Chapter Ninety: The Showdown with Ace! [Third Update]

"You are the Ghost Hunter, Monki D. Shumingyuan!"

Ace gasped, his voice betraying his shock. In the first half of the Grand Line, that name was now a taboo; no one wished to cross paths with the man rumored to be a harbinger of great calamity.

The atmosphere in the tavern turned tense instantly. The noise from a second ago vanished, replaced by an eerie, stifling silence. If the Harbinger was here, who dared to make a sound?

"How tiresome. How am I supposed to enjoy a decent meal now?"

Shumingyuan left enough Berries to cover the bill and dissolved into a blur, vanishing from the tavern.

"Don't you run, brat!"

With a roar, Ace transformed his entire body into a mass of flames and gave chase, setting several parts of the tavern ablaze in his wake. Once they were gone, a clamor erupted among the patrons. They realized with a jolt of terror that they had just been drinking and eating in the same room as Fire Fist Ace and the Ghost Hunter. A cold sweat broke out as they felt a lingering fear, grateful to have escaped with their lives.

After all, both of those men were harbingers of disaster.

One had stirred up chaos across the first half of the Grand Line, carving out a fearsome reputation, while the other had become the Second Division Commander under the Four Emperor Whitebeard.

...

On the outskirts of Rainbase.

A youth's figure suddenly appeared on the desert sands. Following a surge of intense heat, Ace’s silhouette emerged from the flames right behind him.

"Ghost Hunter, where do you think you're going?" Ace blocked his path and spoke slowly.

"Just wandering, then I’ll be leaving Alabasta," Shumingyuan replied nonchalantly.

Ace remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did you really manage to break out of Impel Down?"

The youth nodded in confirmation.

"Pops is very interested in you. I received word from him the day before yesterday. Since he knows you are in Alabasta, he has insisted that I bring you to the Moby Dick for a proper talk," Ace said solemnly.

"Whitebeard?" Shumingyuan frowned. As the top combatant among the Four Emperors and known as the strongest man in the world, this was a figure he still needed to treat with caution. "Why does he want to see me?"

"How would we, as his sons, know Pops' reasons? But whatever he asks, we will do. After all, he is the man who will become the Pirate King! So, you’ll have to come with me," Ace said lightly.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I won’t be going," Shumingyuan couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head.

"In that case, I’ll have to take you by force. Even though rumors say you were a partner of Luffy’s for a time, Pops' request must be fulfilled. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you."

A massive amount of roaring flames suddenly erupted from Ace’s body, and a wave of searing heat hit the air. Under the blazing summer sun, the temperature climbed even higher.

"Ace, you can't hold me back. Fine, let's have a fight then. Otherwise, you won't give up on this idea." Shumingyuan looked at him, his eyes burning with a competitive fire. He wanted to see just how far he was from the peak combatants of the sea.

Any pirate with a bounty over 500 million, once imprisoned in Impel Down, would be thrown directly into the Level 6 Infinite Hell, a gathering place for the most dangerous criminals with terrifying strength. Ace’s current bounty was as high as 550 million Berries. In the original story, his imprisonment led him to the Infinite Hell, where he was also categorized as a great threat.

As the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, his strength was formidable; he could even trade blows with an Admiral.

"Come on, Ace, let me see what you're made of!"

With a sharp shout, Shumingyuan pushed off the ground, his body flickering as he appeared in front of Ace. He clenched his fist, instantly coating it in Armament Haki. His dark, shimmering fist struck out with lethal force.

He had gone all out against Ace from the start. This man, along with Luffy and Sabo, had been a monster since childhood—chasing wild beasts across mountains with nothing but a metal pipe—and he had never lost a single fight against the rubber-powered Luffy back then.

His martial arts skills were equally potent, not to mention that after heading out to sea, he had consumed the Flame-Flame Fruit, doubling his strength before becoming Whitebeard’s commander.

"Haki!"

Ace’s insight was sharp. In the New World, Haki was a standard power, and even Conqueror’s Haki was not exactly rare in the depths of the sea. He was intimately familiar with its properties.

He was Portgas D. Ace, son of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, child of the strongest Emperor Whitebeard, with a bounty of 550 million Berries. He had weathered countless storms.

Therefore, even against someone like Shumingyuan, rumored to be a great threat, he didn't feel overly pressured; the man merely piqued his interest.

Facing the punch, Ace remained calm. He transformed one arm into fire and struck back, meeting Shumingyuan’s fist head-on.

As their fists collided, a wave of scorching heat rolled outward. The surrounding sand was kicked up by the intense pressure, filling the sky with a swirling cloud of yellow dust.

The sandy ground beneath their feet sank ten meters deep in an instant. Shumingyuan felt a tremendous force surge through his fist, accompanied by a heat so intense that even his Armament Haki couldn't fully insulate him.

"Not bad strength. To have mastered Armament Haki so early, you certainly have some skill. But these abilities alone aren't enough to break out of Impel Down. Show me your real power, or you won't stand a chance from here on out," Ace said coldly, clenching his fist.

Shumingyuan smiled. He had known Ace’s strength was extraordinary. He had been able to refuse the World Government’s offer to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and after spending so much time by Whitebeard’s side, his power was far beyond what it used to be.

Besides, none of those dubbed "harbingers of calamity" were easy targets.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Shumingyuan stepped back, chakra surging through his body. He formed hand seals, and a volley of fireballs erupted from his mouth, rushing toward Ace.

"Fire? A strange ability, indeed. But using fire against me—aren't you looking down on me a bit too much?"

"I am Fire Fist Ace!"

Watching the five fireballs flying toward him, he grinned. He opened his mouth, creating a powerful suction force. The five flames followed the same trajectory, shrinking as they were drawn into his mouth.

"Burp... tastes decent. While I’m curious how you possess fire-based abilities, it’s clear that I am the master of flame! Your power is lacking."

"What do you think? Come back to Pops with me. I’ll make sure you’re protected," Ace said earnestly.

"No, you’ve misunderstood. I was just testing to see if my flames could hurt you. It seems my hypothesis has been confirmed! Ace, you’d better be careful. In fact... I am the ancestor of those who play with fire!"

Shumingyuan said with a cryptic smile.