Chapter 87: I Haven't Even Used My Full Strength Yet! (4k)
Chapter 87: I Haven't Even Used My Full Strength Yet! (4k)
Sarge's aura wasn't particularly strong, after all, he had only mastered it not long ago. This stuff is extremely slow to cultivate normally, and only through battles with strong enemies can one's aura be increased.
Since he mastered his aura, he has only fought a deadly battle with Zefa, during which his aura improved significantly. Besides that, even if he uses his aura to wrap around the treasure house every day, his improvement is limited.
Proficiency in manipulation and enhancement are two different things.
It's just that his aura recovers at a rate akin to infinity.
So with each strike, Sarge can recklessly squander all of his aura without any concern.
Moreover, under the influence of the Big Dipper God Fist, his mastery over his aura is more proficient than anyone else's. He can even pull his aura wide and then release it to create a massive area of impact.
Seeing Ace dodge, Sarge raised his eyebrows, "Oh? Did you sense it, or is it just plain luck?"
"Fire Gun!"
Ace stood on the rooftop with his feet apart, his hands resting on his hips, his thumbs up, and his index and middle fingers together, forming a gun shape. He fired a barrage of small flames from his hands, like bullets.
"If regular flames won't work, then I'll use a wider range of flames!"
"No matter how widespread it is, it ultimately targets me."
Sarge raised his hands, his fists covered in a pitch-black hue, turning into afterimages that extinguished all the small flames that came at him.
However, just as he extinguished the incoming flames, dots of light resembling the fireflies that Pawu used floated around him, quickly gathering.
"Little sparks can also come together to form a mighty blaze!"
Ace spread his hands toward Sarge, his palms emitting the same lustrous light, "Fireflies: Fire Daruma!"
Boom!
The dots of light drew closer to Sarge, igniting a massive blaze that engulfed him.
A faint smile appeared on Ace's face as he said, "In the New World, there are plenty of pompous folks like you who think that mastering aura means you can counter those with natural abilities. But elements are elusive, and no matter how powerful your aura is, it can't resist nature!"
Aura is not an impermeable barrier; it can only grasp the physical entities of ability users. Once flames like these latch on, there's no escape from being burned.
"Well said."
But as soon as he finished speaking, his eyes widened slightly, and a figure appeared behind him, bringing with it a whip-like black shadow.
"But it's also full of idiots like you who think that those with natural abilities are invincible!"
Bang!
Sarge delivered a fierce kick to Ace's body, splitting him into two halves that transformed into flames. The upper half of the flames condensed into Ace's figure, and he violently pulled his hands backward, his palms beginning to radiate firelight.
"Divine Fire: Unknown Fire!"
Boom!!
Ace forcefully brought his hands downward, throwing the flames together to form a fiery spear that stabbed at Sarge with penetrating force.
"Penetrating power? Can flames really reach this level?"
Sarge's kicked leg instantly came to a standstill, and he tightly clenched his right hand, aura swiftly flowing and coiling around it, transforming into a pitch-black stream of fire that rushed toward the fiery spear.
"Sky Destroyer!"
Bang!!
The pitch-black stream of fire shot out from his palm, colliding with the fiery spear. On the rooftop, the flames transformed into massive sparks that blossomed like fireworks.
Lily strained her eyes to watch the fireworks, and in her line of sight, she could faintly make out traces of black intertwined within.
But in Sarge's eyes, amidst the crimson sparks, there were also strands of pitch-black aura, turning them into black-red sparks that scattered in all directions.
The flames had blasted open, but the might of the aura had also been shocked away by this blaze.
"Fire Gun!"
Amidst the sparks, Ace's figure emerged, his fingers repeatedly pointing forward as he fired a barrage of flame bullets. Sarge merely swung his hand vigorously, extending and releasing his aura to create an impact that extinguished all the flames.
The impact of the aura also struck Ace, turning him into a scattering of flames that rapidly fell onto the rooftop, igniting and forming a circle of fire that enclosed Sarge.
Within the circle of fire, the glimmer of fireflies was dense, emitting a radiance almost akin to flames.
Ace's figure floated in the air, his fingers spread apart toward Sarge as he smiled, "Flame—"
It was just this instant that Sarge's footsteps shifted, and he instantly vanished from his original spot, his high-speed movement tearing open a gap in the circle of flames.
He practically flashed in front of Ace, carrying a forceful momentum as his fist, like a falling cannonball, punched straight into his chest.
Bang!
This punch was so powerful that it made the air resonate, penetrating deep into Ace's chest, but it was enveloped by a ball of fire.
Ace's entire body transformed into flames that spread outward, his face bearing a vicious smile directed at Sarge. In an instant, he too transformed into fire, and along with the spreading flames, he enveloped Sarge's body.
Several strands of fire rose from the flames and converged above Sarge, taking the shape of Ace, his face still emitting flames as he snarled, "Embrace of the Flame Mother! And—"
His fist rose, igniting intense flames as he fiercely thrust downward.
"Fire Fist!"
Boom!!
A flame as thick as a bucket struck the burning inferno, carrying immense momentum as it fell. With a loud bang, it hit the ground, causing sparks and rubble to fly in all directions and setting the earth ablaze.
Ace descended from the air, landing with his legs in a wide stance. He straightened his hat and glared at Lily, who had a hand on her sword, and the snarling Meowth, "Tell your captain to mind his manners from now on, if he's still alive, that is."
The intense flames caused Lily's cheeks to flush, and her left hand rested on her sword hilt as she glared at Ace with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
"Why don't you save that advice for Sarge yourself, if you're still alive?"
Boom!!
The burning flames suddenly exploded, sending a gust of wind that kicked up a cloud of dust. The wind carried the flames upwards, and they fell back to the ground, adding another layer to the surrounding fire.
Sarge's figure gradually emerged from the cloud of dust. His upper shirt was mostly burned, and the gem buttons on it had been scorched and shattered, falling to the ground as he moved.
His arms, body, and even parts of his face showed signs of burn injuries.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind ruffled Sarge's intact fur cape, causing his white hair to flutter.
"Lily, catch."
Sarge removed his fur cape and threw it towards Lily.
Lily reached out and caught the fur cape, draping it over her arm.
Sarge tore off the badly burned shirt, revealing his well-built yet proportionate upper body. His eyes narrowed to pinpricks, fixed on Ace, his tone eerily calm despite the rage burning in his eyes.
"You really know how to get on my nerves."
"Hey, you scarface!"
A crisp voice rang out, and Renetia came running from the front, her teeth bared in a snarl. "Are you an enemy?"
Ace's face twitched, and he glanced at the little girl approaching him, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Hey, aren't you in a position to talk about scars?"
Renetia had freckles on her face.
"I don't care! Scarface, are you looking to die?!"
Renetia reached for the mechanical hammer at her waist, her teeth bared. "How dare you fight us! I'll send you straight to hell with one shot, you bastard!"
"Oh, please don't do that, Captain. He's very angry right now."
But even as she spoke, another voice sounded from an alleyway, and Marika stepped out, her eyes widening as she took in Ace's back tattoo. "Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Whitebeard?!?"
Renetia's eyes widened, and even a little girl like her knew of Whitebeard's reputation.
But soon, she bared her teeth at Ace, "So what if he's Whitebeard? We're the Calamity!"
She had been out buying supplies when she noticed the smoke and flames, and so she had come running.
"That's the same reason I'm here."
Marika walked to stand beside Renetia and Lily, her eyes taking in Ace. "Your fire caused this, didn't it? It's impressive that you managed to injure Sarge. You're strong."
"How did you all get here?"
Sarge glanced at them.
Marika explained, "I saw the Navy on the way. They seemed to be chasing after some Straw Hat Kid, and with all the smoke and fire here, it naturally drew attention."
"Straw Hat?!"
Ace's eyes lit up, and he turned towards them, a smile spreading on his face. "So, you're all here to gang up on me? Confident, aren't you?"
"No, we're just spectators. I don't think you can win, can you, Captain?"
Marika smiled. "After all, I don't think he's in any condition to fight after being injured by you. Once he recovers, then he can go after that Straw Hat Kid."
"So confident?" Ace's smile froze on his face. "Your captain is injured, yet here you are, talking big. Wait till I defeat him, and then I'll go after that Straw Hat Kid!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes narrowed, and the smile froze on his face.
Huff!
Sarge's breath stirred the air like a gust of wind, blowing from his mouth and nose.
Along with his breath, the burn injuries on his body seemed to be engulfed by normal skin, gradually shrinking and returning to their usual state.
Just in that moment, a visible white aura even seemed to steam off his body, rising towards the sky.
A faint, derisive sound escaped from between Sarge's teeth, and a stream of white aura was exhaled from his nose, spreading across the ground like steam and forming an aura wave.
Bang!
The body, which was basically identical to Ace's, suddenly swelled up at that moment. As his height increased, his muscles bulged explosively like armor all over his body.
The muscles on his shoulders almost became thick shoulder pads, and the muscles at his elbows protruded, forming round, bone-like shapes that resembled mechanical steel joints. His collarbone expanded into a thick, collar-like rim.
In an instant, he transformed into a three-meter-tall muscular armored monster!
Dragon Revolving Breath!
"80%." Sarge looked down at Ace, baring his white teeth. "Alright, Round 2!"
Relying solely on his aura and bodily techniques, he couldn't inflict any damage on Ace and would instead have his attacks negated by the power of the flames. Although Sarge was confident that he would eventually land a hit, there was no need for that.
He could simply overwhelm him in one go.
"Ability user?" Ace was taken aback. "What is this? Is it the ability of the Muscle-Muscle Fruit?"
"Who knows?" Sarge hooked his thumb into his fist, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "You've used up quite a bit of power, haven't you? But I haven't even begun to exert myself yet!"
Bang!
A sound like a bullet being fired rang out as Sarge's thumb snapped out, transforming into a pitch-black, conical bullet that struck Ace's face.
His face dispersed into flames, and the bullet pierced through, creating a hole that shot straight toward the distance, penetrating several buildings and leaving identically-sized small holes. Sunlight shone through these holes, creating beams of light that extended from the structures.
"Huh? Flames?!'' Renetia was astonished as she watched the flames spouting from Ace's head.
Marika's smile also froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, "So he's a Natural ability user. No wonder Sarge is taking him seriously. This is the strength of the Grand Line, huh?"
The scattered flames gathered once more to reform Ace's face. He turned his head slightly, his expression solemn as he watched Sarge's hand. There was a gash on his cheek, and blood trickled down.
He almost didn't react in time!
"Can aura do this?" Ace asked incredulously.
Was that bullet just now formed by condensing Haoshen?
Wrapping around?
But there didn't seem to be any physical object; it was just an external release of aura. Could it really do that?!
Bang!
Before Ace could react, another piercing sound rang out. He was startled and quickly elementalized, but the 'bullet' penetrated his chest, causing a burst of flames to scatter.
Sarge revealed a sinister smile, and his thumb snapped out like a residual image, releasing his aura externally and relying on the power of the Dragon Revolving Breath to fire his aura like a bullet.
Bang Bang Bang!!
The pitch-black bullets struck Ace's body in rapid succession, causing him to disperse into flames with each hit, like a target being shot at. Sarge fired his aura like bullets, and Ace dodged as best he could. However, amidst those extremely fast bullets, Ace's elementalized flame body was clearly struggling to react in time.
Amidst the relentless assault, he couldn't even manage to disperse intentionally, as the aura attacks were too dense!
Bang!
Flames dodged another 'bullet', but at that moment, Ace's true body within the flames bit his lip.
The aura grazed his waist!
Bang!
Just as he had that thought, another familiar sound pierced the air, and the aura bore straight toward Ace's forehead.
Ace's pupils contracted, and he crossed his arms in front of his head to block.
Pa!!
The sweeping flames halted, revealing Ace's true form. Within the flames, he crossed his arms in front of his head, and his hands were now coated in a layer of pitch-black.
"Armament Haki?"
Sarge ceased his attacks and let out a mocking laugh. "A Natural ability user who knows Armament Haki but not Observation Haki. What a brainless idiot!"
Armament Haki only required one to have a strong will to control it, but Observation Haki, as a perceptive power, demanded that one remained calm in battle to utilize it effectively.
Even the most hot-blooded individuals would display a calm demeanor in battle if they were using Observation Haki.
Impulsive individuals were incapable of mastering Observation Haki.
Ace clenched his fists, which were now coated in Armament Haki, and glared at Sarge, his expression gradually turning solemn.
This speed and these powerful techniques, although somewhat different, gave Ace a similar feeling. That swollen, hideous body gradually overlapped in Ace's vision with the image of a white-haired old fool who could only laugh foolishly.
Those 'bullets' that were fired...
...resembled the 'fist bone' in terms of their power!
(End of Chapter)
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