"Oh?" Marco's interest was immediately piqued. "So all Celestial Dragons are subjected to blood extraction?"
Saint Gre glanced nervously at the black flame on Marco's fingertip. Under that pressure, he spilled everything without hesitation.
"Yes, but it is not all the same. The blood extraction is divided into ranks."
Marco narrowed his eyes slightly. "Explain."
Saint Gre straightened a little, as if trying to regain pride even in this situation.
"It is based on bloodline purity."
"Bloodline purity?" Marco repeated, his tone cold and thoughtful.
"Yes," Saint Gre continued quickly. "When a Celestial Dragon turns eighteen, they undergo a bloodline purity evaluation. My own purity is Grade B."
"Grade B," Marco muttered.
Saint Gre nodded, growing more confident as he spoke.
"There are four grades in total, A, B, C, and D. The higher the purity, the higher the status within Mary Geoise, and the more tribute one receives each year."
Marco's eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the information.
The Celestial Dragons ruled the world, and over generations of interbreeding and external mixing through slaves and lower world offspring, their so called "pure blood" would naturally become diluted. A system like this made sense for them to preserve hierarchy.
Saint Gre continued, "The lowest among us is C Grade. D Grade mostly consists of commoners from the lower world who performed great service and were granted the title of World Nobles. But even then, they are not truly the same as us original Celestial Dragons."
"I see," Marco said flatly.
Every three months, they were bled.
That alone was enough to raise suspicion in his mind.
Perhaps the so called Four Soul Divine Blood was connected to this process.
Marco had some knowledge of the "Four Souls" concept from his previous life, something from Inuyasha. The thought crossed his mind briefly, but he did not dwell on it.
He did not need mysteries. He had his own path of strength.
Even if Devil Fruits and Haki reached their peak, his system still allowed growth through raw attributes. That alone was enough to break through any limit.
Without hesitation, Marco gathered Haki into his hand, forming it into a blade-like edge.
In the next instant, he swung it down.
Two heads fell almost at the same time.
The Celestial Dragons did not even have time to react.
Two system notifications appeared in his mind.
Killed a Celestial Dragon, gained 500 attribute points.
Killed a Celestial Dragon, gained 500 attribute points.
A total of 1000 attribute points added.
Marco's total reached 114,700.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
Now, should he strengthen Haki further, or unlock Devil Fruit Awakening techniques?
The Devil Fruit Awakening technique required 50,000 attribute points per activation, allowing him to unlock two. On the other hand, upgrading Haki from Legendary to Mythical required 100,000 attribute points, enough for only one enhancement.
Marco took out a Den Den Mushi and attempted to contact Vegapunk.
No response.
He frowned slightly.
Busy, or something else?
Just as he was about to contact Kaido instead, the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Marco answered immediately.
"This is Marco."
On the other end came Jozu's voice, tense and urgent.
"Marco, something bad happened."
Marco's expression turned serious. "What happened? Are you in trouble?"
"Yes," Jozu replied quickly. "We have been intercepted by the Red Hair Pirates."
"Red Hair?" Marco's eyes sharpened.
There was no known conflict between his crew and the Red Hair Pirates. So why were they interfering?
Meanwhile, at G-1, formerly Old Marineford, two pirate crews stood in direct confrontation.
The Phoenix Pirates had been advancing on the base, intending to destroy it in revenge for Marineford. That place held too many memories, including the death of Whitebeard.
The operation had been going smoothly. The Marine forces stationed there were weakened, only Vice Admirals remained, and they were no match.
But then the Red Hair Pirates appeared.
And everything stopped.
Neither side dared to move recklessly.
At that moment, Shanks stepped forward.
"Jozu, let me speak to Marco."
Jozu remained cautious but handed over the Den Den Mushi.
Marco's voice came through immediately.
"Red Hair, why are you interfering with Jozu and the others?"
Shanks spoke seriously, "Marco, I understand the situation here."
"You understand?" Marco's tone was cold. "Then explain why you are stopping us."
Shanks's expression remained grave.
By interfering here, he knew he would provoke Marco. And Marco was no longer the man he once was.
"I am aware of what is happening," Shanks said calmly. "The Marines are necessary to maintain balance in this world. G-1 is one of their key strongholds. If it is destroyed, the world will fall into chaos."
Silence followed.
Even the Phoenix Pirates were momentarily stunned.
Marco let out a low, cold laugh.
"So a pirate is now talking about world order?"
Shanks did not react emotionally.
"I do not side with anyone. I only want stability. The World Government and the Marines still serve a purpose. If they are destroyed without structure to replace them, the world will collapse into disorder."
Marco's gaze turned sharper.
"You mean to tell me that after Straw Hat died, you chose to stand with the World Government?"
Shanks replied calmly, "I do not stand with anyone. I only believe in maintaining balance."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"In the New World, both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates were attacked by the Marines. You must have known this."
"Yes," Shanks admitted.
"And yet you still defend them?" Marco's voice turned colder.
"They are pirates. Their actions were inevitable. They bring destruction upon themselves. Their removal benefits the world," Shanks said evenly. "You should not oppose this."
A heavy silence followed.
Marco's expression darkened.
His tone dropped completely.
"I understand now. You are simply siding with the World Government after all."
Shanks shook his head slightly, even though Marco could not see it clearly through the Den Den Mushi.
"I do not belong to any side. I only follow what I believe preserves order. Right now, the World Government and Marines are still necessary."
He paused.
"In the future, only one person will bring true liberation to this world. But he is gone now."
His voice lowered slightly.
"The world still needs structure until that moment comes."
The tension between both sides remained unbroken, thick enough to feel even through the Den Den Mushi.