An unnamed deserted island, deep in the primeval jungle.
"Boom—!!"
A massive pillar of orange-red fire roared out like an enraged dragon, tearing through the dense jungle and blasting a black rocky hill dozens of meters high into a rain of shattered stone and scorched earth.
Heat waves rolled across the area, turning the surrounding vegetation to ash in an instant.
"What terrifying destructive power!"
Sabo stood on the blackened ground, staring at his right arm, which had transformed into flames. Shock flickered in his blue eyes. He had merely tried to work Haki into his firepower, yet the Mera Mera no Mi's explosive destructive force had already surpassed all the physical attacks he had honed through seven years of hard training.
Not far from Sabo, Ace sat quietly on a flat boulder, legs crossed.
In front of him lay the roasted haunch of an ancient giant lizard. The island had no shortage of enormous beasts with firm, plentiful meat. There were more than enough for the two of them to expend tremendous amounts of energy without holding back.
Ace wasn't in a hurry to wreck the terrain. He held out his broad right hand, where a cluster of pure crimson-gold flames danced quietly in his palm.
There was no billowing black smoke or crackling as they burned. The crimson-gold Divine Fire was like a perfect work of art: quiet and regal, yet imbued with a depth that made the heart tremble.
As Ace watched the Divine Fire in his palm, he naturally thought of another top-tier Mythical Zoan from his past-life memories, one renowned among the upper echelons of the sea.
The Whitebeard Pirates' First Division commander, Marco, and his Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix.
"Both are mythical birds, and both can be reborn from their flames."
A thoughtful glint crossed Ace's eyes, then the corners of his mouth lifted in a confident smile.
He knew exactly what set these two fruits apart.
The Phoenix's regenerative flames were blue-green. They granted their user an absurd degree of recovery, but their nature leaned toward healing. They lacked the heat and destructive force of ordinary flames. That was why, in the original story, Marco was so hard to kill, yet never seemed to have a decisive finishing move when it came to attacking.
But Ace's Vermilion Bird Form was different.
The Vermilion Bird represented Li Fire of the south. It was the true lord of all flames.
Ace flicked the crimson-gold flame from his palm onto a hard black rock beside him.
"Hiss—"
There was no violent explosion. The moment the seemingly gentle crimson-gold flame touched the black rock, the solid stone didn't last even a second. It didn't even have time to turn red before the terrifying heat vaporized it into a wisp of white smoke!
Utterly destructive heat, and absolute healing that never waned.
That was the true terror of the Zhuque Fruit. It not only made up for the Phoenix's lack of lethal destructive power, but also raised fire's dual nature of destruction and renewal to the highest level of the One Piece world's mythology.
"Ace!"
In the distance, Sabo finished unleashing a volley of firepower and ended his elemental transformation. He walked over, thoroughly satisfied. Though he had only just gained a Logia ability, he had handled it so smoothly on his first try that even he was pleased.
"How does it feel?" Ace picked up the massive piece of roasted meat and handed it to him.
"It's powerful, but I still need some time to get used to it." Sabo took the meat and bit into it, then rolled his sore shoulder. "Elemental transformation lets me passively ignore physical attacks, but I still need practice with actively transforming when I run into Haki."
Sabo unconsciously rubbed his right shoulder blade.
Ace's calm gaze settled on Sabo's shoulder. He knew it bore the hidden injuries Sabo had sustained over the past seven years, training obsessively to keep up with Ace's monstrous physical strength.
The Dadan Family's herbs had helped treat them, but the subtle damage that had reached down to the bone was beyond what ordinary medical treatment could fully heal. If Sabo developed his Haki to an extremely high level in the future, those injuries could become a fatal bottleneck holding back his progress.
"Take off your shirt and turn around." Ace stood up, his tall frame casting a shadow in the sunlight.
"Huh? What for?" Sabo was puzzled, but he trusted Ace completely, so he obediently took off his tailcoat and turned his back to him.
Ace stepped forward and raised his right hand. A bright crimson-gold flame instantly enveloped his entire palm.
"Don't move."
Ace's voice was steady as he pressed the hand burning with Divine Fire directly against Sabo's right shoulder.
"Gah—!"
Sabo instinctively sucked in a sharp breath, his body tensing as he expected the terrifying heat to burn him.
But the next second, he froze.
There was none of the searing pain of flesh burning that he'd expected. The moment the crimson-gold flames touched his body, they transformed into a pure, gentle, surging warmth. Like a hot spring, it flowed through his pores and seeped deep into his shoulder blade!
"What is this?!"
Sabo's eyes widened in shock. He could clearly feel the warmth moving through his body. The tiny tears in the gaps between his muscle fibers, and the wear on his bones that he could barely notice himself, were rapidly healing and regenerating beneath the crimson-gold flames at an unbelievable speed!
A mere ten seconds later, when Ace pulled his hand away, Sabo felt lighter and freer than ever on his entire right side. The heavy stiffness that had burdened him for years had been swept away completely!
"Your flames can heal people?!" Sabo turned around and stared at Ace as if he were a monster. He was a Mera Mera no Mi user himself, so he knew fire's properties all too well. Flames could only destroy. How could they possibly bring new life?
"That's the Vermilion Bird's power."
Ace remained calm and offered no further explanation. He hadn't just healed Sabo's shoulder; he had also casually erased several other tiny injuries in his body.
"As the vice-captain of the Eclipse, you can't let a low-level flaw like this linger in your body. You'll make me look bad."
Ace picked up the massive cleaver nearby and casually rested it on his shoulder. His black eyes gleamed with quiet confidence.
"We'll stay on this island for the next two months."
Ace surveyed the endless primeval jungle, as if looking over a perfect training ground. "There's plenty of food, and no Marine spies. The Eclipse doesn't need to set sail until we've completely fused our Devil Fruit abilities with our Haki."
"Just what I wanted."
Feeling his body restored to its peak, Sabo tightened his grip on the Alloy Staff. A fierce fighting spirit blazed in his blue eyes.
For this isolated wasteland of an island, the next two months were like one long, devastating calamity.
The Eclipse Twins unleashed a wave of wanton destruction and development across the island.
Deep in the jungle, deafening booms and towering flames erupted day after day. The ancient beasts that once ruled the island had become little more than live targets for the brothers to practice controlling their abilities—and a stockpile of provisions.
Sabo's Fire Fist had begun to reach the terrifying scale seen in the original story, where a single strike could destroy several warships;
Ace, meanwhile, kept familiarizing himself with the shifts between his hybrid and full-beast forms. With his fearsome body, the Vermilion Bird's heat, and Haki, he could melt a whole cliff into a flowing sea of lava with a casual gesture.
At last, the day came when the island's ecosystem had nearly been flattened by the two of them.
On the deck of the Eclipse, by the shore.
"After two months of closed-off testing, we've fully integrated our martial arts, Haki, and Devil Fruit abilities."
Ace wore a brand-new dark red coat and stood at the bow. His upright frame seemed even more imposing in the sea breeze, like a deep, unfathomable abyss. The pressure he exuded with every movement was more restrained than it had been two months ago, but all the more suffocating.
"It's time to set out, Sabo. Weigh anchor."
Ace looked toward Sabo at the helm and calmly gave the order.
"Understood, Captain."
Sabo adjusted the top hat on his head, a confident smile curling his lips.
The heavy steel anchor was slowly raised, and the black mainsail billowed full in the sea breeze.
Like a black beast that had lain in wait for far too long, the Eclipse finally tore through the thick mist of these southwestern waters and left the ravaged, unnamed island far behind.
Standing at the bow, Ace calmly gazed at the faint outline of a town appearing on the horizon.
"First stop: Orange Town."
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