245 One Piece: My Name is Jack

Teach was dead—a brutal, miserable death.

"Captain Teach! Waaaah...!"

Burgess clutched Teach's lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably. Jack, watching the scene, nodded in satisfaction.

"Loyalty. I respect that."

Then he smirked. "But you just stepped on your captain's guts."

Burgess shuddered.

"Stop right there."

Jack's voice turned cold as he fixed his gaze on Shiryu and the others, who were attempting to slip away.

"You're all fairly strong," he continued. "So I'll give you a choice."

He grinned. "There's an old saying back home: 'The wise man submits to fate.' You know what that means, right?"

The Blackbeard Pirates stared at him in confusion.

Jack sighed. "It means surrender, you idiots. Join the Beasts Pirates if you want to live."

"Otherwise..."

"In your dreams!" Burgess roared like a rabid beast, charging at Jack. "Join the Beasts Pirates? I'd rather die! I'll kill you and avenge Captain Teach!"

Boom!

Jack watched him rush forward, then smirked and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Good. You've got guts."

He lifted his kanabo. "And I respect men like you. Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."

A deafening impact shook the battlefield.

Burgess managed to land a punch, but Jack's club smashed into his skull. His head exploded like a watermelon, his body collapsing next to Teach's mangled corpse.

Laffitte and the others froze in fear, not daring to move an inch.

"This..."

"Ah...?"

Jack glanced at Hancock, who had already turned to flee. Then he looked back at the remaining Blackbeard Pirates.

"Think carefully," he said. "If you don't join us, you'll end up like them. Or—" he gestured at Hancock, "—you can try running."

Whoosh!

Ignoring them, Jack vanished, chasing after Hancock at lightning speed.

Doc Q let out a weak chuckle. "This was inevitable. Teach chose the wrong opponent and died for it. Now, we're fated to join the Beasts Pirates."

"Doesn't matter where I go, as long as there's booze. I just escaped Impel Down—I'm not ready to die yet."

Catarina Devon glanced at the corpses and chuckled softly. "Fufufu... as long as I have beautiful clothes to wear, I don't mind. The Beasts Pirates have quite the reputation—I'm sure they'll indulge such a trivial wish."

Avalo Pizarro feigned indifference. "Being captain of a tiny crew like Teach's was boring. I'd much rather command a division in the Beasts Pirates."

Shiryu exhaled a plume of smoke, his voice laced with warning.

"Then you'd better be prepared to die at any moment. Kaido isn't some rootless pirate like Teach. And Jack—" he gestured toward the battlefield, "—is a monster. You saw what he did. If you keep running your mouth, you'll end up like Burgess."

Pizarro glanced at Burgess's headless corpse, swallowing his words.

Laffitte smiled and tipped his hat. "Well, since everyone has made their decision, Van Augur and I will follow suit."

"From now on, let's get along as crewmates."

Van Augur silently polished his rifle, while the others nodded in agreement.

"Good," Shiryu muttered. "I hear the Beasts Pirates respect strength."

He smirked. "With our abilities, we may not beat Jack, but surely we can challenge the other All-Stars?"

"Even if we can't, we're more than strong enough to become high-ranking officers."

"There's no way everyone in the Beasts Pirates is a monster like Jack."

Boom!

A massive figure landed nearby, shaking the ground. Jack stood tall, Hancock unconscious in his grasp.

"Forget about becoming All-Stars," Jack scoffed. "You lot will stay on my ship."

He crossed his arms. "Of course, if Kaido-san has other plans, I won't object."

Then he grinned. "As for high-ranking officers... You're only allowed to challenge Who's-Who for his spot. Anyone else is off-limits."

"Why?!" Laffitte asked.

Jack tapped his fingers, counting. "Because the others are either my big bro, my wives, the two kids I raised, or my little fanboy."

He suddenly perked up. "Oh, right! There's an open spot in the Tobiroppo. Two of you can compete for it."

He cracked his knuckles. "And if you're strong enough, maybe Kaido-san will give you other positions."

Jack's gaze swept across them. "So, final decision? Are you all joining the Beasts Pirates?"

Under his pressure, the remaining Blackbeard Pirates all nodded.

Jack scanned the battlefield. Aside from his new subordinates, the place was deserted.

Then—

Boom!

A sudden surge of overwhelming power erupted from Jack, sweeping through the battlefield like a tidal wave. The sheer force sent the already exhausted Blackbeard Pirates toppling, knocking them unconscious.

A voice echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations, host! You have successfully claimed victory in a large-scale battle: Marineford War. You have earned three reward chests. Due to delayed selection, the system has auto-drawn your rewards.]

[Congratulations! Flash Reward: Conqueror's Haki +1 level.]

[Congratulations! Flash Reward: Observation Haki +1 level.]

[Congratulations! Mission Accomplished: Surpassing Limits! Reward: Divine Physique!]

Jack's eyes widened.

"What the hell...?"

He immediately opened his status panel.

The old "UR" label had vanished. In its place, two glowing words: Divine Physique.

His attributes had disappeared, replaced by a simple description:

[Against any opponent without a Divine Physique, your physical attributes will always be double theirs.]

[Your minimum physical capability is the peak of human limits.]

Conqueror's Haki: King's Will (Only a battle-hardened king may wield this Haki. It can break enemy morale and materialize into devastating attacks.)

Observation Haki: Ghost Veil (Allows the user to sense other people's Observation Haki and completely erase their own presence from detection.)

Jack clenched his fists, feeling the newfound power coursing through him.

His Haki had reached the highest level. His Divine Physique, though not as overpowered as he had imagined, made him twice as strong as any opponent without one.

With speed and endurance beyond human limits, he could confidently say—

"No one in this world can stand against me now."