Ace's strength had undeniably made a qualitative leap, especially with the terrifying flames he was unleashing now. But to Mu Chen, flames like these still weren't enough. Without Devil Fruit Awakening, they fell far short against truly powerful opponents.
Mu Chen knew Ace had already been pushed to his limit. After all, who opened a fight with their ultimate move? Still, this was enough to give him a clear picture of Ace's strength-and that strength was nowhere near sufficient. Mu Chen snorted coldly, then stamped both feet against the ground. His body vanished, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of Ace.
"What?"
Mu Chen's speed had far exceeded Ace's expectations. Before Ace could react, Mu Chen's fist was already hurtling toward him.
Ace instinctively raised his flames to block, but Mu Chen's fist broke through them with ease. The power of Overlord Zen could bypass the defenses of a Devil Fruit ability.
The punch struck Ace square in the chest, sending him flying backward into a massive boulder. The rock shattered on impact. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but struggled to his feet and gathered his flames again.
"So strong... Is this your strength, Teacher Mu Chen?"
"But I haven't lost yet!"
Although Ace acknowledged Mu Chen's tremendous strength, he had sworn to surpass Whitebeard and become one of the new Four Emperors. He wasn't going to let Mu Chen defeat him so easily.
He wanted to defeat Mu Chen?
Without another word, Mu Chen slowly walked up to him and said calmly, "Your flames may be powerful, but simply matching raw power isn't enough. You haven't even mastered Overlord Zen yet. Do you think anger alone can beat me?"
"You're far too naive!"
Faced with Mu Chen's mockery, Ace gritted his teeth and