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[TIOP] Chapter : 67
🕑 Added 2025-03-10 14:38:11 +0000 UTC"Lena, I need to check in with Garp-sensei. You all set sail ahead of me," Jack instructed after a moment of thought.
Lena gave a slight nod before returning to the warship.
Upon arriving at Garp’s ship, Jack was surprised to find Aokiji there as well. However, there was no time to dwell on it. Instead, he addressed Garp directly.
"Sensei, I have an urgent matter to attend to. I need to leave immediately. Can I trouble you to escort those pirates back to headquarters?"
Garp, mid-bite into a senbei, barely glanced at him before waving a hand dismissively. "Go on, then."
He didn’t even ask where Jack was heading.
Jack nodded in acknowledgment. Just as he turned to leave, he paused briefly to offer Aokiji a respectful bow before departing.
Watching Jack disappear, Aokiji finally spoke up. "Vice Admiral Garp, if you let him leave just like that, how do you plan on explaining this to the Fleet Admiral when you return?"
Garp munched on his senbei, seemingly unfazed. Only now did he recall that Sengoku had specifically forbidden Jack from going out to sea. The only reason he had been allowed to come along was to assist in a mission.
And yet, here they were—the mission incomplete, and Jack already gone.
With a shrug, Garp grinned. "Ahh, I’ll just tell Sengoku I forgot."
"Garp-san, you can’t just brush this off. This is just like last time when you told the Fleet Admiral you let Straw Hat go simply because he’s your grandson. He’s bound to be furious!" Garp’s adjutant sighed helplessly.
Garp’s expression stiffened for a moment before he jabbed a finger in the direction of the now-distant Jack. "Why didn’t you say something earlier? You wait until the kid is nearly out of sight to tell me?!"
Bogard fell silent, exasperated. Wasn’t that just common sense? No one would accept the excuses Garp gave! What was even more surprising was that despite being an admiral, Aokiji hadn’t stopped Jack from leaving either.
At that moment, a navy soldier hurried over and saluted. "Sir, the Straw Hat Pirates are preparing to set sail!"
Garp grinned. "Alright then, get me a loudspeaker—and fire a warning shot at them!"
Sure enough, the Straw Hat Pirates, who were still caught up in their discussion about Usopp, failed to notice Garp’s ship approach—until cannon fire from his warship exploded near them.
"Oi, Luffy! Can you hear me? It’s Grandpa! It’s Grandpa!" Vice Admiral Garp bellowed through the loudspeaker.
When Luffy heard Garp’s booming voice, he was instantly bewildered. He shouted back, "Grandpa! What are you doing?! Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t chase us?"
"Oh, a little incident happened, so I changed my mind. You might as well stay here and feed the fish!" Garp replied nonchalantly. "As an apology, I’ll handle this personally! Alright, bring me the cannonballs!"
The Straw Hat Pirates watched in stunned silence as the navy soldiers handed over the shells. They had no idea what Garp was planning.
"Fist Bone: Meteor!" Garp bellowed as he hurled the cannonball with his bare hands toward the Straw Hats’ new ship.
"BOOM!"
Sanji nearly lost his breath. "He just threw a cannonball… by hand?!"
Zoro’s expression turned serious. "That was stronger than an actual cannon."
Garp laughed heartily. "Bwahahaha! I’m not old yet! My strength’s just been slipping a little lately—gotta work on that! Hahaha!"
The Straw Hat Pirates were dumbfounded by his raw power, their shocked expressions making Garp even prouder.
"No way! If this keeps up, our new ship is going to be destroyed! We need to move—now!" Nami shouted urgently at Luffy. She knew he was still waiting for Usopp, but with things spiraling out of control, they couldn’t afford to hesitate.
Meanwhile, Garp casually shrugged off his Cloak of Justice, grinning as he called to his men, "Bring me a thousand shells!"
"Could it be the Fist Bone Meteor Shower?!" Coby gasped in shock upon hearing Garp's command. Hadn’t they agreed to just put on a show and let Luffy’s crew go?
"Alright, kids, let’s get started!" Garp grinned, finally taking things a bit more seriously.
"Full speed ahead! We’ll block the shells!" Luffy shouted. He knew all too well how ridiculously powerful his grandfather was, so he didn’t waste a second before making a run for it.
Just then, Usopp arrived at the port. Realizing the situation, he poured out his true feelings and sincerely apologized to Luffy.
Luffy, who had been waiting for him, pulled Usopp onto the ship with tears in his eyes. But there was no time to celebrate—the dog-headed warship behind them was rapidly closing in.
On board, Franky had already devised an escape plan. However, there was one problem—their new ship still didn’t have a name. Setting sail without one didn’t feel right. After some debate, the crew unanimously agreed to use the name given by Iceberg: "Thousand Sunny!"
Meanwhile, back on Garp’s warship, Coby noticed something unusual. "Hey, look! Luffy and the others have folded up the sails!" he said curiously.
"Have they… given up on escaping?" one of the navy soldiers wondered.
"That ain't luffy's style? What are they up to now?" Garp muttered, puzzled by Luffy's actions.
"Grandpa! Coby! Jack! It was great seeing you!" Luffy called out from the stern of the Thousand Sunny, waving at the dog-headed warship.
Unaware that Jack was no longer there, Luffy still included him in his farewell.
"Luffy, don’t get ahead of yourself—I still have plenty of cannonballs!" Garp grinned, hurling another shell toward the ship.
Luffy shattered the cannonball with a single punch and shouted back, "That won’t work, Grandpa! We’re serious about escaping this time. See you later!"
His carefree response only fueled Garp’s frustration. "Damn brat! My own grandson dares to talk back to me?!" he roared in exasperation.
Ignoring the protests of his subordinates, the enraged vice admiral grabbed a massive iron ball. Meanwhile, Luffy continued waving farewell to the people of Water 7, completely unaware of the impending danger.
"Luffy-san, run! If that thing hits, you’ll be crushed!" Coby cried out in panic.
Hearing Coby’s warning, the Straw Hat Pirates turned to see the enormous iron ball in Garp’s hands. Their faces went pale with terror.
"Franky, hurry up!" Luffy shouted urgently.
"Don’t underestimate me, you little brats! Or you’ll regret it!" Garp bellowed as he swung the iron ball by its massive chain and hurled it straight at the Thousand Sunny!
"Coup de burst!"
Just as panic spread among the crew, Franky, working below deck, finally completed his preparations. A powerful gust of air blasted from the Thousand Sunny’s stern, propelling the entire ship into the sky and narrowly avoiding Garp’s massive iron ball.
"Hey, not bad! That’s a clever trick!" Garp chuckled, unfazed by his failed attack.
Even Aokiji, standing nearby, lifted his eyepatch slightly to get a better look as Luffy’s ship soared through the air.
"Well, that’s that. They really got away," Garp’s deputy sighed in relief.
"Yeah, I can confirm that," Aokiji added with a nod.
Meanwhile, Garp himself burst into hearty laughter. "Bwahahaha! That’s my grandson for you!" Rather than being frustrated, he seemed pleased. After all, he had never truly intended to capture Luffy in the first place.
As the warship turned back, Aokiji lowered his voice and asked, "Garp-san, what exactly is that kid Jack up to?"
Garp fell silent for a moment before sighing. "I’m not sure. A while ago, he started recruiting marines at headquarters. He’s no longer fighting alone."
Aokiji remained quiet, lost in thought. Everyone at headquarters was aware of Jack’s actions, yet no one had explicitly supported or opposed him. Most were content to watch from the sidelines, curious to see how far he could go.
But now that Jack was actively building his own force, the situation had changed. The Marine headquarters wouldn’t stand by forever. If Jack’s ambitions became too apparent, the consequences would be unavoidable.
After bidding farewell to Garp, Jack used Geppo to follow the fishman who had been leading the way; he soon arrived at the island where Ace was last seen.
"Jinbei!" Jack called out as he landed. A sizable group of fishmen had already gathered, and among them stood Jinbei.
"You’re here," Jinbei nodded in greeting, his expression serious. "I’ve examined the area, and the battle traces here definitely belong to Brother Ace."
Jack surveyed the battlefield for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "The worst-case scenario has come true. I’m certain that Ace fought Blackbeard here—and that Teach has already seems to be getting the hang of the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Jinbei’s frown deepened. "The Dark-Dark Fruit… The one he stole after killing Thatch?"
"That’s right." Jack’s tone was grim. "The combination of the Dark-Dark Fruit and Teach is far more dangerous than just the sum of its parts. From now on, even we have to tread carefully around him. I fear only someone as powerful as Whitebeard could afford to take him down."
"What? Is it really that powerful?" Jinbei asked, visibly shocked.
Jack nodded. "Yes. The fruit’s gravitational pull works like a black hole, but more terrifyingly, it can nullify a Devil Fruit user's abilities entirely. I suspect Ace was caught off guard—badly injured before he even realized what was happening. In the end, he had no chance to escape."
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