A Thousand Slashes in an Instant / Recalled to Headquarters

In the power system of Pirates, Conqueror's Haki was the embodiment of will, while Observation Haki was an extension of the mind—what people commonly called a sixth sense. But neither mind nor will could exist without the soul beneath them. (I made this up, so just treat it as my own addition to the setting.)

Marco felt as though lightning had struck his brain. If Atlas's earlier burst of Conqueror's Haki had been a wooden mallet, this one was an iron hammer!

Still, Marco was the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. He came to his senses after only an instant's daze.

But for Atlas, that instant was all the opening she needed!

"Explosive Fist: Armament: Shatter!"

Her fist moved so fast it nearly became a blur, hammering Marco's body. Charred fistprints appeared one after another, and the terrifying force sent him flying even higher!

The searing pain snapped Marco's mind taut. Regenerative blue flames surged over his body, healing the burns in an instant. At the same time, he transformed fully into his Mythical Zoan Phoenix form!

Screech!

A piercing cry burst from Marco's beak, and the regenerative blue flames around him burned even fiercer!

"Phoenix Brand!"

With his wounds healed, Marco shifted back into his hybrid form. A shock wave packed with tremendous energy hurtled toward Atlas. The whole sequence flowed so smoothly that it gave her no chance to react.

"Armament Haki: Emission!"

Atlas refused to give ground. Her blood-red Armament Haki surged out as a shock wave and collided with Marco's Phoenix Brand!

Boom!

Perhaps it was a unique property of Marco's Phoenix fruit, but even after Atlas's Armament Haki scattered most of the shock wave, the rest kept coming at her!

Life Return: Armament: Martial God Form!

Atlas's body swelled rapidly. Standing five meters tall in her Martial God Form, she charged straight through, taking the Phoenix Brand head-on with her formidable physique. Its powerful momentum only kept her hurtling toward Marco at high speed!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Fist met fist, palm met palm!

The two traded blows with almost no thought for defense. The high-quality Armament Haki covering Atlas's entire body let her withstand the hits directly. Marco relied on the regenerative blue flames constantly burning over him to heal his injuries. Yet for all the extraordinary stamina of a Mythical Zoan, he still fell short of Atlas's absurd Horse Talisman.

"Marco, if that's all you've got, you're staying here today!"

When they broke apart, Atlas slowly drew Sandai Kitetsu from her waist...

Thousand Slashes in an Instant

In Martial God Form, Atlas stood nearly five meters tall, with hands just as enormous. Sandai Kitetsu looked almost dainty in her grip, like a child's toy. The contrast was so striking it was almost comical.

Marco, facing her, could not laugh. To his senses, the sharp aura spilling from Atlas was so intense it almost stung his face.

"One Sword Style Secret Art: Twenty Instants in the Snap of a Finger, Twenty Thoughts in an Instant, Ninety Moments in a Thought, Nine Million Cycles of Birth and Death in a Moment!"

"That move..."

A powerful sense of danger swept over every hair on Marco's body. Acting on instinct, he beat his wings and retreated!

"Thousand Slashes in an Instant!"

Sandai Kitetsu in Atlas's hand seemed to transcend time and space. It cut through Marco's body at the very limit of speed!

Clang!

She withdrew the blade and sheathed it!

Marco was bewildered. There was not a single wound on his body, but his instincts told him it could not be that simple.

"Can't you hear it? Your flesh screaming..."

The moment she finished speaking, countless cuts appeared across Marco's unmarked body. Blood sprayed everywhere, turning him into a fountain of gore!

Bang!

Marco's body jolted, and regenerative blue flames poured from him. Yet more and more cuts kept appearing!

Sizzle!

Blue flames streamed from the wounds. His flesh broke apart, only to repair itself instantly, over and over...

Marco patted his chest, still shaken. "That swordsmanship is terrifying. For a moment there, I thought I was going to die."

Not a single cut remained on his body, not even a scar. Only a little cold sweat on his forehead betrayed how badly he had been rattled. His regenerative blue flames could swiftly restore his flesh, but if an attack exceeded what he could heal, he would die!

"Quit acting. You're the legendary Phoenix, a Mythical Zoan even rarer than a Logia." Atlas curled her lip, unimpressed by Marco's performance.

"Hey, come on! Why don't we call it here? Keep this up and you still won't be able to do anything to me!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Right, Sandai Kitetsu...?" Atlas lightly patted the sword at her waist. She had developed that move by combining her swordsmanship with the Rabbit Talisman's Divine Speed. It was speed taken to its purest extreme, so fast it seemed to warp time and space. There was no dodging it.

"You can use that move again?" Marco stared in shock. The hairs on his body stood on end as danger enveloped him. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Razor: Explosion!"

While Marco was stunned, Atlas flashed forward and slammed a swinging fist into his face!

Pfft!

Marco's face swelled from the blow. Several teeth fell out, and he spat a mouthful of blood. But blue flames swiftly spread over him, healing every injury almost instantly!

"Hm?"

Atlas was about to follow up when she paused. A humanoid with a powerful life force had entered the range of her Observation Haki. It looked like reinforcements from the Whitebeard Pirates.

"I'll let you off today, Marco. You won't be so lucky next time!"

Without hesitation, Atlas turned to leave.

Marco made no move to stop her. From her expression, he guessed Pops had sent someone to help him. Even with another person here, though, they would not be able to keep her. This was a woman who had escaped an Emperor of the Sea unharmed.

Then, under Marco's curious and shocked gaze, Atlas... ran... away?!

Yes, ran. With her current physique and the Rabbit Talisman's Divine Speed, she had no trouble running freely across the sea.

A long while after Atlas vanished over the horizon, a tall, dark-skinned man appeared in Marco's view, piloting a small boat.

The man had two curved black mustaches and wore a dark blue top hat. His open blue shirt exposed a broad patch of chest hair, a scabbard hung at each side of his waist, and a black cape draped over his back.

The fifth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Vista the Flower Sword!

"Hey, Marco! How'd you get yourself into such a mess? Hahaha!" Vista had spotted the bloodstains on Marco from far away. But his Observation Haki told him Marco's life force was still strong, so he laughed without worry. That was how things had always been among the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Don't ask. That bastard Marine keeps getting stronger. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Marco glanced down at himself. His wounds were gone, but he could not get rid of all the bloodstains. The blue flames had only burned some of them away.

"Well, Pops got worried when you'd been gone so long, so he sent me to check on you." Vista recalled what Pops had told him before he left.

"That arrogant Marine is even more gifted than Garp was when he was young. Go take a look, Vista. I'm worried that fool Marco might get himself hurt!"

Marco scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Good thing you arrived when you did. You gave Atlas a reason to hold back. Otherwise, I might really have died here today."

"Seriously? I know how troublesome your power is. She pushed you that far?" Vista was surprised. Marco's Devil Fruit Ability gave him even greater vitality than an ordinary Mythical Zoan. Every Mythical Zoan had the usual Zoan traits—endurance, tough defenses, and strong recovery—along with a special ability of its own.

Sengoku's Human-Human Fruit Buddha Form gave him the Great Buddha Shockwave. Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit Azure Dragon Form let him command lightning and flame. Marco's Phoenix gave him regenerative blue flames, allowing him to heal instantly as long as an attack did not exceed his limits!

"What could I do? Her physique and healing are more monstrous than any monster's. I have no idea where her limits are. And..."

Marco paused. Remembering Atlas's terrifying final sword move, he shuddered before continuing. "And her swordsmanship is terrifying. I felt like there was nowhere to dodge. I couldn't even see her draw her sword..."

At the mention of swordsmanship, Vista licked his dry lips. Interest lit up his face as he murmured, "A master swordswoman, huh..."

Recalled to Marine Headquarters

Sea Circle Calendar, 1507. Marine G-5 Base, Staff Office.

The office was nearly empty, with no unnecessary decorations and none of the gathering of big shots one might have expected.

Behind the desk sat Vice Admiral Tsuru, strategist of Marine Headquarters. The legendary Marine, wisdom gleaming in her eyes, studied Atlas in the visitor's chair.

Vice Admiral Tsuru was thoroughly pleased with Atlas. She was a veteran Marine who had devoted almost her entire life to the Marines' cause of Justice, from a graceful young woman to one with hair gone white. Now, after the three monstrous vice admirals, another outstanding young woman had emerged who could become a pillar of the Marines. Tsuru felt nothing but relief and pride.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, did you call me here to give me an assignment?"

Atlas had already accepted a mission and was about to set out. Then Gion had stopped her on the way to the harbor and brought her here. She still had no idea why.

"No need to rush, Atlas. What do you think of the situation in the New World?"

Rather than answer Atlas's question, Vice Admiral Tsuru asked for her views on the state of the world. Atlas was caught off guard by such a weighty question.

After thinking it over for a moment, Atlas answered slowly but firmly.

"On the pirate side, the New World has its so-called Emperors of the Sea. Other pirates who arrive there either submit to the Three Great Pirate Crews or are wiped out by them or the Marines. Since the last great upheaval in the New World, we've taken over the Pirate Alliance's territory and struck the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates along the way. We came out on top."

"But that situation has a major drawback. For one thing, it pushes those pirates into joining the Three Emperors, greatly increasing their strength. Pirates have no qualms about joining whoever they can't beat."

"Then there's the World Government..."

Atlas raised a potentially explosive subject, but Vice Admiral Tsuru's expression did not change. She merely motioned for Atlas to continue.

"The Marines are stronger than ever. We've always had our firmest grip on the first half of the Grand Line because Marine Headquarters is there. Only the New World has remained in pirate hands. Now that the Marines have formally established a presence there, the World Government is bound to grow wary of us."

Strictly speaking, Atlas had just drawn a line between the Marines and the World Government. If the Five Elders heard her, they would certainly become suspicious. The Marines were the force through which the World Government controlled the world. It would never allow them to break away.

"That's why the Five Elders have been looking for Warlord candidates," Vice Admiral Tsuru added quietly. "Since the Seven Warlords of the Sea system was established, you've sent its only member to Impel Down. They're looking for a new balance."

No Marine who truly believed in Justice liked having the World Government do as it pleased above their heads, least of all those idiotic Celestial Dragons. Garp had publicly called the Celestial Dragons trash more than once.

But the Marines' basic funding was controlled by the World Government. Without it, the Marines could not survive for long.

"Enough. Sengoku and the others can worry about our disagreements with the World Government. The main reason I called you here is that Marine Headquarters has sent orders to transfer you back."

Vice Admiral Tsuru ended the subject there, and both of them tacitly left it alone.

"As you know, the situation in the New World has largely stabilized. All three Great Pirate Crews have suffered losses to varying degrees, so there's unlikely to be another large-scale war anytime soon. Headquarters plans to bring some of our forces back."

"And..." Vice Admiral Tsuru smiled at Atlas, who sat straight-backed in her chair. "You've earned enough merit, too. You can return with Tokikake and Gion to be promoted to vice admiral."

"Vice admiral?"

Atlas had expected as much. She had earned enough merit long ago; she had only been short on age and seniority. That was why she had not gone straight from commodore to vice admiral a year earlier. After spending the past year fighting pirates, she had more than enough achievements to make up for her lack of seniority.

"A warship is ready for you. Go pack, then head back to Marine Headquarters."

"Hey, come on! Do we really have to be this unlucky? What's with this damned weather?"

Aboard the warship, Tokikake had been showering Gion with attention when he caught sight of the enormous storm ahead and stared open-mouthed. He thought he had grown used to the New World's bizarre weather. But just when he finally had a chance to spend time "alone" with the woman of his dreams, the damned storm had to interrupt.

"Helmsman, stand by! Navigator, change course and avoid the storm! If it catches us, this whole warship is done for!"

Gion hurriedly gave orders. It also gave her a chance to escape Tokikake's relentless attention.

"Rear Admiral Gion! The storm's too close! We can't avoid it. All we can do is minimize damage to the warship and make sure we reach Marineford safely!"

No sooner had she spoken than a sailor who looked like a navigator rushed out of the cabin and shouted his report.

"Leave it to me. We can't let the warship get damaged, or Admiral Sengoku will start nagging again..."

Atlas, who had been leaning against the rail with her eyes closed, finally spoke up.

"You go control the warship's heading. Just turn the helm as far as you can."

"Yes, Rear Admiral Atlas!" The navigator snapped off a salute and ran back toward the cabin.

Atlas watched him disappear, then turned her back on the others and leaped off the warship!

"Hey, Kanos! What are you doing?"

Gion was baffled. She could not begin to see how Atlas's supposed solution involved jumping off the warship.

"Just watch, Rear Admiral Gion!"

Atlas offered no further explanation. Her muscles swelled rapidly, and in an instant she stood eight meters tall. That was the maximum height she could reach through Life Return, even with the Ox Talisman's power added. It was a form devoted entirely to raw strength!

"Impact: Explosion!"

Atlas planted both hands against the warship. Explosive Flame blasted from beneath her feet, driving a terrifying surge of power into the hull!

And so, before everyone's stunned eyes, Atlas pushed the Marine warship across the sea with her bare hands, sending it racing forward!