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"Ahem… Someone, take Vice Admiral Tokikake to the medical room!" Jack called out as he emerged from the thick smoke, his clothes tattered and torn.
From his appearance, it was clear that he had suffered serious injuries—blood stained the corner of his mouth, and his right arm hung limply, seemingly dislocated. His clothes were in shreds, barely holding together.
"Brat, did you actually win?" Garp asked, ignoring Jack's battered state, his tone filled with disbelief.
Tokikake, known as Chaton, was among the strongest vice admirals, standing at the very peak of his rank. His power was recognized by all, and he was even considered a candidate for admiral. Yet now, he had been defeated by Jack?
Jack shook his head with a wry smile. "I wouldn't call it a victory. If this had been a real fight to the death, I probably would have been defeated."
At this moment, the only reason Jack remained conscious was the Dragon bead, but his energy was completely drained, and even his physical strength had reached its limit.
After a brief pause, Sengoku gave the order. "Medics, take Rear Admiral Jack and Vice Admiral Tokikake to the medical ward."
In no time, the medical team arrived, carrying away the unconscious Tokikake and Jack, whose body had reached its breaking point.
As they passed by, Gion glanced at Jack and said softly, "Once you recover, let's have a match."
Jack forced a bitter smile. "Gion, have some mercy! Look at me—do I look like I can fight?"
Gion smirked. "That's why I said—after you recover."
A day later, while Tokikake remained in the hospital recuperating, Jack had already slipped out in secret, making his way back to his villa.
The moment he stepped through the door, a familiar voice greeted him.
"Haha! I knew you wouldn't stay put in the hospital!"
Jack stopped in his tracks—Garp was waiting for him.
"Sensei? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.
Garp snorted. "Hmph! You've been making some serious progress lately. Even Tokikake lost to you." Though he sounded casual, there was an unmistakable hint of pride in his voice.
Jack shook his head. "What I told Sengoku-san that day was true. If it had been a real life-or-death battle, I'd have been defeated. Tokikake did not use Advanced Observation Haki, for which he is known, and he did not use Emission seriously, too."
Garp nodded approvingly. "Is that so… Even then, that's still impressive. So, how's your recovery?"
Jack stretched a little as he stepped inside. "I'm fine, but my energy hasn't even recovered a third yet."
Garp stood up, cracking his knuckles. "Come find me when you're fully recovered."
Jack grinned. "Got it."
He understood Garp's intentions. His teacher wanted to test his progress and guide him further. Garp might have been unreliable in many ways, but when it came to strength, there was probably no one in the navy—aside from Sengoku—who could match him.
"I heard that Moria was also defeated by Luffy!" Jack called out hurriedly as he saw Garp preparing to leave.
He needed to confirm Luffy's whereabouts to gauge the timeline of upcoming events.
Garp nodded with a grin. "That's right! As expected of my grandson. That shadow-playing guy got taken down, and Sengoku was fretting about it for quite a while."
Jack smirked. "As long as Moria isn't dead, there's no need to replace a Warlord of the Sea. And knowing Luffy, he's not the type to brag about his victories."
Despite his casual tone, a sense of urgency gnawed at him. Luffy was edging closer to the Sabaody Archipelago, which meant the impending war was drawing near. He had to grow stronger—fast—otherwise, when the time came, he would be powerless to change anything.
"Alright, get some rest. I'm off." Garp waved as he strode out of Jack's small courtyard.
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"Tell me, how did you lose to Jack?" In Sengoku's office, Tokikake—still wrapped in bandages—sat across from the Fleet Admiral, answering his questions.
"By the time I arrived, they had already been fighting for a while. But Jack clearly had the upper hand—Tokikake was on the defensive the entire time." Before Tokikake could respond, Gion spoke up from the side.
"You mean Jack dominated the fight?" Aokiji asked, surprised.
Gion glanced at Tokikake, who kept his head down, looking somewhat embarrassed, and gave a firm nod.
"Oh my~ Young people these days are terrifying." Kizaru, as indifferent as ever, continued trimming his nails, though his tone carried an unmistakable hint of amusement.
"Tokikake, explain the details. We need a clear understanding of what happened." Chief of Staff Tsuru interjected, her hands clasped together in thought.
Tokikake nodded and began, "At first, that guy came to me saying his strength had improved and that he wanted a match. I didn't take it too seriously—I mean, the only real threat he posed to me was that weird combination punch of his. But..."
He paused before continuing, "But after perfecting his Krav Maga, his attacks became completely unpredictable. Without the rigid patterns from before, I was caught off guard, and even my Observation Haki wasn't as effective against him."
"He shouldn't have been able to defeat you with just his fighting skills," Sengoku said, frowning.
"That's true. Though his attacks were tricky, I could still handle them," Tokikake admitted. "I wasn't using my advanced observation Haki and Emission. We had agreed on that. But the power of his strikes was something I wasn't ready for. I figured he'd only manage five or six weird punches at most. I never expected him to unleash more than that… After his seventh strike, I let my guard down; that was my downfall. The power in those punches was not something I could take on easily." He gave a wry smile.
"Eight punches?" The entire office echoed in shock.
Seated in the room alongside Sengoku and Chief of Staff Tsuru were Garp, the three admirals, and Gion—all among the most powerful figures in the Navy.
"It was more than that," Tokikake confirmed, nodding. "His control over his weird chakra has enhanced quite a bit, and the combined strength of Haki and it was more than double what it was before."
"And that was enough to defeat you?" Akainu Sakazuki asked, his brows furrowing.
To him, this sounded more like Tokikake had let his guard down rather than Jack truly surpassing him in strength.
"No, not exactly. By the tenth punch, I knew I couldn't take another hit, so I tried to break his momentum. But those punches all landed on critical points of my body. One was to my temple, the 2nd was to my liver, and the 3rd was to my solar plexus. After those strikes, my agility plummeted, and what Gion saw was me struggling against him after I was already wounded."
Sengoku tapped his fingers against the desk thoughtfully. "This chakra seems to be related to the martial arts Jack mentioned. This form of combat has never been documented before, yet he claims it's a family inheritance. What do you all think?"
Aokiji spoke up, his voice calm. "We sent people to investigate Jack's origins in the East Blue. Apart from him, no one on that island knows of the martial arts he described. However, he wasn't actually born there. From what we gathered, he drifted ashore as a child and was taken in by the islanders. That's where he's lived ever since."
"So what? He's a marine now and willingly teaches his techniques to our soldiers. It's just that no one has managed to grasp this 'chakra' he keeps talking about," Garp scoffed, crossing his arms.
Kizaru, still lazily trimming his nails, interjected, "But can we really be sure he's telling the truth? What if he deliberately altered the method for training chakra so no one else could learn it?"
Garp's expression darkened as he shot Kizaru a sharp look. "What, are you trying to take advantage of him now? Whether he's telling the truth or not, that knowledge belongs to him. If he chooses to share it, fine. If not, that's his right."
"Oh my~ Garp-san, no need to get so worked up. I was merely making an observation," Kizaru said with a sly grin, feigning a frightened expression. "After all, given what Jack has demonstrated, if our marines could fully master his martial arts, even the Four Emperors might no longer be a threat to us."
Sengoku raised a hand to silence the discussion. "Alright, enough of this. Jack is one of our own now, so there's no need for speculation. Let's wait until he recovers from his injuries…" He then turned to Gion, his gaze sharp. "Gion, I want you to test his limits—but don't underestimate him."
Gion nodded, her fighting spirit ignited. "Sengoku-san, rest assured, I won't make the same mistake as Tokikake!"
Sengoku gave an approving nod. "To be safe, notify me when the time comes. I want to witness the battle myself."
Tsuru frowned slightly, her keen eyes shifting to Gion. She wasn't convinced this was the right approach.
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