Chapter 44 : Monster-like Strength

"No! I will be Pirate king one day."

"Still so confident, but it would be a pity if there's no money. You know what the outcome will be," Kahn responded bluntly.

Luffy and the rest's expressions changed drastically.

They were well aware that they stood no chance against Kahn.

Nami and the others were a bit perplexed.

"What rules?"

"Miss Nami! That cunning old Navy guy loves money a lot. As long as we pay double the amount of our bounties, we can go free," Sanji explained.

Nami and Vivi were taken aback, but Nami quickly caught on.

Because she remembered that's how Kahn operated.

"How could this darned old man do this? Does he still hold the Navy's sense of justice in his heart?" Smoker was somewhat infuriated upon hearing Sanji's explanation.

After all, he had a good understanding of Kahn from their encounter.

The idea of releasing them in exchange for a ransom seemed far from the principles of a righteous Navy. It was quite absurd.

"But among us, only one person has a bounty!" Nami suddenly realized.

Everyone paused for a moment, then turned their attention to Luffy.

So far, he was the only one among them who had a bounty.

"Why are you looking at me? I don't have any money!" Luffy stated matter-of-factly.

"No money? That won't work."

"Wait, I won't just stand by and watch my mischievous little brother get captured by the Navy!"

Luffy grinned widely.

"Ace!"

"Oh! So, you're going to help this kid pay up?"

"How's that possible! I'm a pirate! Have you ever seen a pirate paying the Navy?"

"Really?" Kahn's lips curled into a smile.

Ace looked at Kahn with a stern gaze. The Navy officer before him was powerful, but he couldn't let his brother be taken away without a fight!

"But did you forget something?"

"What's that?"

"You're a pirate too, and you fall under the jurisdiction of the old man's capture."

"Yes, it seems like we're in for some fun."

"Fun? I promise you'll have a blast."

"Luffy, you guys go on and leave. I can handle this. I'll catch up with you later."

"I really can't take this old man lightly! Shave!"

In the blink of an eye, Kahn's figure vanished.

His haoshoku Haki attack came at Ace in an instant.

Ace was quick to react.

"Mirror Flame!"

He swung his right hand upwards.

A fierce wall of fire materialized, blocking Kahn's assault.

However, in the next moment, Kahn's right hand transformed into a dragon's claw.

More intense flames erupted.

"Fire Dragon Claw!"

The potent dragon's claw ripped right through Ace's flames.

Ace hadn't anticipated this turn of events.

Swiftly, he transformed into flames and retreated.

"Shenhuo, Shiranui!"

With his hands held together, Ace generated formidable flames that surged toward Kahn.

Observing this, Kahn's expression turned to one of disdain.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A spiraling blaze formed from Kahn's mouth.

At the point of collision, Kahn's roar overpowered Ace's attack completely.

Sensing the danger of Kahn's roaring attack, Ace dodged immediately.

The powerful roar grazed past him, leaving Ace able to feel the aura of destruction emanating from it.

The roar streaked through Ace, blasting into the distant sand dunes.

A massive explosion ensued.

Once the dust settled, everyone was flabbergasted yet again.

The sand dunes had been obliterated, replaced by a colossal crater.

The level of destructive power was simply awe-inspiring.

Ace, too, wore an expression of disbelief. It was clear that he hadn't considered that battling the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye, to a standstill wasn't as simple as it appeared.

"You've got some time to stand there gaping!"

"Shave!"

Kahn's form reappeared.

However, Ace had anticipated this and was ready to counterattack.

"Fire Punch."

Ace leaned forward, delivering a forceful swing with his right fist.

A potent burst of flames engulfed Kahn, creating an expansive sea of fire.

As eyes traced its path, the surroundings seemed to melt away in the intense heat.

"The captain's here." Tashigi's shouted.

"Don't worry, that guy won't be defeated so easily," Smoker said confidently.

He couldn't fathom that someone who had bested him so easily could lose just as readily.

Still, his expression turned serious.

Observing the two fighters' exchange, he noted that he still had a long way to go. As Kahn had pointed out earlier, his haoshoku Haki was shattered, and his six powers were in disarray.

It was apparent that he needed further training.

Ace, on the other hand, didn't think that this move could defeat Kahn. He sensed that Kahn's aura was still overwhelmingly powerful.

Before long, Kahn's voice resonated from within the sea of flames.

"This fire tastes good, but it's not much of a challenge for me."

Everyone finally spotted Kahn's form clearly, but were stunned by his action.

The flames around him were rapidly diminishing, and, shockingly, he seemed to be consuming them.

"He's eating fire? He's a monster!" A voice filled with terror sounded.

All eyes turned to see the returning Straw Hat crew.

Chopper exclaimed in disbelief, "It's over, it's really over this time. We shouldn't have come back."

Ace's forehead sported a visible vein of frustration.

"Hey! Luffy, why didn't you leave?"

He was exasperated by his impulsive brother's actions.

After all, the Navy officer before them was practically a monster. Even though Ace was confident, the odds of victory weren't in their favor.

Their escape had been delayed, only to have Luffy and the others return.

"Sorry, Ace. It's not that I didn't want to leave, but there are too many Navy forces and our ship is under their control. We can't escape," Luffy's voice chimed in.

Ace looked over to find that Luffy and his group were still being pursued by the Navy.

"It's a mess now." Ace sighed.

But he wasn't one to stand idly by.

"Yan Shang Gang."

A powerful flame emerged on Ace's right hand before soaring into the sky.

Instantly, it divided the pursuing Navy from Luffy's group.

"Is this just 'a mess'? That old man is really something!" Kahn's voice came faintly.

Ace shifted his gaze back to Kahn.

Kahn was gradually approaching, his Navy cloak fluttering in the scorching winds.

Ace felt a surge of pressure.

"Why is this monstrous old man in the first half of the Grand Line? And why are my flames incapable of harming you?" Ace demanded.