Hundreds of pirates charged after Jack, their footsteps thundering like an earthquake.
The ground trembled beneath their momentum.
Ulti watched with a deepening smile.
Not long ago, she'd received her orders: complete this mission, and she could leave the dangerous Beasts Pirates and return to CP0.
That thought alone made her leap forward, catching up to Jack with a sweet smile.
"Lord Jack, don't be so hasty. That brat's still just a rookie."
"There are dozens of pirate crews and thousands of pirates at the southern dock. For a young Admiral, that's already a lot of pressure."
"If you make too grand an entrance, you might scare him off. Then we'll have trouble finding him again."
"Scare him off?" Jack's eyes bulged. He snorted coldly.
"Hmph. Even if he wets himself, he's not escaping me."
"Anyone who crosses the Beasts Pirates is dead meat—no exceptions."
"Move it! Don't let him get away!"
Watching Jack and his men charge forward like they'd been injected with pure adrenaline, Ulti's smile turned even more seductive.
With morale this high, she was certain her plan was already halfway complete.
—
The western and southern docks were only a few kilometers apart.
Under Jack's lead, it took just minutes before the outline of the harbor came into view.
—
Spotting the faint silhouette of a Marine warship, Ulti chuckled:
"Lord Jack, the glory of capturing an Admiral is practically in the bag—"
—
But her words trailed off.
As they crested the hill and saw the dock clearly—
Everyone froze.
—
Weren't there supposed to be dozens of pirate crews?
Thousands of pirates?
A massive human wave tactic to trap the Admiral?
—
Instead, the dock had been leveled.
Thousands of pirates lay scattered like broken dolls.
And at the center of the ruins stood a lone figure—
Luoyu.
—
The scene was so surreal, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over their heads.
—
Especially when they saw the two Den Den Mushi in Luoyu's hands.
A terrible thought struck them.
—
What if the one who'd called them here wasn't a fellow pirate—
But the Admiral himself?
—
Had they walked straight into a trap?
—
Looking at the blood-soaked battlefield, even Ulti's smile stiffened.
—
"You got here fast," Luoyu said, scanning the crowd before settling his gaze on Jack's hulking frame.
"Looks like the Beasts Pirates really want me dead."
"Finally—a bounty worth something. Not another bargain-bin Flying Six."
"But… can you wait a bit? I haven't confirmed your bounty yet."
"Bounty?"
The pirates blinked.
They didn't get it.
But that line about the Flying Six being worthless?
That was outrageous.
—
Before they could retort, they noticed something.
Hanging from the mast of the Marine ship—
Was a mummified figure missing an arm and a leg.
It was Saul, one of the Flying Six.
—
No one could argue with that.
—
"What an arrogant rookie," Ulti snapped.
"The rumors were true. This new Admiral is obsessed with bounties."
"He didn't just lure us out—he's treating Lord Jack like a paycheck. He's asking to die."
—
Her voice turned cold.
"But you underestimate Lord Jack. One of the Three Calamities. A billion-berry bounty. He's not someone you can handle."
"They say the new Admiral fights in strange ways. I'd like to see how you plan to break Jack's defense."
"You'd best prepare to die under his feet."
—
Her words snapped the pirates out of their daze.
They didn't know how the thousands had been defeated.
But they knew one thing:
At this level, it came down to a clash of titans.
—
If this Admiral couldn't even scratch Jack—
There was no hope of victory.
—
Jack stepped forward, drawing his twin blades with a snarl.
"You've attacked our crews, killed Sheep's Head, and crippled Kaido's chosen Flying Six, Saul."
"If Kaido finds out, he'll be furious. I'll get chewed out."
"So you're coming with me—to face his wrath in person."
—
"Go with you?" Luoyu took a swig of liquor, glanced at the still-busy Den Den Mushi, and sighed.
"Sure, I'll go."
"But can I finish negotiating your bounty first?"
"I'm worried the payout's different depending on whether you're dead or alive."
—
"Different payouts?"
Jack paused.
His brain, mostly muscle, took a second to process.
But he got it.
—
From afar, Ain and Smoker wore bitter smiles.
As Marines, they'd imagined what it would be like to face a Yonko crew.
They never expected it to come down to… bounty tiers.
—
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't believe it.
—
But this was Jack.
A billion-berry bounty.
One of Kaido's top three.
—
Could Luoyu really take him down?
—
"You dare mock me?" Jack roared.
He gripped his blades and charged like a juggernaut.
—
Luoyu sighed.
"Fine. I'll capture you alive."
"We'll let the bounty decide if you live or die. Otherwise, Sengoku won't reimburse me—and that'd be a waste of effort."
—