Sengoku the Buddha issued his orders.
"Understood!"
Sengoku's plan was simple: track Whiteflame's movements, then broadcast his exact location worldwide—so that anyone with a grudge, or a desire to test themselves, would know precisely where to find him.
But he had still underestimated Whiteflame.
Previously, in order to shake the Navy, Whiteflame had even left the Nine Dragons docked in the sky islands and refrained from using it, instead traveling to the Sabaody Archipelago aboard the modified Ark Maxim.
Now that he'd caused such a stir, his position was completely exposed. There was no way he'd just swagger around the world in plain sight.
But this time, he didn't need to abandon the Ark Maxim.
He simply activated a device and had the entire ship remade from the inside out, transforming it into a completely different vessel. Even Baby-5 and the others could barely recognize it.
No matter how skilled the Navy's scouts were—what could they do if the ship itself no longer looked the same?
On the seventh day after the Buster Call massacre—
Whiteflame and his group docked at a small island.
The women, who'd been cooped up on the ship for days, finally had a chance to let loose. Naturally, they poured into town to unleash their shopping urges.
Whiteflame also entered the town, though he had no interest in tagging along behind a pack of frantic shoppers. Instead, he wandered the streets alone.
Although the town on this island wasn't large, it was surprisingly lively.
In just a few hundred meters of street, there were street performers, people cruising in antique cars, festival parades… The place bustled with life.
"Not bad. Getting a taste of everyday life once in a while isn't so bad," Whiteflame said, blowing out a smoke ring.
For the past several days, he'd spent his days training, and his nights "playing games" with the women.
At first, it was only Kalifa.
Despite her appearance—which didn't exactly scream "innocent"—she'd actually been inexperienced in that regard. But somehow, she'd picked up all kinds of "techniques" from somewhere. Among all the women, she had the most… creativity, and Whiteflame had to admit, she'd opened his eyes more than once.
Later, he pulled Monet and Baby-5 into the mix as well—three at once, making things even more interesting.
But no matter how fun that kind of thing was, it eventually got old.
Sometimes, getting away from it all for a bit—feeling different sounds, different air—was a nice way to clear his head.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Whiteflame seemed to sense something. His gaze shifted toward the horizon.
He flicked the cigarette butt away with a snap of his fingers, eyes narrowing.
"It's time… They're finally here."
The moment he spoke, Whiteflame's body turned into a streak of light and vanished from the bustling crowd.
Nearby, a kid licking an ice pop watched, dumbstruck, as a yellow flash shot straight up into the sky. The ice pop smeared across his nose and he didn't even notice.
Whiteflame skimmed over the town, then over the sea.
Soon, a jagged, rocky island appeared within his field of vision.
"So this is… Banaro Island."
When Whiteflame rose into the air above the island, he immediately spotted several figures on the far side, in the middle of a confrontation.
On the rooftop stood a young man, shirtless, wearing an orange cowboy hat. Black hair, freckles on his cheeks, and his eyes burned with hatred and killing intent.
Below him was a massive, rough-looking man with a thick build, draped in a black coat. Both his hands were covered in rings of every shape and style, his entire body radiating the aura of a nouveau riche brawler.
He was shouting up at the young man on the roof:
"Zehahahaha! Ace, long time no see! What brings you here? How'd you even know I was on this island?"
"Teach, cut the crap. After everything you've done, you should know damn well why I'm here. Don't insult my intelligence."
Ace clenched his fingers into fists, joints cracking loudly as he smirked coldly.
It was obvious—these two were the very men who would become the spark that ignited the Paramount War.
"Looks like they've only just met up," Whiteflame thought. "Ace's Haki is flaring so strongly, even I could sense it from town. That's pure, undisguised killing intent toward Blackbeard."
Whiteflame didn't step in.
Instead, he chose a vantage point with a clear view, settling in to watch this battle between sun and darkness unfold.
"…I see. Then let me say something first," Teach called out.
"Ace… why don't you join me? Let's conquer the world together! I've already put together a perfect plan. Once we follow it through, Whitebeard's era will come to an end—and I'll become the true Pirate King!"
"When that happens, you'll be the right hand of the Pirate King!"
Blackbeard laughed loudly as he spoke.
"Teach… do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"With your strength, you're aiming for the Pirate King's throne? Wake up from your little fantasy already."
"And you want me to join you? How many times did you have to hypnotize yourself to build up that kind of confidence?"
Ace's tone dripped with disdain.
BANG BANG BANG!
The moment the words left his mouth, several bullets pierced through Ace's body.
But what splashed out wasn't blood—
It was flames.
"Teach… these are the subordinates you're recruiting now? They really don't have any manners."
Ace's gaze turned icy as he looked toward a man at Teach's side, whose rifle barrel was still smoking.
Van Augur—one of Blackbeard's core crew.
"Fire Gun."
Ace raised his hands, forming his fingers into a pair of pistols. Flames coiled around his fingertips as he aimed at Van Augur and "pulled the trigger".
BANG BANG BANG!
The fire bullets roared through the air.
Van Augur, however, didn't stand still. He used his nimble, almost ghostly movements to slip past every single shot.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, Ace felt a fierce gust of wind from above.
He looked up to see another of Blackbeard's crew—the "Champion" Jesus Burgess—leaping into the air, hefting an entire house over his head and hurling it straight at Ace like a boulder.
[Flame Commandment: Flame Ring]
A circle of fire erupted at Ace's feet, expanding outward like a blazing ring.
He raised his hand sharply.
"Flame Pillar!"
BOOM!!!
A pillar of fire shot up to the sky, obliterating the house overhead and reducing it to burning cinders in an instant.
"Burgess, Augur, stay out of this!"
"You're not ready to fight him!"
"Stand down!"
Teach barked angrily.
"Teach—where are you looking?"
"Fire Fist!"
Scorching flames roared in from behind Blackbeard. When he turned, a massive fireball, as big as a house, crashed down over him and his men.
"UWAAAA!!!"
Blackbeard and his crew were blasted away, their bodies seared brutally by the flames.
"It hurts! It hurts!! IT HURTS SO MUCH!!"
Teach hit the ground hard, flames still clinging to his body as he screamed and rolled across the dirt in agony.
But soon, a strange black mist began to seep out of his body, wrapping around the flames and swallowing them whole.
Only then, drenched in sweat, did Blackbeard recover.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit, huh…"
Watching this, Whiteflame narrowed his eyes.
Those who ate the Dark-Dark Fruit turned their bodies into something like a black hole. They couldn't become intangible like other Logias, and they felt pain twice as strongly as normal—
But they could absorb anything: attacks, matter, even abilities.
And once absorbed, they could crush it all to nothing.
"Hm?"
Ace, who knew nothing about the Dark-Dark Fruit, noticed this strange phenomenon and frowned.
"Zehahahaha… Ace, I know you came here to kill me. After all, killing a crewmate is a grave crime on any ship."
"But what could I do? That damn Thatch got his hands on the Devil Fruit I've been dreaming of for years!"
"… … …"
"Ace, you know the rules," Teach went on. "On a pirate ship, whoever finds the fruit has the right to keep it. I've waited over twenty years for this one—twenty years!"
"Just when I'd finally given up hope… the fruit I'd been chasing all this time suddenly appeared right in front of me!"
"I had no choice, Ace… You don't understand how intoxicating it is to feel like you've been reborn."
Blackbeard gave a twisted smile.
"That's your excuse for killing Thatch?" Ace's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"Ace, you still don't know just how amazing this Devil Fruit really is, do you?"
"Once you've seen its true power… you'll understand why I did what I did."
"Ace… your body is made of fire, right?"
"Well, too bad for you…"
"I AM DARKNESS!"
Blackbeard roared with laughter as an enormous tide of black mist burst from his body.
"Darkness…?"
Ace's brows knit together. His instincts screamed danger.
"That's right, Ace—at your current level, you can't kill me."
"This is the most evil Devil Fruit in history…"
"Its true power… is way beyond anything you can imagine."
"Now—let me show you what it can do."
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