"Fire... is still a very powerful and precious ability," Ace said stubbornly. He was looking at the pink-haired youth before him, who seemed to genuinely believe, from the bottom of his heart, that fire wasn't a rare ability.
"Is that so?"
"Fire is that precious?"
"I thought it was something anyone could do?!"
This was the first time Natsu had ever heard that the ability to use fire was rare.
After all, in the world where his Fairy Tail guild was, fire was an incredibly common power...
To put it bluntly, any half-decent professional mage could conjure a fireball.
It was the kind of magic you could buy directly from a magic shop.
"Err..."
"Although, as you said, the ability of fire may not be that rare," Ace conceded, clearly stung by Natsu's words.
"But abilities aren't stronger just because they're rarer."
"When it comes to fire alone, I, who ate the Logia-type Mera Mera Fruit, am definitely the strongest one."
Ace pivoted away from the topic of rarity and onto the development and application of fire.
"Now that's a line I can't pretend I didn't hear," Natsu said, instantly coming alive at the word 'strongest'. He cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing lightly—'k-crack, k-crack'—and said eagerly, "When it comes to using fire, I, who trained in Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, am the most powerful."
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"But I get your meaning perfectly..."
"You're challenging my position in the way of fire, aren't you?"
"In that case, we have a fight that must be fought."
Hearing this, Ace's expression faltered for a moment. His brow furrowed and his gaze grew sharp.
Even though he had no idea what a 'Fire Dragon Slayer Mage' was, it didn't stop him from understanding one thing: Natsu was challenging his status as the user of the Flare-Flare Fruit, the strongest fire-user in the world...
He had learned to control his hot temper over the years, thanks to Whitebeard's teachings, but this was something he couldn't let slide.
In an instant, the atmosphere between Natsu and Ace grew heavy. The temperature in the tavern began to climb as the two faced off.
"Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?!"
"That's weird, it shouldn't be!"
"Did I drink too much and start hallucinating?"
The onlookers in the tavern, who had grown braver after a few drinks, began to feel an intense wave of heat.
In fact, judging by the thermometer on the wall that had already shot past forty degrees Celsius, it was no hallucination...
The temperature inside and outside the building was indeed rising steadily.
"Alright, you two. Your little chat is over."
"Now it's my turn to ask the questions..."
"And you'd better answer them carefully."
Just as the battle between Natsu and Ace was about to erupt, Smoker, who had been on high alert for some time, seemed to have seen enough. He cut through their standoff with a cold voice.
"Hm?"
Natsu and Ace turned almost simultaneously to look at him.
"Tch."
As Smoker became the center of their attention, he couldn't help but click his tongue. He could feel an immense pressure from their gazes. It felt as though he couldn't handle a single one of them.
"First, Eden's crew. According to our intel, you should have already reached Mock Town..."
"At your pace and with your strength, you should almost be at the Sabaody Archipelago by now, on your way to the New World!"
"So why turn back and come to this beautiful and peaceful nation of Alabasta?!"
"What exactly are you planning to do in this peaceful country?"
Smoker directed his first question to Eden's crew. In his view, they were the more unstable factor.
In fact, according to the Marine's internal think tank, Eden's crew was assessed to be at a New World level of power.
The higher-ups' intention was to just let them enter the New World. Let those damned pirates go there and kill each other. It would be best if Eden was ambitious enough—not to take down an Emperor, but even just to deal a heavy blow to one of their territories would be enough. As long as he stirred up trouble, it would be a win for the Marines and the World Government.
But, to everyone's surprise, Eden's crew had pulled a complete turnaround. Instead of pushing forward, they had come back to Alabasta.
"Is this country peaceful?"
"I heard it's in the middle of a civil war," Eden finally spoke up. He had been watching the show with a detached, "none-of-my-business" air, eagerly waiting for Natsu and Ace to fight.
"You bastard..."
"Are you planning to take advantage of the country's civil unrest to make some big move?!"
"I won't let you succeed."
Hearing this, Smoker gripped the Seastone-tipped jitte on his back, ready to attack. As a righteous Marine, how could he possibly tolerate pirates like Eden destroying this beautiful nation?
"No."
"The one planning to take advantage of the unrest isn't me."
"On the contrary... I'm here to stop him," Eden shook his head, stating the truth.
"What do you mean?"
"What intelligence do you have? Tell me, now!"
Smoker froze for a second. He didn't know why, but he subconsciously felt that Eden wasn't lying...
But the pride of the Marines wouldn't allow him to speak gently, let alone let Eden do as he pleased. He demanded, "If you're really here to stop this country's civil war, then tell me the identity of the mastermind right now!"
"Then... get out of this country! And never come back..."
"Capturing criminals and stopping terrorist acts is my job as a Marine, not yours."
Smoker's words were firm and righteous. It seemed he truly intended to stop the culprit behind the civil war himself, all for the sake of his justice.
"You can't do it," Eden stated frankly.
"What did you say?! I am a Marine of Justice! What is there in this world that you pirates can do, but the Marines cannot?" Smoker demanded, his voice filled with pride in his identity and contempt for pirates like Eden.
"Is that so?"
"If the enemy is this nation's hero, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile... can you still stop him, Mr. Smoker?" Eden asked with a smile.
"What did you say?!"
"The mastermind behind the civil war... is the Warlord Crocodile?!"
At first, Smoker didn't believe Eden's claim that he couldn't stop the unrest. But when Eden said the name 'Crocodile,' Smoker fell silent.
If the enemy really was one of the Seven Warlords, let alone the gap in strength, Smoker was legally powerless to act against him.
"Alright."
"Now, don't interrupt the duel between two real men," Eden said, looking at the stunned Smoker and shaking his head with a sigh.
At the same time...
"Let's go! We'll fight outside..."
"We can't really let loose in here."
"I was thinking the same thing."
Natsu and Ace both walked right past the dazed Smoker and headed for the exit. They were going outside to settle the score.
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter