At the bottom of the sea, Jack lay there with bloodshot eyes, his head swollen with lumps, glaring up at the dark surface above. His stamina was drained, leaving him unconscious from sheer exhaustion.
Initially, when Jack had fallen to the seafloor, he'd been completely knocked out, though his body was rapidly recovering. But that damn Garp! Despite his age, he dove all the way down into the depths and gave Jack a relentless beating. His punches hurt like hell, and the sheer pain jolted Jack awake.
The humiliation burned in Jack's chest, but more than that, he now had a clearer sense of Garp's power.
That old geezer is definitely on the same level as Whitebeard and Kaido. Unlike them, who rely on their Devil Fruits, Garp is a pure master of martial arts—an absolute expert in the most straightforward and brutal way possible.
In terms of sheer hand-to-hand combat, Garp is the strongest fighter Jack had ever encountered, even stronger than Whitebeard or Kaido. Sure, their martial prowess was incredible, but without the advantages of their Devil Fruits, they wouldn't stand a chance against Garp.
Garp didn't have Whitebeard's world-shattering abilities, nor did he possess Kaido's or Jack's special physique, nor even Conqueror's Haki. Yet through sheer skill in martial arts and mastery of Armament Haki, he'd claimed the title of the Navy's strongest fighter, standing at the pinnacle of this vast ocean.
And his personality? Like some mischievous old man! Completely different from those justice-obsessed Marines who constantly prattle about righteousness.
Damn it! It's so frustrating! I won't accept this! I can't accept this!
Rim, where the hell are you guys?! Hurry up and fish me out of here! Once I recover, I'll chase him down for another fight!
...
Aboard the Mammoth
The Mammoth was abuzz with excitement. Rim and the rest of the crew were shouting and laughing, their cheers echoing across the frozen sea. Some Fish-Men pirates were even playing games on the ice below.
Jack had ordered Rim and the others to leave him and sail ahead, but he hadn't anticipated the sheer range of Kuzan's Devil Fruit. Even at full speed, the Mammoth had gotten trapped in the endless expanse of frozen sea.
From the ship's deck, all they could see was an endless field of ice stretching into the horizon. It was enough to make them abandon any thought of breaking through by force.
After reporting Jack's encounter with Garp and Kuzan to Kaido, the response was brief:
"Once they're done, pick him up."
Then the line went dead.
With orders like that from their captain's captain, there wasn't much the crew could do except follow them.
Still, sitting around doing nothing was boring, so they turned to their usual method of passing the time: gambling.
Games, and even arm wrestling filled the deck with noise and excitement. Losing all your money wasn't a big deal—after all, as long as you were alive, you'd eventually pay your debts. Jack-sama had zero tolerance for freeloaders who didn't settle their accounts.
Amid the raucous crowd, Sheepshead was locked in a drinking contest with Ginrummy, surrounded by cheering pirates.
After hours of drinking, Ginrummy—a woman, no less—was holding her own against Sheepshead. Eventually, under Rim's loud cheers, Sheepshead collapsed under the table, utterly defeated.
"HAHAHAHA! You idiots!" Rim roared with laughter. "I told you, didn't I? Any woman brave enough to take on a man in a drinking contest has to have something special!"
"Pay up! Pay up! If you don't have the money, keep track of your debt!"
"Finder! That means you! Don't even think about skipping out—you already owe me five million Belly!"
Caught trying to sneak away, Finder froze, his face reddening with anger.
"Five million Belly?! You think I'm some deadbeat who won't pay his debts?" Finder retorted.
"Blame Sheepshead for being so useless! What kind of man loses to a woman in a drinking contest?"
Rim smirked. "If you think you're so great, why don't you go drink with Yamato?"
At the mention of Yamato, Finder's bravado evaporated, and he slunk away in silence.
Yamato, Jack, and Maria had practically been raised in barrels of alcohol by Kaido himself. In a drinking contest, no one could beat them—except maybe Kaido, though he'd start a drunken rampage after just a few bottles.
...
Back on the Deck
After the crowd dispersed, Rim clapped Ginrummy on the shoulder.
"Good work, Ginrummy! You're pretty capable!"
"N-no, Rim-sama! I'm not capable at all!" she stammered, flustered.
Before their conversation could go any further, a shout came from the deck, interrupting them. Moments later, Finder came rushing in, yelling at the top of his lungs:
"Rim! The ice is melting! Jack-sama's vivre card is burning again—it stopped, but it's starting to recover. He must've lost the fight! What should we do? Should we go fish him out now?"
"Fish him out? Are you crazy?!"
Rim ran to the deck, shouting commands.
"Everyone, back on the ship! Full speed ahead! Once we shake off the Navy, we'll come back for Jack-sama!"
The Rescue
When Finder and Aladine finally retrieved Jack from the depths, several days had passed.
Drifting helplessly at the bottom of the sea was a terrifying experience. Aside from fending off fish that tried to eat him, Jack had little to do but replay old memories to distract himself.
This time, he found himself reminiscing about TV shows from his previous life.
When Aladine and Finder finally pulled him up, they exchanged a brief, silent glance.
As they broke through the surface, Jack's expression was grim.
"If either of you dares to speak of this…" Jack said darkly, his voice low and menacing.
"…then we'll all die together!"
Aladine rolled his eyes. "My eyesight's been pretty bad lately."
"Same here," Finder added dryly.
...
Back to Onigashima
As Jack's impatience grew, the Mammoth sped toward Onigashima. Two weeks later, the island loomed on the horizon.
"Soru! Geppo!"
Without waiting for the ship to dock, Jack launched himself toward the island, heading straight for the brothel on the eastern side.
"Jack-sama!"
Ignoring the surprised voices around him, Jack burst into the building, slamming the door of Black Maria's room open.
"Jack! You're back!"
Inside, Black Maria sat lazily, puffing on her pipe.
"You lot, get out!" Jack barked at the attendants. "And guard the door! If anyone comes in, I'll smash their heads in!"
"Y-yes, Jack-sama!"
The attendants fled, giggling behind their hands. As the door closed, Black Maria set her pipe down and looked up at him, her voice teasing.
"What's got you so worked up, charging in here like that?"
Jack's lips curled into a grin.
"What do you think? Come fight me!"
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg