"You bastard, Bass, have you gone mad?" Seeing Hermi being knocked away, Bartley was also stunned and shouted in disbelief.
"You're the one who's crazy! I'm on their side now. Ha ha ha, Bass Pirate Crew, listen up! Help Jack's crew kill the other pirates!" Bass, holding his giant axe, grinned ferociously as he spoke.
Hearing Bass's command, the members of the Bass Pirate Crew were completely confused, but they had no choice but to obey because pirates nearby were already attacking them with knives.
Seeing the Silent Seal on Bass's body, Jack coldly smiled and then continued toward Bartley to kill him.
"Bang! Bang!" Several slashes tore through the cabin, and Hermi stepped out. His face was incredibly cold.
"Iger Bass! I'm going to tear your body apart!" Hermi sneered as he walked toward him. He had just felt the grip of death, so now he was furious.
"Ha ha ha, perfect! I also wanted to smash you to pieces. Let's see which is stronger—your sword or my axe!" Bass responded coldly.
In the next second, both attacked each other simultaneously—one with great force and the other swift and violent. Their battle was frantic, and the ship began to crumble inch by inch under their strikes.
---
"Kill! Charge forward and take the treasure!" The pirate captain Bins, with a bounty of 190 million Berries, shouted as he led his crew toward the noble ships of the Kingdom of Joromia within the Mammoth Fleet.
"This treasure belongs to me! You can't take it!" At that moment, a figure silently appeared beside Bins, and the flash of a blade was seen. In an instant, blood splattered, and several silent cuts appeared on his body.
"What… what the hell?"
Bins stared in disbelief at the wounds appearing on his body.
Who was this man? How did he get here? When did he attack?
He didn't even see who attacked and was knocked out in confusion.
Just when Bins thought it was all over, the mysterious figure placed a hand on his shoulder. A surge of power flowed through him, and a strange symbol slowly appeared on his body. After the symbol appeared, his injuries slowly began to vanish as if everything had been a hallucination.
"Now, choose!" the figure said coldly.
"Death or submission?" the figure asked again.
---
"Dang!" Jack's strike hit Bartley, sending him sliding backward.
The intense battle left Bartley gasping for air. His arms, covered in Armament Haki, began to tremble. Against Jack's overwhelming power, even Bartley was starting to struggle.
At that moment, Bartley suddenly realized that almost all the fighting had stopped around them. Apart from him and Hermi, the other pirates had all halted.
"These bastards!" Bartley's face was filled with fury.
Following the gazes of the others, he saw a young man leisurely sitting in a huge recliner, his legs crossed, watching their battle like it was a show. Behind him stood seven people, the pirate captains who had joined him earlier.
"You're still distracted while fighting me? I don't know how you've survived this long!" Jack swung his blade.
"Not good!" Bartley was alarmed, but it was too late. Jack's strike tore through his chest, leaving a massive wound.
"Originally, I should've killed you with a single blow, but it seems someone wants to spare you," Jack said, dropping his scythe and punching Bartley in the chest, causing him to spit out blood. However, Jack didn't stop there. His punches rained down on Bartley relentlessly, and in just a short time, Bartley was on the verge of death.
"This is boring!" Jack scoffed, throwing the bloodied Bartley in front of the figure.
The figure reached out and grabbed Bartley. "Now, choose. Death or submission?"
---
"You have a mission—clear out the pirates in the surrounding seas. Bring back those with potential or bounties over 100 million."
After subduing Bass and the others, Rossi gave the order to Bass, Jack, Hermi, and Bartley.
"Capture them alive if possible. No missing limbs or maimed bodies. They'll become our strength in the future."
Rossi added.
"Understood!" Jack responded.
With that, Jack and the others departed with their crew, leaving the other seven pirate captains with a bounty over one hundred million to escort the treasures of the Kingdom of Joromia back to the kingdom.
----
When Rossi arrived back at the Kingdom of Joromia with the pirate crews and the treasures, the kingdom was thrown into panic.
Having just experienced a pirate attack, the Kingdom of Joromia was like a frightened bird. Seeing so many pirate ships approaching, they all began to panic, especially when Rossi suddenly disappeared.
Only when Rossi stepped off the ship, leading the group, did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, what's going on?"
Frost hurried out after hearing reports from the guards. Seeing Rossi, he relaxed a little.
"These are the men I've subdued. From now on, they will form our royal guard—to protect the Kingdom of Jeromeo."
Rossi announced.
The words stunned Frost and the nearby citizens. After all, these were all infamous pirate captains from the surrounding seas—each with a bounty over 100 million berries.
But remembering that Rossi had already tamed Jack, Frost quickly accepted it.
Rossi then ordered Frost to unload the treasure from the ships. Meanwhile, he returned to the palace with two Devil Fruits in hand.
---
With the new treasure and funds, Rossi ordered Bins to lead a fleet to nearby kingdoms and purchase urgently needed supplies. This immediately revitalized Jeromeo, and the unrest in the kingdom quickly subsided.
Just as everything seemed to be returning to normal—
"Your Majesty! The Big Mom Pirates are coming!"
Frost burst in, crying out in panic.