Chapter 17: White Smoke vs. Fire Fist vs. Vermilion Flame!
Loguetown Central Plaza.
The tension in the square was thick enough to cut with a knife. The civilians had already scattered like roaches when the light came on, leaving only the combatants.
Captain Smoker's sharp eyes narrowed as he watched the civilians clear the blast zone. He no longer hesitated.
"White Snake!"
He let out a low roar. His right arm suddenly lost its solidity, transforming into a billowing column of dense white smoke. It twisted and lunged forward, resembling a ferocious python, roaring silently as it shot toward the execution platform. Its target: capture both Ace and his masked companion in one fell swoop.
Facing this sudden attack, Masked Deuce reacted with impressive speed. He stuffed his camera into his satchel, turned, and leaped toward the back of the platform with clean, decisive movements.
"Captain Ace!" Deuce shouted without looking back, his voice devoid of panic and full of trust. "I'll leave this to you! Don't get caught!"
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
Ace gently pressed down on the brim of his orange cowboy hat with one hand. A curve of excitement formed at the corner of his mouth.
Looking at the roaring smoke snake attacking him, not only did he not retreat, but he also half-crouched, twisting his hips with sudden force. He channeled all his body's strength into his right fist.
"Fire Fist!"
Accompanied by a joyful roar, scorching flames suddenly erupted from his knuckles!
BOOM!
The crimson flames expanded rapidly, instantly condensing into a massive fireball the size of a truck. Carrying the momentum to incinerate everything in its path, it fiercely met the white smoke snake head-on!
HISS—CRASH!
The thick smoke and the fireball collided violently in mid-air, resulting in a deafening explosion of heat and pressure.
The two forces were locked in a stalemate, pushing against each other. Fire ate oxygen; smoke choked fire. Ultimately, they annihilated each other simultaneously, dissipating into a cloud of gray smog.
"You bastard..." Smoker grit his teeth, his jitte trembling. "You're actually a Logia-type Devil Fruit user! The Mera Mera no Mi!"
Seeing his capture attempt easily blocked, Smoker couldn't help but exclaim in shock. Logia users were rare in the East Blue. Two in one week?
However, he did not back down. Instead, he took a deep drag from the two cigars in his mouth, filling his lungs with nicotine and resolve. He slowly exhaled a plume of stark white smoke, and his gaze grew even sharper.
"This is the end! I will be the one to finish your ridiculous Pirate dream right here!"
"White Out!"
Smoker roared, his entire body transforming into a swirling vortex of thick smoke. He shot toward Ace on the execution platform at astonishing speed, bypassing gravity.
The smoke arrived instantaneously. Smoker's solid figure suddenly materialized from within the cloud right in front of Ace, delivering a heavy, Seastone-tipped punch that slammed fiercely toward the pirate's chest!
Whiff.
The punch passed straight through Ace's body, scattering flames.
Ace raised his head, his face still bearing that brilliant, untamed smile. His body flickered, reforming from fire a few feet away.
"My voyage has just begun!" Ace laughed. "How could I possibly be caught by the Marine in a place like this? This is where legends start!"
Before his voice faded, his entire body suddenly burst into scorching flames!
"Cross Fire!"
He crossed his index fingers in a 'plus' sign. A dazzling, cross-shaped beam of concentrated fire suddenly erupted, accurately targeting the nearby Smoker!
FWOOSH!
As the cross fire rushed toward his face, Smoker reacted extremely quickly. His body instantly expanded and scattered into smoke and dust, filling the sky to dodge the beam.
However, the flames didn't stop. They pierced through the smoke, roaring directly toward the edge of the plaza—right where Suzaku, Albedo, and Nami were standing!
"Bad!"
Tashigi, the Master Chief Petty Officer who had been watching the battle anxiously from below, saw the stray attack.
"Civilians!"
As Smoker's subordinate, she absolutely could not allow bystanders to be harmed. Her sense of justice screamed at her.
"I have to stop it!"
She immediately gripped her sword hilt, ready to rush forward and block the attack with her body if necessary.
However, the next moment, she abruptly stopped, her boots skidding on the stone. She widened her eyes in disbelief behind her red-rimmed glasses.
She saw the black-haired young man—the "tourist" she had been worried about—simply raise his hand casually.
He didn't dodge. He didn't scream.
The violently attacking cross fire, hot enough to melt steel, reached him.
But instead of burning him, the flames swirled around his hand. It was as if they were guided by an invisible force, docilely flowing into his palm like water into a drain.
Slurp.
The flames vanished. They were completely absorbed by him without causing a single ripple or burn on his skin.
"Wh-What?! Who is he? He can actually absorb fire?!"
"Is he a Devil Fruit user too?! Another Logia?!"
This scene, which defied common sense, caused the remaining Marines to fall silent instantly, followed by an even more shocked clamor.
All the Marines who witnessed this scene involuntarily turned their attention to the mysterious black-haired youth.
Tashigi adjusted her glasses with one hand, her gaze sharply fixed on him. She pulled out a small notebook from her pocket, flipping through the pages of recent bounties.
"Black hair... young... accompanied by a maid..."
Her eyes landed on a fresh poster.
Suddenly, her expression changed drastically. Her clear shout instantly rang throughout the square:
"All hands, be alert! He is the Pirate 'Madman' Suzaku Yareon! Bounty: 50,000,000 Berries!"
She tightened her grip on her sword hilt, her voice slightly raised due to tension.
"This man raided Marine Branch 16 yesterday and personally destroyed the Arlong Pirates! He is classified as Extremely Dangerous!"
"What? That guy is a Pirate too?"
Smoker, currently reforming his body from smoke to engage Ace again, frowned upon hearing this. But his attack did not slow down in the slightest.
"Why now, of all times... Two Logias in one day?"
A bounty of 50 million Berries—that number already far exceeded the scope of ordinary Pirates in the East Blue. It was higher than Arlong's.
Smoker's heart sank. This situation was spiraling out of control.
Seeing that Tashigi had already assumed a fighting stance and was attempting to charge toward Suzaku to arrest him, Smoker immediately shouted a sharp warning:
"Tashigi! Don't be rash! Stand down!" His voice carried an undeniable command. "That is not an opponent you can handle! This guy must be captured by me personally!"
The moment Smoker was distracted by warning his subordinate, Ace seized the opportunity.
"Distracted in a fight? That's bold, Smokie!"
A scorching Fire Fist, wrapped in explosive flames, roared toward the Marine Captain's exposed back!
BANG—!
The fireball and the thick smoke collided violently, producing a deafening crash.
The impact force generated by the explosion slammed Smoker hard onto the plaza ground, creating a massive crater and sending shattered rock flying.
"Captain Smoker!"
On the other side, although Tashigi heard Smoker's warning, her sense of duty overwhelmed her caution. She was eager to provide support, and her attention was highly focused on the threat in front of her.
"I will hold him off!"
She didn't stop her movement. She quickly dashed in front of Suzaku and the two others.
"Shigure!"
She unhesitatingly swung her famous sword, Shigure. The fierce, disciplined slash went straight for Suzaku's shoulder, intending to disarm and subdue the enemy quickly.
However, as the blade descended...
CLANG.
An extremely discordant metallic thud rang out.
Tashigi felt a shock in the web of her hand, as if she had struck an indestructible piece of steel. A huge counterforce traveled along the blade, vibrating up to her shoulder, numbing her arm and making her almost unable to hold her sword!
"W-what?"
She stared in astonishment.
Her determined strike had been stopped. Not by a shield. Not by a sword.
It had been firmly pinched at the tip of the blade by two slender, pale fingers.
The woman standing beside Suzaku—the one with the white dress, horns, and black wings—was holding the sharp edge of a Meito grade sword as if it were a toothpick.
"Move!"
Tashigi gritted her teeth, veins slightly bulging on her arms. She desperately tried to yank back her beloved sword Shigure. She pulled with all her might.
Yet, those two slender fingers did not budge. They held infinite power, anchoring the sword in place as if it had been cast into bedrock.
"Are you kidding me?!" Tashigi gasped, sweat pouring down her face. "Is she another Zoan-type user? When did so many monsters pop up in the East Blue!"
Albedo looked down at the struggling swordswoman. Her golden vertical pupils were cold, filled with the disdain of a goddess looking at an insect that had dared to bite her.
"A mere ant," Albedo spoke, her voice carrying a chilling sense of oppression that made Tashigi's knees shake. "Daring to raise a weapon against Lord Suzaku..."
Albedo's grip tightened on the blade. The steel groaned.
"Such an act of transgression cannot be redeemed even by ten thousand deaths!"
She raised her other hand, her claws extending, ready to crush Tashigi's skull.
"Hiken!" (Fire Fist!)
Suddenly, a roar came from the other side of the plaza.
Ace had naturally heard the Marines' earlier exclamations. He learned that the black-haired youth before him was the "Madman" with a massive bounty of 50 million Berries—higher than the average rookie.
Given his nature—eager for a challenge and growing stronger against powerful opponents—how could he miss such an opportunity?
"Fifty million, huh? Let's see what you've got!"
The moment he took the chance to blast Smoker away, he immediately changed direction. He spun in the air, his feet flaming.
"Sacred Flame: Unknown Fire!"
He fiercely hurled two scorching flame spears toward Suzaku's position!
The lances of fire screamed through the air, aiming to pierce Suzaku.
Suzaku looked at the roaring, scorching attack coming his way. He didn't look worried. In fact, he found it somewhat amusing.
Playing with fire against the Vermilion Bird? he thought, a smirk appearing on his lips. Wasn't that just showing off one's slight skill before an expert?
He simply remained where he was, not even bothering to assume a defensive posture. He raised his right hand, palm open.
"Albedo, let the Marine go," Suzaku ordered calmly. "I have a guest."
Albedo immediately released the sword, stepping back to stand by his side. Tashigi stumbled back, gasping for air, terrified.
The fire spears hit Suzaku's palm.
WHOOSH.
Instead of exploding, they were swallowed. Suzaku's [Vermilion Bird Bloodline] resonated, drinking the flames as fuel.
"Thanks for the meal," Suzaku grinned, looking at a stunned Ace.
"Now... let me return the favor."
Suzaku's eyes glowed gold.
"Vermilion Art: Feather of Scorching Fire!"