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[TIOP] Chapter : 12
🕑 Added 2025-02-02 20:57:22 +0000 UTCWhen Vice Admiral Garp's warship arrived at Loguetown, Smoker and the naval base personnel assembled formally to greet him at the port. Jack and Ace, however, waited a short distance away, observing the proceedings.
The warship docked, and Garp disembarked with his adjutant, exuding an imposing aura. For a moment, Jack couldn't help but look on with admiration.
"Salute! Welcome, Vice Admiral Garp!" one of Smoker’s adjutants announced with enthusiasm.
"Hey, Smoker! Still the same as ever, huh?" Garp's serious demeanor vanished in an instant as he greeted Smoker warmly; his cheerful voice was a sharp contrast to his earlier commanding presence.
After exchanging pleasantries, Smoker asked, "Vice Admiral, what brings you to Loguetown?" Before Garp could respond, Tashigi interjected, "Yes, sir. Is there a specific reason for your visit?"
"Hmph, of course, it’s because of me! You never seem to believe anything I say, do you?" Jack interrupted as he approached with Ace, who looked less than thrilled to be there. Jack’s expression was one of feigned irritation, adding to the theatrics.
Garp’s eyes locked onto Ace, and his jovial demeanor disappeared, replaced by a thunderous scowl. "Ace! You little brat, how dare you sneak away and become a pirate!" he roared, completely ignoring Jack's presence.
Ace flinched at first, but as he stood there facing Garp, he realized he no longer felt the same fear he once did. With a defiant look, he shot back, "I told you ages ago—I wanted to be a pirate! I want to see for myself what draws people to that life, what makes them choose it!"
Garp’s frown deepened, his presence radiating both disappointment and unyielding authority.
Ace's defiant words made Garp’s expression darken momentarily before he quickly regained his composure. “I told you before—you’re meant to follow me and become an exceptional marine! Forget this nonsense about being a pirate. It’s a foolish dream. Look at you; you haven’t even left the East Blue, and you’ve already been caught. That proves you’re not cut out for it. Give it up!”
“I’ll never give up!” Ace replied firmly, his voice resolute.
“Didn’t I tell you to follow me and join the Marines?!” Garp bellowed, raising his fist in frustration. Without hesitation, he aimed it directly at Ace.
Ace instinctively shut his eyes, bracing for the blow. Memories of his childhood rushed back, and the fear that once paralyzed him seemed to take hold again.
Bang!
"Old man, don’t you think you’re overdoing it?" Jack’s voice cut through the tension as he stepped in front of Ace, blocking Garp’s punch. His calm but firm stance shocked everyone present.
“Huh?” Garp’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, and his eyes narrowed at Jack. Smoker, along with Garp’s adjutant and the cold-faced swordsman accompanying him, all turned their attention to the unexpected intervention, their expressions mirroring Garp’s disbelief.
“Well, well, kid, your strength has improved quite a bit! But if you think you can stop me, you’ve still got a long way to go!” Garp chuckled, his tone somewhere between amusement and warning. Before Jack could react, Garp vanished from his line of sight.
A startled scream from behind broke the moment. Ace, now sprawled on the ground and clutching his head, groaned in pain.
"See?" Garp said with a grin, standing casually over Ace. "This is what happens when you underestimate me, boy. You can't stop my Fist of love"
Jack glanced at Ace, who was writhing on the ground in agony, his body bruised and battered, and couldn’t help but feel a wave of frustration wash over him.
"Vice Admiral Garp, has our agreement been fulfilled?" Jack asked, noticing that the system hadn't yet confirmed the completion of the task.
Garp, having just finished dishing out the punishment, seemed pleased with himself. He nodded, smiling broadly, and glanced at Jack. "Yes, our agreement is complete, but I don’t recall agreeing to any terms for you, did I?"
"No, you didn’t," Jack replied smoothly. "I don’t need anything from you; just fulfilling what I agreed to is enough." As soon as Garp nodded in affirmation, Jack received a notification from the system confirming that the task was completed.
"Boy, come with me to Marineford. You’ve got potential!" Garp said, still slightly surprised. He had expected Jack to seize the opportunity to ask for something in return, but instead, Jack had simply fulfilled his part of the deal. Seizing the moment, Garp extended the invitation.
Jack, who had originally planned to refuse, fell silent. Just then, the system issued a new task:
Side mission: Join the Navy!
Mission reward: 200 diamonds, 200 experience points, 100,000 berries.
With the new task at hand, Jack hesitated, contemplating his next move.
Although the rewards weren’t substantial, even the smallest things—still had value. Plus, after joining the navy, Jack would have access to countless strong guys in Marineford, providing ample opportunities to gain experience fighting them.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute! You’re not really thinking of joining the navy, are you? You should come to my ship instead!" Ace, who was clearly agitated, noticed Jack’s hesitation and quickly stepped forward, his voice tinged with nervousness.
According to their earlier plan, Jack was supposed to find a moment to hand over the key and help Ace escape. But if Jack joined the navy, would he still fulfill their agreement? That thought made Ace uneasy.
"Don’t worry," Jack said with a reassuring smile, unlocking Ace’s seastone handcuffs. "I told you I’d let you go, and I will. Whether or not you escape is up to you."
"Haha! So, how about it, Jack? Come with me!" Ace invited again, his tone eager.
Side mission: Join the Spade Pirates!
Mission reward: 200 diamonds, 200 experience points, 100,000 beli.
As soon as Ace spoke, Jack received another side mission. It seemed like he was being given the option to choose between joining the Spade Pirates or the navy, much like selecting a faction in a game after reaching level 10.
Jack looked at Ace with some surprise. He clearly remembered that in the original storyline, Ace was a captain who valued his comrades deeply. Now, in this situation, Ace's invitation seemed genuine, which made Jack rethink things.
"Captain, he really can't be trusted!" Tashigi said seriously, gripping her sword tightly as she spoke to Smoker, who had been watching silently.
However, neither Smoker nor Garp seemed concerned, both just watching the exchange with faint smiles.
"It seems you've decided to become a pirate?" Bogard remarked, his voice dripping with amusement.
"No," Jack replied, shaking his head. "I have no intentions of becoming a pirate. But Ace is my friend. I’ve handed him over to you as promised, and as his friend, I’ll do whatever it takes to help him escape."
"Ha, little kid, looks like your recent boost in strength has given you quite a bit of confidence!" Garp chuckled, clearly entertained by Jack's resolve.
"Ace, go ahead; don't worry about me!" Jack said, his face turning serious as he looked at Garp, who was now standing.
But Ace, who had been standing beside him just moments ago, had already dashed more than ten meters away. He turned and waved at Jack, as if giving him a happy farewell.
Moments later, all Jack saw was a fist closing on his face and then blank.
"Captain!" Tashigi called out to Smoker as she watched Jack being carried onto the warship by the cold swordsman and Ace escaping.
"Let him be. It's not our headache anymore!" Smoker said, taking a puff of his cigar as he walked toward his special motorcycle.
**Two days later, Calm Belt**
"This is the Calm Belt? Didn't they say this was the home of the Neptune-level Sea Kings? I don't see any," Jack, now fully refreshed, stood on the deck, scanning his surroundings. He turned to Bogard and asked.
After Garp's warship had left Loguetown, Jack had regained consciousness. Thanks to his incredible recovery ability and chakra, he was full of energy by that very day.
In his desire for revenge against Garp for knocking him out, Jack challenged the entire crew on board. Although he couldn't gain experience from the regular marines anymore, he could still earn it from the officers.
Over the past two days, Jack had discovered something interesting: after defeating an officer and gaining exp, he couldn't earn more by defeating the same person again. However, when the next day came, he could earn experience once more from those stronger officers, similar to how game monsters respawn. The stronger the opponent, the shorter the time before experience could be earned again.
"Now is not the time for sightseeing, rookie!" Bogard glanced at Jack and said in a low tone.
Jack's expression darkened. He was indeed just another marine in the navy now. After boarding Garp's ship, joining the navy had been inevitable. In some ways, that had completed part of his mission.
However, Garp hadn't pulled any strings for him. Despite his skills, he started out as a low-ranking soldier. But once they reached Marineford and he registered at the headquarters, Jack would officially become a recruit in the Navy.
"My part is done," Jack remarked as he observed the officer assigned to oversee him, who was focused on his own tasks.
"Hmph, the navy has its rules, and the first of those is respecting your superiors," the cold swordsman said with a stern look.
"Sure, sure..." Jack whistled, then turned and walked off to handle his assigned duties.
In reality, Jack wasn’t bullying the officers with his strength; rather, the officer, knowing that Jack would eventually stand out because of his strength, had chosen not to assign him any tasks. Instead, he quietly took on the work himself.
Bogard wasn’t specifically targeting Jack, but he was frustrated by their earlier sparring session. Despite the fact that it hadn’t been a life-or-death fight, Jack had still managed to outmaneuver him. In fact, he would have been defeated—if not for his Geppo, he would have truly lost. That’s why he was a bit irritated.
"See? He’s really improving quickly, isn't he?" Garp said casually to his subordinates as he sat under an umbrella, munching on a donut.
Bogard fell silent. Even though it hadn’t been a serious fight, Jack’s performance still impressed him. The opponent’s hand-to-hand combat skills were particularly formidable. Overall, Jack’s abilities had improved significantly since their last encounter—more than double.
