Ace stood calmly, eyes locked on Blackbeard Pirates.
Then he turned toward Luffy.
"Hey, Luffy — want to fight someone?"
Luffy grinned instantly,
"I had no intention… but yeah, I do want to fight someone. So who is it?"
Ace pointed at the four Blackbeard pirates present.
"Well, if you want to fight — that Van Augur is a sniper.
And Doc Q is a doctor… with a Sickness–Sickness Fruit.
So be careful when fighting them."
Luffy cracked his knuckles and smiled at Ace,
"Well then — let's do it."
He glanced at Zoro and Sanji,
"So who do you want?"
Zoro immediately pointed at the sniper.
Sanji also pointed at him.
Both had sensed his strength — both wanted the challenge.
"Let's see who beats him first," Sanji smirked.
With that settled, out of Blackbeard's group only Burgess and Teach remained.
Ace turned to Yamato,
"Well Yamato — take care of Burgess first.
If I need help afterward, you can assist me."
Yamato grinned, nodding confidently,
"Alright."
As if expecting the clash, the remaining Blackbeard pirates stepped beside Teach.
Blackbeard laughed loudly,
"Zehahahahaha!
So Captain Ace — you want a fight, and you even brought reinforcements!
Come — fight me!"
There was no fear in his eyes.
Ace simply lifted a hand.
Haki coated his fist as flames gathered.
He conjured a fiery spear and hurled it straight at Blackbeard.
Scorching fire spear
Teach was momentarily stunned —as if he couldn't react fast enough.
The spear pierced through him — burning.
For an instant Blackbeard's body ignited—
Then Blackbeard started rolling on the ground, whether it was to put out fire or it was because of Double Pain other didn't knew.
Then he laughed again,
"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!"
Black flames swirled as Teach activated his power,
Darkness–Darkness Fruit.
The flames vanished into the void, absorbed entirely.
Ace knew one thing clearly — defeating Blackbeard using only his Logia Fire-Fire fruit wouldn't be possible.
Still, seeing Blackbeard emerge almost unscathed, feeling nothing more than a slight pain, left him disappointed.
He smiled faintly at Luffy.
"You can leave this town."
Other members of the Blackbeard Pirates began evacuating as well.
They understood the fight between Ace and Blackbeard could level the entire town, and they didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
Ace raised a hand casually and waved.
Dozens of infernal fire orbs shot forth, racing toward Blackbeard.
Teach, unfazed, laughed loudly.
"Zehahahahaha!
Captain Ace — do you even understand the power of Darkness-Darkness?
Today, I will show you!"
Blackbeard crouched and slammed a hand into the ground.
"Black Hole!"
From him as the center, a tsunami of black, smoke-like energy surged outward, consuming everything in its path.
Buildings, streets, even fleeing townsfolk scattered before it.
In moments, the entire town was swallowed.
All that remained was bare earth — no rubble, no structures, nothing.
Ace stood a few hundred meters away, eyes locked on Blackbeard.
Teach laughed again, louder this time.
"Zehahahahaha!"
He raised both hands, pointing directly at Ace.
"Liberation!"
Debris, fragments of buildings, and the very remnants of the town rocketed toward Ace as if the earth itself conspired against him.
Ace recognized the attack instantly.
He pulled both hands back and punched forward.
Twin Flame Fist Impact
Two massive pillars of fire shot forward, colliding with Blackbeard's oncoming assault.
The resulting explosion shook the air, sending smoke and flames in all directions.
When the dust finally settled, Ace and Blackbeard remained standing, unmoved.
Elsewhere, Luffy and the remaining Blackbeard pirates had already begun their own battles.
---
Ace and Blackbeard clashed violently the moment Luffy's group scattered.
Ace's fists ignited—wrapped in Internal Destruction Armament Haki and flickering traces of Nascent Conqueror's Haki Entanglement, unstable but surging when it worked. He kicked off the air with Combustion Kick, exploding forward like a cannon shell, fist cocked.
Blackbeard responded with a twisted grin.
"Dark Vortex!"
The darkness spiraled around his arm—then flashed.
"Quake-like Strike!"
The collision detonated.
Both Ace and Teach were repelled.
Ace expected it but Teach was surprised by Ace's close combat technique.
Multiple Infernal Fire Orbs
Multiple Fire Orbs once again targeted Teach but Teach laughed.
" Zehahahaahaahaaa Captain Ace, Devil Fruit powers do not work on me anymore."
As Teach said this he once again used his devil fruit to negate the fire.
Ace blurred forward.
Fire fist Impact
Hellfire Resonance
Twin fire whips
Emperor Flame Cataclysm
Conqueror Flame Fist
Emperor Fire Bullets
Attack after attack — flame and haki wove together.
---
Half Hour later
Their battle had scorched the island.
Cracks, molten stone, charred craters — the whole place bore their fury.
Ace was breathing hard.
Teach was bleeding but laughing through tears — curse of the double pain.
Hellfire Domain
Inside, heat was unbearable — enough to incinerate humans in seconds.
Teach merely coated himself in darkness and continued fighting.
But something bothered him.
Throughout their battle, Ace had never wasted energy on a useless move like this —
blocking vision for minimal benefit, as for the heat, it wasn't enough for monsters in the New World.
Why now?
Minutes passed.
Teach finally reacted.
"BLACK HOLE!"
Dark smoke devoured the domain — the flames — and Ace.
Teach laughed as flames vanished.
"Zehahahahaha!
I didn't expect you to let yourself get swallowed so easily!"
He coated his fist in Armament Haki and drove it into Ace's chest.
But—
There was no scream.
No impact flesh.
Instead—
BOOM.
Ace exploded into fire.
A Pyro Clone.
Teach screamed, rolling on the ground, darkness writhing — the doubled pain overwhelming him.
---