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BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A torrent of fire erupted outwards.
Ace exploded into action—a high-speed, flaming cyclone that left afterimages in the air. He drove his fist straight for Law's head.
DOOOOOOOOOOM!
Law's Armament-coated fist met Ace's fist of fire. The collision was apocalyptic.
Two raw, devastating forces slammed into one another.
Sparks flew.
The immense shockwave blasted them both apart, sending them staggering back across the scorched ground.
"Hah... hah..."
Ace gasped for breath. Constantly using his Devil Fruit was a massive drain on his stamina, a heavy burden on his body.
But more than that, his opponent's strength was far beyond anything he'd anticipated.
Relying on his flames, on his elemental form, he had been untouchable in the East Blue.
Yet this man—he could somehow bypass his elemental state, could meet his fist head-on. It was baffling, shocking.
But the thrill of a fierce, evenly matched fight sent a jolt of excitement through him, a tremor that seemed to shake his very soul.
Did he set out to sea to become the Pirate King?
No.
He wanted nothing to do with that man's title.
He was aiming for the pinnacle.
The strongest man in the world.
To surpass the Pirate King himself.
And how would he do that? By making a name for himself. By defeating the strong—and then the strongest.
Ace took a deep breath, his eyes blazing.
"You're strong," he said. "Are you the strongest on your crew?"
Law was also breathing heavily. The brief exchange had been enough to reveal the terrifying combat genius simmering within this fire-man. Even with Armament Haki to counter the Logia, the man's physical prowess was off the charts.
'To fight me to a standstill? Who is this guy?'
But Ace's question left Law utterly bewildered.
"Huh?"
"What did you say?"
"Me?"
"The strongest?!!"
A bead of sweat trickled down Law's temple. He could feel a tic forming. "I'm just the ship's doctor," he said flatly.
Ace froze. "The doctor?"
"Yeah." Law nodded. "And on the Grand Line, I'm still just a rookie."
A rookie?!
Ace couldn't believe it. "You're telling me there are people on your ship even stronger than you?"
"Of course."
Law thought for a moment. "Not counting the king himself, if we're just talking about the officers... I'm the weakest."
It was true.
Of the three current "officers" on the ship—the Cook, the Boatswain, and the Gunner—Law was, in fact, the weakest.
But to Ace, those words meant something entirely different.
The man who could fight him to a draw... was the weakest officer on their crew?
Did that mean the other officers could completely crush him?
Ace's shock was indescribable.
"Are you... one of the Four Emperors?" he blurted out.
"The Four Emperors?" Law replied. "No. Our captain is the king of the Winter Blossom Kingdom, in the first half of the Grand Line."
Just a power from the first half?!
Ace's mind reeled.
He'd heard from a man named Skull, who claimed to have traveled the world, that the Grand Line was divided into two halves. The first half was called Paradise.
Was it because it wasn't dangerous?
No.
It was because compared to the second half, ruled by the Four Emperors, the first half was like a children's playground.
And a single ship from this "Paradise" was strong enough to crush the best the East Blue had to offer?
Ace felt dizzy.
It was like a hero, fresh out of the starting village and feeling pretty good about himself, suddenly running into an S-rank demon lord at the village gate.
And then being told that there were SSS-rank demon lords just beyond.
Ace took another deep breath.
"Then tell me," he asked, "what's the gap between you and the strongest person on your ship?"
Law considered this.
"Heaven and earth," he said. "He could probably take me out with a single punch."
Ace's eyes widened in disbelief.
The gap... was that massive?!
His world was tilting.
"Hey! If you want to get to Ace, you'll have to go through me! Don't even think about interrupting our captain's fight!"
Suddenly, Ace heard Deuce's shout.
He whipped his head around.
Deuce, covered in blood, was standing in front of a Marine Captain, his wavering body held up by sheer willpower.
If the Spade Pirates' combat power was 100, Ace accounted for about 90 of it. The rest of the crew made up the difference.
Against Smoker, Deuce was completely outmatched. He was only holding him off through sheer tenacity.
He saw Smoker leap into the air, his ten-handed Jitte raised to deliver the final blow.
WHOOSH!
Ace became a blur of fire, streaking across the battlefield.
The flames seared the air, a wave of heat washing over the scene.
A fist appeared out of nowhere, aimed straight for Smoker's chest.
Smoker was forced to abandon his attack, bringing his Jitte up to block.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion.
Smoker blocked the flaming fist.
The flames around Ace dissipated, and a strange weakness washed over him, causing him to stagger.
'What was that?'
Ace wondered. He leaped back, landing beside Deuce. The strange feeling of weakness was gone.
Could it be...?
Ace glanced at Smoker's weapon. The tip of the Jitte was made of Seastone.
In the original story, Luffy's adventure had nearly ended at the end of that very weapon, before his father had intervened with a flash of lightning and a gust of wind.
Ace didn't know about Seastone yet, but his instincts were sharp. He knew, in that instant, that there was something strange about that weapon.
THUD!
Deuce collapsed.
"Hey! Deuce! Are you okay?" Ace rushed to his side and helped him up. He saw that he was unconscious. "Deuce!"
Smoker's face was grim. He stood, shrouded in smoke. "Fire Fist Ace! You're not getting away!"
He charged forward.
"I don't have time to fight you right now."
Ace threw up a massive wall of fire.
He scooped up Deuce and ran.
The flames forced Smoker back.
But he didn't get far.
Tashigi appeared with a squad of Marines, blocking his path.
"Get them!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Marines opened fire.
Bullets filled the air.
Ace made a gun with his hand and fired a series of fire bullets, scattering the Marines' formation.
Tashigi charged.
Ace didn't have time for this. He leaped onto a rooftop and fled into the distance.
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