As Lina steadily raised the temperature of the flames, sharp crackling sounds began echoing from within the blazing fireball.
"Cicada Shell Shedding, Ame Butterfly!"
A woman's cry burst from inside the inferno.
In the next instant, a massive rupture tore open the flames, and a white figure shot out at high speed.
It was Minako.
However, the elegance and nobility she once carried were gone. Her face was smudged with soot, and her once pristine white robe was torn and charred, barely clinging to her body.
"How terrifying. She actually escaped."
Lina nodded thoughtfully, completely ignoring Minako's furious glare.
"A single layer of flame can raise the temperature instantly, but its defensive capability is lacking. Multiple layers improve defense, yet the heat builds too slowly. I need to find a balance."
She calmly summarized the strengths and weaknesses of her technique as if she were reviewing a recipe, paying no attention to the enemy before her.
Minako's expression twisted with rage.
"A mere ant dares to ignore me!"
"Ame Butterfly, Pollen Gun!"
A white spear materialized in her hand. At the same time, she coated it in Armament Haki, the weapon taking on a dark metallic sheen.
With a sharp thrust, she aimed straight at Lina's glabella.
At that moment, Lina was still tilting her head, deep in contemplation.
Ding.
An imaginary light bulb seemed to flash above her head.
"That is it."
She snapped back to reality just as the Haki infused spear reached her forehead. A faint smile curved her lips, and her figure gradually blurred before vanishing completely.
The spear pierced through empty air.
A sudden searing pain spread across Minako's chest.
She slowly looked down.
A massive hole had appeared in her left chest.
"When did…"
Blood spilled from her lips as her body trembled. Darkness swallowed her vision, and she collapsed.
Lina's figure slowly materialized beside her.
"Rolan was right. There really is invisible flame in this world."
She placed a finger against her cheek, thinking.
"I will call this move Hellfire."
She smiled sweetly.
…
Kura Sakura Pazi looked down at the freckled young man before him, his expression filled with contempt.
"Gold Emperor, Silver Emperor, it makes no difference. Before me, you are nothing but a commoner. Your weakness led to your defeat by Blackbeard Teach, and that defeat dragged everyone into this war. Look around you. How many lives have been lost because of you? How many comrades have died?"
"If it were not for you, they would still be celebrating happily. You are a jinx. Even if you are rescued today, there will be another disaster tomorrow."
"Whitebeard is already dead. You still have comrades. Though they are ants, your bonds appear strong. As long as you live, misfortune will follow them."
"If I were you, I would have ended it myself. How can you still face this world?"
Each word was like a blade, meant to shatter the enemy's will.
Yet the reaction was not what he expected.
Ace simply looked at him calmly.
"Are you finished?"
Kura Sakura Pazi raised a brow, genuinely surprised. Within the God's Knights, he was infamous for dismantling enemies mentally before killing them.
"As expected, ants are empty creatures."
Ace chuckled softly.
"A soulless weapon like you would never understand bonds. Rolan was right. If people like you ruled this world, it would be a disaster for everyone."
"A mere ant dares question the will of gods!"
Laughing wildly, Kura Sakura Pazi's body expanded and twisted into a massive fer de lance.
He was a Zoan user, Snake Snake Fruit, Fer de Lance Form.
He raised his triangular head and opened his jaws wide.
"Poisonous Spray!"
Green venom shot from his enormous fangs toward Ace.
Ace leapt dozens of meters to the side just as the poison struck the ground.
The stone sizzled violently. Walls and earth melted on contact, dissolving into smoking sludge.
A nauseating stench spread across the battlefield.
"What a disgusting ability."
Ace extended his right hand. Golden particles rose from the ground and gathered into his palm, condensing into a heavy golden club.
He studied the massive snake briefly.
"Rolan said to strike a snake at its seven inches. But something this big, where exactly would that be?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Whatever. I will figure it out."
His legs transformed into flowing liquid gold as he slid forward at high speed. Armament Haki coated the golden club in dark sheen.
"Thunderclap Eight Trigrams!"
With a roar, he swung the club downward toward the serpent's head, the force stirring violent winds.
Kura Sakura Pazi had already sensed the attack with Observation Haki. He raised his head, opened his jaws, and sprayed venom in one seamless motion.
Ace foresaw the attack and partially elementalized his body. Two large holes opened in his torso, allowing the venom to pass through harmlessly.
However, the snake immediately followed up.
"Poison Mist Spread!"
Thick green smoke poured from his mouth, instantly shrouding the battlefield.
The toxic mist disrupted Ace's Observation Haki.
Still, Ace did not halt his strike.
The golden club smashed down.
Boom.
The ground shattered, leaving a massive crater.
When the mist gradually dispersed, only a pool of liquid gold and a deep hole remained.
On the opposite side, Kura Sakura Pazi reemerged in his fer de lance form. Beneath his body was another hole in the ground.
At the moment Ace attacked, he had released the poison mist to obscure vision and burrowed underground, avoiding the blow while trapping Ace within the toxin.
"Your poison is much weaker than Magellan's."
The cold voice came from behind him.
Kura Sakura Pazi's pupils shrank.
A sharp pain pierced his heart.
He slowly turned his head.
A massive golden spike had erupted from the ground, impaling his chest.
"So… that is how it is…"
Golden powder rose from the earth, converging into Ace's body.
"So the seven inches refer to the heart. No wonder."
As a Logia user of the Gold Gold Fruit, he was naturally immune to poison. When engulfed by the toxic mist earlier, he had suffered no harm. Instead, his body dissolved into droplets of liquid gold and seeped into the ground.
While underground, he carefully sensed the serpent's position.
Once he located the heart, he condensed the gold into a colossal spike and drove it upward without hesitation.
And at that very moment…
===
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