"Marco, are you running away?" Saint Garling roared furiously.
Marco glanced at his attribute points, which had now exceeded 110,000. He considered upgrading his Haki to a Mythical grade. If he did, he might be able to severely injure them with a single strike.
In the end, he gave up the idea.
Facing five enemies at once was already difficult, and this was the Holy Land, Mary Geoise. If Imu also decided to intervene, the situation would become far more dangerous. Her strength remained unknown, and if he were surrounded, survival would be nearly impossible.
With the system in his possession, there was no need to rush. He would have more than enough time to gather attribute points within the Holy Land.
Marco made his decision instantly and continued flying forward.
Behind him, the Gorosei wore grim expressions. They had used the power of the Four Soul Divine Blood, yet Marco refused to engage them directly and chose to retreat instead. This frustrated them greatly.
Even so, they understood the reality. Without relying on the Four Soul Divine Blood, even with their immortality, they would have already been killed by Marco. Trapped in the Holy Land without the option of escape through any special means, they had no choice but to rely on that power.
At the same time, Hancock had reached the location Marco had instructed. From there, she could have taken the elevator to escape, but she did not dare. There was no way to know if Marines or Celestial Dragons would be waiting.
Instead, she chose to hide inside a damaged building and wait for Marco to return.
However, her plan was interrupted.
Two Celestial Dragons spotted her.
"Ah! It's you, the strongest female slave in the Holy Land!" Saint Bass exclaimed. "Where is your collar? Who removed it? Are you trying to escape?"
Hancock froze as she turned toward them. The sight of the Celestial Dragons in their protective suits filled her eyes with fear.
Saint Gre's expression darkened. "A slave trying to escape during chaos in the Holy Land? Capture her."
"Yes."
Dozens of guards stepped forward, drawing their weapons as they approached her.
"You should not resist," one of them warned. "Otherwise, you will suffer the consequences."
"No… no… I refuse to go back there…" Hancock's body trembled uncontrollably. She turned and ran without hesitation. The thought of being dragged back into that nightmare was unbearable.
She only wanted to find Marco.
Only by his side could she feel even the slightest sense of safety.
Saint Bass shouted angrily, "Catch her! Do not let her escape!"
Hancock ran with everything she had, not daring to look back. With her strength, she could have easily dealt with the guards and even the Celestial Dragons. However, fear restrained her. She could not bring herself to raise a hand against them.
Even so, her physical ability far surpassed that of the guards, and the distance between them gradually increased.
As she fled, a black figure appeared in the sky ahead.
Her eyes lit up with hope.
"Marco, I'm here!"
Even without her call, Marco had already detected her presence. His Observation Haki covered a vast range, and he immediately adjusted his course, flying straight toward her. The black flames surrounding him shifted back into blue flames, ensuring she would not be harmed by the intense heat.
In an instant, he reached her.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
Looking down at the guards chasing her, Marco spoke with mild annoyance, "With your strength, do you really need to run from them?"
Hancock said nothing. Instead, she clung tightly to him, like someone grasping the only thing keeping her from drowning.
Marco did not push her away.
A flicker of black flame appeared on his wings, transforming into several phoenix-shaped flames that shot downward.
The flaming phoenixes crashed into the guards, instantly engulfing them in fire.
Below, Saint Gre pointed upward and shouted, "That bastard again! Where are you taking our slave?"
"Come along and find out," Marco replied coldly.
He suddenly descended, his claws seizing both Saint Gre and Saint Bass.
The two Celestial Dragons panicked instantly.
"What are you doing? We are descendants of the creators!"
"Release us immediately, or you will pay with your life!"
Marco's expression turned disdainful. "Creatures like you have no place in this world. Even now, you still cannot understand your situation."
"Marco, stop!" the Gorosei roared from behind, launching long-range attacks toward him.
Marco moved swiftly, easily evading each strike. With his advanced Observation Haki, the trajectory of every attack was clear to him before it even reached him.
Seeing the Gorosei approaching, Saint Gre shouted desperately, "Save us! Elders!"
But Marco had already accelerated to his full speed.
With Hancock in his arms and the two Celestial Dragons in his grasp, he widened the distance between himself and his pursuers, leaving the Holy Land behind.
===
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