NoviceAuthor
patreon
[TIOP] Chapter : 36
🕑 Added 2025-02-18 11:43:35 +0000 UTC"Jack!" Luffy and the others shouted excitedly.
Sure enough, the figure stepping out of the cabin was none other than Jack, now fully recovered.
"Hey~ beautiful lady, we meet again!" Jack greeted Robin with a smirk before turning to Luffy.
"I never expected to be saved by you. Now, tell me—do you know what this means?"
Luffy grinned and waved his hand dismissively. "Haha, don’t worry about it!" He assumed Jack was simply thanking him.
Jack chuckled, walked over, and gave Luffy a light knock on the head. "Thanking you? No, you’ve actually caused me a lot of trouble!"
Luffy pouted, rubbing his head. "What? I saved you, and now you’re saying I caused trouble?"
Nami, ever quick-witted, narrowed her eyes. "Is it because of Crocodile?"
She figured that, as a Marine, it would be inconvenient for Jack to directly oppose one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—especially now that Luffy had made an enemy of Crocodile.
Jack sighed. "Taking down Crocodile? That’s the least of my worries. The real problem is your father!" He pointed at Luffy, a headache evident in his voice. "I’ve been off the grid for so long that if Marine Headquarters assumes I’m dead, guess who they’ll blame? Your old man!"
The crew fell silent, stunned.
"Wait... what does this have to do with Luffy’s father?" Usopp finally blurted out, echoing everyone’s confusion.
"My father? What happened to him? Wait... do I even have a father?" Luffy asked, genuinely curious.
Jack blinked, then let out a chuckle. "Ah? You’ve never met him? Wow, your family really drops the ball on important things." He shook his head in amusement.
Meanwhile, Sanji, Nami, and the others exchanged knowing glances. If Luffy’s family had even half his carefree nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if they simply forgot to introduce him to his own father.
Jack leaned back slightly. "The man who fought me in Loguetown—the one who injured me—was your father. He came there specifically to make sure you set sail. Otherwise, do you really think escaping from Smoker would’ve been that easy?"
Luffy’s jaw nearly dropped. "Wait… what?!"
Jack waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it, no point dwelling on it now—it’s all in the past. What’s more interesting is how your crew has grown. Won’t you introduce me to your new members?" He casually pulled a stool from nowhere and sat down.
"Ah, that’s right!" Only now did everyone remember that they still had an enemy on board. All eyes turned to Robin.
She smiled, unfazed. "So, you’re Jack—the Navy’s so-called genius, famous across Headquarters? I didn’t expect someone like you to suffer defeat in the East Blue… And now, here you are, recovering on a pirate ship." She chuckled softly, tilting her head. "If the Marines get wind of this, I doubt your situation will be very favorable."
Upon learning Jack’s identity, Robin finally felt a sense of relief.
"So, what exactly do you want from Luffy?" Jack asked, flashing a casual smile. "You saw that he was the one who saved me, so don’t go getting any strange ideas."
Robin smirked. "Since you're on their ship, there’s nothing for me to do." With that, she tossed an Eternal Pose to Luffy. "This is an eternal pose to Alabasta." Then, without another word, she turned and climbed back onto her turtle mount.
Luffy caught the device and examined it with curiosity. "What’s this?"
Jack chuckled. "You know how the islands in the Grand Line are connected by magnetic fields, right? A log pose is essential for navigation here. What you’re holding is an eternal pose—it will always point to a specific island, in this case, Alabasta."
"Oh, I see!" Luffy nodded in understanding—then, without hesitation, crushed the log pose in his hand.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Nami shrieked, her face turning red with fury. Finally, they had an eternal pose, and this idiot went and destroyed it.
Luffy crossed his arms, looking completely unfazed. "I'm the captain. I decide where this ship goes!" he declared boldly.
His grand proclamation was immediately met with Nami’s fist of irritation, knocking him flat. "That doesn’t mean you have to break it! Do you have any idea how expensive that thing must be?!"
Amused by the chaos, Jack turned his attention to Vivi and gave her a polite nod. "Then, you must be Princess Vivi of Alabasta?"
She returned the gesture with a small nod, her curiosity piqued. "That’s me. And you are?"
She couldn't help but be curious. This marine seemed to have a good relationship with Luffy and his crew. If they could gain support from the navy, the situation in Alabasta might take a turn for the better.
"By the way, Jack, Vivi’s country is in the middle of a rebellion. Can you help her?" Nami suddenly asked, realizing the potential advantage of his presence.
Jack sighed and shook his head. "That’s a tricky situation. First of all, Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. While I personally disagree with the Warlord system, as a marine captain, I have neither the authority nor the justification to take action against him. Plus, there’s no solid evidence. I can’t just go after a warlord based on word-of-mouth accusations."
"I see…" Nami and Vivi murmured, their disappointment evident.
"But don’t worry," Jack continued with a smirk. "While I can’t directly go after Crocodile, his subordinates don’t share his protected status. Taking care of those small fries won’t be an issue, and that should buy you some time. Additionally, I’ll head to Alabasta and arrange for the navy there to assist your royal family in suppressing the rebellion. However, I can only support Vivi—not you, Luffy."
Luffy grinned. "Hehe, that’s fine. I don’t need any help. As long as Vivi gets the support she needs, that’s good enough!"
Jack stretched, then looked around at the crew. "Well, I’ve been freeloading on your ship long enough. Find me an island to disembark—I need to contact headquarters. If I don’t check in soon, your father might end up taking the blame for killing a marine captain." He chuckled, glancing at Luffy.
"Ah~ Jack, are you leaving already?" Nami asked reluctantly.
What a wasted opportunity! A powerful ally like him, and he was leaving without lending a hand. Nami couldn't help but feel frustrated at the loss.
Jack nodded. "Your next destination is Little Garden, right? That place isn't ideal for me. There are two rather troublesome individuals there, and if I run into them, I won’t be able to hold myself back from taking action. It's best if I just steer clear."
"Little Garden? Sounds fun! Now I’m even more excited!" Luffy grinned eagerly.
Upon reaching a nearby uninhabited island, Jack bid farewell to Luffy and his crew. Using the island's trees, he quickly constructed a small raft and set off for the nearest marine branch. His decision not to accompany them stemmed from two reasons—first, he didn’t want to interfere with Luffy’s growth, and second, he needed to report back to Marineford. If too much time passed without word from him, they might classify him as missing, which could lead to unnecessary complications.
**Marineford**
"Still no news on Captain Jack?" Sengoku asked, his tone edged with impatience. He stood in the control room for communication, arms crossed.
"Reporting, sir! We have yet to receive any updates from Captain Jack. Captain Smoker has been searching the surrounding waters for several days, but there’s been no sign of him," the marine responded with a crisp salute.
Sengoku turned and shot an irritated glare at Garp. This was all his fault. He had left Jack stranded in the East Blue, where he just had to cross paths with Garp’s son. And that boy—Dragon—wasn’t exactly known for his kindness toward marines.
"Ahahaha! Sengoku, relax! That brat Jack isn't someone who'd die so easily!" Garp laughed heartily, utterly unconcerned.
—
A few days later, Jack finally reached Marine Branch G7 and established contact with Marineford.
Since he was already in the Grand Line, Fleet Admiral Sengoku assigned him to continue patrolling the first half of the route before returning to headquarters. Meanwhile, his warship and crew had already been dispatched to retrieve him from G7.
With time on his hands, Jack remained at the marine base to focus on his training. His battle against Dragon had exposed several weaknesses, the most glaring being his endurance. When facing an opponent with higher mastery of Haki and strength, he found that if his chakra and Haki's combined power failed to finish the fight quickly, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
At this stage, the technique alone wasn’t enough to serve as his ultimate trump card. Though powerful, it was heavily restricted by his stamina and energy reserves. The real issue lay in his lack of chakra—something he needed to address urgently.
Unfortunately, the Chakra amount increase had already plateaued. He needed to find a new way to boost his chakra reserves. If not, then he had to increase his Haki training and progress to Emission.
The silver lining, however, was that he was close to leveling up. Had he not promised Vivi to assist in Alabasta, he might have set out to hunt down pirates across the seas to accelerate his progress.
"Captain!" A female officer rushed over, saluting sharply before calling out in excitement. She had red hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing a checkered shirt and navy blue pants. A katana rested on her hip.
Jack opened his eyes, emerging from his meditation. "Lena? You're here already?"
The woman—Lena—was Jack's adjutant. She was an orphan he had rescued during a mission, and with nowhere else to go, he had taken her back to Marineford. There, he discovered her exceptional talent for swordsmanship. Recognizing her potential, he entrusted her training to Gion, the most skilled swordswoman in the navy Jack had ever encountered.
"Captain, everyone was worried sick about you! The moment we heard you were safe, we rushed over as fast as we could!" Lena said, her voice brimming with relief.
"Alright, alright, I'm not that easy to kill!" Jack chuckled, waving off her concerns.
Back at headquarters, Lena had learned that Garp had left Jack stranded in the East Blue, where he encountered the Revolutionary Dragon. Their battle had left Jack's fate uncertain, causing quite an uproar. The fiery young woman had even given Garp an earful over it.
Jack stretched and rolled his shoulders before heading toward the door. "Come on, let's get moving. It's time to stretch our legs a little!"
Lena quickly followed, assisting Jack as he changed into the uniform of a Marine Headquarters Captain.
By the time he arrived at the port, his ship, "The Pearl," had already docked. The marines on board stood at attention, their eyes filled with excitement at the sight of their captain.
With a confident grin, Jack strode to the bow, his voice carrying across the deck. "Haha! Let’s go—it's time to set sail!"
"The Pearl" was no ordinary vessel. It was custom-built using nearly all of Jack’s accumulated merits, designed to be both formidable and imposing. At its bow stood a magnificent dragon head—not a simple, stylized carving like the one on Shanks' Red Force, but an intricately sculpted masterpiece inspired by the Chinese dragon. The result was a figurehead that radiated raw power and dominance, an unmistakable symbol of strength on the open sea.
