Then, wreathed in flames, Ace slowly descended onto the arena.
Along with Ace, Bartolomeo's infuriating laughter rang out. "Hahahaha! How naive."
Elizabello II, the King of Combat, stared at the two men before him in disbelief. "Impossible. Why are you two..."
Bartolomeo crossed his fingers, a translucent barrier standing before him.
"Just cross your fingers, and you can put up a protective barrier around yourself. Even little kids know that. I ate the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, so I'm a barrier human."
As he spoke, Bartolomeo immediately attacked Ace and Elizabello II, trying to finish them both at once. "Barrier Impact!"
The barrier before Bartolomeo instantly shot forward and slammed into Elizabello II, sending him flying.
Elizabello II lost consciousness the moment he was knocked away.
Meanwhile, the moment Bartolomeo attacked, Ace pushed off the ground. Having calculated the distance and position, he leaped precisely over the top of the barrier Bartolomeo had created.
"Oh dear, this could be troublesome. Looks like you're a little stronger than those losers." Bartolomeo picked his ear, utterly unconcerned. "Still, your attacks are barely a tickle to me."
"Don't get too cocky." Ace chuckled, coated the spear he had been holding in Armament Haki, and sprang into the air, thrusting down at Bartolomeo from above.
Bartolomeo immediately created a curved protective barrier in front of himself.
Just before his spear struck the barrier, Ace pulled it back, twisted sideways, and slipped around one edge.
Only then did Bartolomeo become a little more alert. At his command, the curved barrier immediately changed shape, enclosing him completely.
Ace reacted swiftly and immediately stopped his attack.
He had seen exactly what happened when the others attacked this guy's barrier. Forcing his way through would do him no good.
In the past, he would have charged straight in without a