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[TIOP] Chapter : 19
🕑 Added 2025-02-04 15:32:08 +0000 UTCTwo years later, at the Naval Headquarters:
"Send word to Captain Jack that the seastone he requested has arrived," a petty officer instructed a nearby marine while tallying the inventory.
"Yes, sir!" The marine replied, before hesitating and adding curiously, "Sir, is it true that Captain Jack, on his last mission, captured a Devil Fruit user and kept him submerged in the sea until returning to headquarters? Someone higher up called it inhumane, so they approved his request this time, right?"
The petty officer shot him a sharp glance and replied curtly, "Don’t pry into these matters. Focus on your duties and get moving!" The young recruit nodded obediently and hurried off to complete his tasks.
"Finally, it’s here!" Jack stretched and smiled as he emerged from his training after receiving the notification from the Logistics Division.
"Captain! The seastone you requested has been delivered," the munitions department’s messenger informed respectfully.
"Thank you, but there’s no need. I haven’t been assigned a mission lately, and I feel like being lazy. Just load it onto the ship for me," Jack replied with a relaxed smile, nodding in appreciation.
"Alright, I’ll take my leave now!" The soldier saluted before walking away from the small courtyard where Jack now lived alone.
Jack’s residence had been upgraded to an independent house with a courtyard, a reward he earned through significant contributions.
"Hey, Jack! It’s already noon. Why haven’t you started cooking yet?" Garp strolled in through the gate, grinning ear to ear.
Since Jack had moved into this house and started cooking his own meals, Garp had developed the habit of showing up uninvited at mealtimes. According to him, it was too lonely for Jack to eat alone, so he came to "keep him company."
"Alright, alright, I’ll get started now!" Jack sighed, too resigned to argue with him. Garp’s shamelessness was on another level, clearly a hallmark of his family’s infamous impulsiveness—just like Luffy from the anime.
"So, Jack, how’s that girl I introduced to you? Pretty good, right?" Garp asked, trailing Jack into the kitchen with a sly grin plastered across his face.
"You still have the nerve to ask? Do you know I was nearly beaten to death?" Jack’s expression darkened instantly, his voice brimming with irritation.
This old man was absolutely unreliable. Feeling guilty about freeloading at Jack's place every day, he decided to "make up for it" by introducing Jack to a few girls—beautiful, kind, and powerful ones at that.
The first candidate he introduced? Black Cage Hina. Yes, the very same Hina who had been Jack's commander during his first mission at sea. While she was undoubtedly beautiful, anyone informed in the navy knew about her complicated relationship with Smoker. Even though the two weren’t officially together, Jack knew better than to entangle himself in such a situation. Winning her heart was a lost cause from the start.
Not one to give up, Garp tried again. The second candidate? Momousagi Gion. Jack hadn't even met her before, but the mere mention of her name had him fleeing in terror.
Who was Gion? None other than a current Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters and one of the frontrunners to become the next Admiral. Yes, that Gion. With a rank equal to Garp himself, Gion also was closely connected to the current Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Tsuru. Though they weren’t biological sisters, their bond was that of sisters.
Jack could only guess that Garp’s absence during mealtime over the past few days was due to being thoroughly reprimanded by Tsuru. Given her longstanding friendship with Garp and the current Fleet Admiral Sengoku, she likely had enough clout to bring even the unruly Garp to heel. If that were the case, Jack imagined the old man might very well have been on his knees.
"Haha, isn't Gion both strong and beautiful? I thought I was helping you out!" Garp said, feigning innocence, as if all his meddling was purely altruistic.
"Sure, she's strong," Jack replied, rolling his eyes. "Strong enough that I wouldn't stand a chance against her right now."
Jack couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Both Hina and Gion were practically idols within the Navy Headquarters, admired by everyone. If Jack dared to make any bold moves toward either of them, he wouldn’t have to worry about just their rejection. Their countless admirers would take care of him, most likely by beating him to a pulp.
And speaking of admirers, one of Gion’s most prominent suitors was none other than Vice Admiral Chaton Tokikake. With Jack’s current strength, he knew he’d be no match for Tokikake in a fight. While Jack had been diligently completing missions over the past two years and capturing high-value bounty pirates, the resources he earned—especially diamonds from the system’s store—were burned up just as quickly as he earned them.
"By the way," Jack said, changing the subject, "has Fleet Admiral Sengoku approved my application to be stationed on the Grand Line yet? Also, can you please stop picking your nose in the kitchen?" He cast a disgusted look at Garp, who was standing there casually violating every rule of food hygiene.
"Huh? You submitted your application again?" Garp asked, startled, his carefree demeanor momentarily replaced by genuine surprise.
"Yep. And I seriously suspect you’ve been badmouthing me to the Fleet Admiral to make sure he keeps rejecting it—just so I’d stay here cooking for you. But I’m not stupid. A few days ago, I went directly to him and applied myself." Jack shot Garp a calm but pointed look, noting the brief flash of panic on the old man’s face.
"What? It wasn't me! I didn’t do anything! I didn’t even know about it!" Garp denied it three times in quick succession, but his guilty expression betrayed him entirely.
If Jack had been strong enough to take him on, he would’ve pummeled the shameless old man right then and there.
"Young man, don’t be so impulsive," Garp said with a feigned air of wisdom, flicking the booger he had just dug out of his nose as if his actions were completely justified. "Why rush to guard some dangerous outpost? It's much better to stay here at headquarters and enjoy an easy life until retirement!"
Watching Garp’s unhygienic antics, Jack felt a vein throb in his forehead. He clenched his fists, barely holding back his anger, and growled through gritted teeth, "Get out of my kitchen before I personally throw you out!"
"Oh~ Look at you! No respect for your elders these days!" Garp muttered, shaking his head in mock disappointment as he sauntered out of the kitchen, playing the victim as though Jack had wronged him.
Despite Garp’s antics, Jack knew he owed the old man a great deal. Over the past two years, Garp had been instrumental in Jack's progress at Marineford. His strength had improved drastically, thanks to the rigorous training Garp had forced on him. While Garp had never formally asked Jack to call him sensei, Jack already regarded him as such in his heart.
When Jack finally served the dishes, Garp eyed the spread hungrily but couldn’t help grumbling. "What, stir-fried chicken and mapo tofu again? Where’s the pickled fish you made last time? That was more suited to an old man like me!"
Jack sighed, glaring at him. "If you don’t like it, maybe you should start cooking for yourself."
But of course, Garp ignored him and began devouring the food as if it were the best meal he’d ever had.
"fwfwwfw..ferdede.. phestdsa..?"
"When you say that, could you at least put down your chopsticks first? You’re not exactly convincing with your mouth full and oil dripping everywhere," Jack quipped as he walked over with the third dish, shaking his head at Garp, who was eating so enthusiastically he could barely speak.
Garp chuckled heartily, unabashed. "Ah, Jack, you’re wasting your talent being anything but a chef. These dishes are so good! I couldn’t stop thinking about them after trying them during that meal with Sengoku. Honestly, I just can’t help myself—I had to come back here to eat!" He took a swig from the drink Jack handed him, grinning ear to ear.
"Sengoku-san is a role model for the entire navy. Naturally, he wouldn’t behave like you," Jack retorted dryly.
Having spent two years at Navy HQ, Jack's perspective on the navy and its leaders had changed significantly. His earlier cynicism had been tempered by experience.
In those two years, Jack had never failed a mission. However, he had come close to death more than once. On one mission, even the commanding officer who had led him was killed by pirates. Jack himself narrowly escaped death, saved only by a last-minute awakening of his Armament Haki and the timely arrival of reinforcements.
Through these harrowing experiences, Jack had come to understand what the navy truly stood for in the grander scheme of the world. He realized why Garp harbored such disdain for the Celestial Dragons that he refused a promotion to Admiral, yet remained steadfast in his role within the navy. He also began to comprehend why so many officers, despite learning the dark truths about the World Government, continued to serve the navy with unwavering resolve.
For them, it wasn’t about blind loyalty—it was about their duty to protect the innocent and maintain order in a chaotic world, even if it meant wrestling with the moral compromises that came with it.
This world cannot function without the navy. The anime might tell its story from Luffy's perspective, leading everyone to naturally root for the pirates, but this isn’t an anime—it’s reality. And to Jack, labeling people like Luffy and Ace as pirates seems misplaced. A more fitting term would be explorers.
True pirates, Jack believed, were a completely different breed—bandits driven by selfish interests and disregard for others. Figures like Doflamingo and Crocodile embodied what it truly meant to be a pirate: ruthless, calculating, and destructive.
"I'm going on vacation in a few days. Want to come back to the East Blue with me? That’s where you’re from, right?" Garp asked casually, pouring himself another glass of wine.
"Huh? Heading back to the East Blue again?" Jack replied, setting the final dish—pickled fish—on the table.
Garp’s fondness for pickled fish wasn’t lost on Jack, who always made sure to prepare it in advance. Despite Garp’s occasional unreliability, Jack deeply respected the man. After all, it was Garp who had guided him through grueling training over the past two years.
"Yeah," Garp said with a nod. "My grandson’s about to reach the age where he’ll set out to sea. I’m a bit worried, so I want to check on him."
"You’re talking about Luffy? "Is he really that old already?" Jack sighed, a tinge of nostalgia in his voice.
The navy's attempt to recruit Ace as a Shichibukai had failed. Later, when Ace joined the Whitebeard Pirates and rose to the rank of commander of the second division, Jack knew it wouldn’t be long before the story's protagonist, Luffy, would set out to sea.
"That’s right. I can’t let him go out and become a pirate, too. If that red-haired Shanks hadn’t filled his head with wild dreams, Luffy would never have started clamoring to be the Pirate King!" Garp grumbled. The mention of Shanks brought an uncharacteristic seriousness to his face, his aura shifting as haki rolled of his body and filled the room.
Jack smiled, pouring more wine into Garp’s empty glass. He was no longer the naïve young recruit who once trembled under such pressure. Garp’s imposing presence no longer fazed him in the slightest.
"In that case, let me join you. I’d like to meet this ‘little Luffy’ you talk about all the time. Besides," Jack said, raising his own glass with a grin, "I’m practically one of his brothers now!"
"Bahahaha!" Garp roared with laughter, finishing the wine Jack had poured for him. Then, without another word, he picked up his chopsticks and continued eating, his silence tacitly acknowledging Jack’s claim as Luffy’s honorary brother.
Jack knew where Garp’s thoughts had drifted—toward Ace. Some time ago, Jack had crossed paths with Ace during a mission. Though their roles placed them on opposing sides, Jack had his own sense of justice and a plan he kept close to his heart. Their meeting was less a clash of enemies and more like a reunion of old friends, filled with easy conversation and camaraderie.
