Three days later, as Adrian was playing hide-and-seek with Shirahoshi in the Sea Forest, a tyrannical presence entered his mind. He smirked. He knew the Whitebeard Pirates had finally arrived.
"Little Shirahoshi, it's time to go back. The person I've been waiting for is here," Adrian said gently, taking her hand.
"Lord Adrian, is that the bad guy named Whitebeard?" Shirahoshi asked, blinking her big, innocent eyes.
Adrian patted her head. "Silly girl. There are no 'good' or 'bad' people in this world, only those with different positions and opinions."
On the other side, the Whitebeard Pirates' five massive ships lay moored quietly at the bottom of the Red Line, in front of the passage to the other side. The once-unobstructed passage was now completely blocked by a giant ship the size of a small island. Only a tiny gap remained on the edge, barely large enough for one or two people to pass through at a time.
The bed around the hole was littered with the wreckage of other ships, a sign of a fierce battle.
"Damn it... Dad, are those Marine bastards afraid we'll attack the execution ground, so they deliberately blocked our path?" The short-tempered Jozu said angrily.
"I doubt it," Whitebeard replied, shaking his head slightly. His deep eyes scanned the Noah's Ark. Despite decades of sailing the seas, this was the first time he'd ever seen a ship so immense. A look of astonishment crossed his face.
"With Marine's strength, it's impossible to build a ship this impressive... No, it's impossible for ordinary people to accomplish such a feat." Even the well-traveled Whitebeard couldn't guess the Noah's true purpose.
"But Dad, our spies passed through here last week and didn't find this ship..." Marco said, his expression solemn. "Besides Marine, is there someone else who doesn't want us to go to Marineford to save Ace?"
The Whitebeard Pirates' plan to infiltrate Marineford by surprise was a top-secret operation. To ensure it remained so, they had sunk 23 Marine surveillance ships before they set sail. If their whereabouts were exposed in advance, the situation would become extremely unfavorable for them—the last thing Marco wanted.
"Goo la la la! Marco, don't guess. The person who can answer our questions... is here." Whitebeard laughed heartily, then took a big swig from his flagon, unconcerned by the visitor's hostility.
Within seconds of his words, a strong, figure landed firmly on the Moby Dick's deck.
"Whitebeard, you're finally here. I've been holding the passage for you for days." Adrian grinned broadly, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement. He had finally met the strongest man in the world. Although they were destined to be enemies, Adrian still respected him.
"You brat, how dare you speak so insolently to our dad?" The moment Adrian finished speaking, Marco exploded into action.
Whoosh!
Blue flames erupted from his arms, forming wings. With a powerful shake, he shot forward like an arrow, skimming the deck and appearing in front of Adrian. His right foot shot up, infused with jet-black Armament Haki.
Boom!
A dull bang echoed across the deck. The massive Moby Dick shuddered, a testament to the sheer power behind the kick.
Yet, Adrian remained perfectly still, not even moving to defend himself. A semi-curved wall of quicksand fused with Armament Haki had materialized in front of him, automatically blocking Marco's powerful attack.
"What? He... blocked it?" A look of surprise flashed in Marco's eyes. But then, Adrian's voice came from strangely behind him.
"You're not playing fair, old man, ambushing a young man less than twenty years old? Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson... Finger Pistol Gatling!"
Puff... Puff...!
A barrage of Finger Pistols infused with Armament Haki struck Marco's back at an incredibly high speed, and blood immediately spurted from his wounds. In the blink of an eye, Marco's back was covered in horrible, bloody holes.
Adrian, meanwhile, had already returned to his original position. The entire process was so fast that a normal person wouldn't even have been able to react.
Swish!
The sand wall slowly dissipated, revealing Adrian's handsome face with a smirk.
"Hey, what's Marco doing? How did that kid hit him?"
"That kid's speed is so fast, I couldn't even see it."
The Whitebeard commanders looked on in surprise, but mostly they were confused. No one could comprehend that Marco, the first division commander of the great Whitebeard Pirates, could be injured so quickly. Most of them hadn't even seen the Finger Pistols clearly; all they saw was a blur before Marco's back began to bleed. Still, no one believed Marco would lose. After all, besides their dad, he was the second strongest pirate in the crew.
"Hey, Marco, don't pretend. That little injury should be nothing to you... Don't you want to try to ambush me again?" Adrian taunted, sounding bored.
Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, a blue regenerative flame erupted from Marco's back. The bloody, mangled wounds healed completely in the blink of an eye, leaving not a single scar.
"I want to order this Devil Fruit." After witnessing the power of the Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit, Adrian's resolve to acquire it from Marco grew even stronger.
The Zoan-type Mythical Zoan, Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit grants its user the ability to fly and to use "regenerative flames" to neutralize enemy attacks and heal from damage in a very short amount of time. In other words, as long as a user has enough stamina, they are essentially invincible. It's the ultimate support ability with both self-defense and combat.
"Your speed is very fast. That move is something only members of CP would use," Marco said with a somber look, clearly thinking Adrian was a World Government lackey.
"Marco, if you keep insulting me, I will kill you," Adrian said, pointing angrily at his handsome face. "Are you blind? I'm this handsome—how could I be a World Government lackey?"
"Hmph. I don't care who you are. If you disrespect my father, you will die," Marco sneered, rushing forward. His blue phoenix flame wings reappeared, and his feet transformed into bird talons. This time, he wasn't underestimating his opponent. He was going straight for the kill.
"Phoenix Stamp!"
His kick came down like a battle axe. In the original story, Marco used this very move to kick a Yonko ship, the Queen Mama Chanter, off a waterfall in Wano Country. The power behind this kick was immense.
"I didn't come here to fight you. I don't have time to waste," Adrian said, suppressing his anger. He vanished like lightning, reappearing above Marco's head, and brought his own right foot down in the exact same stance.
"So fast..." Marco's eyes widened. Adrian's speed was even faster than his Observation Haki, and now it was too late to dodge. He twisted abruptly in the air, and the two kicks collided with a resounding crash.
Boom!
Marco was sent flying backward, slamming hard into the deck of the Moby Dick. The massive ship shuddered. Adrian, too, was pushed back several meters, barely managing to stop himself before being pushed outside the ship's coating. The decisive difference in power was clear.
This was with Adrian holding back, not wanting to expose too many of his abilities too early. Otherwise, Marco would have been knocked unconscious.
"Goo la la la! These kids today are so arrogant and annoying," Whitebeard said with a laugh. His eyes gleamed as a world-shaking haki poured out of him like a torrent. He couldn't stand seeing his son being bullied.
Zheng!
A second later, a blood-red space enveloped Adrian. A lightning-like energy danced fiercely around him like a raging thunder snake. The immense pressure bore down on Adrian's will. This was the Conqueror's Haki of the strongest man in the world.
However, to the surprise of all the Whitebeard Pirates, Adrian stood his ground like a rock against the stormy sea.
"That kid... he can withstand Dad's top-level Conqueror Haki?"
"I knew he had some skill. How else would he dare to face Dad alone?"
"He's at his limit. He probably can't even move a finger now. Everyone has to surrender to the old man."
Just as the commanders were smiling and guessing how long the black-haired boy could last against their father's Haki, Adrian moved.
"Hey, Whitebeard, are you trying to test me at our first meeting?" A wild look flashed inAdrian's eyes as he took a step forward.
Zheng!
The same majestic force surged out, instantly pushing back Whitebeard's Haki. Although his Conqueror Haki, which he looted from the Golden Lion, was only intermediate at the time, his ambition and courage had improved it to an advanced level. While still slightly inferior to a powerhouse like Whitebeard, it wasn't easy to overwhelm.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"What?! That kid has Conqueror Haki too?"
"Where did this guy come from? His Conqueror Haki is a match for Dad's. He's definitely not a nobody..."
Shocked expressions appeared on the faces of all the commanders, but that was all. In their hearts, their father, Whitebeard, was a god—an invincible existence.
Although both Whitebeard and Adrian were trying their best to suppress the range of their Conqueror Haki, the clash continued to spread.
Crack...
A cracking sound came from the rock-solid deck of the Moby Dick's bow. Cracks spread outward from the center of the collision. What left everyone speechless, however, was that the ship's coating was also being affected, vibrating and rippling, as if it could break at any moment.
"Dad, stop! The coating is about to fail!" Marco, who had climbed back to the deck, shouted in surprise.
"Hey, Whitebeard, your sons seem to be scared?" Adrian looked at Whitebeard with a smirk. "But they're right. If you don't want to be at the bottom of the sea, you'd better be honest with me."