Chapter 88: The Dead Arise once again!

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Admiral Aokiji!"

Watching the live broadcast split the screen, countless Marines burst into tears.

The hero of their Marine, the legendary Vice Admiral Garp, who once forced the Pirate King Gol D. Roger into desperate situations several times, was now taking action! Even against the once legendary pirate and right hand of the Pirate King, 'Dark King' Rayleigh, the Marines were confident in Garp's eventual victory.

For countless Marines, Garp was a spiritual pillar. To a great extent, Garp symbolized justice. This was partly due to the World Government's efforts to diminish the impact of the Great Pirate Era started by Roger by elevating Garp's hero status to the highest peak.

Garp earned his hero status after the Valley of the Gods incident involving the Rocks Pirates. In that incident, Garp and Roger joined forces to stop Rocks D. Xebec and defeat the Rocks Pirates. However, the World Government hid the details, especially since it involved the Celestial Dragons. Instead, they emphasized how Garp had repeatedly forced Roger into desperate situations. This narrative not only enhanced Garp's reputation but also served to suppress Roger's legacy, maintaining a so-called balance of the sea.

This relentless promotion had side effects. Garp's hero status became so exalted that even when his son, Monkey D. Dragon, became the leader of the revolutionary army and was branded "the most vicious criminal in the world," or when Ace, whom Garp had adopted, became the fifth emperor of the sea, Garp's heroic reputation remained unshaken. The World Government had to distance Garp from his son and Ace, but they could not undermine his heroic image. Garp's heroism had been so ingrained in public perception that any blemish on his record would overturn Marine's sense of justice and disrupt the sea's balance.

Thus, Garp's involvement meant Marine was deploying its ultimate line of defense.

In the live broadcast, the terrifying clash with Rayleigh, filled with violent black and purple lightning that made the world tremble, had many strong figures on the sea watching with solemn expressions.

Naval Headquarters had declared an all-out war with the Entei Pirates and their leader, the fifth emperor, Portgas D. Ace! And Garp absolutely could not be defeated. In front of the world, this Marine hero could never fall.

Countless Marines around the world pinned their hopes on this legendary figure. Sengoku understood this deeply. Facing Ace, who laughed boldly, Sengoku transformed into his giant Buddha form, eyes shining with golden light.

They had moved swiftly, but to their dismay, Akainu and Kizaru had already been defeated. Kizaru was captured, and Akainu was gravely injured. The Marines had lost two significant combat capabilities in one fell swoop.

The situation was grim. Sengoku watched the battle with Rayleigh. Although Garp had a certain advantage, he could not decide the winner quickly. Fujitora, the blind middle-aged man, was faintly suppressing Aokiji with top-tier Haki, fruit ability, and swordsmanship. Sengoku's expression grew darker.

Who was this blind middle-aged man?

Aokiji, understanding Marine's predicament, was exerting himself fully. He utilized the strongest state of his Frozen Fruit ability, Armament Haki, and Ice Gloves inherited from Garp's Iron Fist. Yet, Fujitora was still suppressing him.

It was clear that in saving Akainu earlier, Aokiji had expended too much energy cooling the lava, which was ten times hotter than Akainu's Lava-Lava Fruit. Now, the Sabaody Archipelago had turned into a burning hell because of Ace's power. At this temperature, even if Aokiji had developed the Frozen Fruit ability to its ultimate form, he could not use its awakened power to transform natural elements to restore his energy. Logia Devil Fruit users could not transform into their elements in such an unnatural environment created by Ace.

Portgas D. Ace's current Devil Fruit ability was on a completely different level.

Sengoku gritted his teeth. As the ultimate wielder of the Human-Human Fruit: Model Daibutsu, which granted him Buddha-like power, Sengoku realized the most troublesome aspect of Ace's ability: the Marine's strongest, the three Logia Admirals, were no match for Ace.

Even if Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu joined forces, they would be powerless against the current Portgas D. Ace. Akainu's Lava-Lava Fruit was now completely outclassed by Ace's power. Kizaru, who relied too much on his Sparkling Fruit ability, had the weakest Haki among the three Admirals. Ace's Devil Fruit ability had surpassed all other Logia abilities by a dimension. While other Logia users could not affect Ace, Ace's power could suppress all Logia users, turning their environment into a more hellish landscape than the earth's core. He absorbed nature's power to strengthen himself, rendering other Logia users helpless.

From today on, no Logia Devil Fruit user, regardless of their strength, could ever hope to defeat Portgas D. Ace. He was no longer just the Emperor of Flames.

But that's exactly why!

Sengoku's body flashed with intense golden light, radiating brilliance that lit up the sky. His form expanded rapidly, growing taller and more imposing, until he became a golden Buddha statue towering over an ordinary giant, embodying the essence of a real Buddha.

"Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu – Full Beast Form!"

With his abilities fully activated, Sengoku's right fist was enveloped in a unique air wave characteristic of his Buddha form. Violent purple-black lightning crackled around him, intensifying as it wrapped around the air wave on his right fist.

"Buddha Fist!"

Sengoku roared, launching a punch infused with Conqueror's Haki and the full power of his Buddha form.

"Boom!"

Ace's eyes narrowed as he saw Sengoku's powerful strike. He responded with his own punch, his right fist thrusting forward with force.

"Boom!!!"

The atmosphere exploded with terrifying power.

"Sure enough! With such a terrifying temperature, even you can't perfectly combine the power of Conqueror's Haki with this kind of flame that exceeds the natural limit right away! It seems you have only just mastered this power, Portgas D. Ace!"

Sengoku observed how Ace's pure fire ability intertwined with Conqueror's Haki and combined it with the full power of his Daibutsu form. Though amazed, Sengoku's eyes also gleamed with ultimate wisdom. Conqueror's Haki – Entanglement, the most fearsome power in the sea, was extremely difficult to master. Few could wrap Conqueror's Haki around fists, swords, and other physical objects. That Ace could perfectly wrap Conqueror's Haki around his Logia Mera-Mera Fruit ability was incredible, justifying his title as the Emperor of Fire.

However, Ace was now using flames that exceeded the Mera-Mera Fruit's temperature limit by more than ten times. Even Ace couldn't perfectly wrap Conqueror's Haki around such terrifying flames immediately upon developing this power.

Sengoku's eyes shone with wisdom. Just moments ago, Ace had declared before the entire world that he would turn Akainu's Lava-Lava Fruit ability into nourishment for advancing his Mera-Mera Fruit ability, demonstrating his mastery of advanced abilities. Yet this also proved that Ace had only recently developed this terrifying power.

Given time, Sengoku believed that Ace, with his heaven-defying talent, would eventually perfect the combination of Conqueror's Haki with his advanced flames. But for now, Marine needed to win this war!

"Go! While Marshal Sengoku blocks the Flame Emperor, capture the execution platform!"

A Vice Admiral, a candidate for Admiral, shouted, pointing at the distant execution platform. His face was serious, devoid of any frivolity.

"Yes!"

Several Marine Vice Admirals, including some giant Vice Admirals, landed on Sabaody Archipelago Grove-1. They were all covered in powerful Armament Haki to resist the terrifying heat permeating the area, though this would quickly drain their physical strength. Nevertheless, Marine needed a swift victory. Rear Admirals, also adept at covering their entire bodies with Armament Haki, joined the charge towards the execution platform.

"Damn it!"

The female members of Ace's crew gathered, their expressions darkening as they saw the Marine elites rushing towards the execution platform.

"How?! All powers in this sea are fair! Even if you obtain such powerful abilities that exceed the limits of natural flames, the terrifying heat you generate affects everyone! We, the Marines, are not the only ones suffering; the Entei Pirates are also affected! Even if you control the temperature to minimize its impact on your crew at the execution platform, we can use Haki to resist the heat without expending too much energy. And your Logia Devil Fruit users, like the 'Little Thieving Cat' and 'Desert Princess,' can't use their awakened powers in this hellish environment either!"

Sengoku, transformed into a Buddha, said solemnly to Ace.

"Now, the outcome will be determined by Haki! Your Entei Pirates, though unusual, rely on Devil Fruit abilities. But here, the power of Logia Devil Fruits is restricted, including those under your command. Haki will decide the victor!"

Sengoku's wisdom and decisiveness shone through. Ace nodded in acknowledgment, recognizing Sengoku's strategic brilliance. The purgatory environment Ace created with his newfound abilities was turned into a strategic element by Sengoku. This level of wisdom and decisiveness was truly remarkable.

"However, it is nothing but useless work."

The corners of Ace's mouth lifted into a confident smile.

"Don't try to use Conqueror's Haki to rescue anyone, Portgas·D·Ace! I will hold you back!" Sengoku's body radiated terrifying Conqueror's Haki, his determination unyielding.

"Did I say that I wanted to go to the rescue myself?"

The scorching sun prison clothes around Ace roared violently. With a swift motion, he slammed his right hand against the sky and the earth.

"Arise!"

The terrifying flames disappeared into the earth.

"Crack! Click! Bang!"

In an instant, countless lands shattered, transforming the entire space into a strange dark red, resembling the underworld of Hades.

"Whoo! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Under Sengoku's incredulous gaze, countless charred bodies crawled out of the fractured earth, like evil spirits returning from purgatory.

"The souls of the dead who burned at my hands," Ace declared, his voice filled with a chilling calm.

He raised his head, a dark grin spreading across his face. "Enjoy the joy of the battlefield once again!"

"Remnant Fire Style – South-Fire Ten Trillions Death Burial Formation!"

The scene was surreal and horrifying. The battlefield was engulfed in a ghastly aura as the charred bodies, animated by Ace's terrifying power, advanced with relentless ferocity. The land itself seemed to echo with the cries of the fallen, their spirits bound to Ace's will.

"Whoo! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Countless charred bodies crawled out of the ground. The black charred skeleton legion was still burning with terrifying flames, like flaming ghosts returning from hell. The entire battlefield turned a dark red, as if it had truly become the legendary purgatory of Hades!

Countless black and charred skeleton legions crawled out of Hades and Purgatory, with empty eye sockets, accompanied by the "crunching" sound of charred vertebrae. They stared at the generals of the navy headquarters, who looked shocked and disbelieving. Even the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals, who had experienced countless battles and were battle-hardened, stopped in their tracks, with horror on their faces at this unbelievable sight, which resembled Hades and Purgatory.

"What's this?! The unjust souls who died at the hands of Portgas D. Ace?! The innocent souls controlled by Portgas D. Ace?!" Looking at the countless empty eyes with strange colors, a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts. These Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals, who had been on the battlefield for a long time and had experienced countless battles, felt cold all over.

"Crunch! Crunch!" Countless charred skeletons, with their twisted bodies exuding terrifying heat, roared towards the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals. Their mission was to devour and tear to pieces all those whom the Flame Emperor wanted to eliminate! And the Ace who controlled all of this was like the one who ruled Hades and Purgatory. Die!

Sengoku looked at this hellish scene with shock. Impossible, unbelievable! Are these the people who were killed by Portgas D. Ace and are now controlled by him? How could such a thing happen?! If the terrifying flame used by Portgas D. Ace before was ten times more than the natural flame limit, although it exceeded the limit of Logia Devil Fruit, it was still within the flame of the Mera-mera Fruit itself.

But now, what kind of ability is this?! Is Portgas D. Ace controlling the souls he killed?! This has transcended the category of Logia. It's like the special abilities given by mythical beasts to those with abilities. Just like the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha, which Sengoku ate, giving him the power, wisdom, and spirit of the Buddha. Now, did the Mera-mera Fruit give Portgas D. Ace the power to control the dead?

No, that's not right! The Mera-mera Fruit, which is a Logia Devil Fruit, has absolutely no such power. It should be said that it was Portgas D. Ace who gave the Mera-mera Fruit the power to control the souls of the dead! This sea can indeed produce incredible and unimaginable events.

This scene of purgatory in the underworld made Sengoku, who had gained the power, spirit, and wisdom of the Buddha, start to feel shaken in his heart. How could such a thing happen? An ability user giving a Logia Devil Fruit the same special abilities as a phantom beast species, this is no longer something humans can do. But what happened next made Sengoku even more upset.

"Do you think this is the end, Sengoku?!" At this moment, Ace's dark red eyes, like the blazing sun, flashed fiercely. His right hand waved violently.

"Buzz!" Several flickering light spots appeared in the atmosphere with Ace's wave, then!

"Buzz!" "Whoosh! Whoosh!" Three souls appeared out of thin air in the atmosphere.

"This, this is what Ace did to Gecko Moria at Thriller Bark." In this war, Perona can only currently serve as a marginal factor. At this moment, she is responsible for guarding the captive Kizaru. Perona, who is using her ghost fruit ability to constantly pass through Kizaru's body, covered her red lips and looked at the three souls that appeared out of thin air.

"My life is really a failure. I'm sorry." Kizaru, under the power of Perona's ghost fruit, knelt on the ground and kept low. "It's Brook's Underworld Fruit ability." Nami murmured. This is Ace, in the Thriller Bark, after using the bear's Paw-Paw Fruit ability and blessing it with the field of understanding, part of Brook's Underworld Fruit ability popped up.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The three souls accurately found the three crawling charred skeletons and rushed into them.

"Buzz!" Under the disbelieving gazes of Sengoku, all Marines, and countless people around the world, these three charred skeletons changed rapidly. They turned into three flame puppets, their whole bodies burnt, but they had appearances.

"Long time no see, Sengoku, hahaha!" One of them raised his head, looked at Sengoku, and let out a unique laugh.

"Crocodile?!" Looking at the familiar face, Sengoku's pupils shrank and he cried out in horror. It was none other than Sir Crocodile, one of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea who died at the hands of Ace!

"Crocodile." Vivi looked at this familiar face and her eyes narrowed. "Long time no see, Miss Wednesday. No, I should call you 'Desert Princess' now, right? Has my Sand-Sand Fruit ability been awakened? I have really become someone famous all over the world, hahaha!"

Crocodile, who was summoned from the underworld by Ace, blessed by the field of understanding and Brook's Underworld Fruit ability, immediately obtained the memory implanted by Ace using high temperatures. Looking at Vivi, Crocodile smiled.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Crocodile." Vivi's red lips slightly raised. Regarding Crocodile, Vivi was extremely calm. The inner demons had completely disappeared during the journey with Ace. She belonged to the Entei Pirates, Ace, Desert Princess.

"I didn't expect it either. Also, long time no see, Miss All-Sunday. No, you've accepted that title by now, right? 'Child of the Devil,' Nico Robin." Crocodile looked at Robin standing next to Vivi.

"Ah, I am still proud of this title now." Robin's red lips slightly lifted.

"I never expected that I would be driven by you in this attitude, Portgas D. Ace. Launched a war that swept the world? As expected, your name can even be heard in the underworld! Flame Emperor! Then, let me allow you to drive my soul, hahaha!" Crocodile looked up to the sky and laughed.

"Buzz!" A point of light was thrown out by Ace and touched Crocodile. This is part of the Sand-Sand Fruit's ability that popped out from Vivi in Thriller Bark, under the influence of Ace's field of understanding, and the bear's Paw-Paw Fruit!

"Sand Storm!" The terrifying sandstorm roared instantly amid Crocodile's laughter.

"Actually, you can even do this kind of thing? Portgas D. Ace! It seems that I was really a frog in the well before, hahaha! Is this the Blue sea? Although it is not the infinite land, it is really exciting to be able to touch the earth again, hahaha!"

Another figure raised his head, but it was a face that Sengoku didn't recognize. "Enel." Laki and Conis looked at the familiar face, their beautiful eyes flashing slightly.

"Let me use my soul as a god to your heart's content! Emperor Yan! I want everyone in the Blue Sea to hear this god's name! Hahaha!"

Enel laughed arrogantly. Even if he died, in his heart, he was still that arrogant god.

"Buzz!" A point of light was thrown out by Ace and touched Enel. This is part of the Thunder Fruit's ability!

"Bah! Boom! Boom!!!" Accompanied by violent thunder, countless violent thunder and lightning roared.

"Crocodile, and that person, look at the burnt wings, he should be from Sky Island, could it be that the Thunder Fruit was hunted from this person?" Sengoku gritted his teeth and looked at the scene in disbelief.

The last charred body slowly raised its head, causing the pupils of countless Marines to shrink. "Ghost Spider?!!!" Akainu, who was exhausted and seriously injured, looked at this familiar face and cried out in horror.

It was the Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral, the core figure of the original Hawks, who was killed by Ace in Enies Lobby Buster Call, the Ghost Spider. "I didn't expect that I would come back in this state, unable to resist this driving force." A wry smile also appeared on Ghost Spider's gloomy face. "Come on, colleagues." Looking at the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals in the distance, Ghost Spider said in a deep voice.

"Call!" Ace waved his hand suddenly, and eight flaming swords emerged from the sea of fire. The ghost spider's hair was constantly surging, fully mastering these eight flaming swords. Eight-sword style!

"Let me give you this power to use first." The corners of Ace's mouth raised slightly, and a ball of light from the Paw-Paw Fruit suddenly touched his body.

"Haki!" Three pitch-black light spots touched the bodies of Ghost Spider, Crocodile, and Enel respectively. "Buzz!" The jet-black Armament Haki, in the hands of three people, roared crazily.

"Guhahahaha! Because it is a soul and a broken body, we cannot have Haki in life, so you would lend us your Armament Haki? However, this Haki is really powerful! Even your gifted haki is even more exaggerated than my previous full strength. Flame Emperor!" Crocodile looked up to the sky and laughed, feeling the intensity of Haki wrapped around him.

"Is this the power called Armament Haki? A powerful force that can directly cause damage to Logias. Hahaha! Coupled with the power of my thunder, let everyone in the Blue sea know this god's name!" Enel felt the Armament Haki wrapped around him and laughed.

"The incredible strength of Ace's Haki, just the separated parts, is what makes me this strong." Ghost Spider looked gloomy, Armament Haki fiercely entangling eight flaming swords.

Under Ace's control, the temperature of these eight flame swords is around 1000 degrees Celsius. The Ghost Spider's Armament Haki control method is enough to wield it.

"Use this power well and enjoy the joy of the battlefield." The corners of Ace's lips curved into a Haki smile as he gave the order.

The pop-up Haki cannot be used by living people, because living people themselves also have their own Haki. But like Crocodile, they are now souls themselves, flame golems made of charred ashes. But they can use the Armament Haki that pops up on its own. As for the loss of popping up this Haki, you only need to use fire to restore your physical strength.

Ace grabbed hard with his right hand. Countless flames integrated into the body, physical strength rapidly recovering. Mera-mera Fruit's ability is awakened and blessed by nature! Sengoku looked at him with piercing eyes.

"Guhahaha! Come on! Marines! Desert Sword!" Crocodile laughed, and the sand knife from Ace's Armament Haki suddenly swung down.

"Boom!" The terrifying sand blade suddenly grew in size and was chopped out, entangled with the terrifying Armament Haki, and slashed towards the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals.

"Armament Haki!" "Clang!" Accompanied by a harsh roar, a powerful Haki-Infused Sword and the huge sand blade collided violently.

"Boom!" The violent fluctuations suddenly exploded! "Admiral candidate, Momousagi? Guhahahaha!" As a former Shichibukai, Crocodile is no stranger to Momousagi, making him laugh out loud.

"Crocodile!" Momousagi shouted coldly, and suddenly chopped off the Gold hook in his hand. "Boom!" The terrifying Haki slash slashed across Crocodile's charred body. "Pfft!" Crocodile's body was shattered instantly.

But Momousagi's face showed no joy at all, but was extremely solemn. "Buzz!" Countless charred ashes poured out from the earth, and Crocodile's body reappeared. "It's useless, I am Immortal, a fierce ghost summoned from the underworld. Unless you defeat the Flame Emperor, I will be immortal! Guhahahaha!"

Crocodile looked at Momousagi and many of the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals who looked ugly because of their relationship. Because the body is entirely composed of charred ashes, Crocodile is naturally unable to use the elementalization of the Sand-Sand Fruit. He can only use the Sand-Sand Fruit as an attack method. Enel, too.

However, current Crocodile and Enel do not need elementalization at all. Once the South Ten Trillion Death Burial Formation is activated, even if their remains are destroyed countless times, they will still be reassembled from countless charred ashes. You can only stop all this by defeating Ace.

"Hahaha! Sixty million volts-Thunder Beast!" Enel knocked on the big drum behind him, and a thunder beast composed entirely of violent thunder and lightning wrapped around the terrifying Armament Haki and let out a roar of thunder and lightning, biting the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals in the distance fiercely.

"Remember! My name is God, Enel!" Enel laughed a lot, using the Thunder Fruit ability and the Armament Haki given by Ace, fighting with the Admiral Vice Admiral and several Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals.

"Be careful, colleagues, my body is now immortal. Moreover, after using Flame Emperor's Armament Haki, I am much stronger than I was before I was alive." Ghost Spider said solemnly.

"Shave!" The figure of the ghost spider disappeared in an instant, and the eight flaming swords wrapped around the terrifying Armament Haki actually killed eight Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals at the same time, rendering them helpless.

Because the ghost spider doesn't care at all, even if its body is destroyed, it will still recover quickly under the Ten Trillions Death Burial Formation. But they cannot be hit by the ghost spider's attack. Because what's wrapped around the Ghost Spider's flaming sword is the terrifying Armament Haki from Flame Emperor Portgas D. Ace! If you get hit, you will definitely die!

The Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals who were attacking the execution platform were all intercepted! "How do you like it? My ability, Sengoku. If you don't knock me down, they will be immortal." Ace looked at Sengoku, who looked ugly, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.