Deep within the dim and damp cavern, the sound of two bites breaking through fruit flesh rang out almost simultaneously.
“An absolutely terrible taste, it’s practically like chewing on a mass of Sea Kings’ innards that have been rotting for months.” Ace frowned slightly, forcing down the putrid stench in his mouth that was enough to make anyone instantly vomit.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the piece of crimson-gold fruit flesh without changing his expression.
No matter how anti-human the taste of this fruit was, for a king possessing absolute self-control, it could not cause his expression to ripple too much.
On the other side, Sabo also swallowed that mouthful of orange-red fruit flesh.
He covered his mouth and coughed violently twice, just about to complain about the unbearable taste, when his body suddenly stiffened.
“Ace, my body.” Sabo looked down in disbelief.
He saw that his right hand, which was gripping the alloy long staff, had lost its flesh-and-blood form without him even realizing it.
Skin, muscle, and even bone had all transformed in an instant into bright and scorching orange-red flames!
“Boom!” Without any deliberate guidance, a burst of manic flames erupted from within Sabo’s body without warning, instantly enveloping him.
The high temperature dispersed the chill and dampness that had accumulated in the cavern for who knows how many years, illuminating the surrounding black rocks.
“Is this the power of a Logia-type…” Sabo looked at his body, which had turned into flames, and tentatively threw a punch forward.
A pillar of fire roared out, directly melting through a stalactite over ten meters away.
There was no pain of burning, only a strange, clear sensation as if he himself had turned into an element of nature.
Just as Sabo was marveling at the destructive power of the Mera Mera no Mi, the air behind him suddenly became extremely viscous and oppressive.
“Thump…
Thump…” An extremely dull, ancient war drum-like heartbeat echoed from within Ace’s body.
Ace lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly.
If the awakening of a Logia-type was an outward explosion of elementalization, then the awakening of a Mythical Zoan Type was a crazy remodeling process from the inside out, occurring at the cellular and genetic level.
Ace felt that his muscle fibers, which had already reached the limits of a mortal due to years of hellish training, were now being forcibly torn apart by an extremely vast, ancient, and divine life force, and then reconstructed into a denser, more terrifying form.
“Hum.” A crimson-gold light suddenly lit up from the depths of Ace’s eyes.
Immediately after, a cluster of flames, different from the manic orange-red firelight of Sabo, rose from Ace’s shoulders.
It was an extremely pure crimson-gold.
There was no black smoke, no explosive sound.
Within this crimson-gold flame, there was a sense of lofty majesty and an unceasing, absolute life force.
“Ace, what kind of ability is this exactly?” Sabo turned his head, looking at that cluster of crimson-gold divine fire, his eyes full of shock.
“Even though it’s also fire, why does it feel like your fire contains such terrifying life force?” Ace did not answer.
He slowly raised his head, and on that originally cold face, mysterious and ancient crimson-gold patterns resembling the feathers of a divine bird now appeared.
His pupils had turned into emotionless dark-gold slit pupils, revealing the indifference belonging to a mythical creature.
“Zoan-type, Tori Tori no Mi, Mythical Zoan Type…” Ace’s low voice echoed in the cavern, as if carrying some strange resonance.
Accompanying his words, the clothes on Ace’s broad back were instantly incinerated.
Two massive wings, entirely condensed from solid crimson-gold flames, burst open!
Hybrid Form!
The wingspan of this pair of crimson-gold wings behind him directly exceeded a staggering six meters.
The edges of the wings were as sharp as knives, and every slow flap left behind lingering golden streamers in the air.
Not only that, but Ace’s arms and calves were also covered in a layer of extremely fine crimson-gold scale-like feather garments, resembling an indestructible, peerless suit of armor.
“Vermilion Bird Form.” The moment Ace completely finished his hybrid transformation, the temperature inside the cavern instantly climbed to an extremely terrifying critical point.
The hard black rock beneath his feet began to turn bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye, then melted into flowing magma.
The water from the waterfall, before it could even fall, was instantly evaporated by the extremely high temperature into a sky full of white mist.
Even Sabo, who was also a fire ability user, had to use Armament Haki to cover his entire body at this moment, just to barely resist the terrifying high temperature in the cavern that was enough to vaporize steel.
“What an exaggerated temperature!” Sabo looked up at Ace, who was bathed in divine fire, with turbulent waves rising in his heart.
The Ace at this moment was no longer some pirate; he was simply an ancient deity who had just awakened and descended into the mortal world.
Ace stood quietly in the gradually melting magma, feeling the vast, seemingly inexhaustible vitality within his body.
He slowly pulled out the heavy machete that was stuck to the side.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ace gripped the hilt with a backhand grip, and the sharp blade directly sliced across his left palm.
A wound deep enough to see bone instantly appeared, and blood had just gushed out, not even having time to drip down.
“Sss.” A cluster of crimson-gold Nirvana flames automatically ignited at the wound.
In less time than it takes to blink, that wound deep enough to see bone had completely healed under the wrapping of the divine fire, not even leaving a trace of a scar.
Even those extremely minor hidden injuries that he had accumulated in his body over the past five years due to crazy training were completely smoothed out under the washing of this extreme life force.
Super-speed regeneration.
Unceasing vitality.
As long as this cluster of crimson-gold divine fire did not go out, this body, which was already as tough as a monster’s, would completely turn into an abyss that could never be destroyed.
“Truly a powerful fruit.” Ace casually stuck the machete back into his waist, and the crimson-gold wings behind him slowly retracted, merging into his body.
The feather garments and divine patterns that covered his skin also faded away.
Except for his incinerated upper garment, he had once again returned to the appearance of a young human.
“Let’s go.” Ace turned around, his deep black eyes looking toward the dense primeval jungle outside the cavern.
Feeling that unceasing mythical power within his body, a trace of genuine joy and burning passion welled up in the depths of his eyes.
Since this sea had sent such a generous gift, he would naturally return this offering with absolute destructive power.
“The area of this deserted island is large enough.” Ace’s footsteps were steady and powerful, making a hissing sound as he stepped on the magma that had not yet cooled.
“Let’s go outside and properly test the limits of our destructive power now.”