Chapter 533: Ace Eliminates Aftereffects
Soon, the flames finally began to subside.
However, Ace's true body still did not appear. All that remained in mid air was a slowly shrinking sphere of fire.
"Asleep already?"
Ryuunosuke tilted his head, studying the floating fireball with a strange expression.
"Big brother, I am running out of energy! Give me life essence!"
A huge flaming mouth suddenly split open on the surface of the fireball and shouted at him.
"Wow, that scared me."
Ryuunosuke rubbed his chest. "If you want it, just say so. Why are you screaming like that?"
Grumbling under his breath, he took out a vial of life essence and tossed it toward the flames.
As the essence merged into the fireball, a green flame rose up from within.
The moment the green fire appeared, the previously calm sphere exploded with power again. The flames surged and twisted, then shot straight into the sky, forming a massive pillar of fire that pierced the clouds.
"Puff…"
With a dull sound, a hand reached out of the pillar.
Moments later, Ace stepped out of the roaring blaze.
Flame patterns covered his body like tattoos carved from fire. The power inside those lines was so dense that even a light probe with Observation Haki revealed a destructive pressure coiled beneath his skin.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh…"
The surrounding flames quickly streamed back into his body, merging with the patterns. Ace opened his mouth and exhaled a long breath of white mist.
Right now, he looked like a god walking out of the heart of a volcano.
"Big brother," Ace said, his eyes shining. "I feel like I have gotten a lot stronger. And…"
He leaned in with a mysterious look.
"There is one more thing."
"Bang."
Ryuunosuke flashed in front of him and punched him in the head.
"Stop trying to act mysterious. If something happened, just say it."
He glared at him in irritation. Ace's combat style had not changed much, but his ability to keep people in suspense had clearly leveled up.
"It is this."
Rubbing his head, Ace flew down toward the shore with a sulky look.
He walked to the water's edge and calmly plunged his hand into the sea.
"Fire Fist."
As Ace activated his signature move, his arm turned into a mass of blazing fire and blasted forward.
"Boom."
The flaming fist crashed into the beach and detonated. A huge crater opened in the black sand.
His power had clearly evolved. The black sand at the impact zone had been heated to the point of crystallization, turning into a sheet of glass that reflected the firelight.
But that was not the most important part.
The crucial detail was that Ace's hand had been in the ocean the entire time.
Everyone knew that the sea was the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users.
The moment a Devil Fruit user touched seawater, it did not just suppress their ability. Their physical strength would also be drained and the body would become weak and heavy.
Yet right now, Ace's ability had not weakened at all. His body showed no signs of being drained.
Could it be…
"Splash."
Before Ryuunosuke could finish the thought, Ace jumped straight into the sea.
Then he started to swim.
Ace had known how to swim long before he ate the Flame Flame Fruit. He had not been in the water for a long time, but swimming was something etched into the body. Once learned, it was not so easy to forget.
"So it really cleared the side effects of the Devil Fruit," Ryuunosuke muttered. "This…"
He raised his voice. "Ace, do you know how this happened?"
Ace emerged from the water and walked back up onto the beach, dripping wet but grinning from ear to ear.
"I am not totally sure," he admitted. "While I was fusing with these flames, I felt something inside my body vanish. After that, I wanted to test it. Turns out, the sea does not restrict me anymore."
He spread his arms wide, joy radiating off him.
To wield the power of a Devil Fruit without being bound by its curse was something countless people dreamed of.
And now, Ace had already achieved it.
"Go back to your own ship first and carefully test your new abilities," Ryuunosuke said. "If this power can not only remove your own side effects, but also dispel the side effects of other Devil Fruits…"
He trailed off.
When he had bought a Devil Fruit Sea Curse Removal Card from the system, the price had been one hundred thousand reputation points.
That was the main reason why there were not many ability users aboard the Ark of Eternity. The cost of freeing them from the sea's curse was too steep.
If Ace truly had this kind of ability, then for Devil Fruit users all over the world, it would be a blessing that overturned the rules of the sea.
"Got it, big brother."
Ace nodded, then turned into a streak of flame and shot toward Whitebeard's ship.
"This kid has grown even more than the captain expected," a voice said from behind.
Gaban walked over, watching Ace's retreating fire trail with clear satisfaction.
"Now he has managed to remove the side effects of the Devil Fruit on his own. Looks like the preparations the captain made will not be very useful anymore."
"Uncle Roger was already planning for this back then?" Ryuunosuke asked.
"Yes," Gaban replied without hesitation. "Roger always said his son would become a great pirate sailing the high seas one day. If he ever ate a Devil Fruit, the captain wanted to be ready to help him overcome its curse."
He laughed softly.
"But judging from the looks of it now, we do not need to intervene."
Hearing that, Ryuunosuke could not help complaining in his heart.
If he had not been reborn into this world, Ace would probably already be dead by now.
Roger's foresight was impressive, but he was also too idealistic.
Still, if he had laid this kind of groundwork, there had to be more tricks he had prepared.
"Mr. Gaban, I need that orange mother stone," Ryuunosuke said, pushing those thoughts aside. "If you know any leads, would you be willing to tell me?"
Since Gaban knew about the existence of the Eternal Heart of Orange, he should also have an idea of where it might have gone.
Even if he did not know the exact location, he should at least know the general direction.
"The mother stone of the Orange Infinity Stone, huh?" Gaban said thoughtfully. "There is a high chance it will be in the next place. After all, that is also something Roger left for Ace."
He grinned.
"Oh, right. The captain's sword is there as well. How about it, want to come along?"
As the navigator of the Pirate King's crew, Gaban clearly wanted to visit that place again.
As for any other intentions he might have, he did not say, and Ryuunosuke could not guess.
The thoughts of old pirates like these were not something that could be easily read.
"Of course," Ryuunosuke replied with a smile. "Mr. Gaban, is Uncle Roger really dead or not? I keep feeling he is not the sort of man who would go quietly to his death."
Gaban's shoulders stiffened for a moment.
Then he turned back with a faint smile.
"Captain, he is still alive," Gaban said. "Even now, when people hear the title Pirate King, the first name they think of is still Gol D Roger."
He chuckled, then headed off toward the Ark of Eternity.
Watching Gaban's back, Ryuunosuke became more and more certain.
Roger was not dead.
Of course, that was only suspicion right now. The truth was still buried somewhere in the depths of the world.
"Beru beru beru… beru beru beru…"
Just then, the ringing of a Den Den Mushi echoed in Ryuunosuke's ears.
Gaino appeared at his side, holding a small snail with a lightning shaped antenna.
"Captain, it is Enel," Gaino said, handing the Den Den Mushi to him.
"Enel, huh?" Ryuunosuke raised a brow. "Looks like he finally caught something."
He put the receiver to his ear.
"Captain, I am heading back now," Enel's voice crackled over the line. "But I might be bringing a bit of trouble with me."
"Thunder Emperor Thunder Dragon."
"Boom boom boom boom!"
"Roar!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Enel unleashed his attack.
The roar of thunder and the cry of a dragon thundered through the Den Den Mushi, shaking even the air around Ryuunosuke.
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