One Piece: Invincible Starting From The Fruit Of Words-Chapter 197 Ace Vs Shiryu, Marko Vs Katakuri

"Lucifer!!!"

In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, Ace let out a furious roar and charged straight at Lucifer.

A massive flaming serpent erupted from his right arm, incinerating the pirates in his path.

"Get out of the way!"

Ace's eyes burned with hatred the moment he locked onto Lucifer.

At this moment, he was like a wild beast, seeing nothing but his target.

Anyone who stood in his way was reduced to ashes by his searing flames.

"Hey, Shiryu, is that the one who slipped through your fingers?"

Enel glanced at Ace, a mocking smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

Shiryu of the Rain's expression turned icy, his eyes flashing red.

"I'll erase that mistake right now."

In an instant, his figure blurred, transforming into a stream of blood that streaked across the battlefield.

Any pirate caught in his path was drained dry, their bodies withering into lifeless husks.

"Blood Scythe!"

A crimson crescent of energy slashed through the air, striking Ace and sending him hurtling backward.

Ace crashed into a group of pirates, knocking them to the ground.

"Cough! Cough!"

He pushed himself up, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

When his gaze fell on Shiryu, his fury surged once more.

"You bastard!"

There were three people Ace hated most in this world.

First was his biological father, Roger—no need to say more.

Second was Lucifer, the one who ordered the destruction of the Spade Pirates.

And third was Shiryu of the Rain, the man who had nearly killed him.

Shiryu bit down on his cigar and exhaled a ring of smoke.

"Brat, I let you escape last time. You won't be so lucky today."

Ace spat out blood-tinged saliva and wiped his mouth.

"If you think you can take me down, then try it!"

"Fire Fist!"

Ace's right arm transformed into roaring flames, and a massive fiery fist exploded forward, heating the air around it.

Shiryu grinned wickedly, raising his blade.

"Blood Slash!"

His crimson attack clashed with Ace's flames, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

The intense heat evaporated the blood energy, while the slash split the flames apart.

With a deafening boom, the fire attack was completely torn apart.

The lingering energy of Shiryu's slash continued forward, aiming straight for Ace's chest.

Boom!

At the last moment, a blue flame descended from the sky, obliterating Shiryu's attack.

Marco flapped his wings and landed beside Ace, his expression serious.

"Ace, don't let your guard down. This guy is strong."

"You step back. I'll handle him."

Ace was still too young. Even though he possessed a Logia ability, he wasn't yet a match for Shiryu, a veteran killer feared across the seas.

"No, Marco!"

Ace refused, shaking his head.

"This one... I must defeat with my own hands."

"Ace, don't be reckless!"

"I'm not being reckless."

Ace glanced at Lucifer in the distance, gritting his teeth.

"I understand now—I can't beat Lucifer.

But this one, I must take down myself!"

Ace's gaze burned with determination as flames erupted from his body, their temperature rising sharply.

Marco studied Ace for a moment before nodding.

"If that's your decision, then go for it."

Once a man made up his mind, stopping him would only be an insult.

"Unparalleled Mochi Blade Bomb!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, countless pitch-black bullets rained down, piercing Marco's body like a beehive.

Marco, however, remained unfazed.

He slowly turned his head, meeting the gaze of his attacker—Katakuri.

As blue flames ignited at his wounds, they closed up instantly.

The Phoenix Fruit's regeneration ability was monstrous, even more fearsome than Logia elementalization.

Logia users could avoid attacks but were vulnerable to Haki-infused strikes.

But Marco's Phoenix powers allowed him to take direct hits, heal, and keep fighting.

Even against Katakuri's Armament Haki-infused bullets, he didn't need to dodge.

Marco smirked, his dead-fish eyes locking onto Katakuri.

"Katakuri... long time no see."

Originally, Marco was the second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates, and Katakuri was the second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates.

The two had fought many times in the past.

Katakuri retracted his rice cake machine gun and said in a deep voice, "Yeah, it's been a long time."

Marco responded, "I didn't expect we'd meet in a situation like this."

"Lucifer killed Big Mom, but you still work for him. That's not like you!"

Katakuri didn't reply, merely saying, "Enough talk. Let's fight!"

Whoosh!

Boom!

Katakuri and Marco attacked simultaneously.

Katakuri's speed was blistering, his black shadow disappearing in an instant.

Marco transformed into blue flames and collided head-on with Katakuri.

A terrifying shockwave erupted, shattering the ground and sending strong winds in all directions.

The two second-in-command members of their respective pirate crews were clashing once more after a long absence.

Neither Lucifer nor Whitebeard had made a move yet.

In an all-out war, of course, the strongest leaders wouldn't step in right away.

Red Earl Ryder walked behind Lucifer and said calmly, "With your strength, defeating Whitebeard shouldn't be a problem. Why don't you make a move?"

Lucifer smiled faintly. "It's no fun if the war ends too soon.

"Besides, the main actors haven't even arrived yet. How can the performance end?"

Defeating Whitebeard would indeed be easy for Lucifer.

But the Marine fleet hadn't arrived yet. What would they do if Whitebeard were defeated and the Marines ran away?

Also, Lucifer had more than just the Marines in mind.

There was another big fish yet to appear!

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud noise shook the battlefield.

Diamond Jozu punched the rocky ground with his powerful wrist, instantly cracking the earth beneath him.

The shockwave spread in a circular radius, causing the ground to break apart.

Jozu then dug out a massive boulder with a diameter of over 300 meters and hurled it toward Lucifer.

"Try and stop this!"

With Jozu's roar, the enormous boulder shot into the sky, blocking out the sun.

Everyone looked up, feeling as though a mountain was about to crash down on them.

"Hey, hey, isn't this a bit too big?"

The Evil King Pizarro glanced up at the boulder above his head, revealing his dead fish eyes.

"Yeah, it's not cute at all. My wife hates men who rely solely on brute force!"

Catherine Diemei glanced at Jozu and lost interest in him immediately.

Red Earl Ryder stepped forward and swiftly drew the long blade at his waist.

Whoosh!

In an instant, more than twenty sword qi pierced the air, instantly shredding the massive boulder to pieces.

As the enemy's attack was easily neutralized, the morale of the Ghost Pirates soared.

"Such a massive boulder was sliced apart in an instant!"

"Red Earl, it's the Red Earl!"

"The legendary pirate of the old era, an existence on par with our father!"

"Why did such a terrifying man join Lucifer?"

Seeing the Red Earl standing beside Lucifer, members of the Whitebeard Pirates felt a surge of fear.

A person's name casts a long shadow.

This was an individual who stood on equal footing with their father, and their fear of the Red Earl was instinctual.

"Don't be afraid, you idiots! That's just an old man!"

Whitebeard roared, silencing the fear among his crew.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, locking on to Lucifer and the Red Earl.

"Ryder, I didn't expect you to stoop so low and follow a brat with a runny nose!"

No matter how strong Lucifer was, in Whitebeard's eyes, he was still a mere child.

After all, the age gap between them was undeniable.

To put it bluntly, when Whitebeard first set sail, Lucifer's father had probably not even been born yet.

Ryder smiled indifferently. "Things change, and I never thought I'd end up here."

"Hmph, arrogant fool."

Whitebeard scowled with a cold glint in his eyes.

It had to be said that the lineup of the Ghost Pirates was putting immense pressure on Whitebeard.

Not even Lucifer, but just the Red Earl, who had regained his peak strength, was enough to give Whitebeard a headache.

After all, Whitebeard was no longer the man he once was.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a series of roars reverberated through the battlefield, causing the entire desert island to tremble.

Everyone looked up to see a massive figure emerging behind the Whitebeard Pirates.

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