In the days after leaving Sixis Island, Ace's control over the Flame-Flame Fruit improved by leaps and bounds.
At first, he could barely make a small flame rise from his palm, and its size fluctuated completely beyond his control.
During one training session, he had merely wanted the flame to circle his finger once, but it suddenly flared up and nearly set Striker's only sail on fire.
When Deuce rushed out carrying a bucket of water, even his entire mask seemed to be trembling.
"Ace!"
"We're at sea right now!"
"If the ship burns, you won't drown since you're fire, but I'm just an ordinary person!"
Ace put out the sparks while stubbornly arguing back.
"I just haven't gotten the hang of it yet."
Deuce stared at the sail, already blackened with scorch marks.
"You said the same thing last time you blew a hole in the stern."
Ace: "..."
Failure was failure, but Ace learned incredibly fast. After every loss of control, he would stop and review what had gone wrong.
Gradually, Ace became able to keep his flames from harming anything around him, compressing them beneath his feet and at the stern into stable thrust.
Combined with the Observation Haki and Armament Haki Garp and Rock had trained into him since childhood, his strength changed almost every day.
The Flame-Flame Fruit had not turned him from a weakling into a strong man.
It had merely given someone already sharp enough a flame capable of lighting up the sea.
Striker sailed away from the depths of the East Blue.
Several days later, it reached Loguetown.
It was the most unique city in the East Blue, as well as the place where the Pirate King had been born and died.
Ace did not stay long.
He stood alone at the