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As the ship's hull finally stopped its violent trembling, the billowing black smoke began to disperse under the steady sea breeze. Sanji swallowed hard, staring nervously at the center of the deck. His concern wasn't for the well-being of the two combatants—it was for the state of his kitchen and the ship's structural integrity.
If that collision had blasted a hole through the deck, Nami would have surely sent them all to a watery grave.
Fortunately, Lady Luck was smiling. As the smoke cleared, a massive section of the originally brown wooden floor had been scorched a deep, charcoal black. Sanji walked over and tapped it with his shoe; the wood was still sturdy, the damage merely surface-level. He let out a long sigh of relief before turning his attention to Satori (Goku) and Ace, who were still locked in a tense stare-down.
The Secret of the Kamehameha
Ace was the first to relax his stance, his expression one of genuine intrigue. "That move just now... what was it?"
He was incredibly curious. The blast had felt somewhat like the outward projection of Armament Haki, yet it was fundamentally different—purer, more concentrated. And since Satori could swim, it clearly wasn't a Devil Fruit ability.
Satori wiped a smudge of soot from his cheek and grinned. "That was the Kamehameha Wave!"
"Kamehameha?" Ace raised an eyebrow, searching his memory. It was a name he had never heard in all his travels across the Grand Line or the New World.
"Hehe, Ace, your move was amazing too! What do you call it?"
"Fire Fist," Ace replied simply.
"Fire Fist! That's a cool name," Satori said, nodding. Then, his eyes narrowed slightly with a tactical spark. "Say, Ace... you had to block that last hit, didn't you? Does that mean my Kamehameha can actually touch you?"
Ace didn't lie. "You're sharp. I don't know exactly what that energy is, but my instincts told me that if I tried to let it pass through me using Elementalization, I would have been badly hurt."
"Elementalization?" Satori tilted his head. "Is that why my punches didn't work before?"
"Exactly," Ace explained with a chuckle. "It's the unique trait of Logia-type Devil Fruits. It allows the user to turn their physical body into an element—in my case, fire—making us immune to standard physical attacks."
Satori's eyes widened. Immune to physical attacks? That sounded like a total cheat! If he couldn't hit the other person with his fists, he would have to rely entirely on the Kamehameha, which drained a massive amount of his stamina.
Nami's "Casserole" Fists
Before the conversation could go further, the cabin door burst open. Nami and Vivi rushed out, eyes wide.
"What happened?! Why is the deck black?!" Nami screamed, her hands flying to her hips.
Sanji immediately spun into a pirouette, landing in front of them with hearts in his eyes. "Nami-san! Vivi-chan! Are you two safe? That tremor was quite fierce!"
"We're fine, Sanji! Now tell me, who did this to my ship?!"
Sanji quickly recounted the brief but explosive clash. As he spoke, Nami's face transitioned from pale shock to a terrifying, pot-black shade of fury. The veins on her forehead throbbed. She marched up to Satori, her fists appearing to grow to the size of casserole dishes.
"SATORI!! WHAT IF YOU HAD BROKEN THE SHIP?!"
"But I was controlling my power!" Satori mumbled, covering his head. "See? No holes!"
"I'll give you holes in a minute!" Nami roared. However, when she turned to Ace, her expression softened—partly because he was a guest, and partly because she knew Satori was the one who usually instigated these things.
"Miss, I apologize," Ace said, bowing slightly. "Much of the scorching was caused by my flames. Please, blame me."
Nami's eyes shot back to Satori. "See! Look at his attitude! Why can't you be more like him and admit when you're wrong?!"
Under the weight of Nami's decibel-shattering lecture, Satori could only shrink back. "Alright, alright... it was my fault."
A Connection to Garp?
Nami finally calmed down, turning back to Ace with a business-like smile. "I'm Nami, the navigator. Thank you for looking after Satori earlier. Since you've helped him, why don't you stay for a meal? Our chef is the best in the East Blue."
Ace, whose stomach gave a timely rumble, laughed. "I'd be honored. Satori ate most of the last fish we had, anyway."
The meal was a lively affair. Sanji's expertise won Ace over instantly, the pirate declaring that the food was "New World quality." During the feast, however, the crew witnessed a bizarre sight: Ace suddenly fell face-first into his plate, snoring loudly.
"Is he... okay?" Vivi asked, startled.
Satori chuckled, unbothered. "Hehe, don't worry. He's just like Grandpa Garp. He falls asleep whenever he eats!"
If Ace had been awake to hear the name Garp, he might have realized why this mysterious boy knew the Marine's Moonwalk technique. But he remained dead to the world until he suddenly snapped back to life a minute later to finish his steak.
The Key to Victory
After the meal, as the sun began to set, Satori returned to the question that had been bugging him.
"Ace? You said Elementalization makes you immune to physical attacks... but is there really no way for a fist to hit you?"
Ace stretched lazily, his expression becoming serious. "Normally, that's true. But there is a power used by the strongest warriors in this world. Once you master it, physical strikes can bypass a Logia user's intangibility."
Satori leaned in, his tail twitching with excitement. "What is it?"
"Armament Haki," Ace replied.