In the northern part of Dressrosa, the seemingly endless plains had been reduced to a ravaged wasteland.
Fujitora, already on his last legs, had been knocked unconscious by his grievous injuries.
Lina accepted his template. Looking at Fujitora lying helplessly on the ground, he hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he chose to summon his falcon and leave.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The falcon beat its wings and soared into the air, speeding south toward the royal palace.
In the palace's eastern courtyard, standing atop the high ground, the air shimmered with heat as waves of warmth surged.
Below, a fierce blaze engulfed the courtyard, turning it into a sea of flames.
And within it,
countless branches bearing thick leaves lashed wildly across the ground. Ryokugyu struggled to hold back the raging flames, even trying to put them out.
Ace wore a solemn expression. A few flickering flames coiled around his body as he held his arms out to either side, palms open, and shouted,
"Flame Emperor!"
Whoosh!!
The flames covering the ground instantly surged. Four walls of fire rose up, surrounding Ryokugyu at Ace's command. Before long, they had completely swallowed him.
"Uwaaah! Hiss!"
"It's so hot, hot, hot—! You bastard!"
Transformed into a tree man, Ryokugyu let out pained cries again and again. His massive body struggled desperately in the sea of flames, his ceaseless screams sounding utterly miserable.
And yet,
despite the overwhelming advantage he seemed to have, Ace's expression remained just as grave.
If this was all Ryokugyu could do, Ace would have won long ago.
No one who made it to the position of Marine Admiral was an ordinary opponent.
Even with his ability countering Ryokugyu's, Ace remained on guard.
Sure enough,
whoosh!
A vine quickly broke through the wall of fire. A tender green