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Sengoku's fist thundered against Luffy's rubber body. The golden explosion rocked the platform.
Inside, Mr. 3 had already crafted a wax wall around himself and Ace, shielding them.
Sengoku snarled. "He… inflated?!"
But his power was overwhelming. Each blow shook Luffy's body to its core. Blood burst from Luffy's mouth as the strain tore through him. The execution platform cracked, splintering under the force.
"It's collapsing!!!" the pirates screamed.
The platform crumbled, sending Luffy, Ace, and Mr. 3 plummeting down.
"Wait—I can make a key!" Mr. 3 shouted suddenly, already shaping wax into the form of a key.
"Fire the cannons! Blow Straw Hat to pieces!" Sengoku bellowed.
The fortress's cannons swiveled as one, blasting volleys of shells at the falling figures.
"Catch! Free your brother!" Mr. 3 hurled the wax key toward Luffy.
The sky lit up as cannon fire exploded all around them, a storm of flame and smoke.
"Luffy!!!"
"Ace!!!"
Even Whitebeard's face darkened as he stared at the inferno."With those seastone cuffs on, Fire Fist Ace is just a man. He couldn't survive that…"
"The Straw Hat brat must have been caught in it too…"
The navy was in an uproar.
World of One Piece
The Whitebeard Pirates all shot to their feet."Don't tell me Ace and his brother both got taken out?!"
"Damn it, I'm going to save him!" Marco snarled, his voice trembling with rage.
Ace gave a bitter laugh. "Marco-nii, I'm standing right here. But… are you saying that in the future, I really die under the Navy's cannons?"
Marco scratched his head with an awkward grin. "Heh… guess I got too caught up in it. Still, the Navy's gone too far—how dare they lay hands on a member of the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
From the Moby Dick came Whitebeard's thunderous voice."Looks like I've been too quiet lately. The Navy's forgotten the fear of my name."
Straw Hat Pirates
"Luffy!!!"
Chopper, Usopp, and the others shouted desperately at the screen. "Don't tell me Luffy's really dead?!"
Tears streamed down their faces.
Sitting at the bow, Luffy's fists trembled with fury."The Navy… they killed Ace?!"
Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword. "Luffy… in the future, I'll fight by your side. You won't have to rescue your brother alone."
Back in Foosha Village, Dadan collapsed to the ground, sobbing."Ace!!! Luffy!!!"
Her grief turned to fury. "Damn you, Garp—you'll pay for this! You're the one who killed them!!!"
Her cries echoed like a funeral dirge.
The Revolutionary Army
Sabo's fists clenched tight, a terrifying aura radiating from him."Navy… you killed Ace and Luffy? I'll make you pay in blood!"
Suddenly, on the screen, a pair of seastone cuffs came crashing down from the sky.
In an instant, flames erupted, spreading out to form the crest of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The blazing Whitebeard sigil burned across the heavens, strange and awe-inspiring. Fire roared skyward, wrapping the sky in an inferno before surging forward like a living beast.
From the smoke of explosions emerged a tunnel of flame.
And from within that burning passage, a man's silhouette appeared—bathed head to toe in fire.
"You've always been like this, Luffy!"
"Never listening to a word I say!"
"Always charging ahead recklessly!!!"
The entire sky became a world of fire.
Ace—reborn in flame, like a god descended—gripped his brother's arm and pulled him close.
Cheers erupted from pirates watching the battle.
"Hell yeah!!""This is amazing!""Unbelievable…""Well done, Straw Hat!!"
As the two brothers landed, Ace warned, "Stay sharp, Luffy. We'll split up here!"
Wreathed in terrifying fire, he raised his hand."Flame Commandment—Fire Pillar!!!"
Columns of fire erupted, swallowing the battlefield whole.
The marines gasped as the blaze transformed the area into a hellish sea of fire. In the center stood Ace, the fire king himself, his presence overwhelming.
Inside the blazing circle stood three figures:
[Fire Fist Ace]
[Straw Hat Luffy]
[??]
"You still good to fight, Luffy?"
Luffy grinned. "Of course I am!"
Whitebeard chuckled, proud.
The Navy reeled. "So it's true… Fire Fist Ace is a Logia user!"
Ace laughed. "Never thought I'd see the day when you saved me, Luffy. Guess I was dreaming too small. Thanks, little brother."
Luffy flashed him a warm smile. "We couldn't have done it without Whitebeard and the others!"
Marines surged in, guns blazing."Don't think you're safe yet. This is your execution ground!"
Bullets riddled Ace's body—only to turn into harmless flames.
Luffy bounced the shots back with his rubber body.
The brothers charged."He's my brother! Touch him and you'll regret it!" Ace roared.
"Fire Fist!!!"
A torrent of flame swallowed the marines.
Luffy shifted into Gear Second, steam hissing from his skin.
"This is our battlefield now!"
"Gum-Gum Stamp!!!"
Three marines were sent flying.
"Fire Gun!!!"
Ace's fists spat fire like machine guns, mowing down everyone in sight.
The marines faltered, fear in their eyes, and began to retreat.
"Let's move, Luffy. We don't have much time!"
"Right!"
Watching, the allied pirate captains grinned."Those two fight like they were born for it.""Clear them a path—make sure they get out alive!"
A thunderous battle cry erupted as pirates clashed with the Navy, opening the way.
The brothers pressed forward.
"Firefly—Flame Daruma!!!"
Tiny sparks floated through the battlefield like fireflies, before detonating in a chain of massive explosions that engulfed the area.
Still, the Navy pressed on, wave after wave.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!!!"
Luffy unleashed a storm of fists, blasting marines back.
Ace and Luffy tore through the battlefield like a hurricane.
"One day, I'll surpass you, Ace!" Luffy laughed, even as they fought side by side.
But then—a dark figure loomed ahead, blocking their path.
"Now it's my turn to protect you," Ace said grimly. "Forget about 'someday'—you won't even see tomorrow's sun!"
Standing before them was an Admiral of the Navy—Aokiji.
"Admiral Kuzan!!!"
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!!!"
Aokiji's arm transformed into ice, cold mist spilling into the air. A massive frozen bird shot toward Ace.
"Fall back, Luffy!"
Ace roared, his body bursting into flame."Mirror Fire—Flame!!!"
A blazing inferno clashed with the ice bird, fire and frost colliding in a deafening explosion.
The battlefield shook as mist billowed skyward, obscuring everything. Fire and ice locked in a dead heat, neither yielding an inch.
The clash reached a crescendo—then exploded outward, a hurricane ripping through the battlefield.
Ace seized the moment and dragged Luffy out of Aokiji's range.
"...'
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