Hive Island, Loki Port.
As Hive Island's external trading port, quite a few pirates live here, and the hostages are being held somewhere nearby.
Two days ago, after Coby entered with a merchant ship, he started gathering intel under the guise of a dockworker.
Having been a chore boy for a long time, he was used to this kind of thing. The days when he was kidnapped by Alvida had even taught him how to survive among pirates. That's why he was sent to gather intelligence—no one was more suited to infiltrate this place than him.
"Coby, how's the situation?"
"Helmeppo, right? I've already located the general area where the hostages are, but they're heavily guarded. I haven't had a chance to get close."
In a corner of the port, Coby was secretly contacting the other Navy members.
"The others have already infiltrated as well, but Coby, we've got bad news—the Hundred Beasts Pirates are also converging on this island. Their motive's unclear, so watch yourself."
"Got it."
...
Meanwhile, on the Steel Mammoth, Jack had already spotted the island's iconic giant skull.
"Lord Jack, we're almost there. According to intel, the employer is near Loki Port. Should we just break through there directly?"
"No, we're heading for the center of the island. Take out the pirates stationed here."
Jack stood up from his chair and issued an order that didn't sound related to the mission at all.
"But big bro Jack, isn't our mission supposed to be a rescue?"
"Sheepshead, why do they need rescuing?"
"Uh... well... because they were captured by pirates?"
"Exactly. So if we wipe out all the pirates who captured them, wouldn't that count as a successful rescue?
If we rush straight to save the hostages, once they realize what's going on we'll easily fall into a stalemate. But going straight for their base is a whole different story.
As long as our offensive is fierce enough to force them to pull manpower off the island, the hostages will naturally become safer."
Jack laid out an entirely new definition of "rescue." Sheepshead thought about it for quite a while and still couldn't come up with a decent rebuttal.
Hive Island did have its own set of rules, but the Hundred Beasts had every ability to flip the table here, so Jack chose this bizarre method—a brazen, "aboveboard infiltration."
"Sheepshead, you take the right flank.
Ginrummy, you take the left flank.
New guy, you're heading to the hostages. Don't forget the password: 'Stylish Queen.'"
"New guy"—that was what Jack called Drake. The Hundred Beasts crew had already gotten used to Drake's presence. Calling a newcomer "Drake" felt kind of awkward to them, so Jack came up with this very simple nickname.
Drake never expected that the first step of being an undercover agent would be losing his own name. If he were from Wano Kuni, this would already count as being forced to "shed his name"; with a bit more effort he could go straight to "shed name and wits."
Thanks to Alcremie's reminder, Jack had been keeping an eye on Drake. He fought with decent effort, and Jack hadn't noticed anything off about him for the time being, so he assigned Drake the job of supporting the hostage rescue.
If Drake dropped the ball now, he might just be sent back to the Udon Mine.
Babanuki had complained in the Rotom chat group that ever since Drake was taken away, Udon's mining efficiency had gone down—he'd lost a king among miners.
"Hold on, big bro Jack, something still feels off. Didn't the employer's request say the mission was to save people?"
"Didn't he also say we should wipe out those pirates? Let's say hello first."
Jack's body started to swell, gradually transforming into a gigantic mammoth-man. He lifted his trunk and aimed it at the right eye of the skull-shaped structure, as a blinding glow began to gather at the tip.
Boom!
After a brief charge, the Hyper Beam was fully formed and shot cleanly through the right eye of the skull structure on Hive Island.
It didn't cause an explosion, but it did draw the attention of the pirates on the island.
"No wonder you're big bro Jack—what a shot! To hit that spot from this far away!"
"Open fire! Let those bastards see how strong we are!"
"Idiot, don't fire! What if we accidentally hit people in the port? Bring the ship in! We're going in for close combat!"
Jack would never admit that he'd actually missed his shot just now—he'd aimed for the spot between the two eye sockets.
But the waves were a bit rough and the deck under his feet wasn't very steady, plus the Hyper Beam itself isn't exactly known for pinpoint accuracy. That's why Jack's attack ended up piercing through the eye socket instead.
Even though Jack's attack had gone slightly off, it still achieved his goal of declaring war. Just as the pirates on Hive Island confirmed they were under attack, Jack's Steel Mammoth had already reached the edge of the island.
The island was ringed by towering rock cliffs, with Loki Port being the only stable harbor—but for Jack, that wasn't much of a problem.
After sending Alcremie back into the cabin, Jack bent his legs, gathered power, and leapt hard toward the island, transforming mid-air into a gigantic Copperajah. His massive body crushed the surrounding rock formations underfoot, forcibly carving out a brand-new port near Loki Port.
"Charge!"
"Yes, sir!"
Sheepshead and Ginrummy each transformed into a standard giant elephant and a Mammoth. The two beasts led their respective squads charging forward from both sides alongside Jack, while Drake turned into an Allosaurus and led part of the troops in an assault toward Loki Port.
"Boss! We're under attack—they've already charged up here!"
"Who's got the guts to come at us?!"
"It's... it's the Steel Mammoth—Jack..."
"Why the hell are the Hundred Beasts guys coming here... Whatever, intercept them! Shiryu, stop standing there like a stump—it's time to work!"
Someone was standing beside him, but his left arm was gone, and the left half of his face was covered in hideous scars that ran along his neck all the way down to his abdomen, leaving only his left eye relatively intact.
Rain's Shiryu, a survivor under Hakai during the war at Marinfanto. He hadn't died, but he'd lost an arm in a combined strike from Shaina and King, ending up almost half-crippled. He narrowly escaped in the chaos at Marinfanto and eventually settled on Hive Island.
"I'd suggest you run for your life instead. That's not an enemy you can handle."
"Don't screw with me, Shiryu! I didn't take you in so you could preach at me!"
"Suit yourself. Just don't expect me to risk my life against those guys for you. The Hundred Beasts are not people you and I can afford to mess with."
Shiryu's advice didn't do anything. That pirate still charged out with a large number of subordinates.
...
Meanwhile, at Loki Port—
"Watch out!"
A massive boulder, over three meters tall, came hurtling over. Seeing the huge rock, Coby shoved aside a man who was carrying cargo beside him, but because of the distance, he himself had no way to dodge. Just as he circulated his blood and was about to use Tekkai to take it head-on, a barrier suddenly enveloped him.
"ROOM."