Chapter 153 One vs Two
Zheng! ~
Just as Ace was concentrating on watching the changes in Magellan, a figure suddenly rushed out from the exit below the fourth level, quickly passing by Ace and landing a blinding slash on his back—drawing a beautiful arc of blood.
"Chief Warden of Impel Down—Shiryu of the Rain!" Ace said grimly as he turned to look at the man who cut him.
"My apologies. I saw your back turned without any defense and couldn't help myself. I just had to slash you. I'm really sorry," Shiryu said calmly, flicking the blood off his blade, the famed sword Raijū, as he took a puff of his cigar.
"You don't sound apologetic at all. I reject your apology," Ace snapped. He closed the distance between them, covering his fist in Armament Haki and throwing a punch at Shiryu. "At least pretend to show some remorse, you bastard!"
Shiryu blocked with Raijū, clashing with Ace's flaming, haki-clad fist. The impact released a sonic boom, and both fighters were forced to retreat.
"What, preparing to unleash your red poison?" Shiryu asked nonchalantly, retreating to Magellan's side. "You've been pushed this far by a single brat. Just as I thought, without me, you're useless, Magellan."
"Shut up!" Magellan snapped. The red poison that had begun forming on his body started to fade. "You came just in time. The red poison isn't suitable for this level. We'll take this brat down together—then go handle the rest."
Using Red Venom placed a serious burden on Magellan, not only causing extreme side effects like explosive diarrhea but also weakening his stamina. Now that Shiryu was here, he could hold off on using it.
"Take him down quickly? Don't underestimate him," Shiryu said, eyeing Ace. "Even together, it won't be easy. Maybe I should go up and handle Crocodile and the others first. Then I'll return and finish him off."
Magellan shook his head. "No. The kid in front of us is far more important. If we capture him, it doesn't matter if the others escape."
Hearing this, Shiryu's eyes sharpened. He seemed to be evaluating Ace, comparing him with someone else.
"So he's the one. The one who fits my ideals for the future," Shiryu thought silently. Aloud, he said, "Well, if that's how you feel, I've no reason to object."
"It's been a while since we fought side by side, Magellan," Shiryu said. "This might be our last time. Let's savor it."
"Enough chatter. Attack!" Magellan shouted, charging first.
Kick!
"Poison Rain!" Magellan leapt up, spreading his arms wide and releasing a torrent of venom like rainfall from above.
"Pure Flame: Pillar of Fire!" Ace countered, spinning with his arms out. White-hot flames erupted from his body, forming a pillar that burned upward. The ultra-high temperature flames purified the falling poison, then surged toward Magellan.
"Thunderclap Cross!"
Shiryu unleashed a slash from Raijū that sliced through the pillar of fire. The thunderous blade cut it cleanly, parting the flame—and exposing Ace.
Seeing Ace's real body, Shiryu grinned and followed up.
"Thunderstorm Rain!"
Swish swish swish!
The single slash exploded into dozens of smaller ones, cascading like rain upon Ace.
"Armament!" Ace shouted. Unable to dodge, he cloaked himself in Haki to defend.
Ding ding ding!
The raindrop-like slashes struck Ace's body. Though they failed to penetrate his defense, they scattered the fire pillar surrounding him, forcing him away from his protective flames.
"Venom Net!"
At that exact moment, Magellan unleashed a massive web of venom that caught Ace midair as he retreated.
"Damn it," Ace cursed. He was secretly impressed by their synergy.
First, Magellan had used a wide-area attack to force Ace into a flame-based counter. Shiryu interrupted with a strike to expose Ace's position, followed by a multi-hit barrage that broke his elemental defense. Finally, Magellan trapped him with a venom web.
No doubt about it—Magellan and Shiryu were the strongest shields of Impel Down. Together, they were a terrifying combination.
"Got you!"
Seeing Ace tangled in the venom web, both Magellan and Shiryu smirked.
There was no escape. Elementalization was dangerous—Shiryu would strike instantly. Touching the venom was worse. Even Ace's purifying flames couldn't cleanse it in time.
"Caught? Not quite," Ace said with a grin. His eyes glowed with a strange violet light, and then his entire pupil turned purple.
Unbeknownst to the two, Ace had activated the 100,000-degree Violet Flame—but without changing the visible color or temperature externally, concealing it perfectly.
Magellan and Shiryu remained tense. As soon as Ace touched the poison, they were ready to strike during his moment of weakness.
But when the venom net reached him—it vanished.
Gone. Without a trace.
"What? Where did your poison go?" Shiryu asked, stunned, dropping his stance slightly.
"I don't know," Magellan said grimly. "It wasn't incinerated—there were no flames. It disappeared… as if it were warped away."
"Impossible. This kid's a Logia user, not some space warper," Shiryu muttered.
But neither could explain it.
Ace simply stood there, unharmed, violet light still gleaming in his eyes.
(To be continued...)
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