The rolling blasts of explosive force thundered on without end.
The vast sea looked as though the apocalypse had arrived.
Faced with the towering waves, Deuce and the others barely managed to steady themselves.
They hurriedly looked toward Ace.
Within the flames, a figure was reforming. Seeing that familiar face, Deuce cried out in delight.
"Look! I told you, with his Logia Devil Fruit powers, Ace stands undefeated on this sea!"
"No matter how powerful this Marine is, if he can't actually hurt Ace, it's all bullshit!"
Within the flames, Ace also gave a faint smile.
The aura Bai Yu had unleashed just now had been far too terrifying.
Even his body and limbs had frozen for a moment.
If he hadn't had Elemental Transformation to keep him invincible...
He would definitely have had to take that earth-shattering slash head-on.
Whether he would have lived or died then, even Ace had no idea.
But just as these jumbled thoughts flashed through their minds...
A ghostlike figure appeared behind Ace without warning.
"Captain, behind you!"
Deuce's pupils abruptly contracted, and he roared urgently.
Ace froze too. He had never expected Bai Yu's first move to be an offensive one.
"Bai Yu, you really are fast, but don't forget, I've got a Logia Devil Fruit's Elemental Transformation!"
Bang!
The black wooden sword struck Ace square in the face with tremendous force.
The instant his elemental flames scattered...
Ace's body seemed to be forcibly dragged out of them.
The next moment, he shot toward the sea restaurant like a cannonball.
He crossed hundreds of meters, accompanied by a deafening crash.
Under everyone's dumbfounded gazes, he smashed through the deck.
Finally, he plunged headfirst into the sea.
Madness!
Ace was going to lose his mind!
No!
Rather, everyone who had been singing the praises of Logias a moment ago was going to lose their minds.
They watched as the ever-infallible Elemental Transformation was sent flying with a single slash.
That fucking slash had turned their worldview upside down!
This was the rookie pirate hailed as the strongest in the Four Blues, with a bounty of fifty million Beli!
"Mihal, was that really Ace who just got knocked flying?"
Deuce spoke with disbelief written all over his face.
Mihal abruptly snapped out of his daze and shouted urgently.
"Deuce, do whatever it takes to stop that Marine! Devil Fruit Users can't swim! I'm going to save Ace!"
With those words, Mihal plunged into the water.
Deuce also snapped out of his daze. Seeing Bai Yu stepping through the sky toward them, he had no time to think and hurriedly drew the sword at his waist.
"Marine, don't come any closer, or don't blame me for showing no mercy."
"No mercy?"
Bai Yu gave a bloodthirsty smile.
"What's wrong? I'll give you a chance to abandon them and run. You might still make it out alive!"
"You want me to run?"
Deuce couldn't help freezing.
Against such an unstoppable opponent...
Pirates like Krieg would never have been able to refuse a chance to survive like this.
A flicker of struggle crossed Deuce's face. The next moment, he tightened his grip on his sword and charged with a roar.
"Sorry, but even if I die, I'll never abandon my comrades!"
"One Sword Style: Ocean Waves!"
With that slash, Deuce's attack had its merits, his sword moves rolling on like ocean waves.
Against ordinary pirates, it would definitely have been a killing move.
But in Bai Yu's eyes, it was still far from enough.
"Three-Sword Style: Rhino Strike!"
A figure burst out of the sea.
Zoro, soaked from head to toe, struck first.
His three swords crossed, slamming into Deuce with the brute force of a charging rhinoceros.
Bang!
Deuce was instantly sent flying backward, crashing straight into the cabin behind him.
Only then did his body barely come to a halt.
Looking at the figure who had suddenly appeared, his face turned ashen, disbelief spreading across it.
"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro?"
"Heh, to think someone actually knows my name."
Zoro spoke with Wado Ichimonji clenched between his teeth.
"But if you're going to fight, I can't let you challenge our king right off the bat. That would be a disgrace to us crew members."
"If you want a fight, let me take you on!"
Ever since boarding Bai Yu's ship, Zoro hadn't had a chance to fight. After waiting so long, he had finally found an opponent.
Zoro clearly couldn't hold back any longer.
Watching from the side, Zeff also began to look uncertain.
He had only wanted to watch a good, evenly matched fight.
He had never imagined that the strongest pirate rookie would fold at their very first exchange.
If things kept developing like this...
The strongest rookie in the Four Blues, the captain of the Spade Pirates, probably wouldn't make it out of the East Blue, would he?
But precisely because of this, Zeff grew even more curious about the background of this little-known king of Marine rookies before him.
"Don't come any closer, or don't blame me for lighting these bombs."
Enduring the stabbing pain in his back, Deuce tore open his clothes, revealing the bombs he had prepared underneath, a trace of resolve showing on his face.
Seeing this, Bai Yu reached out to stop Zoro.
"Ace, looks like you've found some good crew members this time. But is it really okay to keep hiding like this?"
Bang!
With Mihal's support, Ace clambered up through the shattered deck.
Soaking wet, with a red slash mark stretching across his face, he looked utterly bedraggled.
The extremely tense atmosphere visibly changed with Bai Yu's different tone.
"A-Ace, what's going on?!"
"Isn't this Marine here to arrest you?"
Deuce couldn't keep his composure any longer.
After panting heavily, Ace struggled to his feet and rubbed his stinging face.
"Damn you, Bai Yu. You still love showing me no mercy, just like before. Of all the places you could hit, you had to punch my face. If I can't find a wife someday, that's on you too."
"Don't you always carry booze around? Give me a mouthful to ease the pain!"
"Heh, Ace, you really have gotten stronger. Even your skin's gotten thicker!"
Bai Yu gave a dry chuckle and casually tossed over his flask.
"Piss off!"
Ace caught the flask, shot him a glare, and began gulping it down.
The sight left everyone present dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered looks.
How had a Marine and a pirate ended up loving and fighting each other?
"Ace, hurry up and tell me what's going on! Is he actually a Marine or not?!"
Deuce was going mad. He grabbed the bombs strapped to his body.
"I nearly threw my life away for you! If you don't tell me, I'll take you down with me!"
Seeing Deuce looking ready to risk his life, Ace rubbed the tip of his nose helplessly.
"What, didn't I tell you? Bai Yu really is a Marine, but he's also my sworn older brother. I thought having a Logia Devil Fruit would let me even the score, but I ended up making a fool of myself in public again."