Chapter 30: Jack
The explosions in the rocky area gradually subsided. Due to Drought Jack bringing reinforcements, the Big Mom Pirates began retreating toward the coast.
"Don't let a single one escape!"
"Kill them all."
The Don Quixote Family pirates gave rapid chase. The Big Mom Pirates fought as they retreated, and the pirates from the seven landing points soon gathered together. The Don Quixote Family members also converged during the pursuit, and both sides began a slaughter along the coast.
A large group of pirates charged into the shallow sea, water splashing everywhere. Pirates were cut down from time to time. Within less than two minutes, the shallow waters had been stained a pale red. Some pirates who had drowned in the shallows struggled to stand, only to be met with sharp blades and lead bullets.
The Big Mom Pirates were repelled—or rather, they were forced back. The Don Quixote Family didn’t have the strength to drive them off completely.
In this kind of land battle, the retreating side had to pay a heavy price, but there was no choice. Jack’s fleet was already approaching by sea. If they didn’t withdraw, they would be caught in a pincer attack.
"Slow Ballad."
A woman wearing a huge round hat and wielding a longsword blocked a large group of Don Quixote Family members. A cigarette dangled from her mouth, and her neck was much longer than a normal human’s.
This woman was named Charlotte Amande, the third daughter of the Charlotte family. She had a cruel disposition and superb swordsmanship.
Amande’s famous sword slowly descended, cutting into a pirate’s skull at an agonizingly slow pace.
"Kill... me!!"
The wailing of that Don Quixote Family pirate made dozens of nearby pirates halt in their tracks. They stared at the scene in horror. Even in their bloodlust, the piercing screams startled them.
The pirate knelt before Amande, seawater reaching his thighs. His pupils trembled, threatening to roll back white.
Amande, cigarette in mouth and figure voluptuous, held the longsword named White Fish as it slowly cut into the enemy’s skull.
What puzzled onlookers was that the pirate undergoing the slow craniotomy didn’t resist. In fact, he seemed to try raising his hands, but his movements were agonizingly slow.
Amande’s gaze swept the surroundings. After more than ten seconds, she finally fully split open the pirate’s skull. The pirate slowly collapsed, plunging face-first into the seawater with a splash.
With a flick, Amande shook the blood off her longsword. She glanced at the pirates frozen in place, then turned and walked toward the ship.
"Don’t think you small fry drove us back. If it weren’t for those three guys, today would be the death day for all of you."
Amande flicked away the cigarette butt, exhaling blue smoke. Seawater splashed beneath her feet as she leaped onto the ship.
Boom!
The sea surged. A massive figure, at least five meters tall, crashed down from the sky, splashing seawater onto the faces of the Don Quixote Family pirates.
Seeing this colossal figure, all nearby Don Quixote Family members retreated several steps.
Katakuri glanced at the pirates and then ignored them, including the officer Dellinger among them. Limping, Katakuri turned and walked toward the ship, seawater reaching his calves. Although his Devil Fruit ability feared the sea, as long as the water didn’t reach his waist, ability users wouldn’t suffer severe weakness.
Katakuri’s sudden appearance was like a bucket of cold water poured over the pursuers. They exchanged glances, and no one dared advance.
It wasn’t just Katakuri’s terrifying height; the aura he exuded was enough to make most pirates stop in their tracks.
Dellinger gritted his sharp teeth, grinding them audibly. The moment Katakuri stood before him, he felt fear. His fighting fish bloodline seemed to warn him: don’t step forward—one more step and you’ll die.
But one thing puzzled Dellinger: why was the fearsome Katakuri limping?
The reason was that Katakuri had taken a side kick from Su Xiao. Though Katakuri appeared uninjured, his left leg was already swollen to twice its normal size.
The Big Mom Pirates’ fleet sailed toward the open sea, heading straight for Jack’s fleet.
The Don Quixote Family members on the coast naturally didn’t just watch. One by one, large ships departed from the harbor, cooperating with Jack’s fleet to pursue Katakuri and his crew—or rather, to drive them away, pushing the Big Mom Pirates out of Dressrosa’s coastal waters.
Although the Big Mom Pirates had suffered a major setback in their first landing, they wouldn’t give up so easily. Charlotte Cracker, one of the Four Sweet Commanders, had died in Dressrosa. Without a life-or-death struggle, this matter wouldn’t be settled.
Cannons roared. The three fleets engaged in a naval battle in the coastal waters.
Inside Dressrosa’s city, Su Xiao walked toward the King’s Plateau. A cigarette dangled from his mouth. Doflamingo wasn’t with him; the latter had stayed on the beach to wait for Jack. When Su Xiao left the beach, Doflamingo was still in the same pose, resembling a thinker.
A few minutes later, Jack’s fleet turned back toward the coastal waters. Clearly, Jack didn’t want to pursue too deeply, fearing the Big Mom Pirates might have reinforcements.
Several corpses floated in the shallow sea. The burly Jack jumped off the ship. The ivory decorations on either side of his neck were conspicuous—in fact, these were his weapons: two curved longswords, or more accurately, two hooked blades.
Jack looked down at the pale red seawater. Just from the water’s color, he could imagine the intensity of the landing battle.
Jack led several hundred pirates ashore. His gaze was immediately drawn to Doflamingo on the beach.
"Hmm?"
Jack’s eyes showed confusion. The iron jaw beneath his chin made him look cruel. At that moment, Jack wondered: why was Joker (Doflamingo) in such a pose?
Jack walked across the sand, leaving deep footprints. Moments later, he stood before Doflamingo.
"Joker, you actually repelled Charlotte Katakuri. That’s quite unexpected."
Jack’s voice was deep. Standing before Doflamingo, his shadow completely covered the latter, showing just how massive this guy was.
Doflamingo, one hand covering his mouth and nose, looked up at Jack. When he lowered his hand, Jack’s mouth beneath the iron jaw curled into a grin.
"I didn’t expect to repel him either."
Doflamingo took a bandage handed over by a pirate and began cleaning the blood from his face.
"It wasn’t just me who repelled Katakuri. I did it together with Bai Ye. Bai Ye is a partner I recently secured."
"Bai Ye? A partner?"
Jack’s expression darkened. The Beasts Pirates were already the Don Quixote Family’s partners. Now there was another collaborator, which made Jack suspect that the latter’s goal might also be the artificial Devil Fruits.
"Where is he?"
Jack’s eyes flashed with killing intent, and he felt some dissatisfaction with Doflamingo. Given Doflamingo’s intelligence, he naturally guessed what Jack was thinking.
"As for the artificial Devil Fruits, you’re still my only partner. By the way, let me tell you some good news: Bai Ye once worked alongside Dr. Vegapunk for the World Government."
Hearing Doflamingo mention the World Government, Jack’s expression grew even more displeased. Seeing this, Doflamingo sighed inwardly.