253 One Piece: My Name is Jack

Kanjuro and the others walked away in a daze—unwilling, helpless, and full of regret.

The Beasts Pirates were stronger than ever, and Kaido's fondness for recruiting powerful subordinates had waned. At Jack's suggestion, Kaido personally executed them in a public spectacle to solidify his authority over Wano.

They died cursing Kaido with all their might, but in the end, their insults were nothing more than the desperate cries of the defeated.

Unlike them, the elegant Kiku met death with a serene smile. However, her final glance landed on Master, who visibly flinched under her gaze.

"At last... I am truly a woman."

...

Kaido frowned as he watched Kiku smile in her final moments, then turned to Master with an inexplicable sense of unease.

With Orochi dead, there was much to take care of—troops to reorganize, territories to be secured. Kaido left these matters to Jack, who in turn passed them on to Rim.

Of course, Jack had no intention of doing all the work himself. Why should he? Kaido had gathered so many capable subordinates precisely so he could kick back and let them handle things.

"Boom!"

Jack tossed Orochi's headless corpse onto the pile with the other bodies and incinerated them with a blast of flames.

"Ahhh—!"

"Agh!"

"Boom!"

...

As Orochi's head regenerated, Jack reflexively blasted him with another fireball.

"Wait... what? He can regenerate even after his head's been blown apart?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Is he a Devil Fruit user? Let's see if he can still come back from ashes."

After spending the afternoon watching over a pile of ashes, Jack sighed in disappointment and walked away.

"The Navy's World Military Draft has ended. The new Admirals are... Fujitora? Green Bull? Kizaru?"

Jack handed the newspaper to Kuzan, smirking.

"Sakazuki broke your leg and got promoted to Fleet Admiral, working himself to the bone. Meanwhile, you ended up hanging around with a bunch of pirates."

"From a high-ranking Navy Admiral... to a Somali pirate."

He chuckled. "Kizaru's the only one who played it smart. He stayed out of the power struggle and kept all the perks. Compared to him, you and Akainu look like fools."

Jack leaned in slightly, his tone turning serious.

"I don't know why you joined the Beasts Pirates, but we're not the Navy. You don't just sign up and leave whenever you want."

He pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at Kuzan.

"Remember, Ice Disaster—I'm watching you."

Kuzan, lounging on the beach in swim trunks and sunglasses, tilted his head as he admired a group of mermaids playing in the waves.

"Chill out, man. I'm seeing a lot more now than I ever did in the Navy... and learning a lot more too."

Even through his sunglasses, Jack could feel the perverted gaze beneath them, as if Kuzan's eyes were trying to see right through the mermaids' already minimal clothing.

Damn it. Was this guy repressed for too long in the Navy? Or did leaving finally let him unleash his true nature?

Just as Jack was pondering this, Rim approached with a serious expression and whispered something in his ear. Jack stood up and turned to Kuzan.

"If any of them catch your eye, just let me know. My people admire strength, but they're a bit... wild. Think you can handle them?"

Kuzan laughed. "Appreciate it, but I'm just enjoying the view for now. You go take care of your business."

...

Back at Onigashima, Rim activated a projection from a visual Den Den Mushi. Immediately, a chorus of complaints erupted from the other side.

"Hey! Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting for you?!"

"You arrogant brat!"

"Do you know how much money I lose every minute you waste?!"

"Drought Jack, do you have any idea how much of my time you've wasted?!"

Jack's expression darkened as he glared at the various figures on the screen. His voice was ice-cold.

"If any of you say another damn word... I'll fly over there right now and kill every last one of you filthy rats."

The line went silent.

"Enough. Since everyone's here, let's begin. Caesar."

Caesar Clown smirked. "Heh, Katakuri, I heard the Big Mom Pirates had some... unpleasant encounters with Jack in Ryugu Kingdom. Are you just going to let that slide?"

Jack's lips curled into a sly grin.

"Stussy, your 'Happy Street' seems interesting. I'll be paying a visit soon. Hope you can accommodate me."

Stussy's face darkened. "You—"

"Hahaha! Gentlemen, ladies! Since we're all here, allow me to demonstrate the power of the Land of Death (Shinokuni)!"

Caesar cut in, quickly switching the projection. The room fell into silence as they stared at the image before them.

A mass of purple-red sludge squirmed in the projection.

Jack frowned. "The hell is this? A slime monster? This is supposed to be some kind of high-powered weapon?"

His skepticism faded as the sludge rapidly multiplied and engulfed the unfortunate souls in its path. Watching the gruesome results, Jack nodded approvingly.

"Interesting."

"Fufufufu! My esteemed guests, if you're satisfied with this weapon's power—"

BOOM!

...

The screen went black.

Jack and Rim exchanged confused glances.

"Did that thing just escape and blow up the entire lab? Along with Caesar?"

...

Meanwhile, on Punk Hazard, Doflamingo stood amidst the blood-soaked ruins. He clenched his fist, and Smoker's body crumbled into dust.

"Vice Admiral Smoker!"

"Agh!"

"Captain Tashigi!"

"Doflamingo, you bastard!"

"Urgh...!"

The carnage was over. As Doflamingo stood in the silence, his mind slowly settled. After a long pause, he took out a Den Den Mushi and made a call.

"Jack... do you remember the promise you made to me?"

...

A brief silence.

Then Jack's voice came through, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Look, we've been through a lot together, but... how about I set you up with Master instead?"

"...???"

"Jack, quit screwing around. Listen up. Your precious personal secretary—Monet—she's dead."

"...What did you just say?"