[120] Ren VS Marco
[2100 Words]
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The battlefield erupted once again when Whitebeard entered the fray personally. The pirates' morale soared to the skies once more, leading to the swift deaths of many Marines in mere moments. The sounds of gunfire and cannon blasts were accompanied by the splatter of blood and the slicing of bodies by swords in every direction. The brutal scene resembled a painting straight out of the depths of hell.
The cloud-filled sky over Marineford hinted at an impending catastrophe, but the fighters on the corpse-strewn ground paid no attention to the weather. All that mattered to them was survival—and killing as many enemies as possible.
"Death to the pirates!" one Marine soldier shouted as he blew off the head of a fallen pirate with his rifle. The soldier's triumph was short-lived as his eyes widened in horror at the sight of a sword piercing through his chest.
"Y-you--" These were the soldier's last words before collapsing dead. The pirate who had struck him laughed as he pulled his sword from the Marine's chest, but his laughter was cut short when his own head was swiftly sliced off by another Marine.
Scenes like these unfolded all over Marineford. Life had lost its value in this moment. It seemed as if both sides had descended into madness, becoming killing machines—existing only to slaughter!
"W-what's happening... in the name of God..." a boy with pink hair muttered, fleeing the battlefield, terror etched on his face. A boy with blond hair and an odd hairstyle followed closely behind him.
"Koby, wait! Where the hell are you going?!" Helmeppo shouted in panic, running at full speed from the infernal chaos.
Without stopping, Koby replied, "This is madness… I have to hide!"
Helmeppo couldn't deny that he was just as frightened as Koby. But he also knew that deserting the battlefield was considered disgraceful for a Marine. Who could blame them, though? After all, both he and Koby had only joined the Marines two months ago!
Battles of this scale were simply too much for them!
"Koby, watch out!!" Helmeppo screamed as he saw a pirate, with a savage expression, swinging his sword, aiming for Koby's neck!
"!!!"
Koby, hearing Helmeppo's warning, froze for a moment, but soon felt a chill run through his entire body. Death was closing in on him.
He shut his eyes, realizing it was too late to avoid the attack. But the expected pain never came. He opened his eyes to see the pirate who had targeted him standing still, shock and hatred frozen on his face.
"Hmm... are you alright, young Marine?" The pirate collapsed dead, revealing the figure of Koby's savior.
"Th-the Black Death... a W-war... lord…" Helmeppo stammered as he recognized the man who saved Koby, while Koby looked at Ren with a mixture of fear and gratitude.
No one could blame him—who wouldn't be afraid of such a powerful pirate? The only thing that reassured Koby was that Ren, Currently, was a Warlord on the side of the Marines...
Otherwise, his death would have been certain.
"Th-thank you for saving me, sir!" Koby gathered his courage and expressed his gratitude.
Ren looked down at the boy and thought, 'He could be useful…'
He broke off his thoughts, keeping his expression cold, and said to Koby, "No problem... I'm sure you'll repay me for this favor in the future… you'll pay me well…"
"Huh?" Koby looked at him in confusion, but in the next moment, his eyes became void of emotion. His face turned as cold and lifeless as a doll's.
Ren had used his hypnosis skill again!
Taking advantage of the battlefield's chaos, Ren glanced at Helmeppo, who stood a bit farther away, then leaned toward the hypnotized Koby and whispered in a low voice, ensuring only Koby could hear him: "You will become my secret Spy... from today onward, my orders are absolute. You are not allowed to resist, not allowed to defy me, not allowed to question my decisions, and you must not raise suspicion about yourself. Be cautious. You will report to me about the situation in Marineford every month. Make sure our communications are neither spied on nor traced. If the risk is too high, cancel the report, but if something urgent happens, you must inform me immediately, even if your life is at risk."
Taking a deep breath, Ren spoke again in a cold voice: "And you must act naturally, like your usual self. Do you understand everything I've said?"
When Ren finished speaking, Koby nodded with the same empty expression. After Ren clapped his hands, Koby's face returned to normal.
Ren vanished from sight, heading elsewhere, just as Helmeppo ran up to Koby, asking, "Are you alright, Koby? Did you get hurt?"
"N-no... I'm fine, just… that Warlord... he's truly terrifying!" Koby swallowed nervously, his expression still shaken.
"No doubt about it! Let's find a place to hide!"
"Aye!"
....
Back to Ren.
He had returned to Nami and Mikita, who were fighting Marco. Marco's goal was to free Vista and Jozu, but Ren was about to settle the matter with those two.
"Hey, Marco," Ren called out loudly, causing Marco—who had been pressuring both Nami and Mikita in combat—to lift his head and look at Ren standing in front of the unconscious Jozu and Vista.
With a frustrated expression, Marco shouted, "You bastard! If you dare touch them—"
"Blah, blah, blah… Always with the same threatening nonsense, aren't you, Marco? You think your words always carry a value…" Ren mocked with a harsh expression, then transformed his weapon from a sword into a multi-shot gun.
"What are you planning to do? Stop!" Marco yelled as blue flames flared up around him even stronger, forcing Nami and Mikita to retreat due to the intense heat and land back on the ground.
"You'll see what I'll do… Die!"
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
With a cold smile, Ren pulled the trigger. In the next moment, shots of Blood Metal energy from Versa, now in its gun form, exploded the heads of both Vista and Jozu.
The heads of both Vista and Jozu were reduced to ash by the explosive red energy, leaving massive craters in the ground, showcasing the destructive power of the Blood Metal weapon, " Vesta."
"Noooo!! Jozu!! Vista!!" Marco screamed in fury, launching himself at Ren with murderous intent.
Ignoring the system notifications, Ren commanded Miss System to extract Jozu's Devil Fruit. As Marco's scream echoed and he shot towards Ren like a bullet, Ren grinned wickedly and shifted his weapon back into sword form, sheathing it.
The next moment, Marco's kick—coated in Armament Haki and blue flames—was aimed at Ren's face! But with the help of Observation Haki, Ren dodged the attack with precision. Without hesitation, Ren launched a counterattack, clenching his fist tightly, coating it with Armament Haki, and delivering a powerful punch to Marco's face.
*Boom!!*
"Rage only clouds your judgment! Rahahaha!"
Ren was genuinely excited at this moment. Nothing got a man's adrenaline pumping—except for sex—more than battle! Bloody fights! Where the risk of injury or death was high! This was the essence of men, their true nature and spirit. They were savage creatures that thrived on strength!
Marco crashed to the ground with a swollen face that quickly healed, then rose once more, charging violently toward Ren, who was now hovering in the sky using Moonwalk.
"Ho-In!!"
Marco coldly yelled out the name of his attack as he prepared to launch a powerful strike. While in mid-air, Marco's phoenix claws gathered energy into a swirling blue flame and launched a massive fireball at Ren!
"This…" Ren recognized the attack from his past life, so without hesitation, he drew his sword to defend, his expression serious.
"One-Sword Style: Death Blade!"
*Boom!*
*Whoosh!*
In the sky, a captivating scene unfolded on the battlefield, even catching Whitebeard's attention as he clashed with Akainu and Kizaru. But he quickly refocused on his enemies.
Back to Ren and Marco's fight—the giant sword slash collided with the massive blue fireball, creating a loud explosion on the battlefield. After a few seconds, the blue flame ball swallowed Ren's sword slash but had lost much of its size!
Ren advanced toward the remaining smaller fireball and sliced through it with his sword coated in Armament Haki. then He resheathed his sword, covering his fists with Haki again, and moved toward Marco.
Why he wasn't fighting with his sword? Simply because Marco's regenerative abilities were exceptional. Fighting him with a sword would be tedious, and wasting his stamina on someone who could heal from mortal wounds would be inefficient. He needed to find a way to capture Marco after beating him down. Perhaps he could find a chance to use Seastone shackles?
Even without that, physical combat against Marco was still beneficial—Ren could feel his body growing stronger, evolving. He had never felt this much pressure from any enemy since arriving in this world. He had always been a step—or ten steps—ahead of the rookies from the Four Seas and Paradise. But now, things were different.
As if to confirm Ren's thoughts, Marco quickly launched his next attack without hesitation, despite the setback of his previous one.
"Onguru!"
Marco's leg transformed into a phoenix leg with four sharp talons, and he kicked at Ren with astonishing speed, far faster than before!
"Ugh..!!" Even though Ren's Observation Haki warned him of the imminent danger, his reaction time wasn't fast enough. Luckily, his entire body was coated in Armament Haki, along with the defense of his clothing. He endured the pain and grabbed Marco's leg, still in its Zoan form.
"I'll roast you today, Little bird!"
*Boom!*
Ren grabbed Marco's leg and slammed him into the ground with tremendous force, causing Marco to spit blood and struggle for breath. But Marco had no time to rest, as Ren's next attack had already arrived.
*Boom!!*
Ren's next kick was meant to obliterate Marco's head, but Marco barely dodged in time. Ren turned to face him, glaring as Marco's body became engulfed in blue flames, visibly healing his wounds.
"I can't let him recover," Ren thought, charging swiftly toward Marco. Pirates and Marines alike who stood in his path were sent flying, their bodies torn apart by the sheer power of his strikes.
Meanwhile, Marco, now fully healed, exhaled deeply, his face turning stern as an ominous aura radiated from him.
"Phoenix Gōen!!" Marco unleashed a massive fiery shockwave from his wings, flying toward Ren with lethal intent. Ren didn't break his stride, hurtling toward the flames until both forces collided violently.
"Hell Eyes!!"
*Roar!!*
Marco let out a thunderous roar, propelling himself like a blazing arrow. The blue and red flames clashed in midair, generating a tremendous explosion that shook the battlefield and dramatically raised the temperature in the area.
Marco's flames were primarily defensive, meant for healing. In contrast, Ren's Hellfire technique was a vicious, destructive attack—designed to kill.
"Zōn-kei... Genjūshu!!"
Marco emerged from the fiery explosion with minor burns, moving quickly to seize Ren—who was coated in Armament Haki—with the intent to finish him off.
His plan was simple: lift his opponent high into the air, slam him down, and follow up with a skull-crushing strike capable of shattering bones.
"Naive!" Ren sneered, vanishing with Shave, closing the gap between them in an instant. He delivered a powerful punch to Marco's midsection.
*Bam!*
Marco's eyes widened, a sharp pain ripping through his insides. He tried to retreat, but Ren's grip was like steel, locking him in place.
"Damn you! Let go of me, you—"
*Boom!!*
Marco couldn't finish his insult as his face was smashed into the ground with brutal force. The impact carved a large crater, cracks spidering across the ground.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Ren showed no mercy, grabbing Marco by the leg and slamming him into the earth repeatedly. Despite Marco's regenerative flames, the relentless assault left him severely weakened.
Ren tightened his grip, lifting Marco by the neck. His other fist, enveloped in Haki, struck Marco's abdomen with crushing force. Marco coughed up a torrent of blood before collapsing, unconscious.
Reaching into The Infinity Space, then he pulled out Seastone cuffs and shackled Marco's wrists.
"In the end...it seems I'm the one who won this fight."
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To be continued.