The forest lay in complete ruins.
Uprooted trees were scattered across the charred ground, deep gashes from sword strikes marred the earth, and the air was thick with patches of sand and fierce gusts of wind.
In the heart of this destruction stood Patrick Redfield. He was flanked by four pirates and a freedom fighter who had no intention of playing by the rules.
Jack tightened his grip on Wado Ichimonji. "Alright."
Redfield's eyes flicked between them: Jack, Dragon, Crocodile, Augur, and finally, Gibbs. His gaze locked onto the old man, a mix of fury and disbelief washing over him. The very power he had sought for decades was now coursing through someone who had been on the brink of death just moments ago.
Redfield's eye twitched.
Jack caught it immediately. "He's taking this pretty personally."
"I think we all noticed," Gibbs chimed in.
Jack was the first to move. Sensing the slightest shift in Redfield's posture with his Observation Haki, he feinted to the right and then sliced to the left.
Wado Ichimonji gleamed. Redfield raised his umbrella in defense, but Jack twisted his wrist mid-strike, allowing the cold steel to slip right past the guard.
SHHK!
Redfield sprang back, a thin line appearing on his forearm. A few drops of blood splattered into the air.
Gibbs's pupils dilated. The scent hit him—every single drop beckoning to his newfound instincts. His mouth parted slightly, and before the blood could touch the ground, the droplets froze, hovered, and shot straight into his mouth.
He swallowed. A rush of warmth, raw power, and vital energy surged through his veins. Gibbs stared at his hands in disbelief, his elongated fangs glinting. "Oh."
Jack glanced over. "Oh?"
Gibbs slowly broke into a grin. "Oh."
Redfield looked down at his arm, his expression darkening as he clamped down on the wound, forcing it to stop bleeding entirely.
Gibbs blinked. "That's cheating."
"I've been terrorizing marines longer than you've been sailing the seas. You really think a simple devil fruit can take me down?!" Redfield bellowed, swinging his umbrella with ferocity.
BOOM!
The shockwave sent Gibbs crashing through three sturdy trunks. Jack winced, covering his mouth with a hand. "Gibbs! You alive or what?"
A faint groan came from the debris. "Still kicking!"
"Awesome."
Next up was Crocodile, her fist enveloped in jet-black Armament Haki as she charged at him. Redfield ducked just in time, letting her strike obliterate the cliffside behind him, and then he thrust his umbrella right through her midsection.
Jack froze in shock, but Crocodile merely smirked. Her body transformed into swirling sand around the weapon—no Haki in sight. "Gotcha."
Sand exploded outward, attempting to engulf the legendary figure. "Desert—"
Redfield swung with sheer brute strength.
WHOOSH!
The force of his attack shattered Crocodile's sandy form, scattering her across the forest. She reformed several meters away, kneeling with blood trickling from her lips. "You... infuriating old bastard."
Before Redfield could react, Dragon was already above him, wind swirling violently around his arm. "Dragon's Gale!"
The blast of air engulfed Redfield, tearing up the bedrock beneath. But a sudden strike cleaved through the storm. Redfield emerged, his umbrella crashing against Dragon's forearm.
CLANG!
He pushed Dragon back with a relentless flurry of blows.
"You're strong," Redfield growled. "But you're still no Garp!"
"I never aimed to be!" Dragon shot back, standing his ground.
Redfield soared above him. "Then die as yourself!"
BANG!
A high-caliber bullet skimmed Redfield's hair, causing his strike to go wide. Smoke wafted from Augur's battered rifle, Senriku.
Redfield shot him a glare. "You again."
Augur adjusted his glasses, pulled the trigger again, but all he heard was a dry click. "...Well, that's unfortunate. I'm out of ammo."
As Redfield advanced toward the sniper, Jack barreled into him. CLANG! Wado Ichimonji clashed with the sturdy umbrella.
Jack adjusted his stance, his movements becoming fluid and precise, shedding any unnecessary motion. Redfield's gaze sharpened.
Jack was channeling the exact, lethal angles of Mihawk's swordsmanship, snatching techniques mid-battle like the cunning pirate he was.
He halted mid-swing, twisting the blade in a way that seemed impossible.
SHHK! Redfield jumped back, but Wado Ichimonji sliced across his chest, leaving a deep trail of blood.
Jack landed with a triumphant grin. "That one was a little gift from Mihawk."
"You dare to steal another man's technique?!"
"I'm a fast learner." Jack crouched low, energy surging through him. "Death's Paradise... Second Form!"
In an instant, Jack vanished. The forest erupted into a whirlwind of clashing steel—left, right, above, below. Sparks erupted like fireworks. Jack's speed intensified, his blade leaving shallow cuts on Redfield's shoulder, thigh, and cheek.
When Jack finally reappeared behind him, both men were panting heavily.
Jack caught sight of the tremor in the old man's hands. "So... you're starting to tire."
Redfield remained silent.
"CAP'N!"
Gibbs swooped down from above, his dark wings tucked tight as he unleashed a Haki-infused punch aimed at Redfield's head. Redfield intercepted it with a thunderous BOOM, creating a crater in the ground, and sent Gibbs hurtling straight at Jack.
"Bloody—!" Jack ducked just in time as Gibbs soared over him. "Watch where you're flying!"
"I'M NOT DOING IT ON PURPOSE! THESE WINGS HAVE A MIND OF THEIR OWN!" Gibbs caught the wind with his wings, stabilizing himself and landing next to his captain. He snapped his fingers, grinning. "Just give it a second."
Suddenly, Redfield froze. Four small puncture marks were visible on his palm where Gibbs's claws had dug in.
Beneath Redfield's skin, something began to change. Wrinkles multiplied, his cheeks hollowed out, his posture slumped, and his hair turned a stark white as the stolen vitality was pulled back through the air toward Gibbs.
Gibbs gasped as a surge of energy flooded into him. "Cap'n... I think I'm draining him."
Redfield stared in horror at his withered hands. "No... NO!"
For the first time, the legendary pirate completely lost his composure. A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his fraying mind, shaking the very ground of the island.
He raised his umbrella, pouring every last ounce of his life force and Haki into one final, devastating strike.
"Jack!" Dragon shouted.
"One strike," Jack murmured, lowering his sword. He enveloped Wado Ichimonji in a thick layer of black Haki, "Wayward..."
Redfield swung his umbrella, unleashing a wave of red energy that could split mountains.
"...Tide..."
Gibbs lunged forward.
"...CUT!"
BOOOOOOM!
The impact obliterated the landscape. The explosion flattened countless trees, sending sand, earth, and shattered rock soaring into the sky. When the dust finally settled, a massive crater marked the devastated forest.
In the center lay Patrick Redfield, truly aged, frail, and motionless, his clouded eyes staring blankly at the sky.
A few meters away, Jack was on his knees, panting heavily, blood trickling down from his forehead. He looked up. "Gibbs?"
A figure lay completely still in front of him. Gibbs's wings were torn to shreds, his back bloodied and battered. In a split second, Gibbs had thrown himself in front of Jack, absorbing the brunt of Redfield's attack so that Jack's ultimate strike could land cleanly.
Jack dropped his sword and crawled over. "Gibbs."
No answer.
Jack turned him over. The youthful face was silent, eyes tightly shut. Jack stared at his first mate, his chest heaving with emotion. A deep, furious anger ignited in his eyes.
Jack grabbed Gibbs by the collar and shook him roughly. "You stupid bastard! I told you we attack together! You weren't supposed to jump in front of it!"
Jack's voice cracked into a low murmur. "That's the captain's job."