Ace vs. Marco

You should know that his Flame Emperor could raze a small island to the ground with a single move.

However, this one move of his could completely shatter the entire island, sending it sinking into the sea.

However, in front of Moke, the shield made of Armament Haki was like a pillar supporting the sky, completely unshakable.

"How is that possible?"

At this moment, Whitebeard, Marco, Jozu, Vista, and the other captains, who were in the distance, also witnessed this scene.

It's just that they're too far away, so they can't see it too clearly.

Even though they couldn't see it clearly, they were still greatly shocked at this moment. Whitebeard was no exception; he believed that only by unleashing his Quake-Quake ability to its fullest extent could he have blocked Ace's attack.

However... his body might not be able to withstand it.

This is why he had Ace fight Moke first. Because Ace had truly reached the Emperor Level; what he lacked was Haki, physical strength, stamina, and so on...

At this moment, the fiery dragon on the island gradually dissipated.

Moke stood there, completely unharmed.

Ace, who had been in the air, had landed back on the ground. He looked at the shield made of Armament Haki in front of Moke and fell silent.

Armament Haki can be used like this?

This was the question in his mind... Even his Pops had never told him about it. Armament Haki could turn into a shield!

"Call..."

Ace took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

He then realized what was happening.

Moke has mastered Armament Haki to an unprecedented level, even surpassing his Pops. Therefore, his Pops is unaware of this.

He couldn't help but think of another of the Four Emperors.

Red-Haired Shanks.

This guy's Conqueror's Haki has also reached this level.

Thinking about it that way...

Armament Haki can materialize, which seems normal. It didn't happen before because no one had reached that level.

At that moment, Moke's hand trembled.

The shield formed from Armament Haki instantly transformed into dozens of Armament Haki arrows, all aimed at Ace... It has to be said, Moke once again showed off in front of Ace...

"Oh, this..."

Ace was completely dumbfounded.

Moke's Armament Haki was far beyond his comprehension. Most importantly, this attack method was a complete counter to his Logia attacks.

"Call..."

Ace took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Finally, he said, "I surrender!"

This time, although he was still unwilling, he had already submitted, completely submitted.

What I find regrettable is that the Whitebeard Pirates shouldn't have disbanded like this.

"Brush..."

The next second, Moke transformed into a flame and headed towards the Whitebeard Pirates.

Upon seeing this, Ace also transformed into flames and departed.

They landed one after the other in front of Whitebeard.

Ace lowered his head, somewhat remorseful. "Pops, I lost..."

"Gurala la la..."

Whitebeard burst into laughter.

"Losing to this kid isn't shameful..."

Whitebeard wasn't offering words of comfort; he was stating the truth. After speaking, he turned to look at Moke, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

He now feels a sense of regret.

It's such a pity...

If he were younger, or if this kid were born ten years earlier, the two of them could have had a proper fight.

What a pity!

Moke's gaze, however, fell on Marco: "Interested in playing a round too?"

Upon hearing this, Marco waved his hand.

"I'll pass. I don't want to fight a fight where I can only get beaten up."

It has to be said that Marco saw things much more clearly than Ace.

[A comparison between Marco and Ace]

Marco and Ace are both very popular characters, and their Devil Fruit abilities are both outstanding.

He was also one of Whitebeard's trusted subordinates.

Therefore, their abilities naturally become the focus of everyone's attention and are often compared.

Personally, I favor Marco because, according to official settings, Zoan Fruits are the strongest in close combat among the three types, and through continuous training, they can continuously increase their various physical attributes, becoming stronger and stronger.

Moreover, this healing ability is incredibly powerful.

If one were to truly develop to the Awakening level... they would practically be immortal.

Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit is Logia Fruit, possessing formidable offensive power. However, what is even the strongest attack compared to the Phoenix?

Of course, Marco and Ace are very similar.

One is due to Elementalization, and the other is due to Elementalization. Both have neglected their own abilities. If he were to improve his physical skills and combine them with Armament Haki, his attack power would experience a qualitative leap.

At that time, he will definitely become another Emperor Level powerhouse.

To determine who is stronger, we can't just rely on words; we need to analyze them from various angles. Let's compare Marco and Ace from different perspectives in the original work.

1. Status

Marco was the first division commander of Whitebeard, Ace was the second division commander. In most people's minds, the first division is obviously stronger than the second division. However, Oda has said that the sixteen division commanders under Whitebeard were not ranked according to their strength. So although there is a difference in their positions, it does not mean that Marco's overall strength is stronger Ace's, but it is still something that can be used as a reference.

2. Defensive capabilities

Let's start with Marco, focusing on his battle with Akainu. Marco was able to hit Akainu in his Elementalization, but his attack power was clearly lacking. When covering Jinbe's escape, he took the brunt of Akainu's magma without being injured, but he was suppressed. In the Marineford War, Marco was outstanding, fully demonstrating his high defense and low output characteristics.

Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit is Logia Devil Fruit, while Marco's Phoenix Fruit is Zoan Devil Fruit. In principle, Logia Devil Fruit, because they can Elementalization to evade attacks, have stronger defensive capabilities than Zoan Devil Fruit.

However, Marco's Phoenix is not an ordinary Zoan; it is Zoan - Mythical Zoan. Moreover, the main characteristic of this fruit is high-speed regeneration. Even though his head was pierced by Kizaru's beam, the blue flames were able to quickly heal his injuries.

In this way, Marco's defensive ability is undoubtedly stronger than Ace's. Ace's Elementalization is vulnerable to Armament Haki, Magma-Magma Fruit, and Seastone. In contrast, as long as Marco is not touched by Seastone, he will generally not be defeated.

3. Attack capability

In this aspect, Ace completely outclasses Marco.

Although they are both users of fire manipulation abilities, their two types of fire are different.

Ace's red flames are ordinary flames that we often see, with the characteristics of "scorching and burning"; Marco's blue flames are the flames of the Phoenix. Oda himself confirmed that Marco's blue flames do not have offensive capabilities and can only be used to heal injuries.

Marco is Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit User, known as the Phoenix, and possesses extraordinary regenerative abilities.

During the Summit War, he fought against all Three Admirals and Garp: he fought Kizaru to a standstill, kicked Aokiji, and was sent flying by a single punch from Garp. His strength should be at the level of Admiral or slightly below Admiral level.