Fire Fist Ace!
Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
Older brother of the future Pirate King, Luffy!
After his shock, Taro was so moved he wanted to cry. He had actually met this man—passionate as fire yet plagued by an ill-fated destiny—just like that.
Hina also recognized Ace, and she cried out in surprise, "Fire Fist Ace!"
Ace paused for a moment, pushed up his cowboy hat with his index finger, and revealed a smile. "You know me? Hahaha, I didn't realize I was already this famous!"
Colonel Hina stepped forward and shouted, "I am from Marineford..."
A line of black appeared on Taro's forehead as he hurriedly grabbed Hina's arm. He flashed a smile at Ace first before turning back to Hina. "Calm down, don't fight yet!"
"You're Marines?" Ace's gaze froze, and then he turned around and fled like the wind.
Hina broke free from Taro's grip and gave chase.
Taro opened his mouth, dazed for a second before following after them.
The three of them chased each other across several blocks until Ace finally stopped at the end of a street.
"Marine, I'm just looking for someone. Why do you keep chasing me?" Ace said with a relaxed expression to Colonel Hina as she caught up, one hand holding down his hat.
"I am a Marine, and you are a pirate. I'm going to arrest you right now..."
older sister figure, you can't beat him!
Taro felt like crying but had no tears. "Wait, listen to me!"
"Fight outside, let's take this outside. Don't fight in the city. These civilians are innocent. If you destroy their houses, are you going to pay for them?"
Ace looked at Taro and chuckled, saying nothing.
Hina, meanwhile, kept her eyes fixed on Ace and ignored him.
Taro rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. "Since no one's talking, I'll take that as agreement."
"Go, go, everyone move."
Seeing that neither of them was moving, Taro waved at Ace and gave Hina a gentle nudge, signaling for them to hurry up.
The hot desert wind occasionally kicked up clouds of yellow sand. Looking at the two facing off, Taro's throat felt a bit dry.
"I say, can we just not fight for a moment?"
"Hina feels very guilty for ruining your fun by not being able to continue our outing," Hina said, giving Taro an apologetic look before glaring back at Ace. "But this pirate, I must arrest him!"
"Hey, Marine, you've got a big mouth. Come on, give it a shot! Hehe!"
Ace tilted his head back and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth as sparks of fire began to ignite on his body.
Hina said no more and lunged forward. Ace also threw a punch to meet her.
Taro's lips twitched as he watched the two exchange several blows in an instant.
Whatever, fight if you want to.
After exchanging blows for a while and creating distance again, Hina raised her arms and shouted softly, "Kimono Feather Cage."
Her arms instantly transformed into two iron bars, rushing toward Ace from both sides. They connected behind him and quickly closed in, attempting to trap him.
Ace leaped high into the air from where he stood. "Fire Fist!" His arm turned into a massive ball of fire, and with a punch, the flame shot out, hurtling toward Hina at incredible speed.
[Kimono Feather Cage learned successfully]
[Fire Fist learned successfully]
Hina's attack missed, and Ace's counterattack was already upon her. She only had time to retreat a few steps before the massive fireball struck the ground where she had been standing. The powerful impact instantly sent Hina flying.
Reacting to the System notification, Taro quickly ran a few steps and jumped high. "Moonwalk!"
Treading on the air for a few steps, he caught Hina and landed back on the ground.
Hina's robe was now riddled with holes, some still smoldering. The veil on her hat had turned to ash, revealing a face similarly blackened by smoke.
"That's it? Doesn't seem like much!" Ace grinned after landing.
Taro looked at the unconscious Hina in his arms and breathed a sigh of relief. She had only fainted; it was fine.
Now he could finally have a proper talk with Ace.
He gently set Hina down, stood up, and took a few steps toward Ace.
"Ace, my name is Taro. I want to talk to you!"
"Talk? Talk about what?" Ace paused, puzzled.
"I know you're hunting someone. Listen to my advice: that guy ate the Dark-Dark Fruit, and his abilities are very strange. You..."
"You've seen him?" Flames suddenly erupted from Ace's body.
"Ah, no, I haven't seen him yet!" Taro shook his head. "But that's not the point. Listen to me, that guy is very powerful, and..."
"Are you trying to say I can't beat him?" Ace shouted, interrupting Taro. "How dare you look down on me!"
"Enjomon!"
The flames on Ace's body instantly spread, forming a massive wall of fire that isolated the two within its perimeter.
Holy crap, did I say the wrong thing?
Taro's pupils contracted sharply. Just as he was wondering how to salvage the situation, he heard Ace roar again:
"Fire Fist!"
Ace threw a Fire Fist with his right arm.
"Fire Fist!"
Taro also gave a soft cry, clenching his right fist as the Internal Energy of the Minor Formless Skill surged wildly. A ball of fire also rose from his right arm; however, this flame was somewhat blurred and its color was closer to a bluish-white, looking more like some kind of cyclone.
The equally massive cyclone of white pyrotechnics collided with Ace's flames, exploding with a loud "Boom."
"Impossible!" Ace cried out in shock. "Who exactly are you?!"
"Sigh, I told you, my name is Taro," Taro sighed.
"How can you..."
"This is my ability; I can't say much more than that," Taro said, shaking his head at Ace. "Just know that I mean you no harm. Put away the wall of fire!"
"Now, can we have a proper talk?"
Ace's expression shifted uncertainly. He withdrew his ability and asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
"About Blackbeard, the one you're hunting," Taro said solemnly. "I know what he's done, but..."
"But he has already eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit," Taro hesitated. "He has the power to devour everything, so I hope you can give up on catch—"
"You bastard, that's impossible!" Ace shouted, his flames rising again in extreme anger. "I must bring him back!"
"Uh, sigh," Taro sighed again with a self-deprecating smile. "I knew all along it would be nearly impossible to persuade you to give up, but I still wanted to try."
He stared at Ace for a while longer. "In that case, I hope that when you face him, you absolutely do not let your guard down."
"Luffy should be arriving in a few days; you could wait and see!"
After saying that, he turned and walked to Hina's side, picking her up and preparing to leave. After a few steps, as if remembering something, Taro suddenly turned back and shouted to Ace in the distance:
"Also, don't just light cigarettes for anyone, especially guys with blonde hair!"
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