"Something's wrong with these guys!" Sabo shouted during a lull in the fighting. "Their bodies aren't fully solid!"
Indeed, whenever the Deathbringers suffered fatal injuries, their bodies briefly dissolved into purple smoke before reforming. This regenerative ability made conventional attacks largely ineffective.
"Focus on Rune Energy!" Luffy reminded everyone as he demonstrated his newly mastered technique, each punch precisely tearing through the dimensional defenses that sustained their enemies.
At the height of the battle, Ace suddenly dropped to his knees on the deck in agony, clutching the wound on his chest. The injury, which had already begun to heal, split open again, and purple patterns spread uncontrollably from it, covering his upper body.
"Ace!" Luffy cried anxiously, trying to reach his brother.
"Stay back!" Ace gritted his teeth, resisting the energy surging inside him. "I can control it... I have to!"
He struggled to his feet, trembling all over. Just as the Deathbringers prepared to seize the chance to attack, Ace abruptly raised his head, purple light flashing in his eyes. His flames suddenly changed color, shifting from orange-red to a deep purple.
"Purgatory-Rune Judgment!"
Ace thrust both hands forward, unleashing a massive pillar of purple fire straight at one of the enemy ships. When the flames touched the Black Ship, there was no explosion, no burning. Instead, the vessel disintegrated before their eyes, as though utterly annihilated by a force beyond the laws of physics.
The astonishing attack briefly silenced the battlefield. Even Phantom Shadow looked shocked.
"How is this possible... two Pattern Bearers?" For the first time, Phantom Shadow's voice faltered. "Their eminences, the Five Elders, only mentioned Straw Hat..."
Just as the Deathbringers regrouped and prepared to launch an even fiercer attack, an enormous warship suddenly appeared on the horizon, flames soaring above it.
Lava rained from