Fullalead, Rocky Port.
As Fullalead's external trade port, quite a few pirates live here, and the hostages are also being held nearby.
Two days ago, Koby arrived here aboard a merchant ship and began gathering intelligence under the guise of a dockworker.
Having spent a long time as a chore boy, he was already quite familiar with such tasks; even the days of being kidnapped by Alvida taught him how to survive among pirates. That's why he was sent to gather intel, no one was more suited to infiltrate this place than him.
"Koby, how's the situation?"
"Helmeppo? I've identified the area where the hostages are being held, but it's heavily guarded, so I haven't had a chance to get close."
In a corner of the port, Koby secretly contacted the other Marines.
"The others have also infiltrated, but Koby, there's bad news. Members of the Beasts Pirates are approaching the island. Their motives are unclear, so be careful."
"I understand."
At the same time, aboard the Steel Mammoth, Jack had already spotted the iconic giant skull of Fullalead.
"Captain Jack, we're almost there. According to the intel, the client is near Rocky Port. Should we break through directly?"
"No. Head to the center of the island. Take out the pirates stationed here."
Jack stood up from his chair and gave an order that didn't seem related to the mission.
"But Captain Jack, isn't our mission a rescue?"
"Sheepshead, why do they need rescuing?"
"Uh, because they were captured by pirates?"
"That's right. So, if we just wipe out all the pirates who captured them, wouldn't that count as a successful rescue?"
"If we go in to rescue the hostages directly, they'll catch on too easily, and we might end up in a stalemate. But attacking their base is a different story."
"As long as our assault is fierce enough to force them to redeploy manpower from across the island, the hostages will naturally become safe."
Jack explained a whole new take on what "rescue" meant. Sheepshead thought hard but couldn't come up with a proper rebuttal.
Fullalead did have its own rules, but the Beasts Pirates were powerful enough to overturn the entire table, so Jack chose this bizarre method - an open "infiltration."
"Sheepshead, you take the right flank.
Ginrummy, you take the left.
New guy, you head to the hostage area. Don't forget the password: 'Handsome Queen.'"
"New guy", that was how Jack referred to Drake. The members of the Beasts Pirates had already gotten used to Delia's presence, and calling the new person "Drake" felt awkward. So Jack just gave him a simple nickname. [TN: Pinyin name of both Drake and Delia is same.]
Drake never imagined that the first step to going undercover would be losing his name. If he were from Wano Country, he would have already been forced to throw away his name, and with a little more effort, he could directly Sunacchi*. [Sunacchi means "Throw Away Your Name and Wits"]
With Alcremie's reminder, Jack had been observing Drake. His performance in battle was fairly earnest, and Jack hadn't noticed anything suspicious for now, so he assigned him to assist with the hostage rescue.
If Drake messed up now, he might end up back at the Udon Quarry.
After all, Babanuki had complained in the Rotom chat group that Udon's mining efficiency had dropped since Drake was taken away. He had lost his "mining king."
"Wait, Captain Jack, I still think something's off. Wasn't the client's mission to save him?"
"Didn't he also say to take out these pirates? Let's go say hi first."
Jack's body began to swell and transform into a giant elephant-man. He lifted his trunk and aimed at the right eye socket of the skull building. A blinding light began to form at the tip.
Boom!
After a short charge-up, the Hyper Beam was complete, and it accurately passed through the right eye of the skull building on Fullalead.
Though it didn't cause an explosion, it definitely caught the attention of the pirates on the island.
"Just as expected from Captain Jack, what accuracy! He managed to shoot through that from so far away!"
"Open fire! Let those guys see what we're made of!"
"Idiots, don't fire! What if you accidentally hit the people at the port? Move the ship closer! Engage them in close combat!"
Jack would never admit that he actually missed his shot just now. He was aiming for the spot between the skull's two eyes.
But the waves on the sea were rough, the deck under his feet was unsteady, and Hyper Beam's accuracy wasn't high to begin with. That's why Jack's attack ended up passing through the eye socket.
Although Jack's attack missed, it still achieved his intended purpose of declaring war. Just as the pirates on Fullalead realized they were under attack, Jack's Steel Mammoth had already reached the periphery of Fullalead.
Fullalead was also surrounded by towering rocks, with only Rocky Port as a safe harbor, but that wasn't any trouble for Jack.
After placing Alcremie back in the cabin, Jack gathered strength in his legs and leapt toward the island, transforming mid-air into a giant Copperajah. His massive body crushed the surrounding rocks, creating a new harbor near Rocky Port.
"Charge!"
"Yes!"
Sheepshead and Ginrummy transformed into a regular giant elephant and a mammoth respectively. The two beasts led their teams and charged forward from both sides alongside Jack. Drake also transformed into an Allosaurus and led part of the force toward Rocky Port.
"Boss! We're under attack, they've already rushed up!"
"Who's got that kind of nerve?!"
"It….it's the Steel Mammoth, Jack!"
"Why are the Beasts Pirates here? Intercept them first! Shiryu, stop standing there like an idiot, it's time to work!"
Standing beside him was a man, but his left arm was gone. The left half of his face was covered in hideous scars, stretching from his neck down to his abdomen. Only his left eye was relatively intact.
Shiryu of the Rain, a survivor of the Conquest of the Sea during the Summit War. Though he didn't die, he lost an arm under the combined assault of Shayna and King and was left half-crippled. He barely managed to escape Marineford in the chaos and eventually stayed in Fullalead.
"I suggest you run for your life. That's not a force you can handle."
"What kind of joke is that, Shiryu?! I didn't take you in just so you could lecture me!"
"Suit yourself. But don't expect me to risk my life fighting that guy. The Beasts Pirates aren't people you and I can afford to mess with."
Shiryu's warning had no effect. The pirate still charged out with a large number of his subordinates.
Meanwhile, at Rocky Port.
"Watch out!"
A giant boulder over three meters tall came flying. Seeing the huge stone, Koby pushed aside a nearby man who was transporting goods. But due to the distance, he couldn't dodge himself. Just as he circulated his blood and prepared to use Tekkai to take the hit head-on, a barrier suddenly enveloped him.
"ROOM • Shambles."
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