It's Over

He raised his right fist. The metallic sheen across its knuckles was brighter than before. Though most of his armor had shattered, his right hand remained intact, and every shard covering his fist gleamed like a broken mirror. He aimed for Jack's chest. He wanted to knock Jack back, beyond Yak's reach.

Jack did not retreat. He threw his right fist forward and met Iron Mask's punch head-on.

Their fists collided. Hardened Skin struck armored skin with a sharp metallic clang, like two iron plates slamming together. Cracks appeared across Jack's right fist, spreading outward from the edge of a shallow dent. Blood seeped through them and ran down his arm.

Jack swayed, but did not retreat. Yak had his right foot in a death grip; he could not have backed away even if he wanted to. His left fist rose from his side. Colossal Consumption's charge was still on cooldown, but Decay's passive effect remained. His fist slammed into Iron Mask's left shoulder. The armor shattered, fragments flying away to expose the bloody muscle beneath.

At the same time, Jack recovered a little health.

Iron Mask screamed and stumbled back two steps. His right fist was still raised, but he no longer dared charge. Blood ran from his left shoulder. His arm hung at his side, fingers trembling.

Bege's pistol fired.

The bullet spun through the air and struck Jack's chest. Its tip flattened against Hardened Skin, ricocheted into the courtyard's low wall, and lodged in the stone. A small white mark appeared on Jack's chest, with a red dot at its center. A bead of blood seeped out and ran down the contours of his pectoral muscle.

Jack did not look at Bege. His eyes stayed on Iron Mask as he raised his right fist again. At the sight of it, Iron Mask's pupils contracted, and he instinctively stepped back.

Bege fired a second shot. The bullet hit Jack's left shoulder, leaving the same white mark and the same bead of blood. Jack's shoulder twitched, but he did not turn his head. He did not even blink. His fist remained raised, still aimed at Iron Mask.

Iron Mask took another step back.

Bege never fired a third shot. It was not for lack of trying. His hand shook; he was spent. Decay's percentage-based damage had drained too much of his life force, leaving his strength at rock bottom. His finger rested on the trigger, but he could not pull it. His hand trembled, the gun trembled, and its muzzle traced circles over Jack's body.

Jack turned.

Yak still clung to his right foot. Jack dragged him forward, his weight and Hardened Skin's friction gouging a shallow furrow in the ground. Gravel parted around Jack's foot, and dust rose behind him. He took three steps and stopped in front of Bege.

Bege looked up at Jack. Bege stood six feet tall; Jack was over seven and a half, forcing him to tilt his head back. He met Jack's eyes. But Jack looked at him as though he were already dead.

Bege's lips moved. He tried to speak, but only a muffled breath escaped his throat. His finger slipped off the trigger. The gun slid from his hand, hit the ground, bounced once, and lay still.

Jack raised his right fist. There was no glow around it, no skill effect—just Hardened Skin and a fist. But as Bege stared at it, his pupils shrank to pinpoints. He knew what that punch meant.

Bege suddenly laughed. His lips pulled back to show his teeth, and a hoarse, dry laugh scraped out of his throat.

"You win," Bege said quietly, each word distinct. "I'll give you the Devil Fruits. All three."

Jack's fist stopped in midair, less than four inches from the bridge of Bege's nose.

Bege stepped back. His arms hung at his sides, and the hem of his coat stirred in the wind.

"You never intended to negotiate," Bege said calmly. "You came here to kill me."

Jack looked at him without a word.

Bege shook his head, his smile widening. "I, Capone Bege, have spent fifteen years making my way through the West Blue. I've met plenty of men who didn't care whether they lived or died, but never anyone like you. It's not that you don't care whether you die. You don't care about anyone's life. Yours, mine, anyone else's. All you care about is doing what you want."

"Are you done?" Jack asked quietly.

Bege shut his mouth.

Jack's uppercut smashed into Bege's chin. The moment it connected, Bege's head snapped back and his feet left the ground. He flipped through the air and landed hard on his back. Stone slabs cracked, dust rose, and his body sank into the rubble, limbs splayed like a crushed insect. Blood poured from the corner of his mouth, mixed with broken teeth. It ran down his chin and dripped onto the stones with a faint hiss.

His eyes remained open, unfocused and fixed on the sky. Blood and dust covered his coat, and his hair had come loose, hiding half his face. His lips moved, but no words came out. Only a muffled, bubbling rasp sounded in his throat.

Yak still clung to Jack's right foot. Jack looked down at the hand. Yak's eyes had rolled back, but his fingers remained locked around Jack's ankle. His knuckles tightened, nails digging into Hardened Skin. Jack lifted his right foot, dragging Yak half a yard. The hand did not let go.

Jack crouched and pried Yak's fingers loose one by one. His hardened knuckles pressed between Yak's fingers. He applied pressure. Crack. The index finger broke. Crack. The middle finger. Crack. The ring finger. Crack. The little finger. With all four broken, Yak's hand slipped from Jack's ankle and fell to the ground, its fingers bent at unnatural angles.

Jack stood and drove another punch straight through the center of Yak's forehead.

Then he turned to Iron Mask.

Iron Mask stood in a corner of the courtyard, his right fist still raised, his hand trembling. Blood ran from his left shoulder. The dent in his chest remained, and cracks spread from it across his armor, like a shattered piece of porcelain barely glued back together. He watched Jack through his mask. The red light in its eyeholes flickered faster and faster, like a heartbeat.

Jack took two steps toward him. Iron Mask took two steps back.

Jack stopped. So did Iron Mask.

Jack went no farther.

Colin swooped down from the sky. His wings snapped wide at the last moment, sending a gust through the courtyard that scattered dust everywhere. He landed on the low wall behind Jack and folded his wings. His pupils had narrowed to pinpoints. He gripped the Short Knife, its blade stained with someone else's blood.

"Boss, we've nearly cleared the perimeter," Colin said quickly, every word clear. "Godo and his men caught the group trying to escape at the docks. Kafka and Doni took care of a dozen or so on the back hill. The recruits have another group surrounded on the island's east side."

Jack did not turn around. "Leave none alive. Take no prisoners."

Colin's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it. His wings snapped open, and he sprang from the wall into the air.

Jack turned and headed out of the courtyard. Four deep purple bruises marked his right ankle where Yak's fingers had gripped it, pressed into his Hardened Skin. The shallow dent from Iron Mask's punch remained on his left forearm, still cracked and bleeding. White marks from Bege's bullets dotted his chest and left shoulder. The beads of blood at their red centers had dried into dark scabs.

He passed Bege. Bege still lay in the rubble, staring blankly at the sky. Blood had dried at the corner of his mouth, leaving a dark red streak across his face. His fingers twitched as he tried to raise a hand, but he could not.

Jack drove another punch into Bege's chest, stopping only when the system notification sounded.

Jack did not look at him again. He passed Iron Mask, who still stood in the corner with his right fist raised. His hand no longer shook. He watched Jack walk past without moving or lowering his fist.

Iron Mask knew he was going to die. "I work for Joker. Kill me, and Joker won't let this go."

Jack seemed not to hear. Two punches killed him.

"I never said I'd let him go, either."

Jack left the courtyard, went down the alley, and reached the docks.

The Patrol Boat was moored there. Patches from repairs made a few days earlier still showed on its hull, the sheet metal dull in the sunlight. Godo stood on the dock with his iron club in hand. Blood covered it, and its tip was bent even farther than before. A fresh cut ran from the corner of his eyebrow to his cheekbone, still bleeding, but he wore a broad grin.

"Boss, it's done!" Godo called, loud enough for the whole dock to hear. "One of Bege's men got away, but he was going to spread the word. I let him go on purpose."

Jack looked at him.

Godo's grin faltered. "You said yourself they needed to know the West Blue has a new master."

Jack nodded and jumped onto the Patrol Boat. Not bad. He had some brains after all.

Colin landed beside Jack, folding his wings behind him. Blood still dripped from the Short Knife, one drop at a time, leaving dark red circles on the wooden deck.

"Boss, back to the branch?" Colin asked quietly.

"Yes. Then we'll purge Capone's Mafia forces."

The system panel glowed at the edge of Jack's vision. Three sacrifices, three random rewards. He had not looked yet—not because he did not want to, but because now was not the time. The West Blue's Mafia had not been completely wiped out. He needed to finish that first, then check his rewards.

The Patrol Boat's engine started. It slid away from the dock, its bow cutting through the sea and sending waves curling off to either side. Godo stood at the bow.

Iron Fist Island shrank behind them, becoming a dot before vanishing over the horizon.

"Devil Fruit physically destroyed. Lineage Factor dispersed. Automatic absorption initiated."

"Sacrifice complete. Heartsteel cap +30. Current cap: 100. Current stacks: 25/120."

"Random draw in progress..."

Jack watched the notifications, the corner of his mouth twitching. Finally. Time to see what I'd get this time.