Chapter 124 – The Sword of Fire!
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Ace raised his hand. Purple flames roared to life in his palm, burning hotter than anything the battlefield had ever seen.
"Doflamingo… let me show you the strongest flame I can control—my one‑hundred‑thousand‑degree purple flame!"
Doflamingo flinched as the heat rippled across Dressrosa's King's Plateau, his grin twisting into a scowl.
"One hundred thousand degrees? Are you kidding me?"
The air itself shimmered. At this distance it felt as though he stood beside the sun itself.
"Did you even eat the Mera Mera no Mi, or did you eat the Sun‑Sun Fruit instead?!"
And yet… Ace's tone made it sound like even this wasn't his limit.
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"Kid…" Doflamingo's sharp instincts took over, his cruel smile returning.
"You might look terrifying right now, but I can see through you. You can't hold that form long, can you?"
With a sweep of his arms, the Heavenly Yaksha unleashed his awakened power. The earth and buildings around them twisted and unraveled into dense white threads.
"Fufufufufu… then let's see how many seconds you can keep that flame burning!"
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Ace's purple fire surged hotter, his eyes calm.
"With my body right now… I can only maintain the Hundred‑Thousand‑Degree Purple Flame for one minute at most."
He exhaled softly.
"But in that one minute… I only need one instant to defeat you."
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Doflamingo's sunglasses glinted darkly. For a moment his face twitched—then he burst out laughing.
"An instant? Hahahaha! Arrogant little brat! Then show me… show me how you'll finish me in an instant!"
Swish! Swish!
Sixteen cords of sharpened threads erupted from the awakened ground, each one wrapped in his most potent Busoshoku Haki. They coiled together into massive, lance‑like weapons, threads vibrating with a sound like a thousand swords drawn. This was the peak of his awakened strings, his deadliest strike.
"Jūroku Hachi no Kami—God's Killing Bullets!"
(Sixteen Holy Bullets: God's Slaying Threads!)
Sixteen Haki‑hardened lances screamed through the air, piercing through the sound barrier as they converged on Ace from every angle.
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Ace's flames surged higher.
"…Although I'm far from my limit, this hundred‑thousand‑degree purple flame… will be my tribute to the Commander."
His right hand tightened. The blazing violet fire gathered, coalescing into the shape of a blade—a long, gleaming sword forged entirely from living purple flame.
"The Sword of Tribute… the Sword of Fire!"
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The sixteen God's Killing Bullets came streaking in.
Ace swung.
BOOOOOOM!
The purple blade carved through the air, and the world exploded in light. The violet arc cut through every Haki‑hardened thread as though they were paper. The moment the holy bullets touched the flame, they burned to nothing—dissolving before they could even reach him.
The slash didn't stop there. A wall of purple firestormed outward, erasing everything it touched. White threads, stone, metal—every substance within its path was reduced to ash. A tenth of King's Plateau was simply gone, vaporized in the aftershock.
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Ace gasped, dropping to his knees as his blade of flame vanished.
"Hah… haaaah…!"
The purple aura flickered and died. His body staggered, his elemental form breaking down as the exertion left him drained.
But Doflamingo…
Half of his body was gone, sliced clean away by the Sword of Fire. He collapsed amid the ruin, life leaking from him like sand through an hourglass. There was no saving a wound like that.
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Ace dragged himself closer, sitting heavily on the shattered stone beside him. There was no joy in his eyes—only a shadow of thoughtfulness as he looked down at his fallen foe.
Above, the massive Birdcage of threads that had surrounded Dressrosa unraveled, fading into the wind.
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Doflamingo chuckled weakly, blood bubbling at his lips, his trademark grin still in place.
"You win, brat…" He coughed, forcing the words out.
"But don't think I've truly lost. Before this… I already broadcast your real identity to the world. The World Government… they know who you are."
His voice dropped to a hoarse rasp, but his laughter only grew more jagged.
"The son of Gol D. Roger… the last bloodline of the Pirate King himself!"
"The Marines… the Celestial Dragons… the whole damn world will come for you. And I'll be laughing in hell while they hunt you!"
"Our war… will continue… another way!"
Doflamingo's sunglasses tilted, and the light left his eyes. Beside him, an image Den Den Mushi—wearing his same trademark shades—closed its eyes as well, ending the transmission that had just broadcast Ace's identity to every corner of the world.
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Ace had noticed the Den Den Mushi from the start. He hadn't stopped it. There was no point.
When he first set foot in Dressrosa and saw Doflamingo broadcasting the battle, he'd suspected the Warlord might know his true heritage. Now he knew for certain. Stopping him would have changed nothing. Doflamingo would have already passed the information to someone. And who else but the World Government would pay most dearly for that secret?
If the Government knew, then soon the entire world would know.
Ace exhaled slowly, gazing at the dead man's face.
"…Maybe this is the best way to announce it."
He turned his eyes to the distant sea, where the horizon smoldered with the colors of sunset and smoke.
"I just don't know… what kind of storm this will bring."
The wind tugged at his cloak. His purple eyes narrowed.
"And besides…"
He rose, staggering slightly, and looked toward the horizon.
"This war… isn't over. The most dangerous enemy hasn't shown himself yet."
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To be continued…
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