Locked in Battle (1)

"Fire Fist." Ace showed no mercy; the moment he attacked, it was a deadly move.

The enormous flaming fist hurtled straight toward Pound. Pound's expression changed; he dared not block it and immediately retreated to dodge.

The fiery fist slammed into the mast, which required four or five people to encircle, but was now severed in half. The top section fell straight down into the sea, creating waves.

Pound's face turned grim as he looked at Ace's immense attack power. He had gone to capture other pirates, but now his subordinates were injured, his warship was destroyed, and it was no longer able to sail.

He now has no idea how to explain this to headquarters.

"You bastard, you deserve to die!" Pound was enraged. He swung his greatsword and began to slash wildly at Ace, trying to kill Ace.

However, Ace was extremely agile, and his greatsword was always a step too slow. Conversely, Ace was able to seize the opportunity to attack him, and he was hit by many bullets.

"You all jump into the sea! The rest of the warships, open fire on this ship immediately, now!" Pound shouted, clutching his body.

He understood that he was no match for Fire Fist Ace. However, it was impossible for him to surrender so easily, because he was a Marine, and there was no such thing as surrender.

They represent justice. If justice bows to evil, how can they carry out their missions in the future? Therefore, he decided that even if he died in battle, he would fight Ace to the death.

Under his reprimand, the sailors on the warship jumped into the sea and left the ship.

Moments later, countless shells flew towards the warship, striking it and preparing to completely destroy it.

Pound's goal was clear: to sink the warship, leaving Ace with nowhere to land. Ace was a Devil Fruit user, a complete landlubber; falling into the water would mean certain death.

"Heh heh, Ace, you can die now," Pound said with a maniacal laugh.

"You're really reckless, but what's the use? I'm fire; shells have no effect on me." Ace smiled calmly and said, "However, you're different. Staying here is just courting death."

"Hmph, my death here is my honor. Ace, just you wait. Once the warship is sunk, you're dead." Pound chuckled and said.

"The warship was sunk? Oh, so that's what you wanted!" Ace replied dismissively, "There are still a few warships left. I'm not afraid. Even if you manage to sink this one, I can just jump onto another. Unless you destroy all the warships, your plan won't succeed."

Five warships came this time, but he only seized one. Even if that one is destroyed, there are still four warships left. Therefore, he has no worries whatsoever.

"Hmph, look over there!" Pound chuckled and said.

Upon hearing this, Ace looked in the direction Pound pointed. After a moment, his expression changed slightly, and he said, "You're so cunning; you've even taken the warship away."

The other four warships were far away, anchored dozens of meters away, just out of range of the enemy shells. In other words, the warships could destroy this one. However, it was impossible for Ace to get to another warship. The distance was too great; Ace couldn't jump over. He no longer had the ability to fly.

If that happens, Ace will be in trouble if the warship is destroyed.

"Hehe, there's nothing we can do. Who told you to be Fire Fist Ace? We can't beat you in a fight. But we can outsmart you," Pound said with a smile.

"Hmph, your scheme is indeed clever. But do you think you can defeat me like this? What a joke." Ace scoffed at this.

He immediately returned to his small boat, steered it, and charged toward the four warships.

"Hey, wait, stop right there!" Pound's expression changed drastically when he saw Ace spun the ship and charged toward the warship.

He was holding off Ace here to buy time so the warships could get away. Now that Ace has sailed away, all his previous efforts have been in vain.

"Heh, you can get shelled there! I'm off." Ace chuckled and waved. Then, ignoring Pound, he charged straight toward the warship.

Enraged, Pound immediately jumped into the sea and began the chase. He wanted to stop Ace before Ace boarded the warship.

However, to his dismay, he was too slow, while Ace was getting faster and faster, and the distance between them was getting farther and farther.

"Damn it, utterly damn it!" Pound was so angry he was furious; if they weren't in the water, who knows how high he would have jumped.

"Heh, you idiot, you should have destroyed his boat sooner." Just as Pound roared angrily, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

Upon hearing this, Pound looked around and shouted, "Who is it? Who is it? Come out here! Stop sneaking around!"

"It's me!" Fanxin emerged from the water, smiling as she looked at Pound.

"You are... Fanxin, captain of the Heavenly Soul Pirates?" Pound sized up Fanxin, his expression changing slightly, and asked.

Fanxin is a wanted criminal with an 80 million bounty; he's quite powerful. They're already facing an attack from a formidable enemy like Fire Fist Ace, and they haven't even finished dealing with him yet. Now, another powerful captain has appeared—this is a huge blow to them.

"That's right, it's me." Fanxin smiled, lying on the water's surface without making a move.

His opponent wasn't Pound, but Fire Fist Ace. Therefore, he wouldn't attack Pound. However, if Pound were to attack him, he wouldn't hold back.

"Why have you come back here? What is your purpose?" Pound asked, puzzled.

"I was fighting Fire Fist Ace when you guys barged in. What bad luck!" Fanxin Xin chuckled and said, "Hey, want me to help you take care of Fire Fist Ace?"

"You're fighting? How is that possible? Fire Fist Ace is a renowned pirate, and you're just a rookie." Pound said, somewhat incredulously.

Fire Fist Ace's bounty is several hundred million, while Fanxin's bounty is only eighty million. He felt that Fanxin was definitely no match for Fire Fist Ace.

"Hey, don't underestimate me like that! I'm very strong too." Fanxin was immediately annoyed upon hearing this and shouted.

Although he didn't defeat Fire Fist Ace, he didn't lose either! So far, they're only evenly matched. But Pound insists he's no match for Fire Fist Ace, which he finds hard to accept.

"Hmph, I can't tell how strong you are," Pound said dismissively.

"Is that so? Then I'll show you." Fanxin was furious. He immediately sank into the sea and launched an attack.

He activated the Diamond Spikes, blasting the damaged warship to smithereens, completely destroying it. Then, Fanxin swam towards the four warships ahead.

Pound glanced at the warship behind him, his expression slightly changing. Fanxin could destroy a warship in an instant; that was far more powerful than cannonballs. If Fanxin had launched an attack from beneath the warship, they would all have been killed.

"This guy is indeed very strong." Pound nodded affirmatively.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he said, "He went over there. Could he be planning to attack the warship? If so, that would be terrible."

"No, we must get the warships away as soon as possible." Pound realized something was terribly wrong. He immediately took out Den Den Mushi and contacted the warships, ordering them to move away quickly and not launch another attack.

Fire Fist Ace was already so difficult to deal with, and now there's the unpredictable and elusive Fanxin. Their situation is extremely precarious. If Fire Fist Ace and Fanxin join forces, even ten warships wouldn't be enough to destroy them.

After making the call, Pound finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He swam quickly forward, preparing to board the warship and leave with them.

His warship was destroyed, and he couldn't leave; this was all he could do. The other marines who had fallen into the sea also sprang into action, following Pound's lead and swimming towards the distant warship.

Fanxin arrived at the foot of the warship at top speed. Then, without saying a word, he launched an attack.

He unleashed Diamond Spikes, tearing large holes in the bottoms of all four warships, allowing seawater to rush in. The four warships, which had been moving at high speed, immediately slowed down after the seawater flooded in.

At first, the sailors didn't know the reason. But after seawater flooded into the cabin, they realized that there was a large hole in the bottom of the ship.

At this point, everyone panicked and didn't know what to do.

The hole in the hull was simply too large for them to repair! They didn't even have a chance to get close. If this continued, their warship would sink to the bottom of the sea.

"Damn it, who did this?!" The marines were indignant, cursing and swearing, wishing they could arrest the culprit and tear him to pieces. Only in this way could they vent their anger.

"I did it." Fanxin left the bottom of the warship, returned to the surface of the sea, and said with a smile.

"Ah, it's the captain of the Heavenly Soul Pirates." Upon hearing this, the marines' expressions changed slightly. Another troublesome big guy had arrived. They felt they hadn't checked the almanac before going out today; otherwise, how could they have ended up in such a miserable situation?

One can launch an attack from the surface, and the other can launch a sneak attack from the seabed; they are simply impossible to defend against!

"It's me, hehe. Hurry up and jump ship, or you'll be dead." Fanxin Xin chuckled and said.

Upon hearing this, the marines glared at Fanxin, wishing they could tear Fanxin to pieces. Fanxin said sounded incredibly absurd! If you didn't want us to die, why did you cut a huge hole in the hull? Weren't you just playing with us?

However, Fanxin, completely oblivious to his own limitations, attacked the warships again. His goal was clear: to destroy Ace's hideout. Only then could he defeat Ace.

Not far away, Ace also saw Fanxin and was furious at Fanxin actions.

"Hey, hey, don't do this, please!" Ace said.

"Heh, that's how we fight. We're all pirates; it's either you die or I die. No matter how despicable the methods, if I win, I win," Fanxin said. "Don't you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Ace nodded in agreement and said, "That's right. In that case, the warship is yours; I don't need it."

After Ace finished speaking, he immediately headed off into the distance.

Fanxin can launch attacks freely underwater, so as long as he is on the surface, he has no chance of winning. Therefore, he absolutely cannot fight Fanxin to the death on the surface.

"This is so boring." Fanxin felt depressed after seeing Ace leave.

He looked at the marines and said, "I'm leaving. Don't see me off." With that, he quickly left, not bothering the marines any further.

"No way we'd give it to you!" the marines shouted angrily.

They now wished they could kill Fanxin, because Fanxin had destroyed their warships, leaving them stranded at sea without reinforcements. If they encountered ferocious sea monsters, they would be in grave danger. Therefore, they felt no gratitude towards Fanxin, only hatred.

"Hey, Ace, where are you planning to run off to?" Fanxin caught up with Fire Fist Ace, but didn't make a move, and asked.

Ace's sense of danger is extremely sharp; any attack he launches now would be futile, as Ace can easily dodge them. Attacking the ship beneath his feet is also pointless, as Ace can use it to evade danger as well.

"Let's find an island, and then I'll have a proper fight with you." Ace looked at Fanxin and said, "You don't have any objections, do you?"

"Okay, no objections, let's do it this way." Fanxin pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

He's fighting Ace now, and neither of them can win; neither can force the other to admit defeat. Because when he attacks, Ace is dodging, and when Ace attacks, he's dodging.

If this continues, they could fight for a year and still not be able to determine a winner.

So, he decided to find a place and have a good fight with Ace. That way, they could settle the score.

"Hehe, that way you can't ambush me anymore," Ace said with a laugh.

"Of course." Fanxin nodded, immediately took out the small boat, got on, and sailed away with Ace into the distance.

"What kind of ability is this? It's so convenient! I can take it out whenever I want to use it, and put it away whenever I don't." Ace asked Fanxin curiously.

"I have spatial abilities, so I can take things out and put them back at will," Fanxin said with a smile. He didn't elaborate, because that was his secret.

"I see." Ace nodded, not asking any further questions. Such abilities were rare and hard to come by. Although he liked them, he couldn't force someone to do something they didn't want to. Besides, Fanxin was a difficult person to deal with, and the chances of getting any treasures from him were slim.

"Alright, enough talk, let's go find the battlefield!" Fanxin shouted.

He had important things to do and didn't have time to waste with Ace. He wanted to fight Ace as soon as possible, then leave and head to his destination.

"As you wish." Ace nodded, steered the small boat, and quickly headed into the distance. Fanxin followed closely behind.

After driving for another two hours, they finally found land, a deserted island where no humans lived.

"This is it." Ace rushed towards the island. Upon reaching the shore, he immediately jumped ashore and secured the boat to the land.

Upon reaching the island's edge, Fanxin jumped ashore without hesitation. After placing the small boat in Wolf Valley, he looked at Ace and said, "Let's go, let's fight."

Ace nodded and, together with Fanxin, headed towards the center of the deserted island.

The island was extremely desolate, with hardly any trees left. Therefore, they reached the center of the island without any obstacles.

"Let's begin!" Fanxin urged.

Ace nodded and said, "Now you'd better watch out, I'm about to use my ultimate move."

"Hmph, I was afraid you were hiding your true abilities," Fanxin said.

Ace grinned, said nothing more, and then launched an attack on Fanxin. He transformed into flames and charged towards Fanxin, instantly engulfing Fanxin in flames. Fanxin had no way to retreat but to charge forward.

"Heh, starting with a powerful move? That's ruthless." Fanxin Xin chuckled, immediately drew his twin swords, and began to fight.

Fanxin charged forward, he unleashed his Diamond Spikes. Although these spikes couldn't harm Ace, he believed they would still be somewhat useful.

He charged forward and soon reached Ace's side.

He swung his sword at Ace. Ace didn't dodge; he looked at Fanxin and said, "Your attack is ineffective against me!"

He wasn't worried about being injured by Fanxin. The reason he had dodged earlier was because Fanxin's attack could destroy his small boat. If his boat were destroyed, he would fall into the sea. He couldn't swim, and once in the sea, he would have no chance to fight back. An ordinary person could easily kill him.

Therefore, he had no choice but to hide.

Now, standing on solid ground, he is no longer afraid no matter how much Fanxin attack him, because he will not fall into the sea.

"Heh, too arrogant, that'll get you killed." Fanxin Xin chuckled, swung his diamond knife, and slashed.

The diamond blade slashed at Ace's chest. Ace screamed and immediately retreated, putting distance between himself and Fanxin.

Ace looked at the knife wound on his chest and shouted, "There's something strange about the knife you're carrying. Did you put Seastone in it?"

He's Logia Devil Fruit user; his body can become elemental, so ordinary physical attacks are useless against him. He just stands there, and no one can harm him.

However, he is not invincible. His Haki, Seastone, and the vast ocean can all cause him great harm.

This is land, so the threat from the sea can be completely ignored. He fought Fanxin for a long time, and Fanxin couldn't defeat him. Therefore, the possibility of him using Haki can also be ruled out. If Fanxin could use Haki, he would have already been defeated on the sea.

If we rule out those two, then only Seastone remains as a possibility.

"Not bad, I've embedded several Seastone inside, specifically to deal with Logia demons. I have no choice; I haven't mastered Haki yet, so this is the only option." Fanxin Xin chuckled and said, "I warned you long ago, arrogance will get you killed. Just now, if I had tried to kill you, even if you hadn't died, you would have been severely injured."

He held back just now; if he had aimed for Ace's head, Ace would have definitely suffered a great loss this time.

"Hehe, thank you so much," Fire Fist Ace said. "Now, I'll show you what I'm really capable of!"

"I couldn't ask for more!" Fanxin exclaimed.

Ace nodded, then without further ado, launched another fierce attack on Fanxin.

"Fire Fist!" Ace roared. He unleashed his signature move, the one that earned him the nickname "Fire Fist Ace." He had used this move to slay countless pirates and destroy countless pirate ships and warships throughout the latter half of the Grand Line.

A gigantic flaming fist descended from the sky, pressing towards Fanxin.

Fanxin didn't dodge; he swung his diamond knife and slashed at the fist.

His diamond blade didn't pierce through the fist; instead, it struck the fist itself, because the Seastone had solidified the fiery fist, preventing it from becoming elemental.

That flaming fist was actually Ace's fist; it just appeared in the form of flames.

Fanxin used a knife inlaid with Seastone to slash at him, he could cut into his physical form.

"Hehe, that trick of yours won't work on me." Fanxin Xin chuckled and said. He looked even smaller than that fist. However, he wasn't afraid at all. Because he had this diamond knife, which could completely stop Fire Fist Ace's Fire Fist.

"Hmph, don't get too cocky. I haven't even used my full power yet," Ace said with a cold laugh.

"If you have any tricks up your sleeve, then come out!" Fanxin shouted.

"As you wish." Ace snorted and immediately withdrew his Fire Fist. Then, he unleashed his second ultimate move, the Great Flame Commandment, at Fanxin.

A huge cylinder of fire appeared and surrounded him. As time went on, the cylinder of fire grew larger and larger, taking up a large area.

Then, he manipulated the fiery cylinder and charged straight at Fanxin, shouting as he went, "Now let's see how you stop me!"

The cylinder of flame was very large, and it wasn't his body, but rather something he had formed from the flames he released.

Even if Fanxin used the knife inlaid with Seastone to cut it, he couldn't do anything to it.

Fanxin saw a huge cylinder of fire heading straight for him, his expression changed, and he stopped charging forward. Instead, he put on his Flight Armor and flew into the sky.

The cylinder of flame was too big; he couldn't stop it at all.

"Damn it, if I learned the Haki, I could use the Dragon-Slaying Sword. The Dragon-Slaying Sword is incredibly powerful. It could easily cut through this flame." High in the sky, Fanxin looked at the raging flames below, feeling extremely frustrated.