The Winter Soldier stood there.
His metal left arm gleamed coldly.
Frank's half-beast body tensed instantly.
Muscles bulged violently beneath his skin, ripping his tactical vest open.
"You take care of the grunts." Frank's forepaws dug into the concrete, carving four white marks.
Gravel flew everywhere.
"I'll entangle that metal arm." Jack stood at the edge of the container, glancing at the dark mass of mercenaries.
The beams of his tactical flashlights intertwined into a net.
"Eighty?" Frank tilted his head, revealing gleaming white fangs.
"You're a crackling gun now." Jack crouched down.
The crosshairs spun steadily in the center of his pupils.
His gaze pierced through the blinding light.
He grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground.
The grey sheen of Armament Haki spread from his wrist, enveloping his palm.
The pebbles hardened.
Jack raised his hand.
Eight pebbles flew out.
Pebbles traced eerie arcs through the air.
Two pebbles bypassed the abandoned machine tool and struck two mercenaries on the left in the temples.
Helmets dented, and the men were sent flying.
Three pebbles suddenly rose higher, plummeting from above and shattering the Adam's apples of the three men.
The remaining three flew close to the ground, piercing the kneecaps of three more.
Eight muffled thuds rang out almost simultaneously.
Eight mercenaries fell to the ground, without even a chance to scream.
Ordinary pebbles, amplified by Armament Haki, gained bullet velocity, shattering tactical helmets and bulletproof plates.
Viktor Lazarev, standing at the rear of the formation, drew his pistol.
"Take cover!"
"Concentrate fire on the containers!"
The remaining mercenaries frantically sought cover.
They raised their automatic rifles and fired blindly.
Bullets struck the metal of the containers, sparks flying.
Jack had already rolled into an abandoned maintenance ditch.
He found a rusty worker's toolbox.
He lifted the cover.
A Phillips screwdriver, a handful of loose screws, a roll of rusty wire.
Jack grabbed three screws and poked his head out from the edge of the ditch.
His crosshair locked onto a heat source behind the bunker.
He flung his hand.
The screws abruptly changed course in mid-air, bypassing a concrete pillar and piercing the foreheads of three mercenaries.
The three fell backward.
Jack tore off a piece of wire, infused it with Armament Haki, and taut it.
The wire spun and flew out, severing the wrists of two mercenaries who were about to throw grenades.
The severed hands and grenades fell to the ground.
The explosion overturned nearby sandbags.
Panic spread among the mercenaries.
They couldn't see the enemy's gun muzzles, only their comrades falling one after another.
In the center of the factory.
Frank collided with the Winter Soldier.
The Winter Soldier's metal left arm slammed down from above.
A gust of wind followed.
Frank didn't retreat.
His semi-awakened Flowing Sakura energy concentrated entirely on his right claw.
A black sheen seeped deep into his bones.
The claw pad collided head-on with his vibranium alloy fingertip.
"Boom." A shockwave of internal destruction exploded from the point of contact.
The concrete slabs on the ground shattered inch by inch.
The blast knocked over seven mercenaries within a five-meter radius.
The Winter Soldier's body swayed.
The crack at the shoulder joint of his metal left arm widened again by half an inch.
The servo motor emitted a piercing screeching sound.
The Winter Soldier quickly retreated.
Tactical switch.
He no longer engaged Frank in a direct confrontation.
Sliding, sidestepping, kicking.
The Winter Soldier moved at high speed around Frank.
His right hand drew a tactical dagger, using the feints of his metal arm to launch attacks.
Frank, being massive, couldn't keep up with his opponent's pace.
Within two minutes.
The dagger left seven deep, bone-revealing wounds on Frank's back, ribs, and thigh.
Blood stained his gray fur.
His Armament Haki defense was being steadily weakened by the high-frequency attacks.
The regeneration rate of his Wolf Fruit began to slow.
Frank gasped for breath, his chest heaving.
The gunfire on the other side of the factory ceased.
Jack stood amidst the carnage.
Sixty-two mercenaries lay dead on the ground, incapacitated.
The remaining eighteen huddled behind cover, clutching their heads, dropping their weapons.
Jack turned, his crosshairs aimed at the rapidly moving Winter Soldier.
He raised his right hand, gripping a Phillips screwdriver.
Just as he was about to throw it,
the Winter Soldier sidestepped, his left arm exposed to the moonlight.
On the shoulder armor of the metal arm was a line of red markings.
"WS-01."
Jack's movements froze.
His left arm throbbed with pain.
There was also an indelible brand on it.
"WS-07." Same series.
Jack paused for half a second.
The Winter Soldier abandoned his pursuit of Frank.
His body twisted sharply, his right leg bracing against a load-bearing pillar.
He flew sideways, kicking Jack in the chest.
Jack was sent flying, crashing through a brick wall and landing in the rubble.
A screwdriver lay nearby.
The Winter Soldier landed, his right hand gripping a dagger in reverse, ready to finish him off.
A massive black shadow pounced from the side.
Frank abandoned all defense.
He used his fully transformed limbs to tightly embrace the Winter Soldier's torso.
Claws dug into his tactical leather jacket, constricting his shoulders and waist.
The Winter Soldier, hindered, raised his metal left arm, his elbow slamming into Frank's back.
"Crack." Ribs broke.
Frank vomited a mouthful of blood, splattering it onto the Winter Soldier's shoulder.
The metal elbow strike came again.
His second rib was broken.
Frank wouldn't let go, his limbs tightening their grip.
"Jack!" Frank roared, blood splattering from between his teeth.
"Those handcuffs!" Jack scrambled to his feet from the rubble.
The excruciating pain in his chest made it hard to breathe.
His left hand reached for his waist.
A pair of conceptual Seastone handcuffs Ron had given him before they left.
Jack pulled out the handcuffs, his crosshairs fixed on the front.
The Winter Soldier was struggling violently, his metal arm swinging wildly.
The two were rolling rapidly.
Jack held his breath.
He pushed his Target-Target Fruit ability to its limit.
He hurled the handcuffs.
The black metal handcuffs flew through the air.
On its first change of course, it suddenly plummeted in mid-air, avoiding Frank's raised wolf head.
On its second change of course, it shifted ten centimeters to the right, dodging the Winter Soldier's swinging metal arm.
The third shift occurred as it slid close to the ground, darting under the Winter Soldier's armpits.
"Click." The locks snapped shut.
The seastone handcuffs precisely locked the Winter Soldier's wrists.
In an instant.
The Winter Soldier's muscles relaxed.
His strength plummeted to that of an ordinary person.
Frank seized the opportunity and kicked him to the ground.
Frank himself collapsed, exhausted, panting heavily.
The Winter Soldier lay on the ground.
He didn't try to break free.
He blankly raised his handcuffed hands.
Confusion and bewilderment replaced the empty silence.
"I..." He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.
"Where am I?" A series of hurried footsteps came from the factory gate.
Viktor Lazarev, sensing danger, was running along the wall towards the exit.
Jack didn't even turn his head, throwing a screw with his backhand.
The screw traced an arc through the air.
It precisely pierced Victor's right Achilles tendon.
Victor screamed, collapsing to the ground, writhing in agony, clutching his ankle.
Frank pushed himself up.
His half-beast form gradually faded, his grayish-white fur retracting into his body.
He dragged his body, broken by three ribs, step by step towards Victor.
Victor retreated in terror, his hands flailing wildly at the ground.
"Don't kill me! Kingpin gave me five million, I'll give you it all!"
Frank crouched down.
His large hand gripped Victor's neck, lifting him halfway up.
"Ben Yurik's life."
Frank's right hand reached for his waist, pulling out another pair of seastone handcuffs.
"Click." A dark red vortex swirled beneath Victor's feet.
Victor's body rapidly sank.
His scream was mercilessly swallowed by the spatial rift.
The vortex closed.
[Viktor Lazarev successfully detained.]
[Sin Value +2800.] Frank released his grip, leaned against a concrete pillar, and pressed the communicator in his ear.
"Ron."
"Brooklyn mission complete."
"Winter Soldier under control. He... seems a little more conscious." The sound of whistling wind came from the other end of the communicator.
Ron's reply was brief and decisive.
"Take him back to the safe house."
"Hand him over to Jessica, use the Soul-Soul Fruit's mental shield to keep him conscious."
"I'll handle the rest." The communication was cut off.
Midtown Manhattan.
Fisk Tower.
The ninety-three-story tower stood against the night sky.
The top floor was brightly lit.
Kingpin was waiting for him.
Ron stood in the plaza outside the tower's main entrance.
The night wind made his white cloak flutter behind him.
The two black characters "Justice" were exceptionally conspicuous under the streetlights.
Jessica stood beside him, also draped in a white cloak.
"Ready?" Ron asked.
Jessica clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking.
"Three days ago, the Purple Man took control of everyone in this building."
She looked up, staring at the massive glass revolving door.
"Today I'm going to clean every single floor."
Ron took his first step.
A dark red light seeped from beneath his feet.
The hard marble floor tiles instantly melted.
Searing lava spread forward with his steps.
A scorching red carpet led straight to the doors of the Fisk Tower.