The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

On this vast ocean, some things we are born with are indeed like the marks of fate, so profound that they leave us helpless.

(Although I don't like it, unfortunately, One Piece is all about bloodlines now.)

However, while we admire him, Ace's current success is not solely due to his talent.

After all, he managed to make his way to the New World, defeat the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and refuse the World Government's offer of amnesty, which means his strength has already placed him among the ranks of great pirates.

At least now, Ace is definitely a Shichibukai-level fighter!

After all, in the original timeline, he was a formidable character who could fight Jinbe, the "Knight of the Sea" at his peak, for five days and five nights on land without a clear victor.

“Not bad.” Gern spoke slowly, the terrifying Conqueror’s Haki pressure receding like a tide. “Being able to stand and speak proves that you haven’t been completely messing around these past few years.”

The pressure vanished abruptly, and Ace gasped for breath, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, but his back remained ramrod straight.

He then raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat that had dripped down his chin, grinned, and said, "Heh... that's quite a way to greet someone, you weird old man!"

“So…” Gern looked at him, “having withstood the ‘greetings,’ what are you planning to do next?”

You should know very well that merely holding your own is far from enough to defeat me.

"What do I do?" Ace took a deep breath, slowly clenched his fists, and flames spontaneously combusted and coiled upwards, causing the surrounding temperature to rise rapidly.

"Of course... I'm using this to tell you..."

I'm not the kid from Windmill Village who needed you to treat him anymore!

"Sacred Fire Shiranui!!"

Before he finished speaking, Ace swung his arms forward with a sudden movement, instantly transforming them into two incredibly solid, blazing white flames!

The flames did not spray out randomly, but were precisely controlled to condense into two blazing and dazzling flaming spears, which pierced straight into Gern's chest!

Gern stood still, his eyes cold, watching this scene with a slight smile on his lips, showing no intention of flinching.

"BOOM!!!" The deafening explosion was deafening, and the scorching flames instantly engulfed Gern's figure, expanding and creating a huge circular crater.

Even Enel, watching from afar, narrowed his eyes slightly and remarked, "So he's a Devil Fruit user! A Logia type? No wonder..."

"Did we succeed?" The thought flashed through Ace's mind for a moment, but his body had already used the recoil from the explosion to retreat rapidly.

They drew two charred marks on the sand, trying to create distance and look for another opportunity to attack.

However, just as he regained his footing by stepping back...

At the center of the explosion that engulfed Gern, it seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, and suddenly shrank inward!

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable, heavy, and oppressive shock arose out of nowhere!

"Buzz!" It's not a wave of air, but a more fundamental "vibration"!

The flames seemed to be directly "shattered" from their internal structure by some force, turning into countless sparks that quickly dimmed and went out.

Gern stood there, watching the sparks fly everywhere, not even the hem of his clothes getting burned.

Then, she calmly withdrew her gaze and looked at Ace, whose face was filled with astonishment, and slowly raised her right hand, her five fingers slightly clenched.

"Is that all, Ace?" Gern's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling sense of oppression.

"You can't survive in the new world with just passion, let alone... stand in front of me."

No wonder adults like to discipline children. Guern himself now feels a strange sense of satisfaction, especially under the 'celebrity effect'.

"So this is what he felt when he faced me for the first time during my one-on-one duel with Professor Zephyr at Marine Headquarters...?"

"Damn it! Are you mocking me?" Ace's pupils shrank, but his rich combat instincts made him realize the danger, so he stood still without making any further moves.

"Hmm?" Gern snapped out of his daze and beckoned to Ace. "If you don't move, I'm going to move!"

"!!!"

Almost at the same moment that Gern lowered his hand, flames erupted beneath Ace's feet as he attempted to move to the side at high speed.

But Gern was faster!

The figure only blurred for a moment, not because of pure speed, but because of a barely perceptible step!

The subtle yet precise vibration was transmitted through the ground, instantly disrupting Ace's balance at the point of leverage.

Ace felt a strange force coming from beneath his feet, causing the condensed flames to pause slightly, and his body inevitably stiffened for a moment.

In that very instant!

Gern had already closed in, his right fist thrusting forward simply and directly.

"Black Shock - Charge!"

There were no dazzling light effects, only the air in front of the fist being compressed to the extreme, emitting a low, teeth-grinding hum.

Ace's pupils dilated. "You can't dodge it!!"

"Kagerou!!!"

In a flash, Ace crossed his arms to block, instantly conjuring an incredibly thick barrier of flames around his arms.

While utilizing the flame barrier, it instantly elementalized and dispersed, condensing in a short distance, panting heavily.

Strangely, he had just flashed through his mind the image of being punched by Gern, which is why he instantly realized he couldn't dodge!

On the other side, Gern slowly withdrew his fist, which he hadn't thrown, looked at Ace, and said calmly, "Now, do you recognize the difference in skill?"

"Don't underestimate me!!!" Ace roared, his entire body erupting in flames once more.

"I came looking for you as soon as I entered the new world, not for this outcome!! Gern!!!"

Ace held nothing back, frantically channeling all the power he could muster into his right arm.

In an instant, his entire right arm expanded and elementalized, transforming into a massive, blazing white pillar of fire, several meters in diameter, resembling a miniature sun!

"Fire Fist!!!!!"

The enormous fiery fist, carrying a ferocious aura capable of crushing everything, tore through the air and roared deafeningly as it crushed towards Gern!

Meanwhile, the heat emanating from it had melted the sand beneath Gern's feet into a churning pool of lava.

But even when faced with this raging fist capable of destroying anything, burning mountains and boiling seas, Gern's eyes remained calm and unwavering.

He didn't even make any obvious defensive stance; he simply slowly raised his left hand, his five fingers slightly curled up.

Just as the devastating "fire fist" was about to engulf him, Gern flicked his wrist slightly, his index and middle fingers bending slightly.

Facing the raging torrent of flames ahead, he made a move that was almost effortless.

The act of tapping.

"Boom."

A slight muffled thud.

Immediately centered on the point of impact by Gern, the air in front of him... no, the "space" itself, became tangible, instantly covered with countless clearly visible, spiderweb-like cracks!

The cracks then spread rapidly, instantly forming a huge, invisible yet real "wall of cracks".

The next second, Ace's "Fire Fist" crashed into the transparent "wall of cracks".

And then... and that was it!

The Fire Fist, unable to break through, faces only dissipation.

Ace remained frozen in his punching stance, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints in shock, sweat trickling down his temples.

His all-out attack... was so easily... shattered?

Chapter 385 How about it? It seems enough without using your hands.

Seeing Ace's shattered resolve, Gern remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed. A voice was frantically flooding the screen.

"It's starting, it's starting! That's the expression!"

A special experience mode for adults to discipline children!

"This feeling is really intoxicating!" Thinking this, Gern forcibly suppressed the upward curve of his lips and cleared his throat.

I'm going to strike while the iron is hot and deliver a few more "Gern-style teachings."

Enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with elders educating younger generations.

So he raised his hand, deliberately slowing his speech and speaking in a serious tone.

"Ace, you..."

However, the words following the word "you" haven't been properly prepared...

A sly glint suddenly flashed in his eyes as he looked at Ace, who seemed to be caught in self-doubt just a second ago!

He didn't come to see Gern to hear any wise words of advice!

"Hey!" Ace shouted, his previously stiff hands suddenly lashing forward.

"Firefly - Fire Daruma!"

In an instant, countless tiny yet exceptionally bright points of light, like fireflies...

Like a swarm of bees startled, they instantly gushed forth from the palm of my hand, spreading out in a vast, overwhelming wave!

These small fireballs nimbly bypassed the front, surrounding Gern from all sides and sealing off all his space to dodge.

As he released the Fire Daruma, Ace used his waist and abdomen to generate power, without pausing at all, and smoothly rolled to the side, creating some distance between himself and Guern.

Just as the roll was about to end, and the body was still half-squatting, the hands were already raised in front of the chest with lightning speed.

He crossed his two index fingers to form a cross, and a clear cross-shaped beam of light instantly locked onto Gern!

"Crossfire!!"

Almost at the same moment the light took shape, a torrent of flames erupted along the cross-shaped trajectory.

It forms a blazing fire shockwave, arriving first despite being delayed, and combines with the countless fireflies and fire daruma dolls flying in the sky to create a deadly attack from above and below!

"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This kid... doesn't play by the rules!

At this moment, you shouldn't be crying and complaining about why you can't win, or how you're too weak!

Then, while shouting things like "friendship, friends, bonds, and dreams," will it unleash a super-powerful Flame Emperor attack on me?

What on earth is this silky smooth little combo?

But I must say, they even knew how to use feints to mask their counterattacks; the whole sequence was pretty smooth!

The rant flashed by, and faced with this sudden double blow, Gern's leisurely "educating the younger generation" mentality vanished instantly.

The hand that was raised to "preach" was pressed down!

"Buzz!" An invisible vibration emanated from his palm and expanded downwards instantly, like an inverted bowl, protecting his entire body.

The sand and gravel on the ground were slightly suspended and trembled under this force.

"Boom boom boom!!"

The fiery impact of the crossfire struck the invisible, vibrating barrier first, unleashing a violent roar. The flames were scattered in all directions, yet they could not break through even an inch.

Almost simultaneously, the countless fireflies, drawn by an unseen force, crashed into the transparent, vibrating barrier.

"Sizzle! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of explosions rang out, and flames completely engulfed Gern's figure.

At the same time as the violent explosion, Enel commented with a hint of surprise, "Tsk, this kid has quite a few tricks up his sleeve."

Meanwhile, Gern stood at the epicenter of the explosion, feeling the flames and shockwaves surrounding him as they continued to extinguish.

Instead, a very faint, slightly appreciative smile curved at the corners of his lips.

"Interesting... It seems you're no longer an ordinary child! You're the kind of kid who needs a good beating!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the flames and smoke from the explosion surrounding Gern seemed to be dispersed once again by the force of the impact!

Then, under Ace's wary gaze, Gern stood firmly in place with his arms crossed, and said loudly...

"Since that's the case... I'll let you use both hands and your domineering aura."

"What?!" Ace's pupils contracted, his brain not even having time to process the words.

So, in that instant when his mind went blank for a moment because of that sentence, he was shocked!