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[TIOP] Chapter : 10
🕑 Added 2025-02-02 20:54:30 +0000 UTCSmoker dismissed Jack’s inaction, focusing entirely on his intense clash with Ace. Though Smoker’s experience and precision initially overwhelmed him, Ace used the opportunity to practice and refine his newfound powers against a capable opponent like Smoker.
Meanwhile, Jack stood to the side, observing the battle without any intention of intervening. Tashigi, however, seemed restless, her eagerness to join the fray evident as she commanded the marines to surround the battlefield.
“You shouldn’t jump in,” Jack remarked softly, appearing at Tashigi’s side. “A fight between two Logia users isn’t something you can handle right now.”
“Then why aren’t you stepping in?” Tashigi shot back, addressing what she thought was Jack beside her with a determined expression, but looking at a marine soldier.
Jack's face flushed, unable to hold his laughter, inwardly lamenting, 'Is this what they call extreme nearsightedness? The poor marine she’s talking to looks terrified! Oh... right, she can’t see without her glasses.'
After Tashigi adjusted her glasses, Jack sighed and replied, “I’m not a Devil Fruit user, so I don’t have an effective way to deal with them.”
Still blushing from her earlier mistake, Tashigi was too preoccupied with her own embarrassment to catch Jack’s slip of the tongue.
Jack had inadvertently let his true thoughts slip—his mind had been preoccupied with strategizing a way to take down both Smoker and Ace at once.
Under normal circumstances, such a feat would be impossible. But now, after an extended battle, both combatants were visibly fatigued. The nearby port offered a unique opportunity. If Jack could manipulate the fight to drive them toward the water, a single move to knock them into the sea would effectively neutralize both of them. The prospect of gaining substantial rewards from defeating two such notable figures—especially if Ace already had a bounty—was tempting.
“It’s not that I don’t want to help,” Jack said, feigning helplessness as he shrugged. “I’m just trying to figure out how to push them toward the shore. If Smoker can knock Ace into the sea, victory is guaranteed.”
Tashigi glanced toward the naval base, likely calculating the time it would take for the soldiers sent to fetch the Seastone handcuffs to return.
“Alright,” she said decisively. “I’ll have the marines pull back. You go and assist Captain Smoker—focus on forcing Ace toward the port!”
“Fine, but let’s make one thing clear.” Jack turned to Tashigi, his tone firm. “Ace is someone Vice Admiral Garp wants to deal with personally. You cannot harm him. When Garp-san arrives, I’m handing Ace over to him directly.”
Jack made it clear that he wouldn't take action unless his terms were agreed upon.
After considering his words for a moment, Tashigi nodded and replied, "Don't worry. As long as he's truly handed over to Vice Admiral Garp, I’m confident even Captain Smoker won’t object."
"Alright, then let's proceed," Jack said with a satisfied nod. "Withdraw the marines there, and I’ll start from here, leading the battle to the port."
With Jack’s involvement, Ace felt the pressure mount. Although he was still getting used to his new abilities, Jack’s attacks, while not yet powerful enough to be a serious threat, at least forced Ace to pay more attention to defending himself.
Smoker, understanding Jack’s intentions, quickly adapted and began cooperating to gradually push the battle toward the port.
On the other hand, Ace, having only recently gained his Devil Fruit power, wasn’t yet truly aware of the limitations and weaknesses of ability users. Unknowingly, he was being lured into a trap.
"So, how's it going, Ace?" Jack called out as the three of them neared the port, just a few meters from the sea. He paused, smiling at Ace. "Have you mastered your new powers yet?"
"Hehe," Ace gave a slightly playful smile. In reality, he had been planning to escape. After all, he had expended a lot of energy, and the soldiers sent to fetch the seastone handcuffs from the navy were likely getting close.
Smoker took a drag from his cigar, glancing between Jack and Ace, his uncertainty about their relationship growing. He wasn’t sure if this whole scene was a setup, with Jack and Ace working together to lure him to the port and prepare to take him down.
Seeing Smoker’s hesitation, Jack quickly realized what was happening. He swiftly moved out of the skirmish and blocked Ace’s escape, saying, "Captain Smoker, I know you don't trust me, so here's the plan: I'll block Ace's escape, and you can focus on fighting him."
"Hey, you're really set on dragging me to see the old man, aren't you?" Ace sighed, knowing that if he didn’t fight back, he’d likely end up in a much worse position.
"Huh~ Fine," Smoker replied, puffing out a few smoke rings. He nodded, then turned into smoke and lunged toward Ace once more.
Ace, realizing he had no choice, shifted into flames and prepared to battle Smoker.
After a short time in battle, Ace's control over his flame powers had noticeably improved. Watching from the sidelines, Jack felt a sense of unfairness. He thought back to his own struggle with mastering even the most basic of the three core skills, which had taken him countless days and nights to perfect. "Of course, these two-dimensional characters always have it easy," he muttered to himself in frustration.
However, Ace soon caught on to Jack and Smoker's plan. Even though Smoker was trying to gain the upper hand, he couldn’t force Ace into the water without leaving himself open to a counterattack. Jack, watching closely, knew the balance was delicate.
Just then, the soldier who had gone to fetch the sea-floor stone handcuffs appeared around the corner. Instantly, Jack, Smoker, and Ace locked eyes, all knowing the moment of truth had arrived.
Ace gathered his strength, trying to push Smoker away in an attempt to buy himself time to escape. Smoker responded by intensifying his grip, refusing to give Ace any opportunity to fight back. Meanwhile, Jack, who had been waiting for the perfect moment, channeled his chakra into his feet, and he sprinted toward them.
"Damn it, Jack, you bastard!" Ace shouted, realizing Jack's intentions the moment he saw him charging forward.
As Jack’s feet came within striking distance, both Smoker and Ace immediately transformed into their elemental forms. But they were caught off guard when Jack’s kick bypassed their elemental transformations entirely, landing a solid hit on their physical bodies.
"Bang! Boom!"
"Plop! Plop!"
It was too late. Jack divided the chakra within his body into two parts, channeling it into his legs. With a simultaneous strike, he landed powerful kicks on both Smoker and Ace. The force of the impact sent them both tumbling into the sea.
The sudden turn of events caught Smoker off guard and left the nearby marines in a state of confusion.
"Jack! What are you doing?" Tashigi immediately drew her sword and stepped forward, confronting him.
"If I hadn’t acted, I wouldn't have been able to land a hit on Ace," Jack replied with a strange smile. "And with you here, Captain Smoker should be fine, right?"
As expected, after falling into the sea, both Smoker and Ace quickly lost strength and consciousness. Jack received a notification from the system, indicating two large amounts of experience had been credited to his account, which immediately boosted his level to ten. However, now wasn't the time to address this new development.
"Come on, go immediately and rescue Captain Smoker and the pirate Ace!" Tashigi ordered, her gaze fixed firmly on Jack as she slowly sheathed her sword Shigure.
Shigure is Tashigi's sword, one of the 50 Great Grade blades.
Soon, the marines managed to retrieve Ace and Smoker from the sea. As expected from anime characters, both of them regained consciousness shortly after being dragged ashore. However, after being submerged in seawater, they were weakened. Ace, who had just acquired the power of the Devil Fruit and had fought Smoker, was particularly drained. Though awake, he lay on the ground, unable to move.
Jack grinned as he applied seastone handcuffs to Ace.
"Don't worry, I won't actually arrest you. As long as you meet the old man with me, I'll help you escape!" Jack whispered to Ace while securing the cuffs.
Ace's expression shifted, but knowing it wasn’t the right moment to speak, he simply gave Jack a long, thoughtful glance before being escorted away by the navy.
"Did you use Haki just now?" Smoker asked after regaining some composure and lighting another cigar.
Jack shrugged, giving a nonchalant response. "Hmm, who knows? Maybe, but it doesn't concern you."
He had no intention of revealing the truth to Smoker, especially since the latter was also a logia user. Jack wasn't about to admit that, for now, his strength was limited to just one strike.
"When Garp-san arrives in Loguetown, I'll hand Ace over to you, but for now, he must be held at the naval base!" Smoker took a slow drag from his cigar and spoke calmly.
"No problem, just leave the handover of Ace to me. I won't interfere with anything else. After all, I'm a pirate hunter. I’ll probably have to deal with you marines quite a bit in the future, so please chill, Captain!"
Jack, in high spirits, was pleased not only because his level had reached 10, but also because Ace's situation had taken a promising turn.
Soon after, Smoker led the marines back to the naval base, while Jack made his way back to the hotel alone. He hadn’t yet fully examined the items he’d acquired, but he silently hoped that fate might grant him an advanced inner skill book, one that would allow him to practice the Zixia magic skill.
"Congratulations to the host for defeating the pirate Portgas D. Ace, gaining 700 exp and 500 diamonds."
"Congratulations to the host for defeating Captain Smoker, gaining 800 exp."
"Congratulations to the host for leveling up and receiving 5 free attribute points and 1 skill point."
"Congratulations to the host for completing the main mission, earning 500 exp, 500 diamonds, 5000 berries, and 1 intermediate skill book!"
"The main mission has changed. Please check it yourself!"
As expected, Jack had obtained the intermediate skill book! Though it was only one book, and the skill it provided—whether strength training, fighting skills, or mental skills—was randomly chosen, the 500 diamond points he earned from defeating Ace were enough to bring his total to 1,000. Even if he didn't draw an advanced skill book, he could simply purchase it from the mall.
After showering and changing clothes, Jack opened the intermediate skill book with a look of reverence.
"You've used the intermediate skill book and acquired the intermediate strength training skill book*1.
It has been detected that your basic training skill can be upgraded. Do you wish to use the intermediate strength training skill book?"
