Chapter 10: A Slash That Shakes the Sky
"Alright, everyone, get ready!" Ace shouted, his voice crackling with excitement as the enemy ship closed in. A fierce grin was plastered on his face; a fight was just what he needed.
Roy, however, felt a prickle of unease. "That's strange," he muttered. "Why aren't they running?" Ace's bounty was a formidable 80 million Beri, a clear testament to his power. For a lesser pirate crew to charge headlong could only mean one thing: they were looking to make a name for themselves by taking down Fire Fist Ace. It was a brutal, common calculus in the Pirate World.
Yet, the anxiety coiling in Roy's gut refused to settle. He focused his Observation Haki on the approaching vessel, but the intent he felt was… disciplined. Organized. Not the chaotic bloodlust of ambitious pirates.
Finally, as the ship drew within hailing distance, the illusion shattered. Figures stood up from behind the railings, their uniforms a stark, unmistakable blue and white.
"Marines!" Ace blurted out, his grin faltering for a split second.
"Apprehend Fire Fist Ace!" a Marine officer barked from the deck of the disguised pirate ship.
"Everyone, hard to starboard!" Ace commanded.
"It's too late, Captain!" Joseph yelled back, his voice tight.
The trap had been sprung perfectly. Using the pirate ship as a Trojan horse, the Marines had gotten dangerously close. And now, as if emerging from the sea itself, three massive Marine warships broke formation on their flanks, their cannons emerging from their ports with a grim, mechanical finality. The Spade Pirates were surrounded.
"Fire Fist Ace! There is no escape!" the Marine officer proclaimed.
"Escape? Who said anything about escaping?" Ace shot back, his bravado returning in a blaze. He crouched and then launched himself into the air. His legs transformed into jets of roaring flame, allowing him to hover. He drew back his fist, and a colossal sphere of fire materialized, growing with a terrifying roar. "You want to catch me? You'll need more than a few tricks!"
"FIRE FIST!"
He thrust his fist forward. The cannonball of fire screamed through the air, slamming into the disguised pirate ship with cataclysmic force. The vessel didn't just break; it vaporized in a blistering inferno, splinters and screams swallowed by the explosion.
BOOM!
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Roy cheered, giving a triumphant thumbs-up as Ace landed back on the deck, smoke curling from his knuckles.
But the victory was short-lived. The three surrounding warships had now entered optimal firing range. Their strategy was clear: keep their distance and blast the Spade Pirates into driftwood.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A volley of cannonballs arced through the sky, darkening the sun.
"Incoming!" someone shrieked.
"I've got this!" Roy didn't wait for permission. He leaped high, the white sword, Shiroi, singing as it left its scabbard. The blade caught the sun, flashing with a light so pure it forced everyone to blink.
"Shattering Sword: Wave!"
He didn't swing with brute force, but with a precise, flowing grace. The air itself seemed to ripple around his blade. The incoming cannonballs, mid-flight, suddenly shuddered to a halt as if they'd hit an invisible wall. For a heartbeat, they hung there, defying gravity, before Roy landed lightly back on the deck.
The moment his feet touched the wood, the suspended shells detonated simultaneously, filling the air with a thunderous, harmless fireworks display of shrapnel and smoke.
"Whoa! Nice one, Roy!" Ace laughed, clapping him on the back.
"Captain, we can't have a prolonged fight on the ship!" Joseph cried out, grabbing Ace's arm. "You'll set us on fire!"
Ace had the decency to look sheepish. "Right. The boat." His solution was simple. He launched himself back into the air, his feet becoming jets of flame once more, and flew directly toward the nearest Marine warship.
"Open fire! Open fire!" Panicked shouts came from the ship as Ace descended upon them like a fiery god. Bullets passed harmlessly through his Logia body, and a moment later, the ship's deck was engulfed in a raging blaze.
"Jerry!" Roy yelled to the helmsman. "Bring us alongside that second warship!"
"You got it, Roy!" Jerry spun the wheel, and the Spade Pirate's ship cut through the water, heading straight for their target. Cannon fire from the remaining two warships continued to rain down, but Roy stood at the bow, a one-man shield. His blade became a blur, deflecting and slicing every projectile that came their way.
As they drew alongside the second Marine vessel, Roy closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, feeling the spirit of the white sword in his hands, feeling the destructive potential of his own Devil Fruit power coiling within the steel. He opened his eyes, and they glowed with violet light.
"What is he doing?" Skull asked, bewildered.
"Just watch," Joseph said, his voice filled with awe.
On the Marine ship, a Colonel's eyes widened in dawning horror. He recognized the stance, the concentration, the sheer pressure emanating from the young man. "A swordsman... no, a great swordsman! All hands, brace for—!"
"RAPTOR'S FANG!"
Roy swung Shiroi downward. A monstrous slash of purple energy erupted from the blade, twisting and contorting in mid-air until it took the form of a roaring, serpentine dragon. It didn't sail over the water; it tore through it, a projectile of pure devastation. It passed clean through the warship's hull without slowing.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a groaning, shrieking roar of tortured metal and wood, the massive Marine warship split clean in two. The severed halves tilted violently, spilling men and equipment into the churning sea before the waves claimed them.
A stunned silence fell over the remaining combatants. The Spade Pirates could only stare, their jaws agape. They had known Roy was strong, but this was a level of power that belonged in legends.
"So… strong," Jerry whispered, his hands frozen on the wheel.
On the sole remaining warship, the Colonel, now drenched in cold sweat, grabbed a Den Den Mushi. "Headquarters! Headquarters, come in! The intelligence on the Spade Pirates is wrong! Dead wrong! Fire Fist Ace has a Great Swordsman in his crew! I repeat, a Great Swordsman! The ship... the ship is gone!"
Watching the devastation from the deck of the burning ship he was single-handedly dismantling, Ace let out a hearty laugh. "Not bad, Roy! Not bad at all!" He cracked his neck, flames wreathing his shoulders. "Guess I'd better finish up here and make this quick!"
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Which is your Fav Romance anime? Mine is Alya Hides Her Feeling in Russian.
I need Stones to Feed My Family.