Great Buddha Fruit LV3, One Punch Splits the Sea!

"Boom!"

With Ace's punch, scorching flames instantly dyed the sky and the ocean below crimson!

That was the origin of Ace's title.

A single punch could sink a warship. That was the "Fire Fist"!

But in the next moment, Ace raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Because he clearly saw that, atop the warship in the distance—

a figure had already appeared on the deck, facing the boiling flames head-on.

"Has he gone mad?"

That thought instantly rose in Ace's mind.

If the other party abandoned ship and fled now, there might still be a slim chance of survival.

But facing his flames head-on—wasn't that just courting death?

Yet in the next moment, Ace froze.

Because he saw the figure on the deck slowly bend his arm.

"Voom!"

His fist clenched tight as golden radiance and intense vibrations gathered around his arm.

Then—

"Bang!"

With a sharp crack as it tore through the air, he faced the incoming inferno... and threw a punch.

"Voom!"

The invisible shock wave collided with the flames, forcibly stopping them less than five meters from the warship.

"Rumble!"

Centered on the point where their powers collided, the fierce shock wave spread wildly. Scattered flames fell into the sea, raising clouds of white steam.

At this sight, astonishment appeared on Ace's face.

"This guy..."

Ever since he had obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace had rarely encountered an opponent for his ability.

Among all the opponents he had met so far, only that Shichibukai could directly withstand Fire Fist head-on like this.

In other words, the Marine who had suddenly appeared before him...

"Is strong."

And at that moment—

"Crack!"

Beneath Luo Yi's feet, the deck of the warship began to crack and splinter loudly.

Right afterward, the ship's side in front of him suddenly shattered as well.

The entire warship rocked violently amid the raging shock waves.

Fal and Hans barely managed to grab the mainmast, struggling not to be thrown overboard.

"Ugh... wh-what a short life, Sergeant Fal!"

"Yeah—no, you bastard Hans! At a time like this, you're still showing off your rank!?"

"When else am I supposed to show it off if not now? Even the boss's Wave Fist... Boss!?"

But before he could finish speaking, they clearly saw—

Luo Yi was actually smiling.

And that was indeed the case.

At that moment, while Luo Yi resisted the impact of the flames, his gaze remained fixed on Ace in the distance, who had unleashed Fire Fist.

There was no worry in his heart, only excitement.

"Ace may have only just set out to sea, but he's the Blood of the Pirate King. His strength definitely isn't lacking!"

"Just what I needed... a good opponent!"

With that thought—

"Voom!"

The golden radiance around Luo Yi's arm seemed to grow even more intense.

No, to be precise, it was not merely "seemed."

Because within the Light Screen before Luo Yi's eyes, it was clearly visible.

[Fruit enhancement complete. 2 billion Belly consumed]

[Human-Human Fruit: Great Buddha Form LV1 → LV3]

[Human-Human Fruit: Great Buddha Form LV3: Can transform into a gigantic golden Buddha, gaining powerful physical attributes and the ability to release immense shock waves through the body]

A moment later, everyone saw the fist Luo Yi had locked against the flames begin to push forward!

And the golden light around him was no longer confined to his arm. His entire body seemed to glow with golden radiance.

Then—

he swung his arm.

"Voom!"

The intense shock wave caused the sea beneath the entire warship to surge violently.

The crimson flames shattered abruptly beneath Luo Yi's sweeping punch.

Like brushing away a candle flame—the inferno powerful enough to burn an entire ship could not even struggle beneath Luo Yi's fist.

"He... shattered the flames..."

Seeing this, the astonishment on Ace's face deepened beyond words.

And this was only the beginning.

Because Luo Yi's fist had now been fully thrown!

"Wave Fist: Infinite Light!"

Then, everyone saw it.

The entire sea before him seemed to turn golden in that instant.

That was right.

Golden shock waves surged from Luo Yi's fist, their size almost terrifying!

The shock wave was like a massive pillar cast from gold, ripping through the air with a sharp shriek and tearing across the silence of the sea!

"Rumble!"

Wherever the fist's force passed, the entire sea surface was forced aside by the shock wave, sending waves surging outward.

In the blink of an eye, a trench more than ten meters wide appeared out of nowhere across the sea.

At both ends of the trench, the seawater forced aside formed enormous walls of water, and countless fish and shrimp tumbled from them.

"What... what is this!?"

At that moment, astonishment instantly overtook Ace's expression.

The cowboy hat atop his head whipped wildly in the immense gale, while the powerful punch wind made his face sting.

A single punch had actually split the sea apart—was this guy from the Giant Tribe!?

He immediately planned to use Elementalization to evade the attack.

But—

"No!"

The next moment, he realized that he could not do so.

Because behind him was the Spade Pirates' ship.

That was where his companions were.

Ace gritted his teeth and decisively abandoned Elementalization.

"Whoosh!"

Blazing flames erupted from his body. His figure, along with the small boat beneath his feet, shot into the sky.

"Mirror Flame!"

He thrust out both arms, and crimson flames instantly blasted from them, transforming into a wall of fire that blocked the attack before him.

And in the next moment—

"Boom!"

The golden shock wave collided with the crimson wall of fire.

An ear-splitting explosion instantly resounded across the sea. The immense impact spread continuously along the water, making the nearby sea surge violently once more.

"Whoa!"

This time, it was the members of the Spade Pirates who could no longer keep their footing.

Or, more precisely, they had already been injured and were not standing in the first place. Other than Deuce, the only uninjured ship's doctor, everyone else was almost instantly flung heavily onto the deck.

"Everyone!"

Seeing this, Deuce naturally planned to get up and help.

But before he could even rise, he clearly heard—

"Deuce! Get down!"

It was Ace's roar.

Trusting Ace, Deuce instinctively lowered himself.

The next moment, he felt a violent gale carrying a tremendous roar sweep over his head.

When he barely opened his eyes to look, he clearly saw—

"Whoosh!"

Just ahead, the enormous wall of fire that had blotted out the sky had completely dispersed.

At its center, only a gigantic fist mark remained.

"..."

As if realizing something, Deuce turned his head.

Then he saw a sight that made his heart sink.

The Spade Pirates' ship had been completely transformed.

The "burning horse head" that had originally stood at the bow had vanished without a trace, and all three masts on the deck had collapsed.

Most terrifying of all was the cabin at the rear of the deck—the entire cabin had disappeared.

It was as if the entire Spade Pirates' ship had been swept through from the middle by a gigantic sword.

"Gulp."

Deuce could not help swallowing.

He could almost imagine what would have happened if he had not dropped flat just now.

With that thought, his gaze instinctively turned toward the figure atop the distant warship.

"What kind of monster... is that guy!?"