After Fujitora shifted the battlefield to the royal palace, the arena was scattered into pieces, and everyone caught up in the melee was separated.
Ryokugyu's massive frame was soon targeted by Ace again.
"You bastard! Why are you only picking on me?!"
Looking at Ace, who floated in midair with flames swirling around him, Ryokugyu looked as miserable as if he'd eaten a fly.
From their brief exchange, he could tell that they weren't far apart in strength.
But Ace could wave his hand and unleash a sea of flames, completely countering him.
Although the Woods-Woods Fruit was a Logia, it didn't have the fluidity of other elements. When Ryokugyu became a Logia, his body still had substance.
"And of all things, it has to be fire—the one thing that counters trees the most."
Ryokugyu gritted his teeth. Thick vines with sharpened tips burst from the ground and shot toward Ace, surrounding him from all sides.
"Slaughtering Thicket!"
"Can't be helped. Just consider yourself unlucky."
Ace grinned and brought both hands to his waist, pressing his index fingers together like pistols. "This is the perfect place to cut loose."
"Fire Gun!!"
Pffft, pffft, pffft—!
Two furious streams of flame burst from Ace's fingertips. A barrage of fiery bullets poured out, snapping every thorny vine in their path.
There had been too many people in the arena. Many of Ace's attacks hit a wide area, which was why he'd allowed Fujitora to move the fight.
Otherwise, a lot of innocent people might have been hurt.
Ace dropped down and braced one hand against the ground. Fierce flames erupted from his palm.
"Great Flame Ring!"
The ground around them caught fire in an instant, and the sea of flames quickly spread toward Ryokugyu.
"Firebreak Forest!!"
Ryokugyu plunged his thick arms into the