Chapter 60: A New Ability

BANG!

Seeing the fierce charge of Jack, Troh's battle instincts flared. Years of combat experience told him one thing: this man's raw power was leagues beyond his own. Without hesitation, he leapt to the side.

"Bone Bullet Barrage!"

BANG! BANG!

Earlier, under the cover of darkness, Troh couldn't clearly see what had happened. He assumed Jack had blocked his attack with some kind of weapon. But now, as his bone bullets struck Jack's body and fell harmlessly to the ground, Troh froze in disbelief.

"What?! How is this possible? What's this guy made of?"

He then recalled Jack's shout moments earlier. "Bring the ship closer!" Troh's mind raced as he pieced things together. He had read something about this in the latest papers. Stepping back, he shouted:

"You… you're Jack of the Beasts Pirates, the Drought, aren't you?"

Jack grinned, planting his massive spiked club into the ground.

"Oh? So you've heard of me? Guess my bounty's made me pretty famous."

Troh scowled. "It's not your bounty. It's because your wanted poster mentions your weird habit of shouting 'Bring the ship closer!' Also… you're really ugly. Seriously, what's going on with the Beasts Pirates? Are they running out of recruits?"

Jack's grin twisted into a scowl.

"Ugly?! You dare…? This is rugged maturity, you idiot!"

Jack's bloodshot eyes burned with rage. Raising his club, he bellowed, "Let's see how tough your brittle bones really are!"

"Bone Shield! Bone Spear!"

Troh's left arm sprouted an intricate shield of white bone to block Jack's strike. At the same time, his right hand morphed into a razor-sharp spear, lunging for Jack. But Jack's monstrous strength was beyond Troh's expectations. The massive spiked club slammed into the bone shield, sending fractures racing through it. The impact jarred Troh, throwing off his aim. His spear missed entirely.

"Reinforce Bone Shield!"

BANG!

Bone surged from Troh's arms, forming a massive, reinforced shield to withstand Jack's next strike. This time, the shield held firm.

"Heh, not bad," Jack sneered, "but you think I can't smash through it?"

BANG!

Each of Jack's blows sent tremors through Troh's body. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he cursed under his breath.

"This guy… his strength is insane. I can't keep trading blows with him. I need to escape…"

"Damn it! What is this thing, a turtle shell?" Jack growled. "Still holding up, huh? Fine, let's end this!"

Jack's aura shifted. His muscles tensed as he poured his Haki into his next attack. Troh's eyes widened as he sensed the change.

"This… this is bad! He's locking onto me with his Observation Haki! There's no dodging this one, and I can't tank it either. My bones might hold, but my insides won't!"

As Jack prepared his finishing move, Troh's trembling body suddenly stilled. His gaze sharpened with grim resolve. Pain flashed across his face, but he steadied himself, determination taking over.

Jack roared, "Let's see you handle this…!"

At the last second, Troh opened his mouth wide.

"Bone Pulse Cannon!"

BOOM!

A massive shockwave erupted, blasting Jack off his feet. His bulky frame flew through the air, crashing into a group of his own men. Dust and debris filled the air as Jack's limp body lay face down on the ground, unmoving.

"JACK-SAMA!"

"What the hell?!"

"Impossible! That's Jack-sama!"

From the distance, Holdem shouted, trying to push through the chaos to reach Jack. But Troh strode confidently toward his fallen opponent, laughing mockingly.

"Ha! The mighty 'Drought,' reduced to this? What's wrong, fish-man? Cat got your tongue?" Troh sneered. "Looks like even disasters fall before the great Troh! Time to send you off properly!"

A deadly bone spear formed in Troh's hand. With a cruel grin, he raised it, aiming for Jack's head.

THUD!

Before he could strike, Jack's powerful hands shot out, clamping onto Troh's legs with crushing force. Pain shot through Troh as he cried out, "AARGH! Let go! Stop!"

Jack slowly rose, his grip tightening. Troh felt as if his legs were about to snap in two. With a guttural growl, Jack hurled Troh to the ground. The impact left him crumpled and groaning in pain.

Jack loomed over him, tearing Troh's shirt apart with one hand. "Hmph. Thought so," Jack muttered. "Your Devil Fruit powers are garbage without modifications. Let me guess—your bone cannon compresses your spine, doesn't it? Impressive, but it's killing you from the inside."

Jack ran a finger over one of his cracked fangs, scowling.

"Still, you managed to chip my tooth. That's worth something."

Raising his massive foot, Jack brought it down repeatedly.

THUD! THUD!

"You… idiot…" Troh wheezed, blood streaming from his mouth. His body lay broken, his life fading fast. Jack turned without a second glance, charging back into the fray.

As the dust settled, over three hundred enemy pirates surrendered. Holdem, ever efficient, began organizing the captives, while Cleo and Bart were temporarily placed under his command.

From the chaos, a familiar voice rang in Jack's ears.

"Congratulations, host! Mission complete: Bring the ship closer. Please draw your reward!"

Jack grumbled, pulling at the interface lazily. "Let's get this over with."

"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have drawn the special reward: Bone-Bone Fruit! Due to the fruit's unique nature, please select one of the following options:

Manifest the Bone-Bone Fruit.

Extract a single ability to enhance your strength."

Jack's lips curled into a smirk. "No way I'm eating that useless fruit. I'll take option two."

"Congratulations, host! You've obtained the skill: Tooth Regeneration!"

Jack's face darkened. "Tooth regeneration? Seriously? Even a toddler fish-man can regrow teeth in seconds! Garbage! Useless system!"

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