Jack

"Boss Kaido, are you joking?"

Brother Queen was so shocked the cigar nearly fell from his mouth, his tiny eyes wide as he flailed his arms. "This kid? He looks like nothing more than a brat!"

Even that monster Charlotte Linlin, at this age, could never have stood shoulder to shoulder with the two of them!

"I never said it was now,"

Boss Kaido waved a hand. "This kid has talent that surpasses all of you! When the time is right, he'll become the Beasts Pirates' Third Calamity!"

"Third Calamity!!"

"Third Calamity!!"

"Third Calamity!!"

The surrounding pirates began to roar, their faces burning with fanaticism.

Sirius grinned, hands on his hips as he puffed out his chest.

This feeling of standing at the center of the crowd, basking in boundless glory, wasn't bad either.

In this life, he had to experience everything he never got to in his last!

He had to live with absolute joy!

But the Three Calamities—

If he replaced Jack as the Third Calamity, what would his epithet be?

He could breathe fire, but Brother King was already the Flame Calamity.

Similarly, Brother Queen was the Plague Calamity, so Poison Calamity would feel like overlapping roles.

Maybe Fang Calamity? Or Mouth Calamity? After all, he was especially sharp-tongued and sharp-toothed, in the literal sense.

Sirius couldn't help but grin wider. What an awful-sounding epithet.

"So that's how it is?"

After hearing Boss Kaido's words, Brother King nodded in understanding. He looked at Sirius. "Then I'll properly educate this kid and make him a strong enough warrior to satisfy Mr. Kaido."

"Excellent,"

Boss Kaido nodded with satisfaction. "Brother King, you're always so reliable!"

Looking up at Brother King, whose face and expression were impossible to make out, Sirius suddenly recalled that every Pirate Emperor's right hand seemed to be incredibly dependable.

Even Shiryu over on Blackbeard's side had saved Blackbeard's life at a critical moment.

Thinking of this, Sirius glanced at Brother Queen. It wasn't without reason that this guy's status couldn't match Brother King's.

"Hahaha, but Boss Kaido, doesn't that make that kid Jack look pretty pitiful?"

Completely oblivious to Sirius's gaze, Brother Queen jeered loudly. "Jack! Hey Jack! Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you, Brother Queen!"

A tall figure immediately emerged from the crowd.

Sirius focused his eyes.

It was a kid with an excessively large build.

He didn't look much older than Sirius, his body still bloated and chubby, with pudgy limbs. But he was absurdly tall—around four meters in height—standing before Sirius like a giant.

The kid's round face wore a deliberately tough expression, then he sniffled, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth as he shouted, "Brother Queen, I'm here!"

He then bowed to Boss Kaido and Brother King respectively. "Boss Kaido! Brother King!"

Oh, so this kid was the future Drought Jack?

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

If he remembered correctly, Jack was the same age as Yamato, two years older than him.

This guy was really tall. No wonder he'd become the Beasts Pirates' tallest member aside from the Numbers in the future.

"Hehe,"

Brother Queen grinned, slapping Jack on the shoulder. "Did you hear what Boss Kaido just said? He wants this kid to become the Third Calamity! Haven't you always aimed to be a Calamity? Now that someone's beaten you to it, got nothing to say?"

Jack looked down at Sirius, then pursed his lips and shook his head. "I, I'll listen to Boss Kaido!"

Hey hey hey, there are tears welling up in his eyes!

Was the Ship-Breaker King this soft-hearted as a kid?

Sirius couldn't help but curl his lips.

"Whoa, what an arrogant brat!"

Brother Queen kept stirring the pot. "And he's still smiling!"

"Enough, Brother Queen!"

Boss Kaido shot Brother Queen a glare. "Sirius is someone I value. Stop with the snide remarks here."

"Yes."

Uncle Queen immediately put on a serious face and nodded respectfully.

Only then did Uncle Kaido nod in satisfaction, looking at Jack. "Jack, you came at the right time. Take Sirius to find a place to stay, pick somewhere near your room, then go find Maria and Yamato. You kids can get familiar with each other."

"Yes, Boss Kaido!"

Jack immediately thumped his chest and declared loudly, "Leave it to me!"

Then he turned to Sirius and said, "Follow me."

Sirius looked at Kaido.

"Go on, kid,"

Kaido said. "I have serious matters to discuss. Tomorrow, go with Jack to find King."

"Alright, Uncle."

Sirius grinned and followed behind Jack, leaving the plaza and entering the main building.

After the noise gradually faded, Sirius watched Jack silently leading the way ahead, then suddenly sped up on his short legs to walk beside him, tilting his head up to look at him.

"You're called Jack, right? I'm Sirius."

Jack didn't answer, just pursed his lips and strode forward.

Tough to get along with.

Sirius clasped his hands behind his head, grinning to himself.

Jack led Sirius up several floors to a paper door, then finally turned back and said to Sirius, "It's here. Daily necessities are all inside."

He pointed to another door across the hallway. "That's my room. If you need anything else, tell me."

Pretty cold.

Seeing Sirius standing still with his hands in his pockets, Jack asked with some surprise, "Aren't you going to take a look inside?"

"That can wait anytime."

Sirius said. He wasn't picky about where he stayed, having just finished a year of survival on a Desert Island.

"Didn't Uncle Kaido say you should take me to find people? Let's go."

Sirius was eager. He was curious what the Beasts Pirates looked like in this era.

Jack pursed his lips, seeming hesitant, then said seriously, "You're too disrespectful to Boss Kaido! You should call him Captain or Boss!"

Sirius laughed. "You seem to really admire Uncle Kaido, huh?"

"It's Boss Kaido!"

Jack emphasized, then sniffed and declared solemnly, "Boss Kaido is The Strongest in the World! He's the man who will become the Pirate King!"

Like a fan selling their idol.

But with Whitebeard still at his peak right now, Uncle Kaido still has a ways to go before he can claim the world's strongest, doesn't he?

Jack had no awareness of this, just speaking with adoration, "I will become Boss Kaido's right-hand man! I'll follow him to the top of the Pirate Age!"

Sirius said, "So, like Uncle Queen said earlier, your goal is also to be a Calamity?"

"..."

Jack was stunned. He just remembered that Kaido had already designated the kid in front of him as the future Third Calamity.

He couldn't help feeling a bit dejected.

But soon, Jack gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and stared with burning eyes, "Even though Boss Kaido has already decided, I won't give up just like that! I'll prove to Boss Kaido that I'm the one most suited to be the third Calamity!"

"Hahaha,"

Sirius laughed heartily. "Isn't that great? Since we have the same goal, that makes us comrades, right?"

"Huh?"

Jack, who had expected Sirius to mock him harshly, tilted his head in bewilderment.

Sirius pushed off with his legs, jumped directly onto Jack's broad shoulder, sat down, and patted Jack's face. "Let's go, good brother. Time to find the others."

"G-good brother?"

Jack looked completely at a loss.

What's with this guy?