Chapter 103: Rob Lucci

Time rewinds to the day Marco concluded his fight with Kaido.

On the sea near the battle island, an inconspicuous pirate ship drifts calmly, somehow enduring the oppressive force of Kaido's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.

Onboard this unremarkable vessel stands a tall figure, clad in a white robe and wearing a mask. With perfect posture, he adjusts his glasses while gazing at Marco, who soars through the sky, leaving a trail of blue flames in his wake. His expression remains cold and unreadable.

"I managed to slaughter Katakuri, the strongest Sweet Commander, and I can even challenge Kaido head-on," he murmurs.

"If you know how to run, you might survive... but I doubt your current strength will save you."

"The world government has an interest in you, and it just so happens that I too want to see what the Immortal Phoenix fruit is truly capable of."

With a low hum, the inconspicuous ship surges forward, chasing after Marco with alarming speed. Its hull cuts through the ocean's surface, leaving a long, frothy white wave in its wake.

To hunt down Marco!

If Marco saw him again, he would instantly recognize this man.

This is Rob Lucci, the world government's secret weapon, dispatched by the CP agency to eliminate Marco.

At the age of thirteen, Lucci slaughtered five hundred pirates and five hundred soldiers single-handedly, earning him the title of the most fearsome CP agent in the past five centuries.

After his defeat by the Straw Hat Pirates, Lucci rose to become the chief commander of CP0, now recognized as the most formidable operative in the organization.

Having mastered all six forms of Rokushiki to a near-divine level, many compare his strength to that of an admiral of the navy.

Even within the world government, his authority rivals that of the highest-ranking naval commanders.

Above the sea.

A pirate ship sails briskly, its crew lively and boisterous.

"Boss! Look at the sky!"

Several crew members widen their eyes, pointing upward in amazement.

"That's…!"

High above, a figure with immense, fiery wings speeds across the sky, trailing azure flames that sparkle like scattered stars.

Marco, the Immortal Phoenix!

The entire pirate crew erupts in excitement.

"We're seeing Marco in person!"

They marvel, for Marco has recently gained even more notoriety across the world, making waves in every corner of the seas.

For these pirates, Marco isn't just a famous outlaw—he's their idol.

"Damn shame we didn't snap a photo for keepsakes," one pirate laments, his voice full of regret.

The crew collectively sighs, feeling their fleeting moment of awe slip away.

Not long after—

"Captain! There's another pirate ship ahead, coming right at us!" a lookout shouts from the crow's nest.

"It's heading straight for us? No way they plan to crash into us, right? We're not on bad terms with anyone. Make sure they know not to run us down!" the captain orders.

"On it!"

The pirate ship sounds its warning horn in a long, low blast.

"Wooo~~~!"

But—

"It's no use, Captain! They're still coming, fast! They're about to pass us!"

In an instant, the speeding vessel surges past the pirates' ship, sending powerful waves crashing against its hull. The entire ship shakes violently, tossing the crew about as curses fly from every corner.

"Oi!"

Just then—

A masked man in a white robe appears silently on their deck. His sudden presence feels suffocating.

"Have you seen a giant blue-flamed bird flying overhead?" he asks coldly, his voice low and laced with menace.

The sheer malice radiating from him freezes the crew on the spot.

Marco, the Immortal Phoenix!

Many of the pirates feel their hearts seize with fear. They've seen him—Marco—but the tone of this masked man makes it clear that he's no friend of theirs.

Still, one bold crew member steps forward.

"Who the hell are you? And what if we haven't seen it? What if we have?"

The pirate's captain quickly reaches out, trying to pull his crewmate back from the brink of danger—

Slash!

A white vacuum blade flashes, severing the bold pirate in two. Blood splatters across the deck as the pirate's lifeless halves fall with a sickening thud.

Rokushiki: Rankyaku.

The masked man stares down at the stunned crew, indifferent to the life he just ended.

"I don't have time to waste," he says with chilling calm. "Have you seen him?"

"N-No… we haven't…" one pirate stammers in fear.

Slash!

Another white blade flashes, decapitating the speaker. His severed head tumbles into the sea, leaving a red stain on the deck.

"You… You monster!" the captain shouts, drawing his sword in a desperate attempt to retaliate.

But before he can act—

Slash!

A blindingly fast blade slices through the air, severing the captain's arm cleanly at the shoulder.

"Captain!!!"

The remaining pirates scream in terror. Their faces pale as they realize the sheer cruelty of the man standing before them.

Who is this demon? Why is his method so brutal?

The masked man's voice cuts through the panic like a blade.

"You have three seconds."

"One."

"Two."

"Thr—"

"W-We saw him!" a terrified pirate blurts out before the final count.

Slash!

Even so, the white blade sings once more, ending the desperate pirate's life with another ruthless strike.

"He flew in that direction!" the crew shouts, pointing frantically toward the horizon, hoping to end this nightmare.

The masked man glances in the indicated direction without another word.

Then, as silently as he arrived, he vanishes, leaving the terrified crew behind—paralyzed by fear, drowning in the blood of their comrades.

The captain, his forehead slick with cold sweat, clenched his remaining hand against the stump of his severed arm, trying in vain to stem the bleeding. His breathing was shallow and ragged, the pain unbearable.

It was clear now—there was no hope. Even if they wanted to hide the truth, they wouldn't dare any longer.

Poof~!

The white blade flashed, and the captain's body was sliced clean in two. Blood splattered across the deck, his lifeless halves collapsing with a dull thud.

"You! Why kill the captain!?"

The surviving pirates roared in fury. Though they were not a renowned crew, they were veterans of the New World—having survived countless battles, both grand and trivial. They might not have been the strongest, but they were still pirates with pride, and they refused to allow such an insult to their dignity.

"You all… can die too."

With that cold proclamation, the white-robed figure moved with inhuman speed. In an instant, his silhouette flickered, leaving several afterimages across the deck.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

One by one, the pirates fell, each with a small, finger-sized hole in their forehead or heart. Their faces remained frozen in shock as they crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Rokushiki: Shigan.

A crew hardened by the dangers of the New World was slaughtered without so much as a chance to retaliate.

The murderer?

Rob Lucci—the assassin chasing after Marco, the Immortal Phoenix.

Splash!

The inconspicuous pirate ship surged forward once more, slicing through the waves at an alarming speed as it pursued the direction in which Marco had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Marco had reached an island, unaware of the deadly pursuer on his tail.

On his journey here, Marco had received a cryptic message from Doflamingo.

The message warned of activity by the Blackbeard Pirates in the area, though the information was vague. After Marco's last attempt to hunt down Blackbeard, Teach and his crew had become far more cautious, making their movements unpredictable.

"There's talk of a legendary pirate appearing in these waters… Could Teach be hunting them for their Devil Fruit abilities?" Marco muttered as he landed on the island.

His sharp eyes scanned the area, but he found no sign of the Blackbeard Pirates. With no immediate leads, Marco decided to grab some food and strolled toward the island's marketplace.

At the port.

"Marco defeated Katakuri! I told you, Marco is invincible! You probably don't know, but after that fight, even Kaido showed up—and Marco actually knocked him to the bottom of the sea!"

An old pirate sat near the docks, animatedly boasting to a group of sailors.

"Really? That strong?! Are you sure? All I heard was that Marco fought Charlotte Katakuri, and the island sank during their battle. I had no idea Kaido showed up!"

The listeners gasped in disbelief.

The old pirate, grinning with satisfaction, continued.

"Don't listen to him! Old Luo is just a crazed Marco fan! The guy exaggerates everything about his idol. Nine out of ten things he says are outright lies!" another pirate chimed in, laughing.

"The truth is, Kaido suddenly appeared from the sky, fought briefly with Marco, and then Marco flew off before things escalated," someone else corrected with a smirk.

Old Luo, however, waved them off dismissively.

"You fools! I saw it with my own eyes! Marco spread his flame wings wide—at least a hundred meters across—and the entire sky burned with blue fire. He was magnificent!"

As the old pirate lost himself in the excitement of recounting Marco's feats, an inconspicuous ship quietly docked at the port.

From the ship, a man in a white robe stepped onto the pier with slow, deliberate steps.

"You…"

His voice was calm but unsettling, cutting through the conversations at the dock.

"Have you seen Marco?"

Old Luo, still basking in the glow of his storytelling, didn't sense the danger in the man's voice. Beaming with pride, he eagerly responded, "Yes! Of course, I've seen him! Marco is my idol. It's not every day a man like me gets to witness his hero in the flesh."

He had no idea who he was speaking to.

Poof~!

The white blade sliced through the air with a sickening sound, and Old Luo's body went stiff. His wide eyes filled with disbelief as blood sprayed from the clean cut that severed him in two.

"Lao Luo!"

"You bastard…! Why?!"

Several nearby pirates, friends of the old man, screamed in shock and anger.

Poof~!

Without hesitation, Rob Lucci flicked his hand again, killing every one of them in mere seconds.

Their bodies collapsed on the bloodstained pier, lifeless.

The few pirates further down the port who witnessed the carnage felt their hearts seize with terror. Faces pale and drenched in sweat, they turned and fled in panic, scattering like frightened animals.

"The weak have no right to live."

Lucci's voice was devoid of emotion as he strode through the port, his boots splashing in the puddles of blood that pooled beneath the corpses.

He stepped off the pier and disappeared into the streets, following the faint trail left behind by Marco.