"Hey, brat!!"
A roaring voice came from the side.
Ian was taken aback as a massive shadow suddenly loomed over him.
"Ah?"
He looked a bit bewildered.
A giant snake lunged out from beside him, mouth wide open, aiming to bite Ian on the ground.
Snake!
Wait, you're not finished yet?
Snake had been knocked unconscious earlier by Ian's flying kick.
He only just regained consciousness now.
Upon waking up, he saw Ian, who had just crashed to the ground.
In that instant, while he didn't fully grasp Ian's attack, he at least got a good look at him.
This brat who humiliated him had to die!!
Rage clouded his judgment—forget the Beast Pirates; he could go to hell!
"That's terrifying. Don't do that again."
Golden flames shot into the sky as a flash of red sword light zipped by.
Titanoboa's body went rigid, frozen in place.
The next second, a black line appeared on its belly, extending from the part touching the ground all the way up to its head.
Slash.
Snake's body split in two, bursting apart like a blooming flower.
Inside the skeletal building...
"Snake!!"
Ochoku suddenly smashed his fist against the windowsill. "That brat! How dare he—"
He froze.
In the distance, on Beehive Island, Ian was once again knocked down, shattering another building. The next moment, Marco dove down in pursuit. Two figures, one blue and one gold, raced through the town, crashing into building after building, bringing about a calamity.
"That hurts like hell, you bastard!!"
Ian soared into the sky. Aside from battling with Kaido, he had never suffered injuries like this before. He took a deep breath, "Blaze Cannon!!"
A blazing pillar of fire slammed down from above.
Marco quickly turned in mid-air, effortlessly dodging the fire column. He then kicked Ian away. As Ian was sent flying, he managed to swing his sword backward with all his might, the tip grazing Marco's face and leaving a shallow cut.
Though Ian's fire pillar didn't hit Marco, it struck another target.
Ochoku looked down in shock as the fire column pierced through the base of the skeleton building, causing a massive explosion that shook the entire structure, making it sway precariously.
"Winged Dragon's Flame!"
Flames erupted again, causing explosions all over the island.
"Boss Ochoku!"
One of his subordinates rushed into the room.
"That damn brat!!!"
Ochoku roared, propelling himself forward the next moment.
Ian soared into the sky, his breathing becoming increasingly labored.
After using the Phoenix Form and using the Sun God's Wrath, he had endured continuous damage and a series of intense battles against a formidable opponent like Marco. Ian's stamina had taken a significant hit.
He looked down, the glow of the fire sword in his hand dimming.
Even though he was using sheer willpower to maintain the flames, the energy source was still his stamina and mental strength. With each moment of destruction, that energy was rapidly depleting, nearing its end.
But at least…
"Brat!!"
Marco was also panting heavily as he chased after Ian.
Ian had only been taking hits, but Marco, aside from constantly healing himself, was also treating those pirates on the brink of death. His stamina was likely being drained even more than Ian's!
A smirk appeared on Ian's face.
This is my battle strategy, Marco!
But now the question arose: should he use the Immortal Phoenix Form again? With his current stamina, doing so for an extended period would surely lead to a final showdown—either he would die or Marco would.
But could he really defeat Marco?
"Brat!!"
A strange voice exploded in the air.
Ian looked down.
A figure shot up through the air.
It was a man in a suit, complete with a top hat and sunglasses.
Who are you?
"Ochoku?"
Marco recognized the man.
So this is Ochoku?
Ian raised an eyebrow.
This was the first time he had encountered this guy, whether from reading the manga or after being transported into this world.
"You guys should be done messing around by now!"
Ochoku roared, "Now, get the hell down here!!"
His right fist crackled with dark lightning as he swung it upward.
Boom!!
The sky erupted.
A terrifying shockwave swept across the sky, creating a gaping hole in the clouds above.
Ian and Marco were blasted away by this overwhelming Armament Haki, like birds caught in a hurricane.
What an exaggerated display of power!
Ian struggled to stabilize himself, slashing through the Armament Haki coming toward him with his sword.
It was much stronger than Marco's!
Wasn't this just the kind of Armament Haki used by Garp?
Emission.
What for—
Ian looked down.
Flames spread wildly across the island.
Uh, this can't be my fault, right? When facing off against a powerhouse like Marco, how could he pay attention to anything else?
Just then, the fiery sword in his hand finally shattered, scattering into sparks.
Ian turned his head.
The Winged Dragon had already sailed far away, almost reduced to a mere shadow.
That was about enough.
"Sorry about this, Boss Ochoku! I'll make it up to you; just send the bill to Wano Country. And of course, Marco's bill should go to Whitebeard."
Ian chuckled lightly, flames bursting behind him as he shot off like a shooting star toward the Winged Dragon.
"Kid, don't think you can escape!!"
Marco, of course, wouldn't let him get away that easily and immediately took to the skies in pursuit.
Besides, that troublesome sword of his was broken!
"Damn kid! You all better not think about running away!"
An angry Ochoku also began his chase.
But—
Compared to Ian and Marco, the Moonwalk was simply too slow; he could only watch helplessly as the two kids drifted further away.
"Damn it!!"
Ochoku fumed.
But no matter what, he couldn't catch up.
Ian quickly soared to the air above the harbor and then flew out to sea, with Marco hot on his tail.
Keep chasing?
He should have realized that while he couldn't do anything to Ian, Ian couldn't do anything to him either, right?
Ian felt a bit troubled; there was really nothing he could do about that.
His stamina rapidly diminished, and Ian's body melted back into flames.
Marco, who was in pursuit, almost instantaneously halted, suffering from a bit of PTSD.
Could this move be used a second time in quick succession?
"Guess this is about it, Marco."
Ian clenched his right hand, a crimson flame spear forming in his grasp, which he then hurled downward.
Marco was momentarily stunned.
He lowered his head, the long spear heading straight for the large pit below.
At the bottom of that pit, many pirates were receiving treatment.
"Enjoy the fireworks of farewell, Marco," Ian chuckled breathlessly.
Then he left without looking back.
This time, the Phoenix Form wouldn't last long.
Fireworks?
Marco's pupils contracted.
Was that spear similar to the sword from earlier? It started twisting the moment it left Ian's hand!
Without any hesitation, Marco shot downwards.
He raced down, finally catching the spear just before it fell.
"Ugh!!" Marco groaned.
As his claws made contact with the spear, they began to disintegrate. Even with the addition of Armament Haki, it was being destroyed. He could only channel his Haki with all his might while using the healing blue flames to repair himself, all while ensuring that the flames didn't touch the spear.
Struggling to hold onto the spear, he prepared to throw it away.
But.
In that brief moment, Ian, who had already flown far away, glanced back lightly. "Art is explosion."
Boom!!
A red fireball suddenly erupted in the air, expanding rapidly, almost swallowing the dock below.
Compressing a vast amount of flames together, then exploding instantly—impressive, to say the least.
What a beautiful firework display.
Ian flew straight away.
As for how flames are a phenomenon, how they can be compressed, and why compressed flames cause explosions, let's just say that the physics of the pirate world is not something you need to concern yourself with.
In any case, this is my final flame, Marco. Be sure to catch it well.
**********
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