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[TIOP] Chapter : 74
🕑 Added 2025-03-18 19:05:21 +0000 UTC"So, this is why you've been provoking two of the Four Emperors’ pirate crews?" Sengoku asked, his gaze sharp as he summoned Jack to his office the moment he returned to headquarters.
"Fleet Admiral, no matter how you look at it, capturing pirates isn’t wrong, is it?" Jack replied, pouting slightly.
As long as he held onto this argument, he knew he was untouchable.
Sengoku let out a weary sigh. "For now, stay at headquarters and keep away from G5. I understand your enthusiasm for capturing pirates, but the situation in the New World is far more chaotic than you realize. We can't afford to provoke the Four Emperors at this stage."
"Alright, since you're the Fleet Admiral, I'll share some valuable information for free," Jack said with a smirk as he leaned in closer. "There's something off about Vice Admiral Vergo of the G5 base."
Sengoku's expression darkened. "Jack, you can't just make baseless accusations because Vergo reported you."
"Don't worry, there's no personal grudge between us. I wouldn't make claims without reason," Jack responded, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "I don’t have concrete evidence, but I overheard him speaking with Donquixote Doflamingo. I believe he’s an undercover agent planted by the Donquixote family within the Navy."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. "What? Are you certain?"
Jack nodded. "I didn’t catch the entire conversation, but I distinctly heard them mention that our Navy had once planted an undercover agent named Corazon in the Donquixote Family. I had no idea about this before that day, so if you verify whether there was ever a spy named Corazon, you’ll have your answer."
Jack's words shook Sengoku. Hearing that name again—Corazon—momentarily stunned him.
"There was a Corazon," Sengoku admitted, his voice heavy with sorrow. "But he’s long dead."
Corazon’s real name was Donquixote Rocinante. He was Doflamingo’s younger brother. Unlike his brother, he possessed a strong sense of justice and had gone undercover to try and stop Doflamingo’s tyranny. In truth, he had been a marine, holding the rank of lieutenant. He was also the user of the Silence-Silence Fruit—and, most importantly, Sengoku’s adopted son.
When Corazon’s cover was blown, Doflamingo executed him. Sengoku had mourned his loss bitterly, and the incident remained one of the Navy’s most classified secrets. The fact that Jack even knew about Corazon convinced Sengoku that his claims about Vergo carried weight.
"I understand," Sengoku finally said after a long pause. "Keep this information to yourself for now. I’ll handle it personally."
"Of course, Fleet Admiral. I’m not in the habit of sharing everything I know," Jack said with a casual wave of his hand. Then, as he turned to leave, he added, "But you might want to pay closer attention to this, sir. After all, their undercover agent is already a Vice Admiral—meanwhile, I, a promising Rear Admiral, seem to have caught his eye. Doesn’t that seem a little off to you?"
With that, Jack exited Sengoku’s office, leaving the Fleet Admiral deep in thought.
"You little brat, didn't I just promote you recently?" Sengoku scolded with a smile but soon fell into silence, lost in thought.
Unbothered by Sengoku’s contemplation, Jack returned home and resumed his training. Though he had only been away for a short time, he had experienced several large-scale battles, accumulating valuable combat experience that needed to be processed. Rather than rushing to spend his hard-earned diamonds, he focused on refining his skills.
—
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Luffy and his crew finally set foot on the Sabaody Archipelago. There, they reunited with Hatchan, the octopus fishman they had encountered months ago in the East Blue.
Fortunately, Nami had long since come to terms with the painful memories of her past, and her hatred toward Hatchan had faded. With no lingering grudges, the crew followed him as he led them through the archipelago.
"This is the shop of the best coating craftsman I mentioned! Shakky, we're here!" Hatchan cheerfully announced, bringing Luffy and the others to Shakky’s Rip-off Bar.
As soon as they stepped inside, they were met with an unusual sight—Shakky, the bar’s owner, was in the middle of mercilessly beating a pirate, leaving him bloodied and barely conscious.
Despite the scene, her demeanor shifted the moment she spotted Hatchan. Flashing a warm smile, she welcomed Luffy and his crew inside.
After chatting for a while, Shakky curiously turned to Luffy and asked, "By the way, your name—Luffy. It's the same as a certain Marine hero, Garp. Any relation?"
"Oh, that’s my grandpa!" Luffy replied nonchalantly.
Shakky’s eyes widened slightly before a nostalgic smile spread across her face. "So that’s how it is. Back in the day, Garp used to chase me all over the world!"
"Why?" the Straw Hat Pirates asked curiously.
"Because Shakky was once a pirate!" Hatchan answered on her behalf.
Shakky chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "That was forty years ago. I left that life behind and now make a living selling information."
Shifting the conversation, Luffy once again brought up the matter of coating the Thousand Sunny. However, Shakky explained that her husband had gone out for some fun and had no set return date. In fact, he had been away for the past six months.
Luffy and his crew were stunned. They immediately offered to help track him down, but Shakky stopped them with a word of caution. "You should be careful," she warned. "You're already considered Supernovas in this era."
The crew exchanged confused glances, unfamiliar with the term. Seeing this, Shakky smiled and explained,
"There are seven routes leading into the Grand Line, but eventually, they all converge here at Sabaody Archipelago before entering the New World. This means that among the pirates who have arrived at the same time as you, there are a total of eleven captains with bounties exceeding 100 million berries. You’re all known as Supernovas—rookie pirates with extraordinary potential. And, Luffy, your bounty is the second highest among them!"
"Is there really a newcomer with a higher bounty than Luffy?" Chopper asked in shock.
"That's right," Shakky confirmed with a knowing smile. Taking a slow drag from her cigarette, she continued, "The current bounties, from highest to lowest, are Eustass Kid, Monkey D. Luffy, Basil Hawkins, X. Drake, Trafalgar Law, Scratchmen Apoo, Killer, Jewelry Bonney, Capone Bege, Roronoa Zoro, and Urouge. You eleven are this era’s Supernovas. But remember, the Navy also has its own rising stars."
"The Navy?" Nami repeated, surprised. "They have supernovas too?"
Shakky shook her head. "Not quite. Unlike pirates, the Navy follows a structured training system, so they don’t have a concept of ‘Supernovas.’ However, every few years, a few monstrous talents emerge—prodigies who shake the world. The last generation had 'White Hunter' Smoker and others."
"The Smoky Guy!" Luffy exclaimed, instantly recalling his encounter with Smoker back in Loguetown.
"So, does the Navy have a monster-level genius this time around?" Nami asked curiously.
Hearing Nami’s question, Shakky smiled, momentarily lost in thought before answering, "Right now, the most renowned prodigy in the Navy is Jack the Ruthless Demon. Unless something unexpected happens, he's destined to become an admiral."
"Jack?!" The entire Straw Hat crew—except for Brook, who was nothing but bones—shouted in surprise.
"That's right," Shakky continued with a knowing smirk. "By the way, Little Jack's Garp’s student. And since you, Luffy, are Garp’s grandson, it seems the two of you are fated to cross paths. But judging by your reactions, you already know him?"
"Shakky, why do you call him ‘Little Jack’? Do you know Jack personally?" Nami asked curiously.
"Ah~ you could say that," Shakky chuckled, reminiscing about the time Jack had come to train under Rayleigh.
After chatting for a while, the Straw Hat Pirates set off in search of Rayleigh, still unaware of the true significance of his name.
As they wandered through the Sabaody Archipelago, they stumbled upon an amusement park. Camie, being a mermaid, had never been to one before, and the crew, caught up in her excitement, completely forgot their original mission.
Meanwhile, Zoro, who had separated from the group, roamed the island alone. By sheer chance, he crossed paths with a traveling Celestial Dragon.
