Under everyone's eager gazes, a cluster of pale flames danced on Ace's fingertip. The flames appeared cold, yet they instantly evaporated the spilled wine around them.
"It's not an Awakening..." He gently extinguished the flames, "But I've definitely touched the threshold of one."
Simultaneously, his eyes also turned pale white, a starry sky seeming to swirl within his pupils. "Actually, you could call it... a profound development of the Devil Fruit's abilities."
Whitebeard suddenly tapped the deck with his sake bowl: "Gurararara! Be more specific!"
Ace helplessly spread his hands, the pale flames spreading like wings: "The temperature of ordinary flames is closely tied to the burning material. Usually, the temperature of my Mera Mera no Mi flames is quite low, only around 200 degrees..."
"While burning certain chemicals or other substances can reach thousands of degrees, I don't inherently possess that ability, so the Mera Mera no Mi's temperature has never been able to increase."
Everyone nodded, and Marco also spoke up: "I've looked into it before. Ace's flames are just ordinary fire, with a temperature at most equivalent to burning coal."
Ace nodded as well, then the flames in his hand suddenly turned incandescent white, "But after this deep development of my Devil Fruit ability, hehe... now the flames can stably reach 3000 degrees!"
Marco abruptly took half a step back: "3000 degrees?!!! That's twice as hot as Akainu's magma!"
"And that's not all..." Ace flicked his finger, the flames transforming into fish swimming through the air, "I can also precisely control the combustion range."
The pale white little fish suddenly darted into a wine barrel; the wine inside instantly vaporized, yet the wooden barrel remained completely intact!
Jozu tested the barrel with his diamond finger, gasping: "Not even a scorch mark!"
"So it's not an Awakening..." Ace retracted the flames, his white hair gradually returning to black, "I've just found a new way to utilize the Mera Mera no Mi."
Marco suddenly had a flash of inspiration, a brilliant blue phoenix flame igniting in his palm, swirling around his fingertips like a dancing spirit.
"Let's try burning two types of flames together," he said in a deep voice, "The Phoenix Flame possesses the property of eternal regeneration; theoretically, it cannot be completely extinguished."
Ace nodded, and a pale white flame shot up from his fingertip. The flame looked cold, yet it caused the surrounding air to distort.
The two clusters of flames slowly approached each other, and the moment they touched, a suffocating energy fluctuation erupted!
Hiss—!
Like cold water splashed into boiling oil, a sharp sizzling sound suddenly filled the air.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, the pale flames actually began gnawing at the phoenix flames like a ravenous beast!
The brilliant blue flames regenerated frantically, but they simply couldn't keep up with the speed of being consumed. Each rebirth was torn apart and devoured even more fiercely!
"This is impossible!" Marco exclaimed, a rare loss of composure.
He tried to increase the flame output, but the phoenix flames were instead enveloped by the pale flames. Those supposedly eternal, indestructible blue flames now trembled violently as if they had encountered their natural predator!
Jozu's eyes widened: "It even burned Marco's regenerative flames..."
Vista's twin swords clattered to the deck: "This defies reason! There should be limits to Devil Fruit ability clashes!"
Most unsettling was that the phoenix flames, after being scorched by the pale flames, completely lost their regenerative properties!
The remaining blue flames gradually died out like ordinary fire, never regaining their former eternal glow.
Whitebeard suddenly stood up, setting his sake bowl aside, a serious glint flashing in his eyes: "Gurararara! To be able to suppress even Marco's regenerative properties... this is no ordinary flame."
Ace quickly retracted the pale flames, looking somewhat bewildered at his palm: "I didn't know it would be like this..." He glanced at the dim flames in Marco's hand, "I'm sorry, Marco..."
Marco, however, suddenly burst out laughing. Though the rekindled phoenix flames were weak, they flickered tenaciously:
"Sorry for what?! This is a major discovery!"
He excitedly grabbed Ace's shoulder, "Flames that can burn away the properties of the Phoenix Flame... just what kind of monstrous ability have you developed, kid?"
"Heh, it's nothing much."
....
Mary Geoise,
Pangaea Castle, in the Chamber of Authority, five figures observed the final image transmitted by the Visual Den Den Mushi in the candlelight.
When Ace's pale flames vaporized Teach, the red tea in Saint Saturn's hand rippled slightly.
"Warlord, Fire Fist Ace..." Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's fingertip traced the name on the battle report, "Now the 'Flame Emperor'... such flames have never appeared in the historical records."
"Though the white form is somewhat familiar....."
Saint Topman Warcury slowly unrolled a government decree: "Issue an order under his Warlord identity: recall him immediately to cooperate with Dr. Vegapunk's research."
The World Government emblem on the parchment gleamed coldly in the candlelight, "His ability must be analyzed and controlled."
When the order reached Marineford via encrypted Den Den Mushi, Sengoku was lost in thought by the window. The Den Den Mushi mimicked Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's cold tone: "Have him report to Egghead Island within three days."
Sengoku frowned deeply, his gaze falling on the yet-to-be-cleared battlefield ruins outside the window, his voice steady as ever: "I regret to inform you that Ace is currently pursuing the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"We are currently unable to establish contact."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, then another, older voice suddenly came through: "Sengoku... you had best not be shielding him."
A sharp glint flashed in Sengoku's eyes: "The Five Eldiors jest." He picked up an empty senbei bag, looking at it, "We have also dispatched forces in pursuit. Would you like to review the pursuit log?"
"This is a notification, not a negotiation."
The encrypted Den Den Mushi was abruptly cut off, a faint cold snort the last sound.
Vice Admiral Tsuru silently handed over a fabricated navigation log. Sengoku looked at the words "target lost" on the report and suddenly chuckled: "That kid is probably feasting with Whitebeard right now."
"Are you really going to protect Ace?" Tsuru asked softly.
"That boy has immense talent. If he could truly join the Marines, he would be a tremendous asset!" Sengoku looked in the direction Ace had disappeared, "Although the hope is slim... what if?"
Tsuru: ".....As you wish, but don't get your hopes up."
Garp sat beside the Fleet Admiral's office, munching on senbei, his fingers unconsciously crushing the bag, producing soft crunching sounds.
He stared at Sengoku, his brows beneath the dog-hat brim knitted into a tight knot.
That brat is Roger's bloodline... how could he ever truly become a Marine?
Senbei crumbs rustled down from between his fingers, but he had promised... the grudges of the previous generation shouldn't extend to the next...
Watching Sengoku and Tsuru converse, Garp's Adam's apple bobbed, almost feeling the secret burning in his throat. He wasn't the kind of person who could keep secrets well!
If anyone asked, he'd probably blurt it out immediately.
That damn brat, making an old man like me keep your secret!
....
The journey continues right now for our Jade Dragons! 🐉
For just $6/month, you can step into the advanced chapters and never face a cliffhanger again. Gain instant access to 50+ chapters immediately, support the story you love, and help decide its course.
🔗 Become a Jade Dragon:https://patreon.com/J_Dragon