Swaggering with his massive frame, Jack stepped forward until he loomed before the shattered cannon. His dead fish eyes widened at the sight. Just as his men had reported, a heavy steel cannon—reinforced and welded with layers of iron—was crumpled as if it were soft clay, suppressed by some invisible force.
"Bastard! A mere Marine dares to toy with me? Do you know who I am? Even an Admiral doesn't scare me! Board the ship and cut him down!" Jack roared, his fury rising like a storm.
Chains with hooks flew across the gap, latching onto the Marine warship. At Sheepshead's signal, horns blared, and waves of Beast Pirates surged forward.
Dozens of pirates swarmed onto the deck of the Marine vessel. One by one, they turned their mocking gazes toward Ashveil, as though his life had already been decided.
"Hahaha! This weak Marine? I thought it'd be someone important!" a pirate sneered at Ashveil's calm, almost lazy posture.
"Strange," muttered a Gifter with crab-like pincers. "A ship this size should at least have a Vice Admiral guarding it. Why's there only this guy, and all alone?"
"Who cares? He angered Jack, so he's as good as dead," Sheepshead said coldly.
"With that scrawny build, he'll collapse after a single punch from Jack," Ginrummy laughed, her voice sharp with ridicule.
The pirates filled the deck with jeering and cruel laughter, already imagining Ashveil cowering when he faced Jack.
Sheepshead's blade glinted in the sun, his lips curling with mockery. "Listen, brat, if you kneel and bow a few times when you meet Jack, I might even beg him to spare your life. Hahaha!"
The laughter only grew louder.
Then Jack himself landed on the warship, his immense weight shaking the deck. The crowd instantly parted for him. His gaze, cold and merciless, locked onto Ashveil.
"Kid… these Devil Fruits, they came from the SMILE factory, didn't they? How did they end up in your hands?" Jack demanded, his voice booming with anger.
"Oh, that? No comment." Ashveil rolled his eyes, lips curling in disdain.
To Ashveil, Jack was pitiful—he didn't even realize what kind of opponent he was facing. Jack should have retreated the moment the first cannon was crushed.
Veins bulged across Jack's forehead. The audacity! A mere Marine dared to dismiss him? His patience snapped.
"Kill him. Take the artificial Devil Fruits," Jack ordered coldly, his bloodshot eyes burning with rage.
"Yes, Jack!" Sheepshead answered at once.
He approached Ashveil with a mocking grin, tilting his head as if deciding on a punishment. "Let me think… what's the best way for you to die?"
"Hahahahaha! Don't wet your pants, kid," Ginrummy added gleefully. "Sheepshead loves carving up weaklings and feeding them to sharks."
Sheepshead raised his katana high, his eyes full of scorn. "Die! You've only got yourself to blame for angering the Beast Pirates!"
The blade came down—but stopped short, caught by an unseen force.
The pirates froze in shock. So this kid had some strength after all.
Sheepshead gritted his teeth and poured all his strength into the strike, but the blade didn't budge. His face flushed red with effort.
"Hahaha! Sheepshead, you useless goat! Can't even handle one Marine? Want me to do it instead?" Ginrummy mocked, eager to show off.
Jack's silence was heavy with disapproval, his eyes narrowing in irritation.
"Shut up, Ginrummy! I'll handle him myself!" humiliated, Sheepshead roared. Tossing aside his blade, his arm transformed into a massive ram's horn, hardened with Armament Haki.
"Die, brat! Giant Ram Horn!" He lunged at Ashveil with his strongest attack.
The strike landed with a resounding boom… and stopped dead a meter from Ashveil. The impact only made Sheepshead's arm throb with pain.
"What… what is this?!" Sheepshead's voice trembled. Sweat streamed down his forehead. His strongest move, empowered by both his Zoan ability and Armament Haki, couldn't even scratch this Marine?
Ashveil finally spoke, his calm voice cutting through the tense silence. "Pathetic. If you're coming at me, then all of you come together. I don't have time to waste."
The surrounding pirates recoiled in shock, their earlier laughter dying instantly. Ginrummy, staring at Ashveil's figure, suddenly froze as recognition hit her.
"One man… no uniform… listless look…" Her eyes widened.
"N-no… this isn't a Marine at all! I remember now! He's the man in the papers, Rumored as the Captain of Whitebeard's Zero Division! The one who wiped out Blackbeard's crew! There's no mistake—I saw his report!"
The realization spread like wildfire, and dread replaced mockery on every pirate's face.
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