"Portgas D. Ace!!!"
Accompanied by a demon-like roar, a monstrous figure emerged from the flames exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius. The half of the head that had been smashed reformed, and the monster's body, scorched by the intense heat, showed no signs of burning. Saint Saturn, now furious like never before, glared at Ace.
How dare you, in front of the entire world, declare that even as a born criminal, you can smash the head of the world's highest power. This guy, indeed, is D! He is an unstable factor that can truly threaten their world government rule.
If it weren't for Portgas D. Ace, and the fact that he had consumed the Mera-Mera Fruit instead of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika, Saint Saturn might have mistaken him for Joyboy, the one who once brought great trouble to the World Government. But no! This guy couldn't be Joyboy—Joyboy wasn't so shameless!
Saint Saturn's thoughts raced as he looked anxiously at Ace. Unexpectedly, with this gesture, the live broadcast of the public execution ended. The broadcast concluded with his head being smashed by Portgas D. Ace.
Ace, evidently, knew some of the Five Elders' secrets. He knew that even if they were injured, they would remain unscathed and recover quickly. Thus, he ensured the live broadcast ended on this note. The entire world saw the God of Science and Defense, Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the Five Elders who held the highest power in the world, have his head smashed by a born criminal, the bloodline of the Pirate King. Then, the broadcast ended immediately, denying Saturn a chance to reassert his authority. This made Saint Saturn more furious than ever. He had been fooled by an insect!
"Huh? Don't you really want the live broadcast to end? Why are you so angry?" Ace taunted, effortlessly dodging Saturn's furious attacks with the help of his Observation Haki, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Asshole!" Saturn's rage boiled over. Ace had orchestrated the scene perfectly, ensuring it ended with him, one of the Five Elders, being humiliated.
"It's so damn over!!!" Saint Saturn could already imagine the terrible impact this would have on the world. One of the five most powerful Elders failed to rescue the Celestial Dragons in front of the world and allowed Portgas D. Ace to complete the public execution. He was then publicly humiliated with a punch to the head by Ace, the bloodline of the Pirate King.
The live broadcast concluded with this disgraceful display. Saturn's fury knew no bounds. How would the world react to this public execution? The evil bloodline of One Piece, Portgas D. Ace, not only publicly executed three Celestial Dragons in front of the Five Elders but also seemingly killed one of them.
Few in the world knew the secret of the Five Elders' immortality. To those unaware bugs, a smashed head meant death or permanent injury. The Five Elders, who held the highest power in the world, were unable to prevent the public execution by Portgas D. Ace and even appeared to be killed in the process.
Where was the face of the world government?! Where was the dignity of the world government?!
Portgas D. Ace must die here! Saint Saturn's resolve was absolute. Ace must be eradicated.
Saint Saturn stabbed at the figure furiously with his spider-like legs, desperate to kill Ace, but each strike only pierced through the lava, turning it into Blazing Hell under Ace's ability.
"Bah! Bah! Bah!"
With every thrust from Saint Saturn, wisps of purple smoke rose into the air, indicating the terrible poison coating his spider legs.
"I still don't understand how it recovered," Ace muttered, dodging Saturn's attacks with an ease that belied his true intention. He was using Observation Haki to probe the secret behind Saturn's immortality.
Ace's own Fire Ten Trillions Death Burial Formation, enhanced by his heaven-defying understanding and unleashed through the Mera-Mera Fruit, generated terrifyingly high temperatures that transcended natural fire. This ability awakened the ashes of those he had killed, causing them to reignite under the Mera-Mera Fruit's flames. Even when shattered on the battlefield, these ashes would reawaken as long as the high temperatures persisted. However, this power demanded a constant expenditure of Ace's physical strength and mental energy.
In stark contrast, Saturn's recovery seemed effortless, as if it required no consumption of physical or mental energy at all. It was as though this rapid healing ability was intrinsic to Saturn himself, defying the natural laws of this sea, where all powers should be balanced with corresponding costs.
For example, Ace had to continuously expend his strength to maintain the immortality of his charred skeleton legions through the Fire Ten Trillions Death Burial Formation. Yet, Saturn's rapid regeneration didn't appear to drain any resources. In scientific terms, it violated the law of energy conservation.
This anomaly led Ace to suspect that Saturn's recovery wasn't tied to any known Devil Fruit ability. Many Devil Fruits offered quick recovery powers, like the Healing Fruit, Hormone Fruit, and Op-Op Fruit, but all required the user's physical and mental energy. Once depleted, the Devil Fruit's effects would cease.
Yet, Saturn's regeneration defied this principle. Despite being sure that he had struck Saturn's actual body, the rapid healing persisted without apparent cost.
"Is it using up Im's energy?" Ace pondered. If true, that would present an even greater challenge.
"I need to test this further" as Ace's eyes narrowed in determination.
"Bah! Boom!"
Violent black and purple lightning crackled wildly in the atmosphere. In an instant, Ace's fists were engulfed in this terrifying energy. After breaking through to the king level with his Conqueror's Haki, Ace's heaven-defying understanding allowed him to forcibly wrap this Haki around the high temperature of his residual fire. Though the combination wasn't perfect, it was powerful enough to enhance his abilities significantly.
"Portgas D. Ace has become stronger again," observed Sengoku. "Momousagi mentioned during the Enies Lobby incident that Portgas D. Ace turned fear and obedience into nourishment, immediately amplifying the power of his Conqueror's Haki."
Sengoku's eyes twitched as he watched Ace, who had previously been unable to wrap his Conqueror's Haki around flames exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius. After the execution, Ace's Conqueror's Haki had clearly become more potent, allowing him to wrap it around his terrifying flames.
"The intensity of this Conqueror's Haki...," Sengoku thought, his forehead drenched in sweat. Even with the Buddha-like spirit and power granted by his Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu, he couldn't compare to Ace. The young pirate had surpassed the Four Emperors who had ruled the sea like kings for years. Ace's public execution of the Celestial Dragons wasn't just an act of defiance; it was a display of his newfound overlord-level strength.
"Portgas D. Ace's current strength may have exceeded the Four Emperors," Sengoku mused, "but is this truly his limit? He has only been at sea for a year and is still so young. His Haki can instantly strengthen by turning major events he creates into nourishment. Where does such a man's limit lie? In the sky?"
Sengoku's gaze trembled as he looked at Ace in the distance. Momousagi, clutching her heart, breathed unevenly as she observed Ace. His Haki had grown stronger since Enies Lobby, and just like then, it immediately used the public execution of the Celestial Dragons as nourishment.
"It's exactly the same as in Enies Lobby," Momousagi thought, feeling a strange sensation in her heart. Ever since she had endured Ace's Conqueror's Haki and heard him say "please pray to me," she knew something was wrong. She found herself simulating scenes of following his instructions and complying without resistance. Now, facing him again, she felt an even stronger pull.
Under Ace's influence, any thought of resistance vanished. Instead, she felt an inexplicable desire to get closer to him. Covering her heart, her breathing grew more erratic.
"Oh? Interesting," Crocodile laughed, his Haki resonating with Ace's, who also found amusement in the situation. "It seems there's a truce between us, Momousagi. Perhaps one day, you'll Join that mans Crew, hahahaha!"
Despite the mounting pressure on her heart, Momousagi didn't rebut Crocodile's statement. Deep down, she agreed. Ace's Haki had done something to her, making her behavior align with his will. With misty eyes, she looked at Ace, lost in his overwhelming presence.
"Portgas D. Ace!!!" Saint Saturn roared in fury.
"Calm down! Saturn!" The voices of Saint Peter and Saint Mars echoed in his mind, urging him to summon them. But their words did little to quell his rage. The image of his head being smashed by Portgas D. Ace in front of the entire world filled him with blind fury.
"It's so noisy." Ace's voice cut through the chaos, his dark red eyes now swirling with a thick purple-black hue. He wrapped his Conqueror's Haki around his fists, the energy surging like a blazing sun. "Galaxy Impact!"
"Whoosh! Boom! Boom! Boom!" The iron fist inherited from Garp unleashed its full power, amplified by Ace's king-level Conqueror's Haki. The violent energy exploded from his punch, tearing Saint Saturn's body apart instantly.
"Boom!" The entire Sabaody Archipelago shook violently, as if struck by a horrific earthquake. GROVE-1 to 15, the heart of the archipelago, was severed from the rest of the island, the mangrove roots splintering and floating in the air.
"Quick! Get out of here, everyone! Portgas D. Ace is showing his full strength!" Sengoku's voice rang out as he instructed the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals to evacuate. The public execution had failed, and the battle had escalated beyond their capabilities.
Though Ace's attack had created vacuum areas, such as the execution platform, even those zones were no longer safe. The Entei Pirates had boarded the back of Laki, transformed into the Suzaku form, leaving no safe ground on the battlefield.
"Evacuate! Momousagi! Evacuate quickly!" The tea dolphin, blocking Enel's attacks with Haki, yelled desperately at Momousagi, who was kneeling and panting on the ground.
"You evacuate first!" Momousagi didn't look up.
"What did you say?!" The tea dolphin's pupils shrank in shock and anxiety.
"Dit!!!" Terrifying sandstorms and violent lightning flashed simultaneously.
"She said, you guys go away, didn't you hear her?" Enel laughed at the tea dolphin. "Momousagi is now protected by us, gahaha!"
Crocodile laughed alongside him, his eyes cold. "What a joke! Momousagi!" The tea dolphin roared angrily, noticing something was wrong with her.
"Get out of here quickly, or you'll die here," Crocodile warned. Ace's physical and mental energy were being consumed with each attack, and now he needed to focus entirely on the Five Elders. Crocodile and Enel didn't want to waste time on the Marines.
"Vice Admiral, let's go!" A Marine Vice Admiral grabbed the tea dolphin, dragging him towards the coast amid the debris of broken tree roots and buildings.
"Momousagi!" The tea dolphin's eyes were bloodshot as he looked back at her, her head lowered behind Crocodile and Enel.
"Guhahahaha!" Crocodile laughed.
"Yehahaha!" Enel echoed, standing protectively in front of Momousagi.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The piercing sound of a telephone bug rang through the chaos of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Super Buster Call, activated!" Sengoku's pupils shrank in horror as the words echoed in his mind. The source of the signal was unmistakable—Saint Saturn.
"Don't even think about getting out of here alive, Portgas D. Ace!" Saint Saturn's voice, filled with rage and determination, reverberated through the battlefield. His body, once shattered by Ace's Conqueror's Haki, was restored once again, a testament to his unnatural resilience.
"Whoo! Bang!"
A colossal five-star magic circle materialized in the sky, casting an ominous glow over the entire archipelago. The atmosphere crackled with energy, and the ground trembled beneath the sheer power emanating from the circle.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The harsh sound of the signal broadcasting resounded throughout the Sabaody Archipelago, echoing with an ominous tone. This signal, known to all, signified the imminent arrival of indiscriminate destruction.
"..."
On the back of Laki, now transformed into his majestic Suzaku form, Robin's beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of recognition as she heard the familiar, piercing sound. This was the third Buster Call she had experienced in her lifetime.
The first time had been in Ohara. The island, home to scholars who sought to uncover the secrets of the Void Century, had been mercilessly erased from history by the Buster Call. If not for Aokiji, acting on the final request of her first friend, Saul, Robin would have perished along with her home. That Buster Call had left her with a deep sense of despair and helplessness.
The second Buster Call she experienced was at Enies Lobby. In a twist of fate, it had been Ace himself who used the golden phone bug in Spandam's hand to initiate it. His intention was to help her shed the shadows of her past. With his overwhelming power, Ace had defeated the five Vice Admirals who launched the Buster Call, resulting in one death and four severe injuries. Under his command, the entire Enies Lobby was reduced to rubble, turning a symbol of government power into history. From that moment, Ace had erased the haunting shadows from Robin's heart.
And now, she faced her third Buster Call, initiated by Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the Five Elders, wielding power far beyond the normal Buster Call. Yet, despite the overwhelming threat, Robin felt only a calm confidence. There was no trace of fear or hesitation within her.
She was now a member of the Entei Pirates, the historian of the Flame Emperor, Portgas D. Ace.
Yes, she was Ace's woman.
Robin's gaze softened as she looked at Ace, standing firm against the monstrous form of Saint Saturn. To her, his figure, though not physically imposing compared to Saturn's, was as reassuring as a mountain. As long as Ace was by her side, there was nothing to fear—not the Naval Headquarters, not the Five Elders, not even the entire might of the World Government.
With a serene smile, Robin's red lips curved into a beautiful, confident expression.
"Dilt!"
Accompanied by a sandstorm and thunder and lightning, Enel, Crocodile, Ghost Spider, and Momousagi, who used Moonwalk to fly into the sky, appeared before the girls.
"Nico Robin, I leave this woman to you. She wants to meet Ace," Crocodile said, his face holding an inexplicable smile.
"Huh? You... you're the Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral, Admiral Candidate Momousagi?" Nami exclaimed, recognizing the familiar figure.
Momousagi had been one of the leaders during the Enies Lobby Buster Call, and her submission to Ace to save the 10,000 Marine soldiers had left a deep impression on Nami.
"Why does Vice Admiral Momousagi want to meet Ace?" Tashigi asked, covering her red lips in disbelief.
Momousagi was hailed as a future Admiral, a rare female candidate who was highly respected among the Marines, especially among female Marines. She was also a master swordsman, wielding the famous sword 'Kinpira'. Tashigi had once aspired to learn kendo from her but had been just a captain at the time, making Momousagi an unreachable figure.
At Enies Lobby, Tashigi's greatest regret was not being able to fight the woman she admired due to her lack of strength. But now, this formidable Vice Admiral was here to meet Ace, not to fight.
"She was influenced by Ace's Conqueror's Haki at Enies Lobby. She can explain the details herself, hahahaha!" Crocodile laughed, then turned with Enel and the Ghost Spider, heading back to the battlefield.
As fierce ghosts summoned by Ace from the underworld, they would continue to fight until their souls were extinguished, unless Ace commanded otherwise.
"The Buster Call is activated! It's the Buster Call initiated by the Five Elders, Saint Saturn!"
"This island has been deemed a threat to the World Government and an obstacle to justice!"
"All fleets, fire towards the Sabaody Archipelago! Destroy it completely!"
Hundreds of warships surrounded the Sabaody Archipelago. After the Buster Call signal was activated, the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals, brought by Saint Saturn from the Holy Land Mariejois, issued orders.
The Holy Land Mariejois always had an Admiral stationed there, with some Vice Admirals available for the World Government's disposal. These Vice Admirals were now leading the Buster Call, a destructive force authorized by the World Government and the Naval Headquarters.
A standard Buster Call comprised ten of the world's largest and strongest warships, led by five Vice Admirals, and 10,000 elite soldiers. However, a Super Buster Call, launched by the Five Elders, had no upper limit on the power it could mobilize.
Over 150 Marine warships were now mobilized, with the full combat power of the Naval Headquarters, dozens of times more powerful than a normal Buster Call, aimed at completely destroying the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Fire! Destroy the Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Boom!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Countless cannonballs rained down on the Sabaody Archipelago. The roots of the giant Yarkman mangroves, which made up the archipelago, were shattered into fragments by the bombardment. Buildings that had stood for years were mercilessly devoured by the artillery fire from over 150 warships. The island trembled under the relentless assault, turning the once bustling Sabaody Archipelago into a hellish sea of fire.
"Buster Call?! Why?! There are so many people up there!" Fujitora roared angrily, his face livid as he watched the shells falling towards the residential area.
"Saint Saturn has gone mad," Sengoku quietly muttered, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and disbelief. "He's willing to destroy everything in the entire Sabaody archipelago just to vent his anger."
It seemed the Marines intended to destroy everything on the island, disregarding the lives of countless civilians. Such ruthless methods were even more cruel than those of pirates.
Aokiji stood silently, listening to Fujitora's words. This was the modus operandi of the World Government. Once something was deemed harmful to their rule, even an island like the Sabaody Archipelago, home to the Celestial Dragons, would be annihilated. The island itself, a natural formation of giant mangrove roots, might survive, but all its buildings and inhabitants would be obliterated.
Aokiji had seen this before, during the Ohara incident. Even friends and innocent civilians had been reduced to dust by the government's ruthless artillery fire. He had spared Nico Robin's life then, hoping to see a different future. Meeting Ace and seeing Robin find her home had shown him another possibility.
"Crunch! Crunch!"
Aokiji's fists clenched tightly, his expression filled with sorrow. What was the difference between now and the tragedy of Ohara?
"Everyone can have enough to eat and everyone can have a banquet," Ace had said, a vision Aokiji had embraced. But now, all he heard were the anguished cries of the people under Marine fire, a stark contrast to the laughter and joy at Ace's banquet in the Capital of Water 7.
"You are very sad, sir," Fujitora said, capturing Aokiji's emotions with his Observation Haki.
"Ah, how sad," Aokiji replied, tears freezing and dissipating into tiny ice chips under the power of his Frozen Fruit. As an Admiral, he wasn't even allowed to cry in such a moment.