Chapter 11
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"It's a strength training skill book," Jack muttered, a trace of disappointment in his voice. What he needed most was an intermediate mental training skill book. If he'd gotten that, he could have saved his diamonds. Now, it seemed, a trip to the store was unavoidable.
"Use the intermediate strength training skill book!" he commanded. There were no flashes of colorful light, no grand celestial phenomena. After using the book, Jack simply felt a subtle yet noticeable increase in his physical strength.
"Alright, let's get the mental skill book before I run out of time and something unexpected happens," he decided. Opening the shop interface, he quickly located the intermediate mental skill and clicked "Buy."
"You've spent 1,000 diamonds and acquired the intermediate mental training skill book. It is detected that your primary mental skill is ready for an upgrade. Would you like to use the intermediate mental skill book?"
The system's synthesized voice echoed in his mind.
"Upgrade!" Jack exhaled deeply and confirmed without hesitation.
As soon as he used the skill book, a wave of power coursed through his body. His chakra grew noticeably stronger. Testing the newfound energy, he directed it into his fists and threw a light punch.
"The power has more than doubled!" Jack's eyes sparkled with excitement, fully aware of the transformation this boost in chakra had brought.
"Huh~ Next up is to control the chakra!" Jack suppressed his excitement and immediately used the Chakra training secret book from his inventory.
"The level of prerequisite skills is insufficient. Please upgrade the prerequisite skills first," the system's monotone voice announced.
Jack nearly flipped his table in frustration. "Damn it! Don't I already have intermediate mental skill? Do I need to max it out too?" He grumbled, quickly opening the details for his intermediate mental skill. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the proficiency required for just one level: 2000 points.
"Are you kidding me?!" Jack felt his frustration deepen. Even if he used his remaining skill points to upgrade now, each level of the intermediate mental strength would consume two skill points. With only six skill points left, he begrudgingly decided to test it. Clenching his teeth, he added a single point first to be cautious.
"You have used a skill point. Intermediate mental skill proficiency increased by 1,000 points," the system informed him.
"As I thought," Jack muttered with a resigned sigh. He hadn't added both points at once earlier as a safeguard, but it became painfully clear—this game wasn't going to let him progress easily without spending heavily. If anything, it seemed designed to hammer home the harsh truth: in this world, success doesn't come cheap.
After using another skill point, Jack quickly advanced his level-one intermediate mental technique to level two. His chakra finally surpassed the 100-point mark, and he could clearly feel a significant difference compared to when he fought Ace. At least now, when facing logia ability users, he wasn't limited to a single effective strike.
"6,000! Of course, it went up again!" Jack groaned as he stared at the daunting proficiency requirement for the next level. With only four skill points remaining, even if he spent them all, he still couldn't max out the skill.
"The level of prerequisite skills is insufficient. Please upgrade the prerequisite skills first!" The system's unfeeling voice struck again when Jack tried using the Chakra training secret book out of sheer desperation. The system, however, wasn't about to let him bypass the rules, leaving him with the same disheartening notification.
"I don't believe this. Worst-case scenario, I'll grind it out like a madman! It's not like I haven't done this before!" Jack muttered fiercely, recalling his prior gaming experiences. Determined, he poured all his remaining skill points into the intermediate mental strength, pushing its proficiency to 4,000.
With no other options, Jack sat cross-legged on the bed, resolved to practice diligently in the hotel until Garp arrived. "Let's see who gives in first—me or this system!" he thought, steeling himself for the long grind ahead.
Three days later, at the highest command office of the Loguetown Naval Base:
"Where is Jack?" Smoker asked, a cigar clenched between his teeth, as he addressed the navy officer reporting to him.
"Report, Captain. Pirate hunter Jack has remained in the hotel since the last incident and hasn't stepped out," the officer responded crisply, saluting.
"Inform him that Vice Admiral Garp will be arriving soon. Tell him to come here," Smoker instructed without hesitation.
"Yes, sir!" The officer saluted again and promptly left.
"Captain, do we really need to hand Ace over to him?" Tashigi asked, her tone laced with reluctance once the officer had departed.
"Fuh…" Smoker exhaled a thick plume of smoke and leaned back thoughtfully. "I've looked into it. Ace isn't the type of pirate who pillages and terrorizes civilians for a living. While he does have his quirks, overall, he's not a heinous criminal. Besides, I suspect he has some connection to Vice Admiral Garp. Otherwise, someone like Jack wouldn't be so keen on delivering him to the Garp-san—it's likely a play for some kind of reward."
Tashigi frowned, unconvinced. "Then why let Jack have his way, Captain? He doesn't seem like the kind of person we can trust. Why let him deliver Ace to the vice admiral and claim the reward?"
Smoker took another deep drag of his cigar and blew out a slow, curling smoke ring. "Because there's more to this than meets the eye. And sometimes, Tashigi, it's better to let someone else take the risk while we keep an eye on the bigger picture."
Smoker gazed out the window at the warship approaching in the distance, its imposing silhouette cutting through the sea. With a smirk, he remarked, "It's Vice admiral Garp we're talking about! A kid like Jack doesn't stand a chance at fooling him."
If Jack were here to hear this analysis, he would undoubtedly exclaim, "Spot on! The old man is sharp as ever!"
However, what Smoker didn't know was that Jack's real gains didn't come from any trickery involving Garp, but rather from the mysterious system in his mind—a source far beyond Smoker's understanding.
At that moment, Jack had just been interrupted mid-training by a soldier delivering orders.
"Hmph~ How rude. Is this really how you call for someone?" Jack muttered coolly, glancing at the marine who was now sprawled on the ground, courtesy of Jack's reflexive punch. Shaking his head, Jack left the hotel.
"What a waste of effort. These ordinary marines don't even give experience points anymore. I should stop wasting time on such weaklings—it's just embarrassing," he grumbled as he stepped outside, recalling that his earlier strike against the marine had yielded no rewards.
Though annoyed at having his training interrupted, Jack couldn't deny he was pleased with the news the soldier brought. Still, his stingy nature couldn't resist finding a flimsy excuse to justify knocking the poor soldier down, hoping in vain to squeeze even the smallest benefit from the encounter.
"Captain Smoker, long time no see!" Jack greeted casually as he arrived at the naval base, his demeanor as relaxed as ever.
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze narrowing. "Hmph~ You sure don't act like a pirate hunter when you go around attacking navy personnel." The irritation in his voice was clear—Jack's earlier actions had not gone unnoticed.
Jack laughed it off with a shrug. "Haha, forgive me, Captain. Your subordinate was a bit too impolite. I was deep in training when he barged in without warning, so I just gave him a small lesson!"
The fact that Smoker hadn't immediately lashed out at Jack spoke volumes. While he was clearly displeased, he must have noticed that Jack's "lesson" hadn't caused any actual harm to the messenger. If it had, their encounter wouldn't have started with words—it would've been a fight.
"Vice Admiral Garp's warship is almost at the port," Smoker said gruffly, taking another drag of his cigar. "You can take Ace with you." His tone made it clear he was eager to be rid of both Ace and Jack.
"Perfect! Then, Captain, how about handing over the key to the handcuffs?" Jack replied with a sly grin, extending his hand expectantly.
Smoker glared at him in silence, his expression unreadable. Jack, unfazed, stood his ground with an easy smile, as though he had no doubt Smoker would comply.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Smoker pulled a small key from his pocket and tossed it to Jack. "Take it," he said curtly, the disdain in his voice unmistakable.
Jack pocketed the key with a grin and followed a navy soldier toward the cell where Ace was being held. His casual demeanor contrasted sharply with the tension in the room he had just left.
"Captain, why did you give him the key? What if he lets Ace go?" Tashigi asked, her voice laced with concern as she turned to Smoker.
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes narrowing as he replied, "Hmph~ Remember my earlier theory of him expecting a reward? That's why he won't let Ace go. Besides, Vice Admiral Garp might need the key, so to Jack, it makes no difference. He's playing his game."
Tashigi paused, absorbing his words. After a moment of silence, she saluted Smoker and said, "I'll follow them, just in case."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left. Smoker didn't stop her. Despite his confidence in his reasoning, he understood the possibility that Jack and Ace might be working together to deceive them all. Letting Tashigi keep watch was a precaution he wasn't willing to forgo.
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"Hey~ Looks like things haven't been too great for you these past few days!" Jack quipped as he entered the dimly lit cell. His gaze fell on Ace, who was slumped against the wall, looking utterly drained. Jack's cheerful tone was almost mocking as he greeted him.
Ace's eyes flicked up, his expression calm but wary. "What's your goal?"
During his time in confinement, Ace had pieced together what he could. Jack clearly had an agenda. Like Smoker, Ace suspected Jack had somehow planned to use him to extract some favor or advantage from the old man.
Jack smirked, amused by Ace's composure. "Oh, don't play it so cool. That kind of attitude doesn't suit you. As for my purpose—" He leaned closer, his tone playful yet cryptic, "—you'll find out soon enough, but not just yet."
"I hope you're not planning anything too drastic," Ace said, giving Jack a wary look. He knew the old man might come across as unreliable, but that was merely a mask for his immense strength. Anyone who underestimated Garp's abilities would be the true fool.
"Alright, alright," Jack replied with exaggerated nonchalance. "Let's move. The old man will be here soon, so listen up—this is the last time I'll explain my plan. Once we board his ship, I'll find an opportunity to slip you the key. But you don't need me to remind you how terrifying your old man is, do you? After that, it's all on you. My job ends with taking the hit from him to buy you a moment. If you can't escape, well, that's not my problem." He spun the seastone handcuff key idly in his hand, smirking.
Ace glared at him, unimpressed. "And how's that any different from handing me over directly? Do you seriously think I can escape from him?"
Jack shrugged as they walked toward the exit. "That's where your new Flame powers come in. The old man probably doesn't know you've become a Logia user. That's your ace in the hole—pun intended."
Ace let out a humorless laugh. "It won't make a difference. Luffy's got powers too, and that didn't stop the old man from beating him senseless since he was a kid. Garp's Haki will be more than enough to deal with me."
"Well, that's your problem," Jack said with a dismissive wave. "Like I said, I'll give you the key when the time comes. What you do after that is your call. I'll be off the ship before things get messy." His tone was casual, as if the situation was of no real concern to him.
Ace rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Great f*cking plan."
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AN: Check out my P@treon For extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
www.p@treon.com/noviceauthor777