"You bastard!"
"Don't you dare insult Pops!"
Vista and Thatch, hot on Jack's heels, charged toward him with their weapons drawn. Jack, spotting their approach, smirked viciously and hefted his massive kanabo.
"Chasing me down like this? Did you think this was some kind of marathon?"
Bang! Clang, clang...
Vista and Thatch's dual blades struck Jack, while Jack's spiked club smashed into Jozu's diamond-coated arms. The clash produced a shrill sound, forcing both sides to pull back momentarily.
"Oi! Jozu!"
"This guy's insane!"
"No kidding! Are you sure you can hold him off?"
Jozu didn't respond, his right arm shimmering as it transformed into diamond. Without hesitation, he charged at Jack again.
Jack's grin widened with excitement as he bent low, gripping his kanabo tightly, and rushed to meet Jozu head-on.
Boom!
The ground trembled as the two collided, their immense strength locking them in a stalemate.
Seeing the opportunity, Thatch and Vista exchanged a glance, tightened their grips on their swords, and leaped toward Jack.
Bang, bang...
"This guy's defense... It's really on par with Kaido!"
Jack had already shifted into his hybrid form. As Thatch marveled at Jack's resilience, Jack turned toward him with a menacing grin.
"Thatch! Get down!" Vista shouted.
"Elephant Jet!"
The moment Jack's tusk shot out, Thatch instinctively ducked. The curved ivory grazed the top of Thatch's pompadour, the friction causing his hair to catch fire.
"That was close..."
Thatch stood back up, sweat dripping from his brow.
"What kind of move was that? How can he even—"
"Oi! Pick up those tusks! Let's see how many chopsticks we can make!"
"What's that burning smell?"
"Water! Water, quick!"
With his flaming hair, Thatch bolted toward the sea and leaped in, a comical splash following his panic.
"Pfft..."
Jack turned his attention back to Jozu, smirking.
"Elephant Gatling!"
Clang, clang, clang...
A relentless barrage of attacks followed, but Jozu's diamond-coated body remained unscathed. Jack growled low.
"Impressive. You're tougher than I thought."
Thatch, now soaking wet, regrouped with Vista, and the two nodded before joining Jozu in their assault on Jack.
Meanwhile, beneath the waves, Finder and his group of fish-men had been forced to abandon their plan of attacking from the sea due to Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi powers. After rescuing their comrades, Finder spotted a rapidly approaching ship and ordered his group to dive deeper.
As the ship docked, Finder prepared to sabotage it but was surprised when a group of fish-men, mixed with humans, swam toward them. Among the newcomers was Namur.
"Namur..."
Aladine swam to Finder's side, his gaze complicated as he watched Namur's group. Namur and his fish-men allies positioned themselves defensively, anger evident in their expressions.
"You scum... Have you forgotten Pops's kindness to Fish-Man Island?!" Namur shouted furiously.
"You dare join the Beast Pirates and fight against Pops? You're a disgrace to fish-men everywhere!"
"Aladine! If Jinbe knew you were standing against Pops, how do you think he'd react? And what about Tiger?!"
Namur's words struck deep, and the fish-men led by Aladine lowered their heads in shame.
"Namur! Enough!" Finder roared in anger.
"Stop spouting nonsense about kindness! What did Whitebeard do? He only protected Fish-Man Island! That's it!"
"To you, that's kindness? If Whitebeard hadn't protected Fish-Man Island, Kaido-sama would have! And Kaido-sama doesn't just offer protection—he's building us a city!"
"He's giving us security, a place to coexist with humans!" Finder continued, his voice filled with conviction.
"The city you're attacking now is where our fish-men live!"
"Compared to us, your actions are far more disgraceful for the fish-men!"
"And as for Jinbe? Do you know why he hasn't come? It's because even he doesn't know what to choose!"
"You bastard!" Namur's eyes burned with killing intent as he shouted back:
"Kaido only treats us well because he wants to use us for his wars! Pops, on the other hand, never asked anything of us!"
"Stop being blind! Don't lead our people down a path of destruction!"
"Destruction? Selfless? Hah..." Finder sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.
"What's wrong with trading our strength for survival? Would you rather let our people become slaves to humans again?"
"Namur! Open your eyes!" Finder's voice rose.
"Do you think we came all the way to the New World just to be forced? No, we chose this! Under Jack-sama's leadership, we serve the Beast Pirates so that our people can live safely on land, under the sun!"
"Kaido-sama has done far more for us than Whitebeard ever did! And Jack-sama... Jack-sama is far stronger and more practical than that naïve Tiger ever was!"
Finder raised his sword, eyes bloodshot.
"If anyone dares destroy our way of life, we won't hold back!"
Namur's face hardened.
"Then we have nothing more to discuss. I will repay Pops's kindness, even if it means killing my own kin!"
"Bring it on, Namur!" Finder snarled.
The two groups clashed, their fighting spirit shaking the waters around them.
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg