Vice-captain of Whitebeard pirates

Larson's situation went unnoticed by the others. Susanoo, maintaining its second form, surged forward in a rampage. Giants on both sides tried to stop Larson, but their fists struck Susanoo, only to shatter into pools of black water that dissolved into the dark tide below.

The giants roared in anger, coming at him relentlessly, but Larson no longer paid them any attention.

Marco noticed Larson and shouted anxiously, "Help me!"

"Come over!"

With his Sharingan, Larson could clearly see that the black tide on Marco's body had already engulfed his legs and was creeping upward.

Marco was in increasingly dire danger!

He rushed to Larson, slipping through Susanoo's form unimpeded.

As soon as he reached Larson, he cried out, "Help me, Larson, quick! I can feel this thing draining my strength!"

Larson frowned, studying the black substance on Marco's body. In truth, he still hadn't grasped the nature or solution to this strange affliction. When Blue was killed, he'd only managed to capture part of it, but no clear cause was determined.

Something seemed off.

A thought struck Larson suddenly. He looked at Marco and frowned, "Why aren't you in pain?"

"Pain?" Marco paused, bewildered. "Am I supposed to feel pain?"

Larson realized this might be significant—Marco's case appeared different from Blue's.

Judging by the agony in Blue's screams when he was overtaken by this strange substance, he must have been in severe pain.

Blue's death had seemed to confirm that, but Marco, without the black substance, appeared normal, save for a slight weakness.

Although it felt a bit callous, Larson couldn't help but think the black substance didn't seem as harmful this time.

Marco noticed Larson lost in thought and panicked, "Larson! Larson! What are you thinking? Help me!"

"Huh? Oh, right," Larson shook himself from his thoughts. "Besides the loss of strength, do you feel any other effects?"

Marco glanced anxiously at the encroaching black mass, frustrated that Larson seemed more interested in questioning than actually helping.

Couldn't this wait? He was on the verge of collapse here!

Still, hoping there was a reason for the questions, Marco forced himself to think it over.

Despite his urgency, Marco did his best to concentrate.

After a few moments, Marco shook his head, "No, aside from the drain on my strength, nothing else."

He hadn't activated the Phoenix Fruit since doing so would only accelerate his energy loss; adding the Phoenix Fruit's demands might completely exhaust him.

"Tell me, if—hypothetically—this substance won't actually kill, what then?"

"What?" Marco's voice wavered.

After all this time, was Larson really posing a hypothetical?

The answer seemed clear enough—if it wasn't deadly, how had Blue died?

From sheer fright?

Marco's silence spoke volumes, as did his exasperated look.

Larson coughed lightly, explaining, "I think this might only drain your strength, not kill you. It could be different from the substance that killed Blue. That one seemed like it was specifically lethal; this one just drains energy."

"What?"

Marco stared blankly. "And if you're wrong—could this thing kill?"

Larson pondered, "Maybe you should give it a test? See if it actually kills?"

Marco's face fell, sinking into despair.

Test it? Did Larson think he had multiple lives?

If he tried and failed, could he possibly survive?

Marco felt a pang of regret. Why had he flown to Larson? If he'd known Larson would be this unreliable, he would have gone straight to his father or the captain of the pirates instead.

Seeing Marco's despairing look, Larson's face softened, and he stopped teasing. His expression grew serious.

"Marco," he said, "what I'm about to do might be a bit risky, but I promise it won't endanger your life. Will you trust me and give it a shot?"

Marco looked up at him, his face filled with doubt. "Are you really not tricking me this time?"

Larson frowned. "When have I ever lied to you? We're out of time, Marco. If you don't trust me now, I might not be able to help you."

"Fine, let's do it," Marco responded, resigned yet oddly calm. He didn't have much choice but to rely on Larson now.

Despite his occasional pranks and mischief, Marco knew that when things got serious, Larson would always come through. That's why he'd flown to him in the first place.

Larson nodded, noticing the black substance creeping up to Marco's chest and nearing his head.

Watching it, Larson was reminded of a movie called Venom he'd seen in his past life. This strange, dark substance had an uncanny resemblance to Venom's symbiote. If it somehow possessed sentience and could be tamed, it might even prove useful—like wielding his own Venom!

The thought stirred a thrill within Larson, and he couldn't help feeling excited.

Marco, noticing this spark in Larson's eye, felt a jolt of panic. But Larson quickly recomposed himself and got to work.

Without further delay, Larson stretched out his palm, pressing it against the black substance on Marco.

Larson closed his eyes, concentrating deeply.

"Ability: Deprivation!"

Suddenly, Marco felt an emptiness within, as if a part of his own power had vanished.

He glanced at Larson, puzzled, but remained silent, trusting in Larson's plan.

With the ability successfully deprived, Larson moved to the next phase.

He extended both hands: his left hand held the world's most destructive power, the Shock Fruit, while his right held the Phoenix Fruit, a source of boundless vitality.