“Captain… Captain, are you really not going to reconsider?”
Hearing Cavendish’s decision, his crew couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Of course. I’ve gotten this far without putting any real effort, relying solely on my natural talent to achieve what countless pirates could never. I’m going to reclaim the fame I lost!”
In the current Great Pirate Era, the simplest way to make it into the newspapers is to find a worthy opponent and have a fight.
The photographers lurking in every corner would seize the opportunity to snap photos and turn the event into articles for the newspapers.
At this moment, Cavendish’s decision was to challenge the one who had stolen his popularity. As long as he could defeat or kill his opponent, the fame would return to him.
He wasn’t insane enough to target the performers of the Beasts Fruits’ Entertainment Department. Instead, he set his sights on Jack, who had been in the limelight recently. Although doing so would bring him even more bad luck.
Challenging Jack would at most offend one of the Emperor Crew. But targeting Beasts Pirates’ Entertainment Department? That would mean trouble far beyond just one Emperor Crew.
As for why it was Jack and not Kaido…
He wasn’t entirely crazy yet. While he craved fame and wealth, he wasn’t at the point of utter madness. He knew that challenging Kaido, the world’s strongest creature, would end in a tragic sight.
This led to a peculiar scene aboard Jack’s Steel Mammoth some time later.
…
After fighting Setsuna to a draw, Jack embarked on his own journey of training. With his subordinates in tow, he ventured out to battle, constantly honing his skills. Whether pirates or Marines, as long as they weren’t allies, a fight was inevitable.
The combination of the Copperajah and his Fish-Man abilities made Jack incredibly difficult to deal with. For a time, he became a nightmare in the New World. Even the Marines would rather avoid engaging him.
Thankfully, the Steel Mammoth’s weight slowed it down, making it harder for him to chase down those determined to flee.
“Captain Jack, we’ve spotted a new pirate ship. It’s one of this year’s Super Rookies.”
“A Super Rookie? I hope they’ll be interesting. Close in on them and get ready for battle!”
If they were strong, Jack would take them on personally. If they weren’t, he’d leave them to his subordinates for training. But before his ship could even move, the lookout shouted in disbelief.
“Ca-Captain Jack! They’re coming toward us on their own!”
It had been a while since they’d encountered something like this. Watching the enemy charge at them instead of fleeing, the lookout wondered if he was seeing things.
“Sheepshead, information!”
Jack suddenly stood up, causing even the Alcremie perched on his shoulder to jolt. The little face scrunched into a displeased expression.
“Ah… yes! This is… the Handsome Pirates! Their captain’s bounty is 280 million berries…”
“280 million, huh. Heh, they’d better be entertaining. Be good, give me 10 minutes. I’ll deal with them in 10 minutes.”
The gentle tone of his last words clearly wasn’t directed at his subordinates but at his Alcremie. After placing it back in the cabin of the ship, Jack strode to the ship’s bow.
“Full speed ahead!”
Jack’s goal was to train his crew’s combat abilities, not test their cannon fire’s accuracy. So, instead of firing the ship’s cannons, they charged directly into the enemy’s barrage.
As the two ships rushed toward each other, they closed the distance rapidly. Jack’s crew soon found themselves shocked once more by Cavendish’s actions—he actually rushed onto Jack’s ship on his own initiative.
…
“Where’s Jack? Get out here! All you small fries, get lost!”
As he looked at the pirates closing in around him, a hint of disdain flashed across Cavendish’s face. The atmosphere on Jack’s ship was quite peculiar. While there were a few normal individuals like Sheepshead and Ginrummy, the majority were burly, muscular men, a stark contrast to Cavendish’s aesthetic preference.
However, beneath his disdain lay a hidden satisfaction. Even if they were enemies, Cavendish enjoyed being the center of attention.
“Captain Jack doesn’t need to take action for an arrogant rookie like you. I’m enough!”
Charging straight onto their ship and ignoring everyone to directly challenge the captain was a slap in the face to them all. Sheepshead, transforming into his Mammoth-Man form, was about to deal with Cavendish but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Stand down. I’ll take care of him. You and Ginrummy handle the others. Capture them alive.”
“Yes, sir! Follow me!”
Jack’s orders were absolute. Once he made his decision, Sheepshead changed direction, leaving Cavendish to Jack.
“Kid, I like your spirit. I’ll give you a chance to join us.”
Cavendish’s “reckless behavior” happened to catch Jack’s eye. For the current Four Emperors, the identity of Super Rookie often served as a calling card for recruitment. Reaching this level was often the prerequisite to being scouted by the Four Emperors.
Cavendish’s personality and bounty were sufficient in Jack’s eyes, which prompted him to extend the offer.
“I would never join a barbaric crew like yours! Someone as beautiful as I am has nothing in common with you lot. The only reason I’m here is because you stole the fame that rightfully belongs to me.”
Adjusting the cowboy hat on his head, Cavendish bit into the rose he was holding, consuming it in one swift motion. Then, he unsheathed the sword at his hip, the Famous Sword Durandal, a rare and exceptional sword.
“Prepare to exit the stage. Your time in the spotlight ends here.”
“Your nonsense chatter and pointless movements have wasted a total of two minutes.”
“What did you say…?”
Upon hearing Jack’s assessment of him, Cavendish’s face darkened with anger. Jack, however, remained indifferent, continuing as if Cavendish hadn’t spoken:
“It took three minutes for the ships to close the distance, you’ve wasted two minutes on nonsense chatter, so you only have five minutes left. Since you refused my offer, that makes you the enemy.”
“You b*stard… Blade of Beauty: Round Table!”
Jack’s dismissive attitude infuriated Cavendish, who, holding Durandal, charged at him. As he closed in, Cavendish leaped high into the air, tracing a graceful arc before bringing his blade down in a sweeping slash aimed directly at Jack’s neck.
Cavendish was a natural swordsmanship prodigy, reaching incredible heights with minimal training. This very move had beheaded countless people in the past.
In Cavendish’s eyes, a big, clumsy oaf like Jack was the easiest type to deal with. However, the blade that had once brought him countless victories during his past voyages now met an unyielding wall.
Clang!
Jack stood like an unmovable tower, the attack not even making him budge. The only indication that he had even defended himself was the thick Haki.
“Not bad, but too weak.”
Jack’s massive hand swung toward Cavendish. Still reeling from the disbelief that his full-powered strike had been so effortlessly blocked, Cavendish barely had time to react before he was swatted away like a fly.
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