Chapter 102: Fire Style VS Mera Mera no Mi? A Greeting from an Older Brother?
The center of Nanohana's streets was already in a state of complete chaos.
Boom—!!
Rolling white smoke and scorching orange-red flames collided violently in mid-air, the air currents churning and leaving the surrounding buildings somewhat scorched.
Smoker clenched two cigars in his teeth, swinging his Jitte as he tried to break through the net of fire.
But no matter how he attacked, those flames always managed to shadow him and block his path.
"It's useless, Smoke-man."
Ace, with half his body transformed into flames, blocked the intersection with a relaxed expression.
"You should be well aware, shouldn't you? With our abilities, smoke and fire can't decide a winner."
"Tch..." Smoker's face darkened.
The massive commotion caused by the collision of these two Logia powers instantly alerted the Straw Hat crew nearby.
"That kind of noise... and that idiot-like laughter..."
Usopp held a bewildered Chopper, sprinting back the way they came, tears nearly flying out of his eyes.
"Seriously! I don't even have to think about it to know that Luffy, that idiot, must have caused more trouble!!"
Taking advantage of the opening while Ace held Smoker back, the entire Straw Hat crew finally managed to regroup on the chaotic street.
"Everyone! This way!"
Vivi, riding Karoo, guided the way.
"Through this alley is the edge of the desert! Once we're in the desert, it will be hard for the Marine to catch us!"
"Full speed ahead!!"
Under Vivi's lead, everyone sprinted all the way, finally bursting out of Nanohana and escaping into the vast desert on the edge of the city.
Only when the Marines were no longer in sight did everyone stop, panting heavily.
"Huff... huff... we finally lost them..." Usopp slumped onto the sand.
However, before they could even catch their breath...
Whoosh—
A scorching aura suddenly approached rapidly from behind.
Everyone snapped their heads around to see a flash of fire descending from the sky.
The shirtless young man wearing an orange cowboy hat—Ace—was crouching on a massive rock, grinning down at Luffy.
"Yo, Luffy."
"Ah!! Ace!!!"
Luffy shouted in surprise and delight, his Gum-Gum arms stretching out as he launched himself over.
"Hahahaha! You're still as reckless as ever, you guy!"
"Ace! What are you doing here!!"
Under the dumbfounded gazes of the others, the two brothers staged a joyful reunion.
The two of them started arm-wrestling right there on the scorching rock, laughing and catching up while straining, completely ignoring the blistering heat of their surroundings.
"That... Luffy..."
Zoro and Sanji watched the handsome young man who politely tipped his hat and even helped wipe Luffy's mouth, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.
"Impossible!"
"This polite, powerful, and handsome man... is actually Luffy's older brother?!"
"You've got to be kidding! Is it a genetic mutation?!"
After a brief catch-up.
Ace stood up and brushed the sand off his pants.
His gaze passed over everyone and finally locked onto the black-haired youth standing at the back of the group, scouting the surroundings.
"Ah, so you're that Vice Captain with the 28 million bounty..."
The corners of Ace's mouth curled up, his eyes flashing with a spark of interest.
"You're Crimson Lotus Tatsuya, right?"
"I heard... you're also quite skilled at using fire?"
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, just about to speak.
Boom!!
Ace didn't waste any more words.
His muscular right arm instantly transformed into rolling flames, the temperature causing the surrounding air to distort.
Massive flames condensed rapidly in the air, forming an incredibly large fist of fire.
With an aura that seemed ready to incinerate everything, it blasted toward Tatsuya without warning!
"Let's call this a greeting..."
Ace's gaze was confident and fervent.
"Fire Fist!!!!"
"Ah!!! I take back what I said earlier!!"
Usopp and Chopper screamed as they clung to each other, terrified by the oncoming wave of heat. "This guy is a reckless lunatic too!!"
Faced with this Logia attack capable of swallowing everything,
Tatsuya didn't show the slightest panic.
On the contrary, his eyes instantly lit up.
Hum—
The crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in his sockets, capturing the flow and trajectory of the flames.
"Oh? Perfect!"
Tatsuya moved forward instead of retreating, an excited curve appearing on his lips.
"I was just wanting to see... exactly how strong the flames of this Mera Mera no Mi, known as one of the'strongest Logia', really are!"
Tatsuya took a deep breath, his chest swelling high as the Chakra within his body compressed and transformed wildly at his throat.
Since you want to compare fire, I'll play along!
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!!!!"
Pfft—!!!
He didn't spit out a wide-range fireball as he usually did.
This time, what Tatsuya spat from his mouth was an extremely thin, yet terrifyingly dense and high-temperature linear fire arrow!
After flying several meters, this fire arrow instantly detonated the air, expanding into a towering sea of orange-red fire.
Like an awakening fire dragon, it clashed head-on in mid-air with Ace's massive Fire Fist!
Rumble————!!!!
The two crimson energies of destruction collided fiercely in the center of the desert.
The sound of the massive explosion was deafening.
The terrifying high temperatures released instantly scorched all the golden sand within a hundred meters red-hot, even melting it directly into liquid glass!
"Waaaaah!!"
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
The terrifying shockwave, mixed with heat, blew Luffy, Zoro, and the others off balance, forcing them to raise their arms to shield their faces.
Sizzle, sizzle...
Eventually, the two sets of flames neutralized each other and dissipated into the air.
On the ground between the two men, a large patch of crystalline, vitrified sand remained, still emitting faint wisps of smoke.
It was proof that the high temperature had instantly crystallized the sand.
"Whoa..."
Ace held down his hat, which had almost been blown away by the air current, and looked at the glass on the ground, his eyes full of surprise.
"It's not a Devil Fruit ability, yet you can produce flames of this temperature and scale out of thin air..."
He looked at the uninjured youth in black and praised him sincerely.
"Truly an interesting power, 'Crimson Lotus'."
Tatsuya shook his slightly hot palms, the red glow in his eyes gradually fading as he said with a smile:
"I'm honored, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Hahahaha! It seems Luffy has found himself a group of great companions!"
Ace laughed heartily.
He looked at Luffy and extended the invitation that countless people on the sea dreamed of.
"How about it, Luffy? Do you want to bring your companions... and join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"That includes you too, Tatsuya, and Zoro."
"No way!!"
Luffy didn't even think about it, picking his nose as he refused without hesitation.
"I'm going to be the Pirate King!!"
"Hahahaha! I knew you'd say that!" Ace laughed, having expected as much.
He had never actually expected to be able to persuade his stubborn younger brother.
Short reunions must eventually end in parting.
Because Ace still had to hunt down the traitor Blackbeard who had committed a great crime, he couldn't stay long.
He pulled a white piece of paper from his hat, tore off a small piece, and handed it to Luffy.
"This is a Vivre Card."
Ace explained, "This scrap of paper will guide us toward each other. As long as you have it, we'll meet again someday. Keep it safe, Luffy."
Luffy solemnly tucked the Vivre Card into the lining of his Straw Hat.
Before leaving.
Ace shouldered his backpack, the silhouette of someone about to embark on a long journey.
But he specifically stopped his pace, turned his head, and took a deep look at the group behind him.
"Tatsuya, Zoro, Curly Brow, Long-nose, Tanuki, Orange-head."
Ace's expression became serious, speaking as an older brother entrusting them with something.
"This idiot brother of mine... I'll leave him to you."
He smiled somewhat helplessly.
"With you guys by his side, I can be a little more at ease."
However, in the face of Ace's touching moment, everyone was covered in black lines.
Clay shouted indignantly from the air. "Coo-coo ga-ga! Why wasn't Lord Clay mentioned!!"
Usopp and Chopper: "Who are you calling a Tanuki!!" "Who are you calling Long-nose!"
Zoro sighed. "As expected, they really are brothers."
He looked at Sanji, who was constantly smoking nearby. "Right, Curly Brow?"
"Huh? You want to pick a fight?"
Seeing this, Ace and Luffy both burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Luffy! Your companions really are interesting!"
"Heeheehee! Of course they are!"
Tatsuya sighed helplessly.
"Rest assured, as long as we're here, he won't die."
"Also... good luck to you."
"Thanks!"
Ace suppressed his smile and waved, then his body transformed into a mass of flames, and surrounded by a heatwave, he gradually disappeared into the depths of the desert.
Watching the disappearing back, Tatsuya's gaze was slightly complicated.
Just then, a crisp system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Contacted key character: Portgas D. Ace.]
[Reward obtained: Fire Style Ninjutsu power increased by 20%.]
Tatsuya felt the fire-attribute Chakra within his body become more active, and a smile curled on his lips.
"20%... That's quite a harvest."
"Alright! You lot!"
Luffy clapped his hands, pulling everyone's thoughts back.
"Ace is gone, so it's time for us to head out too! Crossing this desert, our target is—Yuba!!"
"Oh!!"
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