Chapter 93: Energy Against Energy
When Ace and Ian announced they were going to spar, the members of the Spade Pirates all poured out from the cabins, eager to watch.
However, the memory of Ace burning down a warehouse on Bibbico Island with a single punch was still fresh in their minds. Chef Jimmy couldn't help but say to the two, "Captain Ace, Boss Ian, take it easy, alright? Don't wreck our ship—that would be bad!"
Jimmy didn't need to say it; Ian and Ace already knew that losing the ship on the vast sea would be a disaster. They understood this well, so from the start, they had no intention of using high-powered moves.
Ian and Ace stood a distance apart on the deck. Ace assumed a fighting stance, while Ian crouched slightly, placing his hand on his left hip, gripping the hilt of his sword.
They held this stance, facing off for a long while, until Ace finally couldn't hold back and made the first move. He kicked off the ground hard and charged at Ian with incredible speed.
Ian remained motionless, his eyes locked on Ace's movements. Under the passive effect of his Evil Eye skill, Ace's entire body was now radiating a red aura. This had only started after he ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, meaning Ace had become a highly threatening target for Ian. So Ian dared not be careless.
But Ian also understood that this red aura was just a reference. It likely incorporated the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, but Ace couldn't yet unleash its full potential, so this threat level wasn't entirely accurate.
In the blink of an eye, Ace was right in front of Ian, raising his leg to kick at Ian's head.
Ian ducked quickly, dodging Ace's attack, and moved to draw his sword. But unexpectedly, Ace's right hand followed up, pressing down on Ian's right hand, forcing the half-drawn sword back into its sheath.
Frustrated in his draw, Ian didn't lose heart. With his speed, if he really wanted to draw his sword, Ace couldn't stop him. He just hadn't expected Ace to interrupt his attack this way. As Ace threw another punch aimed at his stomach, Ian swiftly sidestepped and retreated, causing Ace's fist to hit nothing but air.
"Watch out!" Ian shouted, suddenly lunging forward. He drew his Enma sword and swung it at Ace's shoulder with lightning speed.
Ace either couldn't dodge in time or deliberately chose not to, letting Ian's blade strike his shoulder.
But Ian felt no sensation of hitting a solid body... The spot where Ace was struck tore open, then instantly healed.
"Hehe!" Ace turned back to Ian and said, "Looks like you can't hurt me right now!"
"Body elementalization, huh?" Ian smiled slightly.
In fact, Ian had been pondering a question: under normal circumstances, were Logia Devil Fruit users solid bodies or elementalized forms?
Based on Ace's performance just now, he was likely solid in his normal state. Otherwise, if he were always elementalized, he'd be a walking human-shaped flame, burning everything wherever he went.
However, while he was solid normally, it seemed he could switch at will. The moment before being hit, a single thought could trigger the transformation. Because this switch happened so fast, many people couldn't tell whether a Logia user was solid or elemental.
That's why Ian, despite his speed, couldn't hurt Ace earlier. Of course, it was also because Ian had only used ordinary physical attacks, without coating his sword with Psychic Power.
His spar with Ace was meant to test some of his theories, so he wasn't in a rush to reveal his trump cards.
The fight continued. Realizing he couldn't harm Ace, Ian swung his sword without restraint. Using a forward slash, he swiftly moved beside Ace and struck downward.
Ace sidestepped slightly, dodging the slash, then leaped into the air and lashed out with a spinning kick at Ian.
Ian dodged and then thrust his Enma sword at Ace multiple times in rapid succession. The blade moved so fast that afterimages appeared.
But it seemed useless against Ace. He swayed left and right, his footwork shifting unpredictably, dodging every thrust.
Ian wasn't surprised. He knew Ace had already begun to grasp some use of Haki. Back in Loguetown, Ace had shown aptitude for Observation Haki, so dodging attacks wasn't hard.
Ian also knew that Ace possessed not only Observation Haki but also Conqueror's Haki. As for Armament Haki, he likely had it too. Such talent was probably inherited from his father, Pirate King Roger.
Of course, even so, Ace's Haki at this point was like Ian's Psychic Power—neither had yet manifested tangible traits. As mentioned before, Haki developed gradually. Only when it could materialize as a black coating on the skin could it be considered cultivated.
The two exchanged blows, clashing dozens of times on the deck, but neither could gain the upper hand. Ian's ordinary physical attacks couldn't hurt Ace, and Ace couldn't keep up with Ian's speed.
Yet their fight left the Spade Pirates' members stunned. This speed of combat was beyond their imagination.
Only Ian and Ace themselves knew that their exchange was just a probe.
Before eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace had always fought with physical combat. He wasn't used to weapons; the dagger at his waist was mostly decorative. His fight with Ian now followed the same pattern, relying more on his original fighting style without using the Flame-Flame Fruit's power.
After another dozen exchanges, they both silently stepped back.
They exchanged smiles, and then flames appeared on Ace's fists and legs. The rising temperature caused light to refract, making his body look distorted.
"Watch out, Ian! I'm going to use the Flame-Flame Fruit's power!" Ace warned.
"Got it," Ian nodded without saying much, but he began coating his Enma sword with Psychic Power.
Ace's right hand pointed directly at Ian, forming a claw shape. Five sparks of fire flickered in the air.
"Fireworks!"
With Ace's shout, the five sparks shot toward Ian. As they flew, they twisted and spun, forming spiral pillars of fire.
Logia users' techniques stemmed from their understanding of their abilities and imagination. This move was something Ace had just come up with.
Seeing the spiral fire pillars coming at him, Ian narrowed his eyes and swung his sword at them.
With Psychic Power coating the blade, Ian felt a sense of resistance when cutting into the fire pillars. The spiral flames were sliced apart, scattering into sparks.
"Cross Fire!" Ace didn't expect that move to hurt Ian. He crossed his index fingers and shot a cross-shaped flame at Ian.
But this time, Ian didn't directly attack the flame. Instead, he lightly extended his Enma sword and deflected the cross fire to the side.
The cross fire struck Ian's blade but clung to it. Ian twisted his wrist and gently lifted it.
So that's it, Ian thought, feeling the flame energy of the cross fire consuming the Psychic Power coating his sword. He sighed inwardly.
The techniques used by Logia users were essentially part of their own energy. This energy carried the traits of the Logia type—like Ace's flames, which had high heat and burning properties, and couldn't be touched by physical matter. That's why Ian's sword couldn't hurt Ace.
But only energy could touch energy. Ian's Psychic Power was a form of energy. When coated on the blade, it could collide with Ace's flame energy.
That's why he had been able to slice apart Ace's Fireworks earlier.
By this logic, Haki was also a form of energy, which explained why Haki could capture Logia users' solid forms.
At its core, it was all about energy collision.
Ian quickly realized that his Psychic Power might be similar to Haki, but in application, it offered greater flexibility. The same Psychic Power could achieve the effects of both Armament and Observation Haki.
These thoughts flashed through Ian's mind in an instant. After deflecting Ace's Cross Fire, Ian suddenly moved, charging straight at Ace with his hand on his sword hilt.
Startled, Ace thought Ian was about to use a iai slash. He leaped into the air, trying to jump over Ian's head. But Ian's charge was just a feint, meant to force Ace to react.
Seeing Ace in the air, Ian spun around and sent a sword slash upward.
He deliberately avoided vital spots, letting the slash graze past Ace's body.
When Ace landed, he stared blankly at his shoulder, where a wound had appeared. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding.
In disbelief, he asked Ian, "How can you hurt me?"
Ace knew a bit of Haki but had no concept of the term. His use of energy was purely instinctual.
Since Ace was injured, the spar naturally stopped. Ian sheathed his Enma sword and began explaining.
Logia fruits were powerful but not invincible. Elemental weaknesses were one factor—Ace's flames would be severely diminished against Marine Admiral Aokiji's freezing ability. Similarly, he had to be careful against Haki users.
After this exchange with Ace, Ian had confirmed his theory. Indeed, Psychic Power could also capture the solid form of Logia users...