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[TIOP] Chapter : 40
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 17:49:30 +0000 UTCAs Ace was leaving, five pirate ships from Baroque Works suddenly appeared, blocking his path. These bounty hunters were after his head, eager to claim the reward.
Unfortunately for them, Ace only needed a single attack to obliterate all five ships in an instant.
"You bastard! Who told you to steal my experience points?!" A familiar voice rang out.
Ace turned his head, startled, from Jack's voice.
Realizing Jack’s intentions, Ace didn’t hesitate—he bolted, using his flame-powered acceleration to escape across the sea.
Watching him disappear into the distance, Jack let out a helpless sigh. There was no way he could catch up—not without the advanced skills he’d been eyeing in the system’s store.
Frustrated, Jack boarded the Merry and immediately turned to Luffy. "Did you see Ace?"
"Yeah, why?" Luffy asked, his bond with Jack feeling even stronger now that he knew their shared history.
"That idiot—do you know where he’s headed?" Jack gritted his teeth.
Luffy simply shook his head. "No idea!"
"His brother mentioned that one of his crew members made a grave mistake, so he’s hunting him down," Sanji said, standing up.
"Yeah, yeah! That’s what he said!" Luffy nodded eagerly, as if he had just remembered.
"Did he mention exactly where he was headed?" Jack asked urgently.
"No, he didn’t. Why?" Even Luffy, usually oblivious, sensed that something was wrong.
"You idiot! Why didn’t you stop him?! Blackbeard isn’t someone you can just chase down like that!" Jack smacked Luffy on the head in frustration.
Luffy rubbed his head, still grinning. "It’s fine! Ace is really strong! He just took out five pirate ships with a single attack!"
Jack exhaled sharply. "And what if I told you that Ace’s life is in danger? Do you still think it’s fine? You have no idea who he’s up against. Blackbeard was once part of Whitebeard’s crew. Luffy, you’re still too weak!"
Luffy’s expression shifted. Slowly, he pulled down his hat and said with determination, "Then I’ll surpass you."
Jack sighed. "That’s not the point, idiot. Whatever, I was planning to give you a hand, but Ace’s situation is more urgent. So, I’ve sent my adjutant to assist you—she’s the female major who confronted you at the port. Her name is Lena. She’s decent, but don’t expect too much from her. I have to go after Ace—if I don’t, he’ll be in serious trouble."
With that, Jack launched into the air using Geppo and vanished into the distance.
"Do you really think we’re that weak?" Luffy asked in a low voice after Jack had left. This was the second time Jack had told him he wasn’t strong enough.
Sanji and Zoro remained silent. Sanji, coming from the powerful Vinsmoke family of the North Blue, had seen firsthand what true strength looked like. Zoro, having fought against Mihawk, understood just how vast the gap was between them and the strongest in the world.
"It’s fine, Luffy," Nami said, offering reassurance. "There’s an age gap between you and them, but I believe that in two years, you’ll be just as strong—if not stronger. You’re going to be the Pirate King, so don’t let this get to you!"
"I already think Luffy is amazing!" Chopper, the crew’s little doctor, chimed in with admiration.
Luffy exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing toward the horizon. "Now I’m really looking forward to fighting Crocodile. He’ll be a good test of my strength."
Meanwhile, after leaving the Merry, Jack quickly tracked down Lena and instructed her to assist Luffy in quelling the rebellion in Alabasta before setting off alone.
Though Lena was somewhat reluctant, she ultimately followed Jack’s orders. Besides, protecting the Kingdom of Alabasta was also the duty of the navy. Without hesitation, she led her forces toward the capital.
Jack didn’t immediately set out to find Ace. He knew Ace and Luffy would cross paths again, so instead, he headed straight for the "Spiders Café," the gathering point for Baroque Works' senior agents. He figured it was the perfect opportunity to gain the last bit of experience he needed. Besides, some of those agents had bounties on their heads—an added bonus he certainly didn’t mind collecting.
However, before he could reach the Spiders Café, he ran into a few pirates along the way. After swiftly defeating them, he unexpectedly leveled up. Deciding there was no longer a need to make the trip, he found a random inn instead and began reviewing his gains.
"Congratulations! You have leveled up. You have received 5 free attribute points and 1 skill point."
It was the same familiar system prompt he had seen countless times. But this time, there was also a reward for completing a main quest:
"Congratulations! You have completed the main quest and earned 1,000 exp points, 1,000 diamonds, 500,000 gold coins, and 1 basic secret skill!"
A secret skill? Jack frowned slightly. It wasn’t an advanced skill, but instead, it had skipped a level and gone straight to a basic secret skill. Was it because all three of his basic skills had already maxed out? Or was this just how the system worked?
He wasn’t sure, but regardless, a free reward was a free reward—he certainly wasn’t about to complain.
"You have used the basic secret skill ticket and acquired the sword style of 'Sword God' Shimotsuki Ryuuma."
!!!!!!
"Oh Shit!!! Oh Shit!! Ryuuma's sword style? Does this mean I can start using a sword as a weapon and have Ryuuma's kenjutsu abilities!!!??" Jack almost screamed, scratching his head. He hadn't decided on a primary weapon yet. He was leaning more towards Katana, but after his epic failure of learning kenjutsu from Kizaru and Gion, he had shelved it. Now he would need a good katana.
Curious, he decided to check the store. "Let's see what we can find." With a thought, he opened the interface.
"This is..." Jack's brows furrowed as he examined the revamped store. The items for sale remained the same, and the prices hadn't changed, but the layout was completely different. The previous lucky single-draw option was gone, leaving only a ten-draw option and a newly introduced Lottery House. Additionally, two new features had been added: Secret Skill Upgrade and Secret Skill Exchange.
Intrigued, he first explored the secret skill exchange function. The system allowed players to trade ten basic secret skills for a random intermediate one, ten intermediate skills for an advanced one, and ten advanced skills for a unique-tier secret skill.
The secret skill upgrade feature, on the other hand, required diamonds. Players could swap unwanted secret skills for a random one of the same type for 5,000 diamonds, or for a different type for 10,000 diamonds.
Jack quickly did the math. Buying ten secret skills individually was far costlier than upgrading a single one through upgrade. Hence, this new feature might still prove useful.
After exploring the new functions, Jack turned his attention to the newly introduced Lottery House. At first glance, it didn’t seem drastically different from the previous version, except for one key improvement—category-specific roulettes. Now, instead of drawing from a general pool, he could choose a specific roulette. For example, if he only wanted secret skills, he could select the secret skill Roulette, ensuring that only secret skills appeared in the draw, with no unrelated items.
However, upon closer inspection, Jack noticed that both the secret skill Roulette and the Treasure Roulette required 10,000 diamonds per spin, making the outcome unpredictable. While some of the other roulettes had lower costs, Jack already had plenty of miscellaneous items. Since he wasn’t truly playing the game for leisure, most of those extra props were useless to him.
"Should I buy something or try my luck with a spin?" Jack mused as he glanced at his diamond balance—just over 30,000, all earned from his previous raid on pirates.
"Forget it. I’d better save up until I hit 120,000 and buy an advanced secret skill instead." He had long set his sights on "100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva" by Isaac Netero, a highly coveted advanced fighting secret skill priced at 120,000 diamonds.
However, when his eyes landed on the newly introduced roulettes, the temptation to draw resurfaced.
"Just once. One draw for a secret skill and one for a treasure—it’s only 20,000 diamonds. Worst case scenario, I’ll go stir up trouble for Crocodile again."
He smirked, remembering that once Crocodile lost his Seven Warlords of the Sea status, his bounty had been reinstated—over 80 million berries, almost equivalent to a single spin's worth of diamonds.
With that in mind, Jack made his decision.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he clicked on the secret skill Draw.
“You spent 10,000 diamonds and gained a chance to draw a secret skill.”
“Congratulations! You have obtained the intermediate secret skill ‘Stealth Foot’!”
Jack was momentarily stunned. An intermediate secret skill for stealth? Was this fate’s way of telling him to settle for something less instead of aiming for a high-end one? Should he just make do with this for now? He hesitated, torn between saving it for an upgrade or using it immediately.
"Seems like my luck isn't great today. Should I still go for the treasure draw?" He stroked his chin, debating. Eventually, curiosity won. Since he had no idea what kind of treasures were available, drawing once would at least give him some insight.
"You spent 10,000 diamonds and earned a chance to draw a treasure!"
"Congratulations! You obtained 1 Rejuvenating Honey Sake."
Jack froze. sake? Seriously? He had just spent 10,000 diamonds for a gourd of sake?
Yes, a sake gourd. He retrieved the honey sake from his inventory, eyeing it with curiosity. The bottle itself was exquisite—a diamond-green vessel intricately carved with plum blossoms, orchids, and bamboo. It looked almost too elegant to drink.
Still, considering his current alcohol tolerance, he figured he'd probably down it in a single gulp.
However, he didn’t drink it right away. Instead, he carefully checked its description in his inventory.
"Rejuvenating honey sake: A rare blend infused with senzu beans and honey and rice. Take one sip at a time and feel its effects internally. It enhances one's chakra capacity and reserves."
"A treasure that enhances chakra reserves?" Jack's eyes widened in disbelief as he carefully examined the item again.
"It's real! This is actually a treasure that boosts internal strength—and it's not even available in the store! Life truly is a gamble. One lucky draw, and a bicycle can turn into a Lambo!"
Overcome with excitement, Jack eagerly took out the honey sake and couldn't resist taking a sip.
"Wow~ what incredible sake!"
At first, it tasted pleasantly sweet, reminiscent of the high-end liquor from his previous life, but without the harsh burn. The flavor was exceptionally smooth and refined.
"Wait… this is—"
