Big Barrel Basque was one of the Four Emperors Blackbeard Pirates' strongest fighters and the captain of their Eighth Division after the story began. He was one of the four Great Pirates Blackbeard had brought out of Level 6 of the Underwater Great Prison!
Jotte was very young now. He wore a jester's hat, and his drunken face was dominated by a huge sausage nose. He always carried a large jug of liquor.
Jotte had earned the nickname Big Barrel because he was hopelessly addicted to alcohol.
The fine liquor from Frances Island was among his favorites.
He was also incredibly powerful, with a bounty of 176 million Beli.
The Golden Lion had secretly contacted these dangerous figures of the sea, joining forces to teach the Marines a lesson and show them that the sea belonged to pirates!
Basque was one of the powerful fighters the Golden Lion had invited.
Jotte was the true reinforcement for Frances Island!
The rescue operation in the hills had gone smoothly, apart from the ambush at the beginning, which had cost the Marines more than a hundred soldiers.
But the Marines were at a severe disadvantage in the battle at the main harbor.
They were outnumbered ten to one, and Vice Admiral Akita had been seriously injured after someone launched a surprise attack on him!
"Bounty: 176 million Beli. Big Barrel Vasco Shot!"
"Why are you here? Have you joined the Flying Pirates too?"
Vice Admiral Akita was shocked and furious. At that moment, he was less concerned about his own injuries than the safety of the Marines who had landed on the island and whether they could complete their mission.
If he had to fight Bourne one-on-one, Vice Admiral Akita was confident he could defeat him.
Even if he had been injured at the start because of a moment's distraction, it wouldn't have mattered.
But now there was another opponent, Jotte, who was just as formidable.
"Burp!"
The drunken Jotte belched and swayed over to stand beside Bourne. "I'm only interested in fine liquor."
The Golden Lion hadn't forced these unruly men to become his subordinates. Instead, he had appealed to their personal interests, drawing them in by offering to cooperate.
Jotte's nickname was Big Barrel. He loved alcohol, especially fine liquor, and had no resistance to it at all.
Bourne had promised him an endless supply of Frances Island's liquor in the future. Jotte could drop by for a drink whenever he wanted, and drink until he was full—or sick.
That was why Jotte had agreed to help the Bourne Pirates.
"Looks like Jotte hasn't joined the Flying Pirates?"
Akita breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but his expression quickly grew grave again.
Even if Jotte hadn't joined the Flying Pirates, he was still a pirate, and he had clearly struck some kind of deal with the Bourne Pirates.
"Let's not drag this out. Stop holding back!"
"If Frances Island isn't ours, you can forget about getting any more liquor!"
Bourne urged him on.
Jotte took a swig. The liquor from Frances Island really was excellent. For its sake, he supposed he'd better get serious.
Seeing Jotte's eyes turn dangerous, Bourne tightened his grip on his Tachi.
Taking down Vice Admiral Akita was the main objective of this operation.
The battle at the harbor didn't matter at all. As for the fate of those ignorant locals, Bourne couldn't care less.
Once they captured Akita, the rest would be easy pickings.
"Don't forget what you promised."
Jotte hung his large jug from his waist. He looked thoroughly drunk, but beneath the haze, he was hiding a murderous intent.
With Bourne leading the attack and Jotte supporting him, the battle resumed.
Already injured, Vice Admiral Akita was driven back step by step as the two men attacked him together, until he was forced to the edge of the cliff.
The waves crashed against the shore, and the roar of the rushing currents could be heard from far away.
One more step and he'd fall!
The gravel beneath Vice Admiral Akita's feet crumbled and slid over the cliff, tumbling into the churning seawater. He had clearly noticed what was behind him.
Under normal circumstances, he could have fought Bourne and Jotte alone without any trouble.
The problem was that Jotte's sneak attack had landed. His severe injuries had greatly weakened his combat strength.
He could no longer defeat the two men while keeping himself safe.
Vice Admiral Akita had only two options. He could risk his life to kill one of them and leave the second to fate.
The other option was to retreat for now. Marine Headquarters had deployed its forces on a large scale, and battles were breaking out on several nearby islands.
He could ask Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong for reinforcements, but that would disrupt the Marines' entire plan and might even set off a chain of unpredictable consequences.
"Strike while he's down!"
Bourne wasn't about to give Akita a chance. Once they took down the Navy Vice Admiral, the remaining foot soldiers would be easy to deal with.
Bourne gave a low shout and rushed forward.
Jotte moved in to support him.
Vice Admiral Akita had no choice but to steel himself and meet their attack with his sword.
Clang!
Clang, clang!
Clang!
The battle turned chaotic. Every exchange between Akita and his two opponents, Bourne and Jotte, brought him within a hair's breadth of death.
Attacking from either side, Bourne and Jotte pressed him together until the blood covering Vice Admiral Akita's Marine coat turned it red.
"He's nearly finished. Push harder!"
"Got it. Burp!"
At that moment, Colonel Doug, Akita's adjutant, charged into the battle. He knocked Jotte's attack aside with his sword and forced him out of the fight.
In an instant, the battlefield in the forest split in two.
Vice Admiral Akita faced Bourne, while Colonel Doug faced Jotte.
"What are you doing here? How's the battle below?"
Vice Admiral Akita demanded.
The Marines were already at a disadvantage below. If they lost Doug as well, wouldn't the battle become a complete rout?
The Marines were an elite force, but the Bourne Pirates had elite fighters too.
"There's nothing else we can do but leave it to them now."
Colonel Doug had wanted to tell Vice Admiral Akita about the hostages, but in this situation, he couldn't afford to distract him further.
"Another fool here to die?"
"You're only buying time. Burp!"
"Attack!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bourne and Jotte sprang into action, and Akita and Doug hurried to meet them.
Even with Colonel Doug joining the fight, the situation remained grim.
Whether on the cliffs above or at the harbor below, the Marines were at a disadvantage across the board.
The Bourne Pirates had gone to great lengths to wipe out the Marines attacking Frances Island.
First, they had taken control of the entire island and forced the able-bodied men to fight by threatening their elderly, women, and children, overwhelming the Marines with sheer numbers.
The civilians were far weaker fighters than the Marine soldiers, but they made up for it with their numbers.
Then they had secretly contacted Vasco Shot and used his special ability to keep him hidden. While Bourne kept the Navy Vice Admiral occupied, Jotte had struck from the shadows.
The Bourne Pirates' original goal had been to wipe out the Marines.
Hold the line? Defend?
Who did they think they were?
And this plan wasn't limited to Frances Island. The Golden Lion had made arrangements for five neighboring islands as well.
With this plan, they had gained the upper hand right from the start by taking down six Marine warships led by Headquarters Vice Admirals.
They had seized complete control of the entire battle!