Vrumm...
A miniature sun appeared out of thin air, dispelling all darkness. Ace's fiery figure stood majestic, his long spear poised like a god's weapon!
The spear moved like a dragon, every strike imbued with a powerful Conqueror's Haki Infusion—a dual layering of Devil Fruit power and supreme Haki. Within the raging flames, the power of his Conqueror's Haki was exceptionally violent. Over the past two years, he had exerted immense effort to successfully stack these two forces.
Fortunately, he had succeeded!
When Whitebeard first saw this transformation, even he was startled; Ace's strength had nearly doubled. He had never seen a fruit awakening quite like this. At that time, it had only been a year into his training, and Ace had already fully mastered all three types of Haki. Whitebeard knew he had nothing left to teach him, so from then on, Ace practiced alone day and night.
During this period, his Conqueror's Haki grew increasingly potent. It is said that Conqueror's Haki is the hardest to improve, yet Ace felt no such struggle. Since it cannot be enhanced through physical training alone, Ace never deliberately exercised it. However, it was the fastest-growing among all his Haki; without any specific drills, he could feel it maturing every single day.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Ace thrust his spear, the strikes seemed to ripple through space itself. The colossal impact sent shockwaves through Blackbeard's entire body.
"Agh...!"
"Teach! You killed Thatch, you killed Squard, and you killed countless members of the Whitebeard Pirates—even innocent civilians!" Ace remained expressionless, his movements never slowing as he swung his spear in a horizontal arc toward Blackbeard's waist.
Facing such a terrifying aura, Blackbeard ignored his injuries and focused every ounce of his Vajra power into his arms.
BOOM!
The tip of the spear tore through his guard, sending Blackbeard flying with a single strike.
"Ugh..." Overwhelmed, Blackbeard spat out a spray of blood.
Before he could even hit the ground, Ace performed a full 360-degree mid-air spin, his spear trailing like a whip.
CRACK! The shaft of the spear slammed directly into Blackbeard's face. His jaw buckled instantly. Teeth and blood scattered through the air as Blackbeard plummeted into the earth.
Rumble...
A massive crater was carved into the ground.
Whoosh! Ace lunged forward and arrived before Blackbeard, the tip of his spear pressed firmly against the man's throat.
"It's over, Teach!"
"Cough... pfft... ugh..." Blackbeard looked pained, gasping for breath, his body covered in blood.
"Captain Ace... I... I'm your crewmate... please... don't kill me..." Without any hesitation, Blackbeard burst into tears, begging for his life.
Looking at Blackbeard in this state, Ace's expression didn't flicker. Two years ago, he might have hesitated. Now, he had seen through the man's soul; Teach was a maniac who would do anything for his ambition. All his groveling and apologies were merely ploys to snatch a sliver of survival. He was a snake that would never stop biting.
"In the next world, seek forgiveness from Thatch and the others!" The fire in Ace's eyes flared. He began to thrust the spear when a voice suddenly called out.
"Big Brother Ace! Is that you? Are you okay?" It was Qing'er, the little girl from before, peering over the edge of the deep pit with a worried expression. She had heard Ace's voice from the shelter. Since Ace and Blackbeard had both been wreathed in light and moving at blinding speeds, she hadn't been able to see clearly. Fearing for Ace's safety, she had run over to check.
"It's Qing'er." Seeing her nervous little face, a gentle smile appeared on Ace's face.
In that exact moment, the groveling Blackbeard's expression twisted into an evil smirk.
"Zehahahaha!"
The next second, Blackbeard transformed into a mass of shadows, diving into the ground and surging toward the girl. "So it's you! I remember you, Qing'er. You and Ace were always close. You've come at the perfect time!"
Blackbeard's head emerged in front of Qing'er, his face hideously contorted.
"AH!" Qing'er shrieked, tears springing to her eyes. The once-cute little girl collapsed backward in terror.
"Not good!" Fire erupted beneath Ace's feet as he shot forward like a falling star.
He arrived in front of Qing'er in an instant, the tip of his spear pointing forward, his eyes radiating flames.
"Glimmer: Descent of the Flame Emperor!"
The spearhead struck Blackbeard precisely between the eyebrows. While the villain still held his horrifying grin, the spear pierced clean through his skull. Simultaneously, a violent heatwave exploded from the tip. A massive torrent of fire swept across the area, the inferno nearly covering the entire island. It spread from the back mountains all the way to the battlefield where Drake and the others stood.
From a distance, the entire island appeared to be swallowed by a sea of fire, the brilliant light filling the sky.
"This... what's happening?" On the battlefield, the Whitebeard crew was stunned. Who set the base on fire?! With an inferno like this, wouldn't Alteila be scorched into a wasteland?
"Condense!"
Ace swung his spear, and the sea of fire immediately began surging back toward him. Within moments, the flames that had occupied the island vanished completely. Remarkably, every blade of grass and every tree remained untouched.
Only the massive crater in front of Ace remained—the original three-meter-wide hole had been transformed into a gargantuan abyss a hundred meters across!
Blackbeard was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't escaped this time; he had become part of the dust on the ground.
From this day forth, Blackbeard was no more.
"A... Ace..." Qing'er stared at the scene in shock. It was too staggering; with one thrust, Ace had unleashed a wave of fire that swallowed everything. The crater was the direct target of his wrath.
Flame Emperor!
This was the enhanced version of Entei. By continuously compressing the flames to their absolute limit and releasing them through the tip of the spear, the resulting impact surpassed all imagination. After releasing its destructive force, the fire would expand outward—resulting in the sky-filling inferno seen earlier.
However, the current Ace could release and retract it at will, though pulling the fire back was a significant burden. The move was incredibly taxing on his stamina.
"Ugh..." Ace groaned softly. The eerie flames on his body slowly faded, and his eyes and eyebrows returned to their normal state.
"Huff... huff..."
"Ace... are you okay?" Qing'er ran over and hugged him.
"Hahaha..." Ace patted her head and smiled. "Of course I'm fine. Come on, let's go check on our home together."
He lifted Qing'er onto his shoulders and began walking toward the harbor.