Cracker gave himself the perfect excuse.

That's right—he hadn't come here to fight in the first place. His goal was to take Caesar back to Big Mom so she could create the drug to produce giants.

As for enemies or troublesome opponents, that wasn't his problem.

Even if this incident was brought up in the future, he could always say it had nothing to do with him… yes, that sounded perfect!

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Cracker's eyes swept over to the beast pirates guarding Caesar.

Right now, those pirates were staring wide-eyed at Jack the Drought, who was still being beaten senseless, their jaws practically hitting the floor.

To them, Jack was supposed to be a god of destruction—someone who brought disaster wherever he went. But now? He was nothing more than a battered sandbag.

"This can't be real…" Caesar muttered, his own mouth hanging open. "Jack was talking big earlier, saying he could crush that guy instantly… and now look at him!"

The scene before him was absurd—a completely unknown man defeating Jack with overwhelming force, summoning strange bandaged monsters that tore apart his enemies without mercy, leaving nothing but bones.

If that man came for him next, Caesar knew he was finished.

The beast pirates were equally shaken.

"Should we… go help Jack?" one of them asked nervously.

"Help? Are you insane? Didn't you see those monsters tear through our men like nothing? If you want to be eaten alive, go ahead!" Caesar snapped. "If you don't want to die, start the ship—now!"

The two pirates quickly agreed.

"There's no way we can beat someone who defeated Jack. We'll take Caesar back and call Kaido instead. He's the strongest man in the world—he can save Jack!"

But just as they prepared to set sail, a blinding slash cut through the ship's hull, splitting it in two.

"It's… a biscuit soldier!" one pirate cried out.

A giant biscuit soldier landed on the deck, wielding six swords. In an instant, both pirates—and the remains of the ship—were sliced apart.

From inside the soldier, Cracker stepped out, his cold eyes locking onto Caesar.

"Caesar, you have no idea how hard you were to find."

"Cracker! Take me with you—I'll do anything you say, just get me out of here!" Caesar blurted, relief flooding his face.

This place was far too dangerous. Jack's army was annihilated, and even Jack himself had been brutalized. Caesar was terrified he'd end up as another pile of bones.

"Smart choice," Cracker sneered. "Let's go."

But before he could grab Caesar, a calm, emotionless voice echoed from above.

"You two really think you can make such a scene under my watch and just leave?"

Both Cracker and Caesar froze, their hearts pounding. Slowly, they looked up—only to see Lance, standing in midair, looking down on them.

"Cracker, weren't you here to challenge me? You're one of Big Mom's top officers, a famous pirate in the New World. Why don't you come and fight me?" Caesar taunted from the side.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Cracker snapped, slapping Caesar across the face.

When his gaze returned to Lance, his eyes darted around nervously, avoiding direct contact.

"You… you win. Take Caesar. I'm not fighting you."

Even after rehearsing countless scenarios in his head, Cracker still abandoned Caesar without hesitation, turning to flee.

"You think you can still leave?" Lance said lightly, flicking his hand.

Countless threads of white shot forward, wrapping around Cracker's biscuit soldiers and piercing straight through their armor. The threads coiled around him tightly, immobilizing him completely.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Cracker howled, unable to bear even the slightest pain.

"What do you want?! I'm Big Mom's most beloved son—she won't forgive you for this!"

"Won't forgive me?" Lance's cold smile widened. "That's exactly what I'm hoping for."

With that, his hand clenched sharply.

(End of Chapter)

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