Chapter 273: Fierce Battle! Ace vs. Luffy!
Chopper's movements were very fast, and he also carried a small blue backpack whose capacity seriously belied its appearance.
Reiner called it the [Two-Dimensional Unexplainable Medical Kit].
In no time, Chopper had given simple treatment to everyone's injuries. Sanji, who was the most seriously injured, was even wrapped up into a cross-shaped mummy with his supreme large bandages.
Zoro carried the unwilling and unable-to-resist Sanji on his shoulder, performing a wave of "carrying a huge sum of money on his back."
While Chopper was treating them, the battles in various parts of the island had almost all ended. The Marines who were monitoring from the nearby sea had recorded the battles of the group.
Only Ace and Luffy in the center of the island were completely out of sight. They could only distantly see the occasional flash of firelight.
After a simple cleanup, Reiner's group did not linger and headed towards the valley surrounded by mountains in the center of the island.
This was the liveliest place on the island. Of the more than one thousand six hundred people on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, more than half of the pirates were currently gathered on the surrounding cliffs.
Usopp, who had finished his battle first, was also mixed in, watching the fierce battle in the valley with a nervous expression.
On the way there, Reiner's group had also run into Brook, who had just finished his battle.
"Yohohohoho~~"
Brook spun cheerfully on one foot. "It seems I've arrived at just the right time. Are you all going to Luffy's place now?"
Seeing his appearance, Reiner knew he had won without even asking.
After a few simple words of praise, the group chatted as they quickly arrived at the valley and regrouped with Usopp.
"How's Luffy, Usopp!"
Nami asked urgently, taking a few small steps to the edge of the cliff and looking down. The confronting Ace and Luffy simultaneously came into view.
The entire valley below had now turned into a sea of fire. As far as the eye could see, there was almost no place to stand, and the two figures were floating together in mid-air.
"The situation isn't great. Ace's ability is too much of a counter for him. All his moves are difficult to defend against. Luffy just activated Gear Fourth."
Usopp clenched his hands tightly, his face a little grave. When he had first arrived, the two had just started fighting. He had watched almost the entire process.
Ace was a Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit user. With a casual wave of his hand, raging flames would fly everywhere.
The flames were a great threat to Luffy.
He was afraid of being burned when attacking, and also afraid of being burned when defending. He had been fighting timidly all along.
Now, the entire ground was covered in burning flames. Luffy didn't even have a foothold and was forced to activate Gear Fourth for an aerial battle.
Reiner also quickly assessed the situation on the field. Luffy, who perfectly countered the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, was in turn completely countered by Ace here.
Although it was said that even a dog wouldn't eat the Flame-Flame Fruit, that was just a joke about how everyone could create fire. It wasn't because the Flame-Flame Fruit was that bad.
Moreover, Ace had developed many useful moves. As long as he put his mind to it, how bad could a Logia be?
Whether it was the Sand-Sand Fruit's water absorption or the Swamp-Swamp Fruit's swallowing, they all proved that the use of a Logia was not just about throwing elements at people.
Developing based on the element's characteristics was also a good horizontal path.
Clearly, Ace had done a very good job in this aspect.
Green, fluorescent points of fire flew from his clasped palms.
Although their speed was not fast, the sheer number of fireflies still filled the space around Ace after they spread out.
"How can such a slow attack possibly hit anyone!"
Luffy, his entire body wrapped in Haki, continuously jetted gas from under his feet. He spread his arms to maintain balance and charged up at high speed like a jet plane.
He paid no mind to the countless floating fireflies, his figure nimbly weaving through them.
Little did he know, these fireflies were all condensed with a large amount of fire.
It could only be said that Ace knew Luffy too well. He had laid a net from heaven to earth, just waiting for the other to charge up.
"Still as reckless as ever."
Seeing Luffy surrounded by the fireflies, a hint of triumph appeared in the depths of Ace's eyes.
"Hotarubi: Hidaruma!" (Firefly Light: Fire Daruma!)
The next moment.
A green point of light was detonated, and a large amount of fire gushed out!
Then, as if a chain reaction had been triggered, before Luffy's panicked eyes, the dense fireflies exploded one after another!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive ball of fire containing terrifyingly high temperatures instantly engulfed him.
Ace smiled proudly. "Idiot. You've fought me so many times. When have you ever seen me use a useless move?"
Just then, the remaining unexploded fireflies seemed to come to life.
"Hotarubi: Higan!" (Firefly Light: Fire Whirl!)
Ace's expression hardened. He opened his palm and faced Luffy.
Under his command, the green fireflies, like meteors trailing tails, streaked across the night sky, shooting into the center of the explosion in various arcs!
"Gomu Gomu no... Giant Fan!!"
A loud shout suddenly came from within that massive ball of fire.
At the same time, a hurricane blew away the flames, revealing Luffy inside, his arms held flat, his upper body twisted like a pretzel and spinning at high speed.
Even the shooting fireflies were affected, all of them deviating from their trajectories and shooting behind him.
Luffy grinned, revealing a few large white teeth at the corner of his mouth. His feet were tightly retracted into his thighs, gathering power.
Bang!
With a burst of jet acceleration, Luffy arrived directly in front of Ace, his tightly coiled fists smashing down fiercely!
"Gomu Gomu no... Leo Bazooka!!"
Faced with Luffy's fierce attack, Ace did not hesitate, his right arm erupting with flames as he met it with a punch!
"Hiken!!" (Fire Fist!!)
Boom!!
A powerful impact erupted from the two of them as the center, and a chaotic airflow filled the entire space!
The violent flames engulfed Luffy, and the explosive impact sent him flying out.
He did a few flips in the air to barely steady himself. His skin was scorched black in various places. Even with Haki defense, he still couldn't avoid the scorching flames.
Although Luffy looked a bit pathetic, he had also unleashed his full power in this rare opportunity for a counterattack. In this exchange, Ace had actually come out at a disadvantage.
Compared to his high-temperature fire fist, Luffy's Leo Bazooka clearly had more impact.
A pair of exaggerated iron fists sent him flying directly, his body crashing heavily into the mountain wall, causing it to shake violently.
"This mountain is going to collapse!"
"Quick, run to the next one!"
The pirates on that mountain shouted and fled, scrambling over each other to rush to the next mountain peak.
Watching a fight also had its risks.
"Well done, Luffy!!"
Usopp raised his fists above his head and couldn't help but jump up and cheer loudly.
From the moment he arrived until now, this was the first time he had seen Luffy get the upper hand against Ace.
"As expected, Gear Fourth is a different story! Honestly, you made me worry for so long, you bastard! Hahaha!"
Usopp couldn't contain his joy. His whole body suddenly caught fire, and he waved his fists and shouted excitedly.
"Don't be careless, Luffy! Keep it up!!"
"Go for it!!"
"Go for it, Luffy-san!!"
His passion clearly infected Chopper and Brook. The three of them instantly turned into a cheerleading squad, waving the Straw Hat crew's flag, which had suddenly appeared, continuously.
"Go for it, Captain!"
"Get up, Ace!"
"If you lose, I'm joining your brother's pirate crew!"
The pirates on the Whitebeard side were not to be outdone, cheering for Ace with great momentum. The difference in tone between the rookies and the old-timers towards Ace could be clearly heard.
"These bastards!"
Seeing the Whitebeard Pirates completely drowning out their voices, Nami gritted her teeth in anger, a brilliant electric light flashing from her clenched fists.
"This is clearly a case of ganging up! I might as well just zap them all!"
Reiner: "..."
Nami wasn't like this before.
Faced with such a large formation, she used to hide timidly.
Now that she was strong, she was finally starting to show her barbaric and ferocious side to the outside world.
"Go for it, Luffy! If you lose, you're not getting any dinner tonight!"
Even Sanji, who was wrapped up like a white dumpling, couldn't help but shout.
"So noisy."
A vein popped on Zoro's forehead. His eyelids twitched as he said through gritted teeth, "Can't you all just watch quietly?"
Looking at the atmosphere on the scene, Reiner suddenly felt that this duel was starting to develop in a strange direction.
He shifted his gaze back to the scene below. Luffy and Ace had already engaged in battle again.
The two of them were constantly flashing and weaving in the air, their fists and feet clashing and then separating. The dull sounds of impact were continuous.
Waves of heat washed over them. Whether it was a punch or a whip kick, every one of Ace's movements carried raging flames. His movements were smooth and pleasing to the eye.
He was both using the instantaneous thrust to accelerate and greatly increasing his destructive power. He had clearly completely integrated his ability into his every move.
Luffy, on the other hand, was wide and open, his movements full of tension, displaying the violent beauty of flesh-and-blood combat to the fullest.
The current Luffy had learned everything except for his fruit's awakening. Even against Kaido, he could fight for a while.
By developing his Rubber-Rubber Fruit, he had a steady advantage over Ace in terms of attack power.
Luffy, from a high position, retracted his feet close to his knees and then suddenly kicked out with explosive force!
"Gomu Gomu no... Rhino Howitzer!!"
Knowing he was at a disadvantage in terms of power, Ace did not choose to take it head-on, but instead elementalized his body in advance to evade as much as possible.
At the same time, he gathered concentrated fire energy in his two index fingers, formed a cross in front of his chest, and fired a beam of light containing terrifyingly high temperatures!
"Jujika!" (Cross Fire!)
Bang!!
Although Ace had elementalized his body in advance, he was still grazed by the swift bombardment. He gritted his teeth and spurted blood, and a huge force sent him flying straight backward.
At the same time, the beam of fire also hit Luffy, leaving a cross-shaped mark on his chest that glowed with a scorching red light.
"Hiss, hiss, aaah!!"
"So hot, so hot!!"
The fiery, intense pain made Luffy stomp his feet in the air. He kept slapping the mark on his chest with both hands, wishing he could dig it out, skin and all.
"So painful! What is this thing!"
"It's not over yet, Luffy."
A corner of Ace's mouth lifted, and the crimson from between his gritted teeth made his smile a bit ferocious.
"Jujika Bakuen!" (Cross Fire Burst Flame!!)
With a shout from him, the cross-shaped mark on Luffy's chest suddenly flashed with a dazzling white light!
Boom!!!
Two giant flames, one horizontal and one vertical, formed a cross and instantly erupted fiercely!!
A pillar of fire shot up into the sky, illuminating the entire gloomy sky. In an instant, it was as if the world had fallen silent!
"What terrifying power."
Reiner raised his hand to block the dazzling light. He was secretly shocked by the energy contained in this move and at the same time couldn't help but worry about Luffy.
He could feel Luffy's presence. It had just weakened for a moment. Looking at the current situation...
...it seemed both of them had a chance to win in the end. Luffy's was lower; it would depend on whether he could seize the opportunity.
Until the firelight gradually dimmed, Luffy's figure fell uncontrollably from the sky.
He was charred black, his skin torn open. He opened his mouth and puffed out a cloud of white smoke. His eyeballs were slightly rolled back, and his pupils had shrunk to pinpricks, trembling. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.
"Urgh, urgh, ah!"
Luffy's pupils rolled back. He gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed, and with a jolt of his body, he stopped his descent.
"—Phew. That was close. If I had fallen just now, it would have been over."
Looking at the sea of fire below, Luffy patted his chest with lingering fear and let out a long sigh of relief that he had regained consciousness in time.
"Not bad, Luffy."
Standing in the center of the sea of fire below, Ace looked up at Luffy with great interest. "To have gotten so strong. I'm genuinely happy for you. But if this is all you have..."
Before his voice had finished, the surrounding leaping flames began to grow violent.
As if paying homage, they circled around Ace, and then began to rapidly swirl with him as the center!
"Dai Enkai!" (Great Flame Commandment!)
Ace's gaze focused, his expression becoming serious. His body turned into flames and also began to become incomparably violent.
"If you want to challenge the emperors of the New World, what you have now is not enough, Luffy."
(End of chapter)
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