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The high priest picked up a miniature version of the Flame Emperor and threw it down with a sinister smile, shouting, "Die, you bastard!"
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The blazing fireball hovered over the two of them. Ace raised his eyebrows slightly.
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Hmm... its speed is actually quite slow.
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Ace, agile as ever, ran much faster than the fireball, dodging it with a few quick moves.
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The high priest panted heavily when he saw how fast the boy was moving. He was furious, his eyes almost popping out of his head!
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Is my skill really that easy to dodge?
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But when he turned around, he saw the young man standing there with a sword at his waist, seemingly frozen in fear.
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The high priest''s smile returned, but it quickly froze on his face.
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This scene... looks familiar?
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The fireball crashed to the ground, causing a massive explosion and a heat wave that shot into the sky. The searing hot stream flowed everywhere. Ace and the others watched from the sidelines with their eyes wide open.
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Noir... is he okay?
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The fire licked the red leaves of the island, sending up thick black smoke. The small village was instantly transformed into a sea of fire.
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A black silhouette slowly emerged from the towering flames. Ace and the others immediately recognized him as Noir!
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Seeing Noir walk out of the fire unharmed, the high priest was stunned and stammered, "Why... do you also have... black fire..."
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Amaterasu''s black flames blazed wildly on Noir''s body, and with black fire streaks on his face, his features looked even more sinister, like a devilish overlord emerging from hell.
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"Ordinary flames can''t possibly compare to my Sun Fire Amaterasu," Noir said, raising his burning arm with satisfaction.
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"Impossible! How can this be?" The High Priest stared at Noir in disbelief.
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The terrifying temperature of those black flames made his own flaming body feel the heat!
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How many years had passed since he last felt "hot"?!
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"Die! This is all a lie!" The High Priest swung his flaming whip at Noir, who calmly raised his Amaterasu-covered hand, easily dispersing the flames.
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The orange-red flames seemed to hit their superior. The black Amaterasu flames devoured the ordinary flames like a ravenous beast, causing the High Priest''s flames to scatter as if facing their father.
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"What is happening?" The long revered High Priest fell to the ground in horror as he looked at Noir.
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Noir walked toward the fallen shaman, draped in a black flame cloak, spreading a cloud of black fire with each step.
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This scene was truly one for the books!
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Noir placed his hand on the shaman''s face. Under the combined grip of Armament Haki and the burning Amaterasu, the shaman''s body shook violently, emitting a sound like roasting flesh.
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"No! Please spare me!" The high priest wailed miserably, but Noir remained unmoved.
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The black flames gradually engulfed his entire body. The burning pain drove the shaman mad, and he cursed venomously, "You will go to hell... you will die a horrible death!"
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Noir looked coldly at the struggling shaman and said, "You can take those words to hell with you!"
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With that, Noir drew his Pure Heart Sword and infused it with black flames and Haki. He stabbed the shaman, and the flames of Amaterasu erupted from within!
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"No!!" The shaman''s piercing scream echoed across the island until the voice faded. The Amaterasu flames had done their work, leaving nothing but ashes.
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Noir withdrew his hand and looked coldly at the terrified villagers.
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The villagers were horrified to see their God-Like shaman burned alive. Some cowards knelt and begged for mercy.
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Ace, with a complex expression, walked over to Noir and sighed, "They can''t be saved..."
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Noir pulled back the flames, feeling a bit dejected.
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Such a beautiful island, yet it held dangers and horrors greater than the outside world.
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And these people... was the entire village''s perverse habit cultivated by that one shaman?
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It was only ignorance, hunger, and greed that had robbed them of their humanity and turned them into such walking corpses.
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They could irresponsibly kill anyone who ventured into the mist because the beast within them had lost its restraint.
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But Noir and Ace couldn''t.
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They couldn''t kill everyone on the island to ensure safety; they didn''t have that right.
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Noir didn''t think he had the right to pass a death sentence on an entire island, even if he thought they all deserved to die.
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Maybe Noir still hadn''t fully adjusted to this cruel world...
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"I''ll find a way to inform the Marine," Noir said, sheathing his sword with a sigh.
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Ace nodded. It was better to leave them to the Marine than to deal with it as a pirate.
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Noir glared at the villagers and threatened, "If you dare eat people again, you''ll end up like that damn shaman!"
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The villagers, pale as ghosts, nodded vigorously.
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Ace said with a stern face, "Get us out of here!"
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The villagers hurriedly fetched several red-striped dolphins and tied them to the boat.
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These local red-striped dolphins knew the way. These sea creatures could easily guide Noir and the others out of this place.
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None of them had any fondness for this place and wanted to leave immediately. Back on the ship, they finally set sail.
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In the thick fog, Noir looked back in the direction of Red Leaf Island, wondering if his threat had any effect.
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Maybe the island would become a cannibal island again after they left...
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The red fog gradually turned white, indicating that they were returning to the familiar sea. The heavy mood of the five began to lighten.
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"I''m starving... Noir," Ace groaned, lying on the deck and clutching his stomach.
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Noir replied irritably, "So many demands, and you''re on my ship!"
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The thick-skinned Ace laughed, "We travel together for now! Once we find an island to build a ship on, everything will be fine!"
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Noir had mentioned to Ace that he was also going to the Grand Line.
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This made Ace incredibly happy, as he shamelessly insisted on hitching a ride.
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Noir took a bag of apples from the cabin and pulled out a bright red apple.
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He then drew his Pure Heart sword and began to carefully peel it.
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After peeling several apples, Noir gave some to everyone to satisfy their hunger.
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Then, Noir casually pulled another fruit out of the bag.
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But before he could cut it, Noir noticed that the fruit looked familiar.
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Its surface had spiral patterns, an orange-red color, and the skin was covered with small flame-shaped spiral patterns.
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This was probably... possibly...
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The Flame-Flame Fruit?!