Kizaru Arrives

"Cough, cough, cough, drink... spit!"

Looking pale, Carl coughed up a mouthful of blood as a golden halo washed over him, and his complexion instantly turned rosy.

Marco's strength was indeed greater than Carl's, but defeating him was not going to be so easy.

Not to mention the divine technique Quick as a Rabbit, just the healing effect provided by the Holy Light allowed Carl to use cheap tactics akin to a Mythical Zoan.

"Heh, is that it? I thought you'd be a lot stronger!"

A flash of surprise crossed Marco's eyes. He was a devil fruit user! Moreover, his abilities seemed somewhat similar to his own, or at least they could be judged as the kind possessing healing powers.

"Shameless braggart! Don't go begging for mercy later!"

"Crane Claw!"

Carl held his breath and concentrated, calming down and dodging in advance as Marco launched his attack, and the next second Marco delivered himself right to the door and kicked empty air.

"Rokushiki Secret Technique: Rokuogan!"

Carl let out a furious roar, his dark hands moving one high and one low, and slammed them violently toward Marco's kidneys! The huge shockwave instantly pierced through Marco's body, tearing apart the deck behind him.

"Pfft ah~"

Marco flew out like a kite with a snapped string, soaring more than a dozen meters away.

"Don't look down on anyone! Phoenix Marco."

Carl violently tore apart his navy uniform and cape of justice, which were already soaked through with blood, revealing his knotted muscles and upper body as his entire aura suddenly shifted.

Splash~

Marco climbed up from the ruins, flames of blue igniting on his body to heal himself as he glared at Carl with a dark face, saying nothing.

"Is this the captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates? I'd say he's nothing much either. Figures, you lot can only throw your weight around by leaning on that old man Whitebeard."

"Without him, you are nothing!"

Marco fell silent. Although he desperately wanted to retaliate, he knew such retorts were pale, and hitting back fiercely was the only proper response.

Marco's figure began to change as his hands transformed into the wings of a phoenix, his feet into the claws of a phoenix, alongside several long trailing tail feathers.

With a whoosh, Marco flew up into the sky and then plummeted like a shooting star.

"Phoenix Seal!"

Carl's pupils constricted as he rolled aside like his life depended on it, followed by a loud boom behind him that erupted into a violent shockwave.

The entire Witch trembled accordingly, emitting creaking noises as if it were about to snap apart.

Carl stood up from the rubble with a few extra scratches on his body, but they quickly healed under the influence of the Holy Light.

Suddenly, a lightning-fast figure rushed over from the smoke and dust, kicking straight toward Carl's chest.

"Busoshoku: Iron Body!"

Bang~

Carl took a few steps back to dissipate the force, rubbing his arm in pain, but Marco rushed over immediately.

Giving Carl no time to think of a countermeasure, he directly engaged Marco in close-quarters combat.

"Tekkai: Steel Elbow!" "Whip Shigan!" "Rankyaku: Sever!"

Under such high-intensity combat, Carl's fighting skills improved rapidly, pushing virtually every part of his body to the limit.

Yet Marco relied on his physical advantages to meet all changes with constancy. After trading blows for a while, Marco made a small profit while Carl suffered a small loss.

This guy is really tricky! Such skilled Rokushiki techniques, could it be that he started learning Rokushiki from his mother's womb? Marco silently grumbled to himself, though his expression remained completely unchanged.

But Carl was different. Although he took quite a few beatings, his combat skills improved by leaps and bounds, making it increasingly difficult for Marco to block his attacks.

"No, I have to end the fight quickly. Big Sister Whitey Bay's situation probably won't hold out much longer."

Marco's gaze sharpened as he prepared to get serious. Unwilling as he was to admit it, this marine truly brought him considerable trouble and was by no means an opponent he could defeat casually.

Just as Marco prepared to make his move, a gloating voice echoed from the air.

"Ooh~ Isn't this the captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Phoenix Marco! Why are you in such a sorry state?"

"Did my adjutant hit a bit too hard, I wonder?"

Hearing that familiar tone, Marco's expression turned somewhat ugly.

"Damn it, it's Kizaru!"

Now he was in trouble. This guy Kizaru was far trickier than Carl, and most importantly, with Kizaru around, finishing off Carl was basically impossible.

Kizaru morphed into photons and flashed before Carl, looking nonchalantly at Marco. "Don't be so distant! We've been opponents who've crossed paths many times, after all."

"Hmph! The Whitebeard Pirates will remember this!" With that, Marco walked over to Whitey Bay, briefly treated her, and hoisted her up as he flew away.

Kizaru simply watched quietly as Marco left, showing no intention of pursuing him until the two of them disappeared from sight.

"Are you all right?"

Carl said with a bitter smile, "Do I look like someone who is all right?"

Gazing at the corpses littering the ship, Kizaru pursed his lips. "Tsk tsk tsk~ You really play rough! You've completely offended the Whitebeard Pirates this time around!"

"So what? I'm merely doing what a marine should do. Not killing Whitey Bay is already giving that old man plenty of face!"

Kizaru shook his head, looking somewhat helpless. "Let's go! What are you standing there daydreaming for?"

After burning the pirate ship to ashes with a fire, Carl stepped onto the geppo back to the warship. At that moment, the gazes the marine soldiers cast toward him were completely different.

"Major Carl, you were too amazing! You completely wiped out the Witch Pirates and fought the Phoenix Marco to a standstill. Turns out you're this strong, sir!"

"Yeah! I saw it with my own eyes just now. Those pirates had no power to resist whatsoever in front of Major Carl!"

"Just look at these well-honed muscles! Major Carl must have gone through grueling training to become this strong!"

Cough cough, that's right. Between intense training and slacking off, Carl chose to slack off diligently. All of his strength was something he had fished for by his own skill!

As for the shift in attitude among the marine officers and men, it was within Carl's expectations. Whether marines or pirates, they had always revered strength. Only with strength came respect.

Facing the excited and adulatory gazes of the marine soldiers, Carl calmly waved his hand.

"Everyone, no need to get excited. Defeating pirates is nothing. I simply want to tell you that the marines are the true overlords of the ocean, whether it's Whitebeard, Big Mom, or Kaido!"

"They are merely pirates, and the marines are the natural nemeses of pirates. Therefore, we don't need to fear them!"

"Instead, they are the ones who should fear us—fear justice!!!"

Hearing Carl's slightly cheesy quotes, the marine soldiers flushed red with excitement, itching to slaughter a pirate right then and there to liven things up.

Returning to the lounge, Carl collapsed onto the sofa, massaging his neck with great effort. I need to quickly make up for the resting time I missed out on, or today's daily quests won't even be finished.

.Provided by Xu Dingling: One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Get Stronger by Slacking Off