Chapter 88: C4·Apollo
"No, it's too late." Monet stopped Caesar from dialing the Den Den Mushi, then grabbed him and dragged him toward the emergency escape passage. "That man might not destroy everything here. Let's leave first and contact Doflamingo later to let him deal with this."
"As expected of Monet, what you said makes sense." Caesar nodded quickly, stashing the Den Den Mushi and opening the emergency escape hatch.
But just then, an explosion boomed from outside the lab door, and flames surged inward, instantly surrounding the entire facility.
"Yuki Gaki!"
Monet used her Snow-Snow Fruit powers, generating a dense wall of ice and snow around herself and Caesar to block the incoming flames.
Ace stepped out of the fire. Seeing the snow wall, he grinned slightly. "So you're a Snow-Snow Fruit user."
He pressed his hand onto the snowy barrier.
"Kagerō (Heat Haze)!"
Flames burst from Ace's palm. Despite Monet's snow wall being as solid as iron, it melted in seconds under the extreme heat, revealing Monet and Caesar.
At this point, Monet's entire body exuded cold air. She had formed a snowy domain, isolating the heat around them. Flurries swirled through the air.
"Caesar, go. I'll hold him off!" Monet said firmly.
Though she knew she couldn't defeat Ace, she understood Caesar's value to Doflamingo. Determined, she spread her arms. Snow formed wing-like blades on her arms.
"Snow Wings!"
Each icy feather on her wings was as sharp and durable as steel.
"Taisetsu Yuki (Great Snow Blade)!"
Monet hurled the icy feathers at Ace.
Caesar took the chance to escape through the emergency passage. Though technically stronger than Monet, he fled without hesitation.
Ace glanced at Caesar, then lifted his right arm.
"Mirror Flame!"
A wave of fire blasted out of his palm, instantly melting the ice blades and shattering Monet's domain.
Monet retaliated by exhaling a frigid breath, mixing her snow into a whirlwind.
"Fubuki (Blizzard)!"
A snowy tornado erupted, engulfing the lab and extinguishing the flames.
Standing at the center, Ace remained untouched, his fiery aura repelling the cold.
"Damn it… Even my strongest attacks aren't working?" Monet despaired. Her Logia snow was being completely suppressed.
Still, her loyalty to Doflamingo gave her courage. Caesar had to escape, no matter what.
Ace closed his eyes, using Observation Haki to search the facility. He found no trace of the person he was truly looking for.
"Momonosuke isn't here yet? What a pity," Ace muttered.
He then called out, "Hey, Snow Girl! Can you contact Doflamingo for me?"
"Why?" Monet's voice came from within the storm.
"Tell him this: What I've destroyed here is just interest. Next time, I'm coming to Dressrosa to take his head. He better wash his neck and wait."
"You bastard! I won't let you hurt Young Master!"
"Yuki Usagi (Snow Bunny)!"
White rabbit-shaped snowballs burst from Monet's body, flying at Ace.
"Enkai: Dai Enkai (Great Flame Commandment)!"
Ace stomped, and concentric rings of fire exploded outward, incinerating the snowballs and reclaiming the battlefield.
He raised his palm to the sky. The flames converged into a fireball hundreds of meters wide, pulsing like a heartbeat.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With each pulse, the fireball grew denser, more powerful. Monet felt her own heart thump with each contraction.
"Run, Snow Girl," Ace warned. "This next move will wipe out everything within ten kilometers. If you stay, you'll die."
Terrified, Monet spread her wings and flew away without hesitation.
Tens of seconds passed. The enormous fireball shrank into a compact orb the size of a palm.
"Too bad that brat hasn't arrived yet. If Momonosuke had been here to burn with this place, it would've been perfect," Ace lamented, then lifted his hands.
"Bloom—C4: Apollo!"
The light orb exploded into a dome of blinding fire, engulfing everything within a one-kilometer radius and beyond.