Moments later, the small boat came to a stop beside a tiny island. Ace leapt gracefully onto the shore.
"What kind of island is this?"
Ace scanned the surroundings before turning to Yunan.
"You're asking me? I'd like to know too," Yunan replied, still half-lying on the ground, showing no intention of getting up.
"Then let me ask you this—have you ever seen this man around here?"
Ace frowned slightly, producing a piece of paper and unfolding it in front of Yunan.
It was a drawing of Blackbeard.
"Oh? Blackbeard, huh."
Yunan lifted his eyelids slightly and muttered instinctively.
"You've seen him?!"
Ace's eyes widened, a surge of excitement coursing through him.
"Don't get me wrong… I haven't actually seen him," Yunan said after a brief pause.
"You're kidding me?!"
Ace's expression immediately darkened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"If you want to know where Blackbeard is, you'll have to beat me first."
Yunan smirked faintly.
After surviving all these years, this was the perfect opportunity to test his current strength against Ace.
"Since you won't tell me, then I'll just fight until you do."
With that, Ace launched into the air, delivering a ferocious kick toward the half-lying Yunan.
Yunan, unfazed by Ace's sudden attack, glanced up lazily.
He slammed both hands against the ground, propelling his body upward and sideways in a graceful evasive maneuver.
"BOOM!!"
The moment Yunan shifted, Ace stomped down, sending a cloud of sand and debris flying.
"What, is running all you can do?"
"Tell me Blackbeard's whereabouts, and I might spare you," Ace said with a sneer.
"Let's see if you're capable of that," Yunan replied coolly.
"Eight Gates Formation, Opening the Life Gate!"
Yunan called out, and a violent surge of chakra erupted from his body.
His body began to flush slightly red, radiating a faint green aura.
"Hm? You're some kind of power user?"
Ace's expression shifted at the sight of Yunan's transformation.
"Ace, your taijutsu's pretty good, right? Don't disappoint me."
Yunan smiled lightly and stomped his foot, propelling himself like a missile toward Ace.
The ground beneath him cracked in a spiderweb pattern from the force of the stomp.
In the blink of an eye, Yunan reached Ace and swung a fist.
"BAM!!"
Ace couldn't dodge in time and was blasted backward, sliding across the ground for dozens of meters before finally coming to a halt.
"You little!"
Ace staggered to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
The contempt in his gaze was replaced by deep seriousness.
"Is that… a speed-enhancing ability?"
Earlier, Ace had only seen a flicker of a shadow and had no chance to use his powers before Yunan struck.
He realized Yunan must possess an ability that enhances his movement speed.
"What's the matter, Ace? Is that all you've got?"
Yunan stood nearby, hands behind his back, casually watching Ace.
"I underestimated you. In that case, I won't hold back."
Ace's eyes narrowed, and he shot toward Yunan with renewed force.
"Melee combat, huh? My favorite," Yunan said, a strange, predatory smile on his lips.
"You're underestimating me, damn it!"
Seeing Yunan make no move to dodge, Ace flew into a rage, bringing a fist down with a storming wind sound.
"Your attacks aren't fast enough to make me dodge."
Facing Ace's thunderous blow, Yunan smiled faintly and slowly raised his right hand.
"BANG!!"
A deafening explosion erupted.
Ace's full-powered punch was caught effortlessly by Yunan, his body not moving an inch.
"How… how is this possible?!"
Ace's face paled—his all-out strike had been stopped with apparent ease.
Yunan's calm expression showed he hadn't even exerted himself.
"Impressive aura, but the strength… lacking," Yunan said lightly, then drove his knee into Ace's abdomen.
Ace immediately doubled over, screaming in pain.
"You bastard!"
Ignoring the pain, Ace continued his relentless assault.
But Yunan, empowered by the Eight Gates Formation, moved too fast.
No matter how frenzied Ace's attacks became, he couldn't touch so much as Yunan's cloak.
Instead, Yunan's strikes left Ace no chance to react.
Except for a few rare elemental dodges, Ace was like a punching bag in front of Yunan, utterly defenseless.
"BAM!!"
"CRACK!!"
After a series of devastating blows, Ace was slammed deep into the ground.
"How's that? Want to keep going?"
Yunan stood, hands behind his back, looking at Ace indifferently.
"Damn… when did the sea produce someone like you?"
"In some unnoticed, desolate island…"
Ace struggled to rise, spitting blood, his gaze at Yunan filled with deep seriousness.
Despite his confidence in taijutsu, he had been utterly defeated by Yunan.