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[TIOP] Chapter : 16
🕑 Added 2025-02-02 21:02:02 +0000 UTCHina studied him for a moment, then nodded. "That will depend on the situation."
Pleased with his apparent sense of justice and confidence in his abilities, Hina felt reassured. With Jack on the team, their mission’s success seemed all but guaranteed. Besides, as the commanding officer, she would still receive the lion’s share of the credit for capturing the infamous pirate.
As the warship drew closer to the island, Hina refrained from launching a direct attack. Instead, she deployed an advance team to gather intel on the Lone Wolf’s location and to assess whether any civilians were present at the port. Caution, after all, was key to minimizing unnecessary casualties.
"Captain, we've reached the island, but the town appears deserted. However, we’ve confirmed that the pirate ship belongs to Lone Wolf Jim!" The advance team's report crackled over the den den mushi, their voice tense.
Hina stood on the deck, her expression darkening as she processed the update.
"Could it be…?" Jack muttered, looking at Hina in surprise. Based on the previous intel, the Lone Wolf was a notorious, ruthless pirate. It wasn’t hard to guess what might have happened to the villagers.
Hina’s face grew grim. "You stay put and await further orders," she instructed the advance team. Turning to her crew, she commanded, "Aim the main cannon. Sink their pirate ship first!"
Her voice carried an edge of cold fury, and the crew responded without hesitation.
"Boom! Boom!"
The thunderous roar of naval artillery shattered the silence. The warship’s firepower, unmatched on the seas, obliterated the pirate ship in the port with a single devastating volley. Wreckage floated aimlessly on the water as smoke billowed into the sky.
"Everyone, prepare to go ashore!" Hina ordered, extinguishing her cigarette with a sharp flick.
"Yes, ma'am!" the crew responded in unison.
The earlier news had already reached the marine soldiers. The realization that the island's villagers had likely been slaughtered was a heavy blow, igniting the fire of justice within them. Even Jack, though often detached, couldn’t suppress his anger. The collective mood was somber but resolute as they prepared to confront the horrors awaiting them on the island.
Although Jack didn't fully align himself with the Navy's concept of justice, witnessing such inhumane atrocities forced him to confront the harsh reality of the One Piece world.
"Captain, during the attack on the pirate ship earlier, we didn’t see anyone coming out of the town," reported a sergeant, saluting as he relayed the update to Hina.
Hina's brows furrowed, her expression hardening. "Search the area. Hina refuses to believe that their pirate ship is here, but the town is deserted!" she commanded, her voice sharp with determination.
"Captain, I request permission to join the search!" Jack stepped forward from the ranks, saluting as he made his request.
"Granted. If you encounter the enemy, do not engage immediately—send the signal first," Hina replied, nodding as she assigned him to a decent-sized search squad.
The search party spread out methodically across the island, reporting back as they combed through the empty streets.
"Report: Nothing found in the east!"
"Report: Nothing found in the west!"
"Report: Something suspicious spotted in the tavern!"
Jack remained alert as updates filtered in. With a communication soldier carrying a transponder snail behind him, he could hear every report from the other teams in real time. The mention of the tavern piqued his attention—perhaps the confrontation with the infamous Lone Wolf Jim was closer than they thought.
Apart from a secret passage discovered in the tavern, nothing else significant had been found. His gaze shifted toward the mountains looming behind the town, and he spoke in a low voice, his tone serious.
"Let's head there!" Jack decided firmly after analyzing the gathered information.
"Boss Jack, shouldn’t we report this to the captain first?" One of the marines suggested cautiously.
"Time is of the essence," Jack responded, his brows furrowed. "We’ve scoured the entire town and found nothing. It’s highly likely the enemy is hiding in the mountains. Since we’ve only just arrived, they can’t have gone far. If we delay any longer, they’ll have time to escape, and the situation will become much harder to manage."
"I agree with you, Boss," chimed in another soldier, one who frequently shared drinks with Jack. "But aren’t there too few of us for this kind of operation?" he added with a hint of worry.
"Here’s the plan: you all stay here, and I’ll go ahead to scout. If I locate the enemy, I’ll send up a signal. Even if they spot me, I’m confident I can get away with my speed," Jack said after a moment of contemplation.
"That’s out of the question," one of the soldiers countered, shaking his head. "Captain Hina gave explicit orders for us to not let you go alone."
"Fine," Jack relented with a sigh. "But if we do encounter the enemy, your priority is to retreat and call for reinforcements. I’ll handle holding them off. Understood?" His tone was firm, and the soldiers, though reluctant, nodded in agreement.
Initially, Jack had hoped to eliminate the enemy himself, ensuring the entire bounty would belong solely to him.
Half an hour later, his team trekking through the mountains finally stumbled upon signs of human activity.
"Quick, report this to Captain Hina! Leave two men here to wait for her arrival. The rest of you, follow me!" Jack ordered sharply, his energy reigniting at the sight of the clues.
However, before the signal soldier could contact Hina, an ominous voice interrupted.
"Ah, ah, ah~ You found us so quickly, but I’m afraid I can’t let you call for reinforcements!" A bald pirate, flanked by four or five younger, rough-looking pirates, emerged from the trees, surrounding Jack's team.
"Who are you?" Jack demanded, his tone calm but his eyes sharp as he studied the man before him.
"Hahaha, you’re just a bunch of navy's dogs, huh? No wonder you don't know our vice-captain," one of the lackeys sneered. "Let me educate you, dogs. You’re in the presence of the vice-captain of the Wolf Pack Pirates—Red Wolf Weiss!"
"Red Wolf Weiss, with a bounty of 17 million!" one of the sailors behind Jack exclaimed in shock, clearly recognizing the infamous name.
"Not bad!" Weiss laughed, gripping his knife as he gave his bald head a self-assured rub. "You know my name! Hahaha!" His smug grin spread as he basked in their recognition, his confidence practically radiating from him.
"As long as there’s a bounty, let’s warm up with the appetizer before the main course. Protect yourselves!" Jack remarked with a sly grin before vanishing from his spot in an instant.
"You bastard! Shoot him!" shouted Weiss, enraged at Jack's condescending remark. Without hesitation, the bald pirate ordered his men to open fire.
However, Jack was no longer the same novice from the East Blue. Against his refined instincts and speed, the firearms posed almost no threat.
"Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!"
The pirates unleashed a flurry of gunfire at Jack. Meanwhile, the marines accompanying him were quick to react. They ducked behind cover and began firing back. With Jack drawing most of the pirates' attention and firepower, the marines managed to eliminate two of the gunmen before the pirates realized their tactical mistake and redirected their focus.
Despite their efforts, the pirates were outmatched. The navy's strategy and superior coordination started tipping the scales. As the gunfight continued, Jack, moving like a phantom, closed the distance to Weiss.
With a mocking smile, Jack taunted, "Are you stupid? Firing your guns like that will only alert the marines in the town that something’s happening here."
The remark caught Weiss off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned. Before he could process the insult, Jack channeled his chakra into a powerful strike, to land a crushing blow to Weiss's chest.
“Bastard!” Red Wolf Weiss barely had time to react. In a panic, he raised his blade to block the blow aimed at his chest, attempting to fend off Jack's strike.
"Bang!—Clang!"
The sound of impact echoed as Weiss’s weapon shattered under the force of Jack’s punch, slamming into Weiss’s chest, sending him flying several meters through the air. He crashed onto the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still, unconscious.
"Send up the signal and inform Captain Hina," Jack ordered, his tone calm despite the intense skirmish. "The injured will stay behind, while the rest follow me. We’re moving forward."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers responded in unison, their respect for Jack firmly established after witnessing his strength and leadership.
Meanwhile, Hina had just emerged at the base of the mountain, having taken the underground passage from the tavern. Spotting the signal flare rising from the mountainside, her expression hardened. She raised her hand, her voice sharp: "Move at full speed!"
By the time Hina’s team arrived at the site of the skirmish, they found two injured marines standing guard while the remaining pirates’ bodies were neatly lined up on the ground.
"Can someone explain this to Hina?" She asked, her frown deepening as her sharp gaze scanned the scene. "Weren’t you supposed to be scouting? How did it escalate into a full-blown fight? And where is Jack?"
Before setting off, Hina had explicitly ordered Jack not to act recklessly. Yet here he was, charging ahead on his own. If the pirates had set an ambush, the consequences could have been disastrous.
"Report, Captain!" The two remaining marines quickly relayed the details of what had transpired to Hina.
"Understood. You two stay here and secure the area. The rest of you, follow me!" Hina barked, her tone sharp and her expression clouded with displeasure.
The pirates had successfully misled the main naval force in the town with their decoy, but Jack had seen through their ruse and confronted them directly. While his foresight impressed her, it also left Hina feeling slightly humiliated—it wasn’t her plan that had outsmarted the enemy.
Meanwhile, Jack had crossed over the mountain ridge and finally spotted their target. A group of armed pirates was moving swiftly toward the coastline, where another pirate ship was docked and ready for their escape.
"I can’t catch up—they’ve been prepared for this all along," Jack muttered, his frown deepening as he assessed the distance between his group and the fleeing pirates.
If he had been alone, without the slower pace of the others holding him back, Jack was confident he could have intercepted them. Even with the vice captain blocking his path earlier, he would still have been able to close the gap in time.
Even if the pirates managed to escape, Jack didn’t consider this outing a complete loss. The vice captain he had just defeated had yielded a valuable reward of 1,700 diamonds. Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for not securing a larger bounty.
"Boss, look! The pirates have boarded the ship and are preparing to flee!" a nearby sailor shouted, snapping Jack out of his thoughts.
Jack’s eyes narrowed as he spotted the pirates boarding their vessel. The ship hadn’t yet gained much distance from the shore and was still hugging the coastline, moving deceptively close.
"This is bad! Quickly, inform Captain Hina! These pirates are planning to attack our warship!" Jack exclaimed, immediately piecing together their plan.
It was clear to him that the pirates were exploiting the time gap. While the navy focused on searching the island, the pirates had launched a second ship hidden behind the mountain. Their strategy was to circle around and target the navy's defenseless warship, likely planning to sink it.
"Ah...?" The communication soldier hesitated, looking stunned. He gripped the phone in his hand but seemed at a loss for how to relay such critical information.
Seeing the hesitation, Jack snatched the phone from the soldier and said urgently, “Connect me to Captain Hina now!”
He couldn’t afford to waste time. The island was small, and if the pirates succeeded in sinking their warship, the navy would be stranded with no way off the island.
“Captain Hina, this is Jack!” he said loudly as soon as the line connected.
There was a brief pause before Hina’s voice came through. “This is Hina. Jack, what have you found?”
“Captain, the pirates had another ship hidden behind the mountain. They’re using it to circle around and target our warship, which is currently poorly defended!” Jack reported with a serious tone, wasting no time.
“What?!” Hina’s voice, sharp and livid, crackled through the line. “Hina is very angry. These pirates dared to underestimate us! Jack, keep an eye on that pirate ship. Follow them along the coastline, but don’t let them know you’re there. I’ll return to the warship immediately!”
The phone bug even mimicked Hina’s fiery expression with uncanny accuracy, causing a momentary stir among the marines nearby.
“Yes, ma’am!” Jack replied, his voice firm and resolute.
