Ace's fingers unconsciously rubbed the window frame, flames flickering at his fingertips. He recalled Sengoku's grim face this morning: "The execution is in two days, and the Five Elders will observe the entire process."
On the distant horizon, the masts of various pirate crews were already faintly visible.
Now, everything was ready, just waiting for the sign-in during the public execution the day after tomorrow.
Ace sighed. This should have been a joyous occasion, but he couldn't feel happy at all.
The reason for everything was an item he obtained by signing in on Skypiea.
The system called it: [A wisp of extreme heat from the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame!]
He spread his palm, and the flickering flame in his hand was an eerie pale white, yet a sun-like golden glow circulated at its core.
This new ability, which should have delighted him, now made him frown deeply.
"A wisp of extreme heat from the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame?" He repeated the system's prompt in a low voice, the temperature emanating from his fingertips distorting the air.
It was clearly a flame, yet it made him, a Mera Mera no Mi user, feel a stinging pain on his skin. This contradictory sensation was unsettling, as if it could burn him through.
The most bizarre thing was the urge within him. Whenever he gazed at this strange flame, a strong sense of hunger emanated from his internal organs, as if every cell in his body was screaming: Devour it! Digest it!
"What a joke..."
Cold sweat beaded on Ace's forehead. He had never imagined he would one day fear a flame. A Logia user should be the master of fire.
But this strange flame was different. When it occasionally licked his skin, it brought not familiar warmth, but a shiver that reached the depths of his soul.
"System, are you sure this thing won't burn me to death?" Ace asked the air, but received only silence.
The sea breeze outside the window suddenly turned biting, and the sound of Marine horns gathering in the distance reminded him that the execution was imminent.
Ace retracted the strange flame in his palm back into the system space. This [wisp of extreme heat from the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame] transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the system's internal space, as if it had never existed.
This was completely different from the physical rewards he had received before. Those items, once taken out, could not be put back into the system space.
"Strange..." Ace rubbed his chin. He instinctively wanted to pull out his Den Den Mushi to contact Ron, but his fingers stopped abruptly when they touched it. He then remembered that his Den Den Mushi had long been tapped.
This was Marine Headquarters; tapped Den Den Mushi were completely normal here.
Ever since he became a Warlord and stayed at Marine Headquarters, the surveillance had never ceased. Ace could even imagine Sengoku staring at the screen in the monitoring room.
"Tsk." He irritably scratched his black hair and turned his back to the window. The daily routine surveillance reports were now the biggest obstacle. He couldn't risk exposing his connection with Brother Ron, especially on the eve of the execution.
Every second became an extraordinary torment.
Whenever night fell and the world grew quiet, the allure of that strange flame grew stronger.
Ace often dreamed of himself devouring flames, waking up drenched in sweat, his bedsheets scorched by the unconsciously released high temperature.
But his rationality kept him from acting rashly. What if this flame really could burn a Devil Fruit user to death?
"It's definitely a good thing..." Ace muttered, staring at the system interface.
His intuition was like a million ants crawling in his veins, urging him to try absorbing it as soon as possible, but within the impenetrable walls of Marine Headquarters, there wasn't even an opportunity to make a call.
As the execution day approached, more and more warships gathered in the port.
Ace stood by the window, making up his mind. When the execution began tomorrow, and everyone's attention was drawn to Teach, that would be his chance to contact Brother Ron. Until then, he had to endure.
...
Two days later, at dawn,
The sea fog over Marine Headquarters had not yet fully dispersed, and the Gates of Justice had already begun to slowly close. The booming sound of the massive steel gates colliding was like war drums, announcing the official beginning of this century's execution.
On the execution platform,
Sengoku, clad in the Admiral's cloak embroidered with the word "Justice," his glasses reflecting the sunlight and gleaming under the morning sun. On the three chairs beside him, the three Admirals were seated in vastly different postures:
Akainu's magma gauntlets dripped scorching lava, burning charred pits into the granite ground. Aokiji leaned lazily against the back of his chair, but the chill emanating from him had already covered the armrests in ice crystals. Kizaru sat with his legs crossed, his sunglasses obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to discern his gaze.
The Warlords' seats were almost entirely occupied.
Doflamingo leaned languidly against the back of his chair, his pink feathered coat fluttering without a breeze. A dangerous smile stretched to his ears.
"Fufufufu... How interesting. The bloodline of Rocks, which has continued to this day, is about to be severed today. I wonder what that fellow will think when he sees this from below..."
Hawk Eyes Mihawk stood as silent as a statue, his golden pupils gleaming sharply in the shadows. His Black Blade Yoru was upright before him, its broad blade reflecting a chilling light.
"What a pity. If Rocks were still alive, I would have to discuss swordsmanship with him."
Hancock's long legs were crossed, her posture arrogant and elegant. Her exquisite face was as cold as ice. She slightly lifted her chin, her gaze sweeping disdainfully over everyone, as if everyone present were nothing more than insignificant ants.
Moria's shadow twisted and writhed on the ground, sometimes stretching, sometimes shrinking, emitting eerie snickers.
"Kishishishishi... Blackbeard Teach's shadow must be delicious, what a shame..."
Jinbe, meanwhile, quietly approached Ace: "Ace, I heard you became a Warlord! I didn't expect it to be true!"
"Yes, Jinbe, even I didn't expect such a day would come."
Ace laughed heartily, standing in what was originally Crocodile's position, arms crossed, quietly watching everything, waiting for the execution to begin, and then to sign in!
In the plaza,
The ten thousand elite Marines formed a formation as solemn as frost. Their iron-like will condensed into an invisible pressure, enveloping the entire battlefield.
The morning light spilled onto their pristine white uniforms, reflecting a chilling gleam, like a silver ocean, silent but harboring murderous intent.
Vice Admiral Momonga stood at the front of the formation, his hand on the hilt of his sword, which was already unsheathed three inches, its blade gleaming with a cold silver light under the sun. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, fixed intently on the distant horizon, as if he would draw his sword and unleash a thunderous strike the next second.
"Hmph, is it finally starting?"
"Don't let those pirates look down on the Marines..."
Vice Admiral Onigumo stood on the flank, a cold sneer on his lips, his eyes sinister. He waited only for the order to be given, ready to tear apart all enemies in the most brutal way.
The scars on Vice Admiral Doberman's face appeared particularly gruesome in the morning light, like a centipede crawling across his cheek, adding a touch of brutality to his already fierce countenance.
At this moment, he said nothing, only snorted coldly, his eyes burning with a fervent battle fire.
But... the outer perimeter was surrounded by pirate ships!
....
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