But now was not the time to ask questions. Jinbe keenly noticed Katakuri's gaze seemed to be sweeping in their direction.
"Go!"
Jinbe grabbed Ace, and the Fish-Man's unique burst of power made them instantly flash behind another cover. Almost at the same moment, a candy arrow *"whoosh"* embedded itself in the spot they had just been standing.
Ace, hidden in the shadows of the warship wreckage, lowered his voice and urgently asked, "Brother Ron, given the current situation, can I sign in now?"
There was a moment of silence from the Den Den Mushi's end. Ron's voice carried clear surprise: "Two Emperors appearing at Marine Headquarters at the same time? This is interesting…"
His tone suddenly became playful, "But since Kaido and Big Mom are here, Red-Haired Shanks, with his love for excitement, will definitely get involved."
Ace was startled, his heart involuntarily skipping a beat.
Ron continued to analyze: "Not to mention Whitebeard… To save you, his son, he will definitely come personally." The Den Den Mushi mimicked Ron frowning in thought, "When all four Emperors gather at Marine Headquarters, plus the full combat power of Marine Headquarters…"
Ace's pupils slightly contracted. He immediately understood Ron's unspoken meaning: "You mean… wait until Pops and Red-Hair arrive before signing in? By then, the timing, location, and people will be perfect…"
"Exactly." Ron's voice carried a hint of anticipation, "Signing in under such an epic scene, the reward the system gives will definitely exceed imagination."
In the distance,
Kaido's Bolo Breath once again tore through the sky, directly blowing up a warship. The shockwave of the explosion forced Ace to duck, but the flames in his eyes burned even brighter.
"That makes sense!" Ace grinned in agreement, "Then we'll wait until Pops arrives! If Red-Hair also comes to join the fun…"
Although Jinbe couldn't hear the phone conversation, he guessed from Ace's fragmented words that Ace was planning something big!
Ace was about to end the call when Ron added one last thing: "Remember, when signing in, you must choose the most chaotic moment, the instant the four Emperors clash… That is the true 'peak moment'."
"Understood!" Ace then lowered his voice and continued to ask, "Oh right, Brother Ron, I signed in when I went to Skypiea, but I got 'a wisp of the extreme heat of the Bone-Chilling Flame'…"
Ron on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was clearly stunned, his expression suddenly freezing: "What? You actually signed in for that thing?" His voice rarely carried such surprise.
Ace keenly noticed the abnormality: "What's wrong, Big Brother? Is there a problem?"
Ron was silent for a few seconds, quickly thinking to himself: Logically, the system reward should have a ten-fold return prompt, but he had not received any related notification…
"That thing is incredible; if used well, it can directly burn through an Admiral!"
*"Hiss…* That powerful??"
"Where is that flame… now?" Ron's tone became cautious.
Ace unconsciously touched his chest: "It's still stored in the system space. I tried to look at it, but just staring at it felt like I was going to be devoured…"
His voice carried a hint of dread, "It's like facing a hungry beast."
Ron suddenly understood. It turned out that because Ace hadn't officially accepted the reward, the return mechanism hadn't been triggered.
The Den Den Mushi mimicked his relieved expression: "It's fine, things rewarded by the system won't backfire on the host, otherwise what kind of reward would it be? Just call it poison."
The sound of distant gunfire suddenly intensified. Jinbe vigilantly perked up his fin-like ears, signaling Ace to speed up.
Ron continued to explain: "The Bone-Chilling Flame has two states, extreme cold and extreme heat. What you got is just a wisp of its extreme heat attribute flame."
Then the Den Den Mushi showed a comforting smile, "Go ahead and use it, at most it might be a little hot on the tongue at first."
Ace's mouth twitched: "Hot on the tongue? Are you sure this thing is meant to be eaten?"
"It's just a metaphor." Ron chuckled.
"Then Big Brother, do I need to wait until it's safe to absorb it? This chaotic situation now…"
"It doesn't matter. This is a reward, not something that takes your life. The sooner you absorb it, the sooner you become stronger, and the more assurance you have of surviving."
Upon hearing this, Ace also nodded: "Understood, Big Brother."
A cannonball suddenly exploded nearby. Jinbe violently tackled Ace to the ground, and the seawater stirred up by the blast immediately made the Den Den Mushi retract into its shell.
*"Cough cough…* Looks like I can only do this for now." Ace said to the Den Den Mushi, then got up from the ground, wiped his face, and said to Jinbe, "Thank you for your hard work, Jinbe. Next, I'm going to get stronger."
Jinbe frowned: "Now? On this battlefield?"
Ace grinned, battle intent burning in his eyes: "Exactly, the battlefield is the whetstone that tests a person." He looked at the increasingly close silhouette of the pirate ship in the distance, "We'll give the Marines a big surprise then!"
"Remember, don't act recklessly when you don't have absolute certainty." Ron's voice sounded again from inside the Den Den Mushi.
"Understood, Big Brother." Ace lowered his voice, continuing to ask under the cover of cannon fire: "Oh, right, will you guys come to watch this public execution?"
Ron's meaningful chuckle came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "Now? We're doing something big." The background sound faintly carried the clanging of metal and the humming of energy, "Once it's done… maybe we'll 'drop by' Marine Headquarters."
Ace keenly caught the hidden meaning in Ron's words, and his flame-like eyes brightened slightly, but he didn't ask further, only nodding solemnly: "Then you guys be careful, I'll find an opportunity to merge with a wisp of the extreme heat flame!"
Then the two ended their call.
Just as Ace disconnected the Den Den Mushi, a deafening roar suddenly erupted in the center of the battlefield.
Big Mom's massive body was repelled by Akainu's *"Great Eruption"* and Aokiji's combined efforts, rolling several times in the air while riding Zeus before stabilizing herself.
*"Mamama!!"* Big Mom let out an enraged shriek. She suddenly turned her head to look at the azure dragon circling in the air, a crazy glint in her eyes:
"Kaido! Watching me get beaten, aren't your hands itching?!" Napoleon pointed his great sword towards the execution platform, "Let's take down that kid first!"
Kaido's dragon eyes slightly contracted, and his thick dragon tail impatiently smashed a warship: *"Wororororo…* Whatever!"
His voice rumbled like thunder, and his dragon head turned to the bewildered Teach, revealing ferocious fangs: "I've wanted to beat that bastard Rocks for a long time. Since I can't beat him, I'll beat his son! That's more satisfying!"
The conversation between the two Emperors instantly caused a commotion throughout the battlefield. The Marine officers' expressions changed drastically, and the soldiers retreated in terror.