"That's the same move he used to wound Burgess!" Vista exclaimed, a look of sudden realization washing over his face.
Seeing the sheer power behind that technique, it was no longer a mystery why a powerhouse like Burgess had collapsed after a single strike. It wasn't that Burgess was weak; it was that Ace's attack was simply overwhelming.
Boom!
Ace vanished again, reappearing instantly before Blackbeard. His movements were so fluid and rapid that even Drake was momentarily stunned.
How can he be this fast?!
While it didn't quite match the instantaneous nature of his own teleportation, Ace seemed to move with a sense of unrestricted flight. Drake recalled Rayleigh rescuing Zoro from Kizaru's foot years ago—he wasn't even sure if Rayleigh had been as fast as Ace was now.
What exactly had Ace been doing for the last two years?
Swish! Ace transformed two fingers into a blade of light, slashing toward Blackbeard's chest. The strike lacked any flashy spectacle; there was only a crimson streak, piercingly bright and thick with killing intent.
Beep, beep... Unable to help himself, Drake activated his Scouter. He had to know the true extent of Ace's current strength.
Name: Portgas D. Ace Level: Great Swordsman (Infinitely close to Sword Saint) Devil Fruit: Mera Mera no Mi Abilities: Master of all three types of Haki. Note: Conqueror's Haki is nearing the pinnacle. Comprehensive Combat Power: 8,286.
"Holy shit!"
Even though Drake believed these two years of training had tempered him into a state of absolute calm, seeing Ace's stats forced a curse from his lips.
Conqueror's Haki nearing the pinnacle?!
Drake knew better than anyone how difficult it was to advance that specific power. Even with the help of his System, his own Conqueror's Haki was only approaching the "Advanced" level. This was a testament to the terrifying nature of raw talent; Ace had pushed his Kingly ambition to such heights in just two years. Conqueror's Haki was the one thing that couldn't be improved through mere physical training. At this moment, Ace's regal presence had clearly erupted to its absolute limit.
"Zehahahaha! Captain Ace, do you still remember how I defeated you last time?" Blackbeard shouted. By now, the armor on his chest had regenerated, and the golden light on his gauntlets pulsed with power. He kicked off the ground, lunging head-on toward the incoming crimson blade.
Boom!
Red and golden light clashed, each claiming half of the battlefield. Moments later, Blackbeard's expression shifted violently—cracks were appearing on his golden arm guards!
"Teach... is it true that you killed Squard?" Ace asked, his face a mask of calm, though a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Hmm? Squard? Oh, yeah. I killed him!" Blackbeard didn't bother denying it; he simply bared his teeth in a wide, wicked grin.
Boom!
In the next instant, the crimson light surged. The sound of shattering armor echoed through the air as Blackbeard was slashed clean off his feet.
"Agh...!" Blackbeard collapsed on the ground, clutching his bleeding arm and letting out a series of pained howls.
"Admiral!" The Blackbeard captains could no longer remain seated. They hadn't expected Blackbeard to be wounded so decisively in a single clash.
"That defense... that supposedly unbreakable defense was actually shattered..."
"Admiral, I'll help you!"
"Captain Burgess!" The Blackbeard crew gasped in surprise. They hadn't expected the fallen Burgess to stand up again.
"We-haha!" Burgess leaped into the air, intending to put all his weight into a crushing blow against Ace.
"Heaven and Earth Staff: Mountain Splitter!"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a golden staff swung across the sky. It slammed directly into Burgess's face.
Boom!
The moment the golden staff connected, Burgess's mouth—originally full of large teeth—was smashed into a mangled mess. Teeth and bloody froth exploded into the air.
"Mmph...!" Without even a chance to scream, Burgess's eyes rolled back as he was sent hurtling into the ice like a cannonball.
Rumble!
The crowd watched as Burgess lay motionless in a massive crater, seawater beginning to seep in beneath him.
"It's him..." Every eye turned to Locke, who was slowly retracting his weapon. He held a shimmering golden staff, the Ruyi Jingu Bang that Drake had obtained—a weapon that could grow, shrink, and change thickness at will. Knowing Locke excelled in staff techniques, Drake had gifted it to him. That long-range strike had been the result of the staff's extending ability.
Clap! Jozu slammed his fists together and stepped forward.
The gathered Whitebeard Commanders and the members of the Dragon Flag Pirates formed a truly imposing front. For a moment, none of the Blackbeard Pirates dared to advance. The enemy captains looked on with grim expressions; they could handle the Whitebeard crew, but with the addition of Drake and his followers, the situation had spiraled out of control. Locke's brief intervention had already displayed their formidable strength; a reckless charge now would be a gamble with uncertain odds.
While the two sides remained in a stalemate, Ace and Blackbeard clashed once more.
Boom!
"Ace! Come! Let me see what you're truly made of!" Blackbeard shouted, one hand wreathed in darkness, the other in golden light. As a dual-fruit user, Blackbeard had reached a point where his golden armor completely negated the physical damage vulnerabilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit. He believed he was invincible, making him more arrogant than ever.
"Black Hole!" (Kurouzu)
A terrifying gravitational pull acted on Ace, dragging him forcefully toward Blackbeard. Ace was all too familiar with this sensation. The tragedy two years ago had happened because he lost to Blackbeard, and the reason he lost was this inescapable gravity!
"Zehahahaha! Ace, does this feel familiar? Eh? Hahaha!" Mid-laugh, Blackbeard's left hand erupted with golden light. He took a violent step forward and threw a punch!
Against anyone else, this combination might have been fatal. But the current Ace was different.
A sharp light flashed in Ace's eyes. He clenched his fist, and the air around him suddenly crackled with dark red lightning. It looked like a plain, unremarkable punch, yet it radiated a sense of absolute, peerless power. Before their fists even touched, a high-intensity shockwave rippled outward, shattering the ground and sending debris flying in every direction.
Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
Drake recognized the technique instantly. It was the pinnacle of Haki application.
With a sound like breaking glass, the armor on Blackbeard's arm disintegrated. Ace's fist slammed directly into Blackbeard's face.
"Gah...!"
The punch, imbued with powerful Conqueror's Haki, sent Blackbeard's eyes rolling back into his head as he was blasted backward. He regained consciousness mid-flight, his face—already dark—turning an even deeper shade of black with fury.
Boom!
Blackbeard slammed his feet into the ground to halt his momentum, the earth collapsing under the impact. Just as he tried to catch his breath and gather his strength, Ace descended from the sky, his entire body wreathed in thick, roaring flames. He pulled his right fist back, fingers tightly clenched.
Anyone who knew Ace recognized this stance. It was his signature move: Fire Fist!
But this time, the name he called out was different.
"Flame Meteor!"
He threw the punch. Unlike the wide-area blast of a standard Fire Fist, a pillar of fire—no larger than a human head but glowing with a terrifying, incandescent red—shot down like a falling star.
Ace had developed this as the evolved version of his signature move. Through layers of extreme compression and the infusion of his newly honed power, its destructive force was several times greater than the original Fire Fist.