The very next instant—
A familiar figure stepped out from within an ice sculpture.
It was Aokiji.
At some point, an ice-forged saber had materialized in his grasp. The transparent blade gleamed beneath the sunlight while releasing a chilling aura capable of freezing the surrounding air.
"Embrace your repentance within the frost."
His indifferent voice echoed across the harbor.
There was no hesitation.
No mercy.
As the words left his lips, the ice blade flashed forward.
The strike was unbelievably fast.
Before Ace could react, the weapon pierced straight through his unguarded body.
Aokiji’s expression grew colder as the blade sank deeper.
At the same time, a trace of disappointment surfaced in his eyes.
The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates...
Was this all he amounted to?
Unable to evade.
Unable to defend.
Unable to counter.
After delivering what he considered a decisive blow, Aokiji calmly turned away.
His gaze shifted toward the remaining pirates.
A frosty breath escaped his mouth.
"Now then..."
"Would anyone care to explain those three pillars of golden light?"
Silence.
The harbor became strangely quiet.
Not a single person answered.
Instead, every pirate stared at him with a peculiar expression.
It was almost as if they were looking at a fool.
Aokiji frowned.
Then the mocking voices began.
"What’s wrong with Admirals these days? They’re all so full of confidence."
"Hey, Aokiji, don’t you think you’re celebrating a little too soon?"
"Hahaha! I thought Admirals were terrifying. Turns out you couldn’t even singe a single hair on our Second Division Commander!"
Laughter erupted from all directions.
Aokiji’s expression immediately darkened.
A bad premonition surfaced within him.
Did that attack fail?
Just as he began turning around—
Ace’s voice sounded behind him.
"That was pretty dangerous, Aokiji."
"That sword of yours is seriously cold."
Aokiji completed the turn.
His eyes narrowed.
The place where the ice blade had pierced Ace was now covered by crimson flames.
The injury was healing at an unbelievable speed.
The wound that should have been fatal was disappearing right before everyone’s eyes.
What shocked Aokiji even more was the nature of those flames.
They weren’t produced by the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Instead...
They reminded him of something else.
Something very familiar.
"Your body..."
Aokiji frowned deeply.
"Those flames aren’t from the Flame-Flame Fruit."
His thoughts briefly froze.
Healing flames.
A regenerative ability.
A power eerily similar to Marco’s Phoenix Fruit.
Something wasn’t right.
A few seconds later, Ace casually rubbed the spot where he had been stabbed.
The injury had vanished completely.
No scars.
No traces.
His skin looked untouched.
"Hahaha!"
Ace’s face lit up with excitement.
"This Phoenix form is incredible!"
"It healed everything instantly!"
The surrounding pirates immediately rushed over.
Some examined his chest.
Others poked his shoulders.
Everyone looked astonished.
"Ace is completely fine!"
"Hahaha! Vice Captain Ron is amazing!"
"Not even a scratch left behind!"
"That’s definitely Marco’s Phoenix ability!"
Aokiji’s brows remained tightly knitted.
The more he listened, the worse his mood became.
The situation was becoming increasingly troublesome.
Phoenix abilities?
How did Ace obtain them?
"Aokiji!"
Ace stepped forward through the crowd.
His fists cracked loudly.
His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Now that he understood just how difficult it would be for anyone to kill him, his desire to fight had grown even stronger.
"Your body..."
Aokiji finally voiced his confusion.
"How do you possess the regenerative powers of a Phoenix?"
Ace grinned.
"What happened?"
"I thought Admirals knew everything."
"You’ve never seen someone with two Devil Fruit abilities before?"
"What?!"
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on Aokiji’s face.
"Two Devil Fruit powers?"
His thoughts momentarily blanked.
Throughout the entire history of the seas, people capable of wielding two Devil Fruits were almost nonexistent.
"That’s right!"
Ace clenched his fists.
Flames flickered around him.
"Now show me what a Marine Admiral is really capable of!"
The instant he finished speaking—
His fighting spirit erupted.
The power of the Flame-Flame Fruit exploded without restraint.
Blazing fire poured from his body like molten magma.
Countless flames surged upward.
They gathered together.
Compressed.
Condensed.
Forming a gigantic ring of fire in his hands.
This wasn’t ordinary flame.
It was the ultimate manifestation of his strength.
The purest expression of his will.
"Great Flame Commandment...!"
Ace’s roar shook the harbor.
"Flame Emperor—Blood-Bathed Fire Phoenix!"
BOOM!
Endless torrents of fire spiraled into the heavens.
The flames twisted together.
Merged together.
Condensed into an enormous sphere of blazing destruction.
A gigantic Flame Emperor appeared high above the battlefield.
Its brilliance surpassed the sun.
The entire sky was illuminated by its radiance.
The spectators instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes.
But what happened next shocked everyone even more.
Above the enormous Flame Emperor—
A giant phoenix emerged.
Its body was covered in scarlet flames.
Blood-red fire enveloped every feather.
The mythical bird spread its vast wings.
Each movement scattered crimson flames across the heavens.
The surrounding clouds were instantly burned away.
The sky itself turned red.
Its eyes shone with defiance.
With rebirth.
With unyielding will.
Standing atop the colossal Flame Emperor, the phoenix looked like a divine creature born from an endless sea of fire.
"Aokiji!"
Ace’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
"This is the strongest attack I can unleash!"
"Show me your true strength!"
The crimson phoenix let out a piercing cry.
Then it descended.
Its enormous talons seized the gigantic Flame Emperor.
The massive fireball shone brighter than the sun itself.
Its temperature was so terrifying that ordinary steel would melt instantly.
The surrounding air twisted violently.
Even space seemed unstable beneath the overwhelming heat.
Another sharp cry rang out.
The phoenix hurled the gigantic Flame Emperor toward Aokiji.
The enormous fireball streaked through the sky.
A trail of flames followed behind it.
Every drop of moisture in the atmosphere evaporated instantly.
Steam filled the battlefield.
The ground below glowed crimson.
Rocks began melting.
The entire scene looked unreal.
Like a vision pulled from a dream.
Aokiji remained standing where he was.
But his pupils contracted sharply.
He could clearly sense the danger contained within that attack.
If it landed directly—
Even he would pay a heavy price.
"So this is the level possessed by one of Whitebeard’s Division Commanders..."
For the first time in a long while, Aokiji felt genuine danger.
His expression finally became serious.
Then—
An endless tide of cold erupted from his body.
The moisture throughout the atmosphere froze instantly.
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji released a deep roar.
The full power of the Ice-Ice Fruit exploded outward.
It resembled a winter apocalypse descending upon the world.
The temperature plunged dramatically.
Even the air seemed frozen solid.
A massive wave of frost expanded from Aokiji in all directions.
Everything it touched became encased in thick ice.
Trees.
Stones.
Even microscopic particles floating through the atmosphere.
Warmth disappeared.
Color vanished.
Only endless cold remained.
With a single thought, Aokiji compressed the surrounding frost into one point.
A gigantic pillar of ice erupted upward.
The colossal structure pierced toward the heavens.
Its surface reflected light like a mirror.
Yet hidden within was enough destructive force to crush everything before it.
Then—
The towering ice pillar collided directly with the descending Flame Emperor.
Ice.
Fire.
Two fundamentally opposing forces of nature.
The moment they met—
An unprecedented explosion of energy erupted across the battlefield.