Chapter 53: The Fall Of Portgas D Ace.

"Everyone is saved—the tyranny is finally over!"

The evil brothers, Mshuru and Wapol, had fallen one after the other. Chess and Kuromarimo, , who had aided in their reign of terror, had vanished as well.

Captain Dalton, once a servant of the brutal foreign tyrant, had become the most respected man on the island.

The people's dream of a new king was finally becoming a reality, and though Dalton wore the mask of humility, his joy was plain to see. The captain of the guard opened his arms to embrace his friends, ready to celebrate the hard-won coup.

But to his shock, Iggy pushed him away. A strange powerlessness crept through Dalton's body, and his brute form began to shrink back into his human shape.

"You..."

Before he could finish, a shadow flashed past. A searing pain erupted in his face, and Dalton's vision blurred—the friend before him had disappeared in an instant.

Iggy, always a lone agent of vengeance, had never considered Dalton a friend—only a tool of convenience.

Now fully human, Dalton was helpless. With a single blow, Iggy knocked him unconscious. The golden armor shattered to the ground, along with his broken right arm. Dalton's face was sunken on the right side, and he lay quietly in the hall.

Step by step, Iggy climbed the tower of the castle. He picked up the spore cannonball Mushul had mentioned and stood before the massive cannon.

"You're first... Winter Island."

With a low grunt, Iggy loaded the shell into the barrel. A snap of his finger—a "flying finger gun"—ignited the fuse.

The spark burned down the line, and a thunderous boom shook the sky. The shell launched high, exploding midair.

A shadow spread across the island. People looked up, mesmerized by the apricot-colored spores drifting across the sky... unaware that death had just arrived.

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One Year Later

Death passed quietly. Along with it, the life of Iggy's sworn brother—Ace.

Chasing Marshall D. Teach, the traitor who had killed his captain, Ace had finally caught up with the Blackbeard Pirates on Banaro Island.

The two men—once close comrades—now stood as mortal enemies. A tragic reminder of how fate could twist even the strongest bonds.

"Flame Commandment: Flame Wall!"

Ace raised his arm, sweeping it in an arc. A wall of fire erupted, surrounding the area in a blazing ring.

The Blackbeard crew had already fallen—Van Augur, the sniper, and Jesus Burgess, the fighting champion, lay charred and broken.

Doc Q had vanished, retreating on his skeletal horse. Only Blackbeard himself remained to face the wrath of Ace.

"Ace, you're a man who knows the score," Teach said, arms open despite the inferno. "I'm giving you one last chance—join me. Let's conquer the world together."

Even as the flames licked at his body, Teach wore a smile. He was trying to recruit Portgas D. Ace, the son of the Pirate King, with a bounty of 550 million Berries.

Ace's only answer was a deadly technique.

"Firefly: Flame Lotus!"

Dozens of green fireflies swirled into his cupped hands, coalescing into a glowing, ghostly flame. With a thrust, Ace hurled it at his enemy.

"Eh—!"

The flame twisted like a serpent, wrapping around Blackbeard's massive form. The searing agony hit him instantly.

"Teach," Ace said coldly, "from the moment you murdered your captain, your fate was sealed. Show me what darkness can really do!"

As the blaze died down, Blackbeard's rage eclipsed all reason.

"You want the truth?! Thatch died... because of Iggy! He's the one who orchestrated everything!"

His voice shook with pain and fury, spitting out the name of the true conspirator.

But no one cared about the truth. The world only believed what it wanted to believe.

And worse—he had just insulted Ace's sworn brother.

"You're not allowed to insult Iggy!! Flame!"

Raging flames exploded from Ace's body, whirling into a massive firestorm. Above his head, a second sun formed—an inferno of pure destruction.

He was seconds away from obliterating Teach when he felt it—

A sharp pain. A claw piercing his abdomen.

Ace looked down to see a sea stone hook embedded deep in his stomach.

"This is... Sea Prism Stone..."

With a yank, Blackbeard pulled out the claw, blood spurting from the wound. The fireball above Ace's head began to dissipate.

Teach had charged straight through the inferno to land a fatal strike.

Ace collapsed to the ground, disbelief written across his face. The ring of fire faded, and silence returned to Banaro Island.

"It was always your fate..."

Blackbeard stood over him, wiping blood off his weapon.

"Ace... You had power. But you let your emotions rule you. You'd risk your life to defend your loved ones... and that's why you lost."

Where Ace had only vengeance, Teach had calculation. Where Ace charged forward, Teach waited and struck.

One was a burning flame. The other, a creeping shadow.

Even with the world against him, even without his powers, Blackbeard—the man of darkness—still moved toward his goal: domination of the sea.

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