Fire Fist vs. Thunder Bagua!

Meanwhile, Ace had already penetrated to the deepest part of Onigashima, his body engulfed in flames, sweeping away dozens of Pirate guards along the way, leaving broken iron gates and fallen Pirates scattered all over the ground.

He finally broke into the prison area—a dark and oppressive space filled with chains and cages.

A dozen or so abducted children huddled in a corner, their faces pale and thin, their eyes vacant, as if they had long since lost any desire to survive.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you!" Ace roared, smashing the iron lock with a punch and shielding the children behind him.

However, in the very next second—

"Buzz--!"

The warning signal from Observation Haki sounded like thunder, instantly blaring!

"Thunder Bagua!!"

A roaring sound suddenly came, and the Kanabo, imbued with Conqueror's Haki, seemed to Sky Splitter as it slammed down from behind!

Ace suddenly turned around, his fury instantly coalescing into his fist—

"Fire Fist!!"

"Boom--!"

Flames clashed violently with Conqueror's Haki, Shockwave exploded like thunder, blasting away the iron bars and ruins of the entire prison area!

Amidst the flying metal filings, two figures passed each other.

As she landed, the dust slowly dissipated, revealing a tall, slender girl with silver hair, wearing Oni Mask.

Despite the heavy "Seastone Handcuffs" on her wrists, she still wielded a huge Kanabo, and the oppressive aura emanating from her body was like a raging sea.

She stepped forward, her voice cold yet dignified. "How dare you trespass on Onigashima... You've got some nerve!"

"You're... a member of the Beasts Pirates?"

"My name is Yamato —and I aspire to be the most outstanding samurai, like Kozuki Oden!"

Upon hearing this, Ace's previously battle-ready expression froze.

"... Kozuki Oden?"

He raised an eyebrow and sneered, his expression mocking. "That guy who jumped into the Boiling Pot without making a sound? You think you're that kind of 'greatest warrior'?"

"Stop joking!"

Ace assumed a fighting stance, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. "Brother Roy told me that man's story before—he died a pathetic death, lived a miserable life, and dragged his whole family down with him."

"If that's what you call the best samurai... then 'trash' would probably be a compliment."

"You actually take him as a role model? I suggest you wake up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamato's eyes widened in shock, and then his face contorted with rage!

"Shut up!!"

"You... how dare you insult Oden?!"

A massive burst of Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted, Impact the surroundings like a storm. The stone walls cracked, the cage twisted, and even the air itself seemed to tremble!

With Yamato furious roar, Kanabo unleashed a Thunderclap gust of wind with his spiked club, sweeping it fiercely towards Ace!

"Boom!!"

Ace raised his arm, applying Armament Haki to block, the ground beneath his feet cracked, and he slid back several steps, but his eyes flashed with a fierce fighting spirit.

"Oh... I hit a nerve?"

"Let's go then!"

He took a deep breath, his fighting spirit surging!

"Stop bringing up Oden or anything Oden!"

"I'd like to see..."

"Just how capable are you, this so-called 'Oden's Successor'?!"

With a roar, flames surged from Ace's body, and his Conqueror's Haki erupted in unison!

"Boom--!"

Flames and Haki collided violently in the air, creating a thunderous shockwave that seemed to reverberate deep within the foundations of the entire Onigashima!

The battle between Ace and Yamato instantly intensified!

"Divine Speed - White Serpent Exorcism!!"

Yamato and stomped forward, his figure flashing like lightning, his Kanabo slamming down with intense Conqueror's Haki!

"Bang--!"

Ace unleashed a burst of flames and dodged away, his Kanabo slamming into the ground and carving a ten-meter-wide crater into the black stone slab, sending debris flying and creating a shockwave!

"Wow, you're pretty good at fighting."

Ace grinned, his right fist burning hot and gathering flames, which swirled around his palm and compressed to the extreme in an instant!

"Great Flame Commandment - Explosive Assault!!"

"Boom--!"

The compressed, high-temperature fireball transformed into Meteor Fall and plummeted towards Yamato! She had no time to dodge and could only block it with her Kanabo—

"Bang--!"

The heatwave from the exploding fireball swept in all directions, Yamato to stagger back several steps. The surrounding ground was charred black, and the air itself hissed and twisted!

The flames lingered on her shoulder armor, Yamato frowned, his gaze growing even colder.

Meanwhile, outside the battle, Enel was carrying Caesar, who was covered in bumps and unconscious, in one hand, while protecting a group of children who had just been rescued from the Shockwave and were shivering with fear, with the other hand.

"These two idiots..." A vein throbbed on his forehead, "If you're going to fight, just fight! Do you have to make it look like you're tearing the house down?!"

"Sizzle--!"

He raised his hand and waved it lightly, and lightning surged, forming a ring-shaped lightning barrier that enveloped the children, isolating them from the aftershocks of the battle. The electric field hummed like a shield.

The fighting inside the arena continues to escalate.

Yamato wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glared at Ace, and asked in a low voice, "You... really think Oden was a waste?"

Ace snorted coldly, flames slowly rising from his shoulders, his eyes sharp as knives. "Isn't that so?"

"He clearly had many opportunities to rebel against Kaido, he could have led the people against tyranny, and he could have easily solved the problem by asking Whitebeard for help!"

"Yet he naively chose to believe the Pirates ' 'promise'—dancing naked in the Flower Capital every week in exchange for the lie that 'Kaido leave in five years,' gradually causing his subordinates to lose faith and the people to become disillusioned with him."

"But what was the result? What became of Wano Country?"

"His family was slaughtered, his subordinates were exiled, and his people were enslaved... all because of his foolish 'enlightenment'!"

"Does a man like that deserve to be called a hero?"

"Pah!"

Yamato hearing this, Yamato seemed to be struck by lightning. His eyes widened in shock, his teeth clenched, and the Kanabo in his hand trembled with rage!

"No... that's not how it is...!!"

"Oden sacrificed himself for Wano Country... He did nothing wrong!!"

"Shut up!! You don't understand at all!!" Anger and resentment mingled into a raging roar!

You don't understand at all!

"It's all because of my father... Kaido!!"

"It was because he trampled on Oden Oden's ideals that Wano Country became what it is today!!"

"I... I hate him!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yamato forcibly stopped his roar. His eyes were bloodshot, and his arms trembled slightly from the exertion. He looked like a trapped beast, or a child trying to suppress his emotions.

Ace's expression suddenly changed, and the flame at his fingertips paused slightly.

"... What did you just say?" he asked in a low voice.

"You hate your father?"

Yamato and said in a deep voice, "So what if it is?"

Ace was silent for a moment.

Then he slowly raised his head, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Yamato was no longer mocking, but complex.

"... I didn't expect that."

He chuckled softly, but his gaze grew even more profound.

So you're the same way.

"He also has a damned father."

His tone carried a hint of self-mockery. "A man who would rather destroy everything than bow his head... destroyed my mother, destroyed my childhood..."

The two faced each other in silence, their breaths mingling.

Yamato gritted his teeth, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "We... aren't the same kind of people."

Ace chuckled softly.

"No, we're the same."

"I just choose to suppress my hatred in my fists."

"And you... choose to live wearing someone else's shadow."

The next second, Ace's gaze turned icy, and flames surged forth like a tornado!

"But even if we're the same!"

"Oden's death... was still foolish!!"

"Come on, Yamato!"

"Let me see—are you Kaido's daughter, or Oden's follower?!"

"Boom--!"

"Thunder Bagua!!"

Yamato and attacked, unleashing his Conqueror's Haki to its fullest extent. Lightning swirled and roared around his body, and his Kanabo seemed to transform into Thunder God, carrying immense power as it cleaved down from the sky!

Ace roared in response, and scorching flames suddenly condensed into a giant dragon wreathed in intense heat, spiraling around his fist and arm!

"Great Flame Commandment - Flame Dragon!!"

He threw a punch, his dragon head roaring furiously, like a hellish strike, crashing head-on into the thunderous blow of the Yamato Thunder Bagua!

"Boom--!"

The divine powers of fire and thunder clash head-on!

The two Conqueror's Haki clashed violently at the center of the Impact, Sky Splitter, and the Shockwave from the explosion swept across the entire prison area like a raging torrent!

In an instant, the ground of Onigashima cracked like paper, and the entire roof, along with several layers of surrounding rock walls, was blasted into dust!

A blinding mushroom-shaped blast of air shot into the sky, illuminating the night!

Enel, several kilometers away, stood on a high platform, where lightning protected the children.

The children huddled inside the lightning shield, staring in disbelief at the battle that resembled a duel between gods.

Enel glanced at the pillar of fire and lightning at the center of the explosion, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"I just wanted to come out and take down a few Pirates... but I ended up running into two idiots having a showdown on Onigashima."

He glanced down at Caesar, who lay sprawled on the ground, his lips still twitching:

"They even caught a human-shaped piece of trash..."