The tornado formed by the clash of Shadow Fist and Fire Fist eventually dissipated into scattered fragments.
The sand swept into the sky gently drifted down, extinguishing patches of flame into wisps of white smoke.
Amid the shower of sand, Maude's shadow reassembled itself, condensing into a doppelgänger identical in silhouette to his true form.
This exchange of "Fist and Fire" was nothing more than a preliminary test of strength between them.
In terms of outcome, it could be considered a draw.
But in terms of execution, Maude had taken it too lightly.
At least, that was Ace's impression.
After all, having one's signature move so easily replicated was akin to being told outright: "Your technique isn't all that special."
"So the Shadow-Shadow Fruit can be used like this... Interesting."
Thanks to Gecko Moria's former status as a Warlord of the Sea, Ace had some knowledge of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, though it was limited.
Yet precisely because he had Moria as a point of reference, Ace found Maude's application of the fruit's abilities to be novel and intriguing.
"If Fire Fist didn't work, then how about this..."
Ace's lips curled into a grin as he bent his knees slightly, crossing his arms before him.
Flames erupted at his feet, forming swirling vortices that expanded outward.
One meter, two meters, three meters, four meters...
When the fiery vortex reached a diameter of over ten meters, it suddenly surged skyward.
Raising his right hand, Ace's palm seemed to generate an irresistible pull, drawing all the flames into it. In an instant, they coalesced into a massive fireball over ten meters in diameter.
"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"
The enormous, heat-radiating fireball was hurled toward Maude atop the hill.
The advancing firelight and heatwave washed over Maude's face, casting it in a reddish glow.
"So this is the allure of a Logia..."
Gazing at the oncoming fireball, Maude neither retreated nor advanced.
For a brief moment, an image of Aokiji freezing an entire sea flashed through his mind, stirring a faint sense of admiration.
He wondered—if the Shadow-Shadow Fruit were to awaken, could it wield such overwhelming might like a Logia?
As the Flame Emperor bore down upon him, Maude set aside his musings.
In a flash, he drew his sword and struck.
What appeared to be a simple, unadorned slash suddenly unleashed a cylindrical shockwave, no less formidable than the Flame Emperor itself.
Hakoku!
The dazzling radiance of the shockwave devoured the firelight along its path.
Before its seemingly unstoppable force, the massive fireball of the Flame Emperor stood no chance and was instantly crushed into a fiery tidal wave.
Propelled by the shockwave, the sea of flames surged back toward Ace.
"..."
Ace's pupils contracted as he watched the approaching wave of fire with astonishment.
The true threat was not the raging inferno that spread like a tidal wave, but rather the shockwave concealed within it.
In an instant, Ace's body was engulfed by the combined force of fire and impact.
After consuming Ace, the fiery shockwave continued forward, carving a massive trench into the desert as it surged into the distance.
As the remnants of its power faded, clusters of rootless flames continued to burn quietly within the trench.
Yet, there was no sign of Ace.
"I-Is he dead...?"
The Straw Hat Pirates stared in shock at the terrifying aftermath left by the clash of Hakoku and Flame Emperor, an inexplicable chill creeping into their hearts.
The man standing atop the dune had once seemed like an ally rather than a foe.
But now...
The threat he posed far surpassed that of the rock giant from before!
"Ace!"
As the effects of the Negative Hollow' debuff began to fade, Luffy's eyes widened in horror upon seeing Ace obliterated by Hakoku.
"Damn it, you actually killed Ace...!"
"Oi, Luffy, I'm not that easy to kill."
Just as Luffy was about to charge at Maude in a fury, Ace's voice rang out from within the massive trench.
The flames scattered within the trench seemed to be lifted by invisible hands, gradually converging and molding into a humanoid shape—Ace's form slowly emerged from within.
"Ace!"
Seeing Ace unscathed, Luffy, who had been furious just moments ago, was now overwhelmed with relief, tears of joy welling up in his eyes.
For a moment, he had truly believed Ace was dead.
The very thought made his heart pound as if it would stop.
Maude, on the other hand, was unsurprised by Ace's intact condition.
Techniques like Hakoku, which unleashed attacks externally, were powerful but ineffective against Logia users—as long as they could react in time and transform into their element, they could avoid taking damage altogether.
Moreover, if a single Hakoku could defeat Ace, it would be an insult to his status as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"As expected of one of Whitebeard's most capable men."
With a casual remark, Maude tossed the still-reeling Luffy toward Zoro and the others.
Moments ago, when he had restrained Luffy with shadow chains and mentioned taking him to Marine Headquarters, Maude hadn't been entirely joking.
He had genuinely considered the idea of delivering Luffy to the execution platform.
Doing so would not only force Luffy's allies and background forces to take part in the great upheaval of the old and new eras, but it would also throw Garp's emotions into turmoil.
Perhaps it might even create an opportunity... to take down the Marine hero himself.
If he had chosen that path, there would have been no need for Sabo to regain his memories.
However, Maude had already set things in motion to help Sabo recover his past.
Furthermore, the relationships between Luffy, Shanks, and Usopp were reason enough to extinguish that thought.
As for Ace, with Blackbeard in the picture, Maude had no reason to put himself in the line of fire.
The reason he provoked Ace now was simply because he didn't want to miss out on the chance to battle a strong opponent.
"The warm-up ends here."
After tossing Luffy away, Maude freed his left hand and gripped the flintlock pistol transformed from Weasel.
One hand wielding a sword, the other gripping a gun.
That was the ultimate stance to unleash the full potential of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
"That was just a warm-up???"
Hearing Maude's words, Zoro and the others couldn't help but twitch.
Recalling the clash between Hakoku and Flame Emperor, their frustration only deepened.
Ace took a deep look at Maude, who now held both a sword and a gun.
Some things that had once been unclear to him became crystal clear after engaging in direct combat.
During their previous two exchanges, Ace hadn't sensed even a shred of killing intent.
All he felt was pure, unadulterated battle spirit.
And from that, he understood something.
It was just like him back then—constantly seeking out opponents in his relentless pursuit of strength.
"Haha, it's been a long time since I've felt this excited."
Ace lifted his finger to push up the brim of his hat, feeling the blood in his veins boil.
Now, which of them was stronger?
"Bang—!"
Just as Ace's laughter faded, Maude struck first, raising his gun and pulling the trigger.
A Haki-infused lead bullet tore through the air, reaching Ace in the blink of an eye.
"Armament Haki…"
Ace didn't dodge. Instead, he activated his Logia powers in advance, creating a gap in his body to let the bullet pass through harmlessly.
The Haki-coated bullet shot cleanly through the opening Ace had deliberately formed.
At the same time, Maude followed in the bullet's wake, suddenly appearing behind Ace.
The blade of Shusui swept across in a horizontal slash.
A flash of jet-black steel gleamed as Ace's head soared into the air—only to dissolve into flames.
That strike had not landed.
Maude had expected this. Without hesitation, he reversed his grip and slashed at Ace's shadow.
This was his true objective the moment he closed the distance!
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