Outside Foosha Village, endless sub-zero frost blanketed young Ace's body. A thread of absolute cold energy guided and circulated through his meridians, gradually soothing and subduing the rampaging current of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi).
It truly lived up to its reputation as the most devastating Logia Devil Fruit; its sheer violent volatility far surpassed other elemental abilities.
The capabilities of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit were extraordinary.
Beyond turning the wielder's body into living electricity to render physical strikes useless, it allowed the user to discharge high-voltage lightning at will, traverse terrain at light-speed velocities, and amplify Observation Haki across vast geographical ranges using electromagnetic waves.
On top of its cataclysmic destructive power, it even granted self-resuscitation and defibrillation capabilities.
Yet such versatile utility was merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to developing the fruit. A Devil Fruit's ultimate ceiling depended entirely on its wielder, which was precisely why Shiraishi had insisted on subjecting Ace to years of grueling academic and theoretical lessons.
On another note, Ace wielding the Rumble-Rumble Fruit while Luffy possessed the Rubber Fruit... made for a truly ironic pair of brothers.
Having used his absolute freeze to temporarily suppress young Ace's surging current, Shiraishi retracted his power.
Looking at the unconscious youth, Shiraishi shook his head: "Ace's physical frame still isn't fully ready to command the raw power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
Hearing that, the adult masked Ace smirked with pride: "That's another version of me you're talking about."
Better than anyone, Ace understood his younger self's sheer willpower and latent potential. He had absolute faith that the boy could master this cataclysmic power.
"His hidden potential still needs further extraction," Shiraishi noted in a measured tone. "Only then will he break through his limits in the future when confronting powerhouses like Blackbeard, becoming an Ace that surpasses even your own expectations."
Shiraishi's words caused Ace to fall silent for a moment: "So... what you're saying is, he has to keep taking those dreadful academic theory lessons?"
"Naturally. The Ace of this world must not grow up to be an illiterate brawler. At the very least, he needs to learn how to fight using his brain."
Shiraishi's sharp jab annoyed Ace, yet he couldn't deny the logic. Those bizarre, unprecedented scientific lectures did seem to drastically deepen one's understanding of elemental mechanics.
"Are you heading to the New World next?"
"Indeed. Kaidou sent out an invitation to me, Whitebeard, and Red-Hair to gather at Fish-Man Island to negotiate the territorial division of our respective spheres of influence in the New World."
Kaidou?
Ace couldn't fathom why a reckless brute like Kaidou would dare invite the other three Emperors to a joint summit.
"Though if you ask me, this summit is just a fancy excuse for him to stage another reckless, suicidal challenge..."
Among all living things across land, sea, and air, Kaidou was feared worldwide as the "Strongest Creature in the World." Renowned for an indestructible body that simply could not die, he stood as an absolute monster of nature.
Kaidou possessed one of the four indispensable Road Poneglyphs required to reach Laugh Tale. His lifelong ambition was to ignite the greatest, most devastating war the world had ever seen.
Planning to amass Devil Fruit users to build an invincible pirate crew capable of trampling the world underfoot, he had previously crushed Gecko Moria in the New World, slaughtering Moria's entire original crew.
Challenging the Marines and the Four Emperors single-handedly on numerous occasions, Kaidou had been captured dozens of times and subjected to over a thousand brutal torture sessions.
Sentenced to death countless times, hanging chains snapped around his neck, guillotine blades shattered against his skin, and executioner spears broke upon impact.
He had sunk up to nine massive prison battleships on his own. No one had ever succeeded in killing him, and even his own repeated suicide attempts had ended in failure.
A madman like that was evidently bored and lonely. Now that the Four Emperors dynamic had solidified, he intended to stir up massive waves by summoning the four sea sovereigns to meet at Fish-Man Island.
Fish-Man Island was currently under Whitebeard's direct protection. By selecting this venue, Kaidou ensured Whitebeard would be forced to show up, though whether Aoki Shiraishi and Red-Haired Shanks would attend remained uncertain.
"You're going because you want to gauge the true strength of this 'Strongest Creature,' aren't you?"
"Consider it curiosity..."
Kaidou held a Road Poneglyph; an eventual clash with the Beasts Pirates was inevitable. Gathering intelligence on him ahead of time was an essential strategic step.
The Four Emperors convened as the winds of chaos surged—a summit set to redefine the geopolitical balance of the New World was about to unfold.
Three days later, Fish-Man Island...
Submerged 10,000 meters beneath the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Fish-Man Island served as the mandatory transit hub to enter the New World. It was the birthplace of most Fish-men and Merfolk, celebrated as the "Undersea Paradise"—a dreamlike sanctuary beneath the waves.
Vessels seeking passage usually had to coat their hulls with resin at the Sabaody Archipelago and navigate deep undersea currents to arrive safely.
The residents were primarily Merfolk and Fish-men. The Ancient Weapon Poseidon—a legendary Mermaid Princess born once every several centuries—and the colossal Noah, the Ship of Promise, slumbered in these deep waters.
Today, Fish-Man Island was gripped by an ominous tension, sensing the impending tempest.
Not only were the local citizens anxious, but undercover World Government intelligence operatives were also actively monitoring every development from the shadows.
This summit marked the first official gathering of the Four Emperors since the balance of power had been established in the New World. No one could predict what would unfold when these maritime titans crossed paths.
"Gurararara...! That bastard Kaidou. Hosting this meeting at Fish-Man Island just so he could threaten to wreck the place if I refused to show up?"
As the protector of Fish-Man Island, "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate was the first to arrive. Wielding his bisento Murakumogiri, he stepped onto the deck with hearty majesty, gazing into the deep ocean trenches.
"Ghahaha! Whitebeard! To think you'd be the first to arrive!"
Accompanied by a booming, monstrous voice, the entire undersea island shuddered. Whitebeard's brow furrowed as a colossal silhouette strode forward.
Kaidou stood with a towering, muscular frame, dark hair cascading over his shoulders, bearing a set of sweeping horns and a long, dragon-whisker mustache. A vibrant dragon-scale tattoo covered his left arm.
Bare-chested with a prominent cross-shaped scar over his right abdomen, a purple coat hung from his waist fastened by golden chains, paired with crimson battle-skirts, loose dark-green trousers, and a sacred shimenawa rope tied around his waist. He looked like an ancient demon god straight out of myth.
"Kaidou, you brute. You and I have nothing to discuss."
The moment Whitebeard refused, Kaidou unleashed a devastating blast of scorching Blast Breath (Bolo Breath) straight toward him. The explosive thermal energy surged forward with apocalyptic heat capable of incinerating everything in its path.
Whitebeard reached out with both hands, fracturing the very air to unleash a massive seismic shockwave that slammed directly into the dragon's breath!
BOOM!
The collision between two Emperors sent violent tremors rippling through the waters surrounding Fish-Man Island. Even 10,000 meters beneath the sea, both men radiated absolute sovereign supremacy.
Just as the two were about to clash again, Aoki Shiraishi strode calmly into the center of the battlefield with his silver blade drawn. An icy chill swept outward, forcing both Whitebeard and Kaidou to take a step back simultaneously.
"Ghahaha! You actually showed up, Aoki Shiraishi!"
Three of the Four Emperors were now present; Shanks had clearly chosen to sit out the spectacle. Even so, every faction across Fish-Man Island held their breath, watching closely to see what would come of this historic confrontation.