[[Note: If you don't see any updates here on Webnovel, feel free to check out my Patreon page instead—updates are very consistent there. It's completely free to read! Just hit the follow button so you'll get notified whenever there's a new chapter.]]
::: :::
"Swoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Boom!!!"
As soon as Ace finished speaking, the members of the Entei Pirates immediately vacated the battlefield.
Vivi transformed into sand, Nami became a flash of thunder, and Gion used the White Tiger Wind to accelerate her retreat.
The others swiftly performed their own techniques, distancing themselves from the area.
In an instant, only Ace, Kaido, and Linlin remained on the battlefield.
"Huh?!"
Kaido and Linlin, both veteran emperors of the sea, were no fools.
Becoming Four Emperors had required surviving countless battles, and even Linlin—more known for her tea parties and endless childbearing—possessed battle instincts honed through years of fierce combat.
They had also observed that the cadres of the Entei Pirates were among the strongest on the seas. Facing them was a daunting challenge even for Kaido and Linlin.
Yet, as soon as Ace spoke, his entire crew withdrew at maximum speed without hesitation.
This could only mean one thing: Ace was not exaggerating about what was coming next.
Kaido's expression darkened as a grave realization hit him. The power Ace was about to unleash might even surpass the devastating events of the Flame Emperor.
He clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on Ace.
"!"
Ace didn't keep Kaido or Linlin waiting long. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
His breathing steadied, and a strange, ominous energy began to emanate from his body.
"Doom... Da-da-doom!"
The sound of Ace's heartbeat grew so loud it seemed to echo within the minds of everyone present.
"Ace's heartbeat... it's starting.
He's reaching... his highest point!"
Nami's eyes were fixed on Ace, her red lips pressed tightly together as her heart raced with anticipation.
"DOOM... DA-DA-DOOM!!!"
Suddenly, Ace's heartbeat changed, becoming unnaturally loud and erratic, like a chaotic symphony of roaring, burning, and shattering.
Then, he opened his eyes.
"Here it comes! My highest form!"
Ace's laughter rang out across the battlefield, and an overwhelming aura erupted from his body.
"DOOM!"
Ace's body began to change. Flames engulfed him entirely, and his very form seemed to merge with the fire.
Even his clothing transformed—not as external flames, like the Sun Prison Garb Style, but as an integral part of his being. His garments turned into fiery feathers, flowing and radiant.
His eyebrows and hair were consumed by the flames, morphing into a vivid crimson hue. His hair, now made of fire, danced violently in the wind, radiating unbearable heat.
A ribbon-like wisp of flame emerged behind him, spiraling around his arms like a living entity.
"Sizzle! Boom!!!"
The atmosphere crackled with energy as Ace's Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
Black and purple lightning tore through the sky, roaring furiously as Ace laughed.
The ground beneath their feet split open, consumed by the intense black and purple bolts. The strange, otherworldly energy ignited the fractured earth.
Even the white clouds above could not escape—their purity was replaced by ominous flame clouds, as the terrifying heat surged and boiled the sky itself.
"Nika— Flame Style—Sun God Form!"
Ace lifted his head, his gaze locking onto Kaido and Linlin. A Haki-filled smile played on his lips.
At that moment, Ace's pupils turned a fiery red. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though he had truly transformed into the sun itself, his body ablaze with overwhelming heat and light!
Drawing from the evolved power of the Mera-Mera Fruit and the flame body of Remnant Sun Prison Garb, the full potential of Nika was unleashed!
The fusion was perfect: Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, Remnant Fire Style, the flames of the Mera-Mera Fruit, and the divine power of Nika united seamlessly.
If Nika's form upon awakening the Human-Human Fruit: Mythical Beast Model—Nika signified a god-like figure...
Then Ace's current state was the embodiment of a true Fire God, or more precisely, the Sun God!
This wasn't merely the title of "Sun God" representing hope. Ace's body had become a genuine sun—a blazing, radiant Sun God form!
It was also Ace's strongest form to date.
Nika— Flame Style—Sun God Form!
"!!"
From the distance, Hancock gazed at Ace's resplendent, sun-like form. Her beautiful eyes transformed into hearts as she stared at him, utterly captivated.
"It's truly stunning," she murmured.
Vivi, biting her red lips, let her dazed eyes linger on Ace's divine figure, her mind slightly adrift.
The women watching couldn't take their eyes off him, mesmerized by the sheer beauty of his transformation.
"Incredible power... the true Sun God," Rayleigh mused, deeply moved. He had visited the final island and uncovered the secrets of Joyboy. But now, seeing Ace, he understood that Ace had truly ascended to the status of a Sun God.
Ace's Sun God Form made it impossible not to feel as though they were standing in the presence of a genuine deity.
"This..."
Kaido stared at Ace, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
"Joyboy... No! Not Joyboy—this is the Sun God Form?! This... this is..."
Kaido's eyes widened in disbelief.
Joyboy—the name that had become Kaido's deepest obsession.
The legendary liberator, the Sun God Nika, Joyboy!
Kaido had always believed that only Joyboy could defeat him.
He had known since Sabaody Archipelago that Ace wielded the power of Nika. Yet back then, Ace's terrifying abilities stemmed almost entirely from the Mera-Mera Fruit, with little connection to the legendary Nika.
But now, everything is different.
The blazing flames, the burning hair, the fiery garments, and the god-like body—all accompanied by eyes that shone like miniature suns…
This was not something a Logia Devil Fruit could achieve.
This was the power of Nika!
Only Nika's power could create such a transformation!
Nika— Flame Style—Sun God Form
Was this the ultimate form of Emperor Entei?!
So powerful.
Unbelievably powerful.
Facing Ace in this form, even Kaido felt an oppressive, suffocating force.
Kaido's disbelief deepened.
"Linlin, prepare for battle!" Kaido suddenly grinned, the corners of his mouth curving into a wide, manic arc.
"To face such an opponent in life—it's a blessing!"
Linlin said nothing, but her Conqueror's Haki surged violently. Her instincts screamed of imminent danger.
In this state, the man in front of them radiated a crushing, fatal presence.
"BRING IT ON, ENTEI!" Kaido roared, his mace brimming with Conqueror's Haki.
"Zwarp!"
"!!!"
Kaido and Linlin's pupils suddenly constricted.
In an instant, Ace—who had been standing at a distance—raised his fist and appeared directly before them.
In their pupils, only a brief image lingered: Ace's blazing red eyes glowing like miniature suns.
Boom!!!
Ace's fists slammed into Kaido and Linlin's bodies with devastating force.
Flames erupted at the points of impact, igniting terrifying blazes across their bodies.
The Conqueror's Haki they had wrapped around themselves was pierced, shattered by Ace's unstoppable power.
"Zwoosh! Boom!!!"
Kaido and Linlin hurtled through the air like meteors, leaving trails of crimson flames before crashing into distant mountains.
The ground trembled.
Flames engulfed the area where they fell, raising waves of blistering heat that stole the very air from the surroundings.
The next moment!
Bang!
Two figures slowly emerged from the raging flames, their silhouettes battered but standing.
"Puff! Cough, cough!"
Kaido and Linlin coughed violently in unison, spitting out mouthfuls of blood—blood that ignited the moment it hit the ground.
"Huh!"
To their astonishment, the blood burned fiercely, defying all logic.
"Nika! Is this the power of Nika?!" Kaido clutched at the spot where he had been struck, his eyes wide with disbelief.
His body—and Linlin's—had been assimilated !
The parts of their bodies struck by Ace's blows were turning into flames. Even their mighty Conqueror's Haki couldn't halt the process.
Kaido's gaze fixed on Ace, now filled with a rare fear.
Conqueror's Haki, the pinnacle of power in the seas, was supposed to reign supreme. At its ultimate level, it could suppress even the powers of Devil Fruits. When unleashed, Conqueror's Haki could entirely negate Devil Fruit abilities for a short period.
Armament Haki, though powerful, simply allowed its user to battle Devil Fruit powers. Victory would then depend on which was stronger: Haki or the Devil Fruit. But Conqueror's Haki, the power of kings, transcended both.
And yet, neither Kaido's nor Linlin's supreme Conqueror's Haki could prevent Ace from turning their bodies into flames.
Kaido realized the terrifying truth the moment he was struck.
Ace's entire body was infused with Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki. He didn't need to deliberately activate them—each of his punches naturally carried the combined force of the Mera-Mera Fruit, Nika's divine power, Conqueror's Haki, and Armament Haki.
Moreover, Ace's Conqueror's Haki was stronger than both Kaido's and Linlin's. His attacks seamlessly integrated Armament Haki as well, a feat they could only dream of.
Kaido and Linlin had fully mastered Conqueror's Haki: Entanglement , but even at that level, they could only choose between utilizing Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki in a single attack.
Conqueror's Haki was far superior in strength, so their attacks relied exclusively on it.
But Ace could use both simultaneously—and more effectively!
With Conqueror's Haki stronger than theirs, combined with integrated Armament Haki, Ace's strikes easily penetrated their defenses.
It was a devastatingly powerful technique.
The parts of their bodies that were struck had been transformed into flames, even their internal organs were incinerated!
If not for Kaido's Blue Dragon physique and Linlin's monstrous durability, a single blow might have crippled them entirely.
Ace's strength had surpassed legends like Rocks and Roger!
This was power on an entirely new level!
Was this... the power of the Sun God Form!?
Kaido gritted his teeth, activating the recovery abilities granted by his Fish-Fish Fruit: Mythical Beast Model—Azure Dragon form. He strained to heal his injuries. But even for Kaido, the damage was devastating. Bones and organs turned to flames left scars even his regenerative power struggled to repair.
"Cough! Puff!"
Standing nearby, Linlin spat another mouthful of blood, her crimson eyes wild with rage.
Injured—severely.
She, Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, was seriously wounded.
And in a single strike, no less. A blow that pierced even her infamous steel balloon body.
"ENTEIII!!!"
Linlin's scream was high-pitched and filled with fury, echoing through the battlefield.
"Oh?"
Ace smirked, his calm demeanor contrasting sharply with her frenzy.
Shwoop!
In the blink of an eye, Ace's figure vanished again, moving faster than their eyes could track...