaginable power.
It also demanded a terrible price.
As he brought the vial to his lips, he could clearly feel the strange and ominous presence radiating from within it.
Momonga drew a deep breath.
Then he drank the entire vial.
In an instant, the serum erupted through his body like boiling magma.
The heat spread rapidly through every limb, seemingly igniting every drop of blood in his veins.
Then an immense, freezing darkness burst from deep within him.
Like some ancient beast awakening from its slumber, the black energy raced through his body before seeping outward and coiling around him.
A faint black mist gradually enveloped his entire figure.
His once-clear eyes underwent an even more dramatic transformation.
They turned completely black.
Bottomless.
As though capable of swallowing everything in the world.
"Marco! Today I'll use the Phoenix himself to mark our victory!"
Momonga released a low roar filled with fury.
His voice rolled across the air like distant thunder.
The famous sword at his waist flashed from its sheath.
Strangely, a faint layer of darkness now clung to the blade as well, seemingly devouring the surrounding light and making the weapon appear even more sinister.
Momonga stomped against the air and used Moonwalk.
His body shot forward like lightning.
Without waiting for Marco to come to him, he charged directly toward the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—
Marco the Phoenix.
At that moment, Marco had just slammed a Marine officer away with one of his blue-flame-covered wings.
He was about to catch his breath when a strange and dangerous presence suddenly locked onto him.
Marco frowned and immediately turned his head.
Momonga was already upon him.
His eyes were pitch black, his sword raised to strike.
More importantly, the darkness coating that blade caused the power of Marco's Phoenix Fruit to recoil instinctively.
Marco's expression sharpened.
This opponent was nothing like an ordinary Vice Admiral.
"Black Vortex!"
Momonga wasted no words.
He surged forward like a streak of darkness and suddenly thrust out his left palm.
A terrifying black vortex formed in its center.
It produced an overwhelming gravitational pull—
A recreation of one of the Dark-Dark Fruit's most dangerous techniques.
Black Vortex.
An ability capable of forcibly dragging Devil Fruit users toward its wielder.
Marco immediately felt an irresistible force seize his entire body like an invisible hand rising from the depths of hell.
His face turned grave.
He beat his blazing blue wings, attempting to stabilize himself.
But to his shock, the strange gravitational field interfered heavily with his Phoenix Fruit's power.
His normally effortless flight became unstable.
It was as though invisible chains had wrapped around his body.
No matter how hard he fought against it, he was dragged rapidly toward Momonga's waiting palm.
"Damn it! That's the Dark-Dark Fruit's power!"
Anger and alarm flashed through Marco's eyes.
He immediately understood the Marines' trump card.
If Momonga's hand actually touched him, the consequences would be severe.
The Phoenix Fruit's abilities would be suppressed.
His transformation would fail.
Even the regenerative flames that granted him his extraordinary healing power would disappear.
At that point, he would be left relying entirely on his own body and Haki while standing directly in front of an armed Vice Admiral.
Marco could not allow that to happen.
Years of combat experience allowed him to make the correct decision immediately.
'Then I'll have to fight him up close—and make damn sure he never touches me!'
Marco twisted his body by force.
He concentrated his strength beneath his feet.
Blue flames erupted violently like a volcano, creating enough opposing thrust to partially counter the terrifying pull of the darkness.
At the same time, dense Armament Haki rapidly covered both of his fists.
Black energy swirled around his arms.
Marco stopped relying on the mobility granted by his Phoenix Fruit.
Instead, he drew upon his martial skill and powerful Haki.
Like a fearless lion charging into danger, he threw himself directly toward Momonga's gleaming blade.
Bang!
The collision exploded like a thunderclap.
Marco's Haki-coated fist came forward like a blazing war hammer, carrying unstoppable momentum.
...
The blade in Momonga's hand, now wrapped in dark energy, resembled the scythe of a death god drawn from the deepest abyss.
It radiated a chilling presence as it met Marco's Haki-coated fist head-on.
CLANG—!
A sharp metallic crash tore through the battlefield.
The impact seemed powerful enough to shred the surrounding air, sending a violent shock wave outward and throwing dust and shattered stone in every direction.
After their first collision, both men were thrown backward like compressed springs suddenly released.
Then, almost immediately, they surged toward each other again like meteors cutting across the night sky, carrying all their strength and resolve into another brutal clash.
Every impact sent visible ripples of energy rolling through the air.
Marco's entire fighting style had changed.
He had decisively abandoned his usual approach.
Normally, he would exploit the Phoenix Fruit's extraordinary abilities to dart freely around the battlefield like a swallow, or simply endure attacks with his regenerative body before looking for the perfect opportunity to counter.
Now, however, he pushed his Observation Haki to its absolute limit.
His concentration sharpened, and every one of his senses became extraordinarily acute.
He could clearly read every subtle movement Momonga made, accurately predicting each incoming slash and even sensing the powerful attraction created by the mysterious Black Vortex.
Marco's feet moved with a precise rhythm.
Sometimes he slipped lightly aside.
Sometimes he planted himself firmly and blocked.
One by one, he neutralized Momonga's attacks.
At the same time, his gaze remained fixed upon every opening his opponent revealed, waiting for even the briefest opportunity to counter with overwhelming force.
Every move had to be calculated carefully.
Precision mattered more than ever.
In a battle this intense, the margin for error had become almost nonexistent. One minor mistake could lead directly to disaster.
"Tch… What a pain."
Momonga frowned.
He had originally believed that the Dark-Dark Fruit's unusual powers would allow him to suppress Marco with ease.
Reality had proven otherwise.
The Phoenix had immediately recognized the danger and willingly abandoned the greatest advantages of his own Devil Fruit, switching almost entirely to martial arts and Haki instead.
And his skill in both was far beyond what Momonga had expected.
For the moment, neither man could gain a decisive advantage.
They exchanged blow after blow, refusing to yield as the battle settled into a tense deadlock.
Marco's eyes remained wide and sharp, fixed upon his opponent like those of a hunting hawk.
He did not allow himself even the slightest lapse in concentration.
'Can't get careless… I'll have to take this fight seriously.'
On this deadly battlefield, Marco resembled a master dancer performing on the edge of a blade.
Every movement carried danger.
Every step demanded absolute precision.
He had to remain constantly alert for that deadly touch of darkness, knowing that one mistake could suppress his Phoenix powers completely.
At the same time, he had to search relentlessly for the one opening that would allow him to defeat Momonga.
The confrontation had already gone far beyond a simple contest of strength.
It had become a supreme battle of willpower, Haki, and technique.
Both fighters were pushing themselves to their limits, determined to survive and claim victory.
...
While Marco and Vice Admiral Momonga remained trapped in their intense battle of restricted abilities, another very different yet equally dangerous confrontation began beneath the war-torn sky.
On one side stood the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fifth Division—
Flower Sword Vista.
He stood tall and composed, his signature clothing fluttering in the wind while his twin swords rested at his sides.
Their blades gleamed with cold light like stars in the night sky.
A calm and confident presence radiated from him, immediately drawing attention.
His opponent was another elite Marine—
Vice Admiral Strawberry.
Strawberry was no ordinary officer.
He too was one of the Vice Admirals who had consumed the third-generation Super Green Blood serum.
His eyes had become completely black, resembling deep holes with no trace of light inside them.
Faint waves of darkness radiated from his body and spread slowly outward, filling the surrounding area with an oppressive presence.
The long sword gripped tightly in his hand was normally nothing more than cold steel.
Now, however, an ominous shadow coiled around its blade.
The darkness seemed almost alive as it crawled along the metal, occasionally flashing with eerie light.
Strawberry had always been renowned for his exceptional swordsmanship.
With the enhancement provided by the third-generation Super Green Blood serum, his aura had become even colder and sharper.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze beneath that chilling presence, every breath feeling like inhaling winter frost.
He slowly raised his head and locked his gaze upon Vista.
A contemptuous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph. Flower Sword Vista… I've wanted to test that two-sword style of yours for a long time."
Strawberry's voice was icy enough to seem carried from the depths of hell.
Before the words had completely faded, his figure flashed and disappeared.
An unusual arc suddenly appeared through the air—
The path carved by his sword.
More surprisingly, before the blade had even reached Vista, a faint gravitational pull created by the simulated Dark-Dark Fruit power had already begun affecting him.
The invisible force tugged at Vista's body, attempting to disturb his balance just before the attack arrived.
"As you wish!"
Vista laughed heartily.
His booming voice rang through the tense battlefield.
Despite facing such a dangerous opponent, there was no fear or hesitation in his eyes.
Only excitement.
It burned brightly within them like flame, as though the powerful enemy before him were not a threat at all—
But the perfect opportunity to sharpen his sword.
...