Chapter 16

Ace met Jack's assault head-on, their collision dislodging rocks and kicking up dust. For a moment, they were evenly matched, but then Jack's muscles swelled, inexplicably gaining size and mass. He even seemed to grow about a foot taller.

Their contest of strength quickly came to and end, with Jack hurling Ace over his shoulder, smashing him into the ground. A web of cracks spread outward.

"You are… a devil-fruit user."

Jack chuckled, his boot already speeding toward Ace's head.

"Not at all. This power is just a small trick."

Ace grunted, a stream of flame jetting from the tips of his fingers. He'd aimed for Jack's face, but the latter dodged with unnatural agility, causing the flame to spray harmlessly into the air.

Jack was like a stampeding bull, stomping one foot after the other, but Ace was likewise unharmed by his attacks. Capitalizing on an opening, his body ignited all at once. He shot out from under Jack's feet, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

Jack wouldn't relinquish his advantage so easily. He clung to Ace like a limpet, ensuring there was never more than an arm length between them. Twisting his waist, he punched out in sequence, each blow carrying tremendous weight and force.

Showcasing his own experience and skill, Ace dodged those he could, and blocked those he couldn't. But despite his efforts, a few attacks did manage to graze him, one catching the side of his head.

His expression changed, starting to lose his temper.

"Get the hell off me!"

Flaring his hand, a fan of flames spread outward, covering a wide area. Jack couldn't avoid it if he wanted to, but there was no need. Being less concentrated, the attack lacked lethality.

His hair starting to singe and his clothes catching fire, he tanked the wave of fire. He protected his face with one arm, striking with the other. A circular shockwave cut through the wall of flame, hitting right under Ace's ribs.

For the first time, a satisfying sensation was conveyed through Jack's fist. His opponent wouldn't be able to just shrug it off, no matter how strong his willpower was. As expected, Ace went flying backward, doing a backflip to help dissipate some of the force. However, when he landed, he coughed up some red-tinged mucus.

Jack knew this was the time to press his advantage. When Ace's feet touched the ground, he was already there, moments away from landing another pot-shot.

Ace growled, raising his temperature even further. He glowed red like a piece of metal, cupping his hands in front of his chest. A dome of heat washed over the surroundings, cooking the stones and crackling the air.

To Jack, it was like he'd been thrown into a furnace. His Haki somewhat dulled the effects, but the heat still felt enough to boil him in his own skin. Tucking in his chin to shield his eyes, he put more strength into his legs, barreling into Ace. It was his only out.

The result was an unsophisticated collision of limbs and joints. With the weight advantage, Jack was still victorious, though he suffered some bad burns. His forehead smashed into the other pirate's nose, spurting blood in the air.

Ace hastily fired off a few jets of flame, but Jack slipped over and under them. His fists battered his opponent's forehead, throat and chest in succession. The latter transmitted a dull cracking sound, the result of Ace's sternum fracturing.

"Damn, that… hurt!!"

Somehow managing to get hold of Jack's wrist, there was a sizzling sound. Ace's fingers burned into him like iron shackles. However, Jack's flesh was more like a particularly dense type of wood, so the scene wasn't as gruesome as expected.

They wrangled on the ground for a while, the stone and sand baking like an oven, heat waves distorting the air. Ace had entirely lost his human appearance, turning into a vaguely person-shaped inferno. Through some strange grappling technique, he finally managed to disengage, spinning on the ground. A windmill kick got Jack off him, having to back off due to the scorching heat.

There was a moment's respite with both of them breathing hard. This level of activity wouldn't usually be enough to exhaust Jack, but the temperature was sky-high, stripping oxygen from the air. He was already getting tired.

Somewhere in the cloud of flame, Ace snorted, splattering his own burning blood on the glazed sand.

"You had enough yet?"

"Heh. That was barely a warm up. Besides, I think you took more damage than I did."

"Say that again after looking in a mirror."

Jack grunted. Ace wasn't wrong. Just looking at his raw, bloodied hands, he knew he wasn't in good shape. He could feel his heart throbbing in his wounds.

"Guess I'll have to end this quickly then…"

"Try it, if you can."

Their brief conversation came to an end, re-engaging with a flurry of blows. They exchanged punches and kicks, some missing, some grazing and others landing for devastating effect. Shockwaves of force and flame rippled through the air and over the ground, shattering rock and hurling sand into the sky.

In the state they were in, neither could afford to take much more damage.

Eventually, Jack leapt backward. The heat on is skin had gone past unbearable to a kind-of sickening numbness. Bile and blood welled in his throat, threatening to spill outward. He could still push on. Maybe even win this fight, but it would be stupid to persist. They were in the middle of enemy territory. Perhaps he'd get to go all out against Ace one day, but that day wasn't now.

"Huff, huff… Damn, guess I… underestimated you. You cooked my goose… real good. I... give up."

Ace slowly wiping his mouth. The flames around him abruptly fizzled out, revealing a bruised and battered body. His nose was very obviously broken, and one eye was entirely swelled shut. Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

"Heh… not bad. Seems my little brother… got a strong guy for his crew. Even if you are… a little suspicious."

Jack chuckled weakly.

"Everyone keeps… calling me that. Seriously… it hurts my feelings."

There was a moment's silence as both tried to catch their breath. Ace was the first to move, stumbling past Jack toward the shore. Before he got very far, a hand was laid on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

Jack sighed exasperatedly.

"You can't seriously be planning to… leave in your condition. This place is… surrounded by marines. If they catch you… you're done for."

"I told you I'm… in a hurry-…"

"It's faster when… you're not injured. Get treated first."

Huffing and puffing, Jack slung Ace's arm over his shoulder, not letting him refuse. The Going Merry had left without him, but he knew in which direction it went.

Leaning on each other, they stumbled toward the shore, where Ace's boat still bobbed.

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Vivi looked out over the ocean. Her expression was worried.

"I hope he's alright…"

"Seriously, Vivi—what are you worrying about that scoundrel for? Your whole country is at stake, and he's goofing off somewhere, probably chasing skirts. He doesn't care about your problems, so forget about him."

Vivi turned her head, glancing at Nami. At some point, the other girl had come up behind her.

"Nami-san… Do you really dislike Jack that much?"

Angrily crossing her arms, Nami huffed.

"Of course! If you knew what that bastard did to me, you'd feel the same-…"

"Jack did something to you? W-what was it…?"

Nami was suddenly uneasy, realizing she said too much. She looked away, her cheeks coloring a little.

"T-That's… it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Vivi stared at her. Her expression was unreadable.

"You and him—are you-….?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Usopp's voice sounded suddenly from the crow's nest.

"There's a ship following us! Wait a moment, it looks like-… Isn't that Luffy's older brother? But there's someone with him!"

Stopping what they were doing, the rest of the crew gathered on the deck. Together, they watched a small-canoe like vessel approaching. Despite its small size—and sail—it was deceptively fast, quickly approaching the Going Merry.

When they drew closer, Vivi's eyes widened. She stood closest to the end.

"They're… hurt! Quickly, Chopper—bring the first-aid kit!"

"Wow, they look terrible!"

"I wonder what happened?"

"Was it Baroque Works? Or maybe that Smoker guy?"

Under everyone's concerned gazes, the small boat drew up next to them, tying itself to the caravel. Ace was the first to ascend, limply climbing onto the deck. Covered in bruises, his skin was already purpling. His face and ribs were the worst, the latter clearly having suffered some breaks.

Jack's appearance was arguably worse. His whole body was a giant burn wound, his clothes being either gone or fused with his skin. Despite what one would expect, his hair and eyebrows were remarkably well preserved, though the rest of his body-hair was gone.

To his surprise, Nami was the first person to approach. She was clearly nervous, reaching out to Jack as if to touch him, but unsure of how to do it.

"W-What in the world-…? You idiot, why are you like this?!"

Jack smiled weakly, the skin on his face cracking, a clear fluid leaking out.

"The desert sun was a tad harsher than I expected."

"Don't give me that bullshit!"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Tell the truth, damn it! What happened?!"

Grunting, Jack pointed a thumb at Ace.

"If you don't believe me, ask him."

Having gotten a wet cloth from someone, the other pirate dabbed lightly at his eye.

"I tripped and fell. I must've been unconscious for a while, so I'm not sure."

"How does that work? You were in the ocean! 'Tripped and fell' on what exactly?!"

Zoro sighed, interrupting their quibbling.

"They fought. Jack lost."

Sanji nodded.

"Seems like it. Though, I'm surprised Luffy's brother took so much damage."

"The lack of confidence hurts. Shouldn't you guys be surprised I lost instead?"

"…no."

Jack stumbled to the ground, clutching his chest.

"Zoro, Sanji… how could you say that? I thought we were friends."

"Not really."

"We're more acquaintances."

Nami growled, stomping toward Jack. She pushed on his—relatively less burnt—back, steering him toward the cabin.

"You look like you're about to die, but you're still messing around! Go lie down, damn it!"

Whipping her head, she glared at Chopper—in the process of treating Ace.

"Chopper! Stop standing there! Can't you see this moron needs help?"

"But Nami-…"

"No 'buts'!

Chopper looked worriedly at Ace before the latter waved him away, now wrapped in bandages.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I know there's not much you can do about my injuries-…"

Before he could finish, his stomach suddenly growled.

"…but if you guys have something to eat, I won't say no."

Sanji's eyes still lingered on Nami and Jack, only looking away when the cabin door closed. He crushed his cigarette out in a tray.

"I'll whip something up in the kitchen. Sit tight."

Eventually, it was just Zoro, Luffy, Ace and Usopp. Vivi had gone to help Sanji in the kitchen.

"…so, Ace—how was it? Is Jack strong?"

Ace looked weirdly at his brother, slumping on deck with his arms draped over his knees.

"Why are you asking me?"

Luffy lifted his hat, scratching his hair.

"I don't think I've seen him fight…?"

"Me neither."

Zoro grunted before shrugging his shoulders.

"You have, you clowns! But… it's not exactly strange to say that."

Leaning his head against the mast, Ace's wore a look of realization.

"So he's the type that likes to hang back, huh?"

"…I guess you could say that. I prefer to use the term 'useless' instead. Or maybe 'lazy'."

Usopp laughed awkwardly.

"Come on, Zoro. You should be a little more… conciliatory."

Luffy scratched his head.

"Hey Usopp, what does that mean?"

"It means-…"

"Forget it, I don't care."

"Then why did you ask?!"

"Ace, you still didn't say if he's strong or not."

"Huh? Yeah, he's not bad. Pretty strong, even for the Grand Line."

Usopp raised his hand.

"Hey, Luffy, don't ignore me-…!"

"But he still lost to you, didn't he?"

"…why does that sound a little insulting?"

"Guys, I'm still talking-…"

Rolling up one sleeve, Luffy stepped toward Ace.

"Well, you and I haven't fought in ages, Ace. You beat me when we were kids, but it's different now."

"Dream on..."

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