The next day.
Oni Island was in chaos as pirates scrambled about.
"Lord Jack and Lord Gurd are fighting in Wano Country!"
"Quickly inform Lord Kaido!"
"Prepare to set sail!"
Soon, a large fleet departed from Oni Island.
Ninja Village, Ximei.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions erupted one after another.
The once peaceful village had been completely reduced to ruins under the shockwaves of Gurd and Jack's battle, with not a single intact house remaining.
Amid the dust and smoke, only two burly figures could be seen furiously clashing, each weapon strike sending turbulent gusts that kicked up more debris.
The battle had already lasted a long time.
Neither had any intention of transforming, locked in a stalemate in their human forms—because the most important audience hadn't arrived yet.
Yamato and the Oniwabanshu, the pirates who had followed Jack, and the village's ninjas had all retreated to the outskirts to watch from a distance.
"They've been fighting for a full day and night!"
"They're too strong!"
"That Flying Six member Gurd can actually match Lord Jack!"
The pirates stared in disbelief at the fierce battle, their eyes wide with shock—this scene far exceeded their expectations.
Holdem, Sheepshead, and Ginrummy—the Headliners—watched the battlefield.
Their boss was one of the Four Emperors Kaido's three most trusted subordinates, with a bounty nearing one billion berries, bearing the title "The Drought" Jack!
No one understood Jack's strength better than they did—even the land he passed through would wither and die as if struck by drought.
They had assumed Jack would tear his opponent apart effortlessly, as he always did, even if that opponent was one of the Flying Six.
But what was happening now?
Why hadn't Jack defeated his opponent yet? Instead, he'd been dragged into a prolonged battle, and his opponent's aura hadn't weakened in the slightest.
Holdem gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing his unease. "Don't worry, Lord Jack hasn't transformed yet!"
"That's right!"
"Even among Ancient Zoans, the mammoth's power and endurance are top-tier! There's no way he'd lose to a Flying Six!"
The Headliners echoed in agreement.
Though the fight seemed evenly matched, they had absolute faith in Jack—no opponent strong enough to defeat him had ever appeared.
"The executives are here!"
From the direction of the port, dust billowed.
A massive Spinosaurus charged at the forefront, a girl clinging to its back, waving her fists excitedly and cheering.
"Pagey, charge!"
"Stop riding on me!"
Page One shook his head angrily, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't throw Ulti off—instead, she only grew more excited.
"Faster!"
"Get off and run yourself, sis!"
"Aww, Pagey's shy!"
"I'm not shy!"
The siblings were the first to arrive at the battlefield, only stopping their bickering when they caught sight of Gurd locked in fierce combat.
"Gurd-chan is amazing!"
"Of course he is!"
The siblings instantly united in their admiration.
As expected of her rich boyfriend!
As expected of the brother-in-law he'd chosen!
Exchanging glances, the two puffed out their chests proudly.
We're so awesome!
More and more pirates arrived, soon surrounding the battlefield completely—even King and Queen made their appearances.
The stalemate had clearly taken everyone by surprise.
"Lord Kaido is here!"
The winds howled, dark clouds gathering overhead.
"Wororororo!!!"
A colossal azure dragon as massive as a mountain emerged from the clouds, its head peering down at the battlefield below as it let out a battle cry-like roar of laughter.
Gurd truly hadn't disappointed him.
At the village center.
"Clang!"
The greatsword collided with the scimitar, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Gurd grinned, veins bulging along his sword-wielding arms as he engaged in a primal contest of strength with Jack.
"He's finally here!"
After fighting relentlessly for an entire day and night, trading blows with Jack in close combat, he'd been waiting precisely for Kaido and the top officers to arrive.
Over half a year's time had seen his power grow immeasurably.
Yet Kaido and the officers returning from their expedition remained unaware of this, unable to properly gauge his true strength.
He needed a perfect stage to prove himself before them all - to make sure none of the officers would even consider challenging him!
This was the moment!
Gurd's body rapidly expanded, transforming in an instant into a Groudon-like humanoid form matching Jack's massive size, his greatsword forcing Jack's scimitar upward.
"Little brother Jack, playtime's over."
Gurd's grin widened.
The previous enormous disparity in size had made fighting uncomfortable, preventing him from using his beloved grappling techniques.
He hated looking up at opponents.
"Clang!"
The scimitar went flying from Jack's grip!
Jack staggered back several steps, his hands trembling slightly as his gaze toward Gurd visibly changed.
He'd actually been overpowered?!
As a fish-man, his grip strength was naturally ten times that of a human, and his towering eight-meter frame granted him incomparable might!
He'd been absolutely confident in his strength - even against King and Queen, he never believed he'd lose to his two senior officers in raw power.
Most crucially, unlike King's special constitution or Queen's modified body...
Strength was his everything!
Jack's eyes bulged with rage as his muscular arms raised high, bringing his other scimitar down on Gurd with all his might!
"CRACK!"
The blade shattered into four pieces!!!
Gurd maintained his claw-slashing posture, gaze cold as steel: "I've already transformed - don't embarrass me now, little brother Jack!"
"Cliff Sword!"
A massive stone pillar erupted from the earth, violently piercing Jack's abdomen and carrying his body forward like a battering ram!
"BOOOOM!!!"
Dust clouds billowed across nearly a hundred meters!
"Lord Jack!"
The pirates cried out in shock.
Holdem and other underlings rushed toward the dust cloud's center, but before they could approach, a thick arm swept through them.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
"ARGH!!!"
Jack knelt on one knee, blood streaming like a creek from his iron jaw mask as he glared viciously at his subordinates.
"Who the hell do you think I am?!"
"Forgive us, Lord Jack!"
The pirates apologized in terror, scrambling away from the battlefield.
What they'd just witnessed had terrified them.
Never before had they seen Lord Jack suffer such consecutive heavy blows, which had panicked them into attempting assistance.
"ROOOAAAR~~!"
Jack's body swelled and transformed, releasing an ear-splitting elephantine roar as two massive mammoth feet shattered the ground beneath.
Mammoth - Beast Form!
But the next instant, the earth quaked!
Countless stone pillars erupted from the ground, burying him alive!
Like a tomb built of stone monoliths!
Soon, copious blood began seeping through the cracks between pillars.
The watching pirates stood dumbstruck.
"A Flying Six member... seriously wounded Lord Jack?!"
The might of the Three Disasters of the Beasts had long been deeply ingrained in people's hearts, yet now Lord Jack had suffered consecutive heavy blows, unable to even fight back.
The terrifying amount of blood loss made them tremble with fear.
Was Lord Jack still alive?
"BOOM!!!"
Just as the Pirates were lost in horrified thoughts, the stone pillar suddenly exploded, revealing a battered, colossal mammoth within their line of sight.
Lord Jack hadn't fallen yet!
"Quite the endurance. Then let me show you something even more interesting!"
Gurd's smile widened as his body expanded and transformed once more. A massive tail extended outward, while sharp spikes burst from his limbs and other parts.
An armored monstrosity, even larger than the mammoth, appeared on the battlefield.
Groudon Form!
The dark clouds parted, and the sky cleared!
Scorching sunlight poured down like pillars onto Groudon.
Having absorbed enough sunlight, Groudon opened its maw, condensing an unbearably bright radiance within!
"Solar Beam!"
A blazing beam of light pierced through the earth!
(End of Chapter)