"Brother Jack, it seems someone got here before us."
"I see it."
The flames reflected in Jack's eyes did not lift his mood.
He didn't sympathize with the island's inhabitants; that wasn't his style. The reason he was upset was because the island had been damaged like this.
This prevented him from completing Kaidou's assigned conquest task perfectly; he wanted a complete island, not ruins.
"Fishman Karate: Yarinami!"
Jack's actions were straightforward. As pirates, there was no room for ethics in moments like this.
Grabbing the seawater on the beach, Jack executed a Fishman Karate move that destroyed the opposing pirate ship, then proceeded with his subordinates towards the island's interior.
Inside the island, adults wielded weapons, struggling to resist the pirates before them. Above them flew a Whitebeard Pirates flag, but it no longer offered any protection.
"You must have received the news, right? This isn't Whitebeard's territory anymore; you should understand this, right? This symbol is useless now!"
The pirate cut down the flagpole and stomped on the Whitebeard Pirates flag with disdain.
"From today, this island is my territory!"
"Who do you think you are? What makes you dare to say such things?"
Before the pirate finished speaking, a deep voice came from behind him.
"Who are you?! I am... I am..."
He arrogantly wanted to state his name, but ultimately swallowed the words hard.
A large Copperajah appeared before the pirate. Facing a weaker opponent, Jack preferred his Beast Form.
The metallic body didn't need Haki; ordinary people couldn't hurt him. Jack's appearance was well-known in the New World.
Steel Mammoth-Jack, bounty of 1,088,000,000 Belly, the most prominent of the Hundred Beasts' new generation. Whether in propensity for battle or frequency, he was unmatched among the new cadres, recently whispered to be the 'Fourth Calamity'.
Kaidou's actions during the war not only increased his own bounty; correspondingly, the entire Hundred Beasts Pirates experienced a bounty rise due to Kaidou and Arceus's influence.
Queen's bounty had to deduct the added factors, but Jack's was straightforward, reflecting real strength.
"Huh? Speak up, why aren't you talking now?"
"I... I..."
At this moment, an Alcremie emerged from the braid atop Jack's head, glanced at the pirate, and patted Jack's head, signaling it didn't recognize this person.
In a way, Jack had limited mental capacity; he only remembered well-known pirates from The Sea, unable to recognize the other's identity.
Alcremie was slightly better; it had a vague memory of any bounty over a billion. If even it didn't remember, it meant the pirate was just one of many common small fry.
Boom!
Afterward, seeing the enemy, who was frightened and tongue-tied, Jack swung his trunk decisively, slamming him into the nearby rock wall.
"Eliminate them all; this island is now Hundred Beasts territory."
Instantly, the situation on the island reversed. The pirates, initially aggressors, now faced even stronger pirates.
Hundred Beasts' war was nearing its end, meaning fewer opportunities to earn merits. Jack's subordinates were battle-hungry, eager to accumulate more accomplishments in these final battles, and charged forward as soon as Jack gave the command.
"With Whitebeard dead, all kinds of rabble are surfacing."
Watching his subordinates effortlessly crush the pirates, Jack had no desire to intervene, as they were too weak.
Meanwhile, he approached the island's inhabitants.
"Hang our flag here; I assume you have no objections."
Though it was phrased as a question, Jack gave them no option to refuse. It was merely procedural; regardless of the answer, it wouldn't affect Jack's actions, only the island's future governance.
Faced with the burning island, the island's leaders didn't reject this.
Similar situations were occurring in other once-Whitebeard territories. Islands under the flags of Hundred Beasts or BIG MOM remained unaffected.
Whitebeard was gone, but Kaidou and Charlotte Linlin were alive and well. Their flags had similar, if not greater, deterrent power.
Though Charlotte Linlin excessively demanded food, under such conditions, she still ensured the quality of life for her subjects. As for Hundred Beasts, they were more orderly; governance teams were already on the move.
As for islands without protection, they became the unluckiest after losing their shield.
After securing the island and raising Hundred Beasts' flag, Jack subdued nearby pirates looking for trouble, and led his crew on the return journey.
Olga's operations were similar to Jack's, differing mainly in combat style. Jack's opponents were crushed upon seeing Jack, while Olga's, even until death, only encountered the pirate flag.
Inteleon's tail blade and sniper strikes post-invisibility caused internal chaos, leaving them clueless about their enemy.
Not to mention the Navy, Whitebeard, and Blackbeard, who had suffered immense losses.
Both BIG MOM and Red Hair faced setbacks in the war; only Hundred Beasts emerged unscathed, Kaidou having expanded his territory joyfully.
Arceus found the Icicle Plate, granting a new miracle to the Arceus Sect, enriching their teachings.
Queen's burden slightly increased, but debts no longer fazed him.
Ghost Island was preparing a similar banquet, but only for Hundred Beasts; others weren't as fortunate.
For instance, Moriah, who escaped Marinfanto with Absalom's abilities, but his spirit was shattered by Kaidou.
Kaidou proved that neither Moriah's zombie army nor his current strength was a match for him, reducing Moriah to nothing, wasting his life, even relying on Absalom's Clear-Clear Fruit to get tabloid news for living expenses.
The Whitebeard Pirates' remnants began returning to the New World after coating, yet looking at the new flag on Fishman Island, their emotions were quite complicated.