Marco was a master interrogator.
As a ship doctor, he had an in-depth understanding of human anatomy and knew exactly how to inflict maximum pain without causing death. Although he rarely used such methods, his expertise was undeniable.
Secondly, as a user of the Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit Ability, his blue flames had a certain healing capacity.
In short, anyone he wanted to interrogate was completely at his mercy. No matter how much he tormented them, he could always keep them clinging to their last breath.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!"
The once-feared pirate 'Skullcrusher,' with a bounty exceeding 100 million berries, screamed in agony as Marco pinned him down with his foot.
"We truly don't know where the Dark King is!" The battered 'Ghost Beard' shouted desperately from the side.
Marco leaned back, looking puzzled. "Why are you screaming so loudly? I'm not even pressing that hard."
'Skullcrusher' writhed in agony, his face contorted in pain and cold sweat pouring down it. Beside him, 'Ghost Beard' shouted, "He was already critically wounded! If he weren't a Zoan Ability user with superhuman regenerative abilities, Giorno would have killed him long ago..."
Nearby, Fish-Man Lobster, Human Herman, and Longleg Race Rege hung their heads in shame. They had all heard of 'Skullcrusher,' a notoriously brutal Great Pirate, yet before Giorno and Marco he looked like a pitiful, defenseless chick, utterly humiliated.
"Marco, you're that commander-level figure under Whitebeard, right? What are you doing with Dark King and the others?"
'Ghost Beard' yelled from the side, but his words caught in his throat when Marco suddenly turned to stare at him.
A white glint flashed across Marco's glasses as he said slowly, 'We're standing so close, yet your voice is so loud.'
It wasn't just 'Ghost Beard' who reacted; even 'Skullcrusher,' writhing in pain under Marco's foot, underwent a dramatic change in expression, though this was more difficult to discern.
"What are you talking about? Heh heh..." Ghost Beard swallowed nervously. "I'm just really tense."
"Based on my experience..."
A voice cut in from behind them.
Marco glanced back to see a young man swaggering towards them. He wore a scarf around his neck, a vest over braces, and arm warmers. His dishevelled hair radiated a carefree, rebellious air.
The trio of Fish-Man, human, and Longleg Race members showed only mild surprise at the newcomer's approach. However, 'Ghost Beard' and 'Skullcrusher' visibly paled again.
"He's...?"
Though the pain contorted his face so much that it was hard to tell, his shocked tone was unmistakable.
Without hesitation, the scarf-clad youth squatted down and began rummaging through 'Ghost Beard's' pockets. He quickly pulled an object out of the man's inner coat pocket.
"I knew it," he said, holding up a Den Den Mushi.
The Den Den Mushi was still transforming, indicating ongoing communication. Marco immediately recognized the person on the other end of the call with a single glance.
Those glasses were far too distinctive.
It was Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Emperors of the Underworld in North Blue and the leader of the Donquixote Family!
"Fuf, fuf, fuf, fuf..." The Den Den Mushi chuckled. "You two never disappoint when it comes to disappointing me."
'Ghost Beard' and 'Skullcrusher' both paled simultaneously, though the latter's reaction was harder to discern.
Having recognized Marco, they had been fleeing while trying to contact their young lord via Den Den Mushi. Despite his stern rebuke the last time they called, forbidding them from contacting him again, they risked his wrath to deliver this crucial information: the First Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates had quietly arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
The original plan was to hide the Den Den Mushi on their person and extract more information from Marco. However, Marco quickly detected the anomaly thanks to his sharp instincts. Even worse, the bounty hunter 'Dragon Tongue Lan,' seemingly materializing out of nowhere, immediately pinpointed the hidden Den Den Mushi.
His distinctive features, the scarf, vest, denim overalls, and wildly disheveled hair... confirmed their worst fear: he was indeed "Dragon Tongue Lan," the bounty hunter who had recently become famous on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Having been hiding and recuperating from their injuries, the last thing they wanted was to encounter this notorious figure.
'How did he manage to track us down?'
'How did he know we were concealing a Den Den Mushi?'
'Even Marco only had a suspicion!'
"Fuf fuf fuf, shut the hell up! Stop making that humming sound with your mouth closed; it's driving me crazy," The scarf-wearing youth snapped at the Den Den Mushi in his hand. "Seriously, are all of you 'big shots' ill or something? Why are you so obsessed with making phone calls?"
The Doff-faced Den Den Mushi furrowed its brow. "Who are you?"
"Yeah, who are you?" Marco echoed.
"He's Dragon Tongue Lan!" Herman, a former Celestial Dragon slave, exclaimed in shock.
Marco blinked in realization. "Oh..."
"What's with the 'oh'?" Rege of the Longleg Race exclaimed in disbelief. "You're asking around for information here, and you haven't heard of him? Even we know about him!"
"Rumor has it he's captured pirates with bounties totaling hundreds of millions in just a short time and turned them over to the Marines," Fish-Man Lobster rumbled.
"Am I that famous?" The scarf-wearing youth muttered, not looking up. "That's right, I'm Joestar Joseph! Remember the name! I haven't earned nearly that much bounty, though; the damn Marines keep skimming off my hard-earned cash. They're inhuman!"
Herman: ...
Rege: "The money is yours, sure, but did you earn it with your blood and sweat?"
"Joestar Joseph..." Marco murmured, stroking his chin in thought. Just then, the Den Den Mushi with the Doffy face in Dragon Tongue Lan's hand burst into another fit of laughter: 'Fuf, fuf, fuf, fuf, fuf, fuf!'
"Hunters? Fuf, fuf, fuf! Pirates are the true protagonists of this era. So-called hunters are just a bunch of dogs chasing after pirates' tails..."
"I'm warning you," The scarf-clad youth snapped, pointing fiercely at the Den Den Mushi's eyes. "Keep that cackling up and I'll go to North Blue myself and smash your head to bits!"
Before Doflamingo could launch another tirade, the youth slammed down the receiver, cutting off the call.
"He dared hang up on me?!" Far away in the North Blue, Doflamingo's face darkened. "A lowly commoner dares to hang up on me?"
"He just hung up?" 'Ghost Beard' was stunned. "Does this guy even know how to hold a conversation?"
Skullcrusher, gritting his teeth against the pain, snarled, "Just a bounty hunter, what makes you think you can provoke the young lord?"
"Hush, mutt."
The scarf-wearing youth casually lifted his foot and kicked "Skullcrusher" into unconsciousness.
"I wasn't making things up... Urk!" 'Ghost Beard' stared at the enlarged sole of the youth's foot before his eyes rolled back and blood streamed from his temple.
'Much quieter now.'
Under the dazed gaze of the original slave trio, the scarf-wearing youth clapped his hands. He turned to face Marco, who remained calm and collected, and sized him up with a casual glance. "Marco, huh?"
Marco replied calmly, "That's me."
"Whitebeard's First Division Commander, eh?"
"It's me," said Marco.
"Phoenix, huh?"
Marco remained silent.
The scarf-wearing youth glanced past the three trembling Stephen brothers and turned his attention to the other three: a Fish-Man, a human man, and a Longleg Race woman. "Are you Whitebeard's commanders too?"
"Not at all!" Rege, the Longleg Race woman, replied, speechless.
"No wonder you're so weak..." The scarf-wearing youth shook his head.
Herman and Lobster quickly restrained Rege, who was seething and about to kick the youth.
Marco maintained his composure, calmly observing the scarf-wearing youth. This bounty hunter clearly wasn't making small talk without a reason. Sure enough, the youth asked, "Are you looking for Rayleigh?"
"You could say that," Marco replied. "Do you know where he is?"
The scarf-wearing youth surveyed their group. "If that's the case, follow me."
Herman, Lobster, and Rege exchanged astonished glances. 'Is it really that simple? Are we really going to meet the legendary pirate, "Dark King" Rayleigh?'
Marco took the lead, following the scarf-wearing youth.
The trio hurried after him. Staying close to a powerhouse like a Whitebeard Pirates commander felt much safer!
The scarf-wearing youth led them through a winding path, finally arriving at a restaurant on Island 17. He ordered a table piled high with food.
While he ate with unconventional gusto, Marco and the other three carefully surveyed their surroundings. It seemed like just an ordinary restaurant...
'Wait a minute!' The "Dark King" was a legendary figure. If he were to live in seclusion, choosing such an ordinary, inconspicuous place might be the perfect cover! Rege, Herman, and Lobster thought simultaneously.
The five of them sat until the restaurant grew quiet, occasionally tossing out troublemakers. Throughout those hours, the scarf-wearing youth, Dragon Tongue Lan, maintained a steady, unhurried pace of eating. Table after table of food was cleared, leaving Rege and the others to wonder if all the money he earned from capturing pirates went straight into his bottomless stomach...
Dusk fell, but Rayleigh still hadn't appeared.
Marco glanced around, puzzled. "Where's Rayleigh?"
'Ah, I get it now. A Great Character like the Dark King lives a life of carefree wandering, naturally appearing and disappearing without a trace…' Rege, Herman, and Lobster realized that even Dragon Tongue Lan, who knew Rayleigh, might not know exactly when he would return.
Liam, under the bewildered gaze of the waiter, polished off another table of food.
Hearing the question, he looked up, equally puzzled. "Rayleigh? Who's Rayleigh?"
Question marks popped up simultaneously above Rege, Herman, and Lobster's heads.
Liam picked his teeth and said, "Oh, you mean Rayleigh? Did I ever say he was here?"
He wasn't a traitor, so why would he take Marco straight to Shakky's bar without even saying hello?
'How can he lie so blatantly?!' Rege, Herman, and Lobster were stunned. But upon closer reflection, Dragon Tongue Lan had only asked Marco if he was looking for Rayleigh before bringing them here; he hadn't actually said he was bringing them here to find Rayleigh... 'How cunning! Isn't this just wasting our time?!'
Marco remained calm, his gaze shifting toward the hotel entrance behind them.
"Heh... looks like some familiar faces are here." An elderly man with long, silver hair stood at the doorway, bottle in hand, gazing at Pineapple Head sitting at the table. He smiled faintly. "If you're here to reminisce about old times, you should have brought Whitebeard along, shouldn't you?"
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395