Ace didn't stop. He walked toward the ring, his hand resting on his sword. His face was calm. He wasn't the angry rookie who chased Blackbeard anymore. He was a King.
Across from him, Katakuri stepped forward. The two men stood ready. The world went quiet.
Big Mom's order to fight felt like a judge's gavel. The giants roared. They loved a good fight.
But the Burning Crown Pirates were panicking.
"I will fight," Silver D. Morgan growled. He stepped up, gripping his axe. "I've been waiting forty years for a real challenge."
"No," Douglas Bullet cut in. His voice was cold. "I am the strongest. I will break him."
"Let me do it, Ace!" Sabo begged. He grabbed his steel pipe, his knuckles white. "Let me be the brother I was supposed to be!"
Three legends. A former king, a demon, and his brother. They were all ready to die for him.
But Ace didn't look at them. He stared straight at Big Mom.
She was smiling. She was an Emperor, but she was hiding behind her son. She was using her family as tools.
A real King doesn't hide, Ace thought.
He didn't walk into the ring. He walked past it. He walked straight toward Big Mom.
"Wait," Ace said.
He didn't shout, but his voice cut through the noise. Everyone—giants, pirates, rebels—froze.
"The first round was a cooking contest," Ace said clearly. "A game you picked, Linlin."
He looked her dead in the eye. A small, dangerous smile touched his lips.
"I won. And the winner picks the rules for the next round."
Big Mom's smile vanished. "What is this nonsense, brat?! Combat is a sacred tradition!"
"I respect the tradition," Ace said smoothly. "But I'm changing the players."
Ace took a deep breath. Then, he let it out.
It wasn't a scream. It was pure pressure.
BOOM.
A wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body. The sky turned dark. Red and black lightning crackled in the air.
Thousands of Big Mom's weaker pirates didn't even have time to scream. Their eyes rolled back, and they dropped to the ground in seconds. Even the giants buckled under the weight. Katakuri and the other commanders took a step back, sweat forming on their foreheads.
This wasn't the power of a pirate captain. This was the command of an Emperor.
"The second round," Ace said, his voice the only sound left in the silence, "isn't a duel between our crews."
He pointed a finger directly at Big Mom.
"It's you versus me. Let's settle this right now."
He wasn't just playing her game. He was flipping the board. He was telling her that he was her equal.
Big Mom stared at him. Then, a low rumble started in her chest. It turned into a roar of laughter.
"MAAAMA-MAMAMA! You have your father's guts, brat!" Her eyes burned with fire. "Fine! I accept! I will tear you apart and feed you to my flames!"
She stomped forward, the ground shaking with every step. Ace didn't flinch. His body ignited, wreathed in white-hot fire.
Two Emperors were about to collide.
Then, the sun disappeared.
A massive shadow covered the entire island. The air felt thin, hard to breathe. Everyone looked up in terror.
A giant blue dragon was falling from the sky. It crashed into the earth with enough force to crack the island. Dust and rocks flew everywhere.
As the dust cleared, the dragon shrank. Standing there was a massive man with horns, holding a spiked club. He took a long drink from a giant gourd.
"Worororo…" Kaido wiped his mouth. "I heard there was a party."
He looked at Big Mom, then at Ace. A twisted grin spread across his face.
"Two Emperors in one place? Perfect! Let's have a real war!"
Kaido raised his club. Black lightning crackled around it. He swung down, aiming to destroy everything in front of him.
THUD.
The club stopped dead.
The shockwave blew the clouds away, but the club didn't move another inch.
An old man stood there. He had long gray hair tied back and round sunglasses. He looked like a retired teacher. He had stopped Kaido's island-destroying swing with one hand.
Kaido's eyes went wide. The drunkenness faded instantly.
The old man sighed. He looked at the these monsters surrounding him like he was scolding bad children.
"Honestly," Scopper Gaban said, sounding bored. "Can't you kids and this old hag play nice for five minutes?"
=======================================
100 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter
Send me some powerstone.
https://www.patreon.com/c/kapa69
10+chapters ahead on patreon