Thank you so much to all, We've reached 14 members on my P@treon, and to celebrate, I'll be mass releasing 10 chapters! I hope you enjoy them!
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When the other crew members on Jack's ship finally realized what had happened, their "Drought" Jack had already sunk into the sea.
It wasn't until they saw Sanders return that they finally came to their senses.
They looked at the massive hole in the deck with horror, shouting in disbelief:
"Lord Jack was defeated in one hit?!!"
"Hurry, rescue Lord Jack! He's a Devil Fruit user!"
"The ship is leaking! Where's the repair crew? Get over here now!!"
The pirate ship fell into chaos.
But none of them picked up their weapons to avenge Jack.
Are you kidding? If Lord Jack was defeated in a single blow, how would they even know how they died if they tried to fight?
Back on his own ship, Sanders didn't even spare a glance at Jack.
He headed straight to the deck, comfortably lying back in his chair, looking completely at ease.
He calmly took a sip of the beer next to him, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
For him, defeating one of the Beasts Pirates' three All-Stars, Jack the Drought, wasn't anything worth being proud of.
After all, Jack was still in his early twenties at this point, just a hotheaded young punk.
His mastery of Haki and his Devil Fruit abilities were far behind what they would be when he appeared in the original story.
The only thing Jack had going for him was his strong endurance and survivability.
Sanders navigated his ship away from Jack's vessel, gradually disappearing from the pirates' view.
Meanwhile, the pirates on Jack's ship scrambled to repair the damage and fish Jack out of the sea.
Compared to Onigumo, who had also sunk to the bottom of the ocean, Jack was undoubtedly luckier.
There were no massive Sea Kings in the area to swallow him whole while he was unconscious, and he had a crew of minions to quickly pull him back on board.
Plus, Jack had the physiology of a Fish-Man, so apart from the lightning punch from Sanders, he didn't suffer any other injuries.
The ship's doctor quickly bandaged Jack's wounds.
After nearly an hour of unconsciousness, Jack finally woke up.
At that moment, he looked a bit worse for wear.
All of his hair had been scorched off by the lightning, leaving his head bald after the seawater washed away the charred remains. His sharp teeth were missing a few, too.
"Where's that bastard Sanders?!!" Jack growled, his speech slightly slurred from his injuries.
"Lord Jack, Sanders has already sailed away," one of the crew members reported cautiously.
"That damn bastard, I won't let him get away with this!!"
Jack lay on the bed, his eyes bloodshot, filled with fury, as he let out a bellow of rage.
The pirates around him trembled, too scared to make a sound.
They were terrified of provoking Jack in his current state.
On Onigashima, King, the man with the mask and flames on his back, hung up the Den Den Mushi (the snail phone).
"Hey, scum King, did that brat Jack screw things up?"
Queen, with his plump body, leaned back in his chair, a cigar hanging from his mouth as he toyed with a gear in his hands.
"You idiot Queen, it seems like you're not the only one holding us back."
"Indeed, Sanders turned down our offer," King said with a glare at Queen, clearly displeased.
"Hahaha! You actually sent Jack to try and recruit him? There's no way that would work."
"That guy only thinks with his fists. I bet you didn't really want Saunders to join us, did you? You were just afraid he'd threaten your position."
Queen mocked him, his fat body jiggling with laughter.
"Shut up, you fool!"
"If you wanted to go, why didn't you go?"
"I'm not going."
"Then will you handle all the pirate crew's affairs if I go?"
"..."
King had no choice but to send Jack to recruit Saunders.
Their captain, Kaido, never handled such matters.
He was either drinking heavily and crying, or thinking about ways to end his own life.
So King had to manage everything. He simply didn't have the time to go to the Sabaody Archipelago himself.
As for Queen, that guy spent all day locked away in his lab, doing who knows what.
Jack was the only one with the appropriate status and time to go for the recruitment.
If they had sent some low-level grunt, Saunders might have just killed them on the spot.
"Did Jack and Sanders fight, King?"
Kaido, with drunken eyes, suddenly opened them and asked.
"There was a confrontation. Saunders isn't interested in joining any pirate crew. It looks like he intends to form his own faction," King replied.
"Oh ho ho, sounds like a very ambitious guy."
Kaido laughed, exuding an overwhelming sense of power.
"Did Jack say anything about Sanders' strength?"
Queen asked curiously.
"Uh… Jack was taken out in one punch."
After hesitating for a moment, King decided to tell them the truth.
After all, both Queen and Kaido were Jack's senior, and there was no point in sugarcoating it.
"T-taken out in one punch?"
Queen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Jack was indeed the weakest among them, but even in the New World, he was a formidable fighter. Yet he was taken down in a single punch?!!
"Yes, just one punch. Jack didn't stand a chance."
"Oh ho ho ho! Seems like he's quite powerful. I wonder if his Rumble-Rumble Fruit would be able to hurt me."
Kaido chuckled as he took a large swig from his gourd.
"Jack is still too young; he needs more experience," Queen commented.
"Although the recruitment failed, it's not entirely bad for us since Sanders doesn't seem interested in joining any other pirate crews," King analyzed.
"But that Rumble-Rumble brat dared to reject our offer and even hurt Jack. Once he reaches the New World, I'll make sure to teach him a lesson."
Kaido grumbled, clearly displeased.
King hesitated but decided not to argue.
After all, the Beasts Pirates had lost face.
Even though Sanders hadn't gone all out and had only punched Jack once, it was Jack who initiated the conflict.
But in the world of pirates, logic didn't matter.
Might made right.
Saunders had turned down the Beasts Pirates and injured Jack, so naturally, they would want to settle the score.
News of the Beasts Pirates' failed recruitment and Jack's defeat at Sannders' hands quickly spread across the seas through the newspapers.
The Navy and World Government had no reaction.
They had already assessed Sanders' strength long ago.
Unless he managed to take down Kaido, he wasn't worth their attention.
However, this incident did stir up some interest among the pirates.
On the Moby Dick.
Marco, with his pineapple-like hair, brought the newspaper to Whitebeard.
"Dad, Kaido sent Jack to recruit Saunders, but Jack was taken out in one hit."
"Gurararara, is that so? Looks like the Rumble-Rumble brat has big ambitions."
Whitebeard laughed heartily.
Seeing Kaido suffer was always a pleasure for him.
"Dad, should we try to recruit Sanders as well? With his strength, he could easily be the captain of the second division."
Marco suggested.
A former Marine with a powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit? Marco was definitely interested.
"We'll see. That kid seems to have his own ambitions. He won't join our family so easily."
Whitebeard chuckled.
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T/N:
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