The Grand Line was never a peaceful place, but today, a certain desolate island was the epicenter of a localized disaster. On this barren, rocky terrain, two powerful auras clashed with enough force to shake the very foundations of the earth.
"Fire Fist!"
Portgas D. Ace let out an angry roar as he unleashed his signature move. A massive, swirling pillar of flame surged forward, hurtling toward the burly figure standing at the island's center. The heat was intense enough to melt steel, yet the target didn't even flinch.
The hulking man merely snorted in disdain. With a flick of his wrist, he swung a massive spiked meteor hammer in a wide arc.
"Bang!"
The heavy iron collided with the flames, resulting in a dull, echoing roar. The fire fist, which would have incinerated a lesser pirate, was shattered into a sky full of flickering sparks. The strong winds of the Grand Line quickly scattered the remnants of the attack, leaving Ace staring at a man who barely seemed winded.
"Is that all you've got, you Marine brat?" the giant mocked.
Standing over five meters tall, the man was a terrifying sight. He wore a loose, black leather coat that billowed in the heat, and a ferocious mask hid his features. In one hand, he dragged a massive scythe that left deep grooves in the rock; in the other, he effortlessly spun his deadly meteor hammer.
This was Ace's target: the man known as the "King of Lizards," Hanevza. Once a member of the Beasts Pirates under the Emperor Kaido, Hanevza was a notorious user of an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit: the Tyrannosaurus Rex model.+1
Hanevza's cold gaze swept over the surrounding area, eventually locking onto Ace. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and carried a metallic, grinding quality that sent shivers down the spines of the nearby crew.
"The Mera Mera no Mi... that's a power I'll be taking for myself," Hanevza declared.
Before the last word left his lips, he moved with a speed that defied his massive size. He blurred across the rocky ground, his huge scythe cutting through the air with a sharp whistle as it aimed directly for Ace's neck.
"Captain, look out!" one of the crew members screamed.
Ace's pupils constricted, but he didn't move. The blade passed harmlessly through his neck, which had transformed into flickering orange flames. As a Logia user, physical strikes without Haki were useless against him.
"Hmph," Hanevza snorted, pulling back his weapon. "Don't think you're invincible just because you ate a Logia, brat. In the New World, naive kids who only rely on their Devil Fruits are the first ones to die. Men like Kaido could knock out a hundred people like you with a single swing!".
Without warning, Hanevza pivoted and sent his meteor hammer whistling toward the members of the Spade Pirates who were watching from a distance.
"You bastard!" Ace roared.
His body instantly solidified as he leapt into the path of the weapon. He unleashed another Fire Fist, the impact creating a massive explosion. The resulting heatwave and shockwave were so intense they shattered the surrounding reefs into dust.
"Everyone, get back! Fall back now!" Ace yelled over his shoulder. "This guy is mine to handle!"
"But Captain!" Deuce shouted, hesitating.
"That's an order! Go!" Ace commanded.
Deuce and the others gritted their teeth. They knew Ace was right. In a battle between world-class powers, their intervention would only make them a burden to their captain. They quickly retreated toward the periphery, looking for any small opening to assist without getting caught in the crossfire.
"Oh? You've got a bit of a backbone, I'll give you that," Hanevza said, retracting his hammer. He looked at Ace with a new sense of interest. "State your name, brat. I don't make a habit of killing nobodies."
"I'm the Captain of the Spade Pirates, Portgas D. Ace!"
"Ace... is it?" Hanevza muttered the name to himself before letting out a low, dark laugh. "Interesting. You should remember my name too. I am Hanevza!"
Ace's eyes turned cold as he took a combat stance. "That's perfect. I was planning on hunting you down anyway. I appreciate you delivering yourself right to me."
"Arrogant brat!" Hanevza barked.
He stopped talking and launched into a frantic assault. He swung his scythe and meteor hammer simultaneously, stirring up a gale-force wind that whipped around the battlefield. Ace held his ground. Having been raised under the "Fist of Love" from his grandfather, Garp, and receiving tips from the mysterious Kyle, Ace's combat prowess was far beyond any typical rookie.+1
For several minutes, the beach became a chaotic blur of flames and steel. Ace fired off "Fire Gun" shots like a marksman and used "Cross Fire" to keep his opponent at bay. His moves were wide, open, and filled with explosive power.
However, Hanevza was a veteran of the Grand Line. He had spent years hunting Devil Fruit users and surviving the most brutal environments imaginable. His movements were ruthless and efficient, always finding the tiny gaps in Ace's flashy attacks to land a counter.
Soon, Ace was covered in several shallow wounds. They weren't fatal, but the stinging pain reminded him that he was fighting a "Grand Line Notable" who knew how to draw blood.
"Hahaha! Your flames aren't hot enough yet, boy!" Hanevza laughed wildly, his offensive growing even more violent.
Ace took a deep breath, his lungs burning from the soot and heat. He knew he couldn't let this drag into a war of attrition. He needed to change the pace.
"Divine Fire: Ignis Fatuus!" Ace cried out.
He swung his arms, launching two long, spear-like bolts of fire toward Hanevza's flanks. The giant pirate easily swatted them away with his weapons, but the spears were merely a distraction. Ace had already vanished from his original spot.
"Firefly: Hidaruma!"
Suddenly, dozens of small, glowing green fireballs appeared out of thin air. They floated like will-o'-the-wisps, surrounding Hanevza before surging inward from every direction.
"Petty tricks won't save you!" Hanevza roared.
His muscles began to bulge and ripple, tearing through his black leather coat. His skin hardened into thick, prehistoric scales, and a massive, muscular tail burst from his spine. His face elongated, his teeth sharpened into serrated daggers, and his head transformed into the terrifying skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
In an instant, a prehistoric monster tens of meters tall stood where the man had been. The sheer pressure of his presence made the air feel heavy.
"Roar—!"
The T-Rex opened its massive maw and let out a deafening sound. The vibration was so powerful it turned into a physical shockwave, blowing away Ace's green fireballs before they could even make contact.
"This... what is this power?"
The Spade Pirates in the distance felt as if the air had been sucked out of their lungs. Even Ace felt his blood turn cold for a moment. This was the true terror of an Ancient Zoan—a force of nature from a forgotten age.
Hanevza, now fully transformed, fixed his reptilian eyes on Ace. He opened his mouth again, but this time, a glowing light began to gather deep in his throat.
"Tyrant's Breath!"
A beam of pure, destructive energy erupted from his jaws. As it tore across the island, the very reefs it touched were instantly melted into glass. Ace's eyes widened, and he barely had time to react.
"Mirror Flame!" Ace yelled, thrusting his hands forward to create a thick wall of fire.
The energy beam slammed into the fire wall. For a few agonizing seconds, the two forces struggled in a stalemate. Then, with a violent crack, the fire wall shattered. The force of the explosion sent Ace flying backward. He tumbled across the jagged rocks, rolling a dozen times before coming to a stop.
"Cough... cough..." Ace spat out blood, his chest heaving. His internal organs felt like they had been put through a grinder.
So this was the strength of a high-ranking executive who served under an Emperor. The gap in raw power was staggering.
"It's over, brat," the massive T-Rex said, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground as he approached. His giant shadow loomed over Ace like a shroud.
Ace struggled to his feet, his legs shaking, but his eyes were still burning with defiance. As he looked up at the prehistoric beast, a small, confident smile played on his lips.
"It's not over yet..." Ace whispered. "I only showed you my weakness so I could find yours."
He slowly raised his right hand. All the flames scattered across the battlefield began to flicker and fly toward him, gathering around his palm in a swirling vortex.
"Do you really think my flames are only this strong?"
A small, concentrated sun began to rise above his hand. It emitted a heart-pounding heat that caused the very air to distort and ripple. Even in his armored dinosaur form, Hanevza felt a cold prickle of fear.
"This is..." Hanevza's pupils narrowed into tiny slits.
"Take this! This is everything I've got!" Ace screamed, putting every ounce of his will into the attack. He thrust his arm forward, launching the miniature star.
"Great Flame Commandment—"
"—Flame Emperor!!!"
The giant fireball descended like a falling sun, carrying enough heat to incinerate the entire island. It slammed into the Tyrannosaurus Rex with the weight of a mountain.
Hanevza let out one last, earth-shattering roar, trying to meet the blow with his own breath, but he had underestimated the "World-Class" power of Ace's ultimate move. The moment the sun touched him, his hardened scales turned a bright, glowing crimson. A split second later, the island disappeared in a world-ending explosion of light and heat.
Boom—!!!
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