Not an Illusion, Seeing Ghosts

This moment.

Wilton felt a shackle within his body unlock once more. The first time was because of Dragon; this time, it was Ace.

But it was still not enough.

It felt like being halfway through a bowel movement, just needing that final push.

"Go to hell, Conqueror's Haki. You weakling, trying to destroy my will."

"I'll kill you."

Wilton was completely enraged and unleashed his foulest curses. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Explosive Double Axes."

Wilton's aura surged, his eyes seemed to spew fire. He was greatly provoked. His feet exploded as he leaped high, smashing towards Ace.

"Fire Fist."

Ace was slightly taken aback. Looking at Wilton, who seemed fearless and ready to drag him to hell, he felt a tremor in his heart.

The opponent acted as if he had suffered the ruin of his home and the scattering of his family, as if Ace were his father's killer. He was pumped up, ready to die fighting.

This death-defying aura was truly impactful.

Bang—

Like a volcanic eruption, a giant fiery fist surged through the air, devastating everything in its path as it smashed towards the dumbbell falling from the sky.

A circular shockwave spread out. Sadi, Smoker, and the four Jailer Beasts looked up, stunned, at the fearless, mighty, and unyielding figure. They suddenly realized that death itself was not that terrifying.

So what was mere Conqueror's Haki worth?

For a moment, the two men and four beasts seemed infected by Wilton's spirit. They all stood firm, facing the terrifying will that instilled fear.

This second.

Their minds were undergoing a transformation. Though slow, it was no longer as pathetic as it had been at the start. A mere Conqueror's Haki had almost rendered them incapable of fighting.

"Death and Impel Down are your final destinations."

High in the sky.

Wilton exerted all his strength to press down, but the fiery fist held firm, and the counter-force grew stronger.

"As long as I'm here, you won't hurt Luffy and the others."

Rumble.

A fiery mushroom cloud towered in mid-air. Wilton's mouth bled as he was sent flying backward, crashing through street after street, finally smashing into a hillside, kicking up clouds of gravel and dust.

Ace, on the other hand, was embedded deep into the ground, forming a spiderweb-like crater three hundred meters in radius as he gasped for air.

Without a moment to breathe.

Wilton, his mouth full of blood, ferociously descended from the sky once more. It was still simple and brutal, a single move to conquer the world.

The air churned and tore.

Ace looked up and roared, unleashing another Fire Fist. Without surprise, Wilton was once again sent flying, and the shattered crater beneath Ace's feet expanded.

"Explosive Double Axes."

"Fire Fist."

"Explosive Double Axes."

Again and again.

Whenever Wilton was knocked away, he would immediately get back up, quickly closing the distance to smash at Ace.

Half of Naha pulsed.

The area within their fighting range had been reduced to ruins. The ground was torn and lifted, and numerous shattered remnants burned with raging fires.

After an unknown amount of time, Ace panted heavily, spitting blood from his mouth, his expression grave.

What was going on?

Why could that guy keep getting up again and again? Was he a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user?

Sensing the familiar pressure from the sky, Ace looked up. The figure that entered his vision was covered in blood, but his spirit and energy were extraordinarily high.

This guy was like he couldn't be killed.

Although he had the upper hand, if this continued, he might be worn down to death.

"Your strength doesn't match your position at all, but this is the end."

Facing Wilton's tenacious assault, Ace's eyes grew cold. He crossed his hands, and fiery light spread out in circles around him, finally gathering in a spiral above his head, like a sun radiating unparalleled light and heat.

"Great Flame Ring: Fire Emperor."

"Lord Wilton."

"Major General Wilton."

Sadi and Smoker cried out. Seeing the colossal sun rapidly engulfing Wilton, their faces turned ashen with worry for him.

Because the destructive power contained within that flame energy bullet was too immense.

Bang--

A massive mushroom cloud rose, endless flames incinerated everything, the entire Naha shook violently, and a thousand-kilometer radius was leveled.

Everywhere was a sea of fire.

Blinding light filled the air.

Smoker, Sadi, and the others instinctively prostrated themselves on the ground, feeling the rolling heat waves from above, and couldn't help but be astonished by Fire Fist Ace's power.

It made sense, after all.

As the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, and a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with a bounty exceeding five hundred million, how could he possibly lack sufficient strength?

"Ace."

Luffy lay on the ground, bleeding from his head and on the verge of death. He looked at the pale-faced figure at the center of the flames, also shocked by Ace's power.

Although he had never been able to defeat Ace since childhood, he had trained diligently after Ace set sail, believing he had finally caught up. He never expected the gap to widen even further.

And that big Marine, he was even more terrifying than when they were in Loguetown, actually pushing Ace to this extent.

"Hoo."

The air was burning, like dry firewood crackling in a fire. Suddenly, those orange-red flames seemed to gain life, forming a fiery tornado that began to retract and shrink back into Ace's body.

Before him lay a barren land stretching ten thousand meters.

In the midst of a scorched and completely burned ruin, two massive dumbbells lay scattered to the side. A figure as black as charcoal was buried within them, the surrounding air thick with heat waves.

Ace looked at the charred body without speaking. He had never seen such a ferocious Marine Rear Admiral; he was even more outrageous than some Vice Admirals.

In the New World, his opponents were usually powerful subordinates of the Yonko, such as the Calamities, the Sweet Commanders, or elite Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters.

For example, Onigumo, Momonga, and others.

Although their encounter wasn't long, he felt that this Rear Admiral before him was more troublesome than Onigumo and the others.

"It's over."

Ace took a deep look and was about to elementalize to save Luffy. As for Sadi, Smoker, and the four Jailer Beasts, he hadn't taken them seriously at all.

But just as Ace made a move, he suddenly stopped, looking at the scorched earth ruins with disbelief.

A faint sound.

In his line of sight, that charred hand suddenly lifted and slammed onto the ground. Then, that sturdy, oppressive figure slowly stood up.

A powerful shockwave spread out, and the charred dust on Wilton fell away, revealing skin that was tough and reddish.

Despite his face being covered in blood, his eyes were exceptionally ferocious and stern, and his entire body's blood seemed to be boiling and burning.

Bang--

Ace couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but he felt this guy's aura becoming even more ferocious. What was going on? Why did he get stronger the more they fought?

The passive skill "Self-Sacrifice" was triggered, the heavier the injury, the stronger the attack power.

Mountain Press.

Wilton grabbed the dumbbell from the ground, leaped high, and smashed it down towards Ace. The air along the way exploded from the pressure.

This time, the speed was faster, and the power was stronger.

It truly felt like two massive dumbbell mountains were descending. Ace's right arm erupted with flames, forming a giant fiery fist that shot towards the sky. But this time, he couldn't easily blast the opponent away as before.

"What a joke."

Ace's expression changed drastically. Feeling Wilton's surging power, his eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. This guy's strength had truly increased.

It wasn't an illusion.

What the hell