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Ace lowered his gaze and frowned, deep in thought.
Only he knew what had just transpired.
The golden flame would never be extinguished.
Being frozen was only a temporary state.
When Aokiji stopped focusing on him, the ice would melt, and the flames would free those trapped men.
But there was one exception.
All the frozen pirates felt the chill of the ice against their skin, with their bodies in direct contact. Buggy, though seemingly frozen, had a barely visible barrier around him, creating a nearly imperceptible gap between his body and the ice.
Aokiji hadn't noticed this.
It was Ace who observed closely enough to catch this faint detail.
Chop-Chop Fruit!
Ace thought to himself, his attention drawn even more to Buggy.
Blackbeard had been lurking for years, and when he finally revealed his ambitions, it brought the Whitebeard Pirates to the brink.
What about Buggy?
Hidden for as long as Blackbeard!
A guy who pretends to be weak while being dangerous is the most terrifying!
Despite discovering Buggy's secret, Ace didn't plan to expose it.
Most wouldn't believe him, and it would only invite Buggy's hostility. For the Whitebeard Pirates at this moment, it wasn't worth it.
After all, they were both pirates, and there was still a chance they'd join forces to break through.
Just as Ace suppressed his thoughts, a biting wave of cold air hit him.
Aokiji, furious, attacked with his full strength!
In an instant, dense ice crystals formed around Ace.
The cold seeped into him, making even the unelemental Ace shiver.
But soon, the golden flame began to burn slowly, dispelling the cold within him.
Like a Flame Man, he was elemental.
The sight of the golden flame only further provoked Aokiji.
"I want to see what's so special about your flame!"
Aokiji shouted, waving his arms as a chilling wave spread, encasing the ice crystals. Like a coagulant, it compressed the crystals, forcing the inner space to contract.
He intended to seal Ace entirely!
Within the faint flickers of the golden flame, Ace's form could be seen, completely unfazed.
Crackling~~
A sound like cracking beans rang out.
The golden flame was fully unleashed!
It ignited furiously.
The ice crystals melted rapidly, the cold unable to penetrate at all.
In a flash, Aokiji's attack was neutralized.
Ace's lips curled into a slight smile as golden flames danced like liquid fire across his body.
"It's actually… burning on the ice?!"
Aokiji finally realized what was happening.
He saw the golden flames flickering on the melting ice, stubbornly unextinguished.
He felt a jolt of shock.
The cold was intense!
And the paradox of this flame, burning so easily on ice, told Aokiji that the golden flame could burn on any surface—was it… immortal?
Yes, immortal.
Aokiji recalled the sight of the golden flames burning on magma. From the beginning, Ace had been toying with them, never truly revealing the full extent of the golden flame's power!
Its taint could never be removed!
"Your flame! It won't go out!"
Aokiji shouted.
Akainu looked astonished, seeming to piece it all together, "What the hell did that kid do!"
Not only Akainu was puzzled; almost no one could understand.
Ace was taken captive, and now he'd undergone some kind of transformation.
It was as if he'd evolved—how could such a monster exist?
Was this the blood of the Pirate King?
But Gol D. Roger wasn't this overwhelming!
Ace had defied every scientific principle!
Cold sweat trickled down Sengoku's forehead, "Immortal flame? How could something like that even exist?"
The pirates of the Whitebeard Pirates were all fired up.
No matter how he'd done it, being this powerful was enough for now!
Ace unleashed inextinguishable flames all over his body, the golden flames blazing intensely, like a golden star descending on Marineford.
"Now that everyone knows, there's no need for me to hide it anymore," Ace said, somewhat resigned.
Meanwhile, everywhere the flame spread, everything ignited.
Anything touched by the golden flame continued to burn.
Even objects that shouldn't be flammable wouldn't put out the golden flame!
Aokiji's expression twisted.
Retreating wasn't an option like this.
Wherever the flames spread, it turned into a sea of fire.
At that moment, a crystalline figure surged forward from the side.
"Brilliant Punk!"
Boom.
In the nick of time, Aokiji, fully transformed into elemental ice, was sent flying.
The third division commander, Diamond Jozu, stood there, grinning at Ace.
"Ace, he called me over. You take the others and retreat first."
Despite his simple and honest appearance, Diamond Jozu was sharp.
From Ace's earlier signals, he'd caught onto Ace's plan.
Jozu was capable—and willing—to help everyone escape, so he'd crossed half the battlefield just to get Ace's approval.
"Hm! Be careful!"
Ace nodded firmly.
Between brothers, there was no need for many words; a glance was enough.
Enraged, Aokiji struck again.
An ice spear smashed into Jozu's gleaming form.
Boom.
Jozu flew backward with force.
Though unharmed, the impact's strength was still hard to endure.
Regaining his stance, Jozu shrugged it off and roared defiantly.
An admiral.
So what?