News of Tesoro

Marine training ground · one week later · afternoon

The blazing sun beat mercilessly down on the sand. Heat rose in waves, making even the air seem to ripple.

Ace stood in the center of the training ground, his coat tossed aside. Sweat soaked his bare upper body, but it could not dim the blue-green flames dancing along his arms.

His expression was focused, his body drawn taut like a bow, his presence contained yet ready to erupt with astonishing power. After a week of intensive training, Ace could clearly control the Flame-Flame Fruit's temperature and output with precision, and even the color of his flames had undergone a qualitative change.

"This time won't be like the last."

Ace grinned. The flames on his fists suddenly contracted into a thin layer, clinging to his skin like gloves.

Across from him, Law stood silently with his hands in his pockets, his gaze icy.

His "ROOM" surrounded him, its faintly rippling edges undulating like mist, his aura steady.

Though he held an ordinary Marine-issue sword, it radiated a pressure that could not be underestimated in his hands.

This was his first time fighting as a swordsman in actual combat, but his sharpness and the pressure he exuded were impossible to ignore.

Marines who had heard the news crowded around the edge of the field. Even Drake, who had been training, could not resist stopping to watch.

A duel between two young geniuses was a rare sight at Marine Headquarters.

"Ready?"

The corners of Ace's mouth rose as blue-green flames spread down his forearms to his fists, their scorching heat bursting outward like a storm.

Law did not answer. He merely lowered his head slightly and placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword as his ROOM quietly expanded.

"Fire Pistol: Modified!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Ace struck first, shaping both hands into pistols. More than a dozen fireballs, each as thin as a finger joint, shot from between his fingers like meteors!

Each fireball was compressed to the size of a marble, yet held a temperature of 3,000 degrees, its penetrating power and density far exceeding what they had been before!

A strange sizzling filled the air, as though even the light had been warped by the intense heat.

Law's gaze sharpened.

"Shambles."

In an instant, he swapped places with a stone at the edge of the field. The fireballs missed with a roar, and the moment they struck the ground, the sand melted into chunks of dark red glass crystal as scorching heat tore through the air.

The watching Marines all drew a sharp breath.

"The intensity of his flames now... he's not just playing with fire like before!"

"He actually turned sand into glass?! Is this 'compressed high-temperature Fire Pistol'?!"

Law wasted no time. His ROOM flickered, and he teleported to a spot behind and to Ace's side. His blade flashed!

"Scalpel!"

Ace's gaze hardened. His Observation Haki instantly caught the change in the air rushing toward him, and he ducked low and retreated, the blade narrowly sweeping past the tip of his nose.

He reacted quickly, pushing off the ground with both feet. Flames blasted out, propelling him forward like a rocket—

"Flame Leg: Pierce!"

Flames wrapped around his lower leg as he lashed out with a kick, its heat scorching the air and bearing down with crushing pressure!

"Clang!"

Law gritted his teeth and blocked. The sand beneath his feet cracked, and the force of the flames numbed his legs, but he remained steady.

He kept his composure. In the next instant, he used his spatial ability again, switching places with a piece of rubble behind him and appearing right behind Ace!

"Surgery: Injection!"

The blade stabbed toward the center of Ace's back like a shadow, but this time—

"Swish!"

Ace anticipated it and abruptly transformed into flames. The slash passed through his scorching, insubstantial form, and his solid body reappeared in midair!

In midair, Ace's legs unleashed an astonishing jet of flames. It was an innovative use of the Six Powers' "Soru," incorporating the principle of flame propulsion.

"Flame Soru!"

Almost instantly, Ace closed in on Law, his right fist wreathed in blue-white flames and aimed straight at his face. The heat made the surrounding air crackle explosively.

Law's reaction was just as astonishing. He activated his ability at the last possible moment before the fist struck: "Shambles!"

The two instantly switched places. Ace's punch missed, but he immediately followed up with an elbow strike.

Law hurriedly raised his sword across his body to block. Armament Haki collided with the high-temperature flames, producing a piercing screech of metal.

"The temperature's risen again..."

Law was inwardly alarmed. The last time they fought, his sword could still completely block the flames, but now the part of the blade in contact with them had already begun to glow faintly red.

The Marines watching from the sidelines cried out in amazement:

"They're too fast! I can't even see their moves!"

"That flame color... it has to be at least 2,500 degrees, right?!"

Drake watched their every move intently, her fists clenching without her realizing it.

A battle at this level had already far surpassed that of an ordinary Marine Headquarters major.

The fierce battle continued for twenty minutes. In the end, Ace caught the moment Law's stamina began to fail and broke through the ROOM's defenses with a "Flame Pressure: Burst."

The highly compressed line of fire left a charred mark on Law's chest, and Ace followed it up with "Flame Soru," rushing in close.

A "Fire Fist!"

His right fist shot forward, releasing blue-green flames compressed to their limit, as though setting the entire air ablaze!

"Boom!!!"

Law was blasted several meters away and slammed into the training ground's wall, sending stone chips flying and dust billowing.

After two seconds of silence, applause and cheers erupted like a tidal wave.

"Ace won!"

"That fight was incredible! Are those two really kids?!"

Law knelt on one knee, faint scorch marks on his face and a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, but his gaze grew even colder.

Ace hurried over and reached out to help him up.

"You okay?"

Law stared at him for a few seconds, then took his hand and stood.

"You're strong." His tone was still cold, but there was no hostility in his eyes.

Ace grinned. "Hehe, if I hadn't learned Haki two years earlier, I might not have won today."

Law snorted softly. "Once I learn it, you won't have such an easy time."

"Hahaha, then I'll be waiting!"

Marine Headquarters · edge of the training ground

Beyond the field, Zephyr and Roy stood side by side, looking through the swirling dust at the two figures who had just finished their fierce battle.

"These two brats..." Zephyr stroked his chin, a knowing smile appearing on his face for once. "They've got a promising future."

Roy nodded, admiration and a hint of concealed pride in his eyes. "Ace can now keep his flames compressed at a high temperature for over thirty seconds, and Law's control over his ROOM is becoming more refined... but it takes too much stamina. He still needs to work on his basic conditioning."

He paused, the corners of his mouth rising slightly. "Once they've all fully mastered Armament and Observation Haki... even some Commodores will probably have to take these kids seriously."

"Hahaha!"

Zephyr threw back his head and laughed. "Now that'll be interesting! Sooner or later, it'll be up to the young to shoulder the burden of these old Marine bones. I've been waiting a long time for this day!"

Just then, the Den Den Mushi inside Roy's coat suddenly began to ring. "Buru buru."

The Den Den Mushi opened its eyes. It was a female model wearing thin-rimmed glasses, and its tone was brisk and serious. "Rear Admiral Roy, please report to the Intelligence Division immediately. There's an urgent intelligence update."

Marine Intelligence Division · office

The office was dim, its curtains half drawn. More than a dozen red dots marked a map of the North Blue on the wall.

Vice Admiral Tsuru stood before the map with a file in her hand. Her voice was as calm and crisp as ever. "Come in."

Roy pushed the door open and entered. He glanced around the room and sensed that the atmosphere was more somber than usual.

"About the target you asked us to investigate—Gild Tesoro."

Tsuru took an encrypted folder from a drawer and handed it to him. "We've found out where he's been recently."

Roy took it, opened it, and glanced inside. The young man in the photograph had a defiant gaze and a handsome face, but an unsettling, twisted air lay suppressed beneath it.

Faint remnants of a brand from a Celestial Dragon slave collar could still be seen on the side of his neck.

"He escaped from the Holy Land Mary Geoise two years ago?" He raised an eyebrow. "A knock-on effect of the Fisher Tiger incident, I assume."

"That's right."

Tsuru nodded slowly. "He was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons. He has an extraordinary hatred for nobles and wealthy merchants, but his obsession with money is even greater."

She raised a hand and pointed to a red dot on the map. "His last known location was Kremia Transit Port in the North Blue. It's a gray area where nobles, wealthy merchants, and smugglers mingle."

Roy closed the file, his gaze darkening slightly. "I'll go there myself."

Tsuru paused, frowning slightly. "Now? You know the North Blue is still full of Doflamingo's eyes and ears, don't you?"

Roy smiled, his tone playful. "Don't worry, Ms. Tsuru. A mere 'turkey' isn't someone I take seriously."

Tsuru froze for a moment at that, then chuckled and shook her head gently. "'Little Turkey'... that does fit."

Corridor outside the training ground

Roy left the Intelligence Division and was walking down the corridor toward his quarters when he suddenly stopped.

He took a neatly folded Vivre Card from inside his coat—

It was Ace's Vivre Card.

At that moment, the edges of the paper were curling and twisting slightly, showing that his emotions were fluctuating wildly.

"Ha... has he gotten into trouble again?" He sighed softly, and the next second, he vanished into thin air with a swish.

Training ground · Science Unit Testing Area

"Quick, quick, quick! Fire that high-temperature flame blast one more time!"

"The moment the blue-white flames form, please keep the temperature constant. We need to read the plasma-state data!"

At the edge of the training ground, Ace was surrounded by several Science Unit researchers. All sorts of instruments were pointed at him, recording everything about him, from energy fluctuations to the focal points of his heat sources.

He looked utterly hopeless. "I'm not a lab animal!!!"

"But you're currently the youngest Logia user in the Marines, and you can even control your flames in their blue state! Your scientific value is immeasurable!"

A researcher shouted excitedly while operating an instrument.

Not far away, Law stood in the shade of a tree with his arms folded, watching the scene. The corners of his mouth finally lifted in an almost imperceptible smile.