Holy shit!
Holy fucking shit!
Holy motherfucking shit!
In the Skull Hall of Oni Island, bandaged pirates widened their eyes as exclamations of "holy shit" echoed throughout.
"Who the hell are you?" Jack frowned slightly, his voice sharp and demanding.
"H-he... Lord Jack..."
"He's the new recruit Luo Xia that Lord Kaido brought back!"
"The bastard who beat us all up last night!"
"No mistake about it—he's even wearing Page One's clothes!"
The pirates who'd been pummeled by Luo Xia the previous night shouted in succession.
"Give my little Pagey's clothes back right now, you jerk! And our fight wasn't over last night—we haven't settled this yet!" The iron-headed girl with an OK bandage on her forehead yelled.
"N-no... forget the clothes... Sis, stop choking me... H-help..."
Page One gasped for air as Ulti's headlock nearly suffocated him.
"So it's you? Causing chaos on Oni Island on your very first day with the crew—you've got some nerve!"
Upon learning Luo Xia's identity, Jack's eyes bulged with bloodshot intensity, his entire body radiating intimidating pressure.
"You want to stand up for them?" Luo Xia grinned. He'd been itching for a sparring partner.
Perfect timing—just when he was feeling drowsy, someone delivered a pillow.
"What's so damn funny?!" Jack's anger flared further.
"Seeing you makes me happy!" Luo Xia's smile widened.
He knew this legendary "Ship King" Jack all too well.
While Ulti was the Beasts Pirates' physical embodiment of a hard head, Drought Calamity Jack was its spiritual king of stubbornness.
Facing a lineup consisting of a former Fleet Admiral, a top naval strategist, and an active Admiral, Jack had famously declared, "Who the hell do you think I am? Bring the ship closer!"—cementing his title as the Ship King.
A prideful, thick-headed guy like Jack wouldn't be cowed by just one or two defeats. He was perfect for sustainable... harvesting.
Feeling Luo Xia's gaze, Jack frowned deeply, an inexplicable discomfort creeping over him.
"Listen, kid. I don't care who you were or what you did before. In the Beasts Pirates, you follow our rules." Jack's voice was icy.
"You asked what I did before? Oh, I was a fortune teller," Luo Xia answered with deadpan seriousness.
"Huh?" Jack blinked, utterly baffled.
"I said I tell fortunes. So tell me—what kind of 'thing' are you?" Luo Xia smiled innocently.
Silence fell over the hall. Then, a young pirate with twin horns on his head was the first to react. "Lord Jack! He's insulting you! Asking what kind of 'thing' you are!"
"I fucking heard him! No need to repeat it!" Jack backhanded the pirate to the ground, his frigid glare locking onto Luo Xia. "You'll pay for that mouth of yours."
"Come at me anytime.Luo Xia beckoned provocatively.
The gesture made Jack's expression darken instantly. Without another word, he charged.
Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled as each of Jack's steps left deep footprints in their wake.
Within moments, Jack loomed before Luo Xia, his massive frame casting a long shadow.
"Raaah!"
Jack swung his arm in a devastating punch, the fist tearing through the air with a shrill whistle.
Luo Xia didn't bother dodging—he took the full force of Jack's cannon-like strike directly on his cheek.
Clang!
"Ooough..."
"Hah, what a fool..."
"We won, Lord Jack has wo—"
The pirates' triumphant cheers and mocking words were abruptly cut short as identical expressions of shock appeared on their faces.
"H-how... how is this possible?"
"Lord Jack's full-powered punch actually... actually..."
"Didn't even make that guy budge an inch!"
"Such a thing... it can't be real. Could this man actually be strong?"
The pirates erupted in astonished murmurs.
"That guy's body is inhumanly tough."
Recalling last night's events, Page One couldn't help but shiver involuntarily.
Beside him, Ulti instinctively covered her forehead.
"Taking Jack's punch without moving at all—is his body made of iron? Is he an Iron-Iron Fruit user?" Black Maria thought to herself in amazement.
"Hmph, so what if he's a Devil Fruit user? Let's see how many of my punches you can take!"
Jack snorted dismissively, transforming his fist into a palm and delivering a knife-hand strike to Luo Xia's shoulder.
Thud!
The tremendous force drove Luo Xia's feet into the ground.
"Is that it?"
With just two words, Luo Xia thoroughly enraged Jack.
"Ora ora ora~"
Jack unleashed a barrage of ordinary punches, his fists raining down like a storm on every part of Luo Xia's body.
The ground of Oni Island trembled continuously as intersecting fissures radiated outward from the epicenter.
Bam bam bam!
The sound of flesh meeting flesh resounded loudly.
A dragon of dust completely obscured the surroundings.
"Oooohhh—!!"
"It's working! This time it's definitely working! That arrogant bastard is done for!"
"Who does he think he is? Daring to look down on Lord Jack like that! Lord Jack is our Beasts Pirates' newest All-Star!"
"This is the price of arrogance... with such terrifying consecutive punches, that guy's probably been turned into mincemeat, hahaha!"
The Beasts Pirates cheered excitedly, some even popping open champagne in premature celebration.
However, Drought Calamity Jack himself felt no joy whatsoever.
At this moment, his pupils constricted, his mind shaken, overwhelmed by sheer astonishment.
Though thick-headed, he wasn't stupid—he'd held nothing back with each punch. Against anyone else, they'd have been reduced to pulp long ago.
And yet... Luo Xia stood completely unharmed, as if nothing had happened.
Since becoming an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user, his already monstrous strength had reached new heights, his power at its peak. And yet...
What the hell is up with this guy's body?
Is it some special ability like King the Conflagration's?
Jack thought of King—he'd fought him before too, but couldn't land a single scratch.
No, no!
This guy doesn't have those signature flames, and the impact feels different too.
Recalling his battle with King the Conflagration, at least there'd been the satisfying sensation of fist meeting flesh. But hitting Luo Xia felt like striking iron.
"Is this your full power? You're putting me to sleep!" Luo Xia yawned lazily.
He'd thought Jack, as one of the Three Calamities, might at least shake him a little. Who knew it'd be like this—not even comparable to Yamato weakened by Sea-Stone.
Hearing this, Jack's expression darkened once more. "Don't get too carried away. Let me show you my true power!"
Rooooar!
The trumpeting of an elephant resounded through the air.
Drought Calamity Jack leaped forward, his towering frame swelling even larger amidst the storm.
Zoan-type Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Species: Mammoth Form ability—activate!!!