Luffy's expression grew serious as he locked eyes with Jack. "Everyone, stay alert. I can tell—Jack really isn't going to show any mercy this time!"
Zoro and Sanji braced themselves for battle. Though they were far from their peak fighting condition, they were the only ones left who could stand against Jack in a desperate struggle.
"Franky, hurry up! If you don't, we're really going to die here!" Nami shouted anxiously.
"Coup de burst!!"
"Iron Rock Fist!"
Franky and Jack shouted at the same time.
"What?!" The marines, except for Jack, stared in shock at the Straw Hat Pirates' small ship. Suddenly, a powerful burst of air shot out from the stern, propelling the ship into the air.
Jack's punch struck the ship's stern, but instead of sinking it, the force only accelerated its flight, sending the Straw Hats soaring even faster.
"Ahaha~ They're really something. They actually managed to escape!" Jack said, feigning surprise.
"After them! Bring Nico Robin back at all costs!" The CP9 leader, his face swollen from battle, roared in frustration.
"Enough. Look around—Judicial Island, our warships. Don't you see? We've suffered a crushing defeat this time." Aokiji finally stood up and spoke.
Jack, however, simply yawned, his tone indifferent. "Admiral Aokiji, you saw it yourself—I didn't go easy on them! Anyway, it's getting late. I'm heading back to headquarters to get some rest."
With that, Jack gave the order for the Pearl to return, passing through the now-reopened Gate of Justice and heading back to headquarters.
As for the aftermath on Judicial Island? That was Aokiji's problem, not his.
Aokiji watched Jack depart, his expression conflicted. It was true—Jack hadn't held back. He had even used his strongest technique, the Iron Rock Fist. But given how everything played out, it was clear that Jack had been intentional in his actions.
Still, without solid evidence, Aokiji remained silent. As he ordered his men to clean up the mess in Ennie's lobby, his mind was already preoccupied with how he would explain all of this to Sengoku.
As soon as Jack returned to headquarters, he was immediately summoned to the office—where Garp was casually munching on senbei.
"Jack, what the hell happened at Judicial Island?!" Sengoku demanded, clearly furious.
Jack smirked, curling his lips. "Sengoku-san, you already got the news? That was fast. I barely stepped off the ship, and you're already questioning me." He shrugged. "What else? The Straw Hat Pirates caused chaos at the Judicial Island, and that idiot CP9 commander actually triggered a Buster Call. This is the result."
"The Straw Hat Pirates? Garp, is this your grandson's doing again?" Sengoku turned to Garp, his tone accusatory.
"Ah~ So it was Luffy? I never expected that little punk to be this strong now!" Garp replied with a hearty laugh.
"Idiot! Do I look like I'm asking for your praise right now?!" Sengoku roared in frustration. "What is wrong with your family? Are they all just troublemakers by nature?!"
"Fleet Admiral, I have to point something out," Jack interjected with a smirk. "The Straw Hat Pirates alone weren't capable of turning Judicial Island into ruins. The real destruction was caused by the Buster Call! But I've got to admit, Luffy's gotten impressive—he actually managed to escape from me. I have to respect that!"
"Really? Bwahaha~ That's my grandson for you! He's strong!" Garp beamed, clearly proud of Luffy's achievement.
Sengoku, on the other hand, glared at the two men in front of him—neither of whom seemed to take him seriously. They were standing in his office, casually chatting about pirates right to his face! He clenched his fists, resisting the urge to smack them both.
"Garp, your grandson caused this mess. You deal with it!" Sengoku finally ordered, barely keeping his fury in check.
"Hmm? You want me to go?" Garp rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I haven't seen Luffy in a while..."
"Sensei, the Fleet Admiral is telling you to capture Luffy, not go on a family visit," Jack whispered, glancing at the increasingly exasperated Sengoku.
"Oh~ really?" Garp glanced at Sengoku, who looked like he was about to explode at any moment, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Trying to brush it off, he said, "Of course I know! Alright, call Coby and the others—we're heading out together!"
"Sensei, why do I have to go too? The soldiers at headquarters are waiting for me to teach them boxing!" Jack grumbled, reluctantly following Garp out of Sengoku's office.
"What? As an older brother, can't you at least check in on your younger brother? Quit complaining and get ready, you brat! I haven't seen my grandson in ages!"
Inside the office, Sengoku listened to their conversation through gritted teeth. The sheer audacity of these two was infuriating. He resisted the overwhelming urge to storm out and knock some sense into them. Instead, he grabbed the stack of documents on his desk, trying to drown out their voices with work before his temper got the best of him.
Before long, preparations for departure were complete. They were originally supposed to set sail on Garp's Dog-Head Warship, but Jack—having been unceremoniously abandoned by Garp in the past—wasn't taking any chances this time. He had his own warship, the Pearl, prepared for the journey. His plan? Travel separately to Water 7, ensuring he wouldn't be stranded there by Garp again.
A few days later, when Jack and Garp arrived in Water 7, they immediately started gathering information on Luffy and his crew's whereabouts.
"Huh~~"
Standing outside the house where Luffy and the others were staying, Garp made no effort to use the front door. Instead, he simply stood by the wall, exhaled sharply into his fist, and with a single punch, shattered the entire wall to pieces.
"Huh~ The navy?! Oh no, Luffy's still not awake—what do we do?"
Inside the house, all the Straw Hat Pirates—except for Zoro—froze in alarm. Even Usopp, who had been peeking through the window from outside, flinched at the sudden intrusion. Garp's dramatic entrance had caught them all off guard.
"I heard that the pirate Monkey D. Luffy is here," Garp announced casually, standing amidst the rubble of the shattered wall. "There are a few people outside who want to see him."
Silence.
No one responded. Luffy, completely unaware of the commotion, remained fast asleep, still recovering from the battle.
"Hey~ Still sleeping? How impudent!" Garp's sharp gaze immediately landed on his grandson, who was snoring away without a care in the world. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot and reappeared right beside Luffy.
"So fast!" Sanji barely had time to register Garp's movement before the old man was already standing next to Luffy.
"Wake up, you idiot!" With a loud thud, Garp delivered a brutal punch to Luffy's head, sending him rolling across the floor in pain.
Outside, Jack, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
That signature punch… He had been on the receiving end of it way too many times before.
"Hurt? But you're a rubber man—how can a punch make you feel pain?" Sanji asked, baffled.
"Hehe~ The Fist of Love bypasses all defenses!" Garp declared proudly, removing the dog-head hat from his head.
Luffy, now fully awake, stared at Garp in shock before shouting in horror, "Grandpa?!"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone in the room—except for Jack—froze in stunned silence. Even the navy soldiers Garp had brought along were taken aback.
"Wait, what?! This old man is Luffy's grandfather? And Jack's sensei? But… he's a marine!?" Sanji, Nami, and the others gawked at Garp in disbelief.
"You've stirred up quite the mess, brat," Garp said nonchalantly, standing before Luffy with his arms crossed. "Seems like you've done a lot of things you should be apologizing for."
"Luffy, is he really your grandfather?" Sanji asked again, still struggling to wrap his head around the revelation.
"Yeah, and trust me, you do not want to mess with him," Luffy muttered, rubbing his head with lingering dread. "I don't even know how many times I almost died because of him!"
"Hey, hey, don't make it sound so harsh!" Garp huffed in protest. "I am your grandpa! Everything I did was for your own good! Pushing you off cliffs, leaving you alone in the forest at night, tying you to a balloon, and sending you into the sky—it was all training! I was making you a Strong Marine!"
As he spoke, Garp seemed to grow sentimental for a moment, moved by his own words. But as reality set in—that his beloved grandson had become a pirate instead of a marine—his expression twisted with frustration.
When the others heard how Garp had "trained" Luffy, they couldn't help but shudder. Even Sanji muttered, "Well… that explains where Luffy gets his ridiculous will to live from."
"Haven't I always said it? I want to be the pirate king!" Luffy shouted, finally standing up as he declared his dream with unwavering determination.
"What?! You still dare to argue?!" Garp bellowed, his face darkening. "You've clearly been corrupted by that damn Shanks!"
"Shanks?!" Luffy's expression turned fierce at the mention of his idol. "Shanks saved my life! I won't let you talk badly about him!"
"Shanks…? Red-Haired Shanks?" Robin asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Nami confirmed with a nod. "That straw hat Luffy always cherishes? Shanks gave it to him."
Garp's eyes narrowed. "Brat, did you just tell me, your grandfather, what I can't say? Looks like someone needs a lesson!"
Before Luffy could react, Garp grabbed him by the collar with one hand, effortlessly lifting him off the ground.
"Oh no! Luffy's been captured by the navy!" Chopper yelped in panic. "He can't fight back at all!"
Sanji clenched his fists, his expression grim. "I mean… it is his grandfather. This was probably inevitable," he admitted, trying to think of a way to help but coming up empty.
"Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo~"
Just as everyone was feeling at a loss, something truly bizarre happened—both grandfather and grandson, who had been heatedly arguing just moments ago, had fallen asleep at the same time.
"They… fell asleep?"
"What do we do now?"
"This is insane… Who quarrels themselves to sleep?"
"I have no idea. I've never seen anything like this before!"
The Straw Hat Pirates exchanged bewildered glances, utterly unsure of how to proceed.
At that moment, a familiar voice called out from the entrance.
"Hey, hey~ Long time no see! How's everyone been?"
Jack strolled in casually from outside.
"Jack!" Nami and the others immediately brightened, calling his name in relief.
With him around, at least they had someone they could talk to. But as for Luffy's grandfather… well, they had no idea how to deal with him. They also knew that their escape from Judicial Island had been largely thanks to Jack. Without him, it wouldn't have mattered if Aokiji hadn't personally pursued them—those Vice Admirals alone could have easily wiped them out.
"Relax," Jack reassured them with a smile. "The old man won't make things too difficult for Luffy."
Sanji exhaled a slow puff of smoke, eyeing him skeptically. "So your Sensei… is really Luffy's grandfather? And a vice admiral on top of that?"
Jack nodded. "That's right. And don't let his carefree attitude fool you—Garp-sensei is insanely strong. At the very least, he can go toe-to-toe with Aokiji without breaking a sweat."
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