Ace stepped out of the sea of fire and slowly came to a halt. In front of him, a troop of men blocked his path. Behind him, the inferno gradually dissipated, revealing that all those who had previously surrounded him had been reduced to charred corpses. Boniu had fared the worst; as the first to be struck by the full force of Ace's fire waves, his clothes had been incinerated, and his wide, white eyes stood out in ghastly contrast against his blackened skin. It was impossible to tell if he was even still alive.
"Apapapapapa... You are..." The man standing before Ace was none other than Scratchmen Apoo of the Beast Pirates.
"Roar of the Sea" Apoo!
As a key member of the Beast Pirates, Apoo recognized Ace instantly. It was impossible not to feel a surge of panic, but it was quickly eclipsed by excitement. The world believed Fire Fist Ace was dead; the news that he was still alive would cause a global sensation. Apoo was already imagining how much he could get for selling the scoop of Ace's appearance on Ge Isle to "Big News" Morgans. With that in mind, he whipped out a Camera Den Den Mushi and began snapping photos of Ace in rapid succession.
"Move. I'm in a hurry." Ace adjusted his hat with one hand, his face calm as he attempted to walk past Apoo. At the moment they were about to cross paths, Apoo struck.
Bang! Apoo slapped his own head, emitting a strange musical note.
Slash! A deep gash suddenly appeared across Ace's torso.
Vrumm...
Flames roared to life, and Ace's body knit back together instantly. He looked at Apoo with a hint of curiosity. Seeing Ace's unfazed expression, Apoo's face darkened. He began drumming his hands against his body, producing a rhythmic beat.
Dong-dong-dong...
Boom!
Without warning, an explosion erupted on Ace's body. Black smoke billowed as flames rose again, but his form remained perfectly intact.
"Strange ability. Armament Haki can't seem to block it," Ace remarked, genuinely surprised. The first hit had caught him off guard, but for the second, he had actively defended with Haki, yet Apoo's attack had still bypassed it.
Apoo's ability was, in many ways, an absolute problem. His attack range was defined by the distance sound could travel, and the strikes were nearly impossible to guard against. His arsenal consisted of three primary methods:
Turning his arms into strings to pluck air cannons that hit from a distance.
Turning his head into cymbals to trigger flying slashes.
Turning his chest into a drum; once an enemy was locked by the sound, an explosion would occur inside their body.
Realizing his attacks weren't dealing substantial damage to Ace, Apoo stopped and grinned. "Fire Fist Ace, you know the Whitebeard Pirates are finished, don't you?"
Ace remained silent, his calm gaze fixed on the musician. Unperturbed, Apoo continued, "The Blackbeard Pirates have grown. They're even more powerful than the old Whitebeard crew was. Yeah! Oh yeah! Whitebeard's done for, oh yeah! Apapapapa..."
As he spoke, Apoo began to dance, his speech slipping into a rhythmic rap. "I also heard that the traitor Squard was taken out by Blackbeard himself. Apapapapapa... Shouldn't you guys be thanking Blackbeard? Yeah! After all, he helped you clean up your trash! Oh yeah!"
Ace's pupils suddenly constricted, and his body gave a slight, involuntary tremor. "What did you just say about Squard?"
"What, you didn't know? Where have you been the last two years? There hasn't been a peep of news about you. Apapapapa..." Apoo hopped and spun, seemingly enjoying himself.
"Squard... is he really dead?" Ace began walking slowly toward Apoo.
"Hmm?" Seeing that Ace was visibly affected, Apoo's smirk widened. "That's right. He's dead. He's been dead for two years. He was stupid enough to go after Blackbeard alone. Everyone knows Blackbeard has two fruits now and the power of a Yonko. As if a guy like Squard stood a chance..."
"Apapapapapapa... Yeah! Oh yeah!"
"By the way, what about Whitebeard? Is he actually dead too?" Apoo looked at Ace expectantly. If Whitebeard were truly dead, that would be the scoop of the century.
Vrumm...
Ace's palm erupted in flames as he bridged the gap instantly. He seized Apoo by the throat and hoisted him into the air. The fire in his hand intensified, and the smell of charred meat filled the air.
"AAAGH...!"
The searing heat was fatal. Apoo tried to drum his body with his hands, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free. "Save... save me..."
The Beast Pirate lackeys finally snapped out of their shock and opened fire on Ace.
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
The bullets whistled through the air, passing through Ace's flaming body without striking anything solid.
"Squard..." Ace slowly closed his eyes. He could tell Apoo wasn't lying. Squard must have... he was exactly the type of person who would go after Blackbeard alone. Ace knew him too well.
Ace snapped his eyes open. After two years of cultivation, he was no longer the impulsive "Fire Fist" who acted purely on emotion. "You... deserve to die."
The words fell coldly from his lips. The flames in his hand surged, becoming a sheet of fire that completely enveloped Apoo. The temperature skyrocketed with terrifying speed, and the flames condensed into a shimmering, egg-shaped orb that began to shrink.
A moment later, the fire vanished into a palm-sized spark resting in Ace's hand. Apoo, who had been dangling from his grip, was gone. Not even a speck of ash remained.
Ace extinguished the spark and adjusted his hat, walking toward the distance as if nothing had happened. The remaining Beast Pirate soldiers watched his departing figure in absolute horror, none of them daring to even draw a breath. They were terrified of drawing his attention and meeting the same fate as Apoo.
It was too terrifying! Apoo was a Supernova and a trusted officer of Lord Kaido, tasked with managing Ge Isle. Yet, against the legendary Fire Fist Ace, he had been incinerated into nothingness without a shred of resistance. They weren't even on the same level!
As he walked toward the coast, Ace glanced back instinctively. It was the direction of Wano.
"Tama, wait just a little longer. Once I've ensured the safety of the Whitebeard Pirates, I'll come to fulfill our promise."
As he resumed his journey, his mind was clear of all distractions. "Teach... wait for me..."
Ace's shadow stretched long in the light of the setting sun, but every step he took was firm and easy—as if he were merely taking a stroll through his own backyard.