Ace stared at the Flame Emperor Armor floating in midair, his heartbeat quickening. The golden Runes on its surface flowed as though they were alive.
"Was this really prepared for me?" Ace murmured, the D-shaped Mark on his right palm growing faintly warm.
"According to the biometric response, your compatibility with the Flame Emperor Armor is as high as 98.7%," the KS-7 Guardians replied, an unusual emotional fluctuation in its mechanical voice. "Only a Flame D inheritor of the Ancient Kingdom can wield it."
Ace took a deep breath and reached out to touch the armor. In an instant, an electric sensation spread from his fingertips through his entire body. The Flame Emperor Armor automatically separated into several components and fitted itself over different parts of his body as if it possessed a will of its own. When the red crystal at the center of the chestplate—the "Flame Seed Stone"—touched his chest, Ace felt scorching energy surge straight into his mind, and his vision was instantly flooded with crimson.
"Ah!" Ace could not help letting out a low roar. The flame power within him seemed to have been stimulated by something and began surging wildly.
"Stay calm. Control your breathing," the Guardians instructed. "Let your consciousness resonate with the Flame Seed Stone, just as you control your Devil Fruit ability."
Ace forced himself to steady his breathing and focused on guiding the turbulent energy inside him. Gradually, the intense burning sensation subsided. When he opened his eyes again, the world had changed—he could see energy particles flowing through the air and sense the faint electromagnetic waves emitted by every piece of equipment in the laboratory.
Even more astonishingly, when he raised his hand and summoned flames, what appeared was no longer the familiar orange-red fire, but a cluster of azure