"What a monstrous constitution. Since you're awake, let's talk," Sanders said to Jack, who was lying nearby, after Felost and the others had stepped out.
To Sanders's surprise, Jack had regained consciousness in just a short time. Though he hadn't moved and pretended to still be unconscious, Sanders's mastery of Observation Haki made Jack's condition crystal clear.
"What's there to talk about? If you want to kill me, do it." Jack replied coldly.
Just from Sanders's tone, Jack knew that he had seen through his act.
"Is that so? You're really willing to just die like this? Right when the Great Pirate Era is beginning? Before the name 'Jack' even has a chance to echo across the world? You're content with that?" Sanders said calmly.
Jack was a future pirate with a bounty reaching a staggering one billion, known for his overwhelming destructive power. But more than that, it was Jack's indomitable will that caught Sanders's eye—enough to make him want to recruit him.
"Destruction. As long as I can destroy... destroy everything in this world, that's enough. But since I lost, my journey ends here. I don't feel regret—just the simple truth that my strength wasn't enough," Jack replied.
"Destruction, huh? Seems you've got a tragic past. You probably hate this world—hate the World Government, am I right? Good. I hate this world too. Especially those Celestial Dragons. Join me. When the time comes to bring destruction, I'll let you do it your way. That way, you'll get to keep destroying," Sanders said.
At Sanders's words—especially when he mentioned his disdain for the World Government and the Celestial Dragons—Jack gave him a deep, subtle glance.
"You think I'd submit to someone like you? Be careful, or I'll destroy you next," Jack growled, eyes full of malice.
"If you have the strength, feel free to try," Sanders answered coolly.
As he spoke, Sanders stepped forward and placed his hand on Jack's chest. A strange power surged from his palm and entered Jack's body.
Jack instinctively felt something was wrong and tried to struggle, but his injuries were far too severe. He couldn't break free. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a strange rune appeared on Jack's body, and Sanders withdrew his hand.
The moment the rune appeared, Jack's wounds began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Jack looked at his rapidly recovering body in astonishment and slowly stood up, glancing at Sanders.
"This is the Silent Seal. I'm the Silent Human, having eaten the Silent-Silent Fruit. I can silence sound... and even silence gravitational force, resistance, and powers like Devil Fruit abilities. Just now, I condensed a portion of that silent power into a seal and engraved it onto your body. This seal doesn't do much else—it simply silences your injuries. From now on, as long as you have stamina, this seal will consume it to suppress your wounds. As long as you're not instantly killed, and as long as you have strength left, you'll be an almost unkillable monster," Sanders explained.
"But that's not the whole story, is it? There's got to be a catch," Jack said coldly.
"You're right. Since it only silences the injuries, it means they're not truly healed—they're just sealed away. The moment the seal is broken..."
As Sanders spoke, the rune on Jack's body began to spin and expand outward.
In an instant, all of Jack's suppressed wounds violently reappeared. The pain hit him like a tidal wave. Even someone like Jack—who treated pain as a joke—collapsed, writhing on the ground in agony.
"All the wounds you've sustained will explode at once. You're lucky—it hasn't been long since I placed the seal, so the accumulated damage is still within your tolerance. But if the seal remains for too long, ordinary battle and training injuries will pile up. And if those injuries are suddenly unleashed after years of accumulation... not even your monstrous body will survive. The seal is controlled by me. So from this moment on, your life is in my hands," Sanders said coldly.
The Silent Seal, also known as the Wound-Sealing Curse, was a technique that had saved Sanders's life more than once.
Inspired by Bartholomew Kuma, Sanders had developed the ability to silence injuries. But in actual combat, it was nearly impossible to both fight at full power and suppress injuries at the same time. High-level battles allowed no distractions—one moment's lapse could decide life or death.
So Sanders thought: what if the sealing could be automatic?
Devil Fruits, especially those of the Paramecia type, were powers rooted in the laws of reality. Through relentless research and comprehension, Sanders finally created a series of sealing techniques that could suppress injuries on their own.
The seal would automatically consume stamina to maintain itself. Any damage received—whether from battle or daily training—would be silently sealed away.
Unlike Jack, Sanders would periodically release the seal in small bursts. Minor injuries posed no threat to him and even helped toughen his body, so the seal had no downside for him.
But Jack was different. If Sanders ever lifted the seal completely, all of Jack's battle and training wounds would erupt at once. Not even a god could save him then.
"Huff... huff..." Jack panted heavily. The rune on his body closed again, sealing his injuries once more. His wounds visibly faded, but the memory of that pain carved itself deep into his mind. Even with his terrifying willpower, Jack felt a chill.
After all, those wounds had just exploded all at once—as if Sanders had landed hundreds of crushing punches on him simultaneously. Even Jack, who was ruthless to enemies and even more ruthless to himself, had nearly broken.
"You think this little trick is enough to control me?" Jack growled after catching his breath.
"Until you find a way to break the Silent Seal, you have no choice. Because you don't want to die. You still have things you want to destroy. As long as that desire exists, you'll have to obey me—at least until you figure out how to lift the seal," Sanders replied.
"You're right. I don't want to die—not like this. Dying now would leave me full of regret. But be warned—if I do find a way to break this seal, I'll destroy you along with everything else."
"Good. Jack, here's your first mission: take your crew and hunt down the nobles and royals who fled from the Joromia Kingdom. I don't want a single one of them left alive in this world," Sanders said casually.
The royals and nobles of Joromia were still a threat. Sanders wasn't ready to fully expose himself to the Navy or World Government just yet.
"I'll twist off each of their heads, one by one," Jack replied coldly.
"Felost!" Sanders called out.
Moments later, Felost reentered the room.
"Take Jack to regroup with his pirate crew. Starting today, he'll lead his men in forming the Mammoth Fleet, the First Royal Guardian Fleet of the Joromia Kingdom," Sanders ordered.
Felost's jaw dropped. He stared in disbelief at Sanders. Jack, the violent and domineering pirate, and his Jack Pirates, were going to become their Royal Guardian Fleet? Sanders had actually tamed Jack? It was almost too much to comprehend.
"What? Is there a problem?" Sanders asked.
"N-No, none at all!" Felost replied quickly.
He understood one thing clearly: the New World was in chaos. Countless powerful pirates were surging in. The kingdom's once-reliable royal guard was no longer capable of protecting them. Even if they had defeated Jack and his crew this time, there would be another pirate crew next time. Maybe not as brutal as Jack's, but still dangerous.
If they could turn Jack's crew into their protectorate fleet, it would be an enormous advantage for the Joromia Kingdom.
Felost only had one lingering concern—could a monster like Jack truly be tamed? What if he changed his mind? Pirates weren't known for keeping promises.
But that wasn't something he had the power to worry about.