"It feels... amazing!!!"
Ace, who had been burned from the inside out, laughed as he spoke.
The euphoria of narrowly escaping death made him realize for the first time how joyful something as simple as breathing could be.
Right now, he just wanted to fall asleep, to escape the searing pain that engulfed him inside and out.
Standing nearby, Leo watched Ace and was filled with amazement.
Should he say as expected of the guy who is the most popular character in the pirate world after Luffy?
Even with such serious injuries, he could still find it in him to laugh.
Maybe...it was his character and perseverance that allowed Ace to awaken and evolve successfully.
Leo recalled how his first fortune in the pirate world came from Ace's trade of the burning fruit...
From the depths of his heart, Leo suddenly realized...
Ace was truly a remarkable customer!
As the gentle life force was injected into Ace's body, his already mature form began to miraculously heal at a rapid pace.
The charred tissue was replaced with fresh, new skin.
In an instant, the body that had been scorched just moments ago began to recover from the inside out.
But that wasn't all.
The new skin that formed over Ace's body was even smoother than before, displaying a complexion that would make any woman envious.
"This..."
Ace subconsciously scratched at the itch on his chest, and his breath suddenly hitched.
Feeling his skin with his fingers, he noticed a smoothness comparable to that of a baby's skin.
There was no need to guess. Ace knew, even with his eyes closed, that all this was thanks to Leo, the dimensional merchant.
Looking at Leo, who had healed him with a mere wave of his hand, Ace's eyes filled with reverence and admiration.
"Hehe, thank you so much, Brother Leo!"
After regaining his strength, Ace immediately stood up and exhaled deeply:
"Phew~ That was close!"
"Thankfully, you had Rotom remind me that I had awakened my Conqueror's Haki. Otherwise, I might not have made it."
"Hahaha, no way that would have happened,"
Leo replied in his usual, familiar manner.
No matter how famous Leo became across the seas as a dimensional merchant, Ace's attitude toward him never changed, just like the first time they met.
And Leo appreciated this about Ace.
Unlike Luffy, who was carefree and impudent, Ace didn't treat Leo as a god to be feared and avoided like most people did.
Ace was one of the rare individuals in the pirate world who could engage with Leo calmly.
Leo smiled and said:
"Actually, with your potential, Ace, I believe you could have achieved bond evolution on your own without my intervention."
Leo wasn't exaggerating.
The speed at which Ace had awakened his Conqueror's Haki after Leo's prompt showed that his Haki had already been on the verge of activation.
Faced with a life-or-death situation, Ace would have likely found a way to suppress the fiery energy on his own.
Leo's reminder had just added the finishing touch.
"Hehe, maybe!"
Ace replied with a shy smile after receiving Leo's praise.
After all, Leo was a dignified dimensional merchant from another world. Earning his recognition made Ace feel genuinely proud.
Then Ace glanced at the evolved Charizard, recalling the recent pain, and asked curiously:
"By the way, Brother Leo, what happened just now?"
"Why did Charizard's fire suddenly appear inside me?"
"And why has Charizard changed like this?"
"That light just now... Was it evolution? Can Charizard continue to evolve even further?"
Having just gone through a life-and-death experience, Ace had many questions. While he had survived this time, he needed to understand what had happened to prepare for any similar incidents in the future.
"Don't worry, Ace,"
Leo said after a moment of thought, smiling.
"What happened between you and Charizard is actually a good thing, a natural progression."
After reassuring Ace, Leo elaborated:
"Charizard's current state is indeed the result of evolution..."
"However, this evolution differs from a Pokémon's regular growth. It's a special form of evolution, separate from the normal Pokémon growth system—bond evolution!"
"Bond evolution?"
Hearing this unfamiliar term, Ace became even more puzzled.
"What does that mean?"
From what he'd learned from his Rotom, Charizard was already the final evolution of its species. It shouldn't be able to evolve further.
He glanced at Charizard, noticing that it, too, looked confused.
Even Charizard, an old-timer from the Pokémon world, seemed unaware that it could evolve again.
Leo laughed, and without further teasing, explained:
"After a Pokémon reaches its final form, it's not impossible for it to evolve further or change forms."
"However, these are things that only VIP Level 4 members and above are usually aware of."
"But since you've been the first to trigger bond evolution, Ace, I'll explain it to you."
With a wave of his hand, Leo transferred knowledge about mega evolution, Gigantamax, Z-moves, and more into Ace's mind.
"Wow!"
Feeling the sudden influx of knowledge, Ace's eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.
"Incredible! So Pokémon have so many ways to become even stronger?!"
Ace, who had never witnessed his Pokémon evolution because Charizard was already fully evolved, was thrilled and immediately wanted to trade for the items in his mind.
However...
When he saw the prices of the MEGA Stone, Z Crystal, and Gigantamax Band, his excitement quickly dissipated like a fire doused with cold water.
"A set of MEGA evolution items costs 5,000 points?! This... this is way too expensive!!!"
Ace protested with a pained expression.
God knows how he felt.
Putting aside the Flame-Flame Fruit Ace had redeemed initially, the points he had earned so far totaled less than 3,000.
A set of MEGA evolution items cost more than all his hard work over the past six months.
It was infuriating!
The best items were right in front of him, yet he could only admire them from afar.
For a curious young man like him, this feeling was pure torture.
"Hahahaha..."
Seeing Ace's disappointed expression, Leo chuckled, feeling both amused and helpless. He thought to himself:
Torture?
That's right!
Without the frustration of wanting to buy something but not being able to afford it, how else would customers find the motivation to work hard, earn money, and come back to purchase?
Of course, Leo wouldn't voice these thoughts.
He smiled and continued to address Ace's questions:
"By now, you should understand how to use powers like mega evolution and Z-moves..."
"Exactly! Whether it's mega evolution, Z-moves, or Gigantamax, they all rely on the bond between the trainer and Pokémon!"
"However, these evolutions, facilitated by items, are one-way and don't require much of a bond to guide them."
"Bond evolution, on the other hand, is a purer and more potent form of evolution that doesn't rely on items!"
"It can only be triggered when the bond between trainer and Pokémon reaches its peak, under specific conditions!"
"Unlike ordinary special evolutions..."
"Bond evolution is mutually beneficial!!!"
Leo looked at Ace, his eyes shining as if he were a craftsman who had discovered the perfect piece of uncut jade, eager to carve it into a masterpiece.
"Mutually beneficial?"
While Ace found the idea of bond evolution intriguing, his straightforward thinking made it hard to grasp Leo's meaning.
Leo raised the corners of his mouth, pursed his lips, and smiled as he said,
"That's right! Bond evolution is a two-way process!"
"This means that after Charizard undergoes bond evolution, as its trainer, you'll also gain power from that bond!"
"I think you must have felt that power just now, didn't you, Ace?"
"What? I've already felt it?"
Ace was momentarily stunned, but then, as if recalling something, he opened his mouth wide in surprise and said,
"Could Brother Leo be referring to the endless flame energy in my body!?"
Snap!
Leo snapped his fingers.
"Exactly."
"But..."
Ace hesitated, sounding a bit disappointed, "This power doesn't seem to be of any use to me."
Indeed, there was a steady stream of flame energy inside Ace's body. However, this energy was more of a burden than a help. Even now, Ace had to devote considerable effort to using his Conqueror's Haki to suppress the flame energy. Otherwise, he would be burned by the restless flames, just like before.
However...
As he listened to Ace's complaints, Leo smiled mysteriously and said,
"True, if it were only ordinary bond evolution, most trainers wouldn't be able to handle this unique Pokémon power."
"But..."
"But?"
Ace immediately raised his head, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Snap!
Another crisp snap of Leo's fingers rang out.
A virtual screen appeared in front of Ace, displaying product information:
[Power of Nature]
[Effect: Upon purchase, the trader gains the special ability to control Pokémon energy.]
[Price: 1000 points]
"Power of Nature? The ability to control Pokémon energy!?"
Reading the brief description on the virtual screen, Ace, despite not being the sharpest, immediately understood why Leo had shown him this item.
"Does this mean..."
Ace's eyes widened. He looked at Leo with a mixture of surprise and shock and asked excitedly,
"With the Power of Nature, I can control the flame energy in my body just like Charizard!?"
"Exactly!"
Leo nodded with a smile.
Even though the outcome of bond evolution wasn't quite what Leo had anticipated, he hadn't expected the Pokémon's energy to harm the trainer.
Who knows how Ash managed to handle the energy of Greninja while still battling so smoothly?
Nonetheless...
Leo comforted himself, considering Ash wasn't just any ordinary person in the Pokémon world. With the [Protagonist's Aura], anything was possible.
Luckily, Leo had recently obtained the Power of Nature from Luffy. The energy pathway created by bond evolution, combined with the energy control from the Power of Nature, allowed an ordinary person to harness Pokémon power just like a Pokémon!
Luffy provided the Power of Nature, Ace perfected the bond evolution, and Sabo contributed a significant number of points... These three brothers were really more helpful than one could imagine!
They truly are the iron triangle of the pirate world!
...
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
After hearing Leo's confirmation, Ace became excited, feeling that the pain he'd just endured was worth it.
"Oh my god!" he shouted, clenching his fists in exhilaration.
However, the joy on Ace's face soon faded.
Wait a minute... Power of Nature costs 1,000 points, but I used up most of my points last time.
Even if I exchanged it for cash, with all the banquets we've held since Alabasta and the other pirate expenses, I don't have much money left.
Right now, I could only gather around 500 points at best.
The hope that had just sparked in Ace's heart was quickly extinguished.
"Does this mean I have to wait a long time before I can exchange for the Power of Nature?" he wondered aloud.
Sighing, Ace resigned himself to the situation and said,
"Sigh... Sorry, Brother Leo. I probably only have enough wealth to exchange for 500 points at the moment. It looks like I'll have to wait until next time to perfect the bond evolution."
"No need."
Leo shook his head with a smile.
"With your current circumstances, Ace, you can definitely exchange for the Power of Nature."
"Huh?" Ace asked, confused. "But I don't have enough money."
"You might not have enough money," Leo said with a grin, "But there's something else you possess that can be sold!"
"Have you forgotten, Ace? You purchased training experiences for Armament Haki and Observation Haki from me..."
"Wait!" Ace was stunned for a moment before it hit him.
"You mean you want me to sell you my experience with Conqueror's Haki!?"
"Exactly!" Leo nodded with a smile.
Though few in the pirate world wield Conqueror's Haki, the experience of Ace, who had just awakened his Conqueror's Haki, might not attract many buyers. But Ace wasn't just anyone!
If it's not listed in the system, it can still be traded as a resource.
Having just completed bond evolution, Leo was more than willing to lend Ace a hand.
...
...
Moments later.
Ace exchanged his Conqueror's Haki experience for 500 points, immediately trading those points for the Power of Nature.
All of a sudden!
A strange thought appeared in his mind.
He could control the fire within his body!
This instinctive realization made Ace's eyes light up, as if two bright flames were burning within them.
"Come forth!"
Whoosh!
With a soft command from Ace, a ball of blazing flame materialized in his palm. Instantly, under his control, the flames enveloped his entire fist, mirroring Charizard's abilities.
"This really works!"
Ace's face broke into a childlike grin, like a kid who'd just gotten a new toy.
Fiery flames erupted and subsided around him. With the assistance of the Power of Nature, Ace's ability to control this flame energy surpassed even Charizard's.
At that moment, it was as if he had been born for the flames.
Gathering the intense flames in his fist, Ace's gaze hardened as he set his sights on a large rock in the distance.
With a sudden punch, he shouted,
"Fire Fist!!!"
With Ace's cry, a massive, fist-shaped fireball shot forward like a meteor, tearing through the air and slamming into the distant rock.
The surrounding air, heated by the intense flames, shimmered and warped.
Boom!!!
A violent explosion echoed through the air.
The massive rock shattered into countless tiny fragments, scattering in every direction.
This sudden eruption of power shocked the Whitebeard crew watching from afar.
Marco's jaw dropped, disbelief written all over his face.
Ace, who had never shown any special abilities, suddenly transformed into a fire-user after just a brief conversation with the dimensional merchant!?
At this point, Marco felt that the world had gone completely crazy...
How could someone just suddenly mutate like that?
(End of this chapter)