Chapter 62: Blazing Lotus
Marineford - Elite Training Ground
Under the hot sun, the most famous training ground at Marine Headquarters was buzzing.
The stands were packed with recruits and officers, and even the surrounding balconies and watchtowers were filled with Marines, all here to watch the show.
"Hey, did you hear? That Ace kid is only 12! He's a monster!"
"A Logia-type, the Flare-Flare Fruit, and he's Vice Admiral Garp's grandson and Rear Admiral Roy's 'little brother'? That whole family is insane!"
"A 12-year-old who can wreck a 20 million Beri pirate crew? Of course he's not normal!"
The crowd was roaring, the atmosphere as hot as a volcano about to erupt.
In the center of the ring, Ace grinned, flames dancing on his fingertips. "Instructor Zephyr, are you serious? I can go all out? I've been working on a lot of new moves, you know!"
Zephyr, his arms crossed, just snorted. His sunglasses hid his eyes. "Don't get cocky, brat. Overconfidence will get you killed!"
He crooked his finger. "Show me!"
"Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!"
Ace thrust his hands forward, and a ten-meter-high pillar of swirling fire roared to life, so hot it buckled the very air!
The crowd roared. "WHOA—!!!"
Zephyr just snorted, coating his right arm in a solid, iron-black layer of Armament Haki.
"BOOM!!!"
His fist plunged straight into the center of the fire pillar. The flames exploded outward in a massive, deafening shockwave, washing over the entire arena.
"This little bit of heat?" Zephyr's voice boomed over the flames. "You couldn't even light the kitchen stove with this!"
He charged straight through the smoke! "A Logia isn't a toy for making fireworks, brat!"
Ace's eyes narrowed. He didn't panic. He compressed the flames in his palm.
"Bursting: Compressed Sun!"
A small, marble-sized orb of fire spun in his hand, so hot it began to melt the ground beneath him. He flicked it at the charging Zephyr.
"BOOM!!!"
A massive, hemispherical dome of fire erupted from the ground, a ten-meter-high explosion that shook the entire base!
The blast of heat sent the crowd reeling. Even some of the Vice Admirals in the stands frowned.
"That kind of firepower... from a 12-year-old?!"
"He's already mastered compressed explosions?!"
As the fire faded, Zephyr stepped out. His Haki-coated arms were completely unscorched. A small smile appeared on his face. "Your temperature control is more precise, and your compression is much stronger. Good improvement."
He suddenly clapped his hands, sending a shockwave of pure Haki straight at Ace, blasting him off his feet.
Ace rolled, coming up to one knee, and spun his hands, creating two spinning discs of fire that he sent skimming across the ground.
"Flame-Fang!"
The two high-temperature fire-saws ground against Zephyr's Haki-coated arms, sending sparks flying.
"Using the propulsive force of the fire to increase cutting power? Interesting." Zephyr grunted, then shattered them both with a single chop.
Ace was panting heavily now, his flames no longer wild, but coiling around him, like the calm before a storm.
"It's no good... none of my normal moves can break his defense!"
He remembered Roy's lesson: "The essence of fire is energy release... Try... compressing that energy to its absolute limit, then letting it go all at once..."
Ace's eyes hardened. He brought his hands together. "Compress... more... MORE!"
The fire around him collapsed inward, sucking in the air, a high-pitched whine filling the arena as the ground beneath him began to glow red-hot.
Zephyr's expression finally changed. He charged, his own Haki flaring to its peak. "Come on, brat! Don't disappoint me!"
At that exact moment, Ace roared:
"FLAME EMPEROR: BLAZING LOTUS!!"
"BOOM!!!"
A red-gold lotus of pure, compressed fire bloomed at Zephyr's chest. The air distorted. A white-hot shockwave and a deafening sonic boom erupted, followed by a mushroom cloud of fire that rose high above the training ground!
The heat was so intense the crowd was forced to shield their eyes.
"H-Holy hell!"
"What kind of destructive power is that?!"
"He's 12!! How is that possible?!"
The instructors at the front had to use their own Haki to shield the recruits from the blast.
The smoke cleared. Ace was on one knee, pale, his flames guttering, but he was still upright.
"Hah... hah... did I... did I do it...?"
A figure walked out of the smoke. Zephyr's entire uniform jacket had been incinerated. His Haki-coated chest was exposed, and even he had a faint red burn mark in the center. His sunglasses, cracked, fell from his face.
He stared at Ace for a long second... and then he burst out laughing.
"Well done, brat!"
The crowd, stunned, exploded into cheers.
"NO WAY!! HE ACTUALLY BROKE INSTRUCTOR ZEPHYR'S DEFENSE!!"
"WHAT WAS THAT MOVE?! FIRE CAN DO THAT?!"
Ace finally grinned. "That's... great..."
And then he collapsed flat on his back. "Ow... ow... ow... I'm completely wiped..."
Zephyr walked over and picked Ace up by the collar like a singed kitten. "Creativity: A+. Execution: C+. Stamina... F-minus!"
"Starting today, your weight training is doubled!"
"W-wait! Instructor!" Ace panicked, his voice hoarse. "But I improved!!"
Zephyr grinned. "Exactly. We're doubling it because you improved. Can't have you getting complacent."
The watching recruits all winced, watching Ace get dragged away.
Just then, Roy's figure had appeared on the sideline. He'd seen the whole thing.
He looked at the cracked, scorched crater. "Blazing Lotus..." he murmured, a proud smile on his face. "I only gave him the idea of a 'compression explosion'... and he actually pulled it off."
As he was about to follow, a flash of dark red caught his eye.
In the shadows of a far exit, Sakazuki (Akainu) was turning to leave.
"FWOOSH!"
Roy warped, appearing directly in his path.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki," Roy said, a teasing smile on his face. "I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't think a 'rookie's test' would be on your schedule."
Sakazuki's magma-like eyes stared at him. His stony expression softened, just barely. "Roy."
He grunted. "The brat you've been training. He's adequate."
Roy was genuinely stunned. Sakazuki... is complimenting someone? He's complimenting Ace? Is it because he took out the Arlong Pirates? Is he finally wavering on his 'bloodline' obsession?
Sakazuki seemed to read his mind and snorted. "Don't misunderstand. As long as he doesn't become a pirate, and as long as he continues to annihilate them in the name of Absolute Justice... I have no objection to him."
He turned and strode away, his heavy boots seeming to scorch the stone path.
Roy watched him go. "So that's his 'Absolute Justice'..."
A golden light flashed.
"Ooh~" a lazy voice drawled. "Sakazuki~"
Borsalino (Kizaru) materialized, hands in his pockets, grinning. "How~ rare to see you when you're not scowling~ Want to go for a drink? I heard the new bar is so good, even the Fleet Admiral snuck out to try it~"
Sakazuki didn't even turn around. "Do what you want."
"So~ scary~"
The red magma and yellow light walked off together, disappearing down the street.
Roy looked back at the training ground. The blackened, fractured crater was still smoking. It was the scar of Ace's battle, and the proof of his growth.
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