Imu had no idea how Marco had grown so strong so quickly, but that speed alone put him on edge. If this man wasn't dealt with soon, he would become a terrifying threat in the future.
Marco, on the other hand, had no clue what Imu was thinking—and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. His attention was fixed on the ancient robot, Emit. He quickly located the rope embedded in the machine's body. As long as he undid this knot, the Conqueror's Haki Joy Boy had sealed inside it eight hundred years ago would be released.
Marco gripped the end of the rope that protruded from Emit, while the rest disappeared into the robot's interior. He pulled, drawing more of the rope out until a tight knot came into view.
Staring at it, Marco felt a twinge of unease. He had no way of knowing if this would actually work. Even so, he placed his trust in the past and murmured, "Joy Boy… and Emit, I'm counting on you."
"Move out…" Imu ordered coldly.
The three Gorosei immediately launched themselves toward Marco. But at that exact moment, Marco yanked hard and undid the knot.
BOOOOMMMMM. Zzzzz…Zzzzzzz….Zzzzz….
A thunderous roar split the air as a storm of violent Conqueror's Haki exploded outward. For an instant, the very sky and earth seemed to change color. Yet the unleashed Haki moved as if guided by an invisible will, completely bypassing Marco and locking directly onto the Gorosei and the God's Knights.
In the next heartbeat, the Gorosei and the God's Knights felt their powers crushed under the weight of that overwhelming will. Their teleportation through the magic circle was violently interrupted, the technique shattered by the surging Conqueror's Haki. One after another, their bodies unraveled into white smoke and vanished from Egghead Island.
Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki came and went in a flash. Marines and pirates alike stared, dumbstruck, as the large group of God's Knights that had surrounded them only moments before disappeared one by one. Yet despite the terrifying pressure that had just swept across the island, not a single ordinary Marine collapsed. The Haki had targeted only the Gorosei and the God's Knights with pinpoint precision.
"What's going on?! The God's Knights are gone!" Panic and disbelief rippled through both Marines and pirates.
"That Conqueror's Haki just now was insane! But it only went after the Gorosei and the God's Knights. Why?!"
Inside the laboratory, Jinbe, Vista, and Jozu—who had been locked in a desperate fight—also froze in shock as Saturn Saint and the God's Knights abruptly vanished, erased by the surge of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
"Whose Conqueror's Haki was that just now?! Was it Marco's?" Jinbe's eyes were wide. He had clearly felt that terrifying will, yet somehow, he had managed to stay conscious beneath it.
From his vantage point, Jinbe had seen it all: Saturn Saint's towering ox-demon form had crumbled under the pressure of the Haki, shrinking back into his human shape—only for that human form to then dissolve into a thin wisp of white smoke and disappear.
Vista said gravely, "No matter what, this is a good thing. Now isn't the time to dwell on it. Marco's already given the order to retreat, so let's move!"
Jinbe nodded, then turned to the four Seraphim. "Let's go!"
At that moment, after Marco untied the knot and released the Conqueror's Haki Joy Boy had sealed inside it, only Imu remained on Egghead Island. Imu's pupils shrank, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he muttered, "This Haki… it's Joy Boy's…"
'This should be mythical-level Conqueror's Haki… right? Or is there something even above mythical-level?' Marco couldn't help but ponder, his expression hard.
Just then, the Ancient Robot Emit, which had been motionless and lifeless, suddenly flickered to life, a red light igniting in its eyes.
Marco, however, didn't notice Emit's change. His back was already turned, and Emit, being only a machine, gave off no aura at all.
High in the sky, Imu still hovered above Egghead. Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki had blown away the Gorosei and the God's Knights, but Imu remained. Marco had no intention of giving him time to react. He didn't know why Imu hadn't been affected by Joy Boy's Haki—but it didn't matter. The instant Imu was stunned, Marco shot forward.
He gathered Armament Haki into his right hand, condensing it into a blade of pure force that extended from his fingers, shaping Haki Blades. Then he layered Destruction Black Flame and Conqueror's Haki Infusion over it and slashed fiercely toward Imu.
"Black Flame: God-Slaying Sword…"
"What?" Imu's face twisted in shock. He snapped out of Joy Boy's Haki just in time to see Marco rushing at him and immediately tried to pull back. But with that swing, a crescent-shaped sword aura wreathed in Black Flame flashed across the sky and struck him head-on.
With a sharp sizzle, Marco's slash sliced clean through Imu's left arm. Blood sprayed into the air, and the Black Flame clung to Imu's body, continuing to burn.
The overwhelming sword pressure crashed down on both land and sea below, carving a deep scar into the terrain.
Marco wasn't a swordsman, but with Haki, strength, and speed on that level, he could still unleash slashes no different from true sword aura.
Imu's pupils tightened again. Even though this body wasn't his original one, the pain felt like it tore straight through his soul. His gaze grew feral. Since becoming king of the world, he had never been wounded. To be injured by an "ant" today filled Imu with a towering rage.
"Damn ant…"
Meanwhile, the God's Knights and the Gorosei, who had been struck by Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki, had already been forcibly returned to the Holy Land.
Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki was not only immense, but also capable of distinguishing friend from foe. Every shred of its will had locked precisely onto the God's Knights and the Gorosei, leaving them unable to recover for some time even after being teleported back.
Saint Nusjuro's face went deathly pale. "Damn it, what was that just now?!"
On Egghead Island, the Three Emperors Alliance Pirates had already lost any hope of retreat after the Moby Dick and the mirror were destroyed. With their backs to the sea, they were fighting the Marines desperately when, all of a sudden, the God's Knights vanished under the pressure of that recent blast of Conqueror's Haki, leaving everyone stunned.
They didn't know what had happened—but they knew it had opened a chance to rescue Kaido and Big Mom.
Fujitora, the only Admiral present, wore a grave expression. "What on earth is going on!" he said, voice low and tense.
That single burst of Conqueror's Haki had forcibly sent the God's Knights and even the Gorosei back, wiping out the Marines' overwhelming advantage in an instant. For Fujitora, the sense of crisis was unlike anything he'd ever felt.
High above, Marco hovered in midair, eyes fixed on Imu. He grinned. "This is good. Now it's just you left."
Imu's gaze was icy. He drew breath to speak, but Marco had already lunged in. Forced on the defensive, Imu parried in haste. After only a few exchanges, the body of Naronar Crimi Palace began to falter, wounds opening everywhere, blood streaming down.
"It seems this body can't withstand your power at all, Imu!" Marco laughed, driving his assault even harder.
On the Marine side, Fujitora's anxiety deepened. There were too many Yonko Commander–level fighters in the Three Emperors Alliance; he couldn't possibly suppress them all.
They were all pushing toward the same goal—freeing Kaido and Big Mom. Fujitora understood that if they actually succeeded, then every sacrifice made in this war would be rendered meaningless.
Even if it cost him his life, he could not allow that rescue to happen.
He raised his voice in a fierce command. "All Marines, board the warships immediately and retreat!"
At this point, Fujitora no longer cared about the Gorosei's orders. They weren't here—he was the highest authority on the field. As for Imu, he had no real connection with him.
"How can I let you escape at a time like this? Hurry up and return Kaido-san!" King roared, wings beating madly as he dove toward the Marines. Without the elite God's Knights to pin them down, the Marines were no match for the Three Emperors Alliance.
Sensing powerful auras closing in fast, Fujitora's expression darkened further. He immediately used his ability to lift the warships into the air. Marines clung desperately to the hulls, scrambling aboard, but many failed to make it in time and were cut down by the pursuing Pirates.
"Don't think you can escape…" Katakuri bellowed, slamming his palm into the ground. His Awakened Mochi-Mochi no Mi powers surged forth as the terrain itself turned into mochi, writhing and stretching up to cling to the undersides of the rising warships, locking them in place despite the pull of Fujitora's gravity.
Momousagi, the admiral candidate, flashed forward and unleashed a powerful slash, severing the mochi binding one of the ships. "Get on the warships!" she shouted.
"Yes!"
As if a switch had been flipped, the Marines' survival instincts exploded. In a chaotic rush, they scrambled back onto the warships by any means they could manage.
Fujitora drew his blade and slashed, a line of gravitational force tracing through the air like a gambler's bet. The sky warped. One after another, meteorites were dragged down from above, turning the heavens into a roaring meteor shower as massive rocks came crashing toward the Three Emperors Alliance.
Under such a terrifying barrage, even the Yonko Commander–level officers of the Alliance found it hard to get close. The moment they tried to advance, Fujitora's meteorites would rain down in their path. Ordinary Yonko Commander–level officers couldn't withstand that kind of impact; you needed at least true Yonko-level strength to smash those meteorites apart.
"Don't think you can escape. Boro Breath…"
The Pink Dragon transformed midair and unleashed a torrent of searing flame.
Fujitora's face darkened. Facing so many powerful enemies at once, even he couldn't fully cope. He focused his power on shifting and lifting the warships, but the blazing stream still struck a mast. The high-temperature blast pierced clean through, and flames quickly began to spread across the deck.
Marines on board rushed to douse the fire while Fujitora continued to raise the warships higher. As the altitude increased, fewer and fewer enemies were able to reach them with their attacks.
But the Pink Dragon had no intention of letting them go.
He shouted down to the pirates below, "Everyone, get on my back! Don't let them escape!"
At his command, the powerful pirates leaped up one after another, landing on the Pink Dragon's massive body. At nearly a thousand meters long, his enormous frame could easily hold tens of thousands of people standing on his back.
The pirates themselves felt how absurdly turbulent this battle had become. At first, they had been ready to cut their losses and flee—only for Saint Nusjuro to destroy both the Moby Dick and the mirror, severing their escape route.
Then Kaido and Big Mom, two of the Yonko, had been defeated and captured. The morale of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates shattered, nearly breaking them completely. If Marco hadn't rallied them, they would have collapsed on the spot.
And yet, in what felt like no time at all, they had gone from the brink of total defeat to chasing down a Marine Admiral.
On the Marine side, watching the Pink Dragon soar toward them, they kept up a constant barrage of counterattacks. In terms of emotional whiplash, they were no better off than the Three Emperors Alliance.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Egghead Island—
High in the sky, Marco and Imu, who had been locked in continuous combat, suddenly halted mid-fight. At that moment, the ancient robot Emit—supposed to be lying dormant in the garbage disposal plant—began to move. With a heavy, grinding sound, it slowly rose to its feet.
Both Marco and Imu stared, stunned.
The robot Emit spoke.
"You are… Naronar Crimi Palace."
Imu was taken aback by Emit's words. "I didn't expect you to still be able to move. Logically, your energy should've run out long ago. That Conqueror's Haki just now must be the legacy Joy Boy left in your body. What a persistent man… still causing trouble even after eight hundred years in the grave."
The robot, Emit, ignored Imu and turned his gaze to Marco instead. "I don't know who you are," he said, "but you're very strong. Aside from Joy Boy, you're the strongest human I've ever seen."
Marco didn't respond. He hadn't expected Emit to wake up at all. In the original story, Luffy had awakened Emit, but that was because Luffy was the protagonist and a Nika Fruit user, directly acknowledged by Emit as Joy Boy's reincarnation. That was why the robot had awakened back then.
"Are you Joy Boy's nakama?" the robot asked.
The question caught Marco off guard. After a brief pause, he let out a wry smile. "How should I put it… I know him, but I don't really understand him. And there are eight hundred years between Joy Boy and me."
He shook his head lightly and continued, "Anyway, that's not important right now. Emit, do you want to be my companion?"
Emit fell silent for a moment, processing Marco's words. Then he replied, "Of course. If you're Joy Boy's companion, then you are naturally my companion. I still don't know your name."
Marco was a bit speechless. When did he officially become Joy Boy's companion? Still, he didn't turn Emit down. "My name is Marco," he said. "I'm a pirate."
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