The Sun
Vegapunk held the ring, shimmering with spiraling patterns, in both hands as if cradling a masterpiece that transcended time, a smug expression on his face.
"This ring—it's no ordinary creation."
He deliberately kept everyone in suspense, his voice gradually lowering before suddenly rising:
"It's a fusion of two 'Heat-Heat Fruits'!"
The air froze the moment the words were spoken.
"What?!"
Ace took a sudden step forward, and the flames on his chest exploded with a "boom," the intense heat distorting the space, as if even the air itself was burning.
"Two?!" His voice was filled with disbelief. "Didn't Roy only give you one?!"
Vegapunk flicked his long tongue, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes, before glancing at Roy.
Didn't you tell him?
A smile appeared on Roy's face as he reached out and took the ring, the flickering light of the flames illuminating his cold, handsome features.
"Strictly speaking, Charlotte Oven's fruit should actually be called the [Scorch-Scorch Fruit]."
Its ability is to heat up and cook, with an upper limit of only a few hundred degrees. It can transfer heat to any object it touches, making it instantly hot.
When it generates heat, it can burn enemies upon contact, and can even transfer heat to the sea, causing large areas to boil, sea creatures to be boiled alive, and ships to disintegrate due to excessive heat... It can even burn enemies from a distance.
"But ultimately, this fruit can only be considered a supplementary function."
Roy tossed the ring into his palm, the gleam of flame shimmering on the metal's texture, and slowly walked towards Ace.
"The other one—is the true [Heat-Heat Fruit]."
As soon as he finished speaking, the air pressure in the Laboratory suddenly dropped, becoming so heavy that it made it hard to breathe.
Vegapunk's Six Great Satellites all paused in their movements, involuntarily turning their gazes toward him.
"Eating this fruit allows the user to freely alter their own temperature, ranging from one degree to ten thousand degrees."
"It can walk on solid ground in the sub-zero icy sea as if it were flat ground; it can stand safely on lava."
"Anything it touches can be melted or evaporated; it can even swallow molten lava as if it were water."
With each word he uttered, the temperature in the Laboratory continued to rise.
The cold metal of the walls began to tremble slightly, the outer casing of the instruments creaked, and even Vegapunk himself reached out and tugged at his collar, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Roy stopped and, meeting Ace's gaze that seemed to ignite everything, solemnly handed over the ring.
"Ace —I'm really looking forward to the appearance of the true 'Flame Emperor'."
"Boom--!"
The moment the ring touched his palm, crimson flames erupted like a volcanic eruption, shooting skyward and breaking through the Laboratory ceiling, dazzlingly bright and instantly dyeing the entire sky of Punk Hazard a crimson gold color.
The intense light was like the arrival of a new sun, and even sea creatures far out at sea were startled and surfaced due to the high temperature.
Vegapunk's clones all Backtrack, their faces filled with shock. The instruments emitted piercing alarms, some experimental glass shattered with a "bang," and white steam billowed in the flames.
At the heart of the raging flames, Ace's eyes burned intensely, flames raging within his pupils, and his voice was deep and resolute:
"Roy... I promise I won't let you down!!"
Roy gazed at him quietly, his eyes crinkling slightly and a smile playing on his lips.
"Ace... I've always believed in you."
His voice was soft, yet it was like a brand, deeply etched into Ace's heart.
After receiving the ring, Ace couldn't wait to test its effects. Roy looked at Vegapunk, Vegapunk wiped his sweat and laughed, "It's been prepared for you all for a while now~"
Spatial fluctuations enveloped Ace and Vegapunk, and the moment their feet landed, they found themselves in a gigantic Training Ground that resembled a volcano.
The rock walls were entirely crimson, lava rolled deep within, and extremely fine heat waves floated in the air.
Vegapunk's Six Great Satellites were already in position in front of the control panel, their protective shields humming, ready to withstand the Impact the ultra-high temperature.
Ace's eyes burned with excitement as he eagerly slipped the ring onto his Right Hand index finger.
"Click--!"
The ring instantly lit up with spiraling patterns, and crimson flames suddenly exploded from his body, the scorching aura whipping up a gale.
"Hoo--!" Ace exhaled, and the air instantly distorted.
The ring flashed a red light, and its temperature instantly soared to 1000 degrees Celsius!
The ground beneath their feet hissed and crackled, and the hard rock instantly turned into flowing molten lava.
"Fire Fist--!"
He threw a punch, and flames shot out with a roar.
The moment the blazing fireball at 1,500 degrees Celsius struck the steel target tower, the Dragon Bone melted into molten iron, splattering all over the ground.
Ace laughed wildly, the flames burning ever brighter in his madness.
--Two thousand degrees!
The flames suddenly turned a blinding yellowish-white, and his breath was enough to sublimate rocks into white mist.
The flaming spear flew through the air, piercing through a granite wall tens of meters thick, leaving a gruesome hole.
The ring's light patterns spun wildly, as if calling for even higher temperatures.
--Three thousand degrees!
The air suddenly ionized, and flames accompanied by Thunderclap explosions engulfed the entire Training Ground as if it had been engulfed in a thunderstorm. The gale whipped up the plasma flames, and the dome was dyed as bright as day.
"That's outrageous! It can actually enter plasma flame form!!"
Vegapunk's eyes widened as his Six Great Satellites desperately reinforced the protective shield, yet they were still drenched in sweat from the intense heat.
--5000 degrees!
A blinding golden-white flame roared into the sky, Ace's entire body surged with flames, as if he had transformed into a walking sun!
Within a radius of 100 meters, the stone walls spontaneously combusted instantly, the hard alloy floor softened and collapsed at a visible speed, and the air turned white from the heat, as if it were the end of the world.
The heavy protective shield hissed, the energy panel alarm flashed red, and the Six Great Satellites frantically tried to control it, but were still forced to retreat in fear by the high temperature.
Ace's eyes burned fiercely as he roared to the sky, flames coalescing into a miniature sun, so intense that even space itself seemed to distort!
"Great Flame Commandment--!"
The next moment, everything seemed about to be completely burned!
--At this very moment.
That's enough.
A deep, thunderous voice pierced through the roaring flames.
Roy's figure silently appeared in the center of the raging flames. The black and red spatial ripples instantly spread out, forcibly compressing and swallowing the nearly out-of-control 5,000-degree flames, turning them into nothingness.
"Call--!"
The high temperature suddenly subsided, and the air in the Training Ground seemed to have been sucked out, plunging into a deathly silence.
Ace gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, but his eyes remained wildly excited, flames burning fiercely in his pupils.
His hand, adorned with the ring, trembled, yet the flames in his palm refused to die out.
"Roy!!"
"This is the power I've always sought! I will use it... to become the true Flame Emperor!!"
Roy stared at him, his gaze deep, his voice low. "Ace, you must remember—"
"The sun's rays can illuminate all things, and they can also burn everything."
Ace's body jolted violently, and the blazing flames gradually subsided.
He lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and then spoke in a hoarse voice, "I... I was too intense."
He slowly loosened his clenched fist, the flames dissipated into scattered sparks, and his breathing gradually became steady.
When he looked up again, his eyes no longer held only fervor, but also a hint of calm and introspection.
"I almost... destroyed this place. If this were on the Battlefield, I might have even dragged my comrades down with me."
He looked at Roy, his voice firm. "I will calm down and properly develop this power, so that it won't devour me, nor will it harm the innocent."
The flames gradually died down, and the air began to flow again.
Ace's body was still burning hot, but it was no longer just pure fanaticism; it was gradually solidifying into a flame that could illuminate the future.