High above the main battlefield, Marco felt his regenerative flames guttering like a candle in a hurricane. The constant barrage from Kizaru had pushed his Phoenix powers to their absolute limit, each wound taking longer to heal, each burst of blue fire growing dimmer.
"Ohhh, getting tired already?" Kizaru's voice carried that same maddening casualness as another laser beam carved through Marco's wing, sending the First Division Commander spiraling toward the ice below. "And here I thought phoenixes were supposed to be immortal~"
Marco's body erupted in blue flames as he fought to stabilize his flight, but the fire was noticeably weaker than before. Blood trickled from multiple wounds that refused to fully close, his healing factor finally reaching its breaking point after nearly an hour of sustained combat.
"Damn it," he muttered, feeling his strength ebbing with each wingbeat. This prolonged aerial battle was proving to be exactly the kind of war of attrition that Kizaru excelled at.
Then he heard it, the distant sound of Akainu's voice carrying across the battlefield, followed by the sight of that devastating volcanic eruption painting the sky orange.
Marco's enhanced vision picked out the scene below: Luffy standing alone, surrounded by the broken forms of his would-be rescuers, while Akainu advanced with inexorable certainty.
"No," Marco breathed, watching as the Admiral closed the distance to his captain's sworn brother. "Not like this."
He could see Ace struggling desperately against his restraints on the execution platform, could feel the weight of Whitebeard's trust and the crew's hopes pressing down on him like a physical force.
Another laser beam scorched past his head, close enough to singe his blue flames. "Paying attention to something else, Marco-kun?" Kizaru appeared beside him in a flash of light, his leg wreathed in photons. "That's very rude~"
The kick sent Marco plummeting toward the battlefield, his battered wings struggling to arrest his fall. But instead of fighting back up toward Kizaru, he angled his descent toward the plaza where Luffy faced Akainu alone.
"Phoenix Brand!" Marco's entire body became a comet of blue fire as he dove, gathering what remained of his strength for one desperate gambit. If he could reach Luffy, if he could buy the boy even a few seconds...
Kizaru's eyes widened slightly behind his sunglasses. "Oh my, that's not very smart~" Light gathered around the Admiral as he prepared to intercept, but Marco's sudden change in trajectory had given him a precious few seconds of head start.
The Phoenix crashed into the plaza like a fallen star, blue flames erupting in a protective barrier between Luffy and Akainu just as the Admiral's magma fist was about to connect with the boy's skull.
"Marco!" Luffy's eyes widened in recognition as the Whitebeard Commander rose from the crater his impact had created, wings spread wide despite the obvious pain.
"Stay back, kid," Marco gasped, tasting blood. His phoenix fire was barely a flicker now, more ember than flame. "This bastard's mine."
Akainu paused, his magma fist steaming mere inches from Marco's defensive wing. "The Phoenix. I was wondering when you'd show up."
"Phoenix Talon!" Marco lashed out with everything he had left, his claw wreathed in the last of his healing flames. But Akainu was ready for him.
"Inugami Guren!" The Admiral's fist transformed into the shape of a molten hound's head, jaws gaping wide to devour Marco's attack.
The collision was spectacular and brief. Marco's diminished flames met Akainu's full-powered magma and simply couldn't compete. The Phoenix screamed as volcanic heat seared through his defenses, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.
The Admiral's magma-wreathed fist caught the Phoenix in a devastating uppercut that launched him high into the air, his broken form arcing away from the plaza toward the eastern section of the battlefield.
"One pest removed," Akainu muttered, watching Marco's trajectory with satisfaction.
Marco crashed into the ice near the eastern docks, his body carving a deep trench before coming to rest against the base of a watchtower. His phoenix flames were completely extinguished now, leaving him looking painfully human as he struggled to move.
"MARCO!" Luffy's cry echoed across the distance, but the First Division Commander was too far away to help now.
That was when Kizaru materialized beside Marco's prone form in a flash of light, his usual casual demeanor intact despite the chase.
"Really, Marco-kun," Kizaru said, adjusting his sunglasses as he looked down at the broken Phoenix. "Making me follow you all this way. How troublesome~"
Before Marco could react, light-speed kicks began raining down on him from impossible angles. Each strike was precisely calculated, not to kill but to systematically destroy his ability to fight back. His wings were shattered, his legs broken, his breathing reduced to wet gasps.
"Sea-stone restraints would be appropriate now, don't you think?" Kizaru mused, a nearby marine producing a set of the dreaded shackles. "Can't have you flying away again~"
The restraints clicked into place around Marco's wrists and ankles, and any hope of the phoenix flames returning died completely. The First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates was effectively neutralized, too far from the main battle to interfere further.
Luffy stared in horror at the fallen Phoenix, another ally brought low trying to protect him. First Jinbe, then the Impel Down escapees, now Marco. How many more would die because of his weakness?
"Stop looking so distracted, boy," Akainu said, his magma fist beginning to bubble with renewed intensity. "Your time has come."
The Admiral raised his fist, ready to deliver the killing blow that would end Monkey D. Luffy's story once and for all. Molten rock dripped from his knuckles as he prepared to add another D. to his collection.
But as his fist began its descent, a massive hand caught his wrist.
The grip was gentle, almost casual, but Akainu found his attack completely stopped. His eyes widened as he looked up to see a familiar figure standing beside him, white hair, weathered face, and eyes filled with more pain than any grandfather should ever have to bear.
"That's enough, Sakazuki."
Monkey D. Garp's voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of decades of authority and power. The Hero of the Marines stood between his grandson and the Admiral, his legendary fist still wrapped around Akainu's wrist.
"Garp," Akainu said, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "Stand aside. This criminal must face justice."
"Criminal?" Garp's grip tightened, and for the first time, Akainu felt actual pressure against his magma-enhanced strength. "He's my grandson."
The plaza fell silent. Even the distant sounds of battle seemed to fade as everyone within sight focused on the confrontation between two of the Marines' most legendary figures.
From the execution platform, Sengoku leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he watched his carefully laid plans encounter an obstacle he had fully accounted for. "Garp..."
"Grandpa?" Luffy whispered, staring up at the man who had shaped so much of his childhood, even as he'd driven him to distraction with his attempts to make him a Marine.
Garp didn't look at his grandson. His eyes remained locked on Akainu's face, reading the calculation and cold determination there.
"You've done enough today," Garp said, his voice carrying an undertone that made seasoned Marines step back involuntarily. "The boy poses no threat to you in his current state."
"He's the son of Dragon," Akainu replied, trying to pull his wrist free and finding it held in an iron grip. "The brother of Portgas D. Ace. He will grow to threaten everything we've built."
"Maybe," Garp acknowledged. "But not today. And not while I'm standing here."
The tension between them was palpable, two philosophies of justice grinding against each other like tectonic plates. Akainu represented absolute, uncompromising order. Garp embodied the more complex reality of a man who had served justice faithfully while watching it demand increasingly terrible prices.
"Stand down, Vice Admiral," Akainu said, his free hand beginning to bubble with magma. "That's an order."
Garp's laugh was bitter and short. "Since when do you outrank me, boy? I've been punching pirates before you knew what justice meant."
The standoff stretched, neither man willing to back down. Around them, the battlefield had gone eerily quiet, everyone sensing that they were witnessing a moment that would define the future of the Marines themselves.
In the distance, Kizaru looked up from securing Marco's restraints, his usually casual expression replaced by something approaching genuine interest. "Oh my~ This is getting complicated~"