Grand Line, somewhere on an island.
On a barren reef isle where not a blade of grass could grow, two violent presences slammed into each other again and again, shaking the air itself.
"Fire Fist!"
With a furious roar, a massive flaming fist blasted toward the hulking figure at the island's center.
The man only snorted in contempt, whipping his spiked flail through the air.
Boom!
Flame and iron collided with a dull, brutal impact.
The fire fist, hot enough to melt steel, was smashed apart by sheer force, exploding into a skyful of sparks that the gale scattered away.
"That's all you've got? Marine brat!"
Opposite Ace stood a monster of a man, well over five meters tall. A loose black leather coat hung from his shoulders, and a vicious mask covered his face. In one hand he dragged an enormous scythe, in the other he swung a spiked flail like it weighed nothing.
This was Ace's target.
The former "Drought" of the Beasts Pirates. The Ancient Zoan Tyrannosaurus fruit user. The so called "King of Lizards."
Hānefuza, also known as Hanafuda!
From behind the mask, Hānefuza's cold gaze swept the battlefield, then settled on Ace.
His hoarse voice rasped like metal grinding against metal.
"The Flame Flame Fruit… I'll be taking that."
Before the last word finished, he moved.
Hānefuza blurred forward. The huge scythe shrieked through the air, slicing straight for Ace's throat.
"Captain, watch out!"
Ace's pupils tightened. The blade passed clean through his flame body without leaving a scratch.
"Hmph. Brat, don't think being a Logia makes you invincible. In the New World, naïve kids who rely on Devil Fruits die the fastest. Kaido could smash a hundred of you with one swing!"
Hanafuda muttered coldly, then snapped his wrist.
The flail howled through the air, slamming toward Ace's companions behind him.
"Bastard!"
Ace roared. His body reformed in an instant, and he spun, driving another blazing punch forward.
The huge fire fist collided with the flail with a thunderous crash. Heat and shockwaves shredded the reef, pulverizing stone into dust.
"Back off! He's mine!" Ace shouted at his squad.
"But Captain!"
"Follow orders!"
Deuce and the others gritted their teeth and withdrew fast, circling the outer edge to look for an opening.
This kind of battle was far beyond them. Jumping in would only make them dead weight.
"Oh?" Hānefuza reeled the flail back, studying Ace with interest. "Name yourself, brat. I don't kill nobodies."
"Marine Headquarters, Spade Unit Captain, Portgas D. Ace!"
"Ace… huh?" Hānefuza repeated the name, then let out a low chuckle. "Interesting. Remember my name. Hānefuza."
Ace's gaze sharpened. "Perfect. I was going to hunt you down anyway. Saves me the trip."
"Arrogant little punk!"
Hānefuza stopped wasting words. Scythe and flail moved together, whipping up a storm as he charged in.
Ace's strength, tempered by Garp's "Fist of Love" and the occasional pointers from Kael, had long surpassed his peers.
And after eating the Flame Flame Fruit, he was even more terrifying.
For a time, fire and steel clashed without pause, turning the entire stretch of beach into their arena.
Fire Fist. Fire Gun. Cross Fire.
Ace's attacks were wide and explosive, packed with raw burst.
But Hānefuza's experience was clearly deeper. He'd spent years hunting down Devil Fruit users, living with his life balanced on a blade's edge. His moves were ruthless, lethal, and he always found the gaps in Ace's offense to strike back.
After only a few exchanges, several cuts had opened on Ace's body. None were fatal, but they made one thing clear.
This opponent was a nightmare.
"Hahaha! Brat, your flames aren't hot enough!"
Hānefuza laughed wildly, his assault growing heavier and heavier.
Ace drew a slow breath. He knew he couldn't drag this out.
"Sacred Fire: Shiranui!"
He swung both arms. Two long spears of flame shot out, stabbing for Hānefuza's left and right.
Hānefuza snapped his scythe and flail, casually smashing the flame spears into fragments.
But in that instant, Ace vanished.
"Firefly: Fire Dharma!"
Countless small green fireballs appeared from nowhere, like will o' the wisps, surrounding Hānefuza and flooding in from every direction.
"Parlor tricks!"
Hānefuza bellowed. His muscles swelled violently.
His body ballooned. The loose black leather coat tore apart. Skin became hardened scales. A thick tail burst from his back, and his head twisted into a savage tyrant lizard's skull.
In the blink of an eye, a towering monstrosity, over ten meters tall, stood on the island.
"ROAR!"
The Tyrannosaurus opened its blood soaked maw and unleashed an earth shaking bellow. The sound became a physical shockwave, blasting Ace's fire shots apart on the spot.
"T This is…"
Far away, the Spade Unit members were crushed by the pressure so hard they could barely breathe. Even Ace felt his blood churn under that terrifying aura.
So this was the power of an Ancient Zoan.
In beast form, Hānefuza's strength and defense climbed into something monstrous.
He raised his massive head and aimed at Ace.
"TYRANT BREATH!"
A destructive beam of energy erupted from his mouth. Wherever it passed, reef rock melted instantly into glassy crystal.
Ace's face changed. He threw up a wall of flame.
"Flame Mirror!"
The beam slammed into the fire wall. They held for a few seconds, then the wall shattered.
The shockwave clipped Ace, sending him flying. He rolled across the ground a dozen times before he stopped.
"Cough…!"
He spat, blood in the saliva, his organs churning like they'd been shaken loose.
So strong.
This was the level of Kaido's top officers?
"It's over, brat."
In tyrant lizard form, Hānefuza stomped forward, step by heavy step, his enormous shadow swallowing Ace whole.
Ace forced himself to his feet. His eyes held no fear, no retreat.
He stared at the advancing beast and, instead, smiled.
"Not yet…"
He'd pretended to weaken himself for this moment.
Slowly, Ace lifted his right hand. Flames across his entire body surged, pouring into his arm in a frenzy.
"You think my fire stops there?"
A miniature sun began to rise in his palm, radiating a terrifying, heart stopping heat.
The air warped and screamed. Even Hānefuza felt true danger crawling up his spine.
"That is…" Hānefuza's slit pupils shrank.
"Take it. This is my full power!"
Ace roared and thrust the blazing sun forward.
"Great Flame Commandment…"
"FLAME EMPEROR!!!"
The massive fireball fell like a real sun crashing down, carrying the will to burn everything to ash as it slammed toward the Tyrannosaurus.
Hānefuza sensed a crisis like nothing before. He let out a thunderous roar, gathering every ounce of power and blasting his breath head on to meet it.
But he had underestimated the Flame Emperor.
The moment the fireball closed in, the heat alone turned his scales red hot, sizzling as if the air itself were frying.
Then breath and sun collided.
And the world detonated.
BOOM!