The horrifying sight left everyone frozen.
Their pupils contracted violently.
A chill ran down Ulti’s spine.
For years, she had infiltrated the Beast Pirates to gather intelligence on their organization.
She knew the strength of the Three All-Stars better than most.
Jack might have been the youngest—and the weakest—among them.
But his greatest asset had always been his incredible durability.
It was precisely because of that monstrous toughness that he had earned the title "Jack the Drought" in the perilous New World.
And yet...
The Marines’ newly appointed Admiral had nearly crippled him with a single attack.
That strike...
Was utterly shameless.
But more importantly—
It was terrifyingly powerful.
If that attack had landed on me instead...
There probably wouldn’t even be enough left to collect my ashes.
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
Her expression suddenly turned ecstatic.
ROAR!!
"Brat!"
"I am Jack the Drought of the Beast Pirates!"
"A pirate worth 1 billion Berries!"
"I’m going to kill you!!"
Jack threw back his head and roared.
Blood still covered his body.
But the charred wounds all over him suddenly emitted a faint crimson glow.
The torrents of blood pouring from his injuries rapidly stopped.
The burnt flesh began healing before everyone’s eyes, forming fresh scars at an astonishing speed.
Smoker, Ain, and Tashigi, who had just rushed back, stared in disbelief.
Had they not seen it with their own eyes...
They never would have believed someone could recover from such catastrophic injuries with such monstrous speed.
"A Zoan Awakening, huh?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
After a Devil Fruit awakened, its abilities generally fell into three broad categories.
The first was the overwhelming vitality unique to Zoan Devil Fruits.
An awakened Zoan possessed extraordinary regeneration and terrifying endurance.
It was practically a built-in cheat that kept its user from going down.
Kaido’s Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon was a perfect example.
Its awakened vitality was one of the reasons he could fight so recklessly.
The second type was environmental assimilation.
Users like Donquixote Doflamingo and Charlotte Katakuri could transform their surroundings into extensions of their Devil Fruit abilities.
The third was ability bestowal.
Examples included Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom) and Eustass Kid, whose awakened powers allowed them to imbue other objects with the effects of their Devil Fruits.
Considering the Beast Pirates were practically a kingdom of Zoan users...
Jack possessing this kind of regeneration wasn’t particularly surprising.
"As expected of Lord Jack!"
Ulti shouted excitedly.
"Admiral!"
"That attack just now was your strongest trump card, wasn’t it?"
"And yet Lord Jack is still standing!"
"I’d like to see what else you’ve got!"
Smoker, Ain, and Tashigi all wore grim expressions.
Jack had lost every strand of fur covering his body.
But aside from that...
He appeared completely recovered.
His furious eyes remained fixed on Lucas.
The three Marines instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons.
Lucas’s triple ultimate attack had felt like the end of the world itself.
But...
Could he unleash it again?
If that had truly been the limit of his strength...
Then the rest would be up to them.
"Don’t look at me."
Lucas casually pulled out his liquor gourd and took another swig of strong liquor.
"That last attack completely emptied me."
"If he can still keep fighting..."
"I’ll gladly admit defeat."
He pointed toward Jack.
"But did anyone bring Seastone handcuffs?"
"Go put them on him."
"Otherwise..."
"He’s going to fall asleep standing up."
"..."
Everyone froze.
Fall asleep... standing up?
Ulti’s triumphant smile instantly stiffened.
She looked toward Jack.
Only moments ago, he had been roaring with murderous fury.
Now...
He stood perfectly still.
His eyes remained wide open.
Like a statue.
"Lord Jack?"
Ulti called out anxiously.
"Stop joking around!"
"How could one attack possibly defeat you?"
"Answer me!"
Her voice echoed across the ruined battlefield.
But no matter how loudly she shouted...
Jack didn’t move an inch.
His body remained rigid.
His eyes were still glaring forward.
Yet he had already lost consciousness.
It was as if his awakened vitality had healed his body...
But not enough to keep him awake.
Smoker, Ain, and Tashigi were equally stunned.
Seeing Jack remain motionless, Smoker reacted first.
Transforming into smoke, he rushed forward.
"Ain!"
"Notify the fleet immediately!"
"Bring the Seastone handcuffs!"
"He’s a pirate worth 1 billion Berries!"
"Admiral Lucas has just scored an incredible victory!"
Ain and Tashigi snapped out of their daze and hurried off.
But after only a few steps—
Ulti suddenly flashed forward, blocking Jack.
She raised a hand.
"I am CP0."
"Codenamed Phantom Fox."
"I’ve been undercover within the Beast Pirates, gathering intelligence for the World Government."
"You cannot take Jack."
"Interfering with a CP0 operation is a serious offense."
"...CP0?"
Smoker froze.
The jitte he had raised stopped halfway through its swing.
Looking at the alluring woman before him...
He suddenly found himself unable to attack.
In the distance, Ain and Tashigi also wore ugly expressions.
Neither had expected another complication to appear at a moment like this.
Seeing Smoker hesitate, Tashigi quickly stepped forward.
"Smoker!"
"Why aren’t you making your move?"
"Those were Admiral Lucas’s orders!"
Smoker clenched the cigar between his teeth.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
His grip tightened around his jitte...
Then slowly loosened again.
"I want to attack..."
"But every time I think about doing it..."
"A different voice inside my head tells me not to."
"Commodore Smoker..."
Ain looked equally confused.
"I... I’m experiencing the same thing."
Tashigi blinked in surprise before looking toward Ulti.
The moment their eyes met—
A buzzing filled her mind.
Every intention to attack vanished instantly.
"I..."
"I don’t think I can either..."
Seeing the three Marines standing there in hesitation, Ulti covered her lips with a graceful smile.
"Hehe..."
"So you understand."
"You know how difficult CP0’s work can be."
"Don’t worry."
"I’ll report today’s events to the Five Elders."
"You’ll all be properly rewarded."
"If there’s nothing else..."
"I’ll be taking Jack now."
With that, Ulti turned, preparing to find a way to carry Jack away.
She knew her Phantom Fox charm ability wouldn’t last much longer.
Still...
Combined with the authority of the CP0 name...
It should be enough to bluff her way through this situation.
But the instant she turned around—
She froze.
Someone had appeared directly in front of her.
A voice followed.
One she hadn’t expected to hear.
"Another fake CP0?"
Lucas looked at her with an amused smile.
"Why do I always run into frauds hiding behind masks?"
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