After a week of steady sailing, the Wicked Wench finally docked at a random island to restock and explore what it had to offer.
It was their first stop after returning to the sea from their year-long stay in Ohara, and the atmosphere among the crew was filled with excitement.
For B and Aramaki, who both had restless and adventurous hearts, seeing new places was something they always looked forward to.
They often grew bored when all they could see was the endless blue sea and clouds, so a change of scenery was always welcome.
As for Club, this was his first island as an official pirate, and the thrill of stepping on new land was almost overwhelming.
The crew disembarked from the Wicked Wench, stretching their limbs after days of sailing.
The island seemed lively, with small shops, markets, and restaurants lined up along the port road.
After some discussion, they decided to split up to explore freely, agreeing to meet back at the ship before nightfall.
Jack gave each of them an appropriate amount of money to spend, reminding them not to steal, cause trouble, or harm any innocent locals.
Aramaki, with his loud and cheerful personality, invited Laffitte and Club to join him for drinks and relaxation.
He claimed he wanted to "celebrate returning to adventure," though it was mostly an excuse to get drunk and sing.
Meanwhile, Jack and B, who were not particularly fond of drinking, decided to stroll around town in search of food or some form of entertainment that didn't involve alcohol.
While walking through the town's main street, they came across a cozy-looking restaurant with a pleasant aroma coming from inside.
Both Jack and B looked at each other, and with identical grins, they walked in together. Their hunger was catching up to them after a long voyage, and neither wanted to resist the smell of freshly cooked meals.
The restaurant had a wide range of dishes, from seafood and grilled meats to sweet pastries. Since both of them had enormous appetites, they decided not to hold back and ordered nearly everything on the menu.
When the food arrived, the two wasted no time digging in. Despite knowing how to cook themselves, the quality of the restaurant's dishes far surpassed their own skills, and the flavor left both of them impressed.
They kept eating, ordering more after each round, until the ingredients in the kitchen began to run low. Even then, their appetite showed no signs of stopping.
While Jack and B were enjoying their feast, the restaurant's door opened, and a group of men walked in. The atmosphere inside immediately changed.
The cheerful chatter of the customers faded, replaced by tense silence. Some patrons stood up and quietly left mid-meal, while the restaurant staff visibly trembled.
Jack and B, however, continued eating, not even glancing toward the newcomers.
The group that had just entered were members of a well-known mafia-turned-pirate crew who called themselves the Colombo Pirates.
They ruled the island through fear and violence, and their leader, Don Colombo, was infamous for his arrogance and cruelty.
When he noticed that Jack and B were not showing any signs of fear, he took it as a direct insult.
"What do you think you're doing, sitting there like you own the place?" Don Colombo said in an arrogant tone, walking toward Jack's table. Jack ignored him completely, still cutting into his meal as if no one was speaking to him.
Feeling humiliated by the lack of response, Colombo's expression twisted with anger. He grabbed Jack by the head and slammed him into the table with enough force to shake the dishes. B immediately stopped eating, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Ah, now my sleeves are dirty," Colombo said mockingly, looking at the wine stains on his arm. "Lick it clean."
Jack lifted his head slowly, brushing off the splinters from the broken table. His calm eyes met Colombo's, unshaken and almost cold.
"I'll give you a chance to walk away from me," Jack said plainly, his tone steady and quiet.
Colombo burst out laughing, his subordinates joining in. "You're giving me a chance? You've got guts, I'll give you that!"
He reached out again to grab Jack, but this time Jack caught his wrist effortlessly. The pressure from Jack's grip made Colombo's bones creak, and his laughter died out as his face twisted in pain.
"B, kill all of his men," Jack said, his voice still calm but carrying weight.
B sighed, picking up another bite of food. "Do I have to? I'm still eating," he complained lazily.
Jack's serious stare was enough of an answer. B rolled his eyes and stood up, summoning several black tentacles that emerged from his back like shadows.
In a flash, the tendrils lashed out, piercing and crushing Colombo's subordinates before they even had time to scream.
Within seconds, the room was silent again, except for the sound of dripping blood and Jack's slow breathing.
Colombo, his arm still trapped in Jack's grip, trembled in terror as he watched all of his men die. He tried to pull free, but Jack's hand felt like iron, unrelenting.
"You should have accepted my warning," Jack said calmly. "But no, you had to ruin my meal. I don't like showing off power, but sometimes people like you need to see what happens when you mistake kindness for weakness."
Jack released his grip, letting Colombo stumble backward. Before the man could run, Jack's arm sparked with lightning, illuminating the restaurant.
"Lariat," Jack said firmly, dashing forward in an instant. His lightning-covered arm struck Colombo's neck cleanly, beheading him in one blow. The body fell to the floor with a heavy thud, while the head rolled across the tiles, stopping near the feet of a trembling waiter.
Jack returned to his seat, brushing the dust from his clothes as if nothing had happened. "Sorry about that," he said to the manager, who was frozen in shock. "I'll pay for the cleaning. Also, bring out more food for me and my associate—oh, and some dessert."
B looked around at the corpses littering the restaurant and then back at Jack. "You know, I always forget how brutal you can be, considering how cheerful you usually act," B remarked, picking up his fork again.
Jack gave a faint smile and shrugged. "I'm still the same person. Just hungrier when someone ruins my meal."
The two of them continued eating as if nothing had happened, calmly enjoying their food while the staff tried their best to avoid looking at the bodies. When they finally finished, Jack paid the full bill and even left extra for the cleanup.
"That was a great way to spend some money, don't you think?" Jack said casually as they walked out.
"Yeah," B replied, finishing the last bite of his dessert as they left the restaurant.
Not long after they disappeared down the street, the trembling manager grabbed the Den-Den Mushi from behind the counter and quickly contacted the nearest Navy branch, his hands shaking as he stammered, "H-hello, Navy? You need to come quick... something terrible just happened at the restaurant!"
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After spending several hours wandering around the island, both B and Jack had explored almost every interesting corner the town had to offer.
They had visited a variety of establishments, ranging from local markets and small shops to weapon forges and food stalls, observing the different goods being sold and occasionally buying what caught their interest.
By the time they finished, the sun was starting to lean toward the horizon, and it was about time to return to the Wicked Wench.
As the two approached the port, they noticed something that immediately caught their attention—a large ship docked not too far from theirs.
Its flag and general design shared a distinct resemblance to the Colombo Pirates, the very same crew they had just erased earlier that day.
The sight made both Jack and B stop for a moment, exchanging glances before silently deciding to investigate. Without hesitation, they boarded the unfamiliar ship.
Once on deck, several men appeared, seemingly surprised by the sudden intrusion.
They were clearly part of the crew stationed to guard the vessel, and they quickly surrounded Jack and B, though the two pirates stood calmly and unbothered in the middle of the confrontation.
"What do you think you're doing on this ship?" one of the men demanded, gripping his weapon tightly, his voice shaking slightly under his attempt to sound brave.
Jack ignored the tone and instead asked calmly, "What pirate group do you all belong to?"
The group of pirates exchanged puzzled looks among themselves, not quite sure if the man in front of them was joking or simply ignorant.
"We're the Colombo Pirates," one of them finally said with confidence. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll get off this ship before we make you regret it."
B sighed, already feeling where this conversation was headed. Jack simply lowered his gaze for a brief moment, and when he looked back at them, his expression had turned cold and serious.
"I see," Jack said in a quiet tone, his voice carrying enough weight to make a few of them instinctively step back. "Then I suppose this ship doesn't need to exist anymore."
The pirates barely had a second to react before the sky above them began to darken unnaturally.
Thick clouds formed in an instant, spiraling into a violent storm as winds picked up around the harbor.
The once-clear sky was now filled with flashing lightning, and the air crackled with intense energy.
Jack raised his hand, summoning a massive surge of lightning that gathered above the ship like a storm made of pure destruction.
Some of the pirates screamed, others tried to attack or jump into the water, but it was too late.
The lightning descended in a colossal strike that hit the ship dead center. The explosion of energy turned everything into a searing flash, and when the light faded, nothing remained of the Colombo Pirates' ship.
It had been completely vaporized, leaving behind only a mist of steam rising from the surface of the sea. There were no survivors, not even a trace of the vessel itself.
B looked at the empty ocean where the ship had been and shook his head slightly. "You really don't do half measures, huh?"
Jack brushed off the dust from his coat, looking at the calm waves that replaced the chaos moments ago. "I warned them," he said simply.
With that, both of them returned to the Wicked Wench and waited patiently for the others to come back.
It didn't take long before Aramaki, Laffitte, and Club arrived—each of them noticeably carrying large sacks and barrels. Aramaki, using his tree limbs, held several barrels in his grasp, while Laffitte carried a few treasure chests over his shoulders, and Club had bags full of coins and small valuables.
Jack raised an eyebrow as they boarded the ship, curious about the scene.
"The casino didn't like that we were winning too much," Aramaki said casually, grinning as he dropped a heavy barrel onto the deck with a loud thud.
"So they thought they could rob us once we left. Turns out, they miscalculated—we robbed them instead. You should've seen the faces of those idiots running the place. I think one of them nearly fainted."
B laughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he sat on the railing. "You guys just can't stay out of trouble for even one day, can you?"
Laffitte smiled faintly while adjusting his hat. "We call it profit, not trouble," he replied calmly.
Jack couldn't help but chuckle slightly at their antics. "As long as we didn't hurt any civilians, I won't complain," he said, walking toward the helm. "Let's set sail."
With the crew back aboard, the Wicked Wench raised its sails once again and began to move away from the island.
The sea breeze returned, and the sky slowly cleared from the earlier storm that Jack had summoned.
Unbeknownst to them, however, the commotion they caused had already reached the local Marine base.
The surviving townsfolk, as well as the terrified restaurant manager, had provided detailed descriptions of the crew, including their names and appearances. Within hours, wanted posters were being drafted and sent out across nearby islands.
It was the beginning of their recognition by the world—each of them soon to bear their very first bounty.
But for now, the crew of the Wicked Wench didn't know, and even if they did, they wouldn't have cared. For them, the sea was wide, and adventure was all that mattered.