"You bastard! Didn't you hear me? This man is an enemy of the Chris Pirates!"
Sriya roared in fury, "Are you intending to aid an enemy of the Chris Pirates and declare war on us? Jack the Drought!"
"War? What of it?"
A bloody glint flashed in Jack's eyes. He sneered, "I want this man! Didn't you hear me?"
"Hahaha! The Beasts Pirates are taking him!"
"That's right! Those are Jack-sama's orders! Go home and cry to your mommy!"
"Who cares about the Chris Pirates? We are the Beasts Pirates!"
A group of pirates with white and black horns, clad in hide armor, stood behind Jack, mocking Sriya mercilessly.
"Noisy subordinates," Jack muttered expressionlessly, glancing back at his men.
"Bastards! How dare you look down on us!" Sriya grit his teeth, his face freezing over.
Having been rescued by Aeridar from the Crimson Man-Eating Flower slave ring, Sriya's gratitude toward his captain and the crew was beyond words. If loyalty could be measured, his would be off the charts.
To hear the Chris Pirates insulted by these Beasts Pirate thugs sent his rage past the breaking point.
"I don't care if you're a Calamity! S-1, slaughter them!" Sriya commanded.
S-1 broke into a sprint, his heavy armor thudding against the ground—thud, thud, thud.
"Hahaha! Jack-sama, leave this one to me!"
"No, let me! Wolf Hand!"
"A guy like this? We Gifters can handle him!"
Several pirates with black horns laughed as they charged the knight. Their arms transformed into bestial heads or limbs—gorilla arms, wolf heads, buffalo horns. It looked as if parts of wild beasts had been grafted directly onto their bodies.
One man, whose arm had become a wolf's head, let out a snarl, dripping foul saliva from a maw filled with sightless yellow eyes.
"Those are... artificial Devil Fruits!" Sriya gasped, recognizing them instantly.
As a guard at Research Base No. 1, he had seen Dr. Switch Dalt studying Artificial Devil Fruits during combat trials before being reassigned to this mission.
Before the thought could finish, S-1 collided with the Gifters.
"Slay!"
The knight hissed, his speed suddenly surging.
SQUELCH—!
A cold flash of light cut through the air, and blood sprayed across the pavement.
In a single pass, before the Gifters could even react, they were cut down. Each bore a wound so deep it showed bone.
"He took them out in one hit?!"
"Impossible! Those were four Gifters!"
The remaining Beasts Pirates were aghast. The Gifters were their elite, all Ability Users. Even if they used Artificial Fruits, their strength was not to be underestimated.
"Hmm?"
Seeing this, Jack's brow furrowed. "Hmph. Useless trash!"
With his subordinates dealt with so easily, Jack knew he had to step in.
S-1 was already upon him. The knight leaped into the air, aiming his longsword directly for Jack's face.
"Hmph."
Jack simply threw a punch.
BOOM!
The blade and fist collided, sending a ring of displaced air outward.
SWOOSH! CRASH!
After a split-second stalemate, S-1 was blown back by Jack's raw power. He smashed through several buildings, kicking up a choking cloud of dust.
Clink, clink, clink—!
Sriya closed the distance rapidly, his prosthetic leg clicking against the ground. He arrived before Jack in an instant, aiming a kick at the back of the big man's knee.
Jack lifted his leg to dodge and countered with a downward hammer-fist.
BOOM!
The earth shuddered as a shockwave rippled out. Jack lifted his arm, shaking off loose rubble. A crater sat where he had struck; Sriya lay at the bottom, arms crossed in a block. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and the ground beneath him was a spiderweb of cracks.
"Cough... cough..."
Sriya spat out blood and slowly climbed to his feet.
"Not dead yet?"
Jack raised an eyebrow, preparing another strike, but he suddenly sensed something. He turned to see S-1 charging back at him. Aside from some dust on his armor, the knight appeared completely unscathed.
Due to the height difference, Jack simply delivered a heavy kick.
CLANG—!
S-1 held his sword across his chest to block the foot. Faced with the overwhelming force, the stone floor beneath the knight's feet disintegrated.
In a fluid motion, S-1 twisted his body to let the foot slide past. He moved to Jack's flank and swung his sword, striking the Calamity's leg.
THUD!
Jack's leg was knocked upward. His center of gravity shifted, and he toppled backward, crushing a house and burying half his body in bricks.
However, Sriya's keen eyes noticed that S-1's sharp blade had reacted as if it had hit toughened leather. It hadn't cut in at all; the knight had only managed to topple Jack through sheer physical leverage.
Sriya felt a wave of dread. While S-1's sword wasn't a "Named Blade," it was forged from a special alloy steel that rivaled many famous swords in sharpness and durability.
With S-1's strength, he could cut through a Marine Pacifista in one stroke. He hadn't expected Jack the Drought's natural defense to be this high.
"Jack-sama!"
The Beasts Pirates' eyes nearly popped out of their heads at the sight of their leader falling.
Rumble...
Jack stood up, his gaze icy as rubble slid off his massive frame.
"Interesting. I underestimated you."
Jack began to walk forward. His massive body moved like a battering ram, his heavy fists whistling through the air as he lunged at S-1.
The knight didn't take the hit head-on. He dodged the incoming fist with fluid grace, leaped up, and thrust his sword toward Jack's chest.
WHOOSH—! BAM!
The wind howled. S-1 felt the world go dark as he was hit by what felt like a giant sledgehammer. He was transformed into a black blur, hurtling through the air.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
He flew over a hundred meters before finally coming down, but even then, he continued to tumble and slide across the ground. Dust billowed and buildings crumbled as the knight smashed through over a dozen houses before coming to a stop.