"Tch... Just like sensei, huh."
Ace watched as the pineapple-headed man took his attack head-on without even attempting to dodge. He had to admit, as the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division and one of Whitebeard's original crew members, Marco was an incredibly tough opponent.
"Sensei? You mean Admiral Wright?"
Hearing Ace's remark, Marco let out a helpless chuckle.
"People compare me to Admiral Wright all the time. Even Pops has asked me about it..."
"Honestly, I've always wanted to have a proper fight with Admiral Wright, but unfortunately, for various reasons, I rarely get to see him."
Marco spread his hands in resignation. "Now that I finally get a chance to stretch my legs, I run into you—another little monster."
"Your strength now is completely different from when you first fought my crewmates."
"Just how strict is Admiral Wright's training?"
Ace motioned for the surrounding Marines to stand down.
"Captain Marco isn't someone you can handle with simple tricks—fall back. I'll take care of this."
"Judging by your actions, Captain Marco, you don't want too many losses on your side either. Otherwise, why come here alone?"
"That's right. I've already seen the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit. If I let you board our ship, it wouldn't last nearly as long as a Marine battleship under your attacks."
Marco smirked, his sharp eyes gleaming. "Speaking of which, Ace, your reputation has been built largely on your battles against us pirates. Since we've run into each other, it would feel wrong not to have a proper fight."
"If I win, you and your men leave. I won't bother doing anything else—who knows what Admiral Wright would do if he found out I captured his disciple."
"And what if I win?"
Ace grinned, flames flickering around his body. "You really think there's no chance you'll lose?"
"Well... I haven't considered it, but since you brought it up..."
Marco's smirk widened into a confident smile.
"If you win, I'll give up this entire sea area. How about that?"
"...No wonder you're the First Division Commander—what a bold offer."
Ace's fists ignited with flames. "It's a deal. You may be going easy on me, but I'll still be fighting with everything I've got!"
"Mirror Flame!"
A towering wall of fire erupted, engulfing Marco's figure. In the next instant, blue flames flared up as Marco's arms transformed into the wings of a phoenix, bursting through the flames unscathed!
"Your fire is stronger than I expected, but it still won't work!"
"We'll see about that!" Ace shot back. "The fight's just getting started!"
They fought for an entire day.
The Marine soldiers had already switched shifts twice. Not that they could interfere—this battle was far beyond their level. Instead, they busied themselves repairing the ship, patching up the damage caused by the clash between Ace and Marco.
"Is Ace finally reaching his limit...? Should we call for reinforcements?"
"Ace is still too young. Marco's been dominating the New World for over a decade."
"But Ace told us not to contact the base."
"Ha! That's because he doesn't want anyone interrupting his fight with Marco. If we were really trying to capture Marco, Vice Admiral Rosinante would already be on his way."
"Exactly. If things got serious, even Admiral Wright might come himself."
"Still, if Marco showed any real hostility, he'd have no idea how fast we can call for backup."
"Yeah! If it comes to that, he'll regret ever showing up here!"
The Marines whispered amongst themselves but weren't too worried—after all, they were from G-5. Confidence was in their blood.
"Huff... Huff..."
The golden and blue flames finally separated, revealing two human figures. Ace was panting heavily, staring at Marco in frustration.
"I can't land a solid hit..."
Marco stood there, completely unscathed—just as he had been at the start of the fight. Ace, on the other hand, was covered in wounds.
His left arm was likely broken. Marco's movements, when his arms transformed into phoenix wings, were unbelievably agile. Combined with his advanced Haki and powerful kicking techniques, he had knocked Ace out of his elemental fire form, forcing him to take direct damage.
That broken arm was the price.
Marco, as an experienced veteran and the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, had Haki far superior to Ace's. His mastery of both Armament and Observation Haki completely overwhelmed Ace's own.
Ace couldn't match him in a head-on clash, couldn't avoid his attacks even in elemental form, and had trouble predicting Marco's movements—whereas Marco had no trouble reading his.
On top of that, Ace's Devil Fruit abilities were almost useless against him. And thanks to his Mythical Zoan regeneration, Marco had a ridiculous stamina advantage.
"Damn it! Fighting someone with a healing factor is so unfair!"
Ace cursed internally, finally understanding what Vice Admirals Smoker and Rosinante had meant when they talked about his sensei's youth.
Back then, Wright had relied on his insane recovery speed to endure even Grandpa Garp's punches!
"What's wrong? Thinking about your sensei?" Marco smirked, easily reading Ace's expression. He had seen this look before—many opponents had the same reaction when they realized they couldn't harm him.
And Ace's sensei, Admiral Wright, was essentially the same—except he was also a world-class swordsman with overwhelming offensive power to match his regeneration.
"Man, I'd love to see you and my sensei fight..."
Ace's face twisted into an odd expression. He imagined two unkillable fighters locked in an endless battle, unable to do any real damage to each other. The thought alone gave him secondhand frustration.
"Looks like you've run out of options, Major Ace. The Flame-Flame Fruit is powerful, but phoenix flames are a different story."
Marco stretched lazily. Ace was strong—if it had been any of his fellow division commanders instead of him, they'd have struggled.
And he had already mastered both Armament and Observation Haki—after just a year in the Marines!
"Such terrifying growth..."
Marco was stunned but kept up his relaxed front. He knew exactly what this meant.
If Ace kept improving at this rate, he would be a future Admiral without a doubt.
"I really overestimated myself, Captain Marco."
Ace clutched his injured arm, conceding with a wry smile. "I admit defeat."
At last, the battle was over. The ship's medical staff rushed forward to treat Ace's broken arm.
Ace pulled out a Lightforged Crystal, crushed it over his injury, and watched as a golden Holy Light fused into his arm, instantly stabilizing the fracture.
Marco's eyes sharpened, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave. Until next time!"
Marco transformed into a phoenix, soaring into the sky, leaving Ace and the Marines staring after him.
"Did Marco just leave that easily?"
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