Felost was utterly stunned as he watched the two men clash. He couldn't believe what he was seeing—was this really a fight between humans? It was a spectacle far beyond his imagination.
Jack's attacks were wild and frenzied, yet Rosinante met them head-on with no signs of backing down.
Their slashes split the earth, toppled city walls, and shattered boulders—it was as if the heavens themselves were collapsing. Felost couldn't help but cry out in disbelief, "Monsters!"
"You bastard, I'm going to tear you apart!" Jack roared as he swung his massive scythe at Rosinante.
Clang! Rosinante blocked the scythe with one solid stroke of his blade.
"You really are all brute force, huh?" Though Rosinante managed to deflect every one of Jack's slashes, the sheer power carried through the scythe made his arms go slightly numb. But even so, he struck back hard. Jack was just the kind of tough opponent he needed to hone his swordsmanship.
Jack's strikes were ferocious and heavy, while Rosinante's counterattacks were swift and precise, landing silently and unpredictably. Each time Jack swung once, Rosinante could return with several sharp blows in an instant. As the battle wore on, Jack's body became covered in deep cuts. Yet, with his freakish defense, he ignored the wounds completely, continuing his relentless assault as if nothing had happened.
"Hey! What the hell is going on here? Can someone explain this to me?" a pirate groaned as he slowly woke up after being knocked unconscious by Rosinante's Conqueror's Haki. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the two fighters locked in battle.
As a member of the Mammoth Pirates, he had never imagined that anyone in this tiny Joromia Kingdom could stand up to their captain Jack. And by the look of it, Jack seemed to be at a disadvantage—at least from his point of view. After all, Jack was bleeding from dozens of gashes while Rosinante still stood firm. What he didn't know was that Rosinante was also pushing himself to the limit; if he didn't have something stronger up his sleeve, he wouldn't last much longer.
"How… How is this possible?" one by one, the other pirates and kingdom guards who had been knocked out by the Conqueror's Haki began to awaken.
Rosinante's Conqueror's Haki had only recently awakened, and although it knocked them out initially, these pirates and soldiers were still people of the New World—even the weakest among them were far tougher than ordinary men. So they were quick to come to their senses.
But once they regained consciousness, they didn't leap back into battle. Instead, they could only stare in awe at Rosinante and Jack, frozen in shock.
Clang! In another collision, Rosinante was forced back, sliding several meters from the sheer force channeled through Jack's blade.
"What terrifying brute strength. A monstrous physique, a savage temperament, and a stubborn will—you'd make a great enforcer. But before I can use you, I'll have to beat you down first. From here on, I'm going all out. Don't die on me," Rosinante said, plunging his longsword into the ground.
He abandoned his blade.
Lifting both hands, Haki began to form around his fists—jet-black and dense.
Seeing Rosinante give up his sword and rely solely on Armament Haki, Jack sneered in disdain. In his eyes, Rosinante's Haki was newly formed and far too weak to matter. He didn't see it as a threat at all.
Then, Rosinante took a step—and vanished from sight.
"...!" Jack's eyes darted frantically, scanning every direction for Rosinante's sudden disappearance.
"Crushing Fist – Critical Blow!" Jack suddenly felt a punch land silently on his abdomen. Only after it hit did he hear Rosinante's voice. The power of the punch sent Jack skidding backward uncontrollably.
"How… how is this possible?!" Jack's face twisted in disbelief. There was no way Rosinante's Haki should've been able to bypass his defenses—but that blow had penetrated straight through, landing squarely on his internal organs.
"Crushing Fist – Critical Blow!" Just as Jack steadied himself, he was hit again—this time in the back. Once again, the attack came in complete silence, and only after it landed did Rosinante's voice echo out. The force surged through Jack's Haki and struck his insides directly.
"Crushing Fist – Critical Blow!"
"Crushing Fist – Critical Blow!"
...
Felost watched in utter shock as Jack was pummeled around like a ragdoll. The same Jack who had been holding his own just moments ago was now being beaten down like a child—completely powerless to resist.
And the most terrifying part? With each punch, Jack coughed up more blood. The man who didn't flinch even when slashed by blades was now visibly weakening under Rosinante's relentless fists. Soon, he was barely breathing, teetering on the edge of death.
"To withstand 108 of my Crushing Critical Blows—most people would've had their organs rupture from just one—and you still cling to life? Impressive. Very impressive," Rosinante said, standing over Jack's unconscious body, his eyes still open but completely blank. If Rosinante hadn't taken him down just now, he himself might've been the one to fall. After all, these strikes took a tremendous toll.
"H-He's not dead yet?" Felost stammered.
"Unyielding will. All five internal organs ruptured. Bones shattered. Not a single part of his body intact—and yet he still tried to attack me until the end," Rosinante said solemnly. "He'll be the greatest shield I and the Kingdom of Joromia could ask for. Take the rest of the pirates alive. Do not kill them. In the chaos soon to sweep the New World, we'll need all the strength we can get."
"Yes, sir!" Felost now bowed deeply, his loyalty completely solidified.
"Once the pirates are dealt with, come to the palace," Rosinante said, lifting Jack with one hand by the shoulder. The towering giant was hoisted into the air effortlessly and carried toward the capital's royal palace.
As Rosinante walked through the battlefield, the pirates around him immediately dropped their weapons. Though the Jack Pirates were known for their madness, without Jack at the helm, none of them were suicidal enough to continue resisting.
The royal palace of Joromia Kingdom was now eerily empty. The royal family and nobles had all fled—those who hadn't run off with them had either been killed in the chaos or fled on their own. The palace was vast and grand, but now not a soul remained.
Rosinante sat upon the throne and dropped Jack at his side. As a Zoan-type Ancient Beast user with the Mammoth Fruit, Jack had not only monstrous defense but incredible regenerative ability. Anyone else with those injuries would be beyond saving, but Jack would recover—slowly but surely—even without medical attention.
Before long, Felost arrived at the palace, leading a contingent of royal guards.
"My lord," Felost bowed upon seeing Jack lying unconscious by the throne and turned to face Rosinante.
"My lord," the guards echoed in unison, bowing respectfully. After witnessing Rosinante's overwhelming power, their awe had turned to reverence. In this world that revered strength, especially in the New World, power was everything.
"Felost, you remember our deal, don't you?" Rosinante said calmly.
"You have my word, my lord. It was you who saved the Kingdom of Joromia. As we pledged, we will crown you king. The people will not oppose it—they would gladly see their savior take the throne. The only problem may be the royal family and nobles who fled. Joromia is a member nation of the World Government. If the royals report the kingdom's change in leadership, the government may retaliate. For the sake of its authority, the World Government will likely send troops to crush any uprising," Felost said with concern.
"No need to worry about those nobles. Whether they can even make it to the Red Line and reach the World Government is uncertain. And besides… in this age of chaos, the New World belongs to the pirates. The government and navy can barely protect themselves," Rosinante replied indifferently.
"In that case… please, Your Highness, allow us to crown you King of Joromia. And may I ask your full name, so I may announce it to the people?" Felost asked with deep reverence.
"My name is… Donquixote Rosinante," he declared solemnly after a brief pause. After all, he had inherited this body—he would carry its name and its identity forward.
He would take that name and identity and ride the storm across the world of One Piece. In this world where only strength matters, he would become a mighty tempest named Rosinante.