Chapter 18: Armament Haki Breaks the Logia, Smoker's Desperate Gamble!
"Vermilion Art: Feather of Scorching Fire!"
Suzaku's command rang out, clear and authoritative, cutting through the chaotic noise of the execution plaza like a gavel strike in a silent courtroom.
From his open palm, the flames he had absorbed from Ace—now amplified and transmuted by the divine resonance of his own golden Vermilion bloodline—erupted outward.
They didn't explode in a chaotic, uncontrolled wave. Instead, under his precise will, the superheated plasma condensed into dozens of sharp, distinct projectiles. They took the shape of magnificent, glowing feathers, each one vibrating with a hum of concentrated energy that distorted the air around them.
They screamed through the air, leaving trails of distorted heat and blinding white-gold light, aiming directly at the unguarded form of Portgas D. Ace.
"What?!"
Ace, who had been confident in his Logia intangibility and his dominance over the element of fire, felt a sudden, primal spike of danger. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. His instincts, honed in the brutal jungles of Mt. Colubo and the lawless scraps of the Gray Terminal, screamed at him to move.
These weren't normal flames. They were denser. Heavier. They felt less like fire and more like solid matter made of pure light.
"He's firing my own heat back at me?! But hotter?!"
Ace didn't have time to dodge. He crossed his arms instinctively in front of his chest, calling upon the full output of the Mera Mera no Mi to create a defensive barrier.
"Kagero! (Heat Haze!)"
A stream of high-temperature orange fire burst from his palms, forming a spiraling net of flames to intercept the attack.
BOOM!
The golden feathers slammed into Ace's defensive fire stream.
The impact was cataclysmic. It wasn't just fire meeting fire; it was a clash of densities. The golden flames tore through Ace's orange fire like solid arrows piercing a silk curtain.
A massive shockwave of distorted heat rippled across the square. The pressure shattered the glass windows of nearby shops instantly, raining shards onto the streets. The hot wind howled through the alleyways, stripping paint from the walls.
"Guh...!"
Ace was forced to skid backward. His boots carved deep, smoking grooves into the stone pavement as he struggled to maintain his footing. The heat was intense—hot enough to make even a Flame Human sweat.
"He... he pushed me back with fire?!" Ace gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief as he shook the lingering heat from his arms. "Me? The user of the Flame-Flame Fruit?! How is his fire heavier than mine?!"
Masked Deuce, peeking out from behind the safety of the execution platform's steel legs, dropped his jaw. His camera hung forgotten around his neck.
"Captain Ace... is losing a fire fight?!"
[Meanwhile, on the flank]
While the attention of the entire plaza was focused on the spectacular clash of elemental forces in the center, a shadow moved in the periphery.
Tashigi, whom Albedo had released just moments ago upon Suzaku's order, stumbled to her feet. Her white Marine coat was stained with dust, and her glasses were askew, but her grip on her sword remained iron-tight.
Her hands were trembling, not from fear, but from a mixture of adrenaline and sheer indignation. She watched the pirate (Suzaku) unleashing hellfire in a town populated by civilians. She saw the destruction of public property. She saw the threat to peace.
Her sense of justice, stubborn and borderline suicidal, refused to let her stand down.
"I... I cannot let him do as he pleases!"
Tashigi grit her teeth until they ached. Her duty as a Master Chief Petty Officer overrode her survival instinct.
"If Captain Smoker falls... who will protect this town? I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
With a cry of desperate determination, she gripped her Meito sword Shigure with both hands. Ignoring Albedo's earlier warning—ignoring the terrifying aura of the winged woman—she lunged.
She sprinted toward Suzaku's exposed flank while he was focused on suppressing Ace.
"Tashigi, NO! STAY BACK!"
Smoker's voice roared from the crater where he was recovering. He tried to stand, but his legs were still shaky from Ace's earlier attack. He watched in horror as his subordinate rushed toward her doom.
But it was too late. The sword was already swinging.
"Itoryu: Iai!"
Just as the sharp steel blade was inches from Suzaku's ribs, threatening to pierce his heart—
A black blur intercepted it.
Albedo had not moved far. Although her Master had ordered her to "let the Marine go," that order was strictly contingent on the Marine leaving the battlefield. It was an act of mercy, not a license to attack again.
To attack a Supreme Being twice... that was a sin punishable by annihilation.
"You court death, insect."
The voice was no longer melodious or teasing. It was the sound of a tomb closing. It was the voice of the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick, stripped of all humanity, leaving only the cold cruelty of a demon.
PING.
Albedo didn't bother to catch the blade this time. That would be too much respect.
She simply flicked her index finger against the flat of the steel sword mid-swing.
It looked like a casual gesture. It looked like a noblewoman flicking away a speck of dust from her tea table.
But the force behind that flick was monstrous. It was the physical strength of a Level 100 Tank Class entity, condensed into a single point of impact.
VMMMMM!
A terrifying, high-frequency shockwave traveled up the blade of Shigure. The high-quality steel vibrated so violently it hummed like a dying scream.
"Gah—!"
Tashigi's eyes rolled back in her head instantly. The vibration didn't just stop the sword; it traveled through the hilt and into her skeletal structure.
Crack.
The bones in her wrists shattered.
She was blasted backward as if hit by a cannonball. She flew ten meters through the air, her body limp, crashing into a stone pillar with a bone-jarring thud before sliding down to the ground.
She lay there, unconscious. A pool of blood slowly began to spread from her mouth, staining her white coat crimson.
"TASHIGI!"
The remaining Marines screamed in horror. Their morale, already wavering, cracked at the sight of their skilled officer being swatting like a fly.
Meanwhile, in the center of the plaza, Ace had finally managed to disperse the golden flames. He was panting slightly, soot staining his freckled cheeks.
He turned just in time to see the Marine swordswoman being brutally neutralized. His expression darkened.
Ace didn't like Marines. They hunted him. They hated his bloodline. But he hated bullies even more. And watching a powerful being crush a weaker one... it rubbed him the wrong way.
"You guys..."
Ace straightened up. Flames began to wreath his shoulders like a cloak, his anger fueling the fire.
"You aren't just regular tourists, are you? You act like kings."
He stamped his foot. A ring of fire expanded around him, melting the cobblestones instantly.
"If you want to fight, don't bully the weak! Fight me!"
He spun, generating immense centrifugal force.
"Fire Pillar!"
A massive column of roaring fire erupted from the ground beneath Suzaku. It wasn't a projectile; it was an environmental hazard. A vertical inferno aimed to incinerate Suzaku and Albedo instantly within a prison of heat.
Albedo stepped forward immediately, her black wings spreading wide to shield Suzaku, but a hand gently touched her shoulder.
"Relax, Albedo," Suzaku said calmly.
He didn't dodge. He didn't jump.
He stepped through the rising wall of fire as if it were a warm spring breeze.
The golden aura of the [Vermilion Bird Bloodline] coated his skin, glowing faintly. It acted as a supreme insulator. The flames licked at him, roared around him, but found no purchase. They seemed to bow before him, recognizing a higher authority of heat.
"I told you," Suzaku said, walking out of the inferno, unharmed. His white shirt wasn't even singed. His hair flowed perfectly.
"Playing with fire against me is useless. I am the fire."
He looked at Ace, who was staring with wide, trembling eyes.
"You rely too much on your fruit, Fire Fist," Suzaku said, shaking his head with palpable disappointment. "Logia users in the first half of the Grand Line always make the same mistake. Because physical attacks pass through you, because bullets don't hurt you... you think you're invincible. You think you are nature itself."
Suzaku's figure flickered.
[Soru (Shave)!]
BOOM.
The stone beneath Suzaku's feet cracked into a spiderweb pattern from the explosive acceleration. He vanished from sight, moving faster than the naked eye could track.
He reappeared instantly behind Ace.
"But what happens..."
Suzaku's right fist clenched.
Visually, it changed. A pitch-black, metallic sheen rapidly covered his skin, hardening it to a level far surpassing steel. The air around his fist distorted from the density of his spirit.
[Armament Haki: Hardening!]
"...when you meet someone who can touch the 'real' you?"
"Wha—?!"
Ace sensed the threat. His Observation Haki—though unrefined—screamed a warning of death.
He tried to turn. He tried to elementally disperse his body into mist and flame to let the attack pass through. It was a reflex that had saved him a thousand times.
But this time, it was too slow.
THUD.
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the plaza.
It wasn't the sound of fire swishing. It wasn't the sound of air being displaced.
It was the sickening, wet sound of a fist connecting solidly with flesh and bone.
The punch landed squarely on Ace's cheek.
"Guh?!!"
Ace's eyes bulged out of their sockets. The shockwave rippled through his skull, rattling his brain inside his head.
The Armament Haki bypassed his Logia defense completely. It forced his fluidity to solidify at the point of impact, grabbing his substantial body and delivering 100% of the kinetic energy.
Pain—real, physical pain he hadn't felt in years—exploded in his jaw.
He was sent flying sideways like a ragdoll.
WHOOSH—CRASH!
Ace smashed through a stone fountain in the center of the plaza. Water and rubble sprayed everywhere. He didn't stop there. He rolled across the pavement, bouncing painfully, finally coming to a stop near the base of the execution platform.
He lay there, twitching. His hat had flown off. His eyes were rolled back, white showing. Foam bubbled at the corner of his mouth.
One hit.
The "Fire Fist" Ace, the super-rookie worth millions, the man who had turned down a Warlord position... was out cold.
Silence descended on the plaza. Absolute, terrified silence.
The wind whistled through the holes in the buildings. The Marines stared. The hidden civilians stared. Even Masked Deuce was too paralyzed to move.
"No... way..." a Marine private whispered, his voice shaking. He dropped his rifle with a clatter. "The Fire Logia... he was winning against Captain Smoker! And he just... went down in one punch?"
"That was... Armament Haki!"
Smoker hissed, pulling himself out of the rubble nearby. He clutched his bruised ribs, his eyes wide with disbelief and a dawning horror.
He knew that black sheen. He had seen it on the Vice Admirals at HQ. He had seen Zephyr use it.
"A Haki user in the East Blue?! That level of hardening... that speed..." Smoker's mind raced. "Who the hell is this kid?! That power belongs in the New World! He's a monster playing in a kiddie pool!"
Suzaku stood in the center of the plaza, shaking his hand casually as if he had just swatted a mosquito.
"A bit harder than I expected," he muttered to himself, looking at his fist. "He has a tough jaw. Monkey family genes, I suppose."
He looked up. His golden eyes swept over the remaining Marine soldiers surrounding the plaza.
The gaze broke them.
Panic broke out like a wildfire.
"M-Monster!"
"He took down the Logia! He's not human!"
"Shoot him! Don't let him move! Kill him before he kills us!"
"FIRE! KILL HIM!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fear pulled the triggers. Hundreds of rifles fired at once. A wall of lead bullets rained down on Suzaku from all sides, a curtain of death intended to shred him to pieces.
"How annoying."
Suzaku didn't dodge. He didn't block. He didn't even blink.
[Vermilion Art: Golden Robe!]
A sphere of swirling golden fire expanded from his body. It wasn't just heat; it was a high-frequency plasma barrier generated by his bloodline.
Zzzzt.
The bullets hit the golden aura and evaporated instantly. They turned into harmless metallic vapor before they could even touch his clothes. The plaza filled with the acrid smell of ozone and molten lead.
"Bullets don't work either?!"
"Run! We can't win!"
"He's a demon! He's invincible!"
The Marines' morale collapsed completely. They threw down their weapons, scrambling over each other to get away from the golden monster in the center of the square. Discipline vanished; only the instinct to survive remained.
"Running away?" Suzaku's eyes narrowed. "If you run, who will spread my legend?"
He took a deep breath. The air around him seemed to vibrate, becoming heavy and thick.
"I need witnesses."
[Conqueror's Haki: Intermediate Rank - Full Release!]
VOOM—!
An indescribable, terrifying aura of absolute dominance burst forth from him!
Dark red lightning crackled around Suzaku's body, arcing into the sky. An invisible, crushing pressure expanded outward like a physical dome, covering the entire plaza in an instant.
It was the will of a King. The spiritual weight of a predator standing at the very top of the food chain.
"Uh..."
"Gah..."
The fleeing Marines froze mid-step. Their pupils dilated. Their brains shut down under the sheer spiritual weight.
Like dominoes, hundreds of soldiers collapsed simultaneously.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of bodies hitting the pavement rippled outward from Suzaku. Foam spilled from their mouths. Their consciousness was extinguished like candle flames in a hurricane.
In seconds, the noisy, chaotic plaza was silent again. It was littered with unconscious bodies.
Only one man remained standing. Barely.
Smoker.
The White Hunter was on one knee, using his Seastone-tipped jitte to support himself like a cane. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his collar. His vision blurred.
The pressure was immense. It felt like gravity had doubled. It felt like a giant hand was pressing down on his soul, demanding he kneel.
"Damn... it..." Smoker wheezed, looking at his fallen men. "You... scum..."
He forced himself to stand, his legs shaking violently against the crushing aura. His knuckles were white as he gripped his weapon.
"You hurt my men... You hurt Tashigi..."
Rage burned in his chest, hotter than any fire. He was a Marine. He was Justice. He could not fall here.
Suzaku walked toward him, hands in his pockets, relaxed as if he were on a morning stroll through a garden. He stepped over the unconscious bodies without looking down.
"You represent the Marine's justice?" Suzaku asked calmly, tilting his head. "It seems fragile. Is this all the 'White Hunter' has? Kneeling before a pirate?"
"SHUT UP!"
Smoker roared, his willpower overcoming the Haki pressure through sheer stubbornness and fury.
"I won't let you leave this island!"
His fierce fighting spirit overcame the heaviness in his body. Seizing this fleeting chance of proximity, he instantly elementalized his right arm.
"WHITE BLOW!"
It erupted in a large volume of thick white smoke, instantly condensing into a massive smoke fist propelled by jet propulsion!
"Ugh, ahhh—!"
Accompanied by a roar of utter exertion, Smoker used all his remaining strength. He slammed this blow, condensed with all his indignation, fury, and duty, fiercely toward the unguarded chest of the pirate standing before him!