Chapter 199 – Fire Calamity
"Master Yamato, get away from that man—now!"
A sharp voice echoed from above, followed by a violent gust of wind.
Ace looked up sharply—only to see a massive figure wreathed in orange flames plummeting from the sky, slicing through the clouds with terrifying speed.
It was none other than the Lead Performer of the Beasts Pirates—King the Wildfire, one of Kaido's three All-Stars. He had tracked Ace and Yamato all the way from the Flower Capital.
"Oh no—it's King!" Yamato's expression turned grim.
She stepped in front of Ace, raising her kanabo mace in a defensive stance. "Ace, get out of here first! I'll hold him off—"
"What are you talking about?" Ace interrupted her firmly. He caught Yamato's hand and pulled her behind him, his expression unwavering. "I'm your captain now. How could I let you protect me?"
A confident grin tugged at his lips. "Besides… I'm pretty strong, you know?"
As he spoke, Ace looked up at the massive pterosaur diving down toward him. He clenched his fist, flames coiling around it.
"Fire Fist!!"
A colossal flaming fist erupted from Ace's arm and roared skyward, colliding head-on with the descending King.
BOOM!
King—still in his Pteranodon form—folded his wings midair, twisting his body into a drill-like dive. His sharp beak pierced through the fire fist with ease, scattering flames in all directions.
With an explosive burst of speed, King shot straight toward Ace.
"Tch—same as that 'Drought' fool, huh? Resistant to fire?" Ace muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Without hesitation, he lowered his stance, letting his Armament Haki flood across his fists.
"Then let's see how you handle this!"
He swung upward.
BOOM!!
The impact between Ace's Haki-coated fist and King's beak unleashed a shockwave that shattered the ground beneath them.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the cliffside—until the entire mountain began to collapse.
King's massive body was sent hurtling backward through the air.
"Hmph." Ace flexed his wrist and exhaled lightly. "As expected of the Beasts Pirates' All-Star. You've got a hard head, I'll give you that."
Hovering in the air, King beat his flaming wings, glaring down at Ace.
"Fire Emperor Ace!" he called out coldly. "Tell me—what are you doing in Wano Country?"
Ace smiled up at him. "If I said I was just passing by… would you believe me?"
"Don't joke with me!" King's deep voice rumbled like thunder. "I'll ask one last time. Why are you here—now, of all times? Answer me seriously… or I'll take your silence as a declaration of war against the Beasts Pirates!"
King's suspicion was far from baseless.
He hadn't forgotten the grudge between Ace and the Beasts Pirates—not after Jack the Drought had died by Ace's hand, nor after Ace had destroyed their SMILE trade deal with Doflamingo.
Given Ace's ties to the Whitebeard Pirates, King could only assume he had come to rescue Kozuki Momonosuke.
King himself had fought in the battle twenty years ago, when the Beasts Pirates crushed Kozuki Oden. He remembered Oden well—how the man had once served as the 2nd Division Captain on Whitebeard's ship.
And that boy scheduled for execution tomorrow—Momonosuke—was Oden's son, born aboard the Moby Dick.
Everything lined up too perfectly. King's instincts screamed that Ace had come to save Oden's heir.
If Ace knew what King was thinking, he'd have broken down crying—he wasn't here to save anyone, let alone Momonosuke! He'd just come to watch the so-called "execution" for himself.
But there was no way to explain that now.
"Are you threatening me?" Ace's tone turned cold, eyes narrowing.
"No," King replied evenly, flames licking off his black leather suit. "I'm confirming your intentions. Your answer will decide how this ends.
The Beasts Pirates don't fear war—no matter who the opponent is… even Whitebeard himself."
"What a coincidence," Ace smirked, his flames flaring higher. "Neither do I."
Though he stood in the heart of enemy territory, Ace's grin never wavered. King's arrogant tone had already gotten under his skin—and after what happened in Dressrosa with Jack, Ace had no illusion of peace between them.
So what if it's a fight? Let's see who burns who!
King's eyes narrowed. In the next instant, he dove from the sky, his body a blur.
Flames roared from his wings as he dropped like a meteor.
Ace braced himself, raising his Haki-hardened arm to block the kick.
The impact cracked the ground—but Ace twisted his feet, channeling his white-hot flames.
"Pure Flame: Fire Ring!"
White fire burst outward in a blazing pillar, engulfing King's body and launching him backward into the sky.
BOOM!
From within the shattered flames, King reappeared—unscathed, his black wings spread wide.
He had now assumed his hybrid form, half-human, half-beast.
Like Ace, his body burned with fire—but his flames burned a dark, orange hue.
"White flames?" King muttered, flexing his gloved hands. The leather was scorched, faint burn marks visible beneath.
"Hmph. So it's hotter than normal fire. But in the end—it's still fire. And as long as it's fire…"
His eyes glinted beneath his mask.
"It can't hurt me. I'm the Fire Calamity."
King drew his curved katana, its blade glowing red from heat, and dived down once more.
"Let's see if your fire can surpass mine!"
CLANG!
The blade met Ace's arm—his Haki clashing against steel. Sparks flew between them.
Ace grinned, purple light flickering in his pupils.
"Oh? You said fire can't hurt you?"
Suddenly, violet flames erupted along Ace's arm, swirling into a rose-shaped bloom of heat and light.
"Then let's test that."
"Purple Flame – Fire Rose!"
BOOM!!
The explosion resembled a burning violet rose blooming in midair. The temperature spiked so fast that King's expression changed beneath his mask. He flapped his wings furiously, retreating hundreds of meters to escape the blast.
When he finally steadied himself, he glanced down—his right sleeve was gone, and his arm was scorched raw.
"Impossible…" King's voice trembled with disbelief. "I… I actually got burned?!"
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