Thunder rumbled~~!
Rob Lucci was blasted straight through the air, hurtling across the street, tearing through house after house in his path. Everywhere he passed, dust swirled, and smoke billowed like a trailing serpent in the wind.
The very moment Rob Lucci was flung away, an uproar broke out among the onlookers.
Pirates witnessing the scene couldn't help but marvel at the sheer force on display.
This was pure, unfiltered physical combat.
And Marco had gained the upper hand.
The clash between two Zoan users had captivated everyone, stirring something primal in the hearts of the spectators. Blood boiled at the sight of such raw power.
"Damn it."
Emerging from the ruins, Rob Lucci brushed himself off. His once-pristine white robe was in tatters. His hybrid leopard form—half-human, half-beast—was stained with dirt and blood. Even the corners of his mouth carried the faint trace of freshly coughed-up blood.
He was injured. Badly.
His paws, in particular, drooped unnaturally, the bones cracked and out of alignment.
This… is...
A grim realization struck Lucci—his paws were broken. But that only deepened the resolve burning within him, awakening an even stronger bloodlust.
True cruelty isn't just about hurting the enemy; it's about enduring it yourself.
Only the weak retreat.
For Rob Lucci, there were only two outcomes: kill or be killed. There was no other path.
Gulp!
Without hesitation, Lucci's hands twisted unnaturally, slithering like serpents as his bones snapped back into place.
This was Life Return.
Though the bones weren't truly reattached, energy surged from other parts of his body, temporarily restoring their function, as though new bones had sprouted in place of the broken ones.
The recovery was impressive—but fleeting. Once Life Return ended, his injuries would return to their original state.
It was a principle much like that of the ghost spider who could manipulate hair to grow spider-like arms.
Without another word, Lucci transformed fully into his leopard form.
His strength surged. His speed skyrocketed.
Swish!
Lucci leapt into the air, moving with blinding speed. In the next instant, dozens of vacuum slashes—sharp as blades and swift as white birds—shot through the air toward Marco. The moment the slashes appeared, they emitted a piercing whistle, slicing through the atmosphere like a storm of razors.
"Moonwalk."
"Shave."
"Tempest Kick: Sky Bird!"
In a seamless display of mastery, Lucci combined three Rokushiki techniques, unleashing an onslaught of slashes far superior to any he had launched before.
The slashes zipped through the air like bolts of white lightning.
At the same time, a yellow blur streaked through the chaos—a hurricane formed by the sheer force of Lucci's speed as he bore down on Marco.
Marco narrowed his eyes.
Lucci's relentless tenacity was beyond anything he'd anticipated.
If CP0 was chasing him from behind... Were others coming too?
Was this their plan? To take him down while he was vulnerable, hoping to land the finishing blow?
The thought made Marco's gaze grow even colder.
If he didn't end Rob Lucci decisively here and now, more trouble was bound to follow.
Determined, Marco made his move without hesitation. He pressed his hands toward the sky. At his command, an endless wave of blue flames erupted behind him, roaring to life.
Simultaneously, the ground beneath Marco's feet ignited. In an instant, the entire area—buildings, streets, trees—was engulfed in a sea of azure fire.
Within moments, everything within a thousand-meter radius was consumed by raging flames.
This was… Blaze Nation.
And Marco, wreathed in blue flames, stood as its emperor.
Though all of this took mere moments, it felt like time slowed amidst the chaos.
Across the street, Lucci's razor-sharp slashes sliced through the air, hurtling toward Marco with unstoppable force.
Marco clenched his fist. The roaring flames responded instantly, converging under his command. With a fierce motion, he thrust his fist forward.
The fire behind him surged and swirled, forming a colossal fist of pure flame, large enough to blot out the sky.
BOOM!
The fiery fist roared toward the oncoming slashes, colliding with them in an explosion of heat and force.
Rumble~~!
Marco's punch was like a force of annihilation, obliterating and decaying everything in its path with terrifying speed. The incoming slashes shattered into pieces upon impact.
Boom~!
Fragments of the slashed Lanjiao scattered in every direction like shards of glass, slicing through everything they touched. Buildings, streets, and debris—nothing in their path was spared.
The rumbling explosions echoed through the battlefield.
But Marco didn't even flinch. He remained unfazed by the destruction.
At that moment, Rob Lucci—still in his full leopard form—emerged from the flames, charging forward at an insane speed. Through the blazing inferno, he carved out a clear path, his powerful strides leaving a trail of heatless void behind him.
Lucci's eyes locked on Marco, bloodlust burning.
Marco stood his ground. He didn't retreat an inch.
Instead, he leaped forward, throwing a mighty punch directly at the incoming leopard.
Boom! Another punch followed without pause—this one even more devastating than the first.
The instant Marco's fist formed, the very heavens seemed to respond. Endless blue flames surged in harmony with his motion.
And just as the punch erupted, the flames behind Marco twisted and coalesced into the shape of a supreme divine phoenix.
"Whoosh~~!"
The divine phoenix took form, soaring majestically through the air. With a resounding cry, it asserted its dominance over this infernal realm. The endless blue fire burned hotter, boiling the air and incinerating everything it touched.
There was no hesitation—only action.
In a heartbeat, the two warriors closed the distance between them.
Lucci's body tensed as he gathered every ounce of his strength into one final assault. His muscles coiled like springs, and in a blinding burst, he unleashed dozens of explosive kicks. Each strike was like the barrel of a cannon, aimed with devastating precision at Marco.
The force of his attacks was overwhelming, like a barrage of unstoppable missiles—each kick sharp, fast, and destructive, piercing through the air like a spear aimed at Marco's heart.
"Six King Gun!"
Lucci roared as he executed his most powerful technique, combining all his mastery of the Rokushiki into a fearsome, concentrated attack. The very air screamed under the force of the technique, ripping apart under the sheer pressure.
Almost simultaneously, Marco's massive, flame-wreathed fist came crashing down.
The moment their attacks collided, the world itself seemed to tremble.
The punch didn't merely strike—it engulfed. The flames that rolled with it surged like a tidal wave, tearing through wind and sky with overwhelming might.
Immortal Phoenix Flame Emperor!
Rumble~~!
The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, and the sky churned as fire and wind collided in a cataclysmic explosion.
In that instant, Rob Lucci's form was completely swallowed by the endless blue flames. His figure disappeared beneath the searing inferno, devoured whole by the Immortal Phoenix's wrath.
The flames roared, consuming everything in their path without mercy.