Ace had only taken a few steps when the surrounding clouds suddenly churned violently.
More than a dozen warriors, clad in traditional Shandorian battle armor, leaped out from the White White Sea, holding spears burning with special Flame Dials, instantly forming a tight encirclement.
The war paint on their faces gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and their sharp eyes were filled with vigilance.
The leading warrior stepped forward, his bronze armor clanking crisply with his movements: "Stop! Blue-Sea Dweller! This is a critical period, Skypiea does not welcome any outsiders!"
Ace stopped, looking at these Skypiean guards with interest.
He noticed that the warriors' armor bore fresh battle scars, and many of them had unhealed wounds; a tense atmosphere permeated the air, indicating that a fierce battle had just taken place here.
"I'm just here to find someone," Ace spread his hands, indicating he had no ill intent, "I'll leave once I find them, I won't bother you."
The guards exchanged a wary glance, and the vice-captain whispered to the leader: "Wyper is dealing with the 'riot,' we can't let outsiders cause more trouble…"
The tip of the leader's spear glowed with dangerous fire: "Last warning! Go back where you came from immediately! Otherwise—"
Before he could finish, an earth-shattering explosion suddenly echoed from the direction of the Shandorian ruins in the distance.
The entire Skypiea trembled, the White White Sea churned into monstrous waves, and the guards' faces paled as they all looked towards the direction of the explosion.
"Damn it! It's that Blackbeard again!" A young warrior couldn't help but curse.
Ace's gaze sharpened like a blade: "Blackbeard?" The flames around him surged, and he sneered: "Is he over there!"
Before the guards could react, Ace's figure had transformed into a line of fire, shooting up into the sky and speeding towards the direction of the explosion; the scorching heat evaporated a path through the surrounding sea of clouds, and the guards were pushed back by the shockwave.
"What… what was that!!"
"How is he on fire??"
"….."
Incredulous expressions appeared on the faces of the Shandorian warriors simultaneously.
"God… God's Flame?!" The young warrior's voice trembled, and the hand holding the Flame Dial spear involuntarily shook.
The experienced captain was the first to recover; he ripped off the Tone Dial from his waist and shouted into the shell with all his might: "Wyper! Emergency! A Blue-Sea Dweller has appeared at the cloud port east of the ruins!"
His pupils reflected the increasingly distant fiery trail, "This guy… this guy can control fire! Fire!"
Wyper's agitated reply immediately came through the Tone Dial: "Damn it! Isn't one Blackbeard enough?!"
Fierce fighting and the roar of collapsing buildings could still be heard in the background, "Stop him! Stop him at all costs—"
The communication was suddenly interrupted by a deafening explosion.
The captain's face turned ashen as he put away the Tone Dial, then turned and roared at his subordinates: "Initiate maximum alert! We must not let these two Blue-Sea Dwellers meet!"
He raised his spear, and the Flame Dial at its tip burst forth with an unprecedented incandescent light, "For the glory of the Great Warrior Calgara!"
The warriors activated their respective equipment, and the Jet-Dial-driven skates carved dozens of trails across the White White Sea.
But their speed was far too slow compared to that meteor-like flame; Ace's figure had already become a fiery dot on the horizon, and the clouds in his wake were scorched into a blackened trail.
"Too fast…" The vice-captain watched the gradually dissipating fire with despair, "We can't catch up at all…"
On the other side,
On the street, the town was being rebuilt, and the chains on Teach clinked softly.
This once arrogant pirate was now bowing his head, fully recovering from the injuries he sustained a few days ago, feeling that his wounds were mostly healed and he should be fine.
At this moment, no one noticed the sinister curve of his lips hidden in the shadows.
"Zehahaha…" When the last guard turned to leave, Teach suddenly let out a low laugh.
His muscular arms suddenly exerted force, and the iron chains wrapped in Armament Haki snapped in response!
"You Skypiean monkeys, do you really think these toys can trap me?"
Teach burst through the wall like a beast unleashed, his bloodshot eyes scanning the panicking Shandorian warriors.
Days of humiliating memories flashed through his mind: being forced to carry cloud bricks, build houses, and even clean those damn toilets!
"All of you, die!" Teach's heavy punch, imbued with raging Haki, slammed into the nearest warrior.
However, the opponent quickly raised a peculiar shell—an Impact Dial—which absorbed his punch completely, and the next second, reflected it back with double the force!
"Bang!"
Teach was knocked back several steps by his own attack, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
He looked around in astonishment—dozens of Shandorian warriors had already formed a battle formation, each holding different types of Skypiean Dials: Impact Dials, Flash Dials, Flame Dials…
What bewildered Teach even more was their seamless coordination; attacks came one after another.
"Damn it!" Teach rolled to avoid three intersecting shockwaves; the ground where he had been instantly exploded into a cloud pit three meters in diameter.
He tried to break through, but a squad of warriors riding Waver horses blocked his path; Jet-Dial-driven spears stabbed from all directions, forcing him to retreat to the center of the encirclement.
Wyper stood high above, watching coldly: "Give up, slave. Lord Ron said you can be a good laborer on Skypiea."
Teach licked his chapped lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust: "Zehahaha, want to trap me? You'll have to be prepared to lose a piece of yourselves!"
His gaze swept across the battlefield; there was no sign of Burgess's useless subordinates, it seemed they had been scattered to other labor reform areas.
At the moment, he could only rely on himself.
"Come on, Skypiean monkeys!" Teach suddenly erupted, Armament Haki covering his arms like a tide; he endured the impact of three shockwaves, his left shoulder instantly torn open, but he used the momentum to roll into the enemy formation.
"Bang!"
A heavy punch directly shattered a warrior's chest; the latter sprayed blood mist as he flew backward, crashing through three cloud houses.
Teach didn't stop; he backhanded and grabbed a stabbing spear, then used brute force to swing the spear-wielding warrior whole, smashing him fiercely into an enemy on the other side.
"Urgh!" Two Shandorian warriors cried out simultaneously, the sound of bones breaking clearly audible.
But more attacks followed in quick succession: pillars of fire from Flame Dials scorched Teach's back, and the blinding light from Flash Dials made his vision go black.
Wyper's Reject Dial even opened a bloody hole directly in his abdomen.
"Zehahaha… Is that all you've got?" Teach spat blood foam, looking like a madman.
....
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