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[TIOP] Chapter : 49
🕑 Added 2025-02-28 06:40:11 +0000 UTCClang!
Before Jack could close the distance, Killer—stepped in, intercepting his attack with a spinning scythe. The force of the strike sent a metallic clang ringing through the air.
Kidd's and Killer’s eyes widened in shock. "Armament Haki?!" they exclaimed in unison.
Jack raised an eyebrow, amused. "Not bad. I didn’t expect you to recognize Haki this early. Seems like you know more than most."
"Hu~~~~"
Before Jack could react, a peculiar-looking man—his face stitched like a zombie, with eerie blue-purple thorn patterns running across his body—suddenly spewed a torrent of fire directly at him.
As the flames dissipated, Jack reappeared from another corner of the deck, completely unharmed. He dusted off his sleeves with a playful smirk. "Wow, what a show! Do you guys put on acrobatics shows for a living, or is this just a special performance for me?"
Kidd's expression darkened. "Enough! We’re leaving!" He swung his right arm, and in an instant, countless metal fragments—blades, scrap, and debris—shot toward him, assembling into a massive metallic arm. With a furious roar, he launched it at Jack.
Jack, unfazed, activated kami-e, gliding effortlessly toward Kidd. His fist, empowered by Haki, surged forward to meet the attack head-on.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The clash of their attacks thundered across the pirate ship, mingling with the deafening explosions of artillery striking the pirate ship.
Jack’s grin widened. "Seems like you’re out of options." He had clearly gained the upper hand. Though Kidd’s crew repeatedly tried to interfere, Jack was confident—out in the vast ocean, Kidd had nowhere left to run.
"Kidd, now isn’t the time to act recklessly—run!" Killer urgently grabbed Kidd, who had just been knocked back by Jack.
"Damn it! Next time we meet, I won’t let him get away!" Kidd growled, begrudgingly retreating toward a small boat with his closest crew members.
However, Jack had no intention of letting them escape. Standing atop the sinking pirate ship, he smirked and declared,
"Dragon punch"
"Roar~~~"
A massive, spectral dragon head surged toward the fleeing boat, crashing down and instantly sinking it beneath the waves.
Back aboard the warship, Jack frowned. He had been waiting for the system notification confirming his victory, yet no message arrived.
"Huh? He’s not dead?"
Lena, noticing his expression, approached. "Something wrong, sir?"
Jack shrugged. "It’s nothing. Looks like those pirates managed to slip away."
Lena frowned. "Should we continue searching the area?"
Given the power of Jack's attack and the vastness of the sea, she found it hard to believe the enemy had truly escaped. Though she wasn’t sure how Jack had confirmed Kidd’s survival, if someone with his abilities had managed to live through that, then perhaps fate wasn’t ready to claim him just yet.
Jack shook his head. "No, finding Ace takes priority."
Meanwhile, back at Navy Headquarters, Sengoku had just finished a meeting when he finally received word of Jack’s departure.
"Garp!!! You bastard? Why can’t you manage your own disciples properly?" Sengoku sighed in exasperation, watching as Garp casually munched on senbei.
"Bwahahaha, don’t worry about it, Sengoku." Garp chuckled, brushing off the concern. "That kid’s been growing stronger at an alarming rate. He stayed put for a few days—now he’s probably just out at sea looking for a good fight!"
Sengoku sighed. "Forget it. I’m done trying to reason with you. But if he causes trouble again, you’ll be the one cleaning up the mess!"
Just as he finished speaking, he noticed that his old friend had already dozed off. Whether Garp had even heard a word was anyone’s guess.
"Bastard! You fell asleep again!" Sengoku pressed a hand to his forehead, frustration clear in his voice.
"Pop~!"
The bubble on Garp’s nose burst at the sound of Sengoku’s shout, jolting him awake with a bewildered expression. He blinked at Sengoku before lazily scratching his head.
"Ah~ Ah~ Sorry about that; I must’ve dozed off. Can’t help it—I’m getting old!"
Sengoku exhaled slowly, willing himself to stay calm. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "So, how are those two brats you brought back from the East Blue? I heard your adjutant is personally training them. Funny, you never gave Jack this much attention when you took him in. Do they have even greater potential than he does?"
"Ah~?! You mean those two kids?" Garp scratched his head and grinned. "They’re not as talented as Jack. Even without my guidance, that brat would have done just fine on his own. But these two... well, it’s hard to say. Still, they’re promising recruits!"
Garp had always been patient and understanding with young marines, especially those who carried a strong sense of justice.
"Then why don’t you tell Jack that he has two new juniors?" Sengoku smirked. "As their senior, he’ll have to look after them once they’re out at sea."
Garp’s smile froze. He had completely forgotten about that little detail.
Sengoku, seeing his old friend’s reaction, burst into laughter. "Ahaha, I can’t wait for Jack to return to headquarters!"
It wasn’t that Jack would object to Garp taking in new disciples, but the fact that Garp hadn’t mentioned it to him would definitely cause some amusing misunderstandings. Jack would likely assume Garp had kept it a secret out of fear he’d be jealous. Of course, nothing serious would come of it, but Jack would undoubtedly show up to complain, guilt-trip Garp, and squeeze out a few benefits in the process. Both Garp and Sengoku were well aware of this routine.
Meanwhile, out at sea—
"So this is Gaya? Ugh, I see some unpleasant signs already." Jack muttered, stepping onto a small wooden boat alongside Lena as they prepared to land on the infamous island.
"Isn't that the emblem of the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo?" Lena asked, eyeing the round, grinning insignia hanging outside a tavern. "Since when did he take an interest in the first half of the Grand Line?"
"Doesn't matter. He’s not our target for now," Jack replied dismissively. "I’ll deal with him later. When I have some free time, I’ll pay a visit to Dressrosa and stir up some trouble." He sneered at the thought.
Lena, unfazed by his declaration, responded calmly, "Sir, we’ve already captured one of the Shichibukai. If you go after Doflamingo next, the Fleet Admiral is going to be seriously angry."
Jack scratched his head in frustration. "Ugh, being part of the system is such a hassle!"
As they wandered through the island, they gathered information confirming that a pirate resembling Blackbeard had indeed been spotted here. More importantly, Straw Hat Luffy had also been present at the time. Locals mentioned that Luffy had a conversation with Mont Blanc Cricket, a descendant of the so-called "Liar Noland" Mont Blanc Noland, about the legendary City of Gold. However, no one had taken the discussion seriously, dismissing it as just another tall tale.
That said, after Luffy defeated Bellamy the Hyena—who had a bounty of 55 million—his whereabouts became a complete mystery.
"Sir, should we go find Noland’s descendant?" Lena asked, her brows furrowed.
She, like most others, had always regarded the tale of the Noland as nothing more than folklore. As for the City of Gold—it was just another legend, a bedtime story with no real significance.
"Want to meet him? Sure! But Lena, the City of Gold is real." Jack said with a knowing smile, noticing her skepticism toward Noland.
"Huh? Sir, what are you saying? Are you telling me the City of Gold actually exists?" Lena asked, clearly taken aback.
"Curious, aren’t you? Let’s go meet the descendant of the great adventurer Noland. You’ll find out soon enough." Jack grinned.
Though still doubtful, Lena followed Jack to the other side of the island, where they arrived at a peculiar-looking house—one that appeared to be cut in half.
"Is this the place? But why does this house look so strange?" Lena asked, staring at the structure, which featured a grand, villa-like gate painted onto its walls.
Jack stepped forward and called out politely, "Excuse me, is Mr. Cricket home?"
With a creak, the door swung open, revealing a rugged-looking man with chestnut-colored hair, his upper body bare and wrapped in bandages. A cigarette dangled from his lips as he eyed the visitors warily.
"Who are you?" he asked, his tone cautious.
"We’re from the Navy. We’d like to ask you a few questions," Lena introduced herself.
Jack, however, didn’t miss the way Cricket’s expression subtly shifted at the mention of the Navy.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Cricket remained calm but firm. "What do you want to ask? I’ll say this upfront—I don’t know anything."
"Relax, we're not here to arrest the Saruyama Alliance," Jack said with an easy smile.
He was well aware that Cricket had two pirate crews under his command—an ape and a gorilla. However, calling them pirates was a stretch; they were more like salvagers. In fact, Jack wasn’t even sure if they had bounties on their heads, so he had no reason to concern himself with them.
Cricket, however, remained wary. "Then what do you want to ask?" he said, his tone slightly uneasy.
"You’re familiar with the name Noland, aren’t you?" Jack asked, his smile unwavering.
Cricket froze for a moment. Of course, he knew the name. But he couldn't understand why a marine would bring it up now.
"I’ve heard that Noland’s descendants have spent generations searching for the lost City of Gold near Gaya, hoping to clear his name. Isn't that right, Mr. Mont Blanc Cricket?" Jack continued, his tone light yet purposeful.
Lena, standing beside him, was utterly baffled. She had no idea what her master was getting at or why he had chosen to broach this subject.
Cricket took a slow drag from his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke before speaking. "So, you came all this way just to mock me?" His voice was calm, but there was an underlying tension.
Jack shook his head. "Wrong. On the contrary, I'm here to tell you a story."
Finding a comfortable spot, he sat down before continuing. "More than 400 years ago, an explorer and botanist named Noland arrived on Gaya. Later, when he returned with the king, the once-magnificent City of Gold of Shandora had vanished without a trace. Accused of deceiving the throne, he was imprisoned and ultimately executed."
Jack recounted the story he knew, his words weaving a vivid picture. Both Lena and Cricket sat in stunned silence. Though the tale bore similarities to the legend of the "Liar" Jack's version was far more detailed—so much so that it felt as if he had witnessed the events himself.
"So, you're saying Noland wasn’t lying? That the City of Gold disappeared for some unknown reason?" Cricket asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Patience," Jack said with a knowing smile. "There's more to the story."
He leaned in slightly before continuing. "Long ago, the great warrior Kalgara misunderstood Noland, never getting the chance to bid farewell to his closest friend—a regret he carried for the rest of his life. To honor that bond, the people of Shandora rang the golden bell every day, sending their message across the sea in hopes that Noland’s spirit might hear them. Even now, the Shandians continue this tradition, though many of them no longer remember the true reason behind it."
Cricket bit his lip, laughter and tears mingling as emotion overtook him. "So… Shandora was really swept into the sky?" he asked, half-laughing, half-sobbing.
Comments
Jaipal Prachothan
Thanks for pointing it out
Andre Wiranto
It same with 48
