"Hngh... Hngh!"
Two low growls, almost simultaneous.
...
One came from Jack the Drought, as if carrying endless violence and roughness, a terrifying power from his Fish-Man bloodline.
Where he stepped, it became dry and decayed, as if a drought spirit had appeared, leading to ruin.
This is Jack the Drought, one of the three calamities of the Beasts Pirates, with a bounty of one billion Belly! An ancient zoan type, Mammoth form, of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit!
Amazing stamina, exaggerated strength...
His height exceeded eight meters, and his bounty reached an astonishing one billion Belly.
That was an exaggerated bounty, existing only in the New World.
The pair of sickle-shaped giant weapons in Jack's hands had become a nightmare for New World pirates!
...
The other came from the man who called himself an "emissary."
His voice was pure and clean, giving others a youthful impression.
There were no messy emotions contained within it. It was merely a low growl made out of necessity by the body's movements, to help him control himself better and unleash greater power.
...
The two voices erupted, and Jack's scythes met the emissary's fists head-on!
Bang!
Two immense and terrifying forces acted upon both men simultaneously. Their fists and scythes were both flung back.
"Ugh!"
The instant they made contact, Jack's pupils widened in surprise.
Because he felt power from that fist that was no less than his own!
...
Among the Beasts Pirates, Devil Fruit users were a hundred percent guaranteed to have Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
And among Zoan-type Devil Fruits, there were extremely rare types such as "Ancient Zoan" and "Mythical Zoan."
Mammoth form of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Zoan type - that was it!
Because of this Devil Fruit, Jack, in terms of pure raw strength, couldn't compare to his two older brothers, King the Conflagration and Queen the Plague.
However, when it came to brute force and pure destructive power, Jack was definitely the second strongest in the Beasts Pirates, under Kaido the Hundred Beasts!
That was no exaggeration at all.
Therefore, Jack was accustomed to crushing any enemy with his own terrifying strength and overwhelming presence, leaving them no room to resist!
...
But at this moment.
When Jack's scythes first touched the emissary's fists, a power that sent shivers down his spine surged into his heart!
That almost twisted brute force nearly shook the scythes out of Jack's hands!
No... something's not right...
Jack's brow furrowed, and a few drops of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Clearly, in terms of sheer size, he had a definite advantage. Neither the opponent's build nor his height could compare to his own!
But why could such immense power erupt from that body?
Jack's eyes flickered, and he subtly motioned with his finger.
His subordinate, seeing this, immediately understood and quietly retreated, heading into the ship's cabin for some unknown purpose.
At the same time, the emissary's eyes darted rapidly, red veins filling them, making him look fearsome and grotesque.
If the children of Alabasta saw him, they certainly wouldn't connect him with the gentle Ryan Rowan.
But that was indeed Ryan Rowan.
More accurately, it was a "part" of Ryan Rowan's destiny.
...
People are not static.
At different stages and periods of life, depending on experience and past events, they often become quite different, or even completely opposite, people.
This is growth—or change.
The one who let Vivi ride on his shoulders and wander around was Ryan Rowan.
The one who wrestled with the Fish-Man warriors and ended up covered in mud on the ground was Ryan Rowan.
The one who told completely unfunny old jokes with no authority was Ryan Rowan.
The one who stood before the World Government as the leading Imperial Emperor was Ryan Rowan.
The one who walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, overcoming countless hardships to forge history, the God of War, was also Ryan Rowan!
...
"So comfortable..."
A murmuring sigh echoed across the deck.
The pirates looked around, only to see the emissary in a strange pose.
He stretched his legs as if yawning on a bed, spread his arms as wide as possible, then pulled them back, simultaneously contracting his abdomen and puffing out his chest as much as he could.
Even as enemies, the pirates had to admit that the human body in such a pose possessed an strange beauty.
It was a "perfect" posture that showcased all the functional characteristics of the human body.
The emissary opened his mouth, exhaled a breath, then grinned and said:
"What a comfortable wind!"
The sea breeze rustled, validating the emissary's words.
The instant he finished speaking, two streams of black Armament Haki surged onto the emissary's and Jack's wrists.
Then, they climbed onto the emissary's fists and Jack's scythes.
Aiming at each other's waists, they swung their attacks once more!
This time, the sound of collision was no longer a simple "bang" but a deafening roar of an explosion!
Boom!
Like an explosion, fists and scythes collided.
And this time, it wasn't a tie.
With a crisp "crack," Jack's black, sickle-shaped saber now had a visible crack along its blade!
The crack widened, and finally, the sickle-shaped saber completely shattered!
Seeing this, the surrounding pirates' eyes widened.
They lost?
Their captain, in a contest of strength and Armament Haki, had lost!
Not good!
The moment he lost his grip, Jack realized something was wrong.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan!
Despite his rough exterior, Jack was actually a ruthless guy when it came to winning.
If he couldn't win fairly, he would find a way to win!
On his Mammoth ship, he still had the special poison gas prepared by his big brother, Queen the Plague!
Just a small amount could make ordinary people foam at the mouth and collapse powerlessly on the spot.
He had already arranged for his subordinate to release the gas.
Now!
Jack waved his hand, and the deputy inside the ship's cabin immediately understood, pressing the button to release the gas.
Hiss!
Instantly, a dark green smoke began to drift around the Mammoth.
The surrounding pirates felt a sense of dread, especially when they saw Jack pulling out his gas mask and putting it on.
A few pirates quickly donned their gas masks, but far more were too late.
They all collapsed.
The dark green mist soon enveloped the emissary.
Seeing this, Jack was about to grip his other sickle-shaped saber and rush forward to deal with the strange, sudden appearance of this guy, when he suddenly heard that shiver-inducing murmuring voice again.
"What a comfortable wind..."
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