BOOM——
The figure landed heavily, causing the stone plaza beneath his feet to crack in all directions.
Scorching heat waves spread outward from him, forcing even the elite Pirate captains before Wang Zhi to retreat half a step.
"Flame-Flame Fruit ability?"
Wang Zhi narrowed his eyes. "To think this Devil Fruit was obtained by a Marine trainee. It seems your Fleet Admiral holds you in high regard!"
As the dust and sparks cleared, the newcomer was revealed to be Portgas D. Ace.
"I obtained this fruit myself!"
"But you're right about one thing - the Fleet Admiral does value me highly!"
Ace extinguished his flames and glanced at Hawkins and Trafalgar Law beside him, grinning widely.
"Didn't expect you two to be faster than me."
"But the real show is just beginning." Ace's eyes burned with fighting spirit as his gaze swept over Wang Zhi and the dozens of pirates behind him.
"The title of strongest trainee belongs to me—it must be me!"
Trafalgar Law's mouth twitched slightly.
While the training ship under Fleet Admiral Orion's command had many merits, it certainly didn't lack arrogant fools!
Though he thought this, Law showed no outward reaction.
After giving Ace a sidelong glance, he remarked flatly, "While you were still stealing bird eggs from the hills behind Windmill Village, I was already facing Doflamingo alone in the North Blue—with grenades strapped to my back."
"In your current state, you're hardly fit to be called the strongest trainee."
"Don't forget, I'm a Devil Fruit user too."
"Heh." Ace sneered defiantly. "Then let's see who takes down—"
Before Ace could finish, Hawkins, who had remained silent until now, cut them off.
"Both of you, calm down!"
As he spoke, Hawkins leisurely drew several tarot cards from his coat, his slender fingers gliding over their surfaces.
After a moment, he looked up, his perpetually stoic poker face as unnervingly composed as ever.
"Fatality rate: zero."
"Becoming the strongest trainee is simple," Hawkins declared without a hint of emotion. "Just eliminate every pirate here!"
The instant he finished speaking, the cards in his hand spontaneously ignited.
Then—
"Demon Subduing Aspect!"
Countless straw strands materialized like madly growing vines, instantly enveloping Hawkins entirely.
The next second, a monstrous straw effigy over ten meters tall—with a grotesque face and fingers transformed into five-inch nails—stood where he had been!
As eerie ripples spread beneath the giant straw creature's feet, Hawkins vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already hovering directly above Wang Zhi's head, his massive shadow engulfing Wang Zhi and several pirate captains nearby!
"Brat, you're not worthy of facing Lord Wang Zhi!"
Before Wang Zhi could react, a lean pirate captain beside him—armed with a long blade—dashed forward.
He launched himself skyward like an arrow, his sword coated in black Armament Haki, aimed straight at Hawkins' heart.
Hawkins remained expressionless, his button eyes devoid of any emotion.
He simply raised his massive straw-and-nail arm high and slammed it down violently toward the captain and Wang Zhi below.
BOOM!
Blade and arm collided with tremendous force!
A shockwave erupted, shattering the pirate captain's sword.
He vomited blood and was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing into a distant building—his fate unknown.
Meanwhile, Ace, furious that Hawkins—who'd urged them to calm down—had struck first.
"Hawkins, you bastard!"
Even as he shouted, Ace charged forward, refusing to be outdone.
"Fire Fist!"
His right arm shot out, unleashing a colossal fist of flames that engulfed Wang Zhi and the entire area before him in a wave of scorching heat!
"Not so fast!"
Just as Wang Zhi and the others were about to be swallowed by the fire fist, another burly captain—built like a fortress—surged from Wang Zhi's side.
He crossed his arms in front of his body, his entire form instantly coated in pitch-black Armament Haki, actually intending to withstand Ace's attack with his bare flesh!
Boom!
Flames collided with flesh, producing a deafening roar.
The terrifying shockwave surged out once more, tearing up a layer of the plaza's ground.
Both Ace and the iron tower-like captain grunted in unison, each forced back several steps.
Almost simultaneously, three more figures charged out from behind Wang Zhi, forming a triangular formation, determined to capture Ace the moment he stabilized his footing!
The three moved with extreme speed, their coordination seamless, their blades instantly sealing off all of Ace's escape routes.
"ROOM."
At this critical moment, a detached voice rang out.
A blue hemispherical domain instantly expanded, enveloping Ace.
In the next second, Ace's figure vanished eerily from his original position, reappearing beside Trafalgar Law.
Having successfully teleported Ace, Law continued his movements without pause, his two-meter-long Ghost Cry silently unsheathing.
However, the moment his blade left its scabbard, a flash of cold light shot toward him at high speed!
Clang—!
A longsword precisely blocked his descending Ghost Cry, the immense force transmitted through the blade numbing his arm.
A pirate captain with a scarred face appeared before him, grinning to reveal a bloodthirsty smile.
"The Ope Ope Fruit... it's been a long time."
Before his words faded, he unleashed a storm-like assault, forcing Trafalgar Law to temporarily abandon his offense and retreat.
As Law stepped back, Ace's figure surged forward.
Facing the three pirate captains who pursued him once more, a flicker of madness flashed in Ace's eyes.
"Boom!"
Overwhelming flames erupted from his body again, but this time, the inferno was interwoven with faint, heart-palpitating black-red arcs of electricity!
An aura of supremacy burst forth alongside the flames!
"What?!"
The pirate captain at the forefront paled drastically, sensing from the flames an imposing aura that made his very soul tremble.
"How is this possible?! You've actually... integrated Conqueror's Haki into your flames?!"
Ace grinned, his tone brimming with pride.
"In your eyes, merging Conqueror's Haki with flames might indeed seem impossible."
"But in the eyes of the Fleet Admiral, this is the true way to wield Conqueror's Haki!"
As he spoke, Ace clenched his fists, wreathed in black-red electric arcs, and strode forward with overwhelming momentum.
"Pirates, taste the flavor of Conqueror's Haki entwined with flames!"
With that, the flames covering Ace's body abruptly contracted before violently erupting.
Within the orange-red inferno, Conqueror's lightning danced wildly, causing the temperature of the flames to instantly soar to unprecedented heights.
The mere radiated heat caused the surrounding air to vibrate at a low frequency, sending out ripples of distorted space, one wave after another.
"Great Flame Commandment·Conqueror Fire!"
As Ace's voice rang out, the flames infused with Conqueror's Haki instantly expanded, forming a miniature crimson sun that shot straight toward the two opposing captains.
"Grah—!"
The captain closest to Ace instinctively tried to block, but before he could even act, the oncoming wave of heat ignited him.
The moment the crimson sun expanded in his pupils, his scream was cut short, his body turning to dust, vaporized by the Conqueror Fire.
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