Hearing Ace's words, Jinbe nearly dropped dead on the spot. What a living menace!
The spar with Yamato had already ended—so why stir up more trouble now?
If something were to happen, how was he supposed to explain it to Whitebeard?
Did people think Mr. Leno's reputation as a monster was just for show? If he failed to hold back even a little, Ace would be blown apart—scattered east and west.
"Ace…" Jinbe looked anxious, hoping he wouldn't act on impulse, but the moment he opened his mouth, Ace cut him off.
"Jinbe!" Ace's expression turned solemn as he stared straight at him, his tone filled with resolve.
"If I don't even have the courage to face the peak head-on, then what right do I have to keep sailing the seas?"
"…"
Faced with such a hot-blooded declaration from the young man, Jinbe had countless words stuck in his throat.
All he could do was cast a complicated look toward Leno, silently hoping he would show mercy.
Leno smiled and nodded, then stepped forward. In the blink of an eye, his figure appeared in the center of the plaza.
"Mm, not bad spirit. Come on!"
Ace glanced at the others, then his body transformed into a pillar of blazing flame and shot toward the plaza as well.
"Ace, you can do it~!"
Behind them, Yamato waved her arms excitedly, cheering for this newly made friend.
She had heard Ace's words clearly just now and wholeheartedly agreed with them. As expected of a man she acknowledged!
A real man should fear nothing and charge forward without hesitation!
Everyone's gaze followed them to the field. After Ace landed, the flames around his body didn't extinguish—instead, they burned even more fiercely.
He looked at Leno, a broad grin spreading across his face.
"Mr. Leno, please don't hold back~"
Before the other could reply, Ace raised his right hand. The flames around him began to gather and compress rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, a massive fireball more than ten meters in diameter appeared above Ace's head.
"Flame Emperor!"
The blazing white, scorching fireball—like a miniature sun—sent waves of heat crashing outward. Even Jinbe and the others, standing far away, could feel it clearly.
"Haha, so you've got a move like that? Not bad~"
Seeing the exaggeratedly huge fireball in the distance, Yamato's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected him to still have something hidden.
He hadn't used this when sparring with her earlier.
Kuina, Nojiko, and the others beside her were also impressed. This guy really did have some tricks up his sleeve.
"Will Lord Leno be okay…?"
Shirahoshi lightly bit her finger, murmuring worriedly.
That fireball looked terrifying—she didn't know if Lord Leno could block it.
Beside her, Jinbe glanced up at her with difficulty, forcibly suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. What could possibly happen to that monster?
Back at Marineford, he had held his own even when surrounded by the Admirals!
In the field, Leno looked at the fireball rushing toward him, a mischievous grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He thought to himself, 'Ace, I'm not your old man. I won't play house with you for half a day.'
'What I'll teach you… is a harsh lesson from society!'
Huangquan rose high in his hand—then slashed down violently!
"Just a normal swing~"
Whoosh—
A massive blood-red slash, crescent-shaped, tore straight through the center of the fireball and flew directly toward the still-shocked Ace.
Only when his danger sense flared violently did Ace instinctively cross his arms in front of his chest.
But it was already too late.
His entire body was blasted away by the slash, smashing into a distant coral reef with a thunderous crash.
At that very moment, the huge fireball finally split apart like a sliced watermelon, the flames within detonating violently!
Boom boom boom—
A deafening series of explosions rang out as an enormous mushroom cloud of fire rose from the center of the plaza.
Rings of white shockwaves spread outward, forming a terrifying blast that swept across the surroundings.
Fortunately, Gironcorde Plaza was a basin-shaped area, and most of the shock was blocked by the surrounding coral reefs.
Even so, Shirahoshi and the others standing at the edge of the plaza were buffeted by fierce winds, struggling to keep their eyes open.
Once the aftershocks finally subsided, everyone hurriedly looked back toward the plaza to see how the two were doing.
At that moment, Leno's slightly helpless voice sounded from the side.
"Chopper, hurry over and take a look—don't let this guy die~"
The group turned in surprise, only to see Leno awkwardly standing there, holding the unconscious Ace by the collar.
Chopper rushed over at the call and carefully laid Ace flat on the ground.
"Gah—these injuries are serious!"
After checking his condition, Chopper couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
Ace's mouth was stained with blood, his face deathly pale. His chest and arms were still bleeding.
Especially the deep slash across his chest—it was so severe that white bone was already visible.
While Chopper hurriedly treated the wounds, Nami, Robin, and the others stared at Leno with strange expressions.
Did this guy have some grudge against Ace? It was just a spar, yet he'd struck so heavily!
But earlier they had seemed to be getting along just fine—was there something more going on?
"Hey, don't look at me like that. This really isn't my fault~"
"I didn't even use any strength. It's just that this guy lost focus during the fight and got himself hurt!"
Unable to stand their gazes any longer, Leno explained irritably.
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't even bother explaining.
It was all Ace's fault—his combat awareness was just too terrible!
Seeing his big move get broken, he didn't think about his next action at all—he just stood there in a daze!
Leno had only meant to teach him a small lesson, so he'd understand how cruel the world could be.
Who knew this guy would completely defy expectations and nearly get himself killed!
Who was he supposed to complain to about this?!
After hearing Leno's explanation, everyone exchanged looks, a hint of sympathy entering their gazes as they looked at Ace.
The strength gap was already huge—and then he made a mistake himself. Who could he blame?
Even Jinbe, who had been worried just moments ago, now felt his eyelid twitch.
All that fiery pre-battle bravado, and then… this…
Thankfully, after Chopper's treatment and Kuina's Divine Fire, Ace's breathing finally stabilized.
Once everything was taken care of, everyone looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.
In the end, Shirahoshi spoke up, suggesting that she take everyone on a tour of Fish-Man Island. Only then did everyone snap back to their senses.
Leno recalled that quite a lot had happened around Coral Hill before, so he casually suggested,
"I heard Fish-Man Island has a very famous mermaid café. How about we go check it out first?"
"Hahahaha… that's right, it's definitely worth a visit!"
After arranging for someone to take Ace away, Jinbe was finally in the mood to act as a guide.
Hearing that everyone wanted to go to the café, his eyes subtly swept over the women present, before he cast a meaningful look at Leno.
Leno: ???
…
…