Bang!
Jack’s massive body surged forward like a charging mountain, barreling straight toward Lucas with enough force to make the earth tremble.
Every step shattered the thick stone beneath his feet, leaving a trail of fractured bedrock in his wake.
Everyone present held their breath.
This was a clash between Jack the Drought, the pirate with a 1-billion-Berry bounty, and the Marines’ newly appointed Admiral.
Who would prevail—the rising star of the new generation, or one of the Beast Pirates’ feared Three All-Stars?
Boom!
Seven or eight meters from Lucas, Jack stomped down heavily.
The ground exploded beneath his weight.
Gripping his enormous scythe, he brought it crashing down with overwhelming force.
The strike was so fast and so powerful that the air itself seemed to warp beneath its immense pressure.
Yet Lucas remained where he stood, showing no intention of dodging.
Ever since he had captured one of the Flying Six(Tobi Roppo) as bait, he had anticipated that he’d eventually face someone on the level of the Three All-Stars.
And this was the perfect opportunity to test one of his bold ideas.
Boom!
As the scythe descended, the golden Bodhisattva manifested once more.
The radiant Thousand-Armed Guardian enveloped Lucas in a golden aura, colliding head-on with Jack’s devastating slash.
A thunderous explosion echoed across the battlefield.
The golden guardian visibly caved inward beneath the impact, while violent shockwaves erupted outward like a hurricane.
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
Jack’s strength... still isn’t on the level of Whitebeard, even in his old age and failing health.
Looks like that idea might actually work.
"Hmph."
More than a hundred meters away, Ulti sneered.
"Brat, Lord Jack has already figured out all your tricks. If you think that turtle shell of yours can stop him, you’re dreaming."
Buzz!
Pitch-black Armament Haki surged over Jack’s scythe, coating its blade completely.
The spectators’ expressions changed.
Jack hadn’t even used Haki in his previous attack, yet he’d already forced Lucas’s defensive technique inward.
Now that he’d coated his weapon in Armament Haki...
Its destructive power would multiply several times over.
"Brat!"
Jack roared.
"Let’s see how much longer you can stand there!"
"Mammoth Heavy Smash!"
The gigantic scythe cleaved downward once again.
As the attack rapidly filled Lucas’s vision, the Conqueror’s Haki slumbering within him erupted like a raging storm.
Boom!
The invisible force collided directly with the descending scythe.
Crackling black lightning burst between them as the two overwhelming wills clashed.
Jack’s attack was stopped in its tracks.
But everyone knew...
Against Jack’s monstrous physical strength, this deadlock couldn’t last forever.
Then—
Before that thought had even settled—
The golden Thousand-Armed Guardian surrounding Lucas instantly turned crimson.
Its furious eyes flew open.
An endless barrage of fists poured forward like a tidal wave, crashing toward Jack.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The battlefield erupted with a relentless storm of impacts.
At the same time, Lucas’s Conqueror’s Haki exploded once more.
The crimson fist barrage and the overwhelming Haki merged into one devastating assault, slamming directly into Jack.
Boom!!
A massive cloud of dust erupted.
Jack’s gigantic seven-to-eight-meter-tall body was blasted backward like a cannonball.
He crashed into ruins hundreds of meters away.
The impact shattered stone in every direction.
The ground shook violently as though an earthquake had struck.
Watching from afar, the Beast Pirates all stiffened.
Even Ulti’s confident smile faltered.
Before coming here, she had carefully studied Lucas’s fighting style.
In her opinion, few people could withstand the new Admiral’s overwhelming offensive techniques.
But Jack was different.
Among the Three All-Stars, he possessed the toughest body and the greatest endurance.
As long as he could survive every one of Lucas’s attacks...
Victory would inevitably belong to the Beast Pirates.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the dust.
A mountain-like silhouette gradually emerged.
Jack had transformed into his Mammoth form.
Not a single visible injury could be seen on his enormous body.
Ulti’s face immediately lit up with delight.
"Hahaha!"
"So this is the Marines’ new Admiral?"
"Your strength is just as inflated as your reputation!"
"Compared to the former Admirals, you’re nowhere near their level."
"Were you just scratching Lord Jack’s itch?"
"If you can’t even break his hide, then this battle belongs to the Beast Pirates!"
Jack, towering in his mammoth form, shook off the dust before striding toward Lucas with heavy footsteps.
"Kid."
"On the way here, I already learned everything about your abilities."
"You can summon all kinds of strange phantom creatures."
"And you have those attacks that descend from the sky."
"But compared to Lord Kaido..."
"Every one of those flashy techniques is nothing."
"I originally intended to take you back alive."
"But now..."
"I’ll beat you into submission first."
"Then I’ll drag you back."
Smoker, Ain, and the others immediately grew tense.
Ever since following Lucas, every battle they had witnessed ended in overwhelming victory.
This...
Was the first time they had seen someone capable of weathering Lucas’s relentless offense.
Even Tashigi tightened her grip on her gloves while speaking gravely through the cigarette between her lips.
"Everyone."
"Prepare yourselves."
"We may need to support Admiral Lucas at any moment."
Smoker and Ain silently nodded.
But just as the thought crossed their minds—
Lucas, who had remained standing calmly in place the entire time, casually took another sip of his liquor before smiling.
"I didn’t expect you to be so confident that you could withstand every one of my attacks."
He looked at Jack with a faint grin.
"But..."
"I’ve just had a bold idea."
"What if..."
"I throw all of them at you..."
"At the same time?"
Everyone froze.
For a moment, no one understood what he meant.
Ultimate techniques...
Were supposed to be used one at a time.
Who in the world could unleash all of them simultaneously?
That had to be a joke.
Right?
In the distance, Ulti forced out an awkward smile and scoffed.
"What a mouth on this new Admiral."
"If your strength isn’t enough, are you planning to talk your opponent to death?"
"I’d like to see how you’re going to unleash every single—"
Smack!
Ulti abruptly slapped herself across the face.
The last word caught in her throat.
Her eyes widened as terrifying phenomena began spreading outward from Lucas.
An overwhelming aura of oppression descended upon the battlefield.
It was suffocating.
Terrifying.
At that moment, only one thought remained in Ulti’s mind.
Damn it!
This guy doesn’t fight fair!
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