Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji clashed head-on with Ace's attack using Armament Haki, but they couldn't block the intense heat radiating from his blazing-white flames.
"So strong, Ace!"
Luffy's expression grew serious. Barely out of two years of training, he was already getting a harsh lesson—and it helped him regain his composure.
"This guy... if he's this strong, just how terrifying has Kuina become?"
Zoro grinned with anticipation, clearly eager for a challenge.
"Hey! You two blockheads, now's not the time to fight! We need to get back to the ship and set sail with the crew!"
Sanji spat out his scorched cigarette, trying to knock some sense into them.
"Huh? You want me to run away in front of Ace?!"
Luffy puffed his cheeks.
"Sure, I never beat him before, but it's different now!"
"Yeah, yeah—we know. But if we don't leave now, we won't get another chance!"
Sanji gestured around them.
"Once the Marines mop up these pirates and tighten the noose, we're screwed!"
"Tch... for once, you're actually making sense."
Zoro unsheathed the Nidai Kitetsu and clenched it between his teeth. Ace was no small fry—going easy would be a mistake he couldn't afford.
"Hah?! You damn moss-headed directionless idiot! Who was it that helped you find your way here in the first place?!"
"Shut up, you curly-browed pervy kappa! I never got lost!"
"Huh?! I thought we were running away?!"
Luffy's jaw dropped as the two started bickering again. Ace's Fire Fist slammed toward them, and with a clenched jaw, Luffy made his move:
"Third Gear!"
"Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun!"
A massive Haki-hardened fist rocketed toward Ace.
"Ace! Take this!"
"Hmph... Armament Haki alone isn't enough to deal with a Logia user."
Ace's body turned to flames and morphed into a blazing ring, causing Luffy's massive punch to swing through thin air.
"Huh?! Even with Haki, I still missed?!"
"If I can sense how you're attacking... I can still preemptively transform to dodge."
Reforming into his human form, Ace smiled.
"As long as your Observation Haki isn't sharper than mine!"
Whoosh—!
A storm of slashing wind spiraled through the air, targeting Ace mid-flight. Powerful Armament Haki combined with a wide-area assault—dodging purely with Logia intangibility wasn't going to cut it.
"Three-Sword Style: Kokujo O Tatsumaki!"
Zoro's calm voice rang out. Ace let out a hearty laugh.
"Not bad! But I've sparred with plenty of swordsmen, you know!"
"Flame Flash!"
Ace launched compressed flames from his feet, erupting with explosive force. In a burst of speed reminiscent of Rokushiki's Soru, he vanished from sight—his fiery propulsion rivaling even Wright's light-speed.
Instantly, he appeared in front of Zoro, who was breaking into a cold sweat.
"Fire Fist!"
Just as the massive blaze surged forward, it was intercepted—by a pair of burning, rainbow-lit legs!
"Poêle à Frire: Spectre!"
From above, Sanji unleashed a furious flurry of high-speed, flaming kicks. The friction from his relentless strikes sparked dazzling prismatic streaks across the sky!
"Whoa, that's pretty flashy!"
Ace disappeared in an instant—Sanji too. The next moment, Luffy's Armament barrage rained down, forcing Zoro to back off to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"Still not enough..."
"Crimson Flame Ring: Pillar of Fire!"
Ace shook his head with a wry smile, but his hands showed no mercy. Spinning both arms, searing white flames surged into the sky and came crashing down, aiming to engulf Luffy, Zoro, and the now-alert Sanji.
Suddenly, Ace's expression changed—but it was too late to counter.
Whoosh—!
A soaring slash cleaved through the inferno, splitting Ace's fiery pillar in two.
"Well, now that's someone to be reckoned with..."
Landing gently, Ace stood facing off with Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Between them, a deep trench had been carved into the ground by that single attack.
Ace turned his head to the figure now standing on the hillside, sword in hand, eyes gleaming.
"'Dark King' Rayleigh!"
Every pirate fleeing and every Marine closing in began to sweat bullets.
"'Dark King'?!"
"The Pirate King's first mate?!"
"What the hell is he doing here?!"
"Rayleigh!"
Luffy waved enthusiastically.
"Rayleigh! Thanks so much for everything these past two years!"
"Heh... I just came to check how things turned out. Looks like you're doing alright. But compared to the top talents in the Navy, you've still got a ways to go."
"No need for thanks—just get going already."
"Yeah! I will, Rayleigh!"
Luffy smiled, raising his fist toward Rayleigh and shouting with conviction:
"I'm gonna become the Pirate King!"
Rayleigh smiled warmly. At the corner of his eye, a tear glistened.
"Luffy..."
Ace's fist once again ignited with blazing white flame.
"Don't forget—out here in the New World, letting your guard down can get you killed."
"Ace..."
Rayleigh leapt forward, placing himself between Ace and Luffy. He smiled calmly:
"You three go ahead... I'd appreciate it if you went easy on my beloved disciple's send-off."
"You'd best not cross this line."
Ace gripped his military cap and said nothing, while Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji quickly made their escape.
"See you around, Rayleigh! You too, Ace!"
"I'm off!"
Rayleigh called out loudly:
"Go reach the top!"
Ace grinned, a brilliant, genuine smile lighting up his face.
"See you in the New World, then..."
"Well then, 'Dark King' Rayleigh, it's an honor... I've long heard your name. And thank you—for back then, and everything you did... for them."
"Hehehe... I'm embarrassed to say, but when it comes to you..."
Rayleigh wiped his eyes, then raised his long blade.
"Getting old makes you sentimental... Come then, young man—let an old man teach you a thing or two."
Eerie ghosts, massive beetles, strange localized rainclouds, and a terrifying wave of okama warriors...
The stationed Marines on the Sabaody Archipelago had experienced the most bizarre day imaginable!
"Woooah~ Guys!"
"Luffy!"
With help from Chopper's giant bird companion, Luffy finally reunited with his crew and prepared to set sail.
"Merry! Thanks for watching over Sunny these past two years!"
"Sunny," short for Thousand Sunny, was the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, just as they'd affectionately called their previous ship "Merry" from the Going Merry.
"Welcome back, Captain—look out!"
No sooner had "Merry" spoken than—BOOM!—a cannonball exploded in the sea right beside the Sunny!
"It's the Marines!"
"What now?! Should we fire back?! We're in danger if this keeps up!"
Usopp was panicking. The Marines had caught up with shocking speed—this was serious trouble.
"Dragon Claw: Ocean Splitter!"
A bright, confident voice rang out overhead. Everyone looked up—and there, suddenly appearing midair, was a blond man in a tuxedo, gripping a steel pipe. With his other hand formed into a claw, he slashed the air with force!
The sky cracked with a sound like shattering glass. Jagged rifts tore through the air in front of the cannonballs—BOOM! BOOM!—detonating them midair!
"That—That's!?"
BOOOOM—!
Waves exploded outward as the sea itself overturned. Navy warships were flipped by the resulting tidal surge!
"You're... SABO!!"
Luffy's eyes went wide with astonishment, shouting out in disbelief.
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