The center of Nanohana's streets was a chaotic tableau of elemental fury.
BOOM!
Rolling white smoke collided violently with searing orange flames in mid-air. The resulting shockwave scorched the surrounding buildings black.
Smoker, teeth clenched around his dual cigars, swung his jitte, trying to pierce through the curtain of fire. But no matter how he struck, the flames moved like a shadow, blocking his every path.
"It's useless, Smoke-guy."
Half of Ace's body had transformed into flickering embers. He stood at the intersection with an easygoing grin. "You should know this by now. With our powers, smoke and fire will never reach a conclusion."
"Tch..." Smoker's face darkened.
The immense commotion caused by the clash of these two Logia powers immediately alerted the Straw Hat crew scattered nearby.
"That noise... and that idiot-sounding laugh..." Usopp, clutching a confused Chopper, sprinted back toward the main street, tears practically flying from his eyes. "I don't even have to think about it! It has to be that idiot Luffy causing trouble again!!"
Taking advantage of the stalemate between Ace and Smoker, the crew finally managed to regroup amidst the confusion.
"Everyone! This way!" Vivi, riding Karoo, pointed toward the outskirts. "Cross this alley and we'll hit the edge of the desert! Once we're in the dunes, the Navy will have a hard time tracking us!"
"Full speed ahead!!"
Under Vivi's guidance, the group dashed out of Nanohana, eventually reaching the vast, rolling sands at the city's edge. Only when the Marines were no longer in sight did they stop to catch their breath.
"Phew... finally... lost them..." Usopp collapsed onto the hot sand.
But before they could even finish their first breath—
Whoosh—
A scorching presence rapidly approached from behind. The crew spun around to see a streak of fire descending from the sky. The shirtless youth with the orange cowboy hat, Ace, was crouching atop a massive rock, grinning down at Luffy.
"Yo, Luffy."
"AH!! ACE!!!" Luffy let out a joyous shout, his rubber arm stretching out to catapult him directly toward the rock.
"Hahaha! You're still as reckless as ever!"
"Ace! Why are you here!!"
To the astonishment of the onlookers, the two brothers engaged in a boisterous reunion, immediately starting an arm-wrestling match on the scorching rock, laughing and catching up as if the desert heat didn't exist.
"Um... Luffy..." Zoro and Sanji watched the polite, handsome youth who tipped his hat and even helped Luffy wipe his mouth. Their jaws dropped.
"Impossible!" Sanji muttered. "This polite, powerful, and cool guy... is actually Luffy's brother?!"
"It has to be a lie! A genetic mutation?!" Usopp added.
After a brief catch-up, Ace stood up and dusted off his pants. His gaze swept over the crew, finally locking onto the black-haired youth standing at the back of the group, scanning the surroundings.
"Ah, so you're the Vice-Captain with the 28-million bounty..." Ace's lips curled up, his eyes flashing with interest. "The one they call 'Guren'—Viktor, right?"
"I've heard... you're quite the expert with fire as well."
Viktor raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Ace didn't bother with words.
VROOOM!!
Ace's muscular right arm instantly transformed into rolling torrents of flame. The temperature spiked so sharply the air began to ripple and distort. The flames condensed rapidly into a massive, colossal fist of fire, hurtling toward Viktor with enough force to incinerate anything in its path.
"Let's call this a greeting..." Ace's eyes were confident and fierce. "Fire Fist!!!!"
"AH!!! I take back what I said earlier!!" Usopp and Chopper screamed, clutching each other as the terrifying heat wave rushed at them. "He's just as much of a lunatic as Luffy!!"
Facing the absolute elemental power of a Logia attack, Viktor didn't panic. On the contrary, his eyes lit up.
Hum—
The scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun frantically, tracking the trajectory of the fire. "Oh? Coming in hot!" Viktor stepped forward instead of retreating, an excited grin touching his lips. "I've been wanting to see... just how strong the 'strongest Logia' fire really is!"
Viktor took a deep breath, his chest expanding as chakra compressed and transformed in his throat. If you want to compare flames, I'll play along!
"Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!!!!"
Fwoosh—!!!
Instead of his usual broad fireball, Viktor exhaled a concentrated, terrifyingly dense line of fire. After traveling a few meters, it ignited the air, expanding into a towering sea of orange flames. Like an awakening fire dragon, it clashed head-on with Ace's Fire Fist in mid-air!
BOOOOOM————!!!!
The two destructive red energies slammed together in the heart of the desert. The explosion was deafening. The resulting heat was so intense it turned the golden sand within a hundred meters bright red, melting it instantly into liquid glass.
"WAAAAAH!!"
A giant mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The shockwave and heat knocked Luffy, Zoro, and the others off-balance, forcing them to shield their faces.
Sizzle...
Eventually, the flames canceled each other out, dissipating into the air. On the ground between the two remained a vast patch of shimmering, translucent glass, still emitting wisps of blue smoke—proof of the sand's instant crystallization.
"Whoa..." Ace held onto his hat as the wind died down. Looking at the glass on the ground, his eyes were full of surprise. "Not a Devil Fruit power, yet you can generate that level of heat and scale..."
He looked at the uninjured boy in black and gave a heartfelt compliment. "What interesting power, 'Guren'."
Viktor shook his slightly heated palms, the red light in his eyes fading. He smiled. "I'll take that as a win for the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Hahahaha! Looks like Luffy found some incredible partners!" Ace laughed heartily. He turned to Luffy and issued the invitation that countless people on the sea would kill for. "What do you say, Luffy? Want to bring your crew... and join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"That includes you too, Viktor, Zoro."
"NO!!" Luffy didn't even think about it, picking his nose as he refused without a second's hesitation. "I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!!"
"Hahahaha! I knew you'd say that!" Ace roared, having expected nothing less.
Short as the reunion was, it was time to part. Ace had a traitor to hunt down—the one who committed the ultimate sin: Blackbeard. He reached into his hat and pulled out a small piece of white paper, tearing a corner off and handing it to Luffy.
"This is a Vivre Card," Ace explained. "This paper will lead us toward each other. As long as you have this, we'll meet again one day. Keep it safe, Luffy."
Luffy solemnly tucked the card into the inner band of his straw hat. Before leaving, Ace shouldered his pack, his silhouette marked by the setting desert sun. But he paused, turning back to look at the crew.
"Viktor, Zoro, Curly-brow, Long-nose, Raccoon, Tangerine-head." Ace's expression turned serious, the look of a protective older brother. "My idiot little brother... I'm leaving him in your hands." He smiled helplessly. "With you guys around him, I can finally worry a little less."
The crew, however, reacted with flat expressions to the "touching" moment.
"Caw!! Why is Master Klay not on the list!!" "Who are you calling a raccoon!!" "Who are you calling a long-nose!!" Zoro sighed. "Yep, they're definitely brothers." He glanced at Sanji. "Right, Curly-brow?" "Hah? You want to go, Marimo?!"
Seeing this, Ace and Luffy burst out laughing together. "Hahaha! Luffy! Your friends really are something else!"
"Shishishi! Of course they are!"
Viktor sighed, but his smile was genuine. "Don't worry. As long as we're around, he won't die. Also... good luck."
"Thanks!" Ace waved as his body dissolved into a swirl of fire, gradually vanishing into the depths of the desert heat.
As the silhouette disappeared, Viktor's eyes grew complex. At that moment, the system notification chimed:
[Ding!] [Encountered Key Figure: Portgas D. Ace.]
[Reward: Fire Style Ninjutsu power increased by 20%.]
Viktor felt the fire-natured chakra in his body become more active. 20%, huh... that's a massive gain.
"Alright! Everyone!" Luffy clapped his hands, pulling their focus back. "Ace is gone, and it's time for us to move! Across the desert! Target—Yuba!!"
"OH!!"
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