Great Buddha Fruit LV3, One Punch Splits the Sea!

"Boom!"

As Ace punched out, scorching flames instantly dyed the sky and the sea below crimson!

That was the origin of Ace's title.

A single punch could sink a warship—this was "Fire Fist"!

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

Because he clearly saw, on the distant warship, a figure had already stood upon the deck, facing the surging flames head-on.

"Is he insane?"

The thought flashed through Ace's mind.

If the man had chosen to abandon ship and flee right then, he might have had a sliver of a chance.

But charging straight into his flames? Wasn't that just asking for death?

Yet the next moment, Ace froze.

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

"Hum!"

His fist clenched tight, golden radiance and intense ripples gathering along his arm.

Then—

"Bang!"

The sound of air splitting, he faced the oncoming blaze... and threw his punch.

"Hum!"

An invisible shockwave collided with the flames, halting them less than five meters from the warship.

"Boom!"

The violent shockwave erupted wildly from the point of impact, scattering fragments of flame that fell into the sea, rising as white steam.

Seeing this, Ace's expression couldn't help but show surprise.

"This guy..."

Ever since he obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit, his ability had rarely met its match.

Among the opponents he'd faced so far, only one of the Shichibukai could directly block Fire Fist 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 warship's deck began to emit clear sounds of splitting and shattering.

Right after, the railing in front of him suddenly burst apart.

The entire warship swayed violently in the raging shockwave.

Fal and Hans barely managed to grab the main mast, steadying themselves against being thrown off.

"Wah... What a... what a short life it's been, Sergeant Fal!"

"Yeah—no wait, Hans, you bastard, you're still flaunting your rank at a time like this!?"

"If not now, when? Even the boss's Wave Fist is... Boss!?"

But before they could finish, they clearly saw—

At this moment, Luo Yi was actually smiling.

And indeed, it was true.

Right now, as Luo Yi held back the flames, his gaze fixed on Ace, who had unleashed Fire Fist in the distance.

There was no worry in his heart, only excitement.

"Even though this is Ace just after setting sail, he's still the Blood of the Pirate King—his strength is definitely not lacking!"

"Perfect. A worthy opponent!"

With that thought—

"Hum!"

The golden radiance on Luo Yi's arm seemed to grow even stronger.

No, to be precise, it wasn't "seemed."

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

[Fruit enhancement complete, 2 billion Beri consumed]

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

[Human-Human Fruit: Great Buddha Form LV3: Can transform into a giant golden Buddha, gaining immense physical prowess and the ability to release massive shockwaves from the body.]

Moments later, everyone saw Luo Yi's fist, locked against the flames, begin to push forward!

And from his body, the golden light was no longer confined to his arm; his entire form seemed to start shimmering with gold.

Then—

He swung his fist.

"Boom!"

A violent shockwave stirred the entire sea beneath the warship into turbulence.

And the crimson flames shattered abruptly under Luo Yi's sweeping punch.

Like snuffing out a candle—the blaze that could have consumed an entire ship couldn't even struggle for a moment under Luo Yi's fist.

"He actually... the flames..." Ace's expression held more than just surprise now.

But this was only the beginning.

Because at that moment, Luo Yi's fist had already been thrown!

"Wave Fist: Infinite Light!"

Then, everyone saw it.

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

Yes.

From Luo Yi's fist surged a golden shockwave, vast to a nearly terrifying degree!

That shockwave was like a pillar cast from molten gold, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek as it split the sea's stillness!

"Boom!"

Where the fist passed, the entire surface of the ocean parted under the shockwave, waves thrown aside.

In the blink of an eye, a trench over ten meters wide appeared out of thin air on the sea.

And on either side of the trench, the forcibly displaced water formed towering walls, countless fish and shrimp tumbling down from them.

"What... is this!?" Ace's expression instantly turned to shock.

The cowboy hat on his head flapped wildly under the immense blast of air, and the fierce wind of the punch even stung his face.

A single punch powerful enough to split the sea—was this guy from the Giant Tribe!?

He immediately planned to use Elementalization to dodge this attack.

But—

"No!" The next moment, he realized he couldn't.

Because behind him was the Spade.

The place where his crewmates were.

So Ace gritted his teeth and abandoned Elementalization.

"Whoosh!"

Burning flames erupted from his body as he shot into the sky, taking the small boat beneath his feet with him.

"Mirror Flame!"

He thrust out both arms, and crimson fire sprayed from them, forming a wall of flame before him.

And then—

"Boom!"

The golden shockwave collided with the crimson fire wall.

A deafening explosion resounded across the sea, and the massive impact spread across the surface, churning the nearby waters into a frenzy once more.

"Whoa!"

This time, it was the Spade Pirates' turn to lose their footing.

Or to be more precise—already injured, they weren't standing at all. Aside from the uninjured ship doctor, Deuce, everyone else was nearly thrown hard onto the deck.

"Everyone..." Seeing this, Deuce naturally tried to stand up and help.

But before he could even get up, he clearly heard—

"Deuce! Get down!"

That was Ace's roar.

Trusting Ace, Deuce instinctively ducked low.

The next moment, he felt a gale howling past overhead, carrying a deafening sound with it.

And when he forced his eyes open to look, he saw it clearly.

"Whoosh!"

There ahead, the sky-obscuring wall of fire had completely collapsed.

At the center of that wall of flame was nothing but a single massive fist-shaped hole.

"."

Realizing something, Deuce turned his head to look.

And then he saw a sight that chilled his heart.

The entire Spadeil had been utterly transformed.

The 'Burning Horse Head' that once adorned the bow was completely gone, and all three masts on the deck had toppled over.

But worst of all was the cabin behind the deck—the entire cabin had vanished entirely.

It was as if the whole Spadeil had been swept clean through the middle by a giant sword.

"Gulp."

Deuce couldn't help but swallow.

He could almost imagine what would have happened if he hadn't dropped to the ground just now.

With that thought, his gaze instinctively shifted to the figure standing on the distant warship.

"That guy... just what kind of monster is he!?"