Chapter 206 – Big Mom's Invitation
Sun Island, home of the Sun Elf Tribe, deep within the Sun Forest.
Inside the cave beneath the island's largest sun tree—where the ancient tree cradled the radiant [Sun Seed]—Portgas D. Ace sat cross-legged, bathed in the light shining down from above.
When the light of the [Sun Seed] enveloped him, it was as effective as soaring into the upper atmosphere to bask in pure sunlight. In fact, training here was far more efficient than flying to a height of 100,000 meters.
Ever since discovering the [Sun Seed]'s miraculous properties, Ace no longer needed to ascend into the sky for solar training. Instead, he spent an hour each day under this sacred tree, letting the radiant energy wash over him.
As he sat there, the brilliant glow of the [Sun Seed] reflected in his eyes. Ever since he had bitten into one of these seeds once before, every time he looked at it now, an uncontrollable urge to take another bite welled up inside him.
> "I wonder… if I ate this thing again, would my flames become like the Captain's—matching the temperature of the sun's core?"
Ace's gaze burned with curiosity. If he could truly reach that temperature, he thought, then perhaps he would become invincible.
After all, no one in the world could withstand flames of sixteen million degrees. Not even the strongest Armament Haki could defend against that level of heat.
However, Ace knew the truth—his current body couldn't endure that much power. Even if he could summon such flames, he would exhaust himself before they ever reached their peak.
Thanks to the [Sun Seed]'s blessing, the maximum temperature of Ace's flames now exceeded 200,000 degrees. With his current stamina, he could maintain that level for about ten minutes. But millions of degrees? That was still a dream far beyond reach.
> "If I could push my flames to one million degrees," Ace mused, "even Kaido's scales wouldn't stand a chance."
The Wano Country campaign—his fierce battle against Kaido—had been a harsh awakening.
Despite using every technique and ability at his disposal, Ace had barely scratched Kaido's defenses. Even with Ziyan assisting him, and despite coating his attacks with the highest-grade Armament Haki, the damage had been negligible.
And that was when Kaido hadn't even fully used his own Haki.
As the Emperor of the Sea with the second-highest bounty after Whitebeard, Kaido's mastery of Haki was legendary. Against Kaido's full defense, Ace hadn't stood a chance.
Still, his journey to Wano wasn't a loss. Besides gaining allies like Yamato and O-Tama, the fight had exposed Ace's biggest weakness—his physical endurance.
Even though Ace could now escape unharmed from a Yonko-level opponent, what he wanted wasn't survival.
It was victory.
> "Looks like I still need to focus on training my body…"
Ace stood up, stretching his shoulders. His hour of "sunbathing" was complete—next came physical and Haki conditioning.
Just as he stepped out of the cave, a small voice called out to him.
> "Ace-kun!"
Carol, the tiny sun sprite, fluttered down to perch on his shoulder, her tone urgent.
> "There's a guest on the island—someone from the Big Mom Pirates! They want to see you."
> "Big Mom Pirates?" Ace blinked in surprise. "What are they doing here? Big Mom shouldn't want a fight with us right now… so they're probably not here for trouble."
He grinned, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
> "Let's see what Mama Charlotte wants this time."
Spreading his fiery wings, Ace soared toward the Spade Pirates' base.
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When he arrived, a towering man with short crimson hair was already waiting outside the base.
Even though they had never met, Ace recognized him immediately.
The man's bounty exceeded 1,057,000,000 berries—
Charlotte Katakuri, the Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates.
Katakuri was known as the strongest son of the Charlotte Family, a man whose mastery over the Mochi-Mochi no Mi had reached awakening. His Observation Haki was said to have advanced so far that he could briefly see the future.
> "Well, this is a surprise," Ace said as he landed lightly before him. "To think the leader of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders would visit in person. What brings you here, Katakuri? Don't tell me the Big Mom Pirates are declaring war on me?"
Katakuri remained calm, his tone polite but steady.
> "You misunderstand, Mr. Ace. Our Charlotte Family doesn't seek conflict without reason. I'm here to deliver an invitation from my mother."
He produced a finely crafted envelope embossed with the Big Mom Pirates' insignia.
> "Mama wishes to formally invite Lord Yandi to the engagement ceremony between one of my sisters and the Prince of Elbaf, to be held next week."
Ace raised an eyebrow but didn't take the invitation yet.
> "Just to attend the banquet?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
> "Not exactly," Katakuri replied. "Mama has prepared a special gift for the event—something she believes will interest you greatly."
> "Something that interests me?" Ace crossed his arms. "That's a long list. Care to give me a hint?"
Katakuri's gaze was firm.
> "I'm afraid you'll need to attend in person to find out. But my mother insists that the gift holds… special significance to you. She said you'd regret it deeply if you missed it."
Ace's expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing as a thought surfaced in his mind.
> "Something that has special meaning to me…"
After a few seconds of silence, he reached out and accepted the envelope.
> "All right, Katakuri. You've piqued my curiosity."
He tucked the invitation into his coat and smiled faintly.
> "Tell Big Mom I'll be there."
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