Jack's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared in disbelief at the sea split in two behind him.
In the New World, there were plenty of strong individuals capable of cutting the sea in half or shattering islands, but most of them had to exert their full strength to do so.
Someone who could split the sea with a casual, effortless strike—Jack had only seen one person capable of such a feat.
That was his savior, Boss Kaido!
The moment this thought surfaced in Jack's mind, he forcefully suppressed it.
Impossible! How could a mere organization like the Shadow Garden, which only caused trouble in Paradise, casually produce someone with strength comparable to Boss Kaido?!
Ignoring the blood gushing from his severed arm, Jack gripped his longsword with his remaining hand and swung it toward Ivan:
"Bastard, who do you think I am?! I am Jack the Drought!"
Facing the heavily wounded Jack, Ivan was far more relaxed than before. He effortlessly blocked Jack's attack with a hand chop, glanced up at him, and curled his lips into a disdainful smile:
"I don't like looking up at others!"
In the next moment, his palm sliced through the air: "Bladeless Style: Release: Final Boundary!"
The air in front of Jack exploded. He desperately wanted to avoid dodging Ivan's attack, wishing to endure it head-on like Kaido would.
However, his strength was far too weak compared to Kaido's.
The moment Ivan unleashed his invisible slash, Jack's Observation Color screamed warnings at him relentlessly.
If he didn't dodge, he would die!
He would rather die than back down from Ivan, yet few could suppress their instincts—especially a fool like Jack.
Just before the invisible slash struck him, Jack finally dropped to his knees. The slash passed right over his head, tearing open his scalp and leaving a gruesome, bloody gash.
This scene fell upon the eyes of everyone present—both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beast Pirates—and silence descended.
When had they ever seen Jack the Drought in such a pitiful state?
Jack himself finally realized what he had done. Fear was momentarily overwhelmed by rage as he roared in fury and charged toward Ivan: "Aaaah, I'll kill you!"
Yet, fear was only suppressed by a brief burst of anger. Such reckless fury could never fully override the instinctive terror within.
In the next instant, Ivan's eyes erupted with a crimson, menacing glow. A terrifying will erupted from him, sweeping across the entire battlefield like a tidal wave!
It was as if a Conqueror had descended upon the world, with this overwhelming pressure alone enough to crush all the weak.
The reckless, mindless rage in Jack's eyes was instantly extinguished under the onslaught of Ivan's Conqueror's Haki, replaced by a primal fear rooted deep within his soul.
His legs gave way, and he knelt once more.
But unlike before, this time darkness swallowed his vision as he completely lost consciousness, without even a chance to struggle.
"Th-this… this is Conqueror's Haki!"
"Damn it, is this guy also one of those one-in-a-million kings?"
"No, Lord Jack! Get up! Get up now!"
Ignoring the Beast Pirates' desperate cries for Jack, Ivan took a step forward and appeared behind Jack's fallen body.
When he reappeared, he held a massive head in his hand.
It was unmistakably the head of Jack the Drought.
At this moment, Drought Calamity Jack was dead!
With Drought Calamity Jack's death, everyone stared at the scene in disbelief.
The Four Emperors' crews often clashed in the New World, but even among the Six Disasters, there had never been a death, let alone among the Three Calamities.
Thus, after Drought Calamity Jack's death, everyone felt as if they were in a dream.
A moment later, everyone snapped back to reality. The members of the Beast Pirates let out terrified screams and scattered in all directions to flee.
The Whitebeard Pirates, having regained their senses, immediately gave chase.
Before long, Namul returned to the Shark. After landing on the deck, he kept scrutinizing Ivan, trying to discern something from him.
This made Ivan quite uncomfortable, and he asked in confusion, "Mr. Namul, what are you doing?"
"Oh... sorry, I just didn't expect Mr. Azure Dragon to be a possessor of Conqueror's Haki. You also have the talent of a king, one in a million!"
Ivan shook his head. "Conqueror's Haki doesn't mean much. Besides, without strong willpower, how could the Shadow Garden hunt the darkness?"
Namul suddenly realized that the Whitebeard Pirates' understanding of the Shadow Garden had been completely wrong from the start.
This was definitely not a ragtag group that relied solely on brute force to charge recklessly.
This organization was destined to stir up waves on this vast sea, waves powerful enough to overturn the world!
...
Wano Country, Onigashima.
Inside a palace.
The Four Emperors' Kaido held a gourd of wine, constantly pouring it into his mouth:
"Burp... where's the wine? Bring me more wine! Has that bastard Jack not arrived yet? Why is it taking so long to deal with a bunch of trash?
Ahhh, damn Jack... burp... boring, so boring. Come on, someone come and kill me! When will this rotten world finally collapse?
Where are those people from the Shadow Garden? Hurry up and kill a few more Celestial Dragons for me. I want war, war!"
The members of the Beast Pirates were long accustomed to their boss's madness. Ignoring the noisy Kaido, they drank on their own.
At that moment, Brute Warrior Yimei, covered in blood, staggered into the hall, his face filled with terror:
"It's terrible, Boss Kaido! Brother Jack was killed by the Shadow Garden's Azure Dragon!"
"What did you say?" Plague Disaster Queen suddenly stood up, staring at Yimei in disbelief. "Why would that Azure Dragon kill Jack? And what ability does he have to kill Jack?"
Yimei, looking terrified, frantically recounted what had just happened.
After learning the specifics, Queen slammed the table, his expression twisted with rage:
"That fool Jack really thought the Shadow Garden could only cause trouble in Paradise. Well, now he's dead, and he's brought us a huge problem.
Boss Kaido, it's bad. I suspect the Shadow Garden wants to ally with Whitebeard. If they join forces, it will be extremely disadvantageous for our Beast Pirates!"
However, Kaido didn't hear a word Queen said.
He violently threw the wine gourd away, his roar shaking the beams and pillars:
"Wah wah wah, how could that guy Jack die... Hahaha, Jack really is a waste! Can't even manage to stay alive?
Dead is dead. The Beast Pirates don't keep trash!
But... that bastard Azure Dragon dared to kill my subordinate. I'm going to crush him into mincemeat!"
With that, Kaido completely ignored Queen and the others' attempts to dissuade him. He directly transformed into the Azure Dragon, smashed through the ceiling, and charged toward the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Come on, let me see which of us is the true Azure Dragon!
Come on, try to kill me!"
By the time King soared into the sky, trying to stop Kaido, it was already too late. Kaido had already become a tiny speck, disappearing at the edge of the sea.