A fire dragon's roar thundered out. An enormous dragon of flame emerged from River's right palm and fingers, then charged toward the onrushing gold.
Boom!
The two collided in an instant.
Then the tough metal rapidly melted under the heat of the flames, dripping onto the ground with a hiss.
Tesoro's expression shifted slightly. His Devil Fruit power had met its counter.
What shocked him and everyone else even more was that River actually commanded the power of flames.
"How is this possible?!"
Ace cried out in disbelief.
Only he possessed the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit. So what was that fire dragon River had just unleashed?
Even River's precision in controlling the flames, and their temperature, surpassed his own.
River smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to Tesoro.
Of course, he had acquired this ability to control flames from Ace.
His powerful learning ability allowed him to master the skills of anyone he encountered in mere moments.
If he wanted, he could even possess Tesoro's abilities.
Just then, the dining table before him suddenly exploded. A golden figure had already rushed forward, swinging a gold-clad fist at him.
"Tesoro!"
"A sneak attack isn't much of a move!"
River spoke calmly, clenching his right hand into a fist. Flames danced and blazed around it.
The next second, their fists collided violently.
Boom!
Tesoro shuddered all over. He watched the gold coating his fist melt into liquid as searing heat swept toward him.
"Fire Fist!"
After a brief pause, Tesoro was blasted backward with a boom, slamming into the wall behind him and shaking loose a great cloud of dust.
"Golden flames?!"
At that moment, Ace's pupils contracted. He stared at the flames on River's fist, frozen in place.
Their color was completely different from that of his own flames.