Ten minutes before the execution, the two most closely watched points on the battlefield were naturally the execution platform and Whitebeard.
The Straw Hat Crew's blitz had caught everyone off guard. The moment Zoro and Sanji made their move, they drew everyone's attention.
In just a few breaths, the entire battlefield had changed dramatically.
"Straw Hat Kid?!"
"Jinbe is here too?!"
Marco was stunned. Although this was their first time meeting, he had seen that face countless times on wanted posters.
Ace had talked about him nonstop, day in and day out. Marco was sick of hearing about him, so he never expected they'd meet like this.
"They actually infiltrated the rear. Terrifying."
Kizaru's lecherous face showed surprise. His whole body glowed as he prepared to fly back to the execution platform. "I can't let you actually rescue him."
"Where do you think you're going, Kizaru?!"
Bang!
Marco charged in at once and brought down a vicious heel kick, sending Kizaru plummeting straight to the ground like a cannonball.
Yellow-green flames covered half of Marco's face. He smirked playfully. "Stay here and play with me."
"That hurt."
"Marco the Phoenix."
Amid the smoke, Kizaru lifted a hand and lightly brushed the dust from his pinstriped suit. His expression grew a little more serious.
"What a pain. Aren't young people these days a little too much?"
He was no longer acting nonchalant. This was genuinely turning into a nuisance.
But he really had no way to deal with Marco quickly. No matter how he fought, Marco wouldn't get hurt. He was practically risking his life to keep Kizaru occupied.
"Stop playing dumb, Kizaru."
Marco spread his burning wings and swooped down. "Unless I'm dead, you're not getting past me."
The moment they saw the Straw Hat Crew, the Whitebeard Pirates had