"Fuh, fufu, fufu..."
"This trip to the East Blue has been full of twists and turns, leaving me on edge."
In the audience, despite Roger having long left the stage, Doflamingo still clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably.
He thought the earlier events were shocking enough...
But when the former Pirate King—whom he had personally witnessed being executed by the Navy—was resurrected before his very eyes, Doflamingo couldn't suppress his fear.
It wasn't the Pirate King's return that frightened him.
It was the terrifying, all-powerful Dimensional Merchants that made him tremble.
Faced with such a terrifying force, he felt like one of his toy slaves in Dressrosa—completely at the mercy of others.
Yet, this fear only intensified Doflamingo's ambition and desire for Dimensional Transactions.
Next to him, Morgans, president of the World Economic News, was equally stunned.
However, while Doflamingo was shaken by the terrifying powers at play, Morgans was overwhelmed by the monumental news unfolding before him.
Regrettably, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, ordinary birds couldn't reach the scene. Otherwise, Morgans would have already published this groundbreaking news in today's paper.
But he knew his talented reporters wouldn't miss this opportunity.
By now, they had probably written at least five articles, carefully selecting the best one to break the story.
"This is truly big news!" Morgans stroked the camera in his hands as if it were his own child, cherishing it deeply.
Every photo he captured here was worthy of being displayed in a world-class museum for future generations to admire.
Of course, Roger's resurrection didn't just send shockwaves through the world's elite.
Many people in the crowd, both men and women, were so scared they were biting their handkerchiefs.
To them, Roger, the Pirate King, was a symbol of pure evil—a man who killed without remorse.
They simply couldn't understand why Garp, a Navy hero, would summon this legendary demon back into the world!
——
Meanwhile, in the arena, Ace and Zoro stood facing each other.
Roger's resurrection had caused such a stir that many in the audience barely noticed their presence, still caught up in discussing the previous events.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Zoro slowly unsheathed his swords with a wry smile.
"Looks like our spotlight was stolen by that mustached guy…" Zoro said softly.
"Mustached guy?" Ace, who had been lost in thought about his father, was taken aback by Zoro's comment and then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha…"
"That's an interesting way to put it, hahaha…"
Though Zoro's words weren't particularly funny, they snapped Ace out of his reverie, pulling him away from his past thoughts.
"Huh?"
Zoro looked at Ace, confused, not quite understanding his reaction.
At that moment, a brilliant burst of fireworks lit up the sky over Celestial Island.
The explosion of color was so vast it covered the entire island, signaling the start of the final battle in the Pokémon League Tournament.
Zoro immediately clenched the hilt of his swords between his teeth, his Doublade flying into his hands, ready for battle.
Ace, now fully focused, grabbed Charizard's Poké Ball.
At that moment, he forgot all about the Pirate King and his father.
Right now, he was only focused on one thing—enjoying today's battle.
"Roar!"
As Charizard emerged from the Poké Ball, it let out a fierce roar, its eyes glowing with excitement, eager to fight.
"Let's go, Charizard!"
Ace grinned and extended his wrist, flames igniting the Gigantamax crystal above it.
With a laugh, Ace shouted:
"Burn as brightly as you can, with the whole world watching!!!"
Whoosh!
Following the Gigantamax process, Charizard was swiftly recalled into its Poké Ball.
Then, a mysterious energy surged from Ace's wristband, transforming into a visible purple light that injected itself into the Poké Ball.
"Charizard, Gigantamax!!!"
Boom!!!
A huge burst of energy exploded in a cloud of dust.
In an instant, a colossal Charizard appeared before Ace.
But it wasn't over yet.
Ace clasped his palm to his chest, fingers curling, and called out once again:
"Charizard, Bond Evolution!!!"
Fwoosh!!!
A surge of flames shot skyward, covering the entire battlefield.
Emerging from the flames, Ace stood tall, embers dancing across his body. He looked like the very son of the God of Fire, making everyone watching feel a sense of awe.
"Come on, Zoro!" Ace smiled, his voice confident.
"I'm ready. Let's leave it all out there and fight with everything we've got!!!"
——
Actually...
It wasn't necessary.
Zoro gazed up at the massive Charizard, feeling its scorching breath on his face.
The overwhelming energy of the fire-type Pokémon loomed over him.
In that moment, Zoro would've preferred fighting Sanji a hundred times rather than facing Ace right now.
But there was no turning back.
The deadly intent in Zoro's eyes flickered momentarily before he tightened his grip on his swords, focusing his thoughts.
"If our opponent is giving it their all, then we have to do the same—no regrets!"
Even knowing defeat was inevitable, Zoro would still strike without hesitation.
That's what it meant to be a true swordsman.
"Bond Evolution!!!"
Boom!
A surge of ghostly energy erupted from Zoro, condensing around him.
Though compared to Ace's power, Zoro's aura seemed insignificant, the strength he unleashed would make even the greatest swordsmen in the world feel ashamed!
"Let's go, Doublade!"
Even though Steel-type Pokémon are weak against Fire, this didn't matter to Zoro now.
With his body hardened by steel energy and his indomitable will, Zoro could fight Ace's flames at close range!
No hesitation!
Knowing his chances were slim, Zoro dashed forward, his blades flashing three cold arcs in the air.
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique—Purgatory Ghost Slash!!!"
Whoosh!
Endless ghost energy surged, condensing onto Zoro's swords.
With his Doublade enhancing his power, Zoro's combat strength soared to level 70!
Ace, on the other hand, hovered around level 73.
Despite Zoro's fierce attack, Ace didn't order Charizard to respond immediately.
"Well done!"
Ace laughed heartily.
Flames danced on his fingers as he reached forward, his palm morphing into a claw, slashing through the air.
A net of flames appeared before him.
"Sacred Fire—Flame Net!!!"
Fwoosh!
The fiery net seemed alive, surging forward to meet Zoro's strike.
But Zoro wasn't fazed. His wrists tightened around his swords.
Whoosh!
With a flash, the flame net shattered.
Though Zoro's clothes were set ablaze, he pressed on, sword aimed straight at Ace.
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique—Azure Dragon's Song: Agitation!!!"