Chapter 54: [54] The Insufferable Glory of Jack Steelheart
The smoke cleared like a theater curtain revealing the main act, and Pierre felt his stomach drop. There he was—the walking disaster himself, Captain Jack Steelheart, protagonist of the worst power fantasy ever committed to paper. The blue hair was even more ridiculous in person, a shade so vibrant it looked like someone had dunked his head in paint. His sleeveless vest hung open to display abs that belonged on a romance novel cover, not a battlefield.
Of course he’s here. Of course he’s shirtless. Of course he’s grinning like he just solved world hunger.
Jack stood amid the wreckage of what had been Orellia’s merchant quarter, hands on his hips in a pose that screamed ’I’m the main character.’ The Torres Twins—two hulking brutes with matching scars and cruel grins—had cornered a young woman near the ruins of an amber stall. The merchant clutched a small velvet pouch to her chest, tears streaming down her dirt-stained cheeks as gems scattered around her feet like fallen stars.
"Hey!" Jack’s voice boomed across the harbor, magnified by whatever enhancement his Titan Seed provided. "Leave that lady alone!"
The larger of the Torres Twins—Pierre remembered him from Chapter 47 as Marcus—turned toward Jack with the lazy confidence of a man who’d never met an opponent he couldn’t crush. "And who’s gonna make us, pretty boy?"
Jack’s grin widened, revealing teeth so white they practically sparkled. "Someone who believes in protecting beautiful ladies from scum like you!"
Jesus Christ. He actually said that. Out loud. In public.
On the ship’s deck, Gideon lowered his axe completely, his scarred face slack with confusion. Even the pirates in the longboat had stopped their arguing to stare at the spectacle unfolding on shore.
"Is that idiot seriously picking a fight with the Torres Twins?" one of them muttered.
That ’idiot’ is about to demonstrate why I hated this story so much.
Marcus Torres let out a low, rumbling laugh. "You hear that, Luis? This peacock wants to play hero!"
Luis, the smaller but more vicious of the brothers, cracked his knuckles. The sound echoed across the water like gunshots. "Should we tell him what happened to the last guy who tried?"