"The person Big Brother Queen wants is up there."
"Get closer."
"If we can't find that scientist..."
Jack paused, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"I will throw every single one of you into the sea to feed the fish."
Hiss—!
A collective gasp instantly rose from the deck.
All the pirates trembled in fear, no longer daring to discuss the strange ship that had flown away moments ago.
"Yes! Captain Jack!"
"Full speed ahead! Target Calebari Island!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Don't dawdle!"
The massive Mammoth let out a roaring whistle, accelerating once more and crushing toward the unsuspecting island...
Meanwhile.
On the other side of the island.
The originally dense jungle now looked as if it had been plowed over by a Category 5 typhoon.
Broken trees and massive deep pits were everywhere.
Those were the traces left behind after the Hulk's rampage.
Two figures were walking one behind the other, stumbling along the road littered with rubble.
The one walking in front was a refined-looking middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and glasses.
It was none other than "Bruce Banner," who had just regained his sanity.
And following behind him,
was a tall, muscular man with a blank expression, wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket.
The Terminator, "T-800."
"Cough, cough..."
Banner waved his hand, dispersing the dust in front of him.
His face was pale, as the side effects of transforming into the Hulk had clearly not fully subsided.
"Honestly..."
"Are all young people nowadays so impulsive?"
Banner muttered to himself as he walked.
He recalled the young man who was covered in fire earlier.
Although he was very polite, when it came to action, he was practically a maniac.
Installing jet engines on a ship?
This only happens in the Pirate World.
If this were his original world, Newton would be rolling in his grave.
"But..."
"At least we finally sent that 'Great Buddha' away."
Banner pushed up the glasses on his nose and let out a long sigh of relief.
Although that young man named Ace was very sincere,
he really didn't want to become a pirate.
What's so good about being a pirate?
Drifting on the sea all day, enduring the wind and sun, not to mention being chased by the Marines.
Banner pushed up his glasses, looking like someone who had seen through the vanity of the world.
"No social security benefits."
"No year-end bonus."
"And certainly no weekends off or paid annual leave."
"If you get injured on the job, you have to find your own doctor. If you lose an arm or a leg, who will take care of you for the rest of your life?"
"This kind of high-risk, low-reward profession... not even a dog would take it!"
Unknowingly,
the simple clinic located halfway up the mountain had appeared in their sight.
The small wooden house, which was originally dilapidated but still cozy, had now turned into a pile of rotten timber.
Half of the roof was gone.
The remaining half was also precarious, letting out a miserable creak, creak sound in the wind.
The "T-800" standing behind him scanned the surroundings expressionlessly.
Red light flashed in its eyes, and streams of data scrolled across its retina.
"Damage Assessment: Main structure damage rate 98%."
"Foundation collapse depth: 3.5 meters."
"Repair possibility: 0."
"Recommendation: Rebuild."
The T-800's cold mechanical voice was like sprinkling salt on Banner's wound.
Banner's mouth twitched wildly.
"Thank you for your professional assessment, big guy."
"But is advice what I lack right now?"
"What I lack is money!"
Banner plopped down on a broken wooden beam, wanting to cry but having no tears.
Suddenly.
As if remembering something, he slapped his thigh hard.
He immediately sprang to his feet.
"Wait a minute!"
"Did that kid Ace forget something?!"
"He promised to help me fix the house!"
Banner grabbed his hair in despair.
His messy curly hair was rubbed into a bird's nest.
What kind of world is this?!
Are pirates nowadays so lacking in basic decency?
What is this, a hit-and-run? I'm going to report him to the World Government!
Banner stomped his feet in anger.
"I spent several months building this..."
"Every single plank was cut by me personally in the forest..."
Banner looked utterly defeated...
Calebari Island, Port Town.
This is a famous "Gray Zone" in the first half of the Grand Line.
Countless bounty hunters, down-on-their-luck pirates, and black market vendors gather here.
Although chaotic, there is a set of unspoken underground rules.
However, today.
This fragile set of rules was completely shattered.
Boom—!!!
A massive roar, like muffled thunder, rolled in from the coastline.
The ground of the entire port was shaking violently.
Glasses in the tavern clinked due to the vibration, and cloudy rum spilled across the tables.
"An earthquake?"
"No... wait! Is it a tsunami?!"
A group of drunken pirates rushed out of the tavern, cursing loudly.
The moment they stepped outside.
Everyone's expression instantly froze.
The previously noisy street fell into a deathly silence at this moment.
Looking towards the port.
A gigantic warship, like a steel fortress, was forcefully smashing through the breakwater, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.
Its black sails blotted out the sky.
The massive mammoth skull figurehead at the bow emitted a chilling aura under the sunlight.
What was even more despair-inducing...
was the Jolly Roger fluttering wildly in the wind.
The skull had massive horns growing out of its sides.
"That is..."
A pipe dropped from the hands of an old mercenary with a clatter.
His pupils violently constricted, as if he had seen the gates of hell.
"The Bea... Beasts Pirates?!"
"It's the fleet of Kaido of the Four Emperors!!!"
Screams instantly tore through the silence.
The entire port descended into chaos.
"Damn it! Why would someone from the Four Emperors come to this wretched place?!"
"Run! It's that maniac!"
"Who?"
"Who else could it be! That's the Mammoth! It's Jack the Drought, one of the Three Disasters!!!"
Hearing the name "Drought."
Everyone's face instantly turned ashen, and their very souls trembled.
Jack the Drought.
Where he passed, not a blade of grass remained.
That man was completely unreasonable and disdained communication.
In his eyes, there was only destruction and slaughter.
Boom—!!!
The Mammoth showed no intention of slowing down.
It directly crushed over a dozen pirate ships anchored in the harbor.
Wood splinters flew everywhere, and screams rose one after another.
The pirate ships that were usually so imposing were as fragile as paper toys before the Mammoth.
A massive metal gangplank crashed onto the dock.
Kicking up dust everywhere.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The heavy footsteps sounded as if they were stepping on everyone's hearts with every beat.
The smoke and dust cleared.
That terrifying figure, eight meters tall, slowly revealed his true appearance.
A metallic jaw-like mask covered half his face, revealing only a pair of bloodshot, tyrannical eyes.
Two massive tusk-like decorations resembled the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
Jack stood on the dock.
Coldly surveying the group of trembling ants before him.
"My Lord Ja... Jack!"
A self-proclaimed clever pirate Captain forced himself to suppress his fear and step forward.
His face was plastered with a flattering smile.
"I am 'Blood Axe' Baron, with a bounty of fifty-eight million..."
"We were unaware of Lord Jack's arrival and failed to greet you properly..."
"If you are here for supplies, we are willing to..."
Clang—!
A cold flash of light swept by.
The voice stopped abruptly.
The pirate Captain's body remained in a bowing posture.
But his head had flown more than ten meters away.
Blood spurted out like a fountain, staining the flagstones beneath his feet red.
Jack slowly retracted the two strangely shaped shotel swords.
He didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground.
"Too noisy."
His voice was hoarse, conveying a despairing indifference.
"Gifters, heed my command."
"Arrest everyone here."
"Interrogate them for the whereabouts of Bruce Banner."
Jack paused, a glint of bloodlust flashing in his eyes.
"If they don't talk, or if they don't know..."
"Then kill them all."
"Yes! Captain Jack!"
The group of bizarre-looking Gifters behind him let out excited, strange cries.
Like hounds released from a cage, they lunged at the panicked crowd.
Slaughter erupted instantly.