kane's words echoed in Ace's ears.
Ace raised his head as well, staring seriously at kane.
"I'm not done yet. I won't fall here."
Then he struggled back to his feet.
But in the very next moment, kane's Haki-infused kick had already slammed into his face.
Ace was sent flying dozens of meters sideways.
kane's figure immediately followed, and an elbow strike instantly smashed into Ace's abdomen.
Under such a blow, Ace was clearly in agony.
He spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
His whole body shot out like a cannonball, smashing a huge crater into the exposed rock.
"Ace!" Luffy's worried shout rang out.
Ace finally understood that the kane before him was not an opponent he could resist.
But asking him to give up was impossible.
"Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!"
A powerful force of flame burst from his body and shot into the sky. Centered on Ace, it formed a pillar of fire that instantly struck kane as he passed by.
But what made Ace's pupils shrink was—
That soaring pillar of fire did not harm kane in the slightest, nor did it force kane away from him.
Looking at kane bathed in firelight, Ace knew clearly in his heart that he had reached his limit.
"I already told you—flames are completely useless against this old man. Still, the fact that you were hiding power this strong is a bit beyond my expectations. But that was your last bit of strength, wasn't it?"
"I really didn't expect the Marines to still have a monster like you—and stationed in the first half of the Grand Line at that. Pops… I'm sorry."
"Whitebeard himself isn't even thinking about becoming king, yet you're more enthusiastic than he is."
"Pops is the man who can become Pirate King." Ace was stubborn on this point.
"How laughable. I almost feel it wasn't worth it for that old geezer Garp. He taught two brats from childhood, and every last one of them became pirates, while he himself is a hero of the Marines. Truly tragic!"
Ace's face change
"You know the old man?"
The answer he got was kane's merciless kick.
Ace was sent flying once more.
The moment he hit the ground, kane was already at his side.
A Haki-coated foot came down directly on Ace's chest.
A wave of intense pain struck Ace.
His entire aura weakened.
He spat out another large mouthful of blood.
The anger in his eyes as he looked at kane was unmistakable.
"Old man this, old man that. Why does that way of addressing him sound so grating to my ears? Garp took enormous risks to hide you away, and in the end, this is the title you use for him? What irony."
Ace's body trembled.
For a moment, he fell silent.
"Silent now? Do you finally feel what a screw-up you are? You were lucky enough to be given another chance at life, yet you ran off to become a pirate. Trash. Then again, I suppose that's only fitting for Roger's brat."
Hearing that familiar name again from kane's mouth, Ace stared at him in disbelief.
How did this man know all of that?
But his confusion quickly turned into fury.
Because that man had caused his mother's death.
"Don't mention that man. I have nothing to do with him—"
kane's gaze turned cold.
His foot came down again.
Ace's words were cut off on the spot.
"Trash that doesn't even dare acknowledge his own identity—what a waste of the twenty months your mother carried you before giving birth."
"You're not allowed to speak about my mother!"
The answer he received was once again kane's kick.
Ace's heart burned with rage, but he had no way to resist.
"Was anything I said wrong? To Garp, who risked everything to save both you and your mother, you never once called him Grandpa. But to Whitebeard, a pirate who defeated you, you call him Pops so affectionately, and you spout nonsense about crowning him king. Your mother wanted you to live safely, yet you went off and became a pirate. How ridiculous!"
Ace's body shook, and he stopped speaking entirely.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
A voice rang out from afar.
kane tilted his head slightly.
He dodged Luffy's stretching arm.
At the same time, Sanji's kick had already arrived beside kane's head.
A cold light flashed through kane's eyes.
He struck like lightning, directly grabbing Sanji's leg.
Then he swung him down with a backhand slam.
Sanji was almost instantly dealt a heavy blow.
A streak of sword-light flashed.
kane released Sanji's leg, and jet-black Haki appeared on his arm.
Clang!
A clear metallic crash rang out.
Zoro's twin blades struck kane's arm.
Yet they had no effect whatsoever.
Zoro's expression changed immediately.
He caught Wado Ichimonji barehanded?
And what was that jet-black color on kane's hand?
But he had no time to think further.
Because kane's attack had already arrived.
The sheer speed was so extreme that even Zoro failed to react.
That massive fist struck Zoro square in the abdomen in an instant.
Without question, Zoro was blasted away at once.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
Luffy attacked again.
But this time, kane did not dodge at all.
He stretched out one hand and directly caught one of Luffy's fists.
Then he clenched it in his grip instantly.
Luffy's face changed.
A moment later, sharp pain assaulted him.
"That hurts!"
Grabbing Luffy by the arm, kane swung him up and hurled him away.
He slammed straight into Sanji, who had just struggled back to his feet.
The immense impact made Sanji cough up blood again.
The two of them were sent flying together.
"Tiger Hunt!"
Zoro's slash came once more.
kane paid this kind of attack no mind at all. He simply swung his arm, and Zoro was instantly struck in the waist by kane's left hand, flying sideways.
Just like that, in only a few moments, kane kept Ace pinned underfoot, neutralized the attacks of all three, and directly beat the three of them into serious injury.
"Luffy, run! Leave me alone!" Ace shouted.
He knew very clearly just how powerful the old Marine in front of him was. Luffy was no match at all.
"Ace! How could I just leave you behind?"
"He's not someone you can deal with! Go!"
"Go? Are you joking? I never said I wouldn't capture them. No ransom, no negotiation. This old man's rules can't be broken!" kane's voice rang out.
Then kane's figure vanished from where he stood.
The three of them shrank back in shock.
Because kane had already appeared right in front of them.
Luffy was the first to attack.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
Countless fists flew straight at kane.
But against someone with top-tier Observation Haki, such an attack was completely useless.
Despite how dense the barrage was, it did not even brush kane's clothes.
Yet kane's Haki-filled fist had already smashed down onto Luffy's head.
Under that heavy blow, Luffy's eyes nearly bulged out.
In an instant, he was blasted into the ground, smashing a huge crater into it.
Almost immediately, Luffy lost the
ability to fight.
kane raised his leg again and collided with Sanji.
Crack!
A horrifying sound rang out.
Sanji's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
He clutched his right leg and collapsed, unable to rise.
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