At this moment, the deck of the Moby Dick was so silent that it could almost be described as dead quiet.
It was not that the crew were surprised Renji could actually fight Jack.
They were shocked because of how well he was fighting.
Everyone knew Renji was strong. That was a consensus not only on the Moby Dick but throughout the entire Whitebeard Pirates and even across the territories protected by Edward Newgate.
Otherwise, they would never have trusted him to train them.
But exactly how strong he was, no one truly knew.
Before this, Renji's strongest opponents had only been around Vice Admiral level.
No one had confidence that he could truly fight a Yonko commander.
Even Whitebeard himself had his doubts.
That was why he had sent Marco and Jozu to support him from a distance.
"I didn't expect his ability to be a Tremor-Tremor Fruit substitute."
In the world of One Piece, it had long been understood that every Devil Fruit ability could exist only once at a time. To obtain that power, the current user had to die so the fruit could reappear.
Whitebeard naturally did not believe Renji possessed the real Tremor-Tremor Fruit. He simply assumed it was a lesser fruit with similar abilities.
At this moment, Whitebeard fell into thought.
"If that's the case, then I can pass my experience with the fruit to him."
For the first time in days, Whitebeard seemed to find a clear direction.
Since the betrayal of Marshall D. Teach, he had constantly been worrying about the future of his crew.
Now, he felt reassured.
Looking down at the deck, he saw the entire crew watching the battle through the Den Den Mushi projection.
"It seems I've found a successor."
Whitebeard nodded slowly.
"This kid also has good support among the crew. And within our territory, with Marco and Jozu assisting him, the future of the Whitebeard Pirates will be secure."
Meanwhile, far away in Wano.
Inside the base of the Beasts Pirates.
Kaido frowned slightly as he woke from a drunken nap.
"What's going on?"
He opened his eyes.
Standing before him were two figures.
One was covered in black flames.
The other was round and bulky with a braid tied atop his head.
These two men were none other than King the Wildfire and Queen the Plague, two of the three All-Stars.
Normally, when Jack was sent out on missions, these two handled the affairs of the Beast Pirates.
Seeing them both appear together made even Kaido pause.
Whatever had happened must be serious.
The anger he had been about to unleash disappeared.
"Speak. What happened?"
"You'll understand once you see this, Governor," Queen said as he raised his hand.
A Den Den Mushi projection appeared.
Soon the image began playing.
The scene showed the battle between Renji and Jack.
"Didn't you say Whitebeard only sent a vice-captain to demand an explanation? Why are they fighting?" Kaido frowned.
When he first heard that Whitebeard had only sent a vice-captain, Kaido had been pleased.
It suggested that Whitebeard did not want to escalate the matter.
But what he was seeing now told a different story.
Whitebeard clearly had no intention of simply letting this go.
Kaido narrowed his eyes.
Although the battle had not yet revealed a clear winner, Renji appeared to have the upper hand.
"You're telling me this is just a vice-captain?"
King and Queen remained silent.
They did not understand either.
Kaido frowned again and looked back at the Den Den Mushi.
His thoughts drifted back to the days when he had served in the Rocks Pirates.
Even back then, Whitebeard had been someone he looked up to.
That gap still existed today.
"Is this your hidden trump card, Newgate?" Kaido muttered. "You old man who's practically in the grave… just how many secrets are you still hiding?"
At that moment, the attention of two of the greatest pirate forces in the world was focused on Renji.
Together, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beast Pirates were powerful enough to challenge even the World Government.
Yet the man at the center of it all had no idea.
Renji was still fighting Jack.
The energy of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit surged through his fists.
Facing the gigantic beast before him, he could not afford even the slightest distraction.
"Tremor… Shatter!"
Renji's fist shot forward.
It collided directly with Jack's mammoth leg.
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed across the sea.
The sky seemed to tremble.
Cracks spread rapidly outward from the point of impact.
The destructive vibrations climbed up Jack's enormous leg as if they might tear it apart.
"Damn it!"
Jack could only roar in frustration.
He possessed overwhelming physical power, yet Renji's Tremor-Tremor ability prevented him from using it effectively.
Even with advanced Armament Haki coating, he could not resist the vibrations.
To avoid having his leg completely shattered, Jack had no choice but to retreat once more.
Three exchanges.
Three times he had been forced back.
At this point, Jack had finally recognized Renji's strength.
"You…"
Jack glared at him.
His eyes burned with anger.
He now fully understood that Renji was a Yonko-commander-level opponent.
And one who was not weaker than himself.
Against such a fighter, holding back was no longer an option.
"What's wrong?" Renji asked with a calm smile.
He looked completely relaxed.
After those exchanges, Renji already knew his strength surpassed Jack's.
Which meant there was no reason to rush.
What he needed to do now was keep forcing Jack into direct clashes.
That way, he could gather more attributes.
"Planning to surrender?"
It was an obvious provocation.
And a rather crude one.
But Jack took the bait instantly.
From Renji's perspective, the giant mammoth looked like a towering mountain.
Yet even this enormous creature now seemed frustrated.
Jack had the confidence to crush Renji with a single stomp.
But the problem was that Renji's ability prevented him from using his strength properly.
The Tremor-Tremor power was simply too overwhelming.
"Fine then…"
Jack's massive body began shrinking.
The thirty-meter-long, towering mammoth form rapidly contracted.
Jack stared at Renji and said coldly, "Looks like I'll have to use my strongest form."