Phoenix Marco, the Man Behind Him

"Cough cough"

Amidst the swirling dust and smoke of the ruins, Gasparde scrambled to his feet, blood gushing from his mouth, looking utterly disheveled.

The heavy footsteps grew closer and closer. Seeing Ye Chen approaching, Gasparde gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and launched the first attack on Ye Chen. It was simply impossible for him to surrender.

"Gummy Spikes."

The transformation was swift and visible to the naked eye. Gasparde's right hand turned into a green liquid, then reforged into a sharp weapon, which was then covered in Armament Haki and swiftly thrust towards Ye Chen.

With a sidestep, Ye Chen kicked out at close range, but Gasparde was no pushover either. He quickly changed his move with his right hand, and Ye Chen two legs collided heavily.

The immense force struck, and Gasparde's expression changed drastically. His body transformed into a streak of light once more, carving a trench in the ground before crashing into the ruins.

They were no match at all; the difference in strength between the two sides was too great.

"Gummy Bullets."

Despite the dense swarms, Gasparde persisted, shooting out numerous green gummy candies from his body, which were highly adhesive.

With a swift kick, two streaks of Rankyaku swept through, instantly wiping out the incoming attack.

Gasparde, after delivering the attack, turned and ran, knowing he was no match for Admiral.

Watching Gasparde flee, Ye Chen vanished from the spot. The next moment, Gasparde roared and, accompanied by a violent tremor, lay miserably in the deep pit.

The difference in strength between the two sides is too great, and it can also be seen from one perspective how much stronger Ye Chen has become in the past year.

With ease, Ye Chen appeared in front of Gasparde, one hand gripping his neck, and materialized in mid-air.

"This is the target? It's too weak!"

While munching on a carrot, Bai Doudou glanced at Gasparde, who was covered in blood and on the verge of death, and curled her lip.

"You can leave now."

Gasparde was tossed onto the fire's back, and then, with a roar and a flurry of sand and dust, the fire shifted its body and vanished into the air, leaving behind only a desolate ruin.

Some of the pirates who had survived the ordeal were all terrified, and only now did they dare to show their faces.

Afterwards, Ye Chen left Gasparde with the nearest naval branch and then took Hina on their honeymoon. Of course, it would have been perfect if Bai Doudou hadn't been there as a third wheel.

During his honeymoon, Ye Chen also took care of some pirates, so now, the name of Marine Admiral God resounds once again on the high seas.

It once terrified many pirates.

This honeymoon lasted for two months. If it weren't for the Sengoku' summons, Ye Chen might have forgotten about Marineford by now.

Under a clear blue sky, a huge shadow flew swiftly across the clouds. Just as Ye Chen was returning to Marineford, he encountered an unexpected guest.

Amidst the rolling waves and azure sea, a massive pirate ship slowly passed by. When Ye Chen saw the pirate flag, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Wait here for me, I'll go check."

After giving Hina some instructions, Ye Chen disappeared from the fire and quickly plummeted towards the sea.

At the same time, the leader of the pirate crew, who was sailing, also looked up into the sky.

With a "bang," the massive pirate ship crashed onto the deck, causing it to sink violently and the surrounding seawater to surge up.

The pirates on the ship, however, showed no sign of panic.

"I never expected to run into the Navy God here."

The leader, a tall man with blond punk hair, looked at Ye Chen with a hint of surprise.

"Marco the Phoenix, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."

Somewhat amusingly, Ye Chen hadn't expected to encounter such an important figure on his way back to Marineford.

"So, you've come to arrest me?" Marco asked, his eyes half-closed, arms crossed. Behind him were some crew members who, though wary, were not panicked. Forget Marco, just having their Pops around meant that no one in the world dared to provoke them.

"You can give it a try."

He vanished in an instant, time seemed to stand still, and Ye Chen reappeared in front of Marco, kicking out with his foot.

Marco's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected this guy to attack without warning. Helpless, he simply raised his hand, and a dense layer of Armament Haki covered his body, blocking the attack in front of him.

A violent explosion occurred, and due to the immense force, Marco's hand slammed directly into his own face, transforming into a long blue streak that pierced through many rooms of the pirate ship and disappeared at the stern.

All of this happened too fast.

"Court death."

One after another, jet-black bullets, covered in Armament Haki, shot out towards Ye Chen.

He kicked out quickly, two Rankyaku shooting into the air, but were blocked by a tall, sturdy man.

"Captain of the Fifteen Division Fossa."

Ye Chen looked at the burly man who had severed his Rankyaku with great interest.

As Admiral, Ye Chen had seen the situation of the Whitebeard Pirates before, and as a captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, regardless of which division he was in, his strength was not to be underestimated.

Just then, a burst of blue flames erupted, Marco suddenly appeared in front of Ye Chen, his dazzling blue wings slicing through the air.

"Bang!"

Sparks flew as Ye Chen bent slightly, and the entire giant ship sank instantly, its bow shattering completely.

With one hand blocking his head, Ye Chen kicked upwards, and Marco snorted coldly, also taking the kick head-on. Accompanied by a huge storm, the two widened the distance between them.

Leaving the pirate ship and standing in mid-air, Ye Chen watched as Marco's hands transformed into dazzling blue wings, a ripple flashed in his eyes.

The Mythical Zoan Phoenix is also known as an indestructible being, capable of instantly healing any injury.

Marco looked down at the damaged pirate ship, a flash of anger crossing his face. His aura surged instantly, and his entire body began to burn with blue flames.

Miraculously, this blue flame had no temperature.

Glaring angrily, Marco didn't waste any words and attacked Ye Chen directly.

With a deafening crash, their knees slammed together, generating a gust of wind that caused towering waves to rise from the sea.

For a moment, the dazzling colors were hard to capture. After a few exchanges, Ye Chen roughly understood Marco's strength: at least at the Admiral level, and Marco still had a lot of room for improvement.

Ye Chen had no intention of capturing Marco, because that was simply unrealistic. If he really brought Marco back to Marineford, Sengoku's face would probably turn green, and Sengoku might even find an excuse to release Marco directly.

This possibility is not nonexistent.

You must understand, Whitebeard isn't completely old yet. Without a doubt, as long as Whitebeard doesn't age, no one in this world will dare to truly anger that man.

Kaido is awesome, right? An immortal monster who often causes trouble for the Whitebeard Pirates, yet there's never been any news of Kaido killing even one member of Whitebeard's main crew.

Similarly, Big Big, Red-Haired, and the Marines, who are also among the Four Emperors, have not had any news of any of the main members of Whitebeard dying in all these years.

Therefore, Ye Chen was only testing Marco's strength and was not taking it seriously.

After another clash, Ye Chen created distance, glanced indifferently at Marco, and then, without saying a word, soared into the air and disappeared from Marco's sight.

Marco didn't chase after them; he just frowned, lost in thought.