The Great Shaman held up a miniature version of the Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor, grinning maliciously as he hurled the charged ultimate attack downward, "Go to hell, you bastard!"
The scorching fireball loomed overhead. Ace raised an eyebrow.
Its movement speed was slow enough. Ace could run much faster than the fireball. With a few quick dodges, he escaped the battle zone.
The Great Shaman, panting heavily, watched the kid dart away so quickly that his eyeballs nearly popped out in fury!
Is my technique really that easy to dodge?
He turned and saw the young man with the sword at his waist standing there in a daze, as if paralyzed by fear.
The Great Shaman's smile returned, but it soon froze on his face.
This scene seems oddly familiar.
The fireball crashed to the ground. A massive explosion and heat wave erupted skyward. Scorching heat surged in all directions. Ace and the other three hiding to the side widened their eyes.
Noyer — is he alright?
Flames licked at the red leaves on the island. Thick black smoke rose up. The small village turned into a sea of fire.
From within the towering inferno, a black figure slowly walked out. Ace and the others recognized him immediately — it was Noyer!
Watching him emerge from the flames, his entire body bathed in fire, the Great Shaman stared in shock, stammering, "Why… you also have… and it's black fire…"
Amaterasu's black flames burned wildly on Noyer's body. Wisps of black fire on his face made his features even more sinister and alluring, like a handsome King of Hell emerging from the underworld.
"How could ordinary flames possibly compare to my Amaterasu?" Noyer raised his burning arm with satisfaction.
"Impossible! How is this possible?!" The Great Shaman stared at him in disbelief.
The terrifying temperature from those black flames — his body made of fire actually felt the burning heat! How many years had it been since he felt the sensation of being scorched?
"Die! All of this is fake!"
The Great Shaman transformed into a fire whip and lashed at Noyer. Noyer calmly raised his hand burning with Amaterasu fire and easily dispersed the flame attack.
The orange-red flames seemed to have met their superior. The black fire transformed into a ravenous beast, devouring the ordinary flames. The Great Shaman's fire collapsed and scattered as if it had met its own father.
"Impossible! Why is this happening?" The man who had been high and mighty for so long looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He fell to the ground, staring in terror.
Noyer walked slowly toward him, draped in a black flaming coat. With each step, a wisp of black fire spread out.
This show of force — he was pulling it off perfectly!
He extended his palm and pressed it against the Great Shaman's face. Under the grip of Armament Haki and the burning of Amaterasu, the man trembled violently, emitting sizzling sounds like roasting meat.
"No! Don't… please spare me!"
The man wailed miserably, but Noyer remained unmoved.
The black fire spread across his entire body. The Great Shaman's mind collapsed under the burning pain, and he cursed viciously, "You'll go to hell… you'll die a terrible death, ahhh!"
Noyer looked coldly at the frantically struggling man and said icily, "Those words — you can take them to hell yourself!"
With that, he drew his sword. Black flames and Haki coiled around the blade. With a reverse thrust, he plunged it into the Great Shaman's body. The black fire exploded from the inside out!
"No!!!"
Within the dense flames, the Great Shaman's shrill screams echoed across the entire island until his voice faded. Amaterasu's mission was complete — not even a trace of ash remained on the ground.
Noyer withdrew his hand, his cold eyes turning toward the foolish villagers.
Seeing the Great Shaman they had worshipped as a god burned alive, the villagers were terrified beyond measure. Many spineless ones knelt on the ground begging for forgiveness.
Ace looked at them with a complicated expression, walked to Noyer's side, and sighed, "They're beyond saving…"
Noyer withdrew his flames, his mood unpleasant.
Such a beautiful island, yet the dangers and horrors it harbored were far greater than the outside world. Could it really be that one psychopath had twisted the entire village?
It was nothing more than ignorance, hunger, and greed that had erased their humanity, turning them into walking corpses. They could kill anyone who wandered into the mist without remorse, because the beast within their hearts had lost its restraints.
But Noyer and Ace could not do the same. They couldn't wipe out everyone on the island to ensure safety. Neither of them had that authority or will.
Noyer believed he had no right to pronounce a death sentence on an entire island's population like God, even though he believed these people all deserved to die.
Perhaps he still hadn't adapted to this cruel world… or perhaps he is the humanity this world deserves?
"I'll try to get word of this place to the Marines." Noyer said, sheathing his sword with a sigh.
Ace nodded. Handing them over to the Marines was much better than leaving them to himself, a pirate.
Noyer looked at the villagers coldly and threatened with a snort, "If you dare to eat people again, that worthless Great Shaman's fate will be yours!"
The villagers' faces turned deathly pale, and they nodded frantically.
Ace said with a stern face, "Get us out of here!"
The villagers hurriedly found several red-spotted porpoises and tied them to the bow. These native cetaceans knew the way and could easily guide Noyer and the others away from this place.
The group had no fondness for this place and couldn't wait to leave. After returning to the ship, they finally set sail.
In the thick fog, Noyer looked toward Red Leaf Island, wondering whether his threats had been effective. Perhaps once they left, it would become a man-eating island again…
The red mist gradually turned white, signaling their return to familiar seas. The heavy mood of the five gradually lightened.
"I'm so hungry… Noyer." Ace lay on the deck, clutching his stomach.
Noyer said irritably, "So many demands — you're on my ship right now!"
Ace laughed, thick-skinned as always, "We're traveling together for now! Once we find an island where we can build a ship, it'll be fine!"
Noyer had mentioned before that he was also heading to the Grand Line. This made Ace so happy that he shamelessly insisted on hitching a ride.
He took out a bag of apples from the cabin and pulled out a bright red one. Then he drew his sword, rolled up his sleeves, and began peeling carefully. After peeling several large apples, he gave everyone a few to eat, somewhat satisfying their hunger.
Afterward, Noyer casually pulled out another fruit from the bag. But before he could start cutting, he realized this fruit looked familiar.
Its surface had spiral patterns in an orange-red appearance, with countless small flame-shaped spirals gathered together.
This was probably… possibly… the Mera Mera no Mi?!
Noyer stared in horror at the Devil Fruit in his hand — it was far too recognizable!
Why would the Mera Mera no Mi appear on his ship after the Great Shaman died?
In the original story, something like this had happened before. When a Devil Fruit user died, nearby fruits had a chance of becoming the new Devil Fruit.
But still, what a coincidence!
Noyer looked at the Mera Mera no Mi with a strange expression.
Ace looked over curiously, "Strange, this fruit looks really weird, doesn't it?"
Noyer tossed the Devil Fruit to him, "This is a Devil Fruit, probably the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi. That Great Shaman had this ability."
Ace caught the fruit in a flurry, "A Devil Fruit — is this the kind of weird fruit Luffy ate when he was little?"
The spiral patterns on the peel were like black holes, possessing a unique attraction.
Ace's gaze stuck firmly to the fruit, "So if I eat this, I can turn into fire like that Great Shaman?"
Noyer nodded, "You just won't be able to swim anymore. This ability suits you perfectly. You should eat it."
"Me eat it?" Ace paused, "You don't want it?"
Noyer stretched out his hand, and a wisp of black fire rose up. Ace immediately understood.
So he had also eaten a Devil Fruit… Wait a minute! Then why was he able to swim with me before?
The matter of the system was something he couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried.
Looking at the encouraging eyes of his crew members, Ace nodded, "Alright, I'll give it a try."
He grabbed the Mera Mera no Mi, opened his mouth wide, and took a bite, revealing the orange flesh beneath. Just judging by appearance, it looked quite good.
Noyer asked curiously, "How does it taste?"
Ace's expression gradually stiffened. His facial features twisted together, his eyelids twitched, and his eyes rolled back hard.
Mmm… exactly like a friend's expression when eating wasabi. Just watching made Noyer and the others' teeth ache.
Ace swallowed the flesh with difficulty and stuck out his tongue, "Ugh! That's disgusting! It's like grilled crap!"
Noyer looked at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation — what a peculiar comparison.
Ace opened his palm, and a wisp of orange-red flame burned at his fingertips. He exclaimed in amazement, "I really turned into fire! It doesn't feel hot at all? Let me try!"
His legs kicked off suddenly. Leaping high into the air, his body instantly transformed into blazing flames.
Ace absorbed and compressed the flames into his right arm, then transformed them into a massive golden-red flaming fist, striking heavily toward the sea ahead!
A massive, tremendously powerful flame in the shape of a fist drilled into the deep sea. Its power penetrated hundreds of meters underwater, and it was still going!
Deuce and the other two said in stunned amazement, "So… so powerful!"
Ace landed back on the deck satisfied, playing with the flames dancing at his fingertips, "This ability is really interesting! I'll call this move Fire Fist!"
Noyer looked at him with emotion. With the Mera Mera no Mi, this was the true "Fire Fist" Ace from the original story.
He never expected to witness the birth of "Fire Fist" with his own eyes. Young and vigorous, with a monster physique, the power Ace unleashed was worlds apart from the dying old Great Shaman.
Just this one Fire Fist was stronger than the ultimate move the Great Shaman had released with his face turning purple!
Noyer used the system to scan Ace and found two new talents: 〔Devil's Dwelling · Mera-Mera〕 and 〔Sea's Curse〕.
The talent quality of the Mera Mera no Mi was exactly Red (2nd Rank)!
Silently approaching the excited guy, Noyer pulled out a Red Copy Card and slapped it down, making Ace stumble.
〔Devil's Dwelling · Mera-Mera〕 acquired!
In one smooth motion, Noyer finally replaced Genzō's 〔Sheriff Martial Arts〕 he'd obtained in his naive youth!
Zoan-type Kuma Kuma no Mi, Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi! Noyer was now truly a dual-fruit user! Later, once he copied a Gold Devil Fruit from all three types, who could stand in his way?!
「 The system reminds the host that the Devil's Dwelling talent is restricted by world rules. Only one of the same ability can exist unless the host eliminates the talent's original owner. 」
Noyer snapped out of his ecstasy, "What do you mean by that?"
The system's cold voice continued:
「 Although the 'Devil's Dwelling' copied by the system has abilities identical to the original, the training speed is halved and the ability cap is lowered. After killing the original owner, the Devil's Dwelling talent can be fully obtained. 」
Now he understood. Noyer's face twisted in disbelief.
He now had the Mera Mera no Mi ability, but his training efficiency was far inferior to Ace's — and there would be bottlenecks. No wonder training the Kuma Kuma no Mi had gone so smoothly. He'd already taken out the original owner, that poor sap Kembla.
To perfectly possess the Mera Mera no Mi's ability, he'd have to kill Ace…
Noyer immediately dismissed the thought. Setting aside their current friendship, what about that old man Garp? If he found out, wouldn't he come and beat him to a pulp with one punch?
Forget it. He could just find someone else to take care of later.
Noyer quickly relaxed. Ace, Deuce, and the others jumped around celebrating until they finally felt tired.
"Noyer, I'm so hungry! Is there nothing to eat on the ship?" Ace lay on the ground, having played enough, and called out.
Noyer lay on a beach chair and glanced at him, "No. Can't you make it yourself? There are still ingredients."
Ace said dejectedly, "I can't cook. My pirate crew doesn't have a chef yet. The food Deuce and the others make is too terrible."
The three crew members rolled their eyes at him. If our cooking is so bad, then don't eat it. The food you make yourself probably tastes about the same as a Devil Fruit.
Noyer consoled him, "Just hold on a bit longer. After coming out of the fog, the route has returned to normal. We'll soon reach my destination."
Ace asked, "Where are you going?"
Noyer smiled, "The Baratie — the sea restaurant."
"Baratie?" Skull said in delight, "I've heard of Baratie's great reputation for a long time. I never thought we'd go eat there."
Ace looked at Noyer expectantly, "Is the food there really good?"
"Better than what you guys make, at least." Noyer felt anticipation rising in his heart.
Besides going to taste the cuisine, he had another target.
The curly-browed cook Sanji!
Meeting Zoro had gotten him the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. Meeting Ace had gotten him Amaterasu. What could he get from meeting Sanji?
Probably something related to culinary arts or recipes, right?
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want more chapters of this novel or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)