Chapter Seven: Fire Fist Ace

"I absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely won't go back with you to see that old man!" Ace shouted in defiance.

"What does that have to do with me? My mission is simply to bring you back. Vice Admiral Garp paid me, after all." Rodney stretched his body and said, "Logia users are such a pain. Colonel Smoker, I'll cover you." Kunai and shuriken appeared in his hands, and he threw them straight at Ace.

"Fire Gun!"

He pointed the index and middle fingers of both hands at them like guns. Tiny fireballs sprayed from his fingertips, shooting toward the two of them.

Rodney leaped into the air, spun once, and kicked Ace's upper body apart with a leg like a steel whip.

"How many times do I have to say it? Don't fight in crowded streets."

"Tashigi, arrange for the townspeople to evacuate the area." Smoker puffed on his cigar and had Tashigi evacuate everyone nearby from the battlefield.

For a while, as soon as the townspeople heard that a battle was taking place here, they fled in droves, without even bothering with their shops or homes.

Obviously. When the Marines and pirates fought, getting caught in the crossfire could easily cost them their lives. Once they were dead, what use was their money?

Rodney had no Haki, so his kick was useless against Ace. Ace did not even need to dodge.

Ace's upper body formed from flames as he said, "That's some powerful offense. How about becoming one of my crew?"

Rodney's face darkened. Why were both brothers exactly the same?

"Bastard, don't recruit pirates right in front of me!" Smoker stomped on the ground and vanished.

Six Powers: Soru!

The Jitte smashed toward Ace. Sensing the danger instinctively, Ace did not turn into flames. Instead, he dodged.

"That was close. Huh? What's this?" A kunai had suddenly appeared by his foot, with an Explosive Tag tied to it.

Flames suddenly ignited on the Explosive Tag. With a boom, it blasted Ace's body apart, leaving not even his head.

As the flames burned, Ace reappeared with a grim expression and said, "Looks like you're no ordinary Marine."

"I'm a pirate hunter. I just haven't had any clothes to wear lately."

Smoker snorted and said, "Rodney, stop wasting time. Capture him."

Rodney clamped six kunai between each of his ten fingers, each one tied to an Explosive Tag, then threw them at Ace. He pulled shuriken from his belt pouch and sent them after the kunai. They struck the kunai one after another, altering their trajectories and preventing Ace's flames from destroying them.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. A ball of fire burst from the smoke and took Ace's shape. In midair, he tugged down the brim of his hat and grinned. "My crew is waiting for me. I'll be going now."

"Kid, trying to run?" Smoker used Soru and instantly appeared in front of Ace.

Ace was startled. He waved his hand, and flames swallowed Smoker. A Jitte broke through the fire and slammed into him, its Seastone preventing him from turning into smoke. He was sent crashing into a house.

"Ow, ow, ow. What happened? Why couldn't I turn into flames just now?" Ace crawled out of the ruins. He had only suffered a few minor scrapes, with some skin rubbed raw here and there.

As expected of a child raised by Garp. There was a reason he had survived until now.

"How many days ago did you get this ability?" Rodney asked.

Ace brushed the dust from his clothes and answered without thinking, "I got it two days ago."

Rodney: "..."

No wonder he could not produce much power. He had barely developed the ability at all. Was it because he still was not used to his newly acquired power?

"Good. If you became proficient with it, dealing with you would be a real pain." Smoker took a deep drag on his cigarette. The two cigars in his mouth quickly dwindled until only short stubs remained.

He pulled two new cigars from his clothes and stuffed them into his mouth, then used the remaining stubs to light them.

He took a few more puffs and lit them again. He really was an Old Smoker.

"Marines, you really are troublesome." Ace held down his hat. He would not submit so easily. "I'm going to become the Pirate King in the future. How could I stop here?"

He had not yet encountered the Son Collector, so Ace's dream had not changed.

"The Pirate King? What a boring dream. The previous Pirate King died right here," Smoker said.

Ace's relaxed expression changed instantly. He roared, "Who would die here like that guy did?! I'll definitely become the Pirate King, and I'll live better than he did!"

Having lacked both a father's and a mother's love since childhood, he hated his pirate father and was extremely sensitive whenever anyone mentioned him.

"That's none of my concern. I'm only responsible for taking you back to Vice Admiral Garp. After that, whether you stay or run, it has nothing to do with me." Rodney was helpless. Facing a shameless Logia user, he felt like he was watching everyone fight Obito.

A tiger biting a hedgehog—there was nowhere to sink its teeth!

Over on Smoker's side, Rodney said, "Colonel Smoker, lend me your Jitte for a moment."

Smoker glanced at him without saying anything. His meaning was obvious: Don't even think about it.

After hitting a soft nail, Rodney sighed. Ace asked, "What exactly did that old man offer you?"

"Half of the Six Powers, along with instructions on how to cultivate Armament Haki." Rodney grinned. "Ace, don't underestimate your old man. Back then, he was a powerhouse who chased the Pirate King all over the sea. He only let you two run wild because you were his grandsons."

Garp was worthy of the word "Justice" behind him, yet he had also been held back by that very justice, forced to watch helplessly as his beloved grandson died before his eyes.

It was not Sengoku who held him back. It was justice!

As for whether Akainu would have died at Garp's hands, who could say? He definitely would have been gravely wounded.

Ace was silent for a moment before saying, "There's no point in saying more. I'll definitely get away today. My crew is still waiting for me."

"I'll arrest every last one of you. White Fist!"

Smoker's limbs instantly turned into smoke. He had eaten the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, which allowed him to transform his body into smoke for attacks and pursuit.

His fists and feet remained solid, while his arms and legs turned into smoke, accelerating his attacks and causing Ace no small amount of trouble.

Rodney could only awkwardly watch the two of them fight. They were both Logia users, while he was an ordinary civilian who knew no Haki and had no Seastone. He could only stand to the side, trembling as he held his melon and watched.

The Flame-Flame Fruit was especially suited for offense. Ace had only just acquired the Devil Fruit and was not very skilled with its abilities. Otherwise, if he fought Smoker seriously, it would be impossible to say who would win.

"Fire Fist!"

Ace suddenly punched, his entire right arm transforming into flames. A three-story-tall flaming fist slammed toward Smoker and Grodney.

Boom!

The buildings along the entire street were blasted apart, and raging flames scorched the broken walls and rubble.

Smoker silently thanked his luck that he had made Tashigi evacuate the civilians. Otherwise, how many people would have died?

His resolve to arrest Ace grew even stronger. Even if Ace's grandfather was Garp, he would still bring him to justice.

Just because your grandfather is a vice admiral, you think you can do whatever you want? I even dare to hit my own superior. I don't mind offending a Marine Hero.

Rodney crawled out of the ground and stared grimly at the cleared surroundings. "Bastard! How many times have I told you not to use attacks with such a wide range? What if you hurt civilians? This is why I hate you pirates!"

Watching an anime and experiencing something in real life were two different things. His values did not allow him to be cold and heartless. The world itself was twisted, but he was not. He could only look after himself, but whenever something was within his power, he would definitely help. He could not stand Ace's disregard for other people's lives.

"Sorry!" Fortunately, Ace's attitude was sincere. He admitted his mistake and corrected it.

Smoker seized the opportunity and closed in. His Seastone Jitte thrust toward Ace's throat. If it struck, even Ace's physique would have trouble enduring it.

However, as Garp's grandson, Ace had developed excellent reflexes and physical abilities through years of training. He dodged the attack and used his flaming fist to punch through Smoker's chest.

Smoker continued swinging his Jitte, forcing him back.

Rodney rushed in, drew the short blade strapped to his leg, and sliced Ace's body apart. Ace helplessly said, "You know that physical attacks don't do much damage to my body."

"If I don't attack a couple of times, I feel awkward." Rodney shrugged, then looked helplessly at Smoker. "Colonel Smoker, can't you use Haki? At least lend me your weapon."

"If I could use Haki, would I still need this?" Smoker would only master Armament Haki after training later on. For now... he was still learning.