Larson's expression gradually became serious: "Marco, long-term pain is worse than short-term pain, just be patient and it will pass."
Marco was about to shed tears. The long-term pain was worse than the short-term pain, but it was him who was hurting!
"Come on, come on!"
In the end, Marco gritted his teeth and accepted it. As the last bits of black matter were removed, Marco was so exhausted that he almost collapsed. He sank weakly to the ground, looked at Larson, and asked, "Am I saved?"
"You can put your heart back in your belly now."
Marco suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, as if all the burdens had been lifted from his body, and he felt instantly relaxed.
"But this battle is not over yet."
Larson slowly stood up, and as Marco looked around, he realized the number of black giants had multiplied to an astonishing number. There were now over 100 of them, while the combined forces of the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates on the island amounted to just over 20 people—each needing to handle an average of five giants.
Though no one had encountered any further accidents yet, Marco saw the grim situation. These giants were not difficult to deal with and were relatively easy to defeat, but their ability to resurrect endlessly posed the greatest challenge.
If the giants didn't resurrect, it would actually be simple for one person to handle five of them. Anyone from the Whitebeard Pirates or Roger Pirates could manage that.
But "if" didn't matter. Their continuous resurrection was bound to exhaust everyone's physical strength.
Without a reliable way to stop their resurrection, this would undoubtedly become a catastrophe for everyone.
"Wait for me here."
Since the spreading speed of the Kuroshio had not yet recovered, Marco was still in a safe zone. After confirming Marco wouldn't be in immediate danger, Larson approached Whitebeard.
"Old Man, I know how to handle these things."
Whitebeard asked, "What can I do?"
"Use your Tremor-Tremor Fruit! Haven't you noticed this?"
Larson felt a little helpless. Whitebeard, despite being formidable in battle, lacked insight in other matters. It was his own fruit power, and he had used it countless times against the giants, yet he hadn't noticed that the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had the power to counter these giants.
Larson sighed and explained his discovery.
Upon hearing it, Whitebeard's eyes suddenly brightened. "So that's the way."
He prepared to gather the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit again.
Larson quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't rush. You can't take on this many giants alone."
Whitebeard looked at the approaching horde of over 100 giants and silently nodded. "You're right."
"So, we need to cooperate."
"How?"
Larson responded, "You stay here, and I'll go to the other side. The two of us will use the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit together. This way, we can eliminate all the giants at once. Then, during the brief moment when the giants reorganize, we can make our escape from this place!"
Only two minutes remained before Larson could replicate Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power. Whitebeard, aware of Larson's abilities, nodded in agreement.
"Then let's do it your way."
"Wait, there's one last thing."
Though just two minutes remained and time was running out, Larson had to make things clear. Otherwise, even if they destroyed the giants, escaping would still be uncertain.
Larson shouted loudly, so everyone could hear, "Everyone, get ready! The moment these giants fall, cover your feet with Armament Haki and rush out of the Kuroshio!"
Larson no longer planned to deal with the Kuroshio itself—they didn't even know how to handle the giants, let alone the Kuroshio.
He aimed to use the same tactic he had employed against previous threats: a strategic withdrawal.
Everyone heard Larson's command. Although they weren't entirely clear on what Larson meant by "everyone falling," they firmly remembered his words.
Larson didn't delay any longer. As he got into position, only 1 minute remained for his Tremor-Tremor Fruit replication.
But luckily, it only took a moment to resolve this crisis.
From his position, Larson exchanged a nod with Whitebeard in the distance. Then, in unison, they clenched their fists, gathered their power, and struck out towards their respective targets.
The movements of Larson and Whitebeard were so synchronized that it became almost impossible to distinguish whether they were standing still or if there were two of them.
Click! The familiar sound of shattering glass echoed once more, a sound so satisfying to Larson's ears.
The ground began to tremble almost immediately. Despite Larson and Whitebeard's efforts to limit the impact of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the force inevitably rippled through the ground beneath their feet. The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was immense—beyond what any human could fully control.
Yet, their ability to contain the tremors on the Kuroshio showed impressive progress.
Fortunately, the vibrations weren't much of an issue for the others.
Larson observed the surrounding giants collapse one by one, turning into black water that merged into the Kuroshio.
"Now's the time! Everyone, hurry!"
With Larson's command, the crew sprang into action, rushing out of the dark tide. Leading the charge was Rayleigh—not out of fear, but with a sense of duty. Rayleigh's eyes were set with determination; his goal was to clear the way ahead, ensuring there was no hidden danger lurking within the Kuroshio. Even if there was a threat, he would react instantly to neutralize it.
Larson noticed Whitebeard remaining motionless, watching him intently. Larson nodded toward him, signaling it was time to move, but Whitebeard stayed in place.
Realizing there was no convincing him otherwise, Larson chose not to waste time. He quickly dashed towards where Marco lay resting, not far away.
"Larson…"
Seeing Larson approach, Marco, lying on the ground, felt a surge of emotion, nearly bringing him to tears. For a moment, he feared he'd been left behind.
Larson hefted Marco onto his shoulders and hurried back to Whitebeard.
"Let's go," Larson urged.
"Right," Whitebeard replied with a firm nod, taking off alongside him.
A sense of warmth filled Larson's heart. In a world like this, having a brother like Whitebeard was truly a rare and special blessing—a brother who would never abandon you, no matter the circumstances.