Chapter 574: Jack's "Elephant Soldiers"
After saving Tiger's life, Jack and Mandrell's mission came to an end. Mandrell had his own garrison duty, but Jack was different, so he returned to Wano Country alone with the supply ship.
Even Fish-Men don't swim in the sea all the time. They are an amphibious humanoid race, so for them, swimming is like walking or running. When they have the option to travel by ship, they won't choose to travel with their legs.
"Sir Jack, there's a strange bird on the ship."
"I can see it. It's definitely a new creature created by Lord Arceus. Don't disturb it."
If any unknown creature appears around Wano Country, there's a 99% chance that it is a creation of Arceus. Most members of the Beasts Pirates have become used to it long ago. Three-tailed cows and sheep which discharge electricity are the most ordinary creatures, and even rocks in Arceus' hands can become a new lifeform.
Moreover, Jack had a 100% surefire way to determine whether it was a strange bird or a Pokémon: it was by whether Alcremie could understand it. If Alcremie could communicate normally with it, then it was undoubtedly a new Pokémon.
Currently, his Alcremie was not only conversing with Swablu but also giving it cream. It seemed Alcremie quite liked this little bird, which left Jack with a good first impression as well.
With the resting Swablu in tow, Jack entered Wano Country aboard the merchant ship from Mogura Port. However, as soon as they left Mogura Port, the Swablu flew back to Sky Island. Although Jack couldn't understand the precise meaning of Alcremie's words, he could sense that they had made some sort of agreement.
This was the friendship among Pokémon; sometimes making friends only required a glance. Except for those inherently hostile species, most Pokémon were quite friendly with each other.
However, individual differences persisted; even among the gentle Chanseys, there were some violent individuals.
"Lord Kaido, Lord Arceus, I'm back. Fisher Tiger's mission is complete, and he should be with Brother Mandrell now."
The mission summary had long been sent back by Mandrell, and Jack merely reiterated some details.
"Well done, Jack. Let me confirm a few things next, just don't damage the walls."
Suddenly, a feeling of imminent danger appeared in Jack's mind, instinctively prompting him to activate his ability and cross his hands in front of him. The next moment, Kaido's Hassaikai came swinging towards him.
His towering physique was of little use at this moment; although he managed to stabilize himself, Jack continued retreating, his distance from the wall growing shorter and shorter. But at the very last moment, he came to a stop.
While he didn't crash into the wall, the floor bore two deep grooves, and Jack was drenched in sweat. Even though Kaido hadn't used full force and the attack was sudden, forcibly taking that blow still drained him considerably.
"Worororo, well done, Jack. You're qualified; you are now capable of assuming personal responsibility. Here's something for you."
With a wave of his hand, two Devil Fruits were thrown in front of Jack.
"Lord Kaido, these are..."
"Elephant-Elephant Fruit- Model: Ordinary and the Elephant-Elephant Fruit - Model: Mammoth. Since you like elephants, I'm giving you the distribution rights for these two fruits. They'll be your future subordinates. Also, go ahead and pick two officers of your own."
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Kaido."
That attack just now was Jack's graduation exam. Alongside the two Devil Fruits was a newspaper; it contained news that had been circulating on Onigashima for a while now, featuring Jack and Mandrell's new bounties.
Kaido II • Mandrell: 360 million Berries
Bronze Elephant • Jack: 99 million Berries
"Only 99 million..."
Looking at his bounty, Jack seemed somewhat disappointed, not quite satisfied.
The subordinates of the Emperor of the Sea had to never worry about becoming wanted; they only worry about the bounty being too low, which might make them getting looked down by their own people.
"Don't be disheartened, Jack. 99 million is already quite a lot. My first bounty was only 70 million."
Given the significant time gap, Kaido's 70 million and Jack's 99 million were definitely not comparable. However, this was also the Marines' comprehensive assessment. The initial bounty was a consideration of the threat posed by a pirate to the Marines and the World Government. It was rare for someone's initial bounty to exceed 100 million.
Yamato's bounty was directly set at 170 million because her opponent was Judge, the supreme commander of Germa, and her identity also added to her bounty. After all, she was referred to as "Miss" by Queen. [TN: The word used here for Miss can also mean Young Lady just like Young Master.]
Jack, on the other hand, faced Strawberry, and according to reports from the battlefield, he also had help from Jinbe in causing Strawberry's injuries.
Apart from that, Jack didn't have any outstanding performance; he mainly relied on his physique to bully others. Due to the lack of exceptionally strong combat performance, his 99 million bounty was only due to the Beasts Pirates.
Mandrell was similar. Although he had fought against Borsalino, he hadn't caused any significant injuries to Borsalino and ultimately chose to flee, so his bounty increase wasn't substantial.
"Umm..subordinates...can I choose them now?"
"Yes, do you have anyone in mind?"
"Page One and Ulti."
Ulti was just an afterthought; his main target was Page One. However, Ulti wouldn't let her brother go alone under someone else's command. Although Page One often found his sister annoying, he also respected her opinions.
To successfully bring Page One under his command, Jack chose to include Ulti as well.
"They're out of the question. Both of them are potential future officers and are not suitable to be placed under your command at the moment. Here's a list of eligible candidates of appropriate age. Take a look and choose from them. Someone will come look for you soon, and you can mention what kind of ship you'd like."
"Understood."
Verbal acknowledgment, assigning direct subordinates, and allocating an exclusive ship meant that Jack will be an independent member from now on.
Actually, Yamato had reached this level long ago, but Kaido still didn't further expand her authority. Although he gave her her own subordinates, she still didn't have a ship.
Because Kaido had higher demands of her. She could now go on missions with other officers, but if she wanted an exclusive ship, she would have to put in a lot more effort.
Failing to bring Page One under his command left Jack slightly disappointed, but it didn't affect his next actions. Based on the list given to him by Kaido, he planned to visit the monastery to see if there were suitable subordinates for him.
He wasn't like Yamato; Kaido wouldn't specifically design an internal competition for him to choose people. The rest was all up to himself.
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