Without warning, Quinn suddenly knelt at Whitebeard's feet, tears streaming down his face. "Please let me go. I'm willing to atone for my past actions. As long as you don't kill me, I'll do whatever you want."
Desperately, he pointed toward Kaido. "It was all him! I had nothing to do with it!"
Although Quinn was physically fine, the residual power of Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit lingered in his body, leaving him in constant pain. Whitebeard's overwhelming strength had shattered any hope of resistance. Realizing just how unstoppable Whitebeard was, Quinn had completely given up.
"Let you go?" Whitebeard's deep voice rumbled.
From the distance, Larson approached with a smirk. "Kaido, did you hear what your subordinate said?"
Kaido, his head buried in the sand, pretended not to hear Larson's words, hoping to avoid attention. Meanwhile, Quinn trembled as Larson neared.
Whitebeard glanced at Kaido, who lay defeated at his feet. "Larson, do you want to kill him?"
Hearing this, Kaido struggled violently, trying to escape, but Whitebeard was like an immovable mountain, pressing him firmly down.
"Kill him?" Larson chuckled. "Of course not. That would be too easy for him."
Larson then gazed into the distance. "There's still someone missing who hasn't joined us yet."
As he spoke, he raised his head, watching two distant figures—one chasing, one fleeing—against the horizon.
...
"Damn it! Why can't I shake him off?"
King glanced back at Marco, who was hot on his trail, and grit his teeth, pushing himself to his speed limit. But no matter how hard he tried, Marco remained right behind him.
"Enough!" King finally stopped, turning to face Marco, his expression cold. "You're pushing it too far, kid."
Marco blinked, feigning confusion. "Are you talking to me?"
"Why aren't you going after our boss instead of chasing me?" King spat, clearly irritated. Marco was sticking to him like glue, impossible to shake off.
Marco chuckled. "You had a hand in injuring Gangplank, didn't you?"
"That diamond brat?" King frowned, pretending to recall. "That wasn't me. Our boss and Quinn did that."
Lying without hesitation, King was trying to avoid getting tangled up with Marco. He wasn't too worried about Marco, but he feared someone else might catch up. He needed to deal with Marco quickly and shift the blame to Kaido and Quinn. Quinn was likely already dead, and Kaido was in the clutches of Whitebeard, so neither would be able to defend themselves. All that mattered now was King survival, even if it meant abandoning his comrades without hesitation.
"You didn't take action?" Marco narrowed his eyes with a grin. "That doesn't matter. Our boss said no one from the Beasts Pirates is getting away today."
King's face twisted in frustration, as if he had swallowed a fly. If the outcome was going to be the same, then why ask in the first place? Before he could even think about it, Marco was already rushing toward him. King barely had time to register Marco's speed before he closed the distance in an instant.
Marco had been holding back his true strength this whole time!
King hastily activated his Armament Haki, covering his arms and raising them in defense.
"Pay for your actions!" Marco roared, enveloped in blue flames as he kicked with all his might.
Marco's only disadvantage was his attack style—it was somewhat limited. His Phoenix Fruit gave him incredible healing and flight abilities, but no inherent offensive power. His strong body and raw strength were his main weapons, and since he had to use his wings to fly, his legs were his primary method of attack.
Bang!
King took Marco's kick head-on, his body plummeting toward the water below. Fortunately, his Armament Haki protected him, absorbing the impact. Using the force of his fall, he managed to reduce the damage. But in that brief moment, he noticed an opening—after Marco's attack, his body momentarily hovered mid-air, pausing just long enough for King to exploit.
Here's the improved version with canon names as requested:
At this moment, King did not choose to escape but charged toward Marco like a sharp arrow released from a bowstring.
He understood that even if he tried to run now, it would be futile. Marco would quickly catch up as soon as he reacted.
Based on the speed Marco had shown when attacking him earlier, if Marco decided to chase him, escape would be impossible.
Defeating Marco was his only chance to survive!
He got it.
In less than a second, King was already within ten meters of Marco. At this distance, even if Marco tried to dodge, it would be too late.
What shocked King the most was Marco's lack of reaction—he just stood there, showing no intention of dodging or defending.
King frowned, sensing something was wrong, but he had already committed to the attack and couldn't stop now.
He was only five meters away from Marco. At this range, even if Marco wanted to defend himself, there was nothing he could do.
At this moment, King felt a wave of relief wash over him.
His expression became calm.
"Go to hell, kid."
In the next instant, King shot through Marco's body like a blur.
King flew a certain distance before coming to a halt. In his Pteranodon form, his mouth was drenched in blood. He turned around, ready to savor the sight of Marco collapsing lifelessly.
Blood could be seen dripping from Marco's chest, falling from the sky into the sea below.
Marco glanced down at his chest wound, his expression cold. "Is that all you've got?"
King was stunned. Before he could respond, Marco slowly turned to face him.
From King perspective, Marco's chest wound was rapidly healing before his very eyes. In just a few moments, all traces of blood were gone.
King panicked. True panic now filled him.
What kind of monstrous healing is this? Is it his Devil Fruit power?
Before King could process what was happening, Marco spoke again. "Now, you should have a taste of the same despair Planck once felt."