The instant Isuka lunged, the air on the deck crackled with tension. Her attack was a blur of silver, fast and brutally direct. Instinct took over Ace; despite already beginning to transform, his body dodged reflexively, the razor-sharp edge of her blade passing harmlessly through the space where his shoulder had been a millisecond before, the metal hissing as it cut through his dissipating flames.
The duel had begun.
Seeing their captain engaged, several crew members surged forward, weapons drawn, ready to support him. But they stopped just as quickly, forming a hesitant circle around the combatants. The gap in skill was too vast to bridge. Getting involved would be suicide.
The deck had become a deadly stage. Isuka was a whirlwind of motion, her blade weaving an intricate, lethal dance. Sword light flashed from every angle, creating a shimmering barrier of steel around her that seemed impossible to penetrate.
Opposite her, Ace was a living inferno, flames coiling around his limbs and torso. The heat radiating from him was so intense that it warped the air, making the world around him tremble. The crew kept their distance, keenly aware that getting too close meant risking being skewered like a pincushion or incinerated into ash.
This was with Ace actively holding back. He knew a single unrestrained attack, a true "Fire Fist," would not only obliterate his opponent but also take a chunk of his own ship with it. For now, he was content to evade and parry, using small bursts of flame to deflect the flat of her blade, testing the limits of this determined Marine.
"Jerry, are you going to help or just stand there?" Deuce yelled, his voice tight with anxiety. He glanced over at the ship's advisor, who was, to his utter disbelief, still calmly stroking Kotatsu's head.
"Relax, Deuce," Jerry said, not taking his eyes off the fight. "The 'Nailhand' can't land a single hit on Ace. He's got this." He paused, popping a slice of watermelon he'd procured from the party supplies into his mouth. "Instead of worrying about our captain, you should be worrying about what's around us."
As he spoke, Jerry's gaze flickered towards the ominous Marine fleet still emerging from the fog. He knew something was off. A mere Lieutenant like Isuka, no matter how skilled, wouldn't typically have the authority to command an entire fleet. That meant a higher-ranking officer, at least a Commodore, had to be hiding on one of those warships, waiting for the right moment.
Deuce's eyes widened as Jerry's words sunk in. He processed the tactical situation with a navigator's sharp mind. A lone, skilled fighter charging headfirst onto an enemy pirate ship before her main force was in position… It wasn't bravery; it was a feint. A classic military diversion designed to draw all their attention to a single point while the real trap closed in.
His head snapped around, scanning the misty sea. Sure enough, his worst fears were confirmed. Two warships had broken from the main formation, gliding silently through the fog to flank them. They were creating a pincer, preparing to cut off their escape.
"They're boxing us in!" Deuce roared, his voice galvanizing the crew. "All hands, full speed ahead! Wallace, make for the reef field, now!"
The crew scrambled, the urgency of the command clear. They had almost been caught watching the show. Thankfully, Jerry's timely warning had shaken them from their stupor, and the treacherous reefs were not far off.
Back on the deck, the fight raged on. "Fire Fist! Stop this pointless resistance and surrender!" Isuka yelled, her voice never wavering even as she unleashed a furious volley of thrusts. The cold light of her sword flashed relentlessly.
"Surrender?" Ace laughed, ducking under a wide slash and letting the blade singe the tips of his hair. "You've still got a long way to go!" He effortlessly weaved through the storm of steel, a cocky grin plastered on his face.
Isuka grit her teeth. The pressure of fighting a Logia user was immense; every attack felt like striking smoke. But she was silently counting, calculating the timing. Her role as the diversion had to be nearing its end. By now, the fleet should have them surrounded. She just needed to hold him here a moment longer…
Suddenly, her focus was shattered by a tremendous roar from the port side.
Jerry had seen one of the flanking warships closing in too quickly. He knew The Piece of Spadille, for all its heart, couldn't outrun a dedicated Marine ship on open water. Acting decisively, he vaulted over the railing and into the sea.
Disappearing beneath the waves, he gathered the ocean's power. "Fish-Man Jujutsu: Heart of Water—Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"
The sea beside the approaching warship began to bulge upwards. In the blink of an eye, a colossal pillar of water, condensed and powerful, erupted from the depths. It slammed into the warship's hull with the force of a battering ram.
CRUUUNCH!
The sound of splintering wood and twisted metal was followed by a symphony of panicked screams from the Marine ship as it was violently thrown sideways, its pursuit instantly halted. Simultaneously, a similar crash echoed from the starboard side.
The other flanking ship, moving too eagerly to complete the encirclement, had failed to spot the jagged rocks hidden by the churning water. Its hull scraped against a reef with a sickening groan, tearing a massive gash below the waterline. Seawater poured in, and the ship began to list heavily, its crew and supplies tumbling into the treacherous waves.
"We made it!" Deuce breathed a sigh of relief, watching the two crippled warships fall behind. "They were so focused on the trap they forgot to watch where they were going." He expertly guided the crew as they navigated The Piece of Spadille deeper into the reef-strewn waters, where the larger Marine ships couldn't follow.
Seeing her fleet's pincer movement fail so spectacularly, Isuka's attack faltered. She disengaged, leaping backward and putting distance between herself and Ace.
"Hey! Giving up so soon?" Ace called out, extinguishing the flames on his shoulders. He made no move to pursue her.
"Stupid pirate!" she shot back, her face a mask of fury and concern. "Who's running away? I'm going to save my men!"
Without another word, she turned and dove headfirst off the ship into the chaotic sea below.
Jerry quietly hoisted himself back onto the deck, dripping wet, just in time to see Isuka's selfless act. "Now that's something you don't see every day," he murmured, a note of genuine praise in his voice.
The other crew members, their immediate duties done, gathered at the rail to watch the spectacle. Isuka was a powerful swimmer, cutting through the waves towards the sailors from the sinking ship. Along the way, she gathered any floating planks or barrels she could find, pushing them toward her drowning subordinates.
She was a one-woman rescue operation, but the sea was unforgiving. The currents within the reef field were strong and unpredictable, creating small, vicious whirlpools. Exhausted from her fight with Ace, her strength began to wane.
Having given every piece of floating debris to her soldiers, she had nothing left for herself. Time and again, a large wave would crash over her, pulling her under. Each time, she fought her way back to the surface, gasping for air, a little weaker than before. Her limit was approaching.
Ace watched her struggle, his usual grin gone, replaced by a thoughtful intensity. Without a word, he unhooked a lifebuoy from the ship's railing and, with a powerful flick of his wrist, hurled it through the air. It landed in the water right beside her.
As another wave threatened to submerge her, Isuka's hand instinctively closed around the life-saving ring. She clung to it, staring at the unexpected salvation with complicated eyes before her gaze found the pirate ship slowly sailing away.
"Why!?" she screamed across the water, her voice raw. "Why would you save me!?"
Ace just gave a slight smile, turned his back, and walked away, a picture of roguish indifference.
"Fire Fist!" Isuka yelled after his retreating form, her voice filled with a new fire. "Don't you dare think this changes anything! The next time we meet, I swear I will capture you!"
Her defiant promise faded as The Piece of Spadille disappeared into the mist.
"That lieutenant… she's a good person," Jerry commented, leaning against the railing.
"Yeah, she really is," Ace agreed, rejoining him. "Leading from the front in battle, and putting her crew's lives before her own. You have to respect that."
Deuce sighed, the stress of the encounter finally catching up to him. "It's almost a shame. Being hunted by a Marine that dedicated is going to be a real pain in the neck."
"Still a thousand times better than being hunted by some giant, bearded man who claims he loves you, right?" Jerry quipped with a wicked grin.
Ace visibly shuddered at the memory of their more unsavory pursuers. "Ugh, don't even joke about that. The Flame-Flame Fruit can't burn away that mental image." He shook his head, then clapped his hands together, his boisterous energy returning. "Alright, enough of that! Where were we? The party continues!"
"OHHH! PARTY!" the crew roared in unison.
The festive atmosphere returned in an instant, now fueled by a fresh new story to tell. Jerry, however, remained by the rail for a moment longer, watching the fog that had swallowed the Marine fleet. The high-ranking officer in charge had never shown their face. It felt less like a planned ambush and more like a chance encounter they'd tried to capitalize on.
"Forget it," he said to himself, turning away from the mystery. He spotted Kotatsu looking up at him expectantly. "Come on, buddy. Let's go find you some meat. I'll grill it up extra spicy, just how you like it."