Chereads / One Piece: Ace The Emperor of Flames / Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: The power of Pluton!

Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: The power of Pluton!

Ace's laughter rang out across the battlefield, sharp and clear, cutting through the chaos like a blade. His eyes gleamed with a mixture of anticipation and triumph as he looked at the forces arrayed against him, a confident grin spreading across his face.

"I've been waiting for you to bring these out for a long time!" Ace's voice boomed, filled with excitement. His right hand flicked upward, a simple motion that seemed to command the very sky itself.

"Buzz!"

The atmosphere above the Naval Headquarters shimmered, and slowly, as if emerging from the very air, a colossal shadow began to take form. Gasps of shock and disbelief rippled through the ranks of Marines and the God Knights as they watched in stunned silence. From the heavens descended a massive and terrifying ship, a vessel of such immense size and power that it seemed to blot out the sun.

This was no ordinary ship. It was Pluton, one of the three ancient weapons—a relic of unimaginable destructive power. But what made this sight truly terrifying was the centerpiece of the ship: a gargantuan cannon, so vast and menacing that its sheer presence sent shivers down the spines of all who beheld it. The cannon was aimed directly at the Pacifista, the World Government's supposedly invincible weapons.

Garling's pupils contracted in shock, his bravado momentarily faltering as he realized the magnitude of the threat before him. "This... This is—!" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

Pluton, the legendary warship of ancient lore, was not supposed to exist in this form, let alone be in the hands of an enemy. And yet, here it was, floating ominously above the battlefield, ready to unleash its devastating power.

Marine Chief of Staff Tsuru, known for her sharp intellect and strategic acumen, was equally taken aback. The moment she laid eyes on Pluton, her mind raced to comprehend how such a weapon had been concealed so effectively. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as the realization hit her. "To think... they used the power of the Transparent-Transparent Fruit to hide Pluton, not beneath the sea, but in the sky itself..."

The Marines had anticipated an attack from the sea, fortifying their defenses and preparing for an assault from below. But no one had considered the possibility that Pluton could be hidden in the very heavens, out of sight and out of mind, until it was too late.

"The ability of the Lion-Lion Fruit," Sengoku muttered bitterly, his voice tinged with resignation. The former Fleet Admiral, now an elder statesman of the Marines, had always prided himself on his strategic mind. But in this battle of wits, he had been outmaneuvered at every turn. The memory of Golden Lion Shiki, a fearsome pirate from a bygone era, flashed through his mind. Shiki had once wielded the power of the Lion-Lion Fruit to lift entire islands into the sky. Now, that same power had been claimed by Ace, used to elevate Pluton far beyond the reach of conventional thought.

Sengoku's bitterness deepened as he recalled how Shiki had been defeated by Luffy during one of the Straw Hat Pirates' many adventures. With Shiki's death, Ace had claimed both the Lion-Lion Fruit and Shiki's legendary swords, further augmenting his already formidable arsenal. The old pirate's legacy had been repurposed, his power now fueling Ace's quest for dominance.

Tsuru, standing beside Sengoku, could only nod in agreement. "In terms of wits, we've been completely crushed," she admitted, her voice laced with a rare hint of defeat. She had underestimated the sheer cunning of Ace and his crew, never imagining that they would go to such lengths to conceal Pluton.

As the reality of the situation settled in, the Marines and the God Knights felt a growing sense of dread. Pluton, now revealed, hovered above them like a harbinger of doom, its massive cannon ready to rain down destruction upon the battlefield. The Marines had prepared for every conceivable threat, but this—this was beyond their wildest nightmares.

Ace, standing tall and unyielding, reveled in the reactions of his enemies. He had outmaneuvered them all, using their own expectations against them. With Pluton at his command, the balance of power had shifted dramatically. The battlefield, once a place of uncertainty, was now firmly under his control.

But Ace knew this was just the beginning. The war was far from over, and the full might of the Entei Pirates had yet to be unleashed. The world was watching, and soon, they would all witness the true power of the man who commanded Pluton—the Flame Emperor, Portgas D. Ace.

"Damn it!!! Pacifistas, retreat immediately—get out of the area!" Saint Figarland Garling's voice tore through the chaotic battlefield, laden with urgency and desperation. His command echoed across the war-torn grounds, but the realization that it was already too late settled in his mind like a dark cloud.

The mighty warship Pluton, with its ominous presence looming above the Naval Headquarters, had been hidden with cunning precision. The transparent fruit had not only cloaked Pluton's immense form from sight but had also masked the fluctuations and ominous hums of energy that signaled its impending attack. This deception, so perfectly executed, had left Garling and the forces of the World Government blindsided.

The air crackled with anticipation, the tension palpable as all eyes turned upward. The immense cannon at the heart of Pluton's terrifying arsenal began to emit a low, resonating growl—a sound that seemed to vibrate through the very souls of those below. The Marines, God Knights, and Pacifistas alike stared in wide-eyed horror as the weapon of mass destruction powered up, its inner workings rumbling with the promise of devastation.

"Boom!!!"

The sound was deafening, a cataclysmic roar that seemed to split the sky itself. The cannon unleashed its fury with an unparalleled force, a massive blast of destructive energy that hurtled toward the ground with unstoppable momentum.

The battlefield erupted into chaos. The pacifistas and Seraphim, once the proud symbols of the World Government's technological might, were caught directly in the path of the blast. They were powerful creations, designed to withstand the harshest of battles, but against Pluton's unrestrained might, they were nothing more than fragile toys in the face of a storm.

The ground shook violently as the cannon's energy engulfed the area, swallowing the pacifistas and Seraphim whole. There was no time for them to react, no chance for escape. The very earth seemed to buckle and twist under the sheer force of the attack. A blinding light accompanied the explosion

"Boom!!!"

The cataclysmic explosion unleashed by Pluton sent shockwaves rippling through the entire Naval Headquarters, a surge of devastating energy that consumed everything in its path. The powerful blast immediately engulfed all the Pacifistas and Seraphim, erasing them from existence in an instant. The sheer magnitude of the explosion was so overwhelming that it triggered a massive earthquake, shaking the very foundations of the Naval Headquarters.

Spider-web-like cracks rapidly spread across the ground, snaking their way through the once-impenetrable fortress. The sturdy walls of the headquarters, designed to withstand the fiercest of assaults, began to crumble under the relentless force. Buildings that had stood for decades toppled like dominoes, collapsing into heaps of rubble as the seismic waves tore through the stronghold.

In the face of this unprecedented power, even the Vice Admirals of the Naval Headquarters were left scrambling, their expressions twisted in fear and disbelief. They knew all too well that being caught in the epicenter of such a devastating energy wave would mean certain death. The Admirals themselves, the mightiest warriors of the sea, would be lucky to escape with their lives, albeit severely wounded.

This was the terrifying might of Pluton, one of the three ancient weapons, and the destructive force of a single shot was enough to bring an entire era to its knees.

The battlefield was momentarily stilled as both sides were forced to halt their clashes. The cadres of the Entei Pirates' fleet, the three Admirals, Marine Marshal Akainu, and the God Knights—all of them were compelled to retreat to safer ground, their eyes fixed on the epicenter of the destruction. The shockwaves continued to reverberate, a grim reminder of the power that had just been unleashed.

However, there was a stark contrast in the reactions of the two opposing forces. The officers of the Entei Pirates Fleet and their allies, well aware of the plan, had already retreated to safety before the blast. They stood at a distance, their expressions filled with pride and satisfaction as they watched the destruction unfold. They knew they had the upper hand, and the sight of the Naval Headquarters crumbling filled them with a sense of triumph.

On the other hand, the God Knights, the Admirals, Akainu, and other powerful figures under the World Government, including Magellan, had been caught off guard. Although they had managed to avoid the core of the energy blast, their retreat was hasty and disorganized, leaving them visibly shaken and disheveled. The unexpected power of Pluton had left them reeling, their confidence shattered by the realization that they were facing an enemy unlike any they had ever encountered.