Chapter 385: Fairies Running on the Water
Jack the Drought attacked everyone present!
Yes, everyone. As far as he was concerned, he didn't bother distinguishing which pirate crew anyone belonged to. In Jack's mind, there was only one thought: I'll take on all ten of them!
The combat power Jack displayed was extremely brutal. The first to suffer heavy casualties were the Germa soldiers. After Reiju was sent flying, they charged at Jack recklessly, launching a desperate attack. However, as they rushed forward, they were turned into showers of blood under Jack's unceasing fists.
Every punch Jack threw, upon hitting a Germa soldier's body, could easily punch straight through them. A hit to the chest left a bloody hole; a hit to a limb instantly sent broken fragments flying.
The group of Germa soldiers Reiju led suffered enormous casualties. Even as they were killed, their facial expressions never changed. But while such suicide soldiers might terrify ordinary people, they were utterly useless against Jack. He killed anyone who came at him without a moment's hesitation.
The gap in strength was too vast. The Germa soldiers were rapidly dwindling in number, and soon, members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Kuja Pirates began to be caught in the crossfire.
There was no help for it. Behind them was the iron bridge, with so many people crowded on it that escape was impossible. And thanks to Jack's indiscriminate slaughter, the seawater beneath the bridge was already stained crimson. The ferocious piranhas, driven mad by the thick scent of blood, were now swimming in the sea, cutting off any thoughts of fleeing through the water.
Leading the Dragon Hunter Pirates was Sardine, while the Kuja Pirates were led by Boa Sandersonia, Boa Hancock's second younger sister. They had originally planned to follow behind Reiju and attack any Donquixote family establishments they encountered, but they never expected to run into the infamous Jack the Drought here. Without a word, he attacked, and now they had no choice but to fight back to defend themselves.
Against Jack's subordinates, they could hold their own and even gain a slight upper hand. But the problem was that Jack himself was a humanoid killing machine. If they couldn't defeat him, what good would it do to take down his men?
So Sardine and Boa Sandersonia exchanged a glance and immediately lunged at Jack.
"Gungnir of Odin!" Sardine, relying on his height and long reach, struck first with all his might, punching Jack square in the face.
He wore a steel knuckle duster on his hand. With the immense strength of a Giant, against an ordinary person, this punch would have blown their entire head off. But when Sardine's fist connected with Jack's face, it only made him stagger back two steps.
The effect was still there. Jack's steel jaw guard was twisted and knocked off by Sardine's punch, and blood began to flow from Jack's nose.
However, Jack remained conscious. He raised both hands, suddenly grabbing Sardine's massive fist, then seized Sardine's index finger and, with a fierce effort, twisted it backward and upward.
"Ahhh!" The finger bent backward caused immense pain, and Sardine couldn't help but scream. He desperately tried to pull his finger free, but found it wouldn't budge. Jack's monstrous strength was such that even Sardine couldn't resist. With both arms wrapped around the finger, Jack pressed and twisted it with all his might, clearly intending to snap Sardine's index finger clean off!
Unable to pull his finger back, Sardine was in agony. He couldn't help but drop to his knees on the iron bridge, causing the entire structure to shake.
Kneeling, Sardine saw Jack baring a mouthful of long, sharp teeth and a bloodthirsty grin. Enraged, he ignored the pain in his finger, raised the greatsword in his left hand high, and brought it down with all his strength.
The blow struck Jack on the shoulder, but Sardine failed to cleave him in two. Jack, bracing with one shoulder, managed to block the sword. However, under the immense pressure, he was finally forced to the ground.
Yet, even as he fell, the brute refused to let go of Sardine's finger. As he hit the deck, Sardine's thick finger gave a loud crack and was completely snapped.
Though still attached to his hand, Sardine's index finger now bent at an unnatural angle, clearly wrong. Sardine himself was drenched in cold sweat from the searing pain.
Thanks to Sardine's efforts, Sandersonia finally found her chance to close in. While Jack was on the ground, she transformed her entire body into a massive human-faced serpent, swiftly coiling around Jack and tightening her grip around his neck.
"Suffocating Coil!"
Sandersonia's technique mimicked a python hunting its prey. She used all her strength to constrict Jack, aiming to crush him to death.
But Jack, lying on the ground, grabbed hold of Sandersonia's body with both hands and began to tear at her.
The moment he did, the vast difference in their strength became apparent. Sandersonia couldn't make Jack struggle for breath; instead, she felt a tearing pain across her body, as if she were about to be ripped in two.
Though she was a tough warrior from Amazon Lily, she was still a woman. The excruciating pain made her involuntarily loosen her grip on Jack.
And that was all Jack needed. Freed from her hold around his jaw, he did something no one expected. He opened his mouth full of sharp, jagged teeth and viciously bit down on Sandersonia's body!
"Ahhh!!!" Sandersonia let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Jack pressed her body down with both hands, jerked his head violently, and tore a huge chunk of flesh from Sandersonia!
Sandersonia released Jack completely, writhing in agony on the ground. A massive, jagged wound was torn into her serpentine tail, causing her entire body to twist in pain.
With the chunk of Sandersonia's flesh still in his mouth, Jack actually chewed it a couple of times. Then, apparently finding it unpalatable, he spat it out with a disgusted "Ptoo!"
Many who witnessed this were stunned, especially the Kuja warriors. They knew Sandersonia had been using Armament Haki to defend her body. Even so, Jack had bitten through her!?
What incredible biting power!...
Looking at Jack's mouthful of sharp teeth, everyone realized that Jack the Drought likely had Fish-Man blood. Only a Fish-Man could possess such monstrous strength.
"I'll kill you all!" Jack's bloodshot eyes blazed with unrestrained destructive desire. And then, he transformed!
Jack the Drought was a rare Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user, the Mammoth Fruit. The mammoth itself was a symbol of immense strength, and combined with Jack's Fish-Man lineage, the result was far more than a simple one-plus-one. This was the source of his terrifying brute force.
Zoans could usually transform, and when Jack did, a massive mammoth suddenly appeared on the iron bridge.
Jack's subordinates saw this and immediately realized their captain had gone mad. Transforming in such a narrow space was pure recklessness! They quickly retreated from the fight, scrambling back toward Green Bit Island.
But Sardine, Sandersonia, and the others still on the bridge were in trouble. Transformed into a mammoth, Jack rampaged without restraint. A swing of his trunk sent over a dozen people flying, spitting blood as they were knocked off the bridge into the water. A stomp of his massive foot crushed seven or eight people, shattering every bone in their bodies.
Sardine was also hit by Jack's trunk and sent flying off the bridge.
This was likely the worst beating the Dragon Hunter Pirates had ever taken. A pirate with a bounty over 1 billion Berry was truly terrifying.
But just as Jack was gleefully wreaking havoc, the iron bridge could no longer bear the strain. With a groan, the middle section sagged and dipped into the water. Though it didn't break, it brought Jack into contact with the sea.
The water was, of course, pure seawater. The power of the sea immediately affected Jack, draining his strength and forcing him out of his transformation.
Jack's subordinates, who had fled to the other side of the bridge, saw him fall into the water and rushed over. They worked together to haul him out and drag him to the opposite shore.
Once Jack had recovered, his first words were: "Are those bastards all dead?"
"All dead! All dead!" his men quickly replied.
Satisfied, Jack said no more. He got to his feet and ordered, "Find Doflamingo!"
Jack the Drought left with his men, leaving despair in his wake for those he had beaten to the brink of death.
Because the bridge had sunk, many people had fallen into the water. The ferocious piranhas were now rampaging below, and for those too injured to move, there was no escape.
Sardine had several broken bones and couldn't swim. Floating on the surface, he saw a school of piranhas charging toward him. He closed his eyes, resigned to death.
"Captain... avenge us..." Sardine thought.
But just then, dozens of thin water trails appeared on the sea surface, racing toward the fallen people.
A massive piranha reached Sardine first, opening its jaws to bite down. But before it could, a water trail reached its side. The next second, the piranha was struck by something and sent flying with a loud slap.
This wasn't the end. The remaining piranhas met the same fate, hit by something unknown and sent flying one after another.
Hearing the commotion, Sardine opened his eyes. Floating on the water, he saw a tiny figure land right on his face.
"You... who are you?" Sardine asked in surprise, looking at the little person with a pointed nose and a fluffy tail.
"We are the Tontatta Tribe!" The little one had a small trail of snot hanging from his nose. He sniffed it back in, then smiled innocently and said curiously to Sardine, "You're really, really big!"
Sardine turned his head to look around. On the sea surface, these little Tontatta people were racing across the water, knocking away piranhas one after another, rescuing everyone who had fallen in...
Sighing in relief, Sardine knew he wasn't going to die after all...