The entire battlefield of Marineford had transformed into a massive whirlpool of chaos, sucking everyone into its swirling vortex of violence and desperation.
The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder, blood, and scorched earth, a constant symphony of cannon fire, clashing steel, and the screams of the dying.
On the Navy's side, a line of formidable Vice Admirals fought with everything they had, forming a bulwark against the pirate tide.
Onigumo, his multiple arms wielding blades in a deadly dance and the giant Lonz, among others, gave their all for the sake of justice.
Opposing them, the Whitebeard Pirates were a force of nature, with commanders like "Fire Fist" Ace leaving trails of fire and devastation in their wake.
As a Marine Rear Admiral charged him, Ace met him with a furious roar.
"Fire Fist!" he yelled, unleashing a scorching flame punch with all his might.
The blow connected with devastating force, sending the officer flying backward like a discarded ragdoll, his armor smoking and melted.
As he turned, his fiery gaze sweeping the battlefield, Ace noticed a group of unfamiliar faces causing a different kind of chaos not far away.
They were fighting erratically, sometimes against the Marines, sometimes against each other—the up-and-coming pirates of the new generation, who had recently clawed their way to fame.
Seeing this, Ace couldn't help but frown, his heart filled with doubt and wariness.
Marco landed beside him.
"Marco," Ace asked, his voice low and serious, "Are those people here to help us?"
"Impossible," Marco shook his head, his tone firm and dismissive.
"Those guys are the new generation of Supernovas. Each and every one of them is a first-class troublemaker who thinks the world revolves around them. Why would they ever do something as boring as helping others? Getting them to lend a hand? That's laughable."
Clearly, Marco knew their type well.
"Then why are they here?" Ace asked, watching as Eustass Kid used his magnetic powers to form a giant arm of scrap metal, smashing it down indiscriminately.
"What else besides proving themselves?" Marco analyzed, his eyes narrowed.
"They see a war between an Emperor and the Marines, and they think it's a party they can crash. In any case, if it's something that'll give the Navy a massive headache, you can bet these guys will jump at the chance. Just don't count on them as allies."
After hearing Marco's words, Ace let out a sigh.
"What a crazy bunch."
Just then, a massive shadow fell over them.
A cold glint flashed through the air as an axe, easily over ten meters long and impossibly wide, descended from above, aiming to split them both in two.
The sheer weight and speed of the attack seemed to freeze the very air around them.
But Ace, his senses honed by countless battles, reacted with astonishing speed.
The moment the axe began its descent, he sensed the killing intent and threw himself to the side.
Marco, with the grace of his Phoenix form, flew clear almost simultaneously, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.
CRASH!
The enormous axe slammed into the ground where they had just been standing, shattering the stone plaza and sending a spiderweb of cracks racing outwards.
"What a shame," a deep, rumbling voice echoed. "I didn't manage to split you in half with one swing."
Vice Admiral Lonz, the giant, lifted his enormous axe from the crater it had created with a hint of genuine regret in his voice.
His towering, muscular frame made the already massive weapon in his hands all the more terrifying.
His eyes, however, brimmed with a cold confidence, as if he had already foreseen his impending victory.
Marco glanced at the colossal man and shook his head, seemingly unimpressed.
"Ace, I'll leave this big guy to you. I'm going to help the others push the line back."
After saying this, he turned, his body erupting in blue flames, and shot off to support the battles raging elsewhere.
"Don't worry," Ace nodded firmly, his knuckles already starting to smoke.
"Leave it to me."
He turned his full attention to Lonz, his entire body radiating an intense fighting spirit that manifested as a visible heat haze.
"Pirates like you," Lonz boomed, his voice dripping with contempt, "I've lost count of how many I've personally cut down for the sake of justice!"
He raised his massive axe once more, but this time, Ace had no intention of letting him set the pace.
In a flash, Ace shot forward, his feet propelled by jets of flame.
He leaped into the air with the agility of a panther, and in an instant, his entire right arm was coated in the glossy, black sheen of Armament Haki, making his already powerful fist even more indestructible.
He soared high, tracing a graceful, fiery arc in the air before driving his fist straight down toward Lonz's forehead.
The giant Vice Admiral was wearing a helmet of reinforced steel, a brutal piece of metal that covered his entire face, leaving only slits for his eyes.
"Fire Fist Ace," Ronz began to taunt, "this helmet of mine is made of a special alloy, its hardness is second only to Sea Sto—"
He never got to finish his boast.
Ace's fist slammed heavily into the steel helmet with a deafening CLANG that echoed across the plaza.
The force of the blow was so violent it created a visible shockwave in the air.
Lonz felt an immense impact surge through his head and for the first time, the giant was sent staggering backward, the ground beneath his feet cracking into a deep fissure from the force.
"Is that all?" Ronz grunted, steadying himself.
He sneered, though the slight ringing in his ears told a different story.
Ace landed lightly, ignoring the taunt.
His thoughts involuntarily drifted to what Pops had once taught him, long nights on the Moby Dick, discussing the true nature of Haki.
The technique of controlling it with one's very spirit, guiding it with sheer willpower to bypass an object's surface and destroy it from within—the memory now surfaced vividly in his mind.
Recalling this, he took a deep breath, forcing the adrenaline and excitement to subside into a calm, focused state.
He focused his mind, picturing the Haki flowing not just over his fist, but through it, an invisible spear of force.
He rose again, meeting Lonz's disdainful gaze and without hesitation, launched himself forward, throwing another punch straight at the iron mask.
"Burst!"
With a low roar, Ace's fist, wrapped in an even denser layer of Armament Haki, smashed into Lonz's mask once again.
The clash of Haki-infused fist against reinforced steel was deafening, sending a shiver down the spines of everyone nearby.
Behind the mask, Lonz's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
BOOM!
The impact shook the battlefield.
Ace held his fist against the mask, pouring his will into the attack, silently praying for success.
But reality didn't unfold as he had hoped.
Though the mask now bore a significant, fist-shaped dent, it didn't shatter.
It didn't even crack.
Instead, it remained stubbornly intact, a monument to his failure.
The two stood locked in place for a moment as the air thick with tension.
Gradually, a flicker of deep disappointment crossed Ace's face, while Lonz's lips curled into a triumphant, mocking grin.
"Hahahaha! Fire Fist, is that the best the Second Division Commander can do? That's not how you use Armament Haki, boy."
As he spoke, his own Armament Haki instantly coated his massive axe.
Then, Lonz swung the giant weapon in a wide, horizontal arc, charging toward the still-dazed Ace with overwhelming force.
"Die! Go to hell and learn how to use Haki there!" Lonz's voice was filled with a cold ruthlessness.
Yet, at the critical moment, just as the axe was about to cleave him in two, a sudden, blinding light erupted from Ace's back.
Two magnificent wings, woven from pure, golden flame, burst forth with a silent whoosh.
With a single powerful flap, his body was lifted lightly into the air and he twisted to the side, narrowly dodging Lonz's axe strike at an uncanny angle.
The wind from the passing blade tore at his clothes.
Ace hovered there for a moment, his new fiery wings beating gently with a cold expression on his face.
"Your attack," he said, his voice laced with a newfound disdain.
"Is nothing special."
Hearing such mockery, Vice Admiral Lonz's fury erupted.
"You little insect!" he roared.
Despite his intimidatingly massive frame, his movements were astonishingly swift.
He spun and swung his giant axe once more, this time striking upwards at the airborne Ace with even greater ferocity.
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