"The Lone Wolf Pirates, the Blood Swords Pirates, and… Crazy Axe Burs from the remnants of the Golden Lion's crew?" Jack stared at the surrounding pirate ships, his expression growing grim.
Over ten pirate crews had gathered, large and small, each more fearsome than the last. All their captains had bounties exceeding 100 million berries. Most notable among them was Crazy Axe Burs, former Captain of the Eleventh Division of the Flying Pirates, boasting a bounty of 430 million berries. Then there were others like One-Eyed Wolf Bartley from the Lone Wolf Pirates and Hemmie of the Blood Swords Pirates—pirates whose strength rivaled Burs's.
"Hohoho! Jack, did you really think you could take all of Joromia Kingdom's treasure for yourself?" A towering man, over three meters tall and wielding a giant axe, stood on the prow of his ship, laughing maniacally.
"Burs, without the Golden Lion, you're just a stray mutt. Instead of hiding your tail, you've got the guts to show your face again? And you, Bartley, Hemmie… You're bold enough to rob from me? You'd better decide how you want to die!" Jack's voice was ice-cold, yet raging with madness.
"Hmph! These newbies are getting cocky. Hope you don't regret your words later!" Burs replied, eyes full of killing intent.
Ever since the Golden Lion had stormed Marineford in a suicidal bid to rescue Roger and ended up defeated by Garp and Sengoku, the Flying Pirates fell into disarray. Their once-mighty fleet fractured and scattered. Burs seized the opportunity to break off and form his own crew—but that required massive amounts of treasure.
When he learned Jack had attacked the Joromia Kingdom and that their royalty had escaped with their national treasures, Burs made them his next target.
But Burs wasn't the only pirate with that idea.
Though Joromia was a small nation in the New World, it was well-known for its rich iron mines and was considered one of the wealthier kingdoms. The moment its nobility fled with riches in tow, a swarm of greedy pirate crews gave chase.
Burs had barely set sail when he ran into other pirate crews with the same goal. Before they even saw the royal convoy, a skirmish broke out between the crews. Among them were powerhouses like One-Eyed Wolf Bartley and Hemmie the Bloodsword—both on par with Burs. After a deadlock, the major crews decided to form a temporary alliance to divide the loot—based on strength, of course.
To Burs, Bartley, and Hemmie, only the three of them would be entitled to the real treasure. The other crews? Cannon fodder.
"Don't get cocky, Jack! There's too many of us for you to handle. If you're smart, leave the treasure and go. Otherwise, this sea will be your grave!" Bartley barked, pointing his blade toward Jack.
He knew all too well how dangerous and insane Jack was—better to avoid fighting him if possible.
"Trash like you dare threaten me? Boys, KILL THEM ALL!" Jack roared.
"RAHHH!!" The Mammoth Fleet responded without hesitation, charging forward as cannon fire erupted toward the enemy ships.
Burs and the others clearly didn't expect Jack to be so reckless. Even faced with a dozen pirate crews, he didn't hesitate—he charged straight in. The surprise attack left them briefly stunned.
"Fight back! Wipe out Jack and his madmen!" Burs bellowed, swinging his massive axe.
The strike tore through the air, distorting it with raw force. A giant arc of energy blasted forth, splitting the sea itself as it slashed toward Jack.
"The sea… it split!" one pirate gasped in disbelief.
But Jack didn't flinch. He raised his twisted scythes and caught the incoming axe energy head-on.
"HRAAGH!" With a powerful twist, Jack's scythes shredded the attack, dispersing the energy into fragments.
"Incredible! As expected of Captain Jack!" his men roared with pride.
"Hohoho! So the 'Mammoth' Jack is just barely decent!" Burs mocked.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Jack snarled and lunged straight at Burs, his twin scythes swinging with feral intensity.
"You little punk! I was sailing these seas before you were even born!" Burs met him head-on, his giant axe crashing down to meet Jack's blades.
CLANG!
The weapons clashed with explosive force. Shockwaves rippled outward, splintering decks and shaking the masts.
"Impossible!" Burs was shaken. The power from Jack's blades was monstrous—it forced him back three full steps.
Burs was known for his brute strength—his enormous axe was proof enough. But now, he was being overpowered… by Jack, a man wielding mere scythes.
"DIE!!" Jack, smelling blood, pressed the attack, scythes tearing through the air.
"Bastard! You think you can take me down? I was once the Eleventh Division Captain of the Flying Pirates!" Burs shouted, axe sweeping in wide arcs to block the onslaught.
"You're yesterday's news! Golden Lion's rotting in Impel Down. And you? You were just one of his flunkies!" Jack spat.
Then came the madness—Jack dropped all defense and slashed wildly at Burs, putting everything into raw offense. Burs, enraged, mirrored the insanity, hacking savagely at Jack's chest.
SCHLNK!
Blood sprayed from both men at the same time. Their attacks landed clean through their Armament Haki defenses.
Jack's scythe tore open Burs's belly, spilling intestines onto the deck. At the same time, Burs's axe ripped into Jack's chest and slashed down his torso, carving a massive wound. If not for Jack's monstrous body and his Haki, that blow might have cut him clean in two.
A double knockout.
"Captain Burs!" "Captain Jack!" Their respective crews screamed in alarm.
"Gahahaha! A double knockout! Well, if it's Jack the Madman, I can't say I'm surprised. This was bound to happen!" someone laughed sinisterly.
It was Bartley.
He darted across the deck with terrifying speed, appearing beside the two bloodied fighters.
"Jack… let me finish you off!" Bartley's hand morphed into a savage wolf's claw, razor-sharp and gleaming.
SHING!
A sudden flash of light. Despite having just taken a fatal-looking blow, Jack's body erupted with explosive motion—his scythe cleaving toward Bartley at breakneck speed.
It was fast. Brutal. Nothing like a man on death's door.
Bartley's eyes widened. The gaping wound on Jack's abdomen was… gone. Completely vanished. The skin smooth, the bloodstains gone. Only his torn shirt remained, a silent reminder of the brutal strike that should have ended him.
Was it an illusion?
Or was Jack something even worse…?