Chapter 52: The Marineking's Stand
The Marine soldiers on the ground fought a desperate, holding action. Their firepower was like pebbles thrown against a mountain, utterly failing to shake the ancient behemoth before them. All they could do was use their own flesh and blood as bait, drawing the mammoth's attention to cover the retreat of the civilians.
Under Ian's leadership these past weeks, the Marines' reputation on the island had been restored to an unprecedented degree. It wasn't just Ian who was respected; every soldier under his command carried themselves with a newfound pride. The sense of justice, long buried and forgotten in the cynicism of the Grand Line, was slowly being rekindled in their hearts.
"Damn those bastards... How dare they keep shooting at me!" Jack's guttural roar vibrated through the very air. "You're asking for death!"
A squad of Marines, firing wildly and fearlessly, had successfully drawn his ire. Jack, who had been about to trample a group of fleeing civilians, turned his massive head, his malevolent gaze locking onto the soldiers.
"W-What?!"
"He... he's looking right at us!"
"Captain... are we... are we going to die?"
"Such a strong bloodlust... my legs... I can't move!"
The sheer, predatory intent radiating from Jack froze the Marines in place. Their captain gritted his teeth, his pupils constricting in helpless fury. "Damn it... the gap in power is just too great... In the end, we couldn't accomplish anything..."
The mammoth's trunk, moving with terrifying speed for its size, whipped through the air, aimed directly at the squad. There was no time to dodge, no time to run.
BOOM!
Whoosh!
Just as the trunk was about to smash them into paste, a figure blurred into existence in front of them. A man of ordinary stature met the trunk not with a block, but with a powerful, precise kick. The collision of forces created a visible shockwave, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
The Marines stared, stunned, at the familiar back that had appeared before them. The relief of escaping certain death was so overwhelming it brought them to the verge of tears. In every crisis, this figure always appeared in time, standing as an unbreakable wall between them and oblivion.
"Major General Ian!"
"MAJOR GENERAL IAN!!"
Their cheers were a unified roar of hope and reverence.
"Well done, my men," Ian said, his voice calm yet carrying immense weight. He didn't turn to look at them, his eyes fixed on the mammoth. "Thanks to you, you bought precious time. You have saved many innocent lives. Now, continue your mission. Protect the people and retreat. I'll deal with this piece of trash."
"Yes, Major General Ian! We will complete the mission!"
"YES, MAJOR GENERAL IAN!"
Led by their captain, the Marines quickly fell back, their spirits lifted, their purpose clear. In that moment, they had embodied the very heroism that defined the Marines at their best.
Ian's gaze swept across the devastation. Just yesterday during his patrol, this area had been a bustling, vibrant street. Now, it was a horrifying landscape of ruin. It would take months, perhaps years, to rebuild the prosperity that had been destroyed in mere moments. This was the nature of pirates with immense destructive power and no regard for consequence. And all of it... was just to lure him out.
"Jock Ian! It's definitely him, Boss Jack! Just like in the portrait!"
"Finally, you showed your face! I thought you'd keep hiding like a rat!"
"Boss Jack, let me take him out! He's just a little brat!"
"Hahaha, kill him!"
The Beast Pirate crew members behind Jack laughed and jeered, their bloodlust rising now that their target was in sight.
"You little brat, you finally showed up," Jack's voice rumbled, dripping with sarcastic contempt as he looked down from his immense height. "Are you ready to die? We can make an exception today. If you die, we'll spare the rest of this island."
From the way Ian had saved his subordinates, Jack could tell the kid had some skill. But no matter how skilled, he was still just a child. Jack still couldn't fathom why he, a Calamity, had been sent to deal with such a minor threat.
"Doflamingo didn't have the guts to come himself, so he sent a pack of wild animals?" Ian retorted, his voice cold and sharp, not holding back in the slightest. "Are you the Joker's lapdogs? As members of the Beast Pirates, you're willing to be someone else's attack dogs? Does Kaido just collect idiots who go looking for trouble for others?"
He was furious, and he saw no reason to hide it. This battle would only end with one side's utter defeat, so he might as well speak his mind first.
"Damn you, you little shit!" Jack roared, his patience snapping.
WHOOSH!
He attacked, his trunk lashing out with brutal, overwhelming force once more. The speed was deceptive for its size, and the attack range was vast, making it seemingly impossible to evade.
However...
Ian never planned to dodge.
BOOM!
In the split second between the trunk's descent and impact, Ian's hands shot out and caught it. He didn't block it; he grabbed it, his fingers digging in, halting its momentum completely. Then, using the trunk as a pivot, he leveraged his entire body, leaping into the air and swinging behind the mammoth.
A contest of pure strength?
At Marine Headquarters, even Garp and Kuzan had found his raw power formidable.
Who did this overgrown mammoth think he was?
"This... this brat...!" Jack grunted, trying to use his immense strength to throw Ian off. But to his shock, the force Ian suddenly exerted was monstrous, rivaling his own!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
With a series of thunderous cracks, Jack's colossal body was physically hauled off the ground. Ian spun in mid-air, using the trunk as a lever, and with a final, herculean heave, slammed the mammoth form backward through the air.
"How is this possible?! Where does this kid get such terrifying power?!"
"Hey! Get out of the way! He's coming right at us!"
The Beast Pirates behind Jack scrambled in panic. The Gifters—Holdem, Speed, Sheepshead, and Ginrummy—reacted quickly, leaping out of the danger zone. But the ordinary pirate grunts, clustered together, couldn't move fast enough. They never, in their wildest nightmares, imagined they would see the day their invincible commander would be used as a weapon against them. Jack's massive body crashed down toward them, a falling mountain of fury and flesh.