In the treacherous waters of the New World, the Beasts Pirates advanced steadily toward their next destination. Aboard the massive flagship of the fleet, Kaido sat alone in his private cabin. He was already deep into his cups, drinking heavily and sporting a glazed, tipsy expression. The heavy thud of boots echoed against the wooden floorboards as Yamato walked in, followed closely by King and Jack.
"At it again with this pathetic display? Uncle, this is all happening because you spoil him way too much," Yamato said. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight of her father slumped over his sake.
King coughed lightly, looking a bit awkward as he adjusted his mask. "Ahem, the expedition is proceeding smoothly, so it shouldn't be a problem for the Governor to relax a little."
"Besides, if big brother Kaido gets too drunk, he'll just go on one of his drunken rampages," Jack added, stealing a quick, nervous glance at King. In Jack's eyes, Kaido was a perfect leader in every possible way, except for the fact that his drunken episodes were... well, they were beyond words.
Despite the chaos Kaido caused when intoxicated, none of the subordinates dared to speak up or complain. Only Yamato had the nerve to completely refuse to give Kaido any face, treating the fearsome Yonko like a common nuisance.
"It's fine. Big brother has already finished most of the wine we have on this ship. He won't get truly dangerous at this level," King said, trying to convince himself as much as the others.
Yamato let out a sharp huff of disbelief. "Uncle, do I really look like I believe a word of that? Whatever. Anyway, if his drinking affects the mission, it won't be my headache to deal with." She turned on her heel and began walking out of the cabin. As far as she was concerned, her old man could do whatever he wanted; it wasn't like he was capable of dying anyway.
Watching Yamato leave, King and Jack looked at each other, both feeling an inexplicable sense of awkwardness. Now that Yamato had washed her hands of the situation, there really was no one left who could even attempt to make Kaido stop.
"Forget it, we can't control his habits either. Let's go," King muttered. The two of them stepped out with a silent, tacit understanding. As long as Kaido didn't start tearing the ship apart, they would count it as a win.
Back on Jack's personal ship, Yamato acted as if nothing had happened, leaning against the railing and staring at the horizon. Black Maria and Haruko walked over to her, their faces filled with curiosity.
"Yamato, did something happen with Lord Kaido back there?" Maria asked.
Yamato waved her hand dismissively. "What else could it be? It's not like you don't know my old man is a hopeless drunkard. Don't worry about it; Uncle and the others are over there acting as his personal nannies anyway."
Hearing Yamato's blunt explanation, Maria and Haruko instantly understood. They knew that when it came to Kaido's personal affairs, only his biological daughter had any hope of managing him. Anyone else who tried to intervene would likely end up in a world of trouble. However, Yamato clearly didn't have much desire to play the role of the dutiful daughter today.
"Enemy pirate ship spotted!" a subordinate suddenly shouted from the crow's nest.
"Pirates?" Maria and Haruko both turned to look in the direction the scout was pointing. "Has a pirate group finally decided to run into us? It feels like forever since we started this expedition, and this is the first time we've run into someone worth fighting. It looks like we might finally have a good battle on our hands."
Jack returned to his ship, his expression grim and focused. "What is the scale of the enemy fleet?"
"Reporting to Lord Jack! The enemy has six pirate ships with about a thousand men. That puts them at roughly the same scale as our current Beasts Pirates fleet," the subordinate reported.
A cold, dangerous light flashed in Jack's eyes. "Looks like we can finally have some fun. Full speed ahead! Pull alongside them and sink every last one of them!"
"Yes, Lord Jack!" The crew immediately scrambled into action, adjusting the sails and loading the cannons.
Hearing Jack's command, Yamato couldn't help but burst out laughing. As expected of the man who would one day be known as the "Ship-Ramer King," his first instinct was always to close the distance and smash things head-on.
"Yamato, what's so funny?" Maria asked, looking confused.
"Nothing, I just thought of a nickname that suits this simpleton Jack perfectly: the Ship-Ramer King. Maria, Haruko, what do you think?" Yamato asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Ship-Ramer King? That nickname... why does it feel a bit strange?" Maria and Haruko looked at each other, unsure how to respond to Yamato's odd sense of humor.
Meanwhile, the entire Beasts Pirates fleet went into full combat mode. "This is the first battle of our expedition. We must win, and we must win beautifully. Beasts Pirates, give it your all and take them down with the force of a thunderbolt!" King issued the order from the flagship, his voice carrying over the waves.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed. Every pirate ship in the fleet entered a state of combat readiness. Men began sharpening their blades and checking their flintlocks, charging toward the enemy ships with savage grins.
"Finally, I can actually stretch my limbs and get some blood on my hands," Sasaki and Who's-Who laughed. Their eyes were overflowing with killing intent as they watched the enemy draw closer.
Several hundred meters away, the rival pirates had also spotted the Beasts Pirates' Jolly Roger. "Boys, another pirate crew that doesn't know its place has appeared! Charge! Annihilate them and seize all their treasures for ourselves!"
"Ohh! Kill them all!" Shouts and roars erupted from the enemy ships, filled with excitement, bloodlust, and the fanaticism typical of New World crews.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the ships drew closer, they entered each other's effective cannon range. Both parties opened fire almost simultaneously, filling the air with the smell of gunpowder and the sound of whistling iron.
"Minimize the damage to our fleet; don't let this minor skirmish affect the rest of the expedition," King ordered. He didn't wait for the ships to close the gap. He transformed directly into his Pteranodon Form, his massive wings casting a shadow over the water as he took to the sky.
Whoosh!
With a powerful flap of his wings, two massive flying slashes shot out through the air. They sliced clean through one of the enemy pirate ships, dividing it into three neat sections. The vessel groaned as it collapsed, and the pirates on board were plunged into the sea before they even knew what hit them.
"As expected of Lord King! Fire! Fire! Blow the enemy to bits!" the members of the Beasts Pirates shouted, their morale skyrocketing at the display of power.
"Having a flight ability really is flashy, isn't it?" Queen said from the deck of his own ship. He felt somewhat annoyed as he watched King take the lead and destroy an entire ship in an instant.
Before the pirate ships could actually board each other, the other high-ranking executives were stuck defending. They had to spend their time shooting down incoming cannonballs or swatting them away to prevent their own ships from being blown apart. This was a frustrating limitation for them, as none of the other lead performers had the ability to fly across the gap.
"Sorry, but I'm going to take the first step and get some of the glory," Who's-Who suddenly said. He leaped into the air, using the Moonwalk technique to jump repeatedly through the sky as he charged toward the enemy fleet.
"That guy actually has a way to fight in the air," Sasaki glared, his grip tightening on his sword as he watched Who's-Who rush out. He could easily tell that Who's-Who was trying to snatch as much credit as possible to impress Kaido.
In reality, most of the high-ranking members were eyeing the prestigious position of All-Star. Given that Jack was currently seen as the weakest among the All-Stars—despite having been with the crew much longer than the newcomers—they believed there was a genuine chance to take his seat. They just needed to accumulate enough merit and show enough strength to earn the right to challenge him.
Back on his own ship, Jack watched Who's-Who rush out to fight. He felt nothing but cold disdain for the man. "A fellow like that actually thinks he can challenge my status as an All-Star? How absolutely absurd."
From the bottom of his heart, Jack looked down on people like Who's-Who and Sasaki. To him, they were opportunists who only cared about their rank and were solely focused on climbing over others for their own benefit. If Kaido hadn't decided that people like them could be useful as high-end combat power, Jack wouldn't have given them a second glance. Even with Jack's lack of wit, he could see that people like them had no true loyalty to the crew.
"Jack, I didn't expect you to have such insight. It's a shame my old man's judgment can't even compare to yours," Yamato said, walking over to him with a smirk.
Jack gave a cold snort and didn't respond. He had no intention of engaging in a conversation that involved speaking ill of Kaido.
"In that case, I think I'll stretch my limbs a bit too," Yamato said, not at all bothered by Jack's silence. She walked toward the bow of the ship, her hand resting on the handle of her club.
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