Ace stomped his foot—and in the next instant, he vanished from everyone's sight.
Even though he disappeared visually, every trained samurai immediately felt his presence through instinct and observation haki but, before they could react, Ace appeared behind one samurai, his scorching fire spear already buried deep in the man's heart. The samurai's eyes widened in despair as flames consumed him entirely.
The others did not wait for their turn to die. They charged at Ace with desperate fury, even the burning samurai swinging his blade wildly in his final moments. But Ace slipped through their attacks with effortless motion, appearing in the center of the courtyard in a burst of heat. In three clean strikes, three more samurai fell.
Ace waved his free hand.
Nine infernal fire orbs formed around him like blazing satellites and shot outward, hunting down every enemy within range.
Just as Ace prepared to continue his assault, a flying slash tore through the air toward him. He didn't bother dodging. His body split cleanly apart as he elementalized, the slash passing harmlessly through the flames.
It resembled the moment when a pirate once shot Kizaru with a Haki-infused bullet—he simply opened the path where bullet would pass, let the attack pass through, and reformed afterward. Ace reused the same principle now. His body stitched itself back together in an instant.
After that, he went on the offensive.
Every time someone attacked him, he turned to fire, or he countered with the blazing spear, melting through armor and steel. But he quickly noticed something troubling:
The number of samurai wasn't decreasing. It was increasing.
More and more retainers rushed in, and Orochi himself was slowly trying to slip away from the battle.
Ace narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't allow that.
He flashed to a secluded section of the mansion—an open patch already scorched earlier by his Titan Fireball—and raised one foot. Flames coiled around his leg like a burning dragon.
The elite samurai and Orochi's personal retainers felt a sudden oppressive threat.
"Kyoshiro! Attack him!" one shouted.
Even though they all suspected Kyoshiro's true identity, Ace had previously spared him, and that alone made him suspicious in their eyes. Kyoshiro (Denjiro) was the strongest among them.
Orochi was also suspicious about Kyoshiro but acted clueless for now.
"Kyoshiro! Kill him! Do it for your Shogun!" Orochi barked.
Kyoshiro didn't move immediately. Through his Observation Haki, he knew Orochi had already begun doubting him. A hint of resignation crossed his face.
With a sigh, Kyoshiro stepped out of the mansion.
A few samurai moved to stop him, but he merely glanced their way—and nobody dared block his path.
He walked out, then stood at a distance, watching the battlefield as if it no longer involved him.
Orochi trembled in anger, but fear sealed his mouth shut. If Kyoshiro joined the rebellion now, Orochi's death would become certain.
Just as Orochi opened his mouth to shout again—
Ace stomped the ground.
"Pyro Step: Column."
Nothing happened.
Everyone looked around in confusion. Orochi blinked stupidly—
and then the world ignited.
A massive pillar of fire erupted with Orochi at its center, spreading outward in a perfect 15-meter radius. Anyone caught inside was instantly devoured and burned into nothing but drifting ash.
Kyoshiro broke into a cold sweat.
He realized that if he had stepped even a little closer, he would have been seriously injured—possibly killed outright.
The remaining samurai stared in horror and rage. Their beloved Shogun had just been vaporized in a single attack. Their fury mixed with terror.
But Ace wasn't finished.
He hurled his scorching fire spear into the largest cluster of enemies. It pierced through six warriors in a line, skewering them like beads on a thread, before exploding in a brilliant inferno. Six bodies hit the ground, charred beyond recognition.
Ace raised both arms, preparing a different attack—not the Swordstorm of fire, not a fire spear, but an advanced version of his old finishing move. He had changed the name now, upgraded the technique.
Above him, a massive fireball began forming, growing larger and larger until it resembled a mountain of flames.
"Emperor Flame: Cataclysm."
The moment they sensed its power, every samurai froze.
Then terror finally overtook courage—they ran. Even civilians far away in the edge of Flower Capital, who had already fled upon hearing the fighting, now sprinted farther from the city as the sky glowed red.
Ace released the attack.
The colossal fireball collapsed inward, then detonated outward—a blazing shockwave expanding with Ace at the epicenter.
---
On Onigashima…
Kaido, King, Queen, and the other strong figures abruptly turned their heads toward the Flower Capital. The shockwave reached even them.
King rushed toward Kaido.
"Kaido-sama! Something powerful is happening. Shall we intervene?"
Kaido stared silently at the distant blaze for a moment. Then he uncorked his drinking flask, took a deep gulp, and roared with laughter.
"Wororororo ! No need.
He'll come here by himself."
He drank again, still grinning.
King bowed and left.
The flames in the distance continued to rise.
---