Hearing Jack's shout, several fishmen surfaced from the ocean.
"Jack-sama!"
"You're awake! That's a relief!"
Jack immediately addressed the leading fishman, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Aladine! What happened? Did we lose?"
"No, Jack-sama, it's like this..."
After listening to Aladine's report, Jack nodded thoughtfully.
"No further fighting, huh? Ochoku?"
"That guy... Kaido has mentioned him before. Isn't he always holed up on Hachinosu?"
"Bah, whatever!"
Still brimming with excitement, Jack opened the interface panel. The system log appeared before him.
Docking complete.
Detected a battle involving multiple UR-tier individuals and more than ten thousand combatants. Classified as a campaign. Three treasure chests awarded.
Host unable to make a selection. System will auto-draw.
You have obtained: Agility +10 (Perfect).You have obtained: Conqueror's Haki Infusion (Radiant).You have obtained: Sea Companion (Rare).
(T/N: Reward levels: Inferior, Common, Rare, Perfect, Radiant.)
Agility +10 immediately elevated his lowest stat to his highest, and Jack could feel the difference—a newfound lightness coursing through his massive body. Conqueror's Haki Infusion promised even deadlier strikes, enhancing the sheer force of his attacks.
But as for the Sea Companion...
"What the hell is this thing?!" Jack bellowed internally.
He held the item up, glaring at it in disbelief.
"It's the wrong size! I'm nearly eight meters tall, and this thing is barely over two meters! What am I supposed to do with it?!"
In the distance, a group of pirates marched toward him, escorting a thousand slaves in chains. Jack activated his Observation Haki, scanning them instantly.
The leader was a fishman with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He turned to his companion with a sly grin and said in a peculiar tone,
"Oi, tomorrow it's our turn to hit the town. I hear you've been there a few times already."
The skinny blue-skinned fishman beside him shook his head and replied softly,
"Yeah, it's... nice, I guess. But it's over too quick—three minutes tops. Plus, it costs us some of our merit points. Not really worth it."
"Not worth it? Then why'd you keep going back?"
"Because it feels good, obviously!"
...
Jack's attention returned to the Sea Companion in his hands. With a loud shout, he called out,
"Aladine! ALADINE!"
Aladine rushed over, his expression a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
"Take this thing and see if they can replicate it! If they can, ramp up production! I want one in every crewmate's hands!"
Taking the Sea Companion from Jack, Aladine's face turned beet red. He hesitated before asking softly,
"Um, Jack-sama, why isn't it wearing any clothes?"
"And... why isn't the hair black?"
Jack blinked, momentarily stunned, before giving Aladine a thumbs-up.
"You're a damn genius, Aladine! Tell Kerr to make a bunch of outfits for it—make them stand out! Oh, and wigs! Lots of wigs! The more outrageous, the pricier!"
Jack waved him off impatiently.
"Now go! And don't even think about keeping it for yourself! It's valuable merchandise! But if you want one, you can have the knockoff later!"
Aladine scratched his head awkwardly, his face as red as a monkey's rear.
"Jack-sama... I-I wasn't..."
"You've got it all wrong!"
Watching Jack's retreating back, Aladine sighed helplessly and set off to find Kerr with the Sea Companion in hand.
Jack tested his new agility and the power of Conqueror's Haki Infusion. While the enhancements were noticeable, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
His massive body, though faster now, still held him back. The agility boost didn't make him as quick as he'd hoped. The Haki infusion, however, was promising—it disrupted opponents' buffs and defenses, making it a devastating weapon in battle.
Whitebeard's ability to shatter his defenses so effortlessly during their fight had partially relied on this technique. When combined with Armament Haki, it could deliver devastating blows, crippling opponents with a single strike. But for immortals like Kaido and himself, whose muscles and organs were as tough as their external defenses, such attacks weren't fatal.
Still, the rewards he'd gained weren't enough to achieve a significant breakthrough—not nearly enough to beat Kaido into submission.
Feeling hunger pangs, Jack leapt across the sea with a single Geppo jump, clearing over a hundred meters and landing on the opposite shore. He glanced at the island Whitebeard's power had created during their battle and couldn't help but marvel again at the man's strength.
Kaido, on the other hand, was thoroughly pleased with the outcome of the war. Whitebeard's attack had obliterated Renske Port but also created a perfect new terrain. Two small islands now flanked the area where a new Renske Port would be established, ideal bases for garrisoning troops.
Despite losing three Tobiroppo, the Beasts Pirates remained as strong as ever. Kaido was confident they could annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates with their current strength.
And when Kaido was happy, there was only one thing to do—throw a banquet.
When Jack arrived, the banquet had been raging for a full day and night. Ignoring the pirates' cheers and flattery, he focused solely on the food, devouring everything within reach.
By the time he was halfway full, Kaido finally noticed him and called him over.
"Oi, brat! Not bad!" Kaido grinned approvingly as he looked Jack up and down.
"Here, I've got two promising recruits for you!"
Kaido beckoned, and a man and a woman hurried over.
"Yes, Kaido-sama!"
"Jack-sama! It's an honor to meet you! I'm Sheepshead, and this is Ginrummy!"
Jack frowned but said nothing. He understood Kaido's intentions. The man clearly believed that Jack's grueling training regimen had contributed to Yamato's strength and now wanted him to cultivate these two recruits.
Still, Jack couldn't help but question Kaido's choice.
The man was fine, but the woman? Seriously?
"Kaido-ani, what's the deal with this woman? What's she supposed to do?"
Before Kaido could respond, Rim chimed in enthusiastically.
"She can! Definitely!"
All eyes turned to Rim, whose confidence wavered under the scrutiny.
"I-I mean... she's very capable! She's been a great help to me these past few days!"
Jack scoffed.
"Rim... listen, Master is generous, but you might want to tone it down a bit..."
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg