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[TIOP] Chapter : 78
🕑 Added 2025-03-22 05:00:56 +0000 UTC"Oh? Quite ambitious of you!" Jack chuckled. "But I’m not here for you today. Your problems are for the admiral to handle."
"So, it seems Jack-kun came here for me," Rayleigh said with a knowing smile.
Jack nodded. "That’s right. The Navy caught wind of your presence, though they weren’t certain. So, I came to confirm it myself."
"Now that you’ve seen me, what will you do?" Rayleigh asked lightly. "Looks like my peaceful days are over."
"I was thinking of reporting that I found nothing here—no 'Dark King' Rayleigh, just an old coating craftsman named Laylei. What do you think?" Jack said with a wink.
"Wahahaha! You’re quite the interesting one," Rayleigh laughed heartily. "Alright, as you wish. I won’t interfere in their matters. Luffy-kun, it looks like you’ll have to deal with this on your own. I’m heading back!"
Luffy didn’t seem fazed; he never intended to ask Rayleigh for help in the first place.
"It looks like we’ve been dragged into this mess and are now considered accomplices," Kidd muttered. "I have no interest in facing an admiral right now, so I’m leaving. But I don’t mind cleaning up a bit of your trouble on my way out," he added with a smirk.
Instantly, both Luffy's and Law’s expressions darkened, clearly irritated by Kidd’s arrogance.
"Hey, hey! Where do you think you’re going? You’re a bit too confident, don’t you think?" Jack said with a grin, eyeing the three of them.
Kidd sneered. "Thanks to you, Rear Admiral Jack, I suffered quite a bit back then."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Have we met before?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. He had no recollection of Kidd at all.
Kidd froze for a moment before his expression darkened even further. With a sharp motion of his right hand, every metal object in the human trafficking venue was pulled toward him, merging into a massive, metallic arm.
"Oh? Now that’s an interesting ability," Jack remarked with a smirk. In the blink of an eye, he vanished and reappeared directly in front of Kidd, delivering a powerful strike to his chest.
"Pistol!"
"ROOM!"
Luffy and Law attacked simultaneously—one shielding Kidd while the other targeted Jack.
"Haha! Not bad, you guys really live up to the title of 'supernovas,'" Jack laughed as he effortlessly leaped out of Law’s attack range. His gaze settled on Law. "But your ability… it’s quite dangerous."
"What are you trying to pull? This guy is my target!" Kidd growled, showing no gratitude for Luffy and Law’s intervention.
"This mess started because of me, so naturally, I should be the one to clean it up," Luffy replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Kidd, I’d suggest you don’t get reckless," Law added with a sly grin. "Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to take you out first."
"In that case, let's settle this with a little competition," Kidd said arrogantly, flashing a defiant grin.
"We’ll see it through to the end!" Luffy and Law declared in unison.
As captains of their own crews—each with a bounty exceeding 100 million—Luffy and Law had no intention of letting Kidd hog all the glory.
"Oh my~ It seems I've been holding back too much!" Jack chuckled, tearing off his cloak. His playful demeanor vanished as he shifted into a serious stance.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions rocked the human auction house, reducing the entire venue to rubble.
"Look, it's Rear Admiral Jack!" A marine shouted as Jack emerged from the ruins, unscathed.
"And over there—it's the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Kidd’s crew is here too!"
"Ah—Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death! Rear Admiral Jack is taking them all on!" Another soldier exclaimed. "Commodore, should we step in and assist?"
As the dust settled, the marine finally got a clear view of the battlefield.
"I really underestimated this so-called navy genius," Law muttered, panting heavily.
Kidd clutched his injured arm, blood soaking through his clothes, turning them crimson. Luffy was in a similar state, wiping away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"So that’s the power of Haki…" Luffy murmured, still feeling the sting of Jack’s punch. Even his rubber body hadn't been able to negate the impact completely.
"You supernovas sure are persistent!" A voice called out.
Lena and the other marines arrived behind Jack, observing the battered trio. Jack waved his hand dismissively and smirked. "Not bad, but you’ll need more than that to take me down."
"Well then," Jack declared with a broad grin, "as Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, I officially place all of you under arrest! You might want to surrender—if I’m in a good mood, I might just let you walk away." His tone was lighthearted, but his eyes gleamed with sharp intent.
"ROOM! Slaughterhouse!"
Law made the first move, activating his ability without hesitation.
"Gear Second!"
Luffy’s body began to emit steam as he unleashed his full speed and power, abandoning any pretense of restraint.
At the same time, Kidd raised his arms, and the weapons from the surrounding marines tore free from their hands, flying toward him under the force of his magnetism. Not only did he disarm the marines, but the swarm of metal greatly amplified his own combat potential.
Jack smirked. "What a troublesome bunch! But a mere Shigan bullet should do the trick!" With a calm smile, he raised a single finger and pointed at Law.
Law’s expression immediately tensed. He had just witnessed this very technique injure Kidd in an instant—there was no way he would let himself get hit. Without hesitation, he activated Shambles, swapping places with a nearby marine just in time.
"AHH!"
The unfortunate soldier who replaced Law let out a cry as Jack’s attack struck him, though thankfully, it missed any vital areas.
Jack clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. "Tsk. Slippery little guy." Then, glancing at the marines, he gave a simple command: "Step back and form an encirclement—don’t let them escape. Leave the rest to me."
At his order, the marines quickly retreated, adjusting their positions into a tight formation, sealing off any possible escape routes. Meanwhile, Jack turned back to his opponents, his grin widening. "Now then… where were we?"
"Time is running out, you two. Let's split up here—if an admiral actually shows up, things will get ugly," Kidd said, his brow furrowed as he scanned their surroundings.
"Agreed. We'll each escape separately. Whoever gets unlucky… well, just do your best to keep that rear admiral busy," Law nodded, his tone pragmatic.
They all understood one thing—defeating Jack in a short time was impossible.
"Sanji, Zoro, let's go!" Luffy didn't waste time on unnecessary words. He knew this wasn’t the moment to show off; it was the moment to run.
In no time, the three pirate crews scattered in different directions, momentarily throwing Jack off. He clicked his tongue in annoyance but quickly made his decision.
"Forget it. I'll go after Kidd—he's left a trail of civilian corpses behind him. If anyone here deserves to be hunted down, it's him. Lena, follow Luffy. I'll meet up with you after I deal with Kidd!" Jack commanded before locking onto Kidd’s retreating figure and giving chase.
"You bastard! Why are you after me?!" Kidd shouted in frustration as he glanced back to see Jack gaining on him.
Law, watching from a distance, smirked. "So, the rumors are true. This so-called naval genius despises evil above all else. If you’ve slaughtered innocent civilians, you're as good as dead. But if you've never harmed the weak… well, you might just have a sliver of hope."
—
Meanwhile, Rayleigh chuckled heartily as he carried Cami on his back, following behind the Straw Hat Pirates. "Wahaha! You little brats aren’t half bad! That kid Jack’s strength isn’t something to take lightly—managing to slip away from him is quite the feat!"
"Rayleigh-san, you seem quite familiar with Jack," Nami asked while running alongside him.
Rayleigh chuckled. "Oh, we go way back. The last time we met, that kid wanted me to teach him Haki."
"Huh? But isn't Jack's teacher Vice Admiral Garp? Why would he need to learn from you?" Nami asked, surprised.
Rayleigh smirked. "Oh? You certainly know a lot for a little lady."
"We know Jack well—he's Luffy's brother," Nami said slightly flustered, not bothering to hide the connection.
"So that's how it is," Rayleigh mused, stroking his chin in thought.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Jack, still in pursuit of Kidd, suddenly noticed that his target had come to a halt.
"Oh? A Pacifista? That must mean Kizaru is here," Jack muttered as he spotted the towering figure blocking Kidd’s path.
The mechanical "Kuma" standing in Kidd’s way was unmistakable—one of the Pacifista, a humanoid weapon secretly developed by the Navy. Modeled after the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, these cyborgs were under the command of the Navy’s science division.
And since Kizaru oversaw that division, there was no doubt—if the Pacifista had arrived, then the admiral couldn't be far behind.
