Jack was completely dumbfounded when he saw the mission.
The number of participants was one thing, but over twenty UR(Ultra Rare)-ranked individuals?
(T/N: Existing levels: NR (Normal), R (Rare), SR (Super Rare), SSR (Super Super Rare), UR (Ultra Rare).)
Damn it, this was basically a direct order preventing him from breaking through!
To reach UR rank, the lowest standard was at least on the level of a Seven Warlord of the Sea, right?
Take the Beasts Pirates as an example. Aside from himself and Kaido, the only ones who could qualify as UR-ranked were King, Queen, and Yamato. Maybe even Rim. That made six at most!
Even a crew as strong as the Beasts Pirates only had six UR-level fighters. Expecting twenty? That would only happen if Kaido decided to wage war against the World Government!
For now, there was no way he was breaking through. But at least there was potential. If war really did break out, he could use the battlefield to push past his limits...
No matter what trump cards the World Government had, once he broke through, he'd be invincible!
"Oi! Jack!"
"What the hell is going on with you?"
Kaido and Doflamingo stared at him with concern. Jack felt a rare warmth in his heart, just about to answer—
Only for Kaido to scowl and say with pure disdain:
"What's with that Beast Form? You look like some kind of damn maiden!"
"Have you been hanging around this guy too much?" He jerked a thumb at Doflamingo. "Starting to like pink now, too?"
"Jack! Listen up!" Kaido suddenly barked. "Yamato came complaining to me—she wants a kid, and you keep avoiding her! If you've got some kind of problem, go see Master for treatment!"
"A real man liking pink? The hell is wrong with you? Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think you two have something going on!"
Without waiting for a response, Kaido turned and strode away, leaving Jack and Doflamingo awkwardly avoiding each other's gazes.
Since Jack had eaten an artificial Devil Fruit, the Ancient Zoan that Doflamingo had worked so hard to obtain naturally ended up with Kaido instead.
Kaido didn't seem to care about the changes in Jack's form, so Jack didn't have to come up with excuses.
He wasn't thrilled about the color, but after some adjustments, he slowly accepted it.
Judging from how smoothly he adapted, the system must have granted him mastery over his Mammoth Form at the level it had designated.
As for Kaido's abilities—Jack found himself using them effortlessly. In fact, the power of his Heat Breath and Flame Clouds even surpassed Kaido's.
During a secret test, his Heat Breath burned straight through several thousand meters of ocean depth, and his Clouds could easily lift an island even larger than Onigashima into the sky.
With his Observation Haki reaching the "Island-Scope" level, Jack's perception had expanded dramatically. He could now sense an entire island's worth of energy signatures in fine detail—patching up one of his last weaknesses.
Not long after the Fire Festival ended, Jack started getting restless again.
The last time, thanks to Enel, he missed his chance to fight Garp. But now that his strength had grown even further, his thirst for revenge was impossible to suppress.
The image of Garp punching him into oblivion beneath the ocean still burned in his memory.
On a moonless night, after thoroughly exhausting Yamato, Jack transformed into a flying mammoth and left Onigashima.
Meanwhile, Rim and the others secretly set sail on the Mammoth, preparing to follow behind.
Just in case of any accidents, a recovery team had to be ready—even if they arrived late.
Kaido's own experience dictated that this was a necessity.
Why? Because, apparently, Kaido once got wedged between some rocks at the bottom of the ocean and was stuck there for half a year. That particular sea region was so dangerous that almost no ships could pass through unscathed.
Fortunately, thanks to their Fish-Man allies, such incidents were a thing of the past.
After gaining experience from his previous long-distance flight, Jack found this trip far easier.
First, he stopped by the Ailen Island for a few days to check in on King's training of Enel's group.
To his surprise, Enel showed quite a bit of talent. If nothing else, the fact that he could now do a handstand while shackled in Seastone chains proved that his stamina had greatly improved.
Without lingering, Jack resumed his journey and flew straight to Dressrosa.
As a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Doflamingo had far better intel on the Navy's movements than the Beasts Pirates.
After confirming that Garp was still patrolling the Grand Line on his dog-headed warship, Jack immediately took to the skies.
However, as he took off, the officers of the Donquixote Family all turned to stare at Doflamingo.
"Hmm…"
"Oi, don't look at me like that! I don't know anything either!" Doflamingo snapped.
"That fruit he ate was supposed to be made using Kaido's bloodline factor… Hold on a second!"
A sudden realization hit him, and he collapsed onto his couch, muttering to himself:
"So Jack ate a Devil Fruit created from Kaido's bloodline factor… and Kaido's daughter, the famous Yamato, is with him…"
"Kaido even wants them to have kids…"
"And this whole mess only happened because I got Jack to eat that fruit…"
"Shit!"
Doflamingo bolted upright, barking orders: "Everyone listen up! From now on, this fruit is a forbidden topic! Got it?!"
The Donquixote officers, still stunned, quickly nodded.
With his speed, Jack could reach the Grand Line's G-3 Branch in just three days—far faster than traveling by ship.
Determined to settle his grudge with Garp, he pushed his pace to the limit, flying toward the Navy-controlled waters.
...
Meanwhile, at a certain shipyard—
"Mihawk, here's your reserved premium solo boat."
"The last luxury model… did something happen to it?"
"If you'd brought it back, we could've repaired it for you!"
The enthusiastic shipwright's words were met with a silent shake of Mihawk's head. Tossing a pouch of gold to the man, Mihawk stepped onto his boat, gave the sea a light tap with his sword's sheath, and shot forward at high speed.
Watching him depart, the shipwright sighed in admiration.
"As expected of the world's greatest swordsman… always so cool and mysterious!"
After sailing for half a day, Mihawk felt the urge to relieve himself. Just as he was about to go, a sudden thought struck him, and he hastily activated his Observation Haki.
First, he scanned the ocean.
Then, he checked the sky.
Only after confirming no threats nearby did he finally relax and begin his business.
"Hmm?"
"What the—?"
A powerful presence suddenly approached at incredible speed.
Looking up mid-stream, Mihawk's face twitched.
"A flying mammoth?"
Before he could react, an infuriated roar filled the sky.
"You again, you inconsiderate bastard?!"
"I told you to buy a proper boat with a damn toilet!"
"Are you seriously this broke?!"
"BURN IN HELL, YOU UNCULTURED SWINE! HEAT BREATH!"
BOOM!
...A moment later, Mihawk emerged from the water, clinging tightly to what remained of his cross-shaped ship mast.
"Pant… pant…"
"You bastard, Jack!"
"Jack, you XXXXX!"
"May your future children XXXXX!"
"You XXXXX!"
"I swear, I will have my revenge!"
"Ack! What the hell?!"
A sudden, sharp pain shot through his leg. Dragging himself onto the mast, Mihawk found a massive lobster clamped onto him.
He collapsed onto the wooden beam, groaning in agony.
"Damn it! I'll kill you, Jack! I swear I'll kill you!"
"Ughhh…!"