The black blade struck with lethal precision, but Ace reacted with the fluid grace of a veteran combatant. He slid backward, flames manifesting on his fingertips to neutralize Morimoto's kinetic energy.
In the same motion, he pivoted, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick that sent the black blade flying out of Morimoto's hand.
Shikasa's eyelid twitched as he watched Morimoto initiate a direct conflict. "Ryoji, don't be impulsive! If he truly was recommended by the Kazekage, you are challenging the Lord Kazekage's authority!"
"Even if the Kazekage recommended him, he still needs the strength to back it up."
Morimoto didn't bother retrieving his sword. Instead, a faint white aura erupted from his body. Entering the Fourth Activation State of the Eight Gates of Breath, a low, tiger-like roar echoed through the arena—he was activating his self-created Marine Taijutsu.
Morimoto's eyes locked onto the mysterious youth like a hawk. With a sudden burst of speed, his shoulders surged and his arm extended, firing forward like a shell from a cannon.
Boom!
His palm snapped open, unleashing a blast of compressed white light that streaked toward Ace.
Marine Style: Tiger Shatter!
Though he no longer possessed the Mera Mera no Mi, Ace's combat instincts were undiminished. He stepped forward, his body arching like a bow, as natural energy fused with his willpower to form a shroud of "Armament" airflow, manifesting as intense crimson flames.
The red fire and white light collided, neutralizing each other and generating a violent gale. Morimoto, seemingly prepared, used the recoil to leap over ten meters in an instant, appearing directly above Ace.
His right hand transformed into a palm-blade, trailing white light as it hacked viciously toward Ace's neck.
That's the Taijutsu of the Sword-Hunters... I didn't realize Morimoto had integrated so much of their secret techniques, Joyu thought, recognizing the lethal downward strike.
"Master, should we intervene?"
On the far spectator stands, Shiraishi sat wearing his Kazekage hat, watching the battle. Though his expression was unreadable, his disciple, Uzumaki Tomoki, knew his master well enough to recognize the signs of brewing anger.
"No need. I want to see exactly how arrogant the Marine Department has become."
By openly attacking Shiraishi's personal recommendation, Morimoto had crossed a line.
Shiraishi had tolerated the Marine Department's growing pride because they were a necessary tool, but excessive indulgence was now threatening the internal stability of the Sand.
If left unchecked, the Marine Department would become an unstable variable—much like the Uchiha were to Konoha. It was time for a restructuring.
In the arena, Ace remained calm. A silver-white fire ignited around him as his right fist rose to meet the downward chop.
The flames grazed Morimoto, causing a micro-vibration that forced his arm back. Morimoto reacted instinctively, his hand coiling like a venomous snake around Ace's wrist.
He snapped his waist, launching a left-footed kick that carved a white arc upward toward Ace's midsection.
"A mutation of Snake Ninjutsu... it seems Morimoto has learned many secrets behind my back," Shiraishi remarked. His tone was ambiguous, but Tomoki began to break into a cold sweat.
Master is truly furious...
Ace ignored the "snake-like" entrapment. A faint trace of Haki adjusted his muscles and fascia, and his arm took on a dark, metallic sheen.
Thump!
The fist, imbued with a chilling fighting spirit, intercepted Morimoto's strike. Morimoto realized his grip on Ace's wrist was useless; the strike was deflected with effortless precision.
As Morimoto attempted to force his body into the Sixth Activation State to regain the initiative, he felt a surge of domineering fire energy at the point of contact with his left foot. The heat was so intense that his leg momentarily lost sensation, the surface charring instantly.
As a pirate who had conquered the New World, Ace's methods were ruthless. Even without his fruit, his combination of fire control and Haki was enough to suppress Morimoto.
Morimoto's face turned pale. Ignoring the danger, he used the agonizing stimulation to force a mid-air twist, attempting a sacrificial kick to regain momentum.
Ace's instincts flared; he contracted his flames and crouched, allowing the attack to whistle harmlessly over his head.
Then, fire erupted from the soles of Ace's feet. His body uncoiled like a spring, his arm expanding as his right palm transformed into a "cannon," launching an upward strike in the shape of a domineering fire dragon.
Morimoto's body flickered with white energy—a move similar to the "Soru" of Ace's world, but more violent. He straightened his leg and brought it down like a battle-axe.
Bang!
Ace met the strike head-on, his flame-clad fist clashing with Morimoto's leg. For a split second, the two were frozen in mid-air, the exaggerated lines of their straining muscles visible to everyone.
Ace's physical constitution was monstrous. Any other Jonin would have been shattered by a Sixth Activation kick, but Ace only retreated three steps upon landing. Morimoto, having no footing in the air, was sent flying backward.
The moment Ace hit the ground, he lunged forward like a predator that had locked onto its prey.
Billowing flames propelled him forward, turning him into a high-speed thermal current. He was subconsciously mimicking Admiral Akainu's aggressive charge—a move he had once hated, now used against this "Marine" leader he found equally annoying.
Morimoto, barely having found his feet, saw the wall of fire closing in. He roared, throwing a desperate right punch saturated with white light.
The second collision ended in Morimoto's total defeat. He was thrown back several meters, his vision blurring and his consciousness fading. His hair was singed, and he smelled of smoke.
"You brat..."
Furious that the Sixth Activation wasn't enough, Morimoto's chakra began to pulse erratically. He was preparing to enter the Seventh Activation State.
Shikasa's face turned pale. His chakra threads could no longer contain a battle of that scale. The Seventh Activation would blow the arena apart and cause collateral damage to the village.
Just as Ace braced himself for the explosion of power, a streak of light descended from the sky.
Shiraishi appeared in a flash of gold, his fist slamming down with the weight of a mountain onto Morimoto's shoulder.
CRACK!
The ground for several meters around them sank. Morimoto was driven violently into the earth.
Shiraishi stood over him, his eyes reflecting a cold, predatory ferocity. "To use the Seventh Activation inside the village... you have become far too reckless!"
Morimoto tried to struggle, but meeting Shiraishi's gaze, he felt a primal, bone-deep fear. He realized that if he had triggered the Seventh Activation, Shiraishi might have actually killed him where he lay.
So strong... he subdued that leader in a single punch.
Watching Shiraishi stand over the crater, Ace couldn't help but compare the man to his "Old Man," Whitebeard.
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