Tyrant Kuma, who usually stood calm and unreadable with his Bible in hand, found his expression shifting for the first time. His gaze lingered on the young pirate before him.
When had the Whitebeard Pirates recruited someone like this? The Revolutionary Army's intelligence network had never reported his existence. In Kuma's eyes, Ashveil was a complete unknown, a mystery that hadn't appeared in any files or whispers of the underground.
He had not expected that, before he surrendered his body fully to the Government's modifications, he would witness such a singular figure. A boy who seemed to defy every expectation. Somewhere in Kuma's silent heart, a fragile hope stirred — if this youth could survive Sakazuki's flames, perhaps he would one day bring light rather than ruin to the world.
Sakazuki, too, was unsettled, though his arrogance cloaked his reaction. Sentomaru's defeat meant little to him. To the Admiral, Sentomaru was just a subordinate of Kizaru. If even Kizaru himself was beneath his notice, why would the loss of his protégé matter?
What gnawed at him was something else entirely. His attack. His magma — his very essence as a fighter — had been swallowed as if it were nothing. The Magma-Magma Fruit granted him heat that could turn stone to rivers of fire, temperatures beyond the endurance of any natural flame. Yet when that molten fist struck Ashveil, it simply… disappeared.
How?
The Admiral's jaw tightened. A faint headache pulsed behind his temples, a rare feeling for one who believed himself unstoppable.
Ashveil noticed the flicker of confusion, and his lips curved into a faint, taunting smile.
"What's wrong, Sakazuki? You look shaken. Ready to surrender? If you kneel and bow your head three times, maybe I'll let you die a little easier."
His laughter carried across the grove, casual and unrestrained.
The mocking tone hit Sakazuki like a slap. He was Sakazuki — Akainu — an Admiral of Marine Headquarters, the embodiment of Absolute Justice. He had crushed countless pirates underfoot. Never once had he imagined he would be ridiculed like this, and by a boy barely grown.
"Don't get carried away, brat!" he roared, spittle flying with his rage. "I haven't begun to fight seriously! I'll burn you to ash!"
Ashveil tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Coincidentally, I haven't used my full strength either. Why don't we make it interesting? Flames against flames. Let's see who controls fire better."
Murmurs spread through those watching. Kuma's brow furrowed. Bonney, crouched in the trees, gasped audibly.
Flames against flames?
The thought was absurd. Devil Fruits were unique. There could not be two of the same fruit existing at once. To suggest he wielded an ability like Sakazuki's was insanity.
Sakazuki barked out a laugh, though the sound carried more edge than humor.
"You think I'll believe that? That you can wield magma like me?"
But even as he spoke, he remembered. Once, long ago, as a Vice Admiral, he had lost to a pirate not because of strength but because of words. Because he had allowed his enemy's mind games to weaken his focus. That shame had driven him to forge his merciless Absolute Justice. Never again would he falter to tricks.
He glared at Ashveil, molten fire swirling around his arm until steam hissed from the ground. His conviction was iron.
"Your lies won't shake me. This time, I won't falter."
Ashveil shrugged, his voice maddeningly calm.
"Believe what you like. You'll see the truth soon enough."
Inside, he knew killing Sakazuki would be easy. His [Conqueror's Haki], honed to terrifying heights, dwarfed the Admiral's will. Six thousand points of pressure — enough to shatter any man's spirit. But Ashveil wasn't content with simply overpowering him.
No, he wanted to humiliate Sakazuki. To crush him using the very power the Admiral worshipped. To show that even magma, the force Sakazuki believed absolute, could be turned against him. To prove that justice itself meant nothing before raw, undeniable strength.
His arm shimmered. The skin darkened, then ignited. Scorching flames erupted, licking across his hand and dripping molten embers to the ground. Each ember ate into the earth, sizzling holes into the soil as smoke rose in thick white curls.
The sight froze the battlefield.
Cameras clicked furiously from high above. In a floating bird-shaped news craft, a middle-aged manager leaned forward, his glasses reflecting the brilliant blaze. His hands shook as he adjusted his professional camera.
Click. Click. Click.
Sweat rolled down his temple, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Amazing… I never imagined such a monster existed, someone who can mimic an Admiral's ability." He slammed a hand to his desk. "We've struck gold this time, Rose! This will shake the entire world!"
Beside him, his assistant Rose nearly dropped her equipment. Her wide eyes shimmered with disbelief.
"Manager… didn't you say two identical Devil Fruits can't exist? How is this possible? How does Ashveil have the same ability as Sakazuki?"
The manager's smile was tense, almost reverent.
"Rose, this sea is built on mysteries. Even I don't know the half of it. Our job isn't to solve them. It's to record them. To show the world the impossible."
"Yes, Manager!" she answered breathlessly, her camera flashing nonstop. The thought of the fortune awaiting them only added to her trembling hands.
Back in the forest, Bonney clutched the bark of a massive tree as the winds of heat lashed around her. Her lips parted, the heart-shaped lipstick marking the curve of her mouth as she whispered in awe.
"He can really use magma…? Then this isn't a bluff."
Her heartbeat thundered. Two monsters, flames burning brighter than the sun, about to collide.
The island itself seemed to hold its breath.
_____
Happy New Month.