Chapter 448: Flame Emperor: Pierce
The firmament above the center of Hachinosu had been torn open by raging flames and black mud.
Heaven and earth were collapsing, and the ground wailed in agony.
Two dragons, woven from fire and mud, spiraled and roared. The collision of light and darkness made it seem as if the world had entered the prologue of its destruction.
"Zehahahaha!!!"
Teach stood amidst the churning black swamp, his laughter roaring like hell itself.
His muscles bulged like magma, and what flowed through his veins was not blood, but thick, viscous swamp energy.
Having entered the "Pumping State," the power within his body was nearing the edge of berserk—
The fusion of rubber and swamp energy granted his flesh monstrous elasticity and absorption capabilities, even allowing him to repel flames and devour shockwaves.
He extended his arms dozens of meters, his fists wrapped in churning mud flows and Armament Haki.
"—SHATTER!!!"
He threw a punch. The air roared and fractured, and the surface of the island was instantly ripped up!
The swampified rock layers acted like a living creature, devouring everything in front of the punch's trajectory. Seawater vaporized, and rocks turned to slag.
"TEACH—!!!"
From within the sea of fire, a furious roar exploded!
Ace's figure broke through the steam and blazing light, his entire body burning with platinum fire.
The light from the Hot-Hot Fruit ring grew increasingly dazzling. The temperature limit of the Flame-Flame Fruit had been forcibly pushed to an even higher plane—
That heat had long surpassed the realm of ordinary fire—it was a pure energy burst.
"That's not fire... it's the sun!"
In the distance, the surviving grunts of the Blackbeard crew screamed in terror, their eyes nearly blinded.
Ace took a step forward. The air beneath his feet ignited instantly, leaving a red-gold trail.
He swung his fist fiercely. The flames roared wildly, making the entire battlefield tremble!
"Flame Emperor: Sun Fall!!!"
"BOOM!!!"
The blazing flames crashed into the ground like a meteor, colliding explosively with the black mud.
The resulting shockwave swept across a radius of several kilometers. Seawater poured backward, and the center of Hachinosu fractured and crumbled.
The clash of their powers made the entire island pulse like a beating heart.
Flames morphed into dragon claws tearing at the black mud; the mud flow turned into serpents biting back to swallow the fire.
The two had practically become their respective elements incarnate, trading blows flesh to flesh, blasting each other with pure energy—every single strike carrying an apocalyptic aura.
The grunts of the Blackbeard Alliance had nowhere left to run.
Anyone who got too close was either vaporized into charcoal by the flames or swallowed by the black mud, leaving only wails and white mist dissipating in the explosions.
The entirety of Hachinosu had become a graveyard. Only Teach and Ace were still brawling in the center.
"Zehahahahaha!!!"
Teach's laughter was chaotic and manic. His skin cracked and charred from the extreme heat, only for the churning black mud to repair it.
"Not bad, Ace! Now that's more like a man—!!"
He was just about to exert more force when he suddenly froze.
In that split second, through his Observation Haki, the familiar energy signatures in the distance vanished one by one.
Laffitte—silenced.
Van Augur, Doc Q—auras decaying rapidly.
Burgess... the aura of that island giant, completely extinguished.
"WH—WHAT?!"
Teach's pupils violently contracted, his heart skipping a beat.
The flow of his black mud grew slightly chaotic in that moment. For the first time, his breathing hitched.
"How is that possible?! They... were all defeated?!"
It was a shock that defied belief.
Burgess was his right-hand man. Van Augur and Doc Q were core confidants. Yet now, all of them—had been crushed.
Amidst the churning flames and black mud, a furious roar pierced his ears like thunder: "—YOU DARE GET DISTRACTED!!!"
Flames soared into the sky. Ace's figure emerged within the incandescent light, looking like a Flame King stepping down from the sun.
He brought his palms together, his fingers trembling slightly. The platinum flames spun and compressed rapidly between his hands!
Layers of air collapsed, sonic boom rings continuously exploded, and the fiery line condensed into a point of auroral light in his palm!
The platinum flames gathered into a single point, so dazzling it seemed ready to pierce the firmament.
"—Flame Wrath: Pierce!!!"
"BANG—!!!"
The blinding light tore through the night sky. The incandescent beam shot out, its speed rivaling a laser!
Teach's pupils shrank. He barely had time to react—
The fiery beam pierced straight through his black mud barrier and right through his chest!
"Guh—!!!"
The superheated beam instantly incinerated his heart. The swamp energy within him boiled and exploded under the extreme heat, and his entire body plummeted deep into the ground like a falling meteor!
"RUMBLE—!!!"
The fiery beam's trail drew a platinum arc, connecting the sky to the earth.
Ace's eyes burned with furious fire. He forcefully clenched his right hand, the flames refocusing once again.
A low shout, like a final judgment.
"—DETONATE!"
"BOOM————————!!!"
An earth-shattering roar erupted from deep underground!
The entirety of Hachinosu was ripped upward. A pillar of platinum fire tore through the surface, shooting straight into the clouds!
In that moment, the colors of heaven and earth changed. The ocean waves rolled backward, forming a hundred-meter-tall wall of water.
A mushroom cloud slowly bloomed in the sky. The blazing flames looked like a blooming flower, its light swallowing the entire island!
The shockwave expanded at the speed of sound, overturning ships in the outer sea along with the crests of the waves. The searing heat could be felt tens of kilometers away.
"BOSS TEACH—!!!"
"BOSS—!!!"
The surviving members of the Blackbeard Alliance all collapsed to their knees in despair, staring dead at that incandescent light.
Their cries were swallowed by the flames, receiving no response.
In the center of Hachinosu, only a burning abyss remained.
Ace landed steadily, the flames dissipating from his shoulders into swirling embers.
His chest heaved rapidly. With every breath, he could still smell the metallic scent of air scorched by extreme heat.
Not far away, Luffy, Zoro, and Kuina had also concluded their respective battles. Stepping over the fractured rocky ground, they gathered around.
The three of them took one look at the massive crater blasted open by Flame Wrath: Pierce—spanning hundreds of meters in diameter, the rock layers were reduced to ashes, and platinum flames were still burning deep underground.
Looking at the crater, the corners of Ace's mouth curled up slightly.
He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and chuckled softly: "I've been wanting to beat him up for a long time... This time, I finally hit him hard enough to feel satisfied."
Luffy patted Ace's shoulder: "Hahaha—Ace, that move was so cool!!!"
The group briefly relaxed as wails drifted through the ruined air of Hachinosu.
In the distance, the surviving grunts of the Blackbeard Alliance knelt on the ground, still crying out the name "Boss Teach!!!"
The residual light of the flames reflected on their trembling faces. It was a look of true, utter despair.
Luffy scratched his head: "Did that guy get completely burned to ashes?"
Ace fell silent for a moment. He looked up at the deep crater, the firelight dancing in his eyes.
"Even him... he shouldn't be able to easily stand back up after a hit like that."
Just as his words fell—
Thump—
A low, muffled vibration came from the earth.
Then, a second one.
Thump... thump...
The rhythm was slow, yet carried a bizarre regularity.
Zoro frowned slightly: "What is that sound?"
Kuina narrowed her eyes, quietly resting her hand on her sword hilt: "It doesn't feel like an earthquake... it's more like—"
Ace's pupils suddenly contracted. His heart gave a slight quiver in that exact same instant.
That sound—seemed to overlap with the rhythm of his own heartbeat.
"...Drumbeats?" Luffy looked up in confusion.
Thump—thump—thump—!!!
The sound grew increasingly clear, the rhythm increasingly fierce. It seemed to come from deep underground, yet simultaneously echoed within their own chests.
Ace's expression gradually turned solemn as the rock layers beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.
From the depths of that massive crater, a dark energy, so thick it was suffocating, was slowly rising—like the awakening of some ancient lifeform.
High up in the sky, a silhouette quietly looked down at this scene.
His gaze pierced through the rolling smoke and dust. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up into a half-smile.
"Yo—"
—Deep within Hachinosu, the heartbeat continued.
Thump... thump... THUMP-THUMP—!!!
♧♧♧
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