"Swoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Boom!!!"
As soon as Ace finished speaking, everyone in the Entei Pirates left the battlefield immediately. Vivi turned into sand, Nami transformed into thunder, and Gion used the White Tiger Winds to accelerate. The rest of the crew also utilized their physical skills to swiftly distance themselves from the battlefield. In an instant, only Ace, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin remained.
"Huh?!"
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, as the Four Emperors, were not fools. On their journeys to becoming the Four Emperors, even Charlotte Linlin, who spent much of her time giving birth and holding tea parties, had fought countless battles and developed extremely sharp combat instincts.
Many cadres of the Entei Pirates were top-tier fighters in the sea, and the strongest among them were formidable opponents even for the Four Emperors. The fact that they all left the battlefield at the fastest speed as soon as Ace finished speaking suggested that his words were not exaggerated. The power he was about to unleash likely surpassed even the Entei incident.
Kaido's face turned extremely solemn as he stared at Ace. He had personally experienced Ace's strength during the Entei incident. In that battle, Ace used his special mode and the final blow of the Residual Fire Style, Zanka no Tachi - North: Heaven and Earth Ashes. Kaido had confronted it head-on using his flaming dragon form. However, at that time, the Five Elders had also shared some of the power. Although the Five Elders mostly dealt with the power of Zanka no Tachi - North: Heaven and Earth Ashes through their immortality without fighting back, being within the attack range of that terrifying move meant some of the power was diverted.
Furthermore, the Zanka no Tachi - North: Heaven and Earth Ashes had created a massive cavity in the Sabaody Archipelago, which also diverted some of its power. Thus, the force Kaido actually resisted was not the full might of the move. Despite this, his right horn had been broken, and he had sustained serious injuries. If he had to bear the full force of that terrifying move alone, his injuries would have been far worse than a broken right horn.
The horror of the Zanka no Tachi was not limited to its raw power. Ace could transform the terrifying heat of more than 10,000 degrees Celsius into a flame feather robe and wear it on his body, making it impossible for anyone to get close to him. Additionally, the Zanka no Tachi - South: Ten Trillion Death Burial Formation, which could summon the undead killed by him, seemed like the work of a god.
In Kaido's opinion, the terrible power of the Zanka no Tachi should not exist in this world. But now, he wondered, was there a power more terrible than the Zanka no Tachi?
Ace did not keep Kaido and Charlotte Linlin waiting long. He slowly closed his eyes, his breathing stabilizing as a mysterious wave began to emanate from his body.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The beating of his heart seemed to resonate in everyone's minds, as if it were a tangible force.
"Ace's heartbeat is coming. the highest point!"
Nami looked at Ace, her lips pursed and her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.
"Huh!!!"
Ace's heartbeat suddenly changed, becoming horrifically intense. The sound was strange, a mixture of roars, burning, bursting, and breaking.
The next moment, Ace opened his eyes.
"Here it comes! My highest point!"
Ace laughed loudly as the breath of his entire body began to roar wildly.
"Huh!"
Ace's body started to change, his whole form seemingly turning into flames as he began to burn. His clothes transformed into flame feathers—not just external flames turned into a feathered robe, but actual clothes morphing into flame feathers. Even his eyebrows and hair turned into the red color of flames, curling and floating like a blazing inferno. His red hair fluttered in the wind, radiating waves of terrifying high temperatures.
A wisp of red, ribbon-like flame cloud appeared behind Ace, wrapping around his arms.
"Sizzle! Boom!!!"
The next moment, Conqueror's Haki exploded, forming violent black and purple lightning that roared wildly in the atmosphere, accompanied by Ace's loud laughter. The earth instantly tore apart under the force of the violent lightning, which then began to burn from the strange fluctuations. Even the white clouds in the sky transformed into flame clouds, the terrifying high temperature causing them to boil.
"Nika-Remnant Fire Style-Sun God Form!"
Ace raised his head and looked at Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, a Haki smile on his lips. At this moment, Ace's pupils turned red, appearing as if they had truly transformed into miniature suns, burning intensely.
Based on the evolutionary power of the Mera-mera Fruit and the flame body of Zanka no Tachi, the power of Nika was fully released! Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, Zanka no Tachi, the flame body of the Mera-mera Fruit, and the power of Nika were perfectly integrated.
If Luffy's Gear 5 after the awakening of the Human-Human Fruit-Mythical Beast-Nika form was that of a god, then Ace's current form was the true Fire God form, or the Sun God form—not just Nika's title of Sun God, representing hope, but a body that had turned into a real sun, a genuine Sun God form. This was Ace's current, strongest form:
Nika! Zanka no Tachi! Sun God Form!!!
In the distance, Hancock looked at Ace's truly sun-like, gorgeous form. Her beautiful eyes turned into heart shapes as she gazed at him obsessively.
"Indeed, it's so beautiful," Vivi murmured, her red lips pursed and her eyes slightly blurred with admiration as they fixed on Ace's new form. The other women also looked at Ace with a similar sense of enchantment.
"Incredible power, the real Sun God," Rayleigh mused, full of emotion. He had been to the final island and knew the secret of Joyboy. However, now Ace could truly be called the Sun God. The Sun God form made it feel as though they were facing an actual deity.
"...."
Looking at Ace, Kaido's forehead began to sweat. "Joyboy... No! Not Joyboy, the Sun God form?! This, this is..." His eyes were full of disbelief.
Joyboy! This name had long become Kaido's obsession. The legendary liberation fighter, the Sun God Nika, Joyboy! Kaido always believed that the person who would defeat him would be Joyboy. He knew about Ace's power of Nika from the Sabaody Archipelago, but back then, Ace's displayed power was primarily from the Mera-mera Fruit, with little connection to the legendary Nika.
But this moment was different! Tangible flames, burning hair, clothes, the body of the God of Fire, eyes like the sun... This was beyond the capabilities of a Logia Devil Fruit. It was the power of Nika! Only the power of Nika could achieve this.
Nika-Zanka no tachi-Sun God form—was this the strongest form of Ace?! So strong! Truly so strong! Facing this state, Kaido of the Beasts felt a suffocating force. His eyes were full of disbelief.
"Linlin, prepare to fight!" Kaido suddenly smiled, with an exaggerated arc at the corner of his mouth. In life, it was a blessing to be able to fight such an opponent! At this time, Charlotte Linlin did not say much. Her Conqueror's Haki began to boil, and her intuition made her feel the danger of ultimate destruction. Ace in this form gave her a fatal and terrifying pressure.
"Come on! Flame Emperor!" Kaido roared, his Conqueror's Haki wrapping around his mace.
"Huh!"
"!!!"
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin's pupils suddenly shrank. Ace, who had been far away just a moment before, now appeared right in front of them, raising his fist. In their pupils, they could only vaguely see Ace's red eyes, shining like the sun.
"Boom!!!"
Ace's fists collided heavily with Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, igniting terrifying flames on the impact points.
...
Their Conqueror's Haki was actually pierced!
"Huh! Boom!!!"
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were sent flying like two meteors, trailing exaggerated red flames as they crashed into distant mountains.
"Huh!"
The terrifying flames continued to burn where they fell, producing waves of suffocating high temperatures.
The next moment!
"Bang!"
Two figures slowly stood up from the blazing inferno.
"Puff! Cough, cough!"
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin coughed violently, spitting out mouthfuls of burning blood.
"Huh!"
What was unbelievable was that their blood, as soon as it hit the ground, transformed into fire.
"Nika! Is this the power of Nika?!" Kaido covered his wound, his eyes full of disbelief.
They were being assimilated into the flames! The parts of their bodies that Ace struck were turning into flames, just like how Luffy in Gear 5 could turn people's bodies into rubber—but much deadlier. Even their Conqueror's Haki couldn't stop this assimilation.
Kaido looked at Ace in horror. Conqueror's Haki was the strongest power in this sea! When it reached its peak, it could even suppress Devil Fruit abilities. The roar of Conqueror's Haki could completely limit a Devil Fruit's power temporarily.
If Armament Haki allowed one to deal with Devil Fruit users and the outcome was decided by whether Haki or the Devil Fruit was stronger, Conqueror's Haki, as the power of kings, surpassed both in battle. Yet now, neither Kaido's nor Charlotte Linlin's Conqueror's Haki could stop Ace from assimilating their bodies into flames.
Kaido realized why the moment he was hit. Ace's body naturally contained Conqueror's Haki and even Armament Haki! This meant he didn't need to use them deliberately. Every punch naturally contained the fused power of the Mera-mera Fruit, Nika, Conqueror's Haki, and Armament Haki.
Ace's Conqueror's Haki was stronger than his and Charlotte Linlin's. Moreover, Ace incorporated Advanced Armament Haki directly into his attacks, striking their organs.
Even though they had fully mastered Conqueror's Haki-Infusion, they could only use either Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki in an attack. Since Conqueror's Haki was much stronger, their serious attacks always used it. But Ace could use both simultaneously!
This meant their Conqueror's Haki was naturally pierced by Ace's superior Haki! The impacted parts were directly transformed into flames, even their internal organs. If not for Kaido's Blue Dragon body and Charlotte Linlin's monstrous physique, they would have been seriously injured by a single blow.
Ace's power had definitely surpassed Rocks, Roger, and others, reaching a whole new level!
Is this the power of the Sun God form?!
Kaido gritted his teeth, using the recovery power of his Fish-Fish Fruit-Mythical Beast-Blue Dragon form to attempt to heal his injuries. The transformation of his bones and organs into flames had caused terrible damage, even for him.
"Ahem! Puff!"
Charlotte Linlin, standing nearby, spat out another mouthful of blood, her eyes bloodshot.
Injured! She was actually injured! And so severely!
One strike had pierced through her steel balloon!
"Flame Emperor!!!" Charlotte Linlin shrieked.
"Oh?" Ace looked at the frenzied Charlotte Linlin, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ah!!!"
Charlotte Linlin's piercing scream echoed across the battlefield, a sound so intense and terrifying that even the Entei Pirates, who had already retreated far away, winced. They wrapped Haki around their hands, covered their ears, and looked at Charlotte Linlin with a very solemn expression.
This lone female among the Four Emperors, a natural monster, had gone berserk once more.
It was well known that BIG-MOM, among the Four Emperors, was a natural destroyer and suffered from an insatiable food addiction. Whenever she couldn't eat the food she craved, she would go on a rampage, killing her own children and destroying her own territory.
This battle starkly displayed the instability of this Four Emperor's mental state. She was, quite simply, a psychopath! Unlike other psychopaths, though, Charlotte Linlin's strength became even more terrifying when she lost her mind.
The Entei Pirates could only avoid such attacks.
Despite the threat, the Entei Pirates showed no worry. They knew who was fighting her now: Ace!
"Huh!"
"So noisy."
Ace's figure seemed to appear out of thin air above the frenzied Charlotte Linlin. Looking down at her, a Haki-infused laugh escaped from the corner of his mouth.
"Shut up!"
Ace extended his hand, and a burning dog muzzle appeared out of thin air—a creation of Nika's power.
"Huh!"
With a swift motion, Ace threw the burning muzzle, which clamped tightly over Charlotte Linlin's big, screaming mouth.
CLAMP!!!
"Wooooooooooo!!!"
Charlotte Linlin's screams stopped abruptly. The burning muzzle sealed her mouth, her teeth and lips turning into fire as the muzzle's flames assimilated her flesh. She instinctively tried to remove it with her hands, but as soon as she touched it, her palms ignited with terrible flames.
"Old woman! You idiot, don't touch the Flame Emperor's attack with your body!" Kaido roared, swinging his mace to smash Charlotte Linlin's hands away. Then, with Conqueror's Haki wrapped around his weapon, he struck the muzzle on her mouth.
"Bang!"
The muzzle disappeared the moment Kaido hit it, vanishing as inexplicably as it had appeared.
"!!!"
The heavy blow to her dome left Charlotte Linlin seeing stars, staggering as cartoonish birds seemed to fly around her head.
"Linlin! Bastard!"
Kaido's cheeks twitched with frustration. Before he could even land a hit on the Flame Emperor, he just knocked the old woman lights out.
Creating things out of thin air, Assimilating anything into Flames—is this the power of Nika?!
What an exaggerated power!
"Hahaha, interesting."
Ace laughed as he watched Charlotte Linlin, who had been hit by Kaido, now seeing stars and birds circling her head.
"Don't be so arrogant, Flame Emperor!"
Kaido growled angrily, fully activating the power of his Fish-Fish Fruit: Mythical Beast - Blue Dragon Form. His already massive body transformed into a white light, and the next moment, a blue dragon that seemed to cover the sky and the earth appeared in the atmosphere.
"Roar!!!"
"Bad wind!"
Kaido roared and opened his bloody mouth wide.
"Hoo! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In an instant, countless wind elements were controlled by Kaido, forming terrifying wind blades that blasted toward Ace.
"Hey."
Ace looked at the oncoming wind blades and casually grabbed the ground with his right hand. The next moment, the ground transformed into a huge burning shield in front of him.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless wind blades collided with the burning shield, and the terrifying attack that could slice off mountaintops disappeared in an instant.
"What an exaggerated ability! Damn it!"
Kaido cursed as he watched his attack being effortlessly neutralized. Faced with such a bizarre and exaggerated ability, he had no idea what kind of attack method Ace would use next. Observation Haki was completely ineffective against the Flame Emperor at this moment. Kaido's Observation Haki couldn't penetrate Ace's current form, leaving him unable to predict the man's next move.
"Old hag, wake up! We're going to fight!"
Kaido roared with Conqueror's Haki, which slightly sobered up Charlotte Linlin, who was still seeing stars.
"My head is so dizzy," Charlotte Linlin groaned, covering her head. Although Kaido's attack was powerful, it couldn't penetrate Charlotte Linlin's steel balloon physique with just one blow. So while her face remained unharmed, the terrible force of Kaido's blow had struck her skull, causing a violent vibration and making her brain dizzy. Her brain, unlike her steel-like exterior, couldn't immediately recover from such a shock.
"Damn it! Useless old hag," Kaido cursed secretly, feeling uncomfortable because his own attack had caused Charlotte Linlin's dizziness. But who could have known that Ace's attacks would be so strange and exaggerated?
The means of creating things out of thin air were now at Ace's fingertips. While the scene wasn't as exaggerated as the pure raw power of Zanka no tachi during the Entei incident, the nature of Ace's attacks had evolved. Although Zanka no tachi was powerful, it was essentially an energy-based attack. Now, Ace's attacks couldn't be judged merely by their energy. The seemingly insignificant attacks were incredibly deadly.
Ace's attacks, beyond mere energy, combined the perfect fusion of Mera-mera Fruit, Nika's power, Conqueror's Haki, and Armament Haki. This combination made every punch a lethal blend of elements and raw force, defying conventional understanding of combat with cartoonish logic.
Ace stood amidst the battlefield, his aura radiating pure dominance. He glanced at the struggling Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, a confident smile playing on his lips.
"Let's take this up a notch," Ace declared, his voice resonating with authority as he took a page out of ghost' riders book.
With a swift motion of his hand, Ace conjured a flaming motorcycle from thin air. The motorcycle roared to life, its body constructed entirely from intense, searing flames. Next, Ace formed a pair of flaming chains, their ends crackling with fiery energy.
"Time for a ride," Ace smirked, revving the engine. The motorcycle's wheels spun, sending sparks flying as he charged toward Kaido.
Kaido's eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of power is this?!"
Ace whipped the flaming chains towards Kaido, who instinctively attempted to dodge. However, Ace's mastery of Observation Haki and Future Sight allowed him to predict Kaido's movements perfectly. With a precise flick of his wrist, Ace redirected the chain, wrapping it around Kaido's massive mace.
"No you don't!" Ace shouted, yanking the chain with immense strength.
Kaido, unable to react in time, watched helplessly as his prized mace was wrenched from his grasp. The mace, still encased in Kaido's Conqueror's Haki, began to transform. As it neared Ace, the weapon disintegrated into pure flames, the metal melting away and merging with Ace's fiery aura.
"...!" Kaido's expression was one of utter disbelief and helplessness as he watched his weapon dissolve.
Kaido, ever the indomitable warrior, composed himself despite the overwhelming odds. Determined to mount a counterattack, he summoned every ounce of his strength and willpower. His massive form shimmered with the power of his Fish-Fish Fruit-Mythical Beast-Blue Dragon transformation as he prepared to unleash a devastating assault.
Ace, observing Kaido's resilience, responded with a calm yet intense focus. "Still got some fight in you, huh?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing.
Without wasting a moment, Ace began to create a new weapon—a flaming arrow. The air around him crackled with energy as he compressed the fire into a dense, searing projectile. The arrow shimmered with an intense heat, its tip glowing white-hot.
"Let's see how you handle this," Ace said, his voice carrying the weight of his resolve.
Kaido roared, his massive body lunging forward as he launched a torrent of wind blades and a colossal beam of energy from his maw. The ground trembled under the force of his attack, the sheer power threatening to annihilate everything in its path.
But Ace was ready. With a swift and fluid motion, he flung the fire arrow towards Kaido. The arrow cut through the air with a piercing whistle, leaving a trail of molten sparks in its wake.
The moment the arrow met Kaido's attack, it exploded into a fiery maelstrom. The fire arrow pierced through Kaido's wind blades and energy beam as if they were nothing, splitting them apart and continuing its relentless trajectory. The arrow struck Kaido directly in the chest, its impact sending shockwaves through his massive frame.
"ARGH!!!" Kaido's roar of pain and surprise echoed across the battlefield.
The flames engulfed Kaido, wrapping around him like a living inferno. The fire seared through his scales, reaching deep into his flesh, and the intensity of the heat caused even the mighty dragon to writhe in agony. The fiery maelstrom expanded, creating a swirling vortex of fire that consumed everything within its radius.
Kaido's attempts to counter the flames were futile. The fire arrow's compressed energy was too potent, its destructive power too overwhelming. The blue dragon's scales, renowned for their resilience, melted and cracked under the onslaught.
As the flames continued to rage, Kaido's form began to waver. The mighty dragon, a symbol of unyielding strength and terror, was being brought to his knees by the unrelenting firestorm in his organs.
While Kaido was recovering from the pain, he looked at Ace with a serious expression. For the first time, he had a glimpse of how Ace managed to close the distance so swiftly during his initial attack. With preparation, he finally saw the traces of Ace's movements.
When Ace launched an attack, the ground beneath him would transform into flames, propelling him forward like a jet platform. The resulting speed was more exaggerated than Kaido's own thunder-augmented velocity and could rival the fastest Devil Fruit, the Light Fruit.
"No weaknesses! No way to start!" Kaido thought, cold sweat appearing on his forehead. After so many years of roaming the sea, this was the first time he felt utterly helpless. Ace's fighting method transformed the battle into a one-sided game, with Kaido and Linlin reduced to mere pawns. Ace controlled the battlefield, the rules, and the tempo, embodying the essence of a true deity in his Nika-Zanka no tachi-Sun God form.
"It seems that you also understand you can't be my opponent at all, Kaido," Ace's voice was calm, yet filled with an unyielding certainty. His Observation Haki allowed him to sense Kaido's emotions clearly. With a faint smile, he looked at Kaido, his presence unwavering.
"Not an opponent? I won't admit it!" Kaido roared defiantly, his massive jaws opening to reveal sharp teeth.
"Hu! Boom!!!" Kaido's enormous blue dragon body rotated rapidly, and flames enveloped him. In an instant, he transformed into a colossal fire dragon. "Fire Dragon Torch!" he roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
Kaido's Fire Dragon Torch, formed by controlling flame elements, represented his strongest form. Everything that touched his fiery body would be incinerated to ashes. However, he knew this wouldn't suffice against the Flame Emperor, whose mastery over flames and transformation abilities was unparalleled. Kaido hoped that by enveloping himself in flames, he could mitigate the bizarre transformative attacks of the Flame Emperor, even if the flames were not as intense as Ace's.
"Linlin! Wake up quickly and use all your strength, or we will all die here!" Kaido's roar was filled with urgency as he glanced at Charlotte Linlin. The Flame Emperor's current combat power far surpassed what He had faced at Sabaody Archipelago. His strength exceeded even the legendary Rocks and Roger at their peak.
Facing such an opponent, Kaido knew that his near-immortal Azure Dragon body, once his greatest advantage, was ineffective. Ace's attacks could directly penetrate his dragon form, causing severe damage even to his resilient body. Kaido realized that only by joining forces with Linlin and attacking with full force from the start could they find any hope of survival.
"Linlin, we must give it everything we've got. There's no other way," Kaido urged, his voice a blend of desperation and determination.
At this time, Charlotte Linlin was beginning to regain her senses. Shaking off the dizziness from Kaido's earlier attack, she stood up, her eyes filled with resolve.
"Ace has grown too powerful," she muttered, her voice steadying. "But we won't go down without a fight."
Kaido and Linlin, the two formidable Yonko, prepared to unleash their full strength. The battlefield was now a stage for their final stand against the overwhelming might of the Flame Emperor. The stakes were clear: they had to fight desperately and find hope in the cracks of this titanic struggle. Only then could they challenge the true power of the Sun God and possibly turn the tide of this fateful confrontation.