All three attacks hit Jack simultaneously.
"Did you hit it?" Usopp, his voice trembling as he hid behind a tree, clutching his slingshot.
The smoke of battle has cleared.
Jack remained standing in the same spot, wisps of black smoke rising from his chest, but not a single scorch mark on his skin.
"Even ranged attacks won't work..." Franky gritted his teeth as the cannon on the mechanical arm began to reload.
Just then, a ring of arms suddenly bloomed behind Jack.
Robin had activated the Flower-Flower Fruit's power at some point, and dozens of arms grew from Jack's back, simultaneously gripping his joints—wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles.
Each arm was twisting forcefully in the opposite direction, trying to lock Jack's movements.
This is Robin's most proficient joint lock technique. When dealing with the Donquixote Family, she used this move to subdue several of their Donquixote Family at the same time.
But Jack simply stretched his shoulders.
The arms gripping his joints creaked under the strain.
Robin's face turned pale instantly, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"This little trick..."
Jack suddenly exerted force in his arms, and the bulging of his muscles made everyone present gasp.
The arms that were wrapped around him were shattered by a brute force, turning into countless petals that drifted in the air.
Robin staggered back two steps, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.
The backlash from having her ability forcibly broken instantly depleted most of her stamina.
" Robin!"
Sanji's eyes instantly turned into flames, and he turned to charge at Jack.
Zoro is faster than him.
The three knives spun rapidly in his hands, forming an impenetrable blade wheel.
Armament Haki coiled around the blade, and the jet-black body gleamed with a chilling luster under the moonlight.
" Three-Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister--!"
Zoro transformed into a whirlwind carrying a slashing attack and crashed into Jack.
Jack slashed horizontally with his scimitar.
The moment the two forces collided, Zoro felt the blades of all three of his swords tremble violently at the same time.
The force of the shockwave from the hilt of the knife was astonishing, causing his hand to split open instantly, and blood flowed down his wrist.
But he didn't let go, gritting his teeth and pushing the blade wheel forward.
A hint of surprise flashed in Jack's eyes.
With increased force, the Armament Haki on the scimitar surged suddenly, cleaving Zoro's black Tatsumaki in two with a single strike.
Zoro was blasted away, tumbling twice in the air before barely landing.
He knelt on one knee, supporting his body with two knives stuck in the ground, blood from his tiger's mouth flowing down the blades.
"That's interesting, Straw Hat Pirates!"
Jack slung his scimitar over his shoulder, looked at the group of young people before him, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on his face.
"You are much stronger than I imagined."
Jack looked around--
Although Zoro's hand was bleeding, he still held the sword steadily, while Sanji rekindled his Diable Jambe.
Franky's cannon has been reloaded.
Although Robin's face was pale, she had already crossed her arms over her chest again.
Brook drew the Soul Solid, Chopper transformed into his Kung Fu Point form.
Luffy in Gear Fourth Snakeman form stood in front of the group again.
"Again," Luffy said through gritted teeth.
Jack looked at the group of seemingly indestructible young people, remained silent for a few seconds, and then shook his head.
"It's unnecessary."
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Jack turned around and waved to his men who were still carrying the Poneglyph.
"Take your belongings and leave."
Zoro straightened up and gripped his sword hilt tightly. "Hey, you think you can just attack and retreat as you please—"
"You guys are quite capable."
Jack interrupted him, his tone unusually serious.
"But if we keep fighting, you'll all die here."
He turned around, his beast-like eyes sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Luffy.
The little brat wearing Straw Hat was looking at him with an extremely determined gaze, showing no sign of backing down despite being covered in wounds.
Jack suddenly chuckled.
"Interesting.
Governor Kaido is right, you brat are indeed worth watching."
He shouldered his scimitar and turned to walk towards the edge of the giant elephant.
The subordinates carrying the Poneglyph scrambled behind him, afraid of being left behind if they were too slow.
"Wait! Leave the Poneglyph behind!"
Inuarashi wanted to give chase, but the wound on his chest suddenly reopened, causing him to kneel on one knee in pain.
The Cat Viper pressed down on his shoulder and shook its head.
Those lazy cat eyes were now filled with solemnity.
"Stop chasing him. If he really wants to fight, we'll all die here."
Inuarashi gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the ground, creating a shallow dent.
He knew, of course, that the Cat Viper was right.
Jack never really got serious from start to finish—those attacks that were all-out for them were probably just a warm-up for Jack.
Zoro sheathed his sword, his brow furrowed as he watched the direction Jack had left.
He felt like something was off.
Jack's gaze lingered in a certain direction for several seconds. Standing in that direction was—
Robin.
Zoro glanced at Robin without making a sound.
Robin's expression was calm, her hands hanging at her sides, the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit completely subdued.
But Zoro noticed that her gaze was following Jack's departing figure, and there was an extremely subtle and complex look in her eyes.
"Hey, Robin," Zoro said in a low voice.
Robin turned to look at him and smiled slightly, "What's wrong, Zoro?"
Zoro stared at her for two seconds, then looked away.
"Fine."
The post-war aftermath.
The Mink Tribe warriors tend to the wounded on the battlefield.
Those with minor injuries walked to the medical station to be bandaged, those with more serious injuries were carried on stretchers, and several others had already closed their eyes forever.
Luffy sat on a rock, while Chopper stood on tiptoe to bandage the wound on his arm.
His expression was much calmer than usual; he braced his hands on the edge of the stone, head bowed, his Straw Hat obscuring most of his face.
"Does it hurt? Is it too tight? Should we loosen it a little?"
Chopper asked nervously as he wrapped his bandages around his neck.
"It doesn't hurt," Luffy said.
"But,"
"That big guy is really strong."
Sanji leaned against a nearby tree and lit a cigarette.
He didn't criticize Luffy as usual because he knew Luffy was right.
Jack is indeed very strong, so strong that even if their entire pirate crew attacked together, they couldn't gain the upper hand.
Zoro sat cross-legged on the ground, wiping the bloodstains off his Shusui sword with a cloth.
His movements were slow and meticulous, as if he were doing something that required extreme concentration.
Nami walked over to Zoro and asked in a low voice:
"If that Jack really wants to kill us—can we stop him?"
Zoro paused for a moment while wiping his sword.
"I don't know," he said truthfully.
This is an honest answer.
Jack clearly came with a mission today, and once the mission was accomplished, he left. He never really intended to take their lives.
If he really had murderous intent— Zoro didn't want to think about it any further.