Chapter 51: The Calamity Arrives
Speed shook her head in resignation, a gesture that seemed to say, I knew this would happen.
"Stop talking nonsense and stay on board if you're scared," Holdem sneered, his grotesque lion-maw twitching. "I'll be the one to take Ian's head!" With an unnervingly graceful leap for a man of his bulk, he launched himself from the ship onto the shattered docks.
"Tch, who's scared? Don't run off without me!" Speed retorted, spurring her steed forward and leaping after him.
"Hoo-ha-ha! Boys, follow in Boss Jack's footsteps!" Sheepshead bellowed, brandishing his weapon.
"Lord Sheepshead is right! Let's go to the island and make some noise!" Ginrummy echoed, her voice shrill with excitement.
And so, under the reckless, earth-shaking leadership of Jack the Drought, a full fleet of the Beasts Pirates brazenly, violently, made landfall on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 10, Food Street.
Ian was basking in the adoration, having enjoyed a free culinary tour courtesy of the grateful shop owners.
"Major General Ian, won't you come to my shop and try one more dish?"
Ian, patting his stomach: "No, no, no, next time for sure."
"Master Ian, please, have a cup of our specialty juice from Shambolla! It's always free for you!"
Ian, holding his bloated abdomen: "No, no, no, I'm so full, I really can't drink another drop."
"Lord Marineking, we run a twin sister shop! Would you like to come in for some takoyaki?"
Ian's eyes lit up momentarily: "Twins? I've never... I mean, I'll definitely come by tomorrow!"
Walking down the street, Ian was learning the true meaning of a kindness that was hard to refuse. After repeatedly and politely declining further offers, he was about to continue his patrol with his team when a sudden, inexplicable tightness gripped his heart. It was a primal sensation, a deep, resonant warning.
"What's this?" he muttered. "Is this my Observation Haki... perceiving something?"
He held his breath, focusing, and expanded the range of his superhuman hearing. Instantly, the cacophony of the archipelago—from the single-digit lawless zones to the bustling residential areas—separated and filtered through his mind. Most areas were still peaceful, no distinct sounds of chaos.
Was I wrong? he wondered. Did I just eat too much?
Buru buru! Buru buru!
The distinct ringing of a Den Den Mushi cut through his doubts. Nami's snail sprang to life. It wasn't an illusion.
"Nami, hurry!" Ian ordered, his voice sharp.
Nami didn't hesitate, pressing the speaker button. "Major General Ian, something terrible is happening!" a panicked voice screamed from the snail. "This is Equipment Street in Area 46! A mammoth... a giant mammoth is on the street, wreaking havoc! It's... it's like one of the Beasts Pirates! It's 'Drought' Jack!"
Among the Giant Mangroves, Sabaody Archipelago.
Several Flying Fish, the Marines' rapid-response vehicles, zipped through the air at high speed towards the source of the disturbance. Aboard one, Peacock, as the deputy commander, was already issuing orders via communicator to the other cadres.
"Major General Ian has already rushed ahead alone! Our priority upon arrival is civilian safety! Nami, you're responsible for contacting Marines from the nearest districts for immediate reinforcement. The forces on site are insufficient! Skylark, seize the high ground and provide cover for the soldiers evacuating civilians. The enemy is one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates! We need to evacuate at least three districts! Colonel T. Peng, your mission is critical. Join me on the front line as soon as possible to intercept the remaining Beast Pirates and prevent further carnage!"
The usually flippant Peacock was all business, her voice crisp and authoritative in the face of a true crisis. A Calamity of the Beasts Pirates. A top executive under a Yonko. This was, without a doubt, the greatest threat their newly formed team had ever faced.
Nami: "Understood, Colonel Peacock! I'm calling for reinforcements now!"
Skylark: "Yes, Colonel Peacock! I will provide covering fire immediately upon arrival!"
T. Peng: "Understood, Colonel Peacock. Leave the battlefield to me."
As the communications cut out, Peacock bit her lip, a wave of fear for Ian's safety washing over her. A pirate with a bounty of one billion berries... a direct subordinate of Emperor Kaido... this was no ordinary enemy.
Far ahead of the flying fish carrying his subordinates, Ian was a blur of motion.
Shaba! Shaba!
With his Soru technique pushed to its limit, he flashed forward dozens of meters with each step, a relentless force speeding towards Area 46. His superhuman sight and hearing remained at their maximum range, scouting the path ahead.
One of the Three Calamities, here on Sabaody? Causing such a public ruckus?
This was a direct challenge. A declaration of war aimed squarely at him. If Doflamingo wasn't behind this, he'd eat every mangrove tree on the archipelago. He'd been waiting for revenge from the Donquixote family, wondering why it had never come. He'd even thought his rise had perhaps given them pause. But no. That cunning "Joker" was just playing a more insidious game—borrowing a knife to do his dirty work.
If Jack won, Ian died, and Doflamingo would laugh from the shadows.
If Ian won, he'd make a mortal enemy of the entire Beasts Pirates.
No matter the outcome, Doflamingo benefited. Despicable Joker!
Area 46, Equipment Street.
BOOM! BOOM!
The colossal mammoth form moved with utter impunity through the center of the street. With every earth-shaking step, its trunk, thick as an ancient tree, would swing out, smashing through shops and homes, reducing them to cascades of rubble and dust in seconds. This was the true meaning of his epithet, "Drought"—he left only utter desolation in his wake.
"Help! Run! I can't run anymore... Don't come over here!"
"Ah! Why is there a monster like this on the island? Is it a Devil Fruit user?"
"What terrifying destructive power! Don't stop, keep running! Get beyond the Marine cordon!"
The scene was pure bedlam. The young and able-bodied fled as fast as they could, but the elderly and the children weren't so lucky.
BANG! BANG!
Marine rifles fired relentlessly, the shots pinging harmlessly off the mammoth's thick, prehistoric hide.
"The bullets are useless! Is its skin really that tough?!"
"Damn it! There are too many people, we can't evacuate them all in time!"
"Keep firing! Don't stop! We have to draw its attention! We have to hold out until Major General Ian arrives!"
BOOM!
Another building crumbled, the sound a funeral dirge for the peace Ian had worked so hard to build. The calamity had arrived, and the Marineking's ultimate test was beginning.