“Wind can also extinguish fire.”
In battles involving Logia-types, aside from Haki and Seastone, there is another way to counter them: elemental weaknesses. Enel’s lightning cannot shock a certain Rubber Human, Crocodile’s sand fears water, and fire can be pierced by magma.
Similarly, Isuka’s wind blade can harm a fiery body. While wind can fuel fire, it can also extinguish it. When the wind is strong enough, flames can be blown out entirely.
Scizor overheats when moving at high speeds. Its insect wings on the back are essentially a pair of powerful cooling fans. Now, Isuka was simply utilizing this ability, compressing it through the gaps in its shell to create the wind blade, which can harm a fiery body.
This method also accelerates her cooling speed, extending her endurance in battle.
Even though it cannot be imbued with Haki, it can still harm Ace’s body.
A high-speed wind blade approached Ace’s neck, leaving a vivid red cut.
“Rookies are getting more troublesome every year. I suggest you surrender. Lami’s poison might be curable, but if too much time passes, there will be side effects.”
Regardless of whether it’s the deadly toxins or an anesthetic, those are all microorganisms within Lami’s body. Within her, these microorganisms form a delicate balance and are under her control.
However, once they enter the enemy’s body, there may be no issues in the short term, but over time, Lami herself doesn’t know if they would mutate into new strains.
Of course, the time frame for such mutations is quite long. It hasn’t even been an hour yet, so Isuka’s words were mostly an attempt to intimidate Ace.
The Beasts Pirates don’t have any Logia Users, but they’ve faced plenty of large-scale elemental attacks during training.
Every person on the sea has their own unique combat style, but they generally fall into a few major categories. Within the Beasts Pirates, whether it’s physical skills or elemental attacks, they have top-tier experts, and these new-generation members have undergone extensive training.
Fire Fist Ace, his most famous signature move was Fire Fist, but he didn’t use it all this time. The strength he demonstrated also differs from other Logia Users, as if something was restraining him.
It was at this moment that the sound of a barrage of cannon fire rang out—the Marines had launched an attack on them from the outskirts.
Marines capturing pirates is nothing unusual, but the reason they appeared here was somewhat peculiar.
Even though pirates landed in the lawless area, news of their arrival at Sabaody Archipelago still reached the local base. Initially, however, the Marines did not act.
Since the start of the Great Pirate Era, the mission of the Sabaody Archipelago base has gradually changed—from safeguarding the island to prioritizing the safety of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. This even gave rise to the lawless area as a buffer region.
Sabaody Archipelago is right under Marineford’s nose; it won’t take long for a Marine Admiral to arrive here. If they are willing to clean this place up, Sabaody Archipelago could be like the G-1 Base instead of becoming this chaotic mess.
But due to the World Government’s policies, the island ended up in its current state.
As long as the passing pirates didn’t cause major disturbances, the Marines stationed at Sabaody Archipelago would turn a blind eye.
The Marines’ sudden arrival now was due to the slum gangs.
Isuka’s people were not polite to these gangsters, who bullied the weak and feared the strong. While they didn’t dare do anything themselves, they notified the Marines.
Normally, the Marines at Sabaody Archipelago wouldn’t bother with such matters. At least, the current commanding officer of the base wouldn’t make such a decision. As long as the Celestial Dragons were safe, they allowed the pirates to exist in the lawless area.
But promotions in the Marines also require military merit. For the Marines, there’s no more straightforward way to accumulate merits than by capturing pirates. Rather than directly clashing with pirates, they prefer to let the pirates fight among themselves and then reap the benefits.
As long as the pirates are captured, no one cares how it was done. It’s almost like free merits.
Even if there was an external help, the higher-ups would emphasize the Marines’ accomplishments.
Because of this, when they heard that a squad from the Beasts Pirates had clashed with this year’s Super Rookie, they quickly surrounded the area.
Whether the both sides ended in mutual destruction or one side completely overwhelmed the other, it was a golden opportunity for the Marines.
Although it isn’t good to touch the subordinates of the Emperors of the Sea, it doesn’t mean the Marines won’t dare to act. If the lower-ranked officers see a chance, they’ll still try to arrest them. Whatever consequences follow isn’t their concern.
Even if this sparks a larger conflict, that would be the higher-ups’ problem. The Marines below will still earn their merits.
This time, however, the Marine commander was a little impatient. Seeing that the two sides were evenly matched, he decided to try and capture them both. Whether it was the Super Rookie or member of the Beasts Pirates, capturing either would be a major achievement. It might even earn him a transfer out of this awful place.
There are kind-hearted Marines who care about civilians, but this commander was clearly not one of them. Since the area was a slum, he didn’t worry about affecting anyone important and directly gave the order to bombard the area.
……
The large-scale bombardment didn’t just affect Isuka and Ace; it also impacted Isuka’s subordinates, the children they were escorting, and the people living in the area.
“Fire Fist!”
Turning his body entirely into flames, Ace swiftly dodged to the side. At the same time, his flame-arm extended, launching a massive Fire Punch into the distance. The Fire Punch cut through the sky, intercepting the Marines’ cannonfire mid-air.
Under the heat and explosive force of the flames, the cannonballs detonated in mid-air. The shockwaves from the explosions didn’t harm the ordinary people below.
“Hey, come on, we’re all pirates here. How about we call a temporary truce and deal with these Marines first?”
“You’re quite gutsy.”
The most basic requirement for an officer among the New World pirates is to be proficient in Haki. Conqueror’s Haki depends on talent, but Armament and Observation Haki can both be honed to high levels with training.
Against opponents who lack Haki, they can predict their moves. Ace’s Fire Fist was well within Isuka’s sensing range. It was precisely because she sensed the direction of his attack that she didn’t stop him.
She called him gutsy because of this. Ace hadn’t yet learned Observation Haki, and by choosing to intercept the cannonfire, he had effectively left himself defenseless.
Even though Ace could turn his body entirely into flames, Isuka had already proven she could grab his physical form. Even without using Armament Haki, her wind blade could have dealt significant damage to his body.
She had, of course, heard the sounds of the bombardment but hadn’t paid them much mind. The people with her were also New World elites. While not exceptionally strong, they know basic Haki, so slicing or kicking away cannonballs wasn’t an issue for them. As a result, she didn’t split her focus.
Unexpectedly, Ace acted first.
From this, it seems this pirate is a little different.
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!