บท 12: CHAPTER 12
The black bear was extremely ferocious and unstoppable, destroying everything in its path.
Alastor was very satisfied. This move, Ghost Qi Black Bear, was already several times more powerful than his previous strongest sword move. After mastering Ghost Qi, his swordsmanship had truly reached a higher level.
Excited, Alastor continued to practice without tiring.
Two days later.
Speed arrived, drenched in sweat and panting. "It's over... it's over, Master Alastor!"
Alastor paused his training, sheathing his sword, and asked calmly, "What's the result?"
"Master Jack didn't lose, but he didn't win either. In short, both were seriously injured, so it should be considered a tie."
This result was expected.
"Where is Master Jack now?"
"Master Jack is bandaging his wounds. I heard from Sheepshead that they'll be returning to Ghost Island soon."
Alastor thought for a moment and said, "Take me to see Master Jack."
Speed pouted and led the way. "Okay, Master Alastor."
---
Jack was recuperating at the governor's mansion in the Kurii area.
His powerful and imposing body was wrapped in several layers of thick bandages.
Although his steel mask covered his face, one could imagine it looked dreadful at this moment.
"Sheepshead, you fool, why did you stop me from killing Shutenmaru?" Jack roared in a low voice.
Sheepshead shrank back, trembling in fear. He swallowed nervously before speaking.
"J-ji... Master Jack, after all, Shutenmaru is someone Kaido Boss wants to subdue, so it wouldn't be wise to just kill him."
At this, Jack glared at Sheepshead even more coldly and angrily.
Sheepshead was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. His legs shook, and he dared not breathe.
"Get out!"
Thankfully, Jack didn't take further action. He simply told Sheepshead to leave.
Sheepshead left quickly, feeling lucky.
What he had told Jack was just an excuse.
Kaido did admire Shutenmaru's strength, but in reality, Shutenmaru's value in Kaido's eyes was far below that of Jack.
If Jack had killed Shutenmaru, Kaido would not have been angry—he would likely have praised Jack for his strength.
The real issue was that Jack simply couldn't defeat Shutenmaru.
Over the past three days, Sheepshead had been watching the battle. Jack and Shutenmaru fought fiercely for hundreds of rounds, with no clear winner. As Jack's injuries worsened, and with the potential for the fight to draw Kaido's attention, Sheepshead had made the difficult decision to stop the battle.
Jack's anger was the result of this decision.
Sheepshead hadn't dared to tell Jack the real reason—that Jack couldn't kill Shutenmaru. Instead, he framed it as Kaido wanting to take Shutenmaru under his wing, which was a reasonable explanation to save face.
Sheepshead wiped his sweat and was about to relax when a voice suddenly interrupted.
"Is Master Jack in there?"
Sheepshead froze, and when he saw the person at the door, his legs went weak.
"Alastor! What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit Master Jack. I heard you're leaving for Ghost Island soon. As his subordinate, how could I not come and see him off?"
Sheepshead grabbed Alastor's sleeve, his expression one of near desperation. "Is it really just to see us off? Please, don't let Master Jack and Shutenmaru fight to the death again! To be honest, we came to Kuri to try to persuade you to back off, but we never thought things would escalate like this!"
Alastor pulled his sleeve free, speaking seriously. "What is Shutenmaru compared to Master Jack? ... Cough, don't worry, I won't stop you from sparing Shutenmaru's life. And I won't stop you from returning to Ghost Island."
After some reassurance, Sheepshead finally relaxed.
Alastor walked into the hall.
Jack, still sulking, initially glared fiercely, ready to scold the person who entered. But when he saw it was Alastor, he paused, a little embarrassed.
How could he not feel embarrassed?
Before the battle, Alastor had praised him to no end—he was brilliant, mighty, and everyone feared Jack. Jack himself boasted that he would wipe out Shutenmaru and the Atamayama Thieves Brigade.
Now, not only had he failed to achieve that, but he had also sustained serious injuries.
What could Jack say in this moment? His pride was wounded.
"Master Jack!" Alastor spoke, his tone full of respect.
"Your magnificent elephant has left an impression on all your subordinates—it has truly shocked and awed everyone! The bandits who managed to escape under its rampage are lucky."
"Master Jack, I brought a jug of good wine, specially to congratulate you!"
Alastor took out a jug of wine and poured a large bowl for Jack, as well as one for himself.
The rich aroma of the wine quickly filled the room.
Jack, looking at Alastor's actions, suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of emotion. The towering, powerful man, over eight meters tall, was on the verge of tears.
"Master Jack?" Alastor raised the wine bowl before Jack.
Jack snapped back to reality, took the bowl, drank it down in one gulp, then slammed the bowl onto the ground with a crash. He clapped Alastor heavily on the shoulder.
"Brothers!"
Such dignity, such pride, and yet he was calling his subordinates "brothers" in this way?
Alastor was a bit taken aback, but after thinking about it, it made sense.
Jack's arrogance and ferocity were for outsiders. Among his true comrades—Kaido, King, Queen—Jack often humbled himself for the sake of unity.
He should have been truly moved by Alastor at this moment, so much so that he could call Alastor his good brother. However, in reality, Jack was only a few years older than Alastor.
Jack is the youngest of the three disasters, still just shy of thirty.
Jack called Alastor his good brother, and while being moved by Alastor's actions was part of the reason, the bigger reason was that Jack recognized Alastor's strength.
During the battle with Shutenmaru, Alastor had demonstrated a fearless and powerful spirit. He even unleashed a black slash that wounded Shutenmaru, whose strength was comparable to Jack's own.
In Jack's eyes, Alastor's strength had surpassed that of a typical fighter; at the very least, he was at the level of the Agents.
Jack said, "Alastor, I admire your strength very much. Do you intend to become the Sixth of the Agents? The current Sixth is actually just the Fifth, and there's one spot left."
Alastor's eyes flickered.
There are indeed only five members in the current Agents: Page One, Black Maria, Sasaki, Ulti, and Who's-Who.
In the original timeline, the Sixth member was Navy undercover X Drake, but it was still too early for Drake to arrive in Wano Country.
Alastor did intend to join the Agents.
After all, becoming a member would mean entering the core of the Beasts Pirates and drawing Kaido's attention. His authority would no longer be confined to Bakura Town, and he would have command over the pirates in Kurii and even the entire Wano Country.
In the future, anything Alastor wanted to accomplish in Wano Country would be much easier with that kind of position.
However, becoming an Agent also carried risks. His name and face would soon spread to the Navy, and his bounty would circulate across the seas.
Alastor wasn't afraid of being hunted by the Navy, but he was concerned that becoming famous too early might make it harder to make a name for himself on the seas in the future.
After thinking for a while, Alastor said to Jack:
"Thank you, Master Jack, for your kindness. However, I have just become a real fighter, and my strength and other aspects are still lacking. When I am ready, I will ask Master Jack to speak to Boss Kaido about a chance to challenge for a spot in the Agents."
To be promoted to the Agents, it wasn't simply a matter of asking. One had to defeat or at least match the strength of a current member.
Alastor was seizing the opportunity to entrust this matter to Jack.
Jack patted his chest and said in a low voice, "No problem, leave it to me!"
Jack was very loyal to those he recognized, and Alastor felt increasingly fond of him.
With his tough skin, resilience, and the ability to take a beating, Jack was the kind of boss one could never find anywhere else.
Alastor and Jack had a good conversation.
After Jack returned to Ghost Island, Alastor went back to Bakura Town to prepare a few things. That night, he quietly made his way to Ghost Island under the cover of darkness.
Following the route in his memory, he soon arrived at the familiar small cave.
Inside, Yamato wasn't there, and Alastor didn't know where she had gone.
He decided to wait for Yamato in the cave.
It wasn't until over two hours later that Yamato returned.
"Hey, Alastor! It's great that you're here, look what I got today!"
When Yamato saw Alastor, her beautiful eyes lit up with excitement.
She held a mace in her right hand and a shiny roast suckling pig in her left.
The roast suckling pig exuded a strong, mouth-watering aroma. Yamato took a deep breath and said, "It smells so good!"
"Where did you get that from?" Alastor asked casually while placing the food and wine he brought on the ground.
Yamato tossed her snow-white hair, smiling proudly.
"It was stolen from that girl, Ulti. She screamed in anger and beat Page One hard, but what can she do to me? I'm Kozuki Oden!"
Alastor was speechless. Why couldn't Yamato's bad habit of claiming to be Kozuki Oden be corrected?
Seeing Alastor's disapproving expression, Yamato stuck out her tongue, sat beside him, and said softly:
"Okay, I get it. I won't mention Kozuki Oden's name in front of you anymore, okay?"
Alastor grew serious, staring into Yamato's eyes.
"Yamato, everyone is free to admire anyone, but I don't want you blindly worshipping Kozuki Oden without understanding him fully or thinking rationally about it."
"How can we understand him properly?"
"Look and think. Look at Wano Country's past and present, and consider what kind of world this sea really is."
Yamato supported her chin with her delicate wrists, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I've always wanted to visit Wano Country and explore the outside world, but I never had the chance. I've only been able to learn from Kozuki Oden's diary. By the way, what did you bring?"
Yamato looked at Alastor.
Alastor took out several snails from his bag.
"To give you a chance to see the outside world, I brought a few video den den mushi."
"Video den den mushi!" Yamato jumped up in surprise. "How do you use it? Teach me quickly!"
Alastor handed a snail to Yamato and showed her how to use it.
Yamato fumbled with the snail, and soon enough, the snail's eyes opened, and an image appeared.
Yamato stared at it, not blinking.
"What's this? It's just someone's room."
The image showed a luxurious bed, some stools, and sets of men's clothes.
"Ahem!" Alastor quickly switched to a different snail. "I took the wrong one, that's my room."
Yamato mumbled, "Why do you sleep in such a big bed all alone?"
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Shirokendama
Shirokendama Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง