"Cap... Captain, are you really not going to reconsider?"
Listening to the decision made by Cavendish, his crew couldn't help but be a little shocked.
"Of course not! I've gotten to where I am today without any effort, solely relying on my natural talent, achieving things countless pirates couldn't. I want to reclaim the fame I lost!"
In today's Great Pirate Era, the easiest way to get on the newspaper is to find a suitable opponent and have a fight.
Those photographers hidden in various corners will always seize the opportunity to snap photos and write articles about the events, publishing them in newspapers.
Now, Cavendish's decision is to challenge the one who stole his popularity; as long as he defeats and kills the opponent, the popularity will return to him.
He wasn't crazily targeting the actors of the Hundred Beasts Fruit Performance Department but instead set his sights on Jack, who is recently in the limelight, even though doing so might bring him more trouble.
Challenging Jack could at most offend one Emperor's crew; but moving against the Hundred Beasts Performance Department is not just a matter of an Emperor's crew.
As for why it's Jack and not Kaidou...
He hasn't gone mad yet. Although he longs for fame and enjoys prestige, he is still a distance away from going completely insane. He knows challenging Kaidou, the strongest creature, could end in a miserable defeat.
But this also led to an extremely bizarre situation on Jack's Steel Mammoth a while later.
...
After a draw with Setsuna, Jack began his own training, taking his crew out to fight, continuously honing himself, whether against pirates or the Navy. As long as they weren't his own, a battle was unavoidable.
Copperajah coupled with the abilities of the Fishman Race made Jack extremely difficult to handle, becoming somewhat of a boogeyman in the New World; even the Navy didn't want to deal with him.
Fortunately, due to its weight, Jack's Steel Mammoth moved slowly, making it harder to catch those determined to run.
"Big brother Jack, we've spotted a new pirate ship. It's this year's Super Rookie."
"Super Rookie? Hope it's interesting. Let's move the ship closer and prepare for battle!"
If the opponent is strong enough, he would personally participate; if not, he would let his subordinates handle it. But before his ship could move, the lookout shouted in disbelief.
"Ja... Jack! They are coming towards us voluntarily!!"
They hadn't encountered such a situation for a while. Seeing the enemies not running but instead actively attacking, the lookout suspected he might be seeing things.
"Sheepshead, intelligence."
Jack suddenly stood up, causing the Alcremie on his shoulder to bounce slightly, showing an unhappy expression on its little face.
"Ah... yes! This is... Handsome Pirates, the captain's bounty is 280 million..."
"280 million, huh, hopefully, it can bring me some fun. Be good, wait for me for 10 minutes, I'll resolve them in 10 minutes."
The final gentle words were clearly not for his subordinates but for his Alcremie. After putting it back in the cabin, Jack also went to the bow.
"Full speed ahead!"
Jack's aim is to train his subordinates' combat abilities, not improve cannon accuracy, so the gunners on the ship didn't fire, directly colliding with the enemy's cannon fire instead.
As the two ships charged at each other, they quickly approached, and then Jack's crew was once again shocked by Cavendish's action as he actively rushed onto Jack's ship.
...
"Where's that Jack? Get out here! All you little fish, get lost!"
Seeing the pirates surrounding him, Cavendish had a hint of disdain on his face. The style on Jack's ship was quite novel; although there were normal people like Sheepshead and Ginrummy, most were brawny men, entirely different from Cavendish's aesthetic.
Yet underneath the disdain lay some satisfaction; even if they were enemies, Cavendish enjoyed being the focus of their attention.
"Jack doesn't need to step in, a rookie who doesn't know their place, I can handle it!"
Ignoring them and directly challenging the captain after boarding was a face-slapping move. Sheepshead transformed into his mammoth form wanting to deal with Cavendish but was restrained by someone grabbing his shoulder.
"Step aside, let me handle this guy. You and Ginrummy take the others and handle them, capture them alive."
"Yes! Follow me!"
Jack's orders were not to be disobeyed. After he made the decision, Sheepshead shifted directions, leaving the area for Jack.
"Kid, I have a liking for you, offering you a chance to join us."
Cavendish's "reckless behavior" just happened to catch Jack's fancy; the identity of a Super Rookie was the knocking stone for recruitment by today's Four Emperors. Only upon reaching this level might one receive an active invitation from a Four Emperor.
At this moment, Cavendish's displayed character and bounty were decent, which was why Jack made a recruitment offer.
"I'm not joining your barbaric crew. Glamorous me is not in the same league as you. I'm here simply because you stole the fame that rightly belongs to me."
Adjusting the cowboy hat on his head, Cavendish bit the rose in his hand, drew the sword from his waist, and gracefully performed a few sword swings—a famed sword, Durandal, a rare quality weapon.
"Prepare to exit the stage; your time of being active is over."
"Your nonsense and futile movements have taken two minutes."
"What did you say...."
Upon hearing Jack's assessment of himself, a furious expression appeared on Cavendish's face, yet Jack was indifferent, continuing on his own:
"The ship took three minutes to approach; your nonsense took two minutes, leaving you with only five minutes. Since you rejected my recruitment, you are now a foe."
"Damn you... Beautiful Sword · Round Table!"
Jack's contempt left Cavendish very displeased, holding Durandal, he sped toward Jack, and upon nearing, Cavendish leapt high, gracefully executing an arc in midair before slashing at Jack's neck.
Cavendish is a naturally gifted swordsmanship talent, reaching an advanced level without much learning, once using this move to decapitate countless heads.
Jack, such a big and straightforward type, was easiest to handle in his eyes, yet the previously invincible blade encountered trouble here.
Clang!
Jack stood like a tower, Cavendish's strike couldn't even move him an inch; only the thick Haki indicated that Jack indeed defended.
"Mediocre, too weak though."
Jack's large hand slapped toward Cavendish. Having his full-force strike received this way left Cavendish questioning life, and before he could react, he was swatted away like a fly.