The artilleryman of the Jack Pirates rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
What was going on?
That person had actually leapt into the air and plunged into the sea before the cannonballs even landed. Was it sheer coincidence… or had he sensed the danger in advance?
If it was the former, that was one thing.
But if it was the latter…
The pirates didn't even dare imagine what kind of nightmare would follow.
"Captain… Captain…"
The pirate who had relayed the order earlier mustered his courage and stepped forward. "That man jumped into the sea. Our cannon fire missed."
Jacks didn't seem to care much. To him, it had only been an extra target anyway.
"He ran away? Then he's lucky." Jacks sneered. "Forget about him for now. Keep your eyes open. Don't let Louis go mad and blow up the ship. Those are war supplies prepared by the Kingdom of Hiska for the upcoming conflict. That is the real prize."
Seeing the messenger pirate still hesitating, Jacks frowned impatiently.
"Stop wasting time. Say what you're trying to say."
"Captain… from what we saw, that man didn't flee blindly. It looked like he sensed danger and deliberately hid in the sea. If he swims over and damages our ship, we'll be in serious trouble…"
"Idiot!" Jacks roared. "Did a fish eat your brain? After jumping into the sea, how could anyone possibly come back alive? Besides, my Black Undead is made of—"
A cruel smile crept onto his lips as his hand reached toward his waist, about to pull out the thick, pitch-black weapon.
But before he could finish his sentence—
BOOM!
The entire ship shook violently.
Another heavy impact followed, slamming into the hull like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through every pirate's heart. Cracks spread rapidly across the deck, as if fear itself were crawling through the ship.
"It's him! It's him!"
A pirate collapsed onto the deck in terror. "That man has come back for revenge!"
"Calm down!" Jacks shouted, forcing himself to stay steady. "We can still win—"
Before he could finish, a deafening explosion rang out.
The ship lurched violently.
Jacks' face twisted in horror. He grabbed the mast desperately and screamed, "Idiots! Bring the other ships over here! I'm a Devil Fruit user! Do you want me to fall into the sea and drown?!"
Jacks still had authority. The surrounding pirate ships quickly moved in to assist.
But—
A massive golden dragon surged out of the sea.
In an instant, it tore through the approaching ships, ripping them apart like paper.
Those ordinary pirate vessels were no match at all. They couldn't withstand even a single sweep of the dragon's tail. Terrified, the remaining ships scattered, fleeing in all directions without daring to look back.
"You…!"
Jacks was so furious his lungs nearly exploded.
At this point, he was convinced—the man had truly come for revenge.
Seeing that his subordinates had abandoned him, Jacks' expression turned ruthless. He grabbed a floating mast with one hand, and with the other drew a musket from his waist, firing it straight into the sea.
The bullet left the barrel trailing a thin, fiery streak.
In the very instant it was fired, its speed was amplified to a terrifying degree, actually piercing through the resistance of seawater and shooting toward the shadow beneath the surface.
This was the power of the Amplify Fruit.
A lesser Devil Fruit compared to the Momo-Momo Fruit once wielded by Waldo, the great pirate known ten years ago as the World Destroyer.
The difference was simple.
The Momo-Momo Fruit multiplied.
The Amplify Fruit merely added.
Though the bullet overcame the resistance of the sea, the moment it struck the Sea King below, it was no more effective than a pebble.
The next instant—
The thick golden dragon descended like divine punishment from the sea god.
Under Jacks' desperate and unwilling gaze, his final foothold was obliterated completely.
The remaining pirate ships fled in all directions like startled birds, not daring to linger even for a second.
In the distance, the fleet led by Louis stood frozen in shock.
What… had just happened?
The once-dominant Jack Pirates had collapsed in an instant.
And the one who saved them—
Was a golden dragon.
Of course, Louis did not lower his guard. Such ferocious beasts made no distinction between friend and foe. They could just as easily turn on him next.
Is this enormous creature… the legendary dragon?
The sea truly is nothing like land…
Just then, a soft and sweet voice sounded from behind him.
Louis' expression changed instantly.
"My little angel! Why are you out here? Go back to the cabin—now!"
The girl with short pink hair pouted unhappily.
"Tina isn't a child anymore. And I saw the naval battle earlier!" she said indignantly. "Dad, you're so useless!"
"So useless… so useless… so useless…"
The words echoed in Louis' ears like a demonic chant.
The proud guardian of a kingdom suddenly looked utterly defeated. For any doting father, such words were more devastating than a thousand blades.
At that moment—
A figure leapt out from the mouth of the Sea King and landed steadily on the deck in front of them.
Anyone capable of becoming a kingdom's guardian was naturally not a fool. Louis instantly understood what had happened.
Although he didn't know how the young man before him had tamed the golden dragon, why the dragon had disappeared, or why this person had chosen to help him—
None of that stopped him from feeling overwhelming gratitude.
If this young man hadn't appeared, Louis didn't dare imagine what fate would have awaited himself, his fleet, his homeland—
And Tina.
Standing beside her father, Tina widened her bright, curious eyes.
This young man, who looked only a few years older than her…
Could he really command a golden dragon?
Tina is so jealous…
I really want to learn too.
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T/N:
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