Capone: Fortress of Ambition

Little Oars Jr. agreed to join the Fire Tank Pirates just like that. The process was so smooth that even Bege found it somewhat surprising.

Perhaps Little Oars Jr. was a profoundly lonely person. Throughout his life, he had mostly encountered fear and wariness from others. Even his own crew treated him more with awe than genuine companionship.

When someone was sincerely willing to accept him, care for him, and truly enter his heart, Little Oars Jr. would regard them as a good friend, even a brother he could entrust his life to.

Bege personally weaving a straw hat for him the previous night, treating him to drinks, and catching fish for him had deeply moved him. It was because of this that Little Oars Jr. had agreed to join Bege's pirate crew.

When the crew of the Majin Pirates learned they were to join Bege's crew, they were unanimously in favor. Being backed by a more powerful pirate crew meant a better chance of survival in the perilous New World, which was a fantastic development for them.

After noon, the Sky God and Little Oars Jr.'s ship, the Ogre, set off together. A few days later, they successfully conquered another Marine-controlled mining island.

During this time, Treade reported a matter to him: the renowned Bisacchi Family, an underworld powerhouse in the New World, was organizing a grand martial arts tournament on Black Fist Island.

The ultimate prize for this tournament was an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit: the Dragon-Eating Giant Eagle Fruit, a rare flight-capable Devil Fruit.

The value of this fruit was second only to Mythical Zoans and Logia-type Devil Fruits.

Bege greatly coveted this Devil Fruit, so he immediately set course for Black Fist Island.

En route, they encountered the hellish climate of the New World. Even the Sky God couldn't fly through it and was forced to navigate the tumultuous seas.

The ocean itself was equally treacherous, transforming the entire area into a hellish sea.

Massive ocean whirlpools would appear out of nowhere. Storms, blizzards, and hail would strike intermittently. The bizarre and ever-changing weather turned this stretch of sea into a graveyard for ships.

As the Sky God sailed through this region, Kuse, the navigator, expertly steered the ship, maneuvering it away from one whirlpool after another.

Fortunately, the Sky God possessed enough power and was sturdy enough; otherwise, it would have been torn apart while escaping the numerous maelstroms.

Little Oars Jr.'s massive ship, the Ogre, was ripped apart by an ocean whirlpool during the journey and was lost to the sea.

Bege brought Little Oars Jr. and his crew into his body-castle for safety.

"That pirate ship was shattered! Everyone was swallowed by the whirlpool!" On the fifth day, Bege and his crew witnessed another pirate ship fail to navigate the hellish sea, consumed by a vortex. This was already the sixth ship they had seen devoured by the ocean.

"When will we ever leave this terrifying sea?" Bege muttered, looking up at the sky as a dense shower of "fire ice" began to fall. It was a strange type of hail encased in flames, which erupted violently upon striking the ship's hull and the sea surface.

"Defend! Quickly, defend! Shatter all the fire ice! Don't let it hit the Sky God! Marklode, create bone shields!" Kuse roared from the deck, and the entire crew methodically defended against the relentless barrage of flaming hail.

On the seventh day, after narrowly navigating a massive whirlpool a hundred meters in diameter, the lookout spotted something.

"Godfather, a pirate fleet is approaching us!"

Bege instantly appeared at the bow, looking towards a large pirate ship in the distance, currently enduring a snowstorm. Flanking the massive vessel were four smaller pirate ships. The fleet was heading in their direction.

"Full speed ahead, get us out of here!" Bege frowned and ordered the Sky God to accelerate. Regardless of whether this fleet was friend or foe, he had no desire to engage them here. He certainly didn't want to linger any longer in this hellish sea.

The Sky God sped forward.

"They're speeding up too!" Bege saw the enemy fleet also accelerate, tailing them closely.

"Cannonballs incoming! Cannonballs incoming!" the lookout cried out in alarm. Bege looked up to see a cannonball streaking across the sky, heading straight for their warship.

Modi unleashed a slash of sword energy, cleaving the cannonball in two.

Bege stared at the distant pirate fleet. At such a range, they were well beyond the effective firing distance of standard cannons; it should have been impossible for a cannonball to reach them.

There was only one possibility: someone had thrown the cannonball. Like Garp, the enemy possessed astonishing strength.

One after another, cannonballs flew through the air. Some exploded upon colliding with hailstones, but most continued towards the Sky God. Modi and the others quickly intercepted them.

"Enemies!" Bege narrowed his eyes, now certain of their hostile intent.

"Reduce speed!" Bege immediately ordered the Sky God to slow down. The pirate fleet rapidly closed the distance, and soon, their pirate flag became visible.

"The Mammoth! That's Jack's ship!" How could Bege not recognize that unique mammoth skull emblem? It belonged to Jack the Drought, one of Emperor Kaido's Three Disasters, who, in the original story, had a bounty of one billion Berries.

At this point in time, Jack had already joined Kaido's crew, but his bounty hadn't yet reached a billion. Bege had seen his wanted poster; it was only 400 million.

"Jack the Drought. You dare to pick a fight with me? Time to teach you a lesson." A vicious glint appeared in Bege's eyes. The Sky God continued to slow, allowing Jack's fleet to rapidly close the gap.

All the cannons aboard the Sky God swiveled, aiming at Jack's ships.

Aboard the Mammoth, one of Jack's crewmen asked nervously, "Captain Jack, are we really going to war with the Fire Tank Pirates? The Demon Dragon has a bounty of 950 million Berries!"

Jack sent the crewman flying with a single punch, knocking him into the sea. The remaining crewmen trembled in fear, terrified.

"All of you, shut up! I refuse to believe that Demon Dragon whelp is actually that strong at his age!" Jack's roar sent a deeper chill through his crew, and no one dared to voice any further objections.

"Once I kill him, his bounty will be mine!" Jack stared at the Sky God, his face alight with manic excitement.

"Full speed ahead! Make sure you catch them!" Jack bellowed, and his crew rowed with even greater fervor.

Bege watched the distance between them close. Once they were within firing range, he gave the direct order: "All cannons, target the sea surface near their fleet!"

BOOM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over a hundred cannons fired simultaneously and then immediately began reloading for another barrage. In just ten seconds, hundreds of cannonballs were launched, momentarily obscuring the sky.

The colossal figure of Jack watched the incoming cannonballs, his expression changing.

"Return fire! Return fire! Shoot down those cannonballs!" Jack commanded.

All five pirate ships opened fire simultaneously, and cannonballs exploded in mid-air.

Soon, however, Jack realized they didn't even need to return fire. The enemy's cannonballs were all inexplicably landing in the sea in front of their ships; not a single one had hit their hulls. He watched as hundreds of shells exploded on the water's surface and immediately began to scoff, his demeanor arrogant.

"Hahaha! Did their gunners learn to shoot from a pile of dung? Faster! Forward! I'm going to take down Capone Bege!"

The pirate fleet began to accelerate, but their speed wouldn't pick up. It was as if an immense force was sucking at their hulls from below.

"A whirlpool! Captain, it's an ocean whirlpool! We're caught in an ocean whirlpool!" A crewman cried out in terror as he saw the seawater around them begin to spin.

Jack leaned over the ship's railing and saw the swirling water. His expression finally changed. "Full power! Break free of the whirlpool!"

Bege watched Jack's fleet ensnared by the whirlpool, a cunning smirk playing on his lips. During their days navigating this hellish sea, he had discovered that its surface behaved much like quicksand in a desert. Applying a certain amount of force to the water could alter the ocean currents, thereby forming whirlpools. Even a large amount of hail falling into the sea could generate significant currents, let alone a concentrated barrage of cannonballs.

Bege couldn't help but shiver as he saw two of Jack's ships being torn to pieces and dragged into the ocean whirlpool.

"Full speed ahead! Let's get out of this damned place as quickly as possible!"

This stretch of sea was far too dangerous.