One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

"Buzz!"

Ace's right fist suddenly opened, and he reached out, grasping the air itself.

Violent black and purple lightning, fused with his martial arts, allowed him to seize the very atmosphere in his palm.

Then, with the atmosphere wrapped around his hand, Ace unleashed his martial arts, combined with the terrifying power of his Conqueror's Haki—an explosion of energy a hundred meters above Thriller Bark.

"Boom!"

The violent power instantly erupted into the atmosphere.

A hemispherical field, crackling with black and purple lightning, formed in an instant. At its center was the very atmosphere Ace had captured with his Conqueror's Haki.

The combination of the atmosphere and Conqueror's Haki created a devastating shockwave.

"Conqueror's Haki—Descend to the depths! Red Hole! "

"Boom!"

The infamous Thriller Bark, the largest pirate ship in the world, split at its core under the shockwave's ferocious force.

Seawater rushed into the gaping wound, stirring massive, terrifying waves.

Countless zombies were obliterated instantly by the overwhelming power—shattered without the chance to resist. Shadows streaked through the air, returning to their rightful owners.

Moria's colossal, eerie castle exploded into rubble, which floated momentarily in the atmosphere before succumbing to the force, disintegrating into debris that fell into the sea along the break in Thriller Bark.

Of all the zombies, only Ryoma, the swordsman zombie, remained standing. He gripped his black-bladed sword, the cold steel gleaming as he withstood the aftermath of the shockwave.

"That sword...!"

In the sky, aboard the Merry, Nami and the crew struggled to control the ship against the violent wind caused by the blast.

Tashigi, her eyes wide in amazement despite the strain, gazed at Ryoma's sword and exclaimed:

"The blade... It's a large, reverse T-shaped sword, black and purple with red serrated patterns..."

"No doubt about it! That sword is one of the famed Twenty-One Great Grade Blades—Shusui!"

Tashigi couldn't contain her surprise.

"What incredible power… It feels like I've faced something like this before, back when I was alive. Though I don't recall it all clearly, a person with such strength is definitely not someone to cross lightly. Yo ho ho ho..."

Ryoma's zombie cackled.

"Whoosh!"

Engulfed in flames, Ace flew back to the Going Merry. Smiling as he looked at the devastation below, he marveled at his handiwork.

"As expected of the legendary swordsman Shimotsuki Ryoma, the one who forged Shusui into a black blade. Even in death, his body is formidable."

Ace laughed heartily, eyes on the still-standing Ryoma.

To make a sword blade into a black blade requires the infusion of powerful Armament Haki.

In the world, only two black blades are renowned: Ryoma's Shusui and Mihawk's supreme blade, Yoru. Even Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, one of the twelve supreme blades, isn't a black blade.

This shows just how difficult it is to make a sword into a black blade. It takes more than just strength—it involves a deeper mystery.

But one thing is certain: only the strongest Armament Haki can forge a sword into a black blade.

Ryoma, during his life, must have possessed unmatched strength and an exceptional physique. It's unfortunate that, having been dead for so long, his Haki is no more. Now, his swordsmanship relies solely on Brook's shadow.

Otherwise, Ace would have loved to witness the true strength of the legendary swordsman who never lost a duel and even slayed a dragon.

"Shimotsuki Ryoma... the swordsman who once slayed a dragon!?"

Tashigi's lips parted slightly, her face filled with awe at the name. No wonder Shusui was here.

"Yes, my shadow is inside him. Though he uses my swordsmanship, his strength surpasses mine by far. Even after all these years, his body remains astonishingly powerful," Brook said gravely.

"Tashigi, I'll leave Ryoma to you."

Ace looked at her.

If Ryoma had still been alive, Ace might have enjoyed testing his skills against the legendary swordsman. But since Ryoma was long dead, he would now serve as Tashigi's trial.

"Leave it to me," Tashigi replied with determination, her eyes gleaming with resolve.

Facing a legendary swordsman wielding the famous Shusui—it was the fight of a lifetime.

"Whoosh!"

Meanwhile, Lola, watching from a distance, saw shadows returning to her and her companions. She stared in surprise at the shadow beneath her feet.

As her eyes shifted to the devastated landscape, the destruction wrought by Ace filled her and the others with terror.

"Is this... Conqueror's Haki—entwined with atmosphere!?"

Lola looked up at the descending Going Merry, which glided gracefully amidst the aftermath of the violent shockwave, and her face paled in awe.

They had stayed far from Moria's castle to avoid being caught, but even so, they were tossed about by the impact, narrowly avoiding destruction.

The power to unleash such devastation with a single strike, and the terrifying black and purple lightning coursing through the sky...

There was no doubt. This was the same fearsome power that placed her mother, Big Mom, among the Four Emperors of the Sea—Conqueror's Haki entwined with sheer might.

No wonder Ace was hailed as the Fifth Emperor. His power was truly terrifying—perhaps even more fearsome than when her mother went berserk.

Lola's eyes were filled with terror.

"Splash! Plop!"

Under Nami's guidance, with the combined efforts of Nojiko, Merry, Vivi, Raki, Kaya, and Tashigi, the Merry smoothly landed in the center of the fractured Thriller Bark, amidst the surging waves.

"What a perfect landing, hahaha!"

Ace stood at the bow, laughing loudly.

"Can't we land normally for once?" Nami looked at Ace, tears of exasperation in her eyes.

As Ace's navigator, ordinary sailing skills meant nothing—he always chose the most dangerous and reckless ways to make an entrance.

"Normal landing? Isn't this normal?" Ace raised his head, glanced at the wrecked Thriller Bark, and smiled.

"Whoosh!"

With flames igniting beneath his feet, Ace stepped onto the deck of the Thriller Bark.

"Let's go. Let's follow Ace."

Nojiko glanced at Nami, patted her on the shoulder, and smiled warmly.

"Yeah, it's exciting, isn't it?" Kaya's beautiful face was lit up with a bright smile.

"You're really doting on Ace, Kaya," Nami said, covering her forehead as she looked at Kaya.

"Whoosh!"

Kaya smiled, using Moonwalk to leap onto the deck of Thriller Bark. The smile on her face grew even brighter.

Yes, Ace dotes on me too much, she thought, her gaze lingering on Ace's back as he walked ahead. Kaya's smiling eyes narrowed in joy.

"Stop playing dead, Moria."

Ace's eyes gleamed red as he gazed at the ruins ahead, a smile playing on his lips.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a dark shadow burst forth from the ruins. A huge, pitch-black box made of shadows began to form.

"Whoosh!"

The shadow box slowly dissipated, revealing the figure within.

"Yes, back from the brink of death." Moria's head was bleeding, his body covered in scars. His bloodshot eyes stared at Ace in fear.

This power... it's the kind that reigns supreme on the seas, the Conqueror's Haki! It's the same power that Kaido, the ruler of the New World, wields as one of the Four Emperors. Portgas D. Ace... actually has this kind of strength.

And with this power, he wiped out almost all of my zombie army in a single strike, leaving only a few dragons and horses.

From his three weirdo Cadre, he barely had time to shield Perona, who was closest to them, with a shadow box. But Absalom and Hogback perished in the shockwave just now.

And all this happened because Ace used a wide-area attack targeting the Thriller Bark itself! What they suffered was merely the aftermath of that terrifying blow.

If anyone had taken the full force of Ace's strike head-on, no one here would still be alive. Even the dragons and horses would have been destroyed!

Ace's purpose in attacking was simply to create a landing spot for his ship.

Damn it! He really looks down on me!

Moria's bloodshot eyes locked onto Ace, who was laughing. But the fear on Moria's face couldn't be hidden.

Now Moria fully understood why the World Government had ordered him to evacuate the Devil's Triangle as soon as possible to avoid an encounter with Portgas D. Ace.

Portgas D. Ace—a man who can stand on equal footing with Kaido, the emperor who rules the seas!

"Moria-sama..."

Perona looked at Ace in the distance, her voice trembling as she stared at the gravely injured Moria.

Perona, an orphan Moria had picked up when she was young, had always seen him as a father figure. 

——

"Even in death, I can feel the powerful spirit lingering on you. Yohohoho..." Ryuma gripped his blade, Shusui, and stared at Ace.

"Clang!"

As the sound of metal rang out, a figure appeared before Ryuma—Tashigi, her sword, Shigure, wrapped in Armament Haki.

"Your opponent is me, the legendary dragon-slaying swordsman, Ryuma."

Tashigi's eyes burned with determination.

"Ryuma... such a familiar name. But here we go, yohohoho..." Ryuma no longer remembered his past, but his muscle memory surged, and he responded eagerly to Tashigi's challenge.

"Clang!"

The Haki-clad Shigure clashed violently with Ryuma's Shusui.

——

"'Moonlight' Moria, you're nothing but a bloated, weak shadow of your former self now."

Ace's voice was calm as he looked at Moria, who was gravely injured and unable to even move after the blow.

After his defeat at Kaido's hands, Moria had stopped training, growing fat and weak. Except for his Shadow-Shadow Fruit powers, he could no longer engage in normal combat.

Moria no longer deserved the title of Warlord of the Sea.

"Curse you!" Moria gritted his teeth, trying to stand, but his body wouldn't move after suffering such serious injuries.

No...! Moria thought. He wants to use his Shadow ability to absorb countless shadows and gain power far beyond his own.

But all the zombies were now destroyed. Except for the shadow inside Ryuma, all the others had returned to their rightful owners.

And even if he used Shadow Asgard now... it wouldn't matter. Ace, a man who has completely mastered the Conqueror's Haki - Entanglement, stands on equal footing with Kaido, the Emperor.

Despite his resentment and fury, Moria understood that he could never hope to match Portgas D. Ace.

"Kaya."

Ace turned to Kaya, who handed him an apple.

"Boom!"

Ace narrowed his eyes, and in an instant, a distant ruin was obliterated by a crackling bolt of black-and-purple lightning. A corpse, caught in the grip of Ace's Conqueror's Haki, was drawn toward him.

"Absalom!" Perona screamed.

Moria's eyes twitched.

This control over Conqueror's Haki... I've never seen anything like it.

A mysterious light enveloped Ace's right hand as he held the apple.

"Grrr...!"

The Devil was quickly drawn into the apple. Mysterious patterns began to form on its surface.

Under Perona's and Moria's horrified gaze, the apple transformed into a Devil Fruit.

"Paramecia... the Clear-Clear Fruit."

Ace examined the newly formed Devil Fruit, a sly smile playing on his lips. There was something strange in his eyes.

The Clear-Clear Fruit... What a valuable thing.

"Absalom's Clear-Clear Fruit!" Perona gasped, covering her red lips in shock.

"Is this the ability the World Government calls Devil Fruit hunting? I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Kishishishi," Moria laughed darkly, struggling to push herself upright.

"Yes, although your strength is mediocre, the Devil Fruit users under your command are quite useful," Ace said, taking another apple from Kaya as he slowly walked toward Moria. 

"Leave your Shadow-Shadow Fruit to me."

Ace's eyes glowed with an intense purple-black aura.

"Whoosh!"

"The Ghosts of Negativity!"

Perona, trembling with fear moments ago, suddenly stretched out her hands, summoning dozens of small, eerie ghosts.

Ace's gaze sharpened. Violent black and purple lightning crackled across his body. In a flash, the ghostly apparitions were shattered by the lightning.

"A Ghost-Ghost Fruit, huh? Not a bad Devil Fruit," Ace commented, his lips curling into a slight smirk as he looked at Perona.

The real Perona is even more beautiful than her depiction in the comics, he thought. She looked delicate, like a living Barbie doll.

"Perona, stop! You can't fight him. You need to leave!" Moria shouted, gritting his teeth.

Facing such overwhelming opponent, Perona's Ghost-Ghost Fruit abilities were useless.

"No! I'm not leaving! Ghosts! Ugh!" Perona cried out, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She was about to use the power of her fruit again when suddenly her pupils contracted in shock.

"My Ghost-Ghost Fruit... its power... what happened?"

Perona stared at her hands in disbelief. The abilities of the Ghost-Ghost Fruit had disappeared.

Ace's eyes flickered darkly, shadowed by his Conqueror's Haki.

Conqueror's Haki—capable of nullifying Devil Fruit powers.

"Unbelievable! Even the power of Devil Fruits can be sealed. This is truly extraordinary Haki. Portgas D. Ace, your Conqueror's Haki is unlike any I've ever known. Dying at the hands of someone like you is no disgrace to me, Moria. Kishishishi!" Moria laughed loudly, fully aware that he had no chance of survival.

"No! Don't! Moria-sama!" Perona screamed, tears streaming down her pretty face as she looked at him, despair written in her eyes.

"Perona, death is not something to fear. Living on—now that's the real challenge!" Moria said solemnly.

"Portgas D. Ace, Perona poses no threat to you. After killing me, spare her, will you?" Moria raised his head and spoke in a deep voice.

He had raised Perona like a daughter ever since he picked her up as a child.

"I'm very interested in the Ghost-Ghost Fruit's abilities," Ace replied with a faint smile.

Moria's pupils dilated, a hint of murderous intent flickering in his gaze.

Perona, now slightly relieved, smiled faintly through her tears.

"You don't want Moria to die, do you, Perona?"

"Really?!" Perona exclaimed, covering her red lips as she stared at Ace, who smiled back at her.