The speed of an ordinary ship is of course no match for the Death Star, which can sail freely in a storm. Even if Jack's ship wanted to turn around and dodge, it was already too late.
The pitch-black giant ship shot forward through the curtain of rain like a sports car on flat ground, then smoothly swung around and came to a hard stop ahead of the much smaller ship compared to the Death Star.
This is the open sea!
And a stormy sea at that!
What kind of ship can move that fast and that steady?
Before the Pirates on the ship could react, a string of cannon blasts erupted from the side of the Death Star, spitting out huge flashes of gunfire. A row of shells locked onto the Mammoth and slammed into it viciously.
Using cannons in the rain?!
Oh, right, it's a natural disaster's weapon...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Before those Pirates could even feel relieved, the explosions flared with fire, blowing the mast apart and setting the sails ablaze. Several huge holes were blasted in the hull, and just as the flames ignited, the whole ship rolled to the side and collapsed into the sea, spewing up a plume of smoke.
"You damn bastards!"
Jack's huge hand grabbed the other side of the ship as he leaped up onto the hull that was still jutting out of the water. He yanked out the two tusks on his chest, shedding the Ivory Knife Sheath and revealing two weapons—straight blades at the tips, with the rest shaped like scythes.
Whoosh!
But the moment the weapons were drawn, a strange gale suddenly whipped up, blowing away that cloud of smoke. The wind churned up the waves into towering surf, then the seawater surged upward and suddenly split apart, forming several massive flying birds made of water that shot toward Jack at high speed.
Jack's eyes widened. The two scythes swept out before him in a whirlwind slash, trying to cut down these bizarre water birds.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But the instant the scythes touched the seawater, they inexplicably rang out with several crisp metallic sounds.
Slashes?
Crack!
When he tore through the slashes, the seawater lost its shape, reverting to pure seawater and crashing straight onto his body.
In that instant, the power of the Devil Fruit lost its initiative.
He might not be the type who just got his Devil Fruit or never trained it, but a sudden dousing in seawater would still weaken his strength for a brief moment, and he'd be unable to use his Transformation ability.
But that brief dip in power was already a glaring opening.
Shing!
Within the spray, a cold flash burst forth, tinged with a wisp of cyan that coiled like mist, yet falling like a Thunderbolt from the heavens. It streaked past right before Jack's eyes, who had just finished his swing and hadn't yet recovered his stance.
In that split second, the gale, the downpour, the crashing waves—all seemed to pause.
Jack stood there like a statue, until the wind rose again, the waves resumed their swell, and the rain continued to pound his body.
Crack-crack-crack!
The two scythes he still held aloft shattered all at once and crashed into the sea.
Jack slowly turned his head to look at the girl with her back to him, hair fluttering, as she maintained her Iaido posture and slowly sheathed her blade.
"You..."
Click!
Before the word was out, that gleaming sword was already back in its scabbard, and the fleeting cyan glow vanished as the blade slid home.
Shhh!!
The moment the blade entered the sheath, a great spray of blood burst from Jack's chest. A massive gash opened from his left shoulder all the way to his right waist, and his eyeballs rolled up immediately.
"Supreme King..."
Plop!
Before he could finish, his eyes went white, his body toppled over, and he fell straight into the sea.
Lily rose to her feet and quickly hopped back onto the Death Star's deck. She called to the men standing guard there, "All right, get someone to lock onto the heading and keep us moving."
With that, she went into the second-floor captain's cabin, took a shower in the bathroom inside, changed out of her soaked clothes, and headed clean and refreshed to the first-floor banquet hall.
The banquet was still going on. Sage was already there laughing loudly and clinking drinks with others.
Lily walked over and said, "It's done. One of Kaido's Three Calamities, 'Drought.' I cut him once. He's in the sea now."
The Beast Pirates' officers were all Fruit Ability users, and Zoan-type on top of that—that intel they already had.
As an Ability User, once you go into the sea, you're finished.
"Drought?"
Hearing the name, Sage was stunned for a second, then reacted, "Oh, the Ivory King, huh?"
He downed his cup in one go, smacked his lips, and said, "What kind of small fry dares to share the 'Calamity' title with me? I'll kill Big Mom first, then take Kaido out, and make that whole lot change their damn names!"
A mere Calamity wasn't enough to make Sage care. When his men first reported it, he'd already swept over with his Observation. Once he confirmed it wasn't Kaido, he just let Lily handle it.
Her growth had reached a point where Sage could rest easy.
Aside from those Four Emperors—who not only hold the title of Sea Emperor but whose strength is on a completely different tier—and the Navy Admirals, plus maybe a few like Fujitora whose fame doesn't match their power, everyone else... no longer qualifies to be in Sage's sights.
What?
Are the Four Emperors cabbages on sale?
Or is there some washed-up bum in a perennial little vest, who for whatever reason—playing around or something else—wastes Supreme King potential and can have a grand old time brawling with any random scrub he runs into?
Adventure?
Hah!
The appearance of the Drought was nothing more than a small joke along the way; nobody really paid attention to it. The overall fleet still pressed straight toward Cake Island.
...
One day later.
Afternoon, near dusk.
Cake Island waters.
"Wedding cake!!"
On the sea, Charlotte Linlin, thinned down to the point she no longer looked fat at all, stepped on flames, her head wreathed in fire as well. The great sword in her hand seemed alive, a ferocious face appearing on it, the blade itself growing at least a size thicker, as she charged straight toward the ship in the waters—its figurehead some weird creature that looked like a sunflower, a llama, or who knew what.
Bang!
She landed on the deck. Her huge body, just standing there, was half the size of the whole ship. With ease she flipped open the rear deck and started rummaging around inside.
"Where's the cake, where's my cake!"
"Big Mom!"
On the ship, Nami was shocked and terrified, almost crying on the spot.
Ever since they entered the New World, everything had just been going way too wrong!
Back in Dressrosa, to protect the Straw Hat ship, they willingly offered up their own Sanji and Caesar Clown to be captured, and used the chaos to escape, heading toward Zou.
It was then Nami learned where those two Fur Race people they met on Fishman Island came from. If not for Inuarashi and Nekomamushi standing guard, they would've been done for long ago. Later, when Luffy came ashore, they split into several teams. A few of them went to Wano Country with Kin'emon, while Luffy came here to rescue Sanji.
And then they got chased down by Big Mom!
Luffy told them to run, but now, how the hell were they supposed to run!
They'd exhausted every trick just now, even luring Zeus over to block Big Mom, but it was useless. She didn't even need to step on clouds anymore—she came straight over treading on flames!
"Where's the cake! Did you hide it?!"
Charlotte Linlin raised her curved blade with both hands, eyes bloodshot as she glared, "If I split this place in half, will I find it?!"
"Fishman Jujutsu: Kairyu Ipponzeoi!"
Just as she was about to strike, beneath the great waves a mass of seawater coiled into a spiral and shot forward at high speed, piercing through her body and snuffing out the flames on her.
Jinbe dropped from that spiraling current onto the ship and said solemnly, "Get off someone else's ship, Big Mom!"
"Jinbe! You're going to stop me?!"
Charlotte Linlin merely shot him a sideways glance. Her hair, soaked a moment ago, once again coiled up with flames. "Then I'll kill you first!"
"Fishman Karate Secret Technique..."
Jinbe moved immediately, pulling his fist back at his waist. Using the moisture of the current, he condensed a ball of water, then drove a heavy punch straight into her abdomen.
"Murasaki!!"
Boom!!
The punch landed, actually blasting Charlotte Linlin's massive body away.
"Jinbe!"
Nami and Chopper both looked like they'd just seen a savior.
He really was an Old Seven Warlords of the Sea—reliable as hell!
"Go, now!"
After throwing that punch, Jinbe didn't dare linger. He leapt straight to the helm and began steering, using a Fishman's senses to control the currents and speed up the ship.
Knocking a Four Emperors flying—pulling that off as a Seven Warlords of the Sea was normal enough.
But as for how much effect it would actually have...
That was absolutely nothing.
That was a Four Emperors!
Jinbe could only keep piloting the ship, doing everything he could to increase their speed.
"Jinbe! Cake!!"
Just as he expected, barely a few seconds later, Charlotte Linlin's terrifying roar sounded from behind. She was still riding a gigantic flame, even her blade wreathed in fire. Like a demon hag, she flew closer to the ship, that burning sword already swinging down, about to cleave the ship in two.
Bang!!
Out of nowhere, a blast rang out from the side like a sonic boom, even the air itself unable to withstand it.
Jinbe instinctively turned his head, only to see a figure suddenly rocket into Charlotte Linlin's face. The impact was so strong her face caved inward, and with that overwhelming force, this Four Emperors was slammed straight into Cake Island, crashing through the largest palace on the island.
"Hahahaha! Hwo-hahahahaha!"
From within the island came a wildly familiar, arrogant laugh, loud enough to be heard by the surrounding ships.
"Charlotte Linlin, I'm here to start a war with you!!"
"There's a grand fleet!!"
At this moment, the numerous ships of the Big Mom Pirates that had surrounded the Straw Hat ship were themselves encircled by an even larger fleet. Its shadow loomed from far to near, revealing the sails and the Pirate Flags flying from the masts.
The Starry Sky Skull Flag...
Jinbe stared toward Cake Island in shock.
That guy... is Disaste?!