One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

Late at night, in Kaya's villa...

Creak—

Kaya was fast asleep when the door suddenly creaked open.

A shadow slipped in quietly, his glasses glinting coldly in the moonlight and the faint glow of the flaming rose in the room.

It was none other than Kuro, disguised as Klahadore, Kaya's butler.

"It's still burning. There's definitely something strange about this flower."

Kuro glanced at the sleeping Kaya, then turned his attention to the flame rose, his expression cold and indifferent.

Ever since he had spotted Ace and overheard their conversation, Kuro had been on high alert. 

Especially with this peculiar rose—the flame inside it never seemed to die.

"Is it the power of a Devil Fruit user?" Kuro pondered.

Regardless, he had to investigate it thoroughly.

Caution and cunning were Kuro's trademarks.

After inspecting the flame rose for a while and finding nothing unusual, he slowly reached out his hand...

Whoosh—Crack!

Just as his fingers neared the rose, the fire in the heart of the flower flared violently.

"Damn it!"

Kuro tried to retreat, but the flames moved faster. 

In an instant, the fire transformed into a spear and pierced Kuro's shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

The most excruciating pain is said to come from being burned by fire, and the agony Kuro felt was so intense that he couldn't help but let out a scream.

"Who's there?!"

The sudden commotion jolted Kaya awake, and she looked around in panic.

"Klahadore?!"

When she saw Kuro impaled and pinned to the wall by a flaming spear, she gasped in shock.

"Sacred Fire—Shiranui."

"I've been waiting for you, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, 'Kuro of a Thousand Plans'."

The window swung open, and Ace appeared, perched on the windowsill. His finger, glowing with flames, pointed at Kuro, who glared back darkly. Ace smiled lightly.

This move was specifically crafted for Kuro—Ace had modified his 'Sacred Fire—Shiranui' technique using his remarkable understanding of the Mera Mera no Mi.

The flame inside the rose could burn for a whole month. 

By activating the power of the Mera Mera no Mi, the seemingly harmless flame could transform into a flaming spear of divine fire, Shiranui.

Ace speculated that if the Mera Mera no Mi's power ever awakened fully, the flames might burn eternally, like the transformed climate of Punk Hazard.

But for now, this technique was more than enough to handle Kuro.

"Ace?!"

Kaya was overjoyed at seeing Ace, but then her expression shifted as something troubled her.

"Ace, did you say Klahadore is the captain of a pirate crew?"

She looked at Ace in disbelief.

"No, don't listen to him, miss! He's the one who hurt me!" Kuro cried out in desperation.

"This flame rose only reacts when you're in danger, Kaya."

Ace continued calmly, "If he is innocent, why is he sneaking into your room while you sleep?"

Ace glanced at Kuro, as if mocking him.

While Ace had modified the flame's power to respond to Kaya's peril, Kuro had no knowledge of Ace's abilities and was left looking bewildered.

Meanwhile, Kaya, now frightened, instinctively moved behind Ace, eyeing Kuro warily.

Though Kuro had recently become her butler, he hadn't earned Kaya's trust yet—not like he would three years later.

Kuro remained silent, his teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked.

He couldn't understand how Ace had managed to derail his plan so thoroughly. Everything had been going smoothly until this moment!

But then, his despair deepened.

Ace pulled on a rope, and three unconscious figures crashed to the ground.

"Jango, Buchi, Sham?!"

Kuro's eyes were dark with fury as he recognized his fallen subordinates.

It was unexpected, yet in a way, it made sense. If he had underestimated this kid, Jango and the others stood no chance against him either.

"Kaya, this man is 'Hundred Strategies' Kuro, a notorious pirate with a 16-million-Berry bounty on his head!"

Nami suddenly appeared, climbing in through the window and pointing at Kuro, revealing his true identity.

"You bastard!" Kuro growled, trying to resist.

But Ace merely extended his finger, and the fiery spear intensified, drawing another agonizing scream from Kuro.

"Don't move. I am a Flame Man, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. You know what that means, don't you?"

Ace smirked.

At that moment, Kuro's face was painted with utter despair.

Logia?! Could this kid really have one of the most powerful Devil Fruits—the Logia-type?!

As a strategist, Kuro knew very well what possessing a Logia-type Devil Fruit meant.

It meant that in the weak East Blue, this boy was practically invincible.

"Now, get this guy under hypnosis and make him reveal why he came here and what he's done."

Ace gave Jango a light kick.

"I… Even if I hypnotize him, it won't save me from death," Jango gritted out.

"For the sake of my ship's doctor, I'll spare your life after the hypnosis."

Ace glanced at Kaya, still in shock from the unfolding events, and spoke calmly.

"Alright, I'll trust a strong man's word."

Under Kuro's angry protests, Jango approached with his tools and began the hypnosis.

Normally, Kuro might have resisted with sheer willpower, but the agony had broken him.

In Kaya's stunned silence, Kuro revealed everything—his plot to murder Kaya's parents and the reason he had come after her.

In the end, Kaya collapsed into Ace's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.