The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, "Fire Fist" Ace!
Bounty: 650 million Berries!
A Supernova from a year ago. A heavyweight rookie who had once been invited by the World Government to join the Shichibukai but sneered at the offer, ultimately choosing to join the Whitebeard Pirates and rising to the position of Second Division Commander!
One must realize that a bounty of 650 million was a figure that not even a single current member of the Shichibukai had reached. Although the bounties of those seven great pirates were frozen and ceased to rise upon joining the Warlords, 650 million was still more than enough to prove the terrifying strength of Fire Fist Ace.
"The one on the Hundred Beasts ship is... one of the Three Calamities, with a bounty of one billion, Jack the Drought!"
At the mention of this name, the fear in the sentry's voice became even more pronounced, nearly reaching a breaking point.
"Jack the Drought?"
Even Momonga couldn't help but feel his pupils constrict at the name. Every Marine on the warship involuntarily swallowed hard. Only Rowan maintained his calm expression, seemingly unperturbed by the name of Jack the Drought.
Zoro, being largely uninformed about the New World's hierarchy, remained indifferent as well. As for Luffy... that guy seemed to have gone back to the kitchen to "replenish his stamina." Otherwise, at the sound of Ace's name, he would have been screaming with excitement already.
"And... and the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Phoenix Marco!"
The sentry's voice dropped again. Every soldier on the ship sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Phoenix Marco..."
Vice Admiral Momonga took a deep breath. The moment he heard that name, he knew this was a battle they absolutely should not interfere in. The First Division Commander was the strongest individual in the Whitebeard Pirates besides Whitebeard himself. Momonga knew very well that the man possessed the ability to go toe-to-toe with the Navy's highest combat power—the Admirals.
The First and Second Division Commanders of Whitebeard, and one of the Three Calamities of Kaido... a Division Commander clash and a Calamity brawl...
The Marines on the ship were now only hoping that Vice Admiral Momonga would immediately order them to flee. If their warship were caught in the crossfire between those monsters... they didn't even dare to imagine the consequences!
"Phoenix Marco and Fire Fist Ace..." Momonga muttered under his breath.
Among the Marine high-ranking officers, there were rumors that Fire Fist Ace carried the bloodline of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, who was executed twenty years ago in the East Blue. After Ace refused the Shichibukai position, the Navy had already prepared to move against him.
But then, Whitebeard appeared. That man, known as the "Strongest Man in the World," simply opened his arms and took Ace under his wing. That single move shattered the Navy's plans. With Ace as part of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Navy could no longer act rashly.
After all, the strength of a man who had weathered three eras was simply too terrifying! To touch Ace while he was under Whitebeard's protection meant the Navy Headquarters had to seriously weigh the cost of their own survival!
Momonga took a sharp breath, withdrew his gaze, and shouted, "All units, change course! Full speed—"
But before he could finish, a sharp voice cut through the air. Luffy burst out of the cabin like an arrow from a bow, lunging at the railing and stretching his neck out as far as it would go, his face flushed with excitement.
"Ace? Where's Ace? Where is he?!"
Luffy... knows Ace?
Momonga looked on in bewilderment, but before he could ask, Rowan walked up slowly and pressed a hand firmly onto Luffy's vibrating head.
"Momonga-boy, order the ship to head straight for them."
Rowan exhaled a thin cloud of smoke and smiled at Momonga. That brat Ace had dared to leave him a year ago without so much as a "goodbye." Now that they had crossed paths on the sea, he was going to give that boy a proper lesson.
"Mr. Rowan, what did you say? Head into the battle?"
Momonga was stunned. Had he heard correctly? The battle ahead wasn't just a skirmish between average pirates; it was a clash between the highest-ranking officers of two Yonko crews. Usually, when encountering such a scene, the first priority was to report it to Headquarters. He thought he must have misheard the order to charge in.
"That's right," Rowan nodded, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
"But..." Momonga hesitated. While the Navy was always happy to see the Yonko grind each other down, he was ten thousand percent unwilling to involve himself. To him, it was no different from seeking death. But the order came from Rowan.
"Relax. It's just First Commander Marco and Jack the Drought. The Old Man is right here."
Rowan's voice was calm. Though he was smiling, there was something distinctly "off" about the Old Man's grin.
Two months ago, a battlefield featuring Marco and Jack would have been a headache. But now, it was different. Forget these two "kids"—even if Whitebeard and Kaido themselves were fighting, he could step in whenever he felt like it.
Momonga finally abandoned his internal struggle and barked, "All units! Turn the helm! Target: the naval battlefield! Full speed ahead!"
Despite the lingering dread in his heart, Momonga chose to trust in Rowan's strength.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield.
"FIRE FIST!"
With a thunderous shout, Ace—the Whitebeard mark tattooed proudly on his back—leaped from the deck. His entire right arm transformed into a pillar of high-intensity flames, and he threw a punch toward the Hundred Beasts ships.
The flames extended rapidly, forming a massive fist of fire that roared across the waves with ferocious momentum. The Hundred Beasts pirates returned fire with cannons, but the shells only exploded upon contact, failing to stop the punch and instead fueling its intensity.
BOOM!!
The fire fist struck a Hundred Beasts ship with irresistible force. The bow was instantly obliterated, and the searing flames ignited the hull, spreading rapidly toward the stern. Seeing the uncontrollable fire, the pirates screamed and dived into the sea.
"Commander Ace is so strong!" "As expected of Commander Ace!"