But ideals are always grand, while reality is often harsh.
Jacob Bovan watched with scorn as the pirate captain, Scar, tried to abandon his crewmates and turn the ship to flee. That flash of contempt in his eyes said it all.
Scar was undeniably decisive. The ability to abandon comrades in an instant revealed a ruthless edge. From a certain perspective, that kind of cruelty was terrifying. But it also made one thing clear he would never reach the top.
"You really think you can escape from me with your strength?"
Before the words had even faded, Jacob's body began to rapidly expand.
This was one of Prometheus's unique abilities: Gigantification.
As his form swelled in size, flames erupted all around him. The temperature soared. The hellish blaze radiated a golden hue, blanketing the sea with searing intensity. Seawater boiled and evaporated in vast clouds of steam that clung to the pirates' skin like burning hands.
"AAAAHHHHH!!"
"It's so hot! My skin is melting!"
"My butt! My butt's getting cooked!"
"Wait, how does your butt get cooked first don't tell me you're—!"
...
A dense steam cage sealed off the four pirate ships. Inside, the pirates flushed red and writhed in agony as the suffocating heat worsened with every second.
On the merchant vessel, Jacob Bovan lay limp on the deck, his body drained of all strength. The hellish spectacle unfolding before him shattered his worldview. This nightmare was real, and it was happening right in front of him. He had even poisoned this monster's food earlier.
"I'm done for. Completely done for..."
It was as if his soul had been sucked out. Jacob stared blankly, hollow-eyed, at the nightmare on the sea.
Where the sea had once been a boiling cage, now, as Jacob's massive form began to disperse, the blazing inferno in the sky burned away the remaining steam, transforming the entire scene into a colossal oven. Then, the searing flames plummeted directly onto the pirate ships below.
"Heavenly Fire!"
This flame, infused with the essence of the Golden Emperor's Blaze, carried an overwhelming heat that ignited the ships the instant it touched them.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
In an instant, all four pirate ships were reduced to splinters and ash, completely obliterated.
Gray-black smoke rolled across the sea, thick and unyielding, refusing to disperse.
Then, the smoke stirred.
Something monstrous tried to break through from within.
As the swirling black mist thinned, Jacob finally caught a glimpse of the figure trying to escape.
It was Scar.
But this version of Scar was barely recognizable. His body was covered in severe burns. Even with Armament Haki shielding his skin, the damage was visible proof of just how brutal Jacob's fire truly was.
There was no doubt now. Scar was a Devil Fruit user. His form had shifted into that of a swallow a Zoan-type from the Bird-Bird Fruit series. A remarkably unremarkable power, to say the least.
Scar glared at the smoke-covered sea with bloodshot eyes, locking eyes with Prometheus.
"Prometheus! Why you?! Of all places, why did it have to be here?! Why the hell do you keep getting in my way?!"
Jacob, now once again cloaked in fire, tilted his head and smiled innocently.
"You can't blame me for that. I didn't ask you to show up. But some people just love sticking their noses where they don't belong, don't they?"
"No more talking. I've wasted enough time fighting you, and there's nothing to gain from it. Time to end this."
Jacob clicked his tongue as flames swelled across his body once more.
"Fire Style – Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Golden Emperor's Blaze, ignite!"
This Great Fireball Jutsu was nothing like the earlier one. Even someone as powerful as Katakuri wouldn't be able to take it head-on let alone some wandering patrol captain.
Knowing he couldn't outrun the blast, Scar had no choice but to brace himself. He cloaked his entire body in Armament Haki, his charred black wings flapping wildly and stirring up a ferocious wind.
Surprisingly, even the raging wind was imbued with Haki.
The moment fire met wind, the sky exploded with light and sound.
BOOM!
A blinding flash ripped through the heavens.