Moooo—!!!
A piercing bellow shot to the sky as a behemoth suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield. A massive mammoth stomped down between the ship's railings.
The visual impact of its colossal body sent Smoker stumbling back. An invisible shockwave billowed out, spreading in all directions.
[Zoan-type, Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Model: Mammoth]!!!
"This thing..."
Staring at the giant beast before him, Smoker found it difficult to control his emotions for a moment.
Suddenly, a red light flashed in his eyes, and his expression changed dramatically!
"Not good!!"
A dark trunk, wreathed in immense power, whipped toward him. It was so fast, he had no time to react.
He could only watch as the trunk grew larger and larger in his vision!
Bang—!!!
After only a moment of resistance, Smoker was completely routed. The dull thud of flesh on flesh rang out!
His chest caved in, blood spraying from his mouth. Smoker's entire body was sent flying backward like a punctured doll, following the attack's ferocious momentum!
He could feel it.
He didn't know how many ribs in his chest had been broken.
Thud—!!!
Suddenly, Smoker felt a force even more terrifying than Jack's stop his fall. The tattered collar of his jacket seemed to be lifted by a large hand.
In his daze, a familiar, teasing voice sounded by his ear.
"Yo! Smoker, how'd you get beaten up so badly?"
Brother Atlas!
A flash of recognition shot through Smoker's mind. He jolted, enduring the pain wracking his body as he forced his eyelids open, trying to confirm the person's identity.
"Alright, you just rest. I'll take care of this big oaf." Atlas chuckled.
A soft green light from his hand covered Smoker. His shattered bones and muscles healed rapidly, the power of the Horse Talisman coursing beneath his rough skin.
Swish—!!!
Atlas tossed Smoker into the air, then used the Rooster Talisman's power to compress a wall of air directly beneath his backside, safely bearing his weight.
"Marine Admiral Candidate, Byakko?!"
Jack, in his mammoth form, stared with wide eyes, white mist puffing from his trunk.
His voice caused low-frequency air vibrations.
Swish—!!!
No more words. Straight to action.
Atlas instantly appeared in front of Jack. Looking at the behemoth, he couldn't help but crack his neck.
He stepped back, clenched his fist, and black-and-red lightning instantly coiled around it, wildly tearing at the space!
A standard, straight punch!
Under Jack's terrified gaze, Atlas's arm suddenly swelled. A black-and-red fist arrived in an instant, smashing into his head!
Boom—!!
A massive explosion rang out. A fist-shaped, scorched brand was clearly imprinted on Jack's forehead.
Thick smoke, accompanied by the sweet smell of roasted meat, filled the air, and terrifying Conqueror's Haki shot straight into Jack's skull!
Jack's eyes instantly rolled back. He foamed at the mouth, his body went rigid, and his giant mammoth form fell sideways!
BOOM—!
He crashed into the sea, the massive kinetic energy kicking up a colossal white wave dozens of feet high.
As his body sank, the mammoth instantly shrank, reverting to its beast form!
Glug glug glug~
The unconscious Jack instinctively tried to breathe. A large number of bubbles rose from the deep as his body sank!
"It's Vice Admiral Byakko! Vice Admiral White Tiger is here!"
"Hahaha! I told you! As soon as our reinforcements arrived, it'd be these pirates' doomsday!"
"What 'Mammoth' Jack? In front of the Vice Admiral, he's just a weakling!"
Atlas's appearance and his near-instant defeat of the Mammoth Pirates' captain was a massive morale boost for the Marines below.
They couldn't help but grip their swords a little tighter!
"Our captain..."
"This is the worst luck, right? We just had to run into the Byakko when he's back at the base!"
"Damn it! We're dead either way! Might as well go all out against these bastard Marines!"
In contrast were the Mammoth Pirates.
It was a stark difference from the Marines' reaction.
Only a few of the top officers seemed to have been spurred into a frenzy, their attacks becoming completely reckless, as if they had a death wish.
Snap—!
A characteristic finger-snap echoed. Invisible blades instantly materialised in the air, all swiping at the necks of the pirates below!
Slish—!!
Lines of blood spurted. Dozens of pirates collapsed, their pupils dilated, their weapons clattering to the deck.
"This..."
The Marines looked at the pirates who had suddenly had their throats cut, then at each other.
"We... won?"
"Yeah, I think we won!"
"Hey! What are you all standing around for? A few of you strong ones, get down there and fish Jack out of the water."
"And get the Seastone ready! We'll lock it on his neck!"
Atlas slowly descended to the warship's deck. At the same time, he gestured with his right hand, levitating the now-healed Smoker onto the ship.
"Yes, Vice Admiral!!"
The Marine soldiers all responded loudly.
Soon, with the effort of dozens of Marines, the still-unconscious Jack was finally hauled aboard.
The current Jack was only 17. He was still very green. Not only had his Devil Fruit not awakened, but his two types of Haki were still crude.
After taking a direct hit infused with Atlas's Conqueror's Haki, he'd have to be a ghost to be still conscious!
Clank!!
The crisp sound of a lock snapping shut rang out. A thick Seastone chain was fastened around Jack's neck.
Shing—!!
The Futsunomitama at Atlas's waist was unsheathed. A brilliant silver light flashed, and four blood-red slashes flew out, heading straight for Jack's four limbs!
Splurt!!
Without Armament Haki to harden them, Jack's limbs, against the absolute sharpness of the Futsunomitama, one of the Supreme Grade Blades, were severed without any resistance. Blood gushed out!
"Ahhh—!!!"
...
After the battle, the warship quickly returned to the G-5 base. Jack, his limbs severed, was carried off by waiting Marine soldiers to be temporarily held in the G-5 prison.
"Vice Admiral, there's a call for you! It's from Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
The moment Atlas landed, Maynard rushed over again, shoving an already-connected Den Den Mushi into his hand.
Click!
Atlas picked up the receiver without hesitation.
"Hey! Old man Sengoku, what's up? Why'd you call? I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet."
"I heard that in three months, you'll finally be officially inaugurated as Fleet Admiral, just as you wished!"
Internal news was already circulating in the Marines. The Five Elders had signed the documents for Sengoku's promotion.
Now, only the selection for the three Admiral positions had yet to be finalised!
"Let's put that aside for a moment. You've heard, haven't you? The specific candidates for the Admiral seats haven't been decided yet."
Sengoku's deep, mellow voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
But he didn't sound as happy as one would expect from someone who had achieved their heart's desire.
"Isn't it Akainu and the others? After all, in terms of seniority and loyalty to the Marines, they're slightly ahead of me." Atlas replied in a calm tone.
This wasn't an unacceptable outcome for him. Akainu and the others' advantages were plain to see. There were only three Admiral positions, so the result was obvious.
"No. The Five Elders just passed me a message. They've decided to give you a chance..."
"A chance? Are they going to make me fight Akainu and the other two?"
The same old trick? An Admiral is different from a Fleet Admiral, right?
Even if the Admirals don't get along, it won't affect the entire Marine Headquarters; at most, it would just deepen factional conflicts.
And besides...If he proposed a challenge, Kizaru would drop out on his own.
That guy probably enjoys his current life. Once he's promoted to Admiral, he'll likely be assigned to guard Mary Geoise, splitting his focus to protect the Celestial Dragons.
"What nonsense are you talking, brat? How could the position of Admiral be decided so rashly!"
A dark line crossed Sengoku's face on the other end. This kid was as unreliable as ever.
"It's about 'Pure Gold'!"
Atlas paused, then frowned. "The Celestial Dragons want to live forever? And isn't the method for refining Pure Gold lost?"
He knew about Pure Gold, of course, and some intel about it. But there was no way that thing would fall into the hands of the Celestial Dragons.
"That's right. The Five Elders have made their terms clear. As long as you can offer them the Pure Gold, they will create a special Admiral seat just for you!"
"Where am I supposed to find something from a legend? Have the Five Elders lost their minds?"
Atlas was speechless, bluntly insulting the five old men.
"Brat! Watch your words!" Sengoku shouted.
Even though there was widespread dissatisfaction with the Five Elders within the Marines, they were still the public-facing, supreme rulers of the World Government.
One had to maintain appearances at least.
"CP has been searching for news about the gold. They recently found a rough lead."
"Then why don't they just send CP to find it? Why go through the extra trouble of sending me?" Atlas felt something was off.
"The reason they gave is that it's difficult for the CP to find an agent stronger than you. Also, the reliability of this lead is unknown. They've received similar tips before..."
"Fine. I'll take this mission."
Atlas had already made up his mind. Even if he got the Pure Gold from the anglerfish, the Five Elders would likely never see a shadow of it.
"Where's the intel?"
"There is none!"
"None? Didn't you say CP already got the intel?"
A bluff?
Atlas was confused. He understood the Five Elders' operations less and less.
"The intel is with a CP agent. To prevent leaks, you must go and make contact in person."
"The location..."
Sengoku hesitated, as if he'd thought of something, but he still said it.
"It's in the Pleasure Districts. Someone will pass the information to you there."
Stussy?
The only person who could link the Pleasure Districts and CP was Stussy. No wonder Sengoku was so hesitant. It seems it was because of the "framing" last time!
The Pleasure District was the red-light district of the pirate world.
In name, it was a "District," but it was actually a giant "flower ship," similar to the Gran Tesoro.
It received countless patrons, usually without asking for their identity. As long as you had money, you could find the girl of your dreams.
These "flower ships" provided a temporary harbour for pirates, bounty hunters, and even lonely Marines drifting on the sea, and were favoured by many. Gakkei, for example, was a frequent visitor.
But the girls there were also very realistic. If you had no money, you couldn't even touch a finger.
Of course, the Pleasure District was different from ordinary flower ships.
It integrated auctions, entertainment, gambling, and other facilities, a bit like the Gold Emperor's Gran Tesoro.
Almost all "flower ships" on the sea were managed by the Pleasure District. As for how many CP agents were mixed in, that was unknown.
These flower ships are a vital part of the World Government's CP intelligence network.
Since he had his destination, he would set off.
However, Atlas didn't plan to bring any other Marines.
This mission was a secret assignment from the Five Elders. After all, the power of eternal life could easily attract the greed of countless pirates.
Even if he was strong, in the ensuing chaos, someone could still snatch it.
Once the White Tiger (his ship) set sail, even with the Snake Talisman's invisibility, the life signatures of the soldiers on board could not be hidden.
If a strong person proficient in Observation Haki suddenly decided to check, the life signatures of the soldiers would be as conspicuous as a candle in the dark.
And, unlike the Gold Emperor's Gran Tesoro...
The Gran Tesoro was an independent nation and neutral zone recognised by the World Government.
The Pleasure District, even if secretly backed by the World Government, was ultimately part of the underworld. It couldn't be seen in the light.
Even a Marine like Gakkei had to wear civilian clothes when he went there for "fun"!
...
By the time Atlas arrived at the Pleasure District, following the Log Pose from Sengoku, he finally saw the famous flower ship.
It was a ship easily ten kilometres long, decorated with pink flowers. A circle of red lanterns hung high above the deck, exuding a strange allure.
In the very centre of the giant ship, a thick smokestack stood tall.
Clearly, unlike ordinary sailing ships, this one used steam power.
The technology tree in the pirate world is strange. Steam power has been around for a long time, but the vast majority of pirate ships and other vessels still use wind power.
It's not just that.
Decades later, the Marines would develop laser cannons, while others were still using outdated flintlocks.
This could be explained by Vegapunk's 500-year-advanced science and the exorbitant manufacturing costs.
But other weapons, like rocket launchers and machine guns...
Luffy's attack names include these weapons, so they must be things he has seen or heard of. Otherwise, with Luffy's mind, he couldn't have just made those names up.
They are obviously much better than flintlocks, but you never see the big pirate crews using them.