"Ha ha! Long time no see, Red Hair... uh, Kid," Jerry called out cheerfully as the distance between the Black Nova and the Victoria Punk continued shrinking. Standing at the bow with a broad smile, he deliberately shifted his body to show off the large fish slung across his back. "Want to come over and chat? I just caught something impressive."
Kid curled his lips into a savage grin. "Yeah, it has been a while! Let me give you a proper greeting gift!"
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and pointed directly at Jerry's ship, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes as he prepared to activate his Devil Fruit powers.
Jerry's pupils contracted instantly, his body moved, and he vanished from his position like a ghost.
Kid maintained his confident smile, planning to seize the initiative with his magnetic abilities.
However, just as Kid finished speaking and before he could execute any techniques, he felt something flash before his eyes.
"Supreme Slipper Strike!" Jerry's voice rang out with mock formality.
In the blink of an eye, a large flip-flop struck Kid's face with tremendous force, sending him flying backward instantly and completely interrupting whatever move he'd been preparing.
"Damn it! I politely invited you over for a friendly conversation, but you immediately tried to tear apart my ship with your magnetism!" Jerry appeared at Kid's original position, looking down at the red-haired pirate who'd crashed into his own mast. "Since you're so rude, you can just sit this one out!"
Seeing their captain's sudden defeat, Killer and the other Kid Pirates shouted in alarm and disbelief.
They'd been watching Kid's movements closely and had felt secretly delighted when they saw Jerry's crew dare to bring their ship within range of their captain's powers.
Everyone knew about Kid's devastating Magnet-Magnet Fruit abilities and how rarely he was rivaled in Marine combat. As long as Kid had the opportunity to get close to an enemy ship, he could activate his powers, manipulate magnetism, and instantly tear apart their ship by ripping out every piece of metal.
However, what none of them had expected was that before they could even react, the man who'd been casually chatting just moments before had appeared directly in front of them. One thunderous impact later, their supposedly invincible captain was flying backward in defeat.
As elite pirates who'd fought countless battles to reach this point, almost everyone except Killer immediately rushed toward Jerry the moment they recovered from their shock.
"Ha ha ha! The young master has arrived!" Cavendish transformed into lightning and dropped directly into the crowd of attacking pirates.
"And here I come too! Yo ho ho ho!" Brook ran across the water's surface at incredible speed before leaping up, his sword flashing as he struck with deadly precision.
"Brother Jerry, I'm here to help!" Carrot came soaring through the air, her incredible jumping ability allowing her to land on the enemy ship's deck in a single bound.
The sounds of impacts and clashing continued for several moments. In the blink of an eye, the only members of the Kid Pirates still standing were Kid himself—who had just struggled back to his feet—and Killer, who was somehow still holding his ground.
Seeing his friends lying across the deck groaning in pain, Kid flew into an absolute rage. His forehead flushed red with fury as he gritted his teeth and snarled, "You! You keep causing us trouble again and again! Do you really think I'm some kind of pushover?!"
Observing the massive mechanical arm Kid was rapidly assembling from scrap metal scattered around his ship, Jerry asked with casual curiosity, "Huh? When have I bothered you repeatedly? Are you still half-asleep or something?"
As he spoke, he calmly withdrew his fishing rod and began walking toward his opponent with measured steps.
Kid glanced at Killer, who had been subdued by Cavendish, and his fury intensified until his expression became absolutely ferocious.
He suddenly stepped forward and swung his heavy mechanical arm in a devastating punch aimed at Jerry's head, roaring with vicious intent, "Go to hell! Magnetic Fist!"
"Well, if that's really what you want, I suppose I'll grant your wish," Jerry replied with perfect calm, sensing the tremendous anger and genuine killing intent behind Kid's powerful attack.
Before he finished speaking, his figure flashed forward. The black Haki lightning surrounding his fishing rod left trails of afterimages as it moved like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
"Water Blade: Heaven Piercer!"
The distance between them vanished instantly. Just as Kid's giant mechanical fist was about to connect, a cold light flashed in Jerry's eyes. The fishing rod in his hands, charged with the power of endless wind and thunder, thrust forward with devastating momentum.
Metal fragments flew in all directions as the rod sparked with electricity, penetrating every obstacle with unstoppable force while simultaneously piercing and completely shattering Kid's left arm along with the massive mechanical appendage wrapped around it.
Kid let out an agonized scream, clutching the space where his left arm had been completely severed, his body flying backward involuntarily from the excruciating pain.
But the next second, when Kid flew off the pirate ship and was about to continue his trajectory toward the ocean below, his body suddenly stopped mid-air.
Jerry was gripping his fishing rod tightly with the line wrapped securely around Kid's torso.
With a powerful roar, Jerry swung the rod upward before slamming it down with tremendous force.
The deafening crash echoed across the water as Kid was smashed face-first into the deck of his own Victoria Punk, knocked completely unconscious by the impact.
Killer, who had fallen to the ground with serious injuries, was unable to move his arms properly. His eyes turned bloodshot as he screamed with desperate anguish for his captain.
Cavendish kicked the already captured Killer, knocking him unconscious as well, and pouted with obvious annoyance. "Stop making so much noise and be quiet!"
"Yo ho ho! Jerry, what should we do with these remaining crew members?" Brook asked, pointing at the various Kid Pirates scattered unconscious across the deck.
Jerry pulled the unconscious Kid up with his fishing line and shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about them. Let's go."
He and Cavendish each carried one prisoner as they returned to the Black Nova alongside Brook and Carrot.
Jerry looked around and noticed Deuce and Skull discussing their next moves while watching their return. Carina and little Bonney sat nearby, scratching Kotatsu behind the ears while casting concerned glances at the new prisoners.
Jerry dropped Kid's unconscious form and said casually, "Deuce, patch them up enough so they don't bleed out. Just make sure they stay alive."
"Maybe you shouldn't hit them quite so hard next time," Deuce complained as he quickly began medical treatment. "You've severed his major arteries."
Jerry didn't feel particularly concerned about the red-haired hothead's missing limb.
He knew Kid wasn't exactly a good person—part of the reason his bounty had reached such heights was due to his evil habit of massacring innocent civilians for sport.
Moreover, if Kid had followed his original trajectory and eventually challenged the real Red-Haired Shanks, he would have lost an arm sooner or later anyway, just like his namesake.
Jerry thought to himself that he was being quite merciful by sparing the man's life while also allowing him to "evolve" into a one-armed warrior much earlier than originally destined.
Perhaps losing his left arm would actually make the red-haired pirate stronger in the long run—adversity had a way of forging determination.
"All right everyone," Jerry announced to his assembled crew, "it's time to officially begin our grand debut."
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