This scene sent chills down everyone's spines!
Dead!
Someone killed Marco!
The blade had pierced straight through his heart! Even if he were a phoenix, he'd be dead for sure!
Not to mention, he was already severely injured—taking that stab head-on! The blade even seemed to carry traces of Armament Haki.
Though not very refined.
But... that was more than enough!
Blood sprayed from Marco like a geyser!
His face turned deathly pale, as if he were about to pass out any second!
He was done for!
Marco's face even twisted into an expression of sheer unwillingness.
This was as good as dead—no doubt about it!
Who! Who killed Marco?!
Turning to look, they saw Chiba with an 'intense' and 'righteous' glare fixed on Marco.
Just his stare alone seemed sharp enough to kill Marco on the spot.
"Who the hell is this kid?!"
"Marco!!"
"Dammit! He killed Marco! Brothers, tear him apart!"
"Kill this bastard!"
"Chiba?! That's Chiba! He took down Marco?!"
"Protect him! Don't let him get killed!"
For a moment, the battlefield erupted with chaotic shouts.
Pirates surged toward Vir like a tidal wave, while the Marines desperately held the line in front of him.
This guy was a hero—there was no way they'd let their newly crowned savior die in an instant!
That was the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division! The strongest after Whitebeard himself!
No matter what, they had to protect Chiba today!
In front of Vista, Momousagi's eyes nearly popped out of her skull.
Her little brother just killed Marco?!
Sure, it might've been opportunistic, but it looked like he really did it!
Momousagi's expression shifted from shock to delight, then finally to concern.
She had to get to him fast.
Otherwise, those pirates would tear him to shreds.
She had to get him out of here first!
She expected Vista to charge forward in a frenzy, avenging his fallen comrade.
But instead, Vista showed no signs of grief or devastation—no heart-wrenching agony over his brother's death.
He just looked... surprised. Stunned, even. Not a trace of sorrow on his face.
Though confused, Momousagi seized the opening and dashed past Vista.
Rushing straight toward Chiba's position.
It wasn't just Vista—anyone with decent strength, after the initial shock and anger, seemed to react... unusually.
Because that blade... or rather, that swordsmanship.
It looked way too familiar.
But they weren't entirely sure.
So they held back.
Even Whitebeard was observing.
He felt it too—that familiarity.
But the audience watching the broadcast? They were losing their minds!
"What?! Is this guy really about to kill Marco the Phoenix?! He's gonna make a name for himself like this...!"
Similar exclamations erupted across the world.
On Amazon Lily, Jina shot to her feet.
Her face twisted in horror.
Tears the size of beans rolled down her cheeks, her terror plain to see.
No... don't...
Her mind was stuck on those few words, looping endlessly.
But Shiki, witnessing this, wore an expression like he'd just swallowed a pile of crap.
'Goddammit... no mistake!'
'This bastard has to be him.'
'No doubt about it!'
'I'd bet my decades-old reputation on it! This is absolutely that "doctor"!'
Flashback to moments ago—
Marco had charged at Vir like a bullet, and Vir, being outmatched, was sent flying from the impact.
Just as Marco mustered the last of his strength to finish off the insignificant pest behind him—
A voice whispered in his ear.
"Old Ma, look—it's Jina."
Marco: ...
'...The hell? You mocking my intelligence?'
'You think I'm some love-struck idiot?'
'This lame-ass lie—you're seriously trying this?!'
'Utterly ridiculous!'
But... despite himself, Marco's head instinctively turned—
Marco: Welp. I'm the clown now.
Before he could fully turn, a blade—faster than he could react—pierced straight through his chest.
Right through his heart.
The icy sensation in his chest should've panicked him, but Marco, already on the brink, instead relaxed completely.
Almost instantly, he spat out a mouthful of blood—
A geyser shooting at least three meters high!
His face, previously flushed from burns, paled in an instant.
As if that single stab had dealt a critical blow.
At the same time, an expression of 'bitter resentment' flashed across his face.
'Damn it... is this where I fall?!'—those words might as well have been written on his forehead.
He lashed out with a desperate counterattack, but the other side effortlessly blocked it.
He was done for! Truly at his limit!
Marco collapsed to his knees, his face twisted in agony.
His wavering body looked like it might give out any second!
But then—the blade lodged in his chest was abruptly yanked out... only to plunge back in.
At first, it was manageable, but soon, the blade became a blur.
Marco, who had been playing the 'dying man' act, instantly lost his composure.
His expression shifted wildly.
Like he was enduring some unspeakable torment.
The bizarre sensation made his whole body tense up violently.
Every muscle trembled as if electrified, sending waves of... something through him.
"Ngh—ah~"
A tiny, involuntary sound escaped Marco's lips—and his face immediately darkened.
His pale cheeks even flushed slightly.
He clamped his mouth shut, not daring to slack off.
But the way that blade worked...
'I don't know if I can hold it in...'
No matter how hard he tried, his lips kept parting on their own.
Marco had no choice but to slap a hand over his mouth.
Before, he'd scoffed at others for doing the same.
How pathetic.
Now? All he could think was—'I get it now.'
It was like holding back diarrhea—clenching might not work, but not clenching? Disaster.
If he didn't cover his mouth, the sounds would leak!
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've earned 200,000 negative points!]
Hearing this, Vir stabbed even more enthusiastically.
Marco's output was... decent.
Not too high, not too low.
As expected.
The one violently 'treating' Marco, of course, was Vir.
When Marco came flying at him, he hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.
A simple code phrase, and boom—straight to stabbing.
Stabbing with the force of a storm, stabbing like there was no tomorrow.
And Marco? What a bro.
Immediately started playing along—flawlessly.
Vir could only applaud internally.
Incredible, Old Ma. Our synergy is unmatched.
Vir had already assessed Marco's injuries when he charged over.
They were severe, large-scale burns.
That summed it up.
For most people, treating this would be a nightmare.
Seventy-three percent of his body was charred.
The worst spots had necrotic tissue up to eight centimeters deep.
Even his organs were partially roasted.
He was, basically, a whole grilled chicken.
If Whitebeard hadn't stepped in, things would have gotten really dangerous.
But for Vir? Easy.
The Vibro-Blade was just to 'renovate' the deepest necrotic areas.
For the rest, he planned to toss Marco into the big iron pot for a stew.
That should mostly fix him.
But Vir wasn't entirely confident.
He'd only used the pot once before.
No guarantee it could handle this.
To be safe, Vir decided to enchant the pot first.
Max it out for good measure.
Enchanting would add a powerful effect while boosting the item's base capabilities.
But the moment he selected 'Enchant Iron Pot Hotchpotch', a system prompt popped up:
[Ding! Enchanting this item requires 2,000,000 Negative Points! Proceed?]
Vir froze.
What? What's this? Wasn't it supposed to be a flat 1.5 million?
Why the price hike?
What's this nonsense?
[Ding! After enchanting, this item will unlock a powerful effect that can boost the Host's combat strength!]
Vir paused again.
Enhance... his strength?
How the hell does a cooking pot make him stronger?
Did he have to eat the patient?! That's insane!
But if the system said so, it must be true.
He'd never seen an item that could boost his strength before.
It was probably something good.
After a brief consideration, Vir chose to enchant.
A few seconds later, the iron pot's upgrade was complete.
[Iron Pot Hotchpotch]
Function: Place the patient into the pot and stir-fry repeatedly. Depending on the medicinal ingredients added and the heat control, different effects can be produced.
(Stops bleeding, disinfects, treats various external injuries, etc.)
Note: Patients will not suffer any real harm, but they'll definitely feel the full stir-fry experience.
Price: 3,000,000
Review: Iron pot stews the patient! Serve it hot!
Enchantment Effect: [Doctor Eats First!]
Doctor Eats First: After stir-frying, the patient's wounds won't vanish. The host must use a knife and fork to 'carve' them off. Consuming them grants temporary Damage Immunity effect!
Note: The wounds are actually gone; the Host is consuming the 'soul' of the injuries. But to others, it looks like... well...
Vir: ...What the actual hell.