One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

"Bankai! Zanka no Tachi!" 

A deep, ancient voice reverberated from Ace's mouth.

"Fwoosh! Bah!!!"

The sword held in his remaining hand looked like a sword scorched by fire, its blade covered in cracks, battered and worn.

Yet, this very sword caused Yhwach's pupils to contract violently, despite his claim to be omniscient and omnipotent.

"It's been a thousand years, Yhwach. It's time to finish this."

The old voice echoed again, and flames erupted beneath his feet with terrifying intensity.

'Boom!'

In an instant, he appeared before Yhwach, swinging the scorched sword down with ferocious power.

'Fwoosh!'

Yhwach dodged at an impossible angle, barely avoiding the blow. The tip of the scorched blade brushed the earth as lightly as a breeze.

And then—

'Whoosh!!! Bang!'

With an almost imperceptible sound, as if the world itself had been wiped away, a portion of the earth vanished completely—erased from existence, as though it had never been there at all.

"Zanka no Tachi – East: Kyokujitsujin.

(Longsword of the Remnant Flame, East: Rising Sun Edge)"

The ancient voice spoke once more.

This technique, Kyokujitsujin, concentrated the immense heat of Zanka no Tachi into the tip of the blade, wiping away anything it touched—not by burning or exploding, but by erasing its very existence.

"It's dangerous indeed. I mustn't be hit by that attack," Yhwach muttered, his normally dull eyes now flashing with caution.

In the thousand years since their last encounter, Zanka no Tachi had become even more dangerous.

'Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!'

Ace, now wielding the Remnant Flame sword, continued to swing the scorched blade. Wherever its tip reached, objects were erased completely, leaving no trace of their existence.

'Bang! Bang! Bang!'

Everything the blade touched vanished instantly—its mere presence enough to wipe them from the world.

"But if you miss," Yhwach said calmly, dodging each strike with unbelievable speed, "then it doesn't matter how dangerous your sword is."

He eyed the old figure in the distance, who had momentarily paused. Yhwach remained confident in his omniscience and omnipotence, which went beyond mere power. To think that the Zanka no Tachi could land a hit on someone like him was far too naïve. 

'Fwoosh!'

The old figure paid no heed to Yhwach's words. Slowly, he raised the burnt sword in front of him.

And then—

'Fwoosh! Boom!!!'

A violent sea of flames burst from his body, consuming everything in sight.

'Boom!'

The flames, like divine punishment, filled every inch of space, transforming the earth, the buildings, and the sky into an inferno. This entire realm had become a world of fire. The heat was so intense that nothing was distorted—it was instantly erased by the overwhelming temperature.

"!!!"

Yhwach's face twisted as he raised his right hand to shield himself from the onslaught of heat. He now stood in the heart of the inferno.

"Where there is an East, there must be a West."

The old voice echoed again.

'Fwoosh! Boom!'

The raging flames wrapped around the old figure, engulfing both his body and the charred sword he held. It was as though he had donned armor made of pure sunlight, capable of incinerating everything in existence.

"Zanka no Tachi – West: Zanjitsu Gokui."

(Longsword of the Remnant Flame, West: Remnant Sun Prison Garb)

The old voice rang out once more.

"!!!"

Yhwach's eyes reflected the terrifying flames as he realized the danger before him.

"After Bankai, my body and blade become like the sun itself," the old voice said calmly.

The sword and the wielder were cloaked in flames reaching 15 million degrees, so hot that anyone who came close would be reduced to ashes in an instant.

This was the Zanka no Tachi – West: Zanjitsu Gokui.

'Boom! Sizzle!'

With a single step forward, the ground beneath the old figure's feet turned to molten Magma.

"Let's finish this, Yhwach. If this drags on much longer, both the Soul Society and this old body will be reduced to ashes along with you."

'Boom!'

The flames roared louder, their intense heat threatening to consume everything. In the midst of this inferno stood the figure, wrapped in fire like a god of destruction.

Under the searing heat of Zanka no Tachi, even the Soul Society itself was at risk of evaporation. Eventually, everything would be burned to dust beneath the overwhelming temperature.

"Prepare yourself!"

The ancient voice called out, and the figure, now blazing like the sun itself, launched toward Yhwach.

"Don't think highly of yourself!"

Yhwach suddenly thrust his right hand forward, releasing a surge of blue light that formed a massive barrier.

"Saints' Hymn – Praise of the Holy Land!"

'Zing!'

Countless rays of blue light converged under Yhwach's control, creating a colossal defensive barrier in the sky, blocking the fire's advance.

"This is the Quincy's ultimate defense, integrating both offense and defense. Step within, and the light of God will tear you apart!" Yhwach shouted, staring up at the fiery figure as though it was the embodiment of the sun itself.

Such an attack must not connect!

"Hmm."

The old figure looked at the flames blocked by the barrier, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Futile effort!" 

In an instant, the old figure descended, his Longsword of the Remnant Flame, still blazing like the sun, plunged into the earth with a fierce thrust. 

"The dead... the ashes of those scattered by my flames shall serve me." 

'Whoosh! Boom!' 

A strange, terrifying flame erupted from the blade of the Remnant Flame Sword, surging straight into the ground. 

"For now, let us indulge in the ecstasy of the body." 

The old figure raised his head slightly, and his eyes narrowed with focus. 

'Boom! Crack!' 

The earth shattered. 

Suddenly, the world around them shifted into a strange, black-and-red hue, as if they had stepped into the underworld itself. 

"Zanka no Tachi – South!" 

The old voice echoed, commanding the battlefield like a grim reaper presiding over death itself. 

'Bang! Whoosh! Whoosh!' 

From the ground, twisted, charred corpses began to crawl out, as if summoned from the depths of Hades. 

The entire world had become a fiery kingdom of the dead. 

"Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin!" 

(Great Burial Ranks of the Ten Trillion Fire Dead!)

Accompanied by a chilling, grinding sound that pierced the air, legions of flaming, charred skeletons emerged. They twisted and writhed, gnashing their blackened teeth as they swarmed toward Yhwach's Sanctuary barrier. 

By driving the Longsword of the Remnant Flame into the earth, Yamamoto's Zanpakutō unleashed heat so intense that it awakened the ashes of those slain by his blade. These ashes rose up as a relentless army of skeletal warriors, all hell-bent on annihilating Yamamoto's enemies. 

This was the Zanka no Tachi – South: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin! 

"You can't take away my Bankai, Yhwach. You never could." 

The old figure's voice was calm as he watched the immense blue barrier slowly crumble under the relentless assault of the flame-imbued undead. 

"Even a thousand years ago, I never revealed my full strength." 

He tilted his head upward, locking eyes with Yhwach, now buried beneath countless undead souls. 

"Omniscience and omnipotence? How can you steal something when you don't even know its full power? It's a simple truth." 

The old figure raised his head, his eyes boring into Yhwach with finality. 

"This is the end of our thousand-year-long war, Yhwach." 

'Boom!' 

The inferno summoned by the Remnant Flame Sword, capable of incinerating all in its path, began to gather around the blade. 

"Zanka no Tachi – North!" 

'Whoosh! Boom!' 

With a fierce swing, the old man unleashed the flames in a single, concentrated slash. 

The flames, powerful enough to eventually consume even the Soul Society itself, converged into a blinding ray of light, cutting through the air like the wrath of a god. 

"Tenchi Kaijin!"

(Heaven and Earth End in Ashes!)

'Boom!!!' 

The flames consumed countless undead souls and obliterated everything they touched—earth, stone, buildings—all reduced to nothing by the sheer heat of the inferno. 

And in the center of it all, the self-proclaimed omniscient and omnipotent Yhwach. 

'Whoosh!' 

Yhwach's eyes widened in shock as the flames cut through him. In an instant, his body was severed at the waist by the fiery light. 

'Boom!' 

His severed body collapsed to the ground, lifeless. 

The old figure stood tall, the Longsword of the Remnant Flame still in hand, his gaze unwavering and fierce. 

The same terrifying flames that could burn the entire Soul Society to cinders were released in a single slash. 

Everything that touched the light of those flames was obliterated. 

This was the Zanka no Tachi – North: Tenchi Kaijin! 

This was the power of the strongest Shinigami to have ever lived within the Seireitei, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. 

His Zanpakutō, the most ancient and powerful fire-type weapon, had achieved Bankai: Ryūjin Jakka! 

The legendary Longsword of the Remnant Flame! 

'Whoosh!' 

In the next moment, the scene before Ace's eyes shattered like glass. 

He was back on the Sabaody Archipelago, at the place of the execution. 

"Your comprehension defies the heavens! Through sheer will and visualization, you've unlocked the exclusive technique: Great Flame Ring – Zanka no Tachi!" 

"Great Flame Ring – Zanka no Tachi: By visualizing the Longsword of the Remnant Flame, you've transcended the limitations of the Mera-Mera Fruit and awakened this mighty technique!" 

"Mera-Mera Fruit flames have surpassed their natural limits, becoming Remnant Flame that rival the sun!" 

"Your Understanding is Heaven Defying. Through personal visualization and comprehension, you've mastered the Great Flame Ring – Zanka no Tachi in all four forms!" 

"Zanka no Tachi – East: Kyokujitsujin: Concentrate the flames of the Mera-Mera Fruit into your right fist. The heat is so intense that nothing will burn or explode—the flame's temperature breaks the limits of natural fire, erasing anything it touches!" 

"Zanka no Tachi – West: Zanjitsu Gokui: Turn the Mera-Mera Fruit's flames into a blazing sun armor that wraps around your body. The temperature surpasses natural limits. Those who approach will be incinerated!" 

"Zanka no Tachi – South: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin: Drive the Mera-Mera flames into the earth, awakening the ashes of the dead, creating an army of charred skeletons to fight on your behalf!" 

"Zanka no Tachi – North: Tenchi Kaijin: Concentrate all of the Mera-Mera flames into a beam of light that obliterates anything in its path, reducing all that it touches to ash!" 

Lines of text scrolled before Ace's eyes. 

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a fierce flame. 

As he expected! 

Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit had pushed Ace to his limits, leading him to unlock the Great Flame Ring – Zanka no Tachi through his visualization of the legendary Longsword of the Remnant Flame! 

This was now Ace's most powerful form! 

But even Devil Fruits have their limits. 

Ace, who has the Mera-Mera Fruit (which controls fire), can't make his flames hotter than a certain temperature—around 1,200°C. Magma, on the other hand, is naturally hotter, reaching over 1,300°C. That's why the Magma-Magma Fruit is considered stronger than the Mera-Mera Fruit, as it not only produces higher temperatures but also has the force of volcanic eruptions, which overpower normal flames. This is why the Magma-Magma Fruit is ranked higher in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

However, Ace's special technique, "Remnant Flame," allows him to push past these natural limits. With enough skill and experience, users of Logia-type Devil Fruits like the Mera-Mera can increase the power of their abilities. For instance, Aokiji, who has the ability to freeze things, can freeze huge areas like the ocean. But, no matter how powerful, he can't freeze something to absolute zero—there's always a limit.

In summary, while expanding the range of a Logia fruit's power is impressive, it doesn't always make a difference against equally strong opponents, as it mainly consumes physical energy without changing the core strength of the ability.

But Ace's "Remnant Flame" technique breaks these boundaries completely.

As long as Ace's stamina is boundless, the temperature of his flames has no upper limit! As his physical strength grows, his "Remnant Flame" will evolve as well. Eventually, he'll become a being of pure fire, rivaling the sun itself!

"'Hoo! Boom!'"

The flames of the Mera-Mera Fruit erupted in an instant. A terrifying sea of fire spread across the sky and ocean!

"Recklessly releasing flames is just wasting energy," Akainu sneered, standing amid the blaze. "Your flames will burn out against my Magma."

Akainu thought Ace's actions were foolish. Like his own "Meteor Volcano" technique, his magma was a war machine, capable of annihilating countless armies. But when facing equally strong opponents, one must condense their Devil Fruit powers, Haki, and martial arts into every punch.

For instance, Aokiji's "Ice Fists" combine the power of his Frozen Fruit, Armament Haki, and the iron fist technique inherited from Garp to create devastating strikes. In this form, the reach of his fruit's power is limited to his fists, but the strength is extraordinary.

To Akainu, Ace's reckless release of flames was laughable. No matter how many flames he produced, they would be crushed by his magma.

"Is that so?" Ace responded, his eyes burning with the same terrifying intensity as his flames. "Are you ready to dance?"

"Great Flame Commandment!!!"

In an instant, under Akainu's shocked gaze, the overwhelming sea of fire covering the sky, land, and sea began to contract—shrinking toward Ace!

In mere moments, all the flames in that vast space disappeared, absorbed back into Ace's body.

Ace's body now bore intricate, dark red cracks that glowed like tattoos. Beneath those cracks, it seemed as though a blazing sun was churning inside him. The beauty of it was matched only by the sheer terror it inspired.

"Remnant Flame Style," Ace murmured calmly, his eyes now fully transformed into surging, dark red flames.