"Now that's something. That fat pig's been roasted until he's dripping grease."
Buggy stepped closer for a look and couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement. "Though you turned the heat up a little too high. Just looking at him kills my appetite."
"Captain, we've cleared out all the grunts on the perimeter."
Sabo walked over to Ace and glanced at the destruction all around them, as if the place had been swept by a meteor strike. He adjusted the hat on his head.
Ace nodded and turned around. There wasn't a drop of blood on him, and even his breathing was steady and calm. It was as if defeating a Paradise powerhouse had been nothing more than a trivial warm-up.
He paid Truv no further attention as he lay in the pit, and instead looked into the distance.
There, the red-haired cook Leona was leaning feebly against the foot of the severely wounded Ancient Kong.
The tribal guardian deity, who had lived for hundreds of years, was covered in heavy harpoons with barbed tips. The high-concentration Poison Gas Bombs fired by Truv's men had already seeped through its torn wounds and into its bloodstream. Its massive body shuddered with every labored breath, each one accompanied by a cough of dark blood.
The surviving natives around them knelt on the ground. Watching their guardian deity's life ebb away, they let out desperate, sorrowful cries.
Leona bit down hard on her lower lip and braced both hands against the ground, trying to stand and pull the harpoons from Kong. But she had taken a headbutt coated in Armament Haki from Truv just moments ago, and the bones in both arms were badly fractured. The moment she tried to push herself up, she collapsed helplessly back into the dirt.
"It's over. But it came at a steep price."
Ace stepped through the rubble and stopped in front of Leona and the Ancient Kong.
The Ancient Kong's enormous eyes, already losing focus, warily regarded the dangerous human. A weak growl rumbled in its throat as it tried to shield Leona behind its massive hand.
"Easy, big ape."
Ace looked up to meet the Ancient Kong's gaze, his tone flat. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be lying in a pit like that wild boar."
Leona lifted her head and looked at Ace standing in the sunlight, her expression complicated.
"Thank you, Ace. The trouble on this island is over."
She managed a bitter smile. "Too bad the poison has already reached the Mountain God's organs. Looks like I won't get the chance to come aboard your ship and make you that roast."
"The cook I've set my sights on is coming with me. No exceptions."
Ace cut her off.
He slowly crouched and held out his right hand.
A flame of crimson-gold fire quietly ignited in Ace's palm.
It gave off no scorching heat, and there was none of the explosive force that could burn everything to ashes. The moment the Crimson-Gold Divine Fire appeared, the poison and stench of blood in the air seemed to meet their natural enemy and were swiftly driven away. A tremendous, ancient, and warm vitality swept over the devastated basin.
Carina and Buggy stood behind them, their eyes widening as they felt the strange warmth.
"What kind of fire is that?"
Leona froze.
Ace offered no explanation. He simply pressed his hand, wreathed in Crimson-Gold Divine Fire, against Leona's bloodied arms, their bones broken.
"Pshhh—"
The Divine Fire spread in an instant, enveloping Leona's entire upper body.
Leona instinctively closed her eyes, expecting the agony of being burned alive. But the next second, her eyes snapped open.
There was no pain.
The crimson-gold flames seemed alive as they seeped into her flesh and skin. She could clearly feel her broken bones knitting together at an impossible speed, her torn muscle fibers weaving themselves whole under the Divine Fire's nourishment, growing even tougher than before.
It took less than ten seconds.
When Ace pulled his hand away, the wounds on Leona's arms had vanished completely, without even a scar. If not for the bloodstains on her clothes, she would have thought her severe injuries had been nothing but a hallucination.
"How is this possible?"
Leona clenched her fists in disbelief, feeling the strength within her—greater than before.
"Don't just stand there staring."
Ace rose to his feet and turned his gaze toward the dying Ancient Kong and the poisoned, injured natives around them.
"I saw what she's been protecting. I'm not letting death take it away on a whim."
Ace spread his arms.
With a divine bird's cry that pierced the clouds, two enormous crimson-gold wings burst open behind him.
"Vermilion Bird: Nirvana."
Ace gave a low shout and swept his crimson-gold wings.
A rain of crimson-gold flames fell like meteors, landing precisely on the Ancient Kong's massive body and on every native in the basin who still drew breath.
A miracle descended in that instant.
The moment the Divine Fire touched them, the deadly poison inside the Ancient Kong was purged by its domineering heat. Its deep, bone-exposing wounds healed at a visible rate, while the heavy harpoons embedded in its flesh were slowly pushed out by the new growth of muscle, clattering to the ground.
The tribespeople who had fallen in pools of blood, still clinging to life, opened their eyes one after another. They felt their bodies, restored to perfect health, and stared blankly at the black-haired man with flaming wings, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Roar!
The Ancient Kong suddenly rose to its feet, pounding its broad chest as it let out a vigorous roar that resounded across the whole of Primordial Island.
Not only had its wounds healed, but after its baptism in the Divine Fire, its fur had grown glossier, and a hidden strength had awakened in its muscles.
The Kong lowered its enormous head and looked at Ace standing on the ground.
This spiritual beast, which had lived for hundreds of years, actually dropped to one knee and pressed its huge fist to its chest, bowing its proud head to the human in a solemn display of respect.
All the natives knelt as well, weeping with joy.
The wings behind Ace slowly folded away, and he returned to normal.
An elderly tribal chief came over with the help of his people.
First, he bowed deeply to Ace. Then he turned to Leona, who stood nearby, still unable to recover from the shock.
"Leona."
The chief's voice trembled, his eyes brimming with tears. "You've worked hard all these years. You gave the best years of your life to this forest to protect us and the Mountain God."
"Chief, I..."
Leona opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"The Baron who brought this island to ruin has been defeated, and our benefactor has given us a new life."
The chief smiled at her with a kindly gaze. "The island is safe now, and the Mountain God is strong again. You don't have to let the tribe become your shackles anymore."
The chief pointed toward Ace, who stood not far away.
"Go, child."
"Go chase the sea you've always longed for. That man is a captain worth following."
The Ancient Kong reached out with one enormous finger and gently nudged Leona's back, letting out a soft, affectionate rumble, as if sending her off.
Leona looked at the tribe where she had grown up, at her healthy people and their guardian deity.
At last, her gaze came to rest on the black-haired man watching her from a short distance away.
He had crushed the enemies threatening her with the simplest, most direct force. Then, with flames that bordered on a miracle, he had broken the shackles holding back her dreams.
Leona drew a deep breath.
She swiftly drew the Black Steel Bone-Cleaving Blade and the Silver Bone-Trimming Blade from her waist, walked over to Ace, and dropped to one knee without a moment's hesitation.
She crossed the two Famous Swords, stained with the blood of countless giant beasts, and pressed them solemnly into the earth before her.
"I, Leona, have only ever worshipped two things in my life."
"The finest ingredients, and the power to conquer them."
Leona raised her head. Shock still lingered in her wild, slit-pupiled eyes, but she no longer showed the slightest hesitation.
"Portgas D. Ace."
"From this day on, my blades, my cooking, and my life are all yours aboard the Eclipse."
Ace looked at her and chuckled.
He held out his broad hand and pulled Leona to her feet.
"I don't need your life."
Ace turned around and looked over the devastated basin, reborn anew. His voice rang through the forest.
"I just need you to make the Eclipse Pirates the finest full-course feast this sea has ever seen."
"Buggy! Sabo! Carina! And all of you!"
"Let everyone in the tribe know."
"Tonight, we feast!"
Before you continue