262 One Piece: My Name is Jack

Enel, accompanied by a few of his most trusted officers, was inspecting Dressrosa.

Being stationed in Dressrosa suited Enel just fine. Not only did it keep him far away from Jack and the ever-terrifying King, but it also meant he could skip the Fire Festival without issue. All he had to do was monitor everyone entering the country, strike down the occasional fool with a bolt of lightning, and bask in the fear and reverence of those beneath him. It was a truly intoxicating feeling.

"Enel-sama, at this rate, the reconstruction of Dressrosa should be nearly complete in two months."

"However, some of the fleeing pirates wounded our men before escaping again."

"Should we go after them?"

Drake approached with his subordinates, awaiting orders. Enel glanced at his most capable officer and spoke leisurely.

"Forget about them for today. A cat-and-mouse game is only fun if the mouse has time to run."

"Otherwise, how else are we supposed to pass these dull days?"

Just then, his gaze lifted to the sky.

"Hmm? What's that..."

Drake followed Enel's line of sight, but neither his eyes nor his Observation Haki detected anything unusual.

"Enel-sama, what is—"

A low hum reverberated through the air.

"That sound..."

Then—

Boom!

...

A pirate ship carrying fish-men sailed toward Dressrosa, but as the blinding light erupted above the island, its crew could do nothing but dive into the sea, seeking refuge beneath the waves.

When they surfaced again, their bodies trembled violently.

"Dressrosa... where is it?!"

"A city that big! An island that huge!"

"Why is it... gone?!"

"What about Enel-sama?!"

...

Jack received word of the disaster while training Black Maria and Yamato. Ignoring their complaints, he immediately took to the skies.

With his current speed, it would take him just half a month to reach Dressrosa at full throttle. Yet, even knowing in advance that the island had vanished, seeing it with his own eyes still made him rub them in disbelief.

Even if he had tried to wipe Dressrosa off the map, it would have taken considerable effort—and there would have been some trace left behind. But now, the ocean before him was calm, as if no island, no nation, had ever existed there to begin with.

"No... that can't be right. What about the ship? Didn't they spot Enel?"

Jack quickly pulled out his Den Den Mushi and dialed.

Silence.

After an agonizing wait with no response, Jack frowned, turned around, and flew back the way he had come.

...

After three days and nights of flying, Jack finally spotted a pirate ship bearing the Beast Pirates' flag. But as he scanned the deck with Observation Haki, the life signatures he sensed made his stomach churn.

Bang!

The moment he landed on the deck, a sickening stench assaulted his senses.

Littering the ship were fish-men corpses, their bodies covered in grotesque sores and deep claw marks. Jack's fury surged.

Boom!

He stormed into the cabin, his Observation Haki locking onto the only two remaining life signatures. Kicking the door open, he growled,

"Willy! Enel!"

Even Jack, hardened by countless battles, felt a rare pang of unease at the sight before him. The two men were barely distinguishable from the dead outside. Their bodies were covered in the same horrific wounds, pus oozing from festering sores, maggots writhing in open wounds. If not for the faint rise and fall of their chests, they might as well have been corpses.

"J...Jack-sama..."

"Ahh..."

Their eyes lit up with a flicker of hope upon seeing him, but even the simple act of sitting up sent them writhing in agony, howling in pain.

The stench was unbearable.

Jack hastily pulled out his water flask, forcing them to drink. After a quick scan of the ship, confirming no other survivors, he transformed into his full Zoan form, slung both men onto his back, and took off. Before leaving, he unleashed a breath of fire, engulfing the ship in flames.

The lack of battle marks told him all he needed to know.

This was no attack.

It was a plague.

A virus.

But whether it had been unleashed as a weapon or was a natural disease... that remained to be seen.

Regardless, as long as they could hold on, he could get them back to Onigashima.

Master's Purification Fruit—

That should be enough to save them.

...

By the time Jack returned to Wano, Master had already evacuated the surrounding area in preparation. The moment Jack landed, countless beams of white light surged from Master's body, enveloping them.

Whoosh!

As the light faded, Enel and Willy's condition visibly improved. Their wounds no longer festered, and their strength had somewhat returned.

However, after an entire day of research, Master shook her head grimly.

"They're still infected. I can suppress the symptoms temporarily, but the virus keeps regenerating within their bodies."

"It's specifically designed to target humans and other humanoid races."

"And it dies immediately once outside the host."

"Which means... the only way for the virus to disappear is for them to die."

"We should call Queen-sama."

Jack exhaled heavily.

"So, they're beyond saving? Fine. I'll inform Kaido-sama."

"Huh?"

Master blinked. "I never said that."

Jack turned to her, unimpressed.

"My ability awakened. My purification has drastically improved. I just need to cleanse them a few more times."

"I can even grant you a purification aura. If you fall into the sea, you'll still be able to move for a few minutes."

"I only suggested calling Queen-sama because he's an expert in viruses."

...

"Master... if you ever pause like that again when speaking, I swear I'll castrate Rim."

...

A few days later, having mostly recovered, Enel recounted what had happened.

"It was like... a floating castle in the sky. It unleashed an unimaginable barrage of laser beams!"

"Even in my elemental form, I wasn't harmed, but I still felt... something invading me."

"And then... you saw what happened."

"I was lucky Willy pulled me aboard, but one by one, the fish-men died. If not for our stronger constitutions, we wouldn't have lasted until Jack-sama arrived."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Finally, Kaido spoke.

"Destruction... Death... A virus that spreads without a trace..."

"This is the power of an Ancient Weapon."

"Uranus."

...

"I'm here, Kaido-sama! What do you need?" Willy asked seriously.

Kaido took a long drag from his sake bottle before exhaling.

"Get out."