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"Captain! Marines are approaching us!!"
On a medium-sized pirate ship, a warning came from the lookout in the crow's nest. On the fluttering pirate flag, two snow-white tusks were dazzlingly conspicuous.
"Marines? Which base are they from?"
A tall, abnormally powerful man with a golden-blond ponytail tilted his head back, glared, and roared at the crow's nest in a rough voice.
"Captain! This area should be a G-5 base patrol warship!"
"Open fire! Sink them!"
The man called Captain ordered in a deep, cold voice.
Clearly, he wasn't intimidated by a small patrol ship.
On a typical Marine patrol ship, the commanding officer's strength wouldn't be too high.
It's usually the second or third in command; a regular Vice Admiral would be the absolute most to expect!
As for the "Byakko"? That name is only enough to scare off small-time pirates!
"But...The commander of the G-5 base, the White Tiger, is extremely vindictive. If we sink their patrol ship, I'm afraid..."
The other crew members hesitated.
They had heard of the reputation of Admiral Candidate "White Tiger." Any pirate he targeted, even if they fled to an Emperor's territory, would likely be a corpse by the next day!
That's why there's a saying on the seas of the New World:
Better to provoke Akainu than the White Tiger!
"What are you afraid of! Sink them! This will be my offering to Lord Kaido!!"
The captain's expression grew even more ferocious.
His sole goal since setting sail was to join the Emperor of the New World—Kaido of the Beasts. Only a man like that was worthy of being his boss!
"Yes! Captain!!"
Seeing their captain's insistence, the gunner could only obey.
Fwoosh—!
A dark cannonball shot out from the cannon's muzzle. The powerful recoil caused the entire ship to shift back slightly—a perfect parabola traced across the sky.
The cannons were too large for this ship to handle.
But the man called Captain insisted on using such large-calibre cannons, claiming: "Only cannons like this get my blood pumping!!"
Thump—!!
A dull impact was heard. There was no fiery explosion, no deafening roar. The distant warship was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of white smoke.
The massive cannonball was instantly swallowed without a sound, as if consumed and chewed by an invisible mouth. It was all incredibly eerie.
The captain's eyes narrowed, watching the roiling smoke in the distance. He gave a cold snort.
"Bring the ship alongside them!!!"
"Captain, the enemy is likely 'White Hunter' Smoker from the G-5 base! He's a Logia-type, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit user!"
"Who do you think I am? Bring the ship over!" The man's eyes widened, his body exuding a fierce aura as he issued the cold command.
Meanwhile, on the warship surrounded by smoke.
Smoker weighed the cannonball, now enveloped in the smoke from his hand, looking slightly surprised.
He didn't think there were still pirates who dared to attack a G-5 warship. How rare.
"What's the story with these Mammoth Pirates?" Smoker asked the Commander next to him, still tossing the cannonball.
"He's the Supernova Jack, who entered the New World last year. His Devil Fruit is the Zoan-type, Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Model: Mammoth. His bounty..."
The Commander hesitated, glancing at Smoker, before stammering, "His bounty is 260 million!!"
"260 million? Are you sure he's a Supernova?" Smoker's pupils contracted, and he cried out.
A bounty of that level wasn't something a mere captain could handle, and besides, even for a Supernova, isn't that exaggerated?
"A year ago, his bounty was only 150 million. I heard he caused a huge scene at Sabaody, so the World Government raised his bounty significantly."
"And apparently, even back then, his strength didn't match his bounty..."
"I see..."
The Sabaody of today is a world of difference from when Atlas was stationed there. While it didn't immediately return to its former chaos, it's about 70-80% as bad as it used to be.
It can't be helped. The Marines' military deployment doesn't allow for a powerful figure to be permanently stationed at Sabaody.
So, the measures Atlas took back then were only a temporary fix.
The moment he left, everything reverted.
"Send a distress signal to the base immediately!!"
Smoker made a swift decision. With his Logia-type Devil Fruit and Observation Haki, he should be able to stall that guy for a while.
"Yes, sir!!"
New World, G-5 Base.
Atlas slowly descended from the sky, clenching and unclenching his fist, as if still savouring the feeling.
That guy, Enel...
Give him an inch, and he thinks he can open a dye mill. He just awakened Armament Haki, and he already thinks he can beat me. How naive.
He's really taking the phrase "Unwavering belief is strength" to heart.
"Vice Admiral!!"
The moment Atlas's feet touched the ground, Maynard rushed out of the base, his strong body making the ground tremble.
"Hm?!"
"Smoker Captain has encountered 'Mammoth' Jack!!"
The voice arrived before the man did.
"'Mammoth' Jack?"
Atlas was confused. What kind of small fry was this? Why did he have no impression of him?
Logically, with Smoker's Logia ability and Observation Haki, he should be able to fight anyone to a stalemate.
"He's that Supernova from last year, the Mammoth Fruit user. Fleet Admiral Sengoku even called specifically to tell you to pay attention to this pirate crew."
"But at the time, he seemed to avoid our jurisdiction deliberately. Now, for some reason, he's suddenly reappeared and attacked Smoker's patrol ship."
"Wait, what did you say his name was?"
Atlas felt a vague recollection. Sengoku hadn't given him detailed intel on the Mammoth Pirates back then, so he hadn't paid it much mind.
"Jack! 'Mammoth' Jack!"
'Ship-Wrecker' Jack?
Atlas was stunned. It seems this guy has always been this "brave." Even with Atlas's current reputation in the New World, he still dared to provoke him.
But, Jack is also a Fish-Man, isn't he? And he's only 17 right now! Damn, so this guy is a prodigy!
Rumble—!!!
Gunpowder filled the air, and cannons roared. The Mammoth Pirates finally engaged in their first boarding battle with the G-5 Marines.
Without a doubt.
Although the members of the Mammoth Pirates were a mixed bag, anyone who followed a brute like Jack into the New World had to have some solid strength.
As for the Marines, the soldiers stationed in the New World were hand-picked.
While it wasn't so exaggerated that they all had Armament Haki, their physical conditioning was naturally a cut above the Marines in the first half of the Grand Line.
It was, in short, a battle of titans!
When two forces meet head-on, the winner is the more ruthless one!
"'Mammoth' Jack? Why did you circle back from the depths of the New World? What is your objective?"
Smoker clenched his fists, his expression grave.
The pirate before him was arguably the strongest enemy he had faced in his military career.
Moreover, they were on the open sea, where he clearly couldn't use the full power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
It was no exaggeration to say he was at an absolute disadvantage.
"Objective? Hahahaha..."
Jack's gaze hardened. A strange laugh escaped his lips before he abruptly stopped, his bloodshot eyes staring at Smoker.
"My objective, of course, is to kill you all as a welcoming gift for Lord Kaido!!"
His original route was to head straight to Wano Country and join Kaido's Beasts Pirates. One of the three Calamities, the "Drought," was currently vacant.
He was very confident in his strength; as far as he was concerned, the title of Calamity was his for the taking.
However, halfway there, he suddenly thought that he was just a rookie with no real reputation. If he just showed up, he might not be accepted by Kaido.
Although he had caused a ruckus at Sabaody, that was just small-time troublemaking in the first half of the Grand Line. It wasn't impressive.
So, he decided to turn around and target the warship from the G-5 base—the one no one dared to mess with.
Sink them!!
This would be his offering. He believed this would make his name ring throughout the New World.
After all, no pirate had dared to initiate an attack on G-5. This was what a respectable person should do!
"White Vine!!"
Hearing Jack's contemptuous words, Smoker grew angry.
His arm instantly turned to smoke. A large plume of smoke formed a spiral pillar, tightly binding Jack's massive body in place.
At the same time, his ankles dissolved into swirling smoke, building power.
His entire body shot forward at high speed. His silver-white hair was pressed flat against his scalp by the wind, leaving a white trail in the air!
Although his talent was ordinary compared to Atlas, he was far ahead of others in his Marine cohort, so he couldn't help but feel a little arrogant.
"This..."
Jack looked down at the smoke wrapped around his body like thin white threads and was stunned:
"Are you trying to tickle me?!"
Bang—!!
His muscles bulged, and in an instant, Jack completely broke free from the smoke's restraints.
At the same time, he swung a massive fist, unleashing enormous power on Smoker!
Poof!!
A large cloud of smoke appeared. Smoker's body turned completely elemental, perfectly avoiding Jack's punch.
"Turned elemental in advance?"
Jack retracted his fist, looking at the faint Armament Haki on his arm with some surprise.
He clearly hadn't expected that a mere Marine captain would also be proficient in Observation Haki.
"Tch—"
"Logia users with Observation Haki are such a pain!!"
In terms of raw power, Jack was undoubtedly much stronger than Smoker.
But fights between Devil Fruit users often defy logic. Some rule-bending Paramecia fruits, when used well, can turn the tide.
And Smoker's Logia ability, combined with Observation Haki, was more than enough to frustrate Jack to no end.
But even so, Jack could make countless mistakes, whereas Smoker only needed to slip up a few times to be caught and severely injured.
After all, Observation Haki requires absolute calm to use.
Therefore, without outside support, the scales of victory would ultimately tip in Jack's favour.
"Hehe! Looks like your commander can't do anything to our captain!!"
"So what if he's a Logia? We've been in the New World for a year; we haven't just been sitting around! Hehehe!"
The surrounding pirates, who were in the middle of fighting, also noticed the situation.
The Marine nicknamed "White Hunter" was being completely suppressed by their Captain Jack. Even his supposedly "strongest" Logia ability was useless.
They immediately grew smug and started taunting the Marines.
Pirates only care about a few things: wealth, fame, status...
"Damn it!!"
"You won't be smug for long! Choosing to intercept us here was the worst decision you could have made!"
"Once reinforcements from the base arrive, none of you will escape!!"
These Marines weren't fools, either.
This was G-5's territory. Reinforcements could arrive faster than from anywhere else.
As long as Smoker Captain held out for a little while....these pirates wouldn't be standing much longer!
"...Wait, that... actually makes sense?" The Mammoth Pirates' crew members froze. It seemed...They were fish in a barrel.
Meanwhile, high above in the clouds.
A tall man in a pure white suit, his "Justice" coat fluttering behind him, was lying among the clouds.
He was casually eating a slice of bright red watermelon, his eyes fixed on the battlefield below.
He swallowed a mouthful of juicy melon and couldn't help but comment.
"Not bad, not bad. Looks like that brat Smoker's Observation Haki has improved!"
"Eh? He took a hit? Looks like I praised him too soon."
"Tsk tsk tsk... that Armament Haki... I'd call it the worst."
"Yeesh—!! That hit to the face..."
"That looked like it hurt..."
"'Ship-Wrecker' Jack isn't all that. This is just a sledgehammer trying to hit a fly."
"Though this Fish-Man is huge. 8.3 meters... That's terrifying."
—Battlefield Below—
Boom—!
Jack punched Smoker into the smoke again, clearly growing impatient.
Smoker's attacks were no different from fly bites to him, but the annoying elemental form left him with no way to unleash his strength.
However...
Looking at Smoker, who was now sweating and panting, Jack silently calculated the time.
Although he appeared reckless, he was making calculations in his head.
He knew very well that even if G-5 sent reinforcements immediately, it would take time for a warship to arrive at top speed.
But could this Marine in front of him last that long?! A ferocious look suddenly appeared on Jack's face!!
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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