Ace returned to the Flower Capital in a fresh disguise—
the face and armor of the samurai who had valiantly sacrificed himself for the greater cause (or more accurately, for Ace's infiltration plan).
But the moment he stepped through the inner gates, he knew something was wrong.
The Flower Capital was crawling with samurai.
Not just samurai—
ninjas perched on rooftops, archers in hidden alcoves, guards patrolling every five steps.
They were scanning the streets so intensely that even the mosquitoes buzzing by were getting suspicious looks.
Ace narrowed his eyes.
They're on high alert. Did someone escape? Did they hear the fight? Or did one of those guards send a report?
It didn't matter.
He kept walking casually toward the Shogun's Mansion.
Just when he got within a dozen meters of the main entrance—
"STOP. Who are you? State your purpose in visiting the Shogun's Mansion!"
The voice echoed sharply, from nowhere and everywhere at once.
Ace paused.
That's odd… I already erased everyone guarding outside. Who's left?
He closed his eyes and activated Observation Haki.
In an instant, the entire mansion lit up in his senses.
Hundreds of signatures.
All of them tense.
All of them strong—
some even stronger than the head samurai he had fought earlier.
And deeper inside…
a twisting, slithering, unmistakable presence.
A Devil Fruit aura.
Orochi.
The only Devil Fruit user in the Flower Capital apart from Ace himself.
So he already returned. He must've been warned. That means… my earlier plans are useless. More guards arrived. And now I have to fight everyone.
Ace didn't panic.
Instead, a faint smile touched his lips.
He had just finished a battle minutes ago—
and the heat in his body had barely cooled.
Another fight sounded perfect.
---
The samurai who had questioned him grew irritated by Ace's silence.
"Answer me, intruder!"
Without waiting for a reply, the samurai lunged, blade flashing with killing intent.
Ace tilted his head.
The sword sliced air.
And Ace's fist smashed into the samurai's face.
BOOM!
The warrior flew backward like a fired cannonball, crashing into a wall and collapsing in a daze.
Instantly, the entire mansion exploded into motion.
Shouts.
Metallic rings.
Footsteps converging.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of warriors rushed from the courtyard, forming a thick defensive wall in front of the mansion doors.
From inside, more signatures approached.
Heavy ones.
Loyal retainers.
Elite samurai.
And Orochi himself.
Ace felt the surge of their killing intent… and his grin widened.
If I want to take out Orochi, I need to clear the cannon fodder first. Then the elites. Then the snake himself.
He cracked his knuckles, fire dancing faintly across his skin.
He wasn't scared.
If anything—
the rising tension made his blood burn hotter.
Ace didn't wait for the samurai to strike.
He simply stepped forward, drew his fist back, and lowered his stance.
One punch.
But not a normal one.
Heat surged around his arm.
Flames coiled around his knuckles like living serpents.
The air distorted.
And Ace spoke, voice steady and cold:
"Flame Fist… Impact."
BOOOOOOM—!!
A pillar of fire roared forward, wide as a city street, blasting ahead like a volcanic eruption. The ground beneath it melted into glowing lava. The samurai closest to Ace didn't even have time to scream—
they were reduced to ash instantly.
The ones behind them panicked and unleashed every attack they knew:
Sword slashes.
Ninjutsu techniques.
Haki strikes.
Throwing blades.
Explosive kunai.
But when their attacks touched the blazing column…
They vanished.
Burned away without even a ripple.
It was like throwing pebbles into the sun.
The fire column devoured everything in its path—
samurai, ninjas, walls, floors—
all of it disappeared into white-hot inferno.
Inside the mansion, Orochi's face twisted in horror.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"ST-SOMEONE! BLOCK THAT! BLOCK IT!! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!!"
His voice cracked from fear.
If that attack hit him, he knew—
absolutely, certainly—
he would die.
The fire pillar rushed toward him, closing the distance rapidly.
Ten meters.
Seven meters.
Five—
SHING!!
A sharp, enormous sword slash erupted from behind Orochi, tearing through the air. Kyoshiro stepped out, blade gleaming.
His vertical slash collided with the fire column and split it cleanly.
The flame pillar divided into two blazing halves, which roared past Orochi on both sides—
and crashed into the mansion behind him, blowing it apart.
The entire Shogun's residence exploded in a storm of flames.
Orochi screamed, tripped, and nearly fell flat on his face.
He had been one breath away from death.
Gasping, sweating, and shaking, Orochi pointed at Ace with trembling fingers.
"K-Kyoshiro! Kill him! I—I'll give you a promotion! A huge promotion! Take that spare land in the north! Anyone who kills him will receive a reward from me personally!"
The remaining samurai and ninjas straightened up, greed flashing in their eyes.
A reward from the Shogun himself…
land…
status…
They tried to look brave.
---
Ace, however, wasn't paying attention to them.
His eyes were on Kyoshiro.
Why did he block my attack? He should've let Orochi die. Unless…
Then Ace understood.
He can't reveal himself yet. Not until he's strong enough to kill both Orochi and Kaido. If he moves now, all his undercover work is wasted.
Ace sighed.
Annoying.
If he killed Kyoshiro, he would offend the future Nine Scabbards.
If he didn't kill him, he would be forced into a pointless fight.
So Ace spoke clearly, voice echoing through the burning ruins:
"Denjiro."
Kyoshiro's eyes widened imperceptibly.
Ace continued:
"I don't want to fight you.
I'm here to kill Orochi.
If you want to fight him too, fine.
But don't interfere with me."
Ace turned slightly, flames curling around his shoulders.
"This is my advice as a friend of Hyogoro."
He pointed toward the side.
"Move."
The samurai who could hear him felt shivers run down their spines.
And Denjiro…
for the first time in years…
hesitated.
---
Ace resumed walking toward the ruined mansion.
With each step—
the temperature rose.
The air shimmered.
The ground began glowing faintly.
Flames crawled around Ace's feet like hungry spirits.
And then—
---