Chapter 17: Burn Out, the Fire of Anger!
"You're just a pariah! How dare you run in front of me?"
Saint Charlos shouted furiously, raising his flintlock pistol and shooting down a fleeing civilian. His face twisted with rage, as though he had been gravely insulted.
The killing did nothing to soothe his fury. Turning to his CP agents in black suits, he barked, "These untouchables dared to cross my path! Kill them all!"
"Yes, Saint Charlos."
The black-clad guards, emotionless enforcers of the Celestial Dragons' will, immediately lunged into the crowd. Screams echoed as they began slaughtering innocent civilians.
From above, Portgas D. Ace, who had just rescued his companions, witnessed the massacre. Fury blazed in his chest.
"You bastards… You scum!!"
"Fire Fist!!"
Boom!
Ace's flaming fist roared down from the sky, aimed directly at Saint Charlos.
"Soru! ×3"
"Geppō! ×2"
Three CP agents reacted instantly. One used Soru (Shave) to appear beside the Celestial Dragon, pulling him away to safety. The other two launched themselves skyward using Geppō (Moonwalk), attacking Ace from both sides.
"Shigan!"
"Rankyaku!"
A deadly finger thrust and a razor-sharp moon-shaped slash came at Ace from both directions. But Ace didn't flinch—his body burst into flames, and he countered.
"Hiken! (Fire Fist!)"
Boom!
The fire-imbued punch struck the CP agent using Shigan, blasting him away. The Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) cut through Ace's flaming body, slicing it in half—but his elemental form quickly reassembled. The attack lacked Haki, so it couldn't harm his Logia body.
Ace landed on a nearby rooftop, gently placing Rocky on the tiles. He raised his hands, crossing his index fingers, and aimed at the Celestial Dragon below.
"Cross Fire!"
Fwoosh!
A fiery cross-shaped blast shot from Ace's fingers like a burning laser toward Saint Charlos.
"Tekkai (Iron Body)!"
One CP agent threw himself in front of Charlos, coating his body in Armament Haki and reinforcing it with Tekkai. The cross-shaped flame was blocked—but just then, Ace shot forward, his body semi-elementalized and glowing with green fire.
"Hibashira – Hidaruma! (Firefly Fire – Bodhidharma!)"
Tiny glowing fireballs streamed from Ace's hands like fireflies, surrounding both the CP agent and Saint Charlos before converging on them.
"Tekkai – Full Defense!"
Sensing danger, the CP agent hardened his body even more and shoved Charlos to the ground.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
A chain of explosions erupted. The screams of Saint Charlos echoed through the inferno.
When the smoke cleared, the CP agent lay charred and unconscious, while Saint Charlos—though barely protected—was scorched, his robe tattered and his skin blistered.
The pain alone drove him mad.
"ARRRRGHHHH!!!"
"Don't kill him—catch him alive! I want to torture him with the cruelest punishment imaginable!"
"Understood. ×3"
The remaining three CP agents, including the wounded one, lunged at Ace with killing intent.
"Hibashira – Musket!"
Ace formed finger guns with both hands and fired rapid bursts of flame bullets at the attackers while retreating mid-air.
Once he had created distance, Ace scanned the surroundings. The civilians had all escaped.
"Good... No one nearby anymore."
He inhaled deeply, then flames erupted beneath his feet, spreading outward in a blazing circle that covered dozens of meters.
"Enkai! (Flame Commandment!)"
The sea of flames swirled toward Ace's raised hand, condensing into a massive fireball the size of a building.
Suspended in midair, Ace stared down at Charlos, eyes glowing with righteous fury.
"You scum… Let me show you the wrath of true fire!"
He hurled the giant fireball like a meteor.
Originally, this was 'Entei' (Flame Emperor)—his strongest technique. In the original timeline, it could level entire cities. But Ace no longer felt it worthy of the title Emperor.
Compared to techniques like Magellan's Venom Demon or Enel's Raijin, it wasn't grand enough.
So, he renamed it—
"Great Fireball – Meteor!"
The enormous blazing sphere crashed down like an apocalyptic star.
"Soru! ×3"
The three CP agents leapt into action. Their priority wasn't defeating Ace—but protecting the Celestial Dragon.
"Tekkai – Full Defense! ×3"
They formed a human shield, each using Tekkai and Armament Haki, bracing themselves as the fireball struck.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion shook the city. Flames engulfed half of Boman Street, demolishing everything in a radius of hundreds of meters.
The inferno raged for minutes.
When the fire finally subsided, the ruins of the street were blackened and silent. Three burnt bodies lay smoldering. From beneath them, Saint Charlos, his lips puffing smoke, weakly crawled out.
His body was bright red like a steamed crab, covered in hideous blisters. Though shielded from direct impact, the superheated air had cooked him alive. Only his oxygen mask had kept him from suffocating.
Gasping and trembling, Charlos reached for a golden Den Den Mushi.
"Mo… Moshimoshi… This is the Navy HQ. Saint Charlos, what are your orders?" a deep voice answered.
"Send… Send a… Marine Admiral… immediately!"
As soon as he spoke, Charlos lost consciousness and collapsed.
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