Kuina's footsteps paused slightly, and she turned her head to glance over.
But it was just a glance; after a brief look, she turned back and continued walking towards the shore, leaving behind only a calm statement:
"You're not worthy yet."
"Ha?!"
Sasaki's wild laughter froze on his face, veins popping on his forehead, "Stop looking down on me! You bastard, who do you think I am——"
Before he could finish speaking, his figure had already lunged forward, slashing towards Kuina's back!
Thud!
A dull crashing sound rang out, and Sasaki unexpectedly halted in mid-air. He was slightly stunned and looked up.
A massive shadow, like an iron tower, blocked his path. A large hand covered in black Armament Haki gripped his blade tightly like a vice.
"Oh? A fellow from the Fishman Race."
Jack grinned, revealing sharp white fangs, "You've got some strength, but your hearing doesn't seem that good. Didn't our Deputy Captain make it quite clear..."
"Someone of your caliber isn't qualified to challenge her!"
The right hand exerted force abruptly.
Crack——
In an instant, Sasaki's blade was crushed.
"How could this be?!"
Sasaki's pupils contracted; before he could react, Jack turned around and delivered a heavy punch to his chest!
Boom!!!
A terrifying impact exploded instantly, sending Sasaki flying backward like a cannonball. He crashed through several Pirate Ships docked at the pier and finally smashed into a distant Red Tree trunk!
The dust settled.
Sasaki fell to the ground with a dazed look in his eyes, blood gushing from his chest. After twitching his limbs weakly twice, he lay motionless, his fate unknown.
"..."
The entire dock fell into dead silence.
The soft popping sound of soap bubbles breaking seemed especially sharp at that moment.
Numerous uncertain and suspicious glances swept back and forth between Jack and Kuina.
After a long while, whispers began to spread.
"Such ferocious power, who is this giant?"
"I don't know either. Don't you have the Endgame gang's Bounty Order? Why not bring it out and compare!"
"I've compared it long ago! No photos match up; it must be a newly joined member..."
A newcomer, are they?
A group of pirates nearby gasped in shock.
That was Sasaki! The Super Rookie, second in bounty, the fleet admiral, and a renowned Sword Master, defeated by a newcomer with no bounty at all?
If even a newcomer's strength is this terrifying.
Then how strong are the other veteran members of the Endgame Pirates now?!!
"..."
Garrett, standing at the forefront, broke out in a cold sweat and exchanged a glance with Halt.
"What do we do now?" she asked awkwardly, "We can't count on Sasaki anymore, should we retreat?"
"No way, doing so would truly be a loss of face."
Halt took a deep breath, watching Kuina and the others depart into the distance, then turned to face Jack blocking their way, gripping his sword hilt tightly, and said in a deep voice:
"No matter what, we need to defeat this guy."
We can't be a disgrace like Sasaki!
Fight, we must fight, but the target needs to be slightly adjusted.
From the three of us attempting to destroy the entire Endgame Pirates, to the two of us seeing if we can defeat this newcomer before us.
Do we still want to fight?
Jack grinned, stepping forward.
He also wanted to see if these two together were enough to force him to reveal his Mammoth Form!
However, just then, two more figures descended from the Endgame.
One was a mature woman with a gentle demeanor, and the other a vibrant girl with orange hair like fire.
"Hey, Jack!"
Nami called out to the eager Jack, smiling, "Don't hog all the glory; these two, leave them to Sister Robin and me!"
"No problem, Nami big sister!" Jack readily agreed, stepping aside immediately.
"...You want the spotlight, don't drag me along." Robin said helplessly.
"What's wrong with that, Sister Robin? Our three bounties are lagging far behind; don't you want to catch up to them?!"
Nami blinked and said, "After two months of seclusion, you've become much stronger. Don't you want to take the opportunity to test out your new moves?"
"Besides..."
She leaned in close, lowered her voice, and said:
"There were no CP9 survivors left in the Water Capital, so until now, the World Government hasn't noticed you're on our ship. How can we let that continue! Join me and make a public appearance; it also serves to declare to the world that you're one of us now!"
"..."
Robin glanced at her, ultimately bursting into a quiet laugh:
"That reason... sure is hard to refuse."
————
Four figures clashed together.
Whether it was the suddenly erupting blazing flames or the rising countless arms, they drew exclamations from the onlookers.
No one noticed.
On top of the tallest building, a young figure was happily observing the scene.
He propped his chin with one hand, lazily sitting at the edge, his black hair being lifted slightly by the sea breeze.
"As expected, now they are beyond the level that the Super Rookies can match..."
These five Super Rookies actually had pretty good strength. The two prominent ones from the Fur Race needn't be mentioned. As for the other three, he also had an impression.
Sasaki, from the Hundred Beasts Pirates' Flying Six.
Halt, Captain of Squad 12 of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Garrett, Minister of Butter of the BIGMOM Pirates.
These three are high-ranking officers under future Four Emperors, especially Sasaki and Halt, both with bounties reaching five billion levels.
But now, having just completed the first half of the Grand Line, their strength hadn't matured yet and did not qualify for him to take them on personally.