Blood, again blood splattered out, Bartley's face was filled with disbelief. This strike was truly unexpected. He never imagined things would develop this way. He clearly saw that Jack's chest had been split open by Bass's axe, so why?
After taking such a blow, even if Jack didn't die, he should have no strength to resist, but this strike seemed like it came from Jack at his peak. Bartley, caught completely off guard, couldn't avoid this strike, and the scythe slashed through his chest.
However, fortunately, Bartley was an Animal-type Devil Fruit user, the Swift Wolf Fruit. His speed was extremely fast, and when he saw the flash of cold light, his years of experience told him that something was wrong. He quickly transformed into his full wolf form and retreated, relying on the speed and strong defense of the Swift Wolf, Bartley was only lightly slashed through the chest and wasn't seriously injured.
"How is this possible?"
"You clearly took heavy damage, even if you're an Ancient Species, you shouldn't recover that quickly. Could it be your Devil Fruit ability has awakened?" Bartley, now completely in his werewolf form, furrowed his brow and stared at Jack, a look of caution flashing in his one eye.
As everyone knows, Animal-type Devil Fruit users have an extremely strong recovery ability, but even an Animal-type Devil Fruit user shouldn't have recovery abilities like Jack's unless their Devil Fruit has awakened. This was the only possibility Bartley could think of.
"Why are you all just standing there?"
"Hermi, why aren't you attacking yet? This guy's got something strange about him. You know Jack's madness, if we don't kill him now, we'll never get through this." If it really was an awakened Devil Fruit, things could get dangerous, so Bartley called for Hermi to join him in dealing with Jack.
"Awakened Devil Fruit? Well, I'll have to see if an awakened Devil Fruit can withstand my sword." Hermi drew his long sword and started walking over.
Seeing Bartley and Hermi teaming up, Jack didn't show any fear. Instead, a mad expression appeared on his face as he swung his scythe and charged toward them.
The one-eyed wolf Bartley, and the blood-sword master Hermi, while they weren't on the same level as top-tier pirates like Roger or Whitebeard, or as famous and strong as characters like Charlotte Linlin or Kaido, were still well-known pirates in the New World. Their strength wasn't any weaker than Jack's. Yet, when facing both of them together, Jack didn't show a hint of fear—only madness, savagery, and a thirst for killing.
The scythe and long sword, along with the armed wolf claws, continuously clashed, sending shockwaves through the air. Other pirate captains tried to join in, but they couldn't get a chance, only able to direct their pirate crews to charge toward the Mammoth Fleet, helping Bass's crew deal with the Mammoth Fleet.
"Am I not dead?"
"How is this possible?" Bass slowly regained consciousness.
He clearly felt just moments ago that Jack's scythe had torn through his stomach and intestines. He had felt the despair, knowing he wouldn't survive, but now that he regained consciousness, he found that his injuries had vanished.
At first, Bass thought he had died, his soul already on its way to the underworld. But seeing the ongoing battles between Jack, Bartley, Hermi, and the pirates around them, it became clear that he was still alive, still in the New World.
"Don't you understand?"
"I saved you from the hands of the Grim Reaper!" Rossinante stood behind Bass, speaking calmly.
"You? Who are you? You saved me?"
"Devil Fruit ability?" Bass cautiously stood up quickly.
It was surprising for Bass to have recovered, but none of the pirates around seemed to notice, as they continued fighting.
"Indeed, Devil Fruit ability. I ate the Silence Fruit. I am a Silent One, capable of silencing sounds and breath. Just like now, even if someone talks loudly, unless they see us directly, they won't realize that you've recovered. The reason you were able to recover is that I placed a silence seal on your injuries, effectively silencing them," Rossinante explained.
"Haha, such a convenient ability," Bass said, looking at the markings on his body with a laugh.
Just a second ago, Bass was laughing, but suddenly, he raised his giant axe and swung it toward Rossinante.
For Bass's sudden attack, Rossinante seemed to have anticipated it. As soon as Bass lifted the axe, Rossinante casually moved to the side, easily dodging the attack.
"Hey, hey, isn't it rude to attack your savior?" Rossinante turned his body slightly, moving around, easily dodging Bass's repeated axe strikes.
"Save me? You're really so kind to help an enemy? If I'm not mistaken, Jack also has this seal on him, right? This seal of yours not only silences injuries, but it must have other abilities. Otherwise, Jack wouldn't submit to you." Bass continued attacking.
"That's right, the so-called silence simply suppresses the injuries temporarily. But they haven't disappeared. Once the seal dissipates, your injuries will naturally reappear. Like this." Rossinante spoke calmly.
As Rossinante spoke, Bass's face suddenly turned dark with disbelief. He looked at his abdomen, where his stomach had been torn open, and his intestines had been sliced. The healing he had felt seemed like an illusion.
"And I can control this seal, so your life is in my hands!" Rossinante said coldly, reactivating the seal on Bass.
"Now, make a choice—death or submission?" Rossinante said flatly.
No one wanted to choose death, so in the end, Bass chose to submit to Rossinante. After all, he had once served under the Gold Lion, so serving Rossinante didn't bother him.
Jack, Bartley, and Hermi continued to fight fiercely, while the other pirate crews were attacking the Mammoth Fleet with wild abandon. Particularly, Bass's crew, who now considered Jack a mortal enemy after Bass was killed by him.
Though the Mammoth Fleet was crazed for bloodshed, they were facing too many pirates, including several with bounties over a hundred million. In no time, the Mammoth Fleet was retreating under heavy pressure.
At this moment, a massive axe cut through the air with a blinding flash.
When the axe appeared, both Bartley and Hermi were startled, but they weren't worried. After all, Bass was on their side, and he had been gravely injured by Jack. This axe strike was clearly aimed at Jack.
However, when the giant axe swung down, Hermi's face was filled with disbelief. He hadn't expected that the blow was aimed at him. Acting on his swordsmanship instincts, Hermi barely managed to parry the huge blow with his long sword, but the force was so powerful that he was sent flying, crashing into another pirate ship.