Marco was indeed formidable.
By most estimates, he was likely stronger than those at the Admiral Candidate level, though there was still a significant gap between him and a full Admiral. For the most part, the first officers of the Four Emperors shared this level of strength—with one notable exception.
That exception was Beckman of the Red Hair Pirates. The man possessed undisputed Admiral-level strength, without a shred of exaggeration.
As for Lucci, he was undoubtedly the core member of Sean's subordinates, as well as the most talented and fastest-growing. Even in his base form, his Doriki had already approached 12,000.
It was a terrifying number.
Without awakening his fruit, Lucci was still a distance away from the level of an Admiral, but he was already slightly stronger than Marco. However, that edge was limited, which was why Lucci hadn't been able to finish Marco off in a short amount of time.
But once he entered his awakened state...
Forget finishing Marco; he could likely clash with Akainu without falling into a disadvantage.
Seeing the change in Lucci's appearance, Marco's expression grew solemn. It was clear that the man before him had begun to play his trump card. Lucci had already been suppressing him; if he used his full power now...
'No, I have to go all out. I can't afford a single moment of carelessness!'
'Wait!'
'Where did he go?'
Suddenly, Lucci vanished from sight, leaving Marco stunned. If it were simply a matter of extreme speed, he wouldn't have been so shocked—after all, who could compete with Kizaru in terms of speed? But no matter how fast someone is, there are always traces. There are afterimages, or the sharp 'whoosh' of displaced air.
Even if you are too slow to track or catch the figure, you know the opponent has moved, and you can prepare yourself.
But Lucci had left nothing. No afterimage, no sound. One second he was there, and the next he had vanished, creating the illusion that he had never existed in the first place.
Before Marco could think further, a heavy blow struck him squarely in the back. He was sent flying instantly, crashing into the crowd of pirates over a hundred meters away. Even the incredibly hard ice created by Aokiji was smashed, leaving a giant crater nearly twenty meters in diameter.
The commotion was so massive that it instantly drew the attention of every powerhouse on the field.
"Garp, did you see that?"
Atop the execution platform, Sengoku watched the battlefield below and spoke.
Not far away, Garp—who had been blowing bubbles and dozing off—was now wide awake, his eyes locked on Lucci.
"I caught a glimpse. It was definitely Soru, but something about it is different!"
"Could it be the technique Sean used back when he was at Headquarters?"
"No, it's not the same. The essence of the power is fundamentally different. But if I saw correctly, he only stepped on the ground about ten times to trigger it. I couldn't see the exact number," Garp said, shaking his head.
At the same time, a storm of shock surged in Garp's heart.
He knew that Sean could complete Soru with fewer steps. However, he had also felt that the essence of the power Sean used was entirely different from the system he knew. He had assumed this method was unique to Sean, but now Lucci had demonstrated it as well.
While it wasn't as exaggerated as Sean's, completing a Soru burst in only ten-odd steps was blatantly abnormal. Moreover, Lucci's Soru was strange; there was no warning, and even the sound of high-speed movement had been erased.
How was this possible? Even Garp, the creator of the Six Powers, was baffled.
'Could it be related to that special form after his fruit awakening?'
'''
On the other side, the three Admirals were equally stunned by Lucci's display.
"Oh my, the youth of today are truly terrifying. While his speed isn't as fast as my light, the sheer eeriness of it is perhaps even more impressive."
"But that's fine. I don't have to do anything; I can just sit back, watch the show, and still collect my paycheck. How comfortable!"
Hearing Kizaru's remark, Akainu shot him a fierce glare. 'Useless waste. Once I become Fleet Admiral, I'll definitely have to discipline this man.'
"Sakazuki, now that his fruit has awakened, is his strength no longer inferior to ours?"
"Hmph. In his base form, he probably hasn't reached Admiral-level combat power, but in his awakened state, he certainly has. As long as he doesn't slack off like you or Borsalino, he should be able to take down Marco quickly!"
"Hey now, you can say that about Borsalino, but when did I ever slack off?"
"Hmph! You know exactly when you did!"
Akainu was currently very displeased.
Look at the people from the 16th Branch—every single one of them, from the rank-and-file Marines to the officers, was a credit to the Marine.
Then look at Headquarters...
It was a disaster. A bunch of Doves spent their days dragging everyone back, and the moment they fought pirates, they started holding back. Especially among the Admirals—look at Aokiji and Kizaru. What on earth were they?
If he weren't here, the three Admirals would have become a complete laughingstock.
'Once I secure the position of Fleet Admiral, I must find a way to increase the number of Admirals.'
'Sean is a must.'
'Additionally... this Lucci is quite impressive!'
'And then there's Gion. The combat power she displayed back on Volcano Island... that was truly stunning!'
'''
In the inner bay, aboard the Moby Dick.
On the deck, Whitebeard frowned slightly. Although he expected this mission to be difficult, he hadn't imagined they would encounter such a massive obstacle right at the start.
They hadn't even been able to storm the plaza!
And this Marine... Marco likely couldn't handle him alone.
"Jozu, go and give Marco a hand!"
"But what about you, Father...?"
"I am Whitebeard! I'm not so frail that I need my sons to protect me!"
"Yes, Pops!"
Nodding, Jozu leaped from the ship and charged rapidly toward the battlefield where Marco and Lucci were clashing.
It wasn't that Whitebeard didn't want to rush in and break the deadlock himself. It was simply that the current situation was too difficult.
The three Admirals were all sitting back and watching the show without lifting a finger. Not to mention the two top-tier powerhouses of the old era, Sengoku and Garp.
Even Whitebeard didn't believe that in his current state, he could simply punch through three Admirals while kicking the Marine Hero and the Fleet Admiral.
Even if Roger were brought back to life, he wouldn't be able to take on those five alone.
Consequently, as long as they remained still, he could not move. One could say that the mere presence of the Admirals served as a check on him; conversely, his presence on the deck pinned them down just as effectively.
The initial deadlock had to be broken by his sons!
After all... he needed to conserve his strength to strike at the most critical moment and to serve as the final rearguard.
In this new era, there was no longer a ship capable of carrying him.
Then, he would use the last of his life... to carve out a path of survival for his sons!