By the time those words left Marco’s mouth, Ren Mori had already arrived right in front of him.
He swung his fist and threw a punch straight at Marco.
Marco grinned.
Clearly, he did not take such an ordinary-looking punch seriously.
He simply raised one hand, intending to catch Ren Mori’s fist with his palm.
However, the instant Ren Mori’s fist struck his palm, the sheer force of the impact blasted Marco’s hand backward.
Marco nearly lost his balance.
Fortunately, after rolling backward, he managed to steady himself.
Once he recovered, he stared at Ren Mori in complete bewilderment.
He could hardly believe what had just happened.
That punch had looked so ordinary.
Yet it contained such astonishing power.
What Ren Mori himself did not know was that after undergoing the tempering, it was not merely the toughness of his body that had undergone a qualitative improvement.
His physical strength had changed just as dramatically.
In simpler terms— he now possessed monstrous strength.
Seeing Marco’s exaggerated expression, however, Ren Mori misunderstood.
He assumed this was what Marco had meant when he said he would “go easy” on him.
Only…
Ren Mori frowned slightly.
At this moment, he really wanted to say: Marco, your acting is terrible.
Anyone with a brain can tell you’re throwing the match.
“You really are full of surprises, Ren Mori.” Marco rubbed the back of his head and smiled.
That sudden remark caught Ren Mori off guard.
“Marco, could you make it any more fake?” Now Ren Mori understood completely.
Marco was definitely messing with him.
“Fake?” Marco paused.
Just as he was about to explain, Ren Mori had already launched his second attack.
Once again, Ren Mori sprinted forward.
When he reached the right distance, he leaped into the air and brought his fist crashing down.
Having already suffered once from underestimating him, Marco was no longer careless.
He threw a punch of his own.
This time, however, his fist was coated in Armament Haki.
Bang!
Their fists collided.
A powerful burst of air exploded outward.
“Hah!” As Ren Mori let out a low shout— Crack…
crack…
The deck beneath Marco’s feet suddenly fractured, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward in every direction.
Ren Mori really has been hiding his strength.
That monstrous power of his…
it’s definitely not something an ordinary person could possess.
Marco thought silently to himself.
Even Whitebeard was surprised now.
He had always assumed Ren Mori was simply good with his head.
He had believed Ren Mori rarely participated in battles because his own combat ability was lacking.
But judging from what he was seeing now…
That might not have been the case at all.
“That brat’s strength really isn’t something an ordinary person should have.” Whitebeard muttered.
Then, as though something suddenly occurred to him, his expression became noticeably more serious.
The next moment, he reached out and pulled the swords from the waists of two men standing beside him.
He tossed one toward Marco and the other toward Ren Mori.
Both of them looked puzzled, but they still caught the swords Whitebeard had thrown over.
Then they turned toward him questioningly.
“Use those.” “Whoever lands the first slash on the other wins.” The two nodded.
Marco casually swung the sword a few times to get a feel for it before reminding Ren Mori, “You don’t have to worry about hurting me.” “After all, I’m the ship’s doctor.” “And I won’t hold back against you either.” “Because I’m the ship’s doctor.” His meaning was obvious.
Whether Marco was injured or Ren Mori was injured, he could treat it afterward.
“Then I’ll give it everything I’ve got, Marco.” “Come on.” …
The two continued exchanging blows for more than ten minutes.
What no one in the Whitebeard Pirates had expected was that Ren Mori would actually be able to hold out for so long.
“Alright, I admit it.
Pops really did judge him correctly.” “Yeah.
With close-combat skills like that, he’s definitely qualified to be a provisional Division Commander.” “If Ren Mori ate a powerful Devil Fruit on top of that, he’d be even more suited for the position.” “Come on, Ren Mori!
Give Marco a proper beating!” “Cheer your ass off!
I bet all my money on Marco!” …
Ren Mori’s close-combat ability had far exceeded Marco’s expectations.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that if Marco had not learned Observation Haki, he would already have taken several of Ren Mori’s attacks head-on.
Of course, part of the reason was that Marco had long been accustomed to combining his Devil Fruit ability with his close-combat style.
“Marco, I’ve got you!” Ren Mori’s blade was just about to graze Marco’s arm.
Caught in the heat of the moment, Marco instinctively activated his Devil Fruit ability.
A pair of blue-flamed wings suddenly spread from his body.
He shot backward while simultaneously swinging the sword in his hand.
The sudden counterattack caught Ren Mori completely off guard.
With no time to dodge, he hurriedly raised his other arm to block.
Clang!
The instant the blade struck Ren Mori’s arm, something completely unexpected happened.
The sword— shattered.
Clatter!
Clatter!
Fragments of the blade fell across the deck.
Yet Ren Mori’s arm remained completely unharmed.
“Is that…
Armament Haki?!” “Huh?
Armament Haki?
When did Ren Mori learn Armament Haki?
How come I never knew?” “I…
I don’t know either!
I always thought he wasn’t good at fighting!” “He really shocked me today.
He can actually trade blows with Brother Marco like this!” But while everyone was still discussing what they had just witnessed, Whitebeard, who was seated nearby, spoke.
“No.” “That…
isn’t Armament Haki.” “Ren Mori shattered the sword with nothing more than the toughness of his own skin.” The moment those words left Whitebeard’s mouth— no one around him could remain calm any longer.