[TIOP] Chapter : 102

"What else is there to say?" Jack sneered, eyes locked on Aokiji. "No matter what happens, Admiral Kuzan, Whitebeard’s body cannot fall into Blackbeard’s hands. If it does, we’ll be unleashing a devil on the world. Of course, the ideal outcome is that the navy takes it back—after all, that corpse is my trophy."

Aokiji gave a faint smile, still unable to fully grasp Jack’s true intentions.

"Stay here. I’m going to deal with a few of Blackbeard’s lackeys first."

With those words, Jack vanished in a blur and reappeared behind “Champion” Jesus Burgess. In one swift strike, he drove a shigan into the pirate’s thigh, crippling him instantly. Before Burgess could react, Jack unleashed a Haki punch, slamming him straight into the ground with a thunderous impact.

The self-proclaimed champion crumpled to the floor—lifeless.

"Burgess!" Blackbeard roared, fury twisting his face as he watched another crewmate fall.

Jack had targeted him deliberately. In his past life, he remembered clearly—Burgess was the one who stumbled upon the Revolutionary Army’s base and tipped off Blackbeard, leading to its total annihilation. Eliminating him early was a calculated move.

"Don’t get impatient, Teach. You’ve still got plenty of men left. I’ll kill them one by one… just for you." A wicked glint lit up Jack’s eyes. In Blackbeard’s view, he wasn’t a man—he was a demon unleashed.

What Blackbeard didn’t know was that Jack was silently complaining inside. Despite the dramatic takedown, Burgess was worth only 20 million Berries. And how did Jack know that? The system had just notified him.

“You’ve received 2,000 diamonds.”

Apparently, even as the future captain of Blackbeard’s first ship, Burgess’s bounty was pitiful—less than some of the small fries under Whitebeard.

But Jack wasn’t bothered. After all, the real jackpot had already been claimed. Slaying Whitebeard not only showered him with rewards but also completed a long-standing mission from the system:
“Defeat one of the Four Emperors.”

He had always assumed that goal was a pipe dream—until now. And the system confirmed it: Mission complete.

He hadn’t had time to redeem the full reward yet, but it didn’t matter. The diamond total alone had already skyrocketed to over 500,000, with Whitebeard alone contributing a staggering 504,600 diamonds.

Jack could hardly contain his excitement. For a brief moment, he was tempted to open the system shop on the spot. But reason kicked in just in time. He forced himself to wait—the war wasn’t over yet.

When the dust settled and this battle finally ended, he would rise again… stronger than ever before.

"Fall back, all of you!" Blackbeard shouted to Lafitte and the others, his expression grim as he watched Jack tear through his elite crew. "This battle has escalated beyond your level. Leave it to us!"

Though each of them held immense potential, Blackbeard knew this was no longer a fight where potential meant survival.

Lafitte and the others said nothing in return. They began to retreat while still fending off attacks, blending into the chaos alongside the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. But Jack had already marked them. And once he set his sights on someone, escape wasn’t an option.

Seeing his subordinates becoming targets, Blackbeard abandoned his confrontation with Aokiji and lunged at Jack, determined to keep him occupied. By the time Jack broke free from Teach, those easier targets had already scattered.

"Tch. You all ran fast enough," Jack muttered under his breath, scanning the battlefield for the escapees from Impel Down. But these weren’t the average riffraff—they were seasoned warriors with terrifying combat skills.

Unlike before, Jack couldn’t take them down easily. Worse yet, once they realized he was hunting them, they banded together. The ambush caught him off guard. Blood sprayed as Jack was struck, taking a deep gash to his side.

"Brat, don’t underestimate these guys," came a familiar voice.

It was Garp, bursting into the fray with his trademark force. "These pirates were shaking the seas before you were even born!" he growled, knocking back an attacker and covering Jack.

Meanwhile, aboard the warship captured by the Whitebeard Pirates, Luffy lay sprawled on the deck, pale and breathless. He opened his mouth to speak—

"Iva-ch—"

"Luffy-boy!" Ivankov cut him off immediately. "Don’t even say it! With your current condition, you can’t withstand another one of those moves. If Dragon hears I let you try, he’ll kill me where I stand!"

Luffy slammed his fist into the deck, frustration bubbling over. "Damn it! Why does it have to be now?"

The sting of recent failures still weighed on him. He had already been crushed at Sabaody Archipelago, his crew scattered by Bartholomew Kuma. Now, he was forced to witness a clash between the strongest forces in the world—and he could do nothing.

"Jack was right," Luffy muttered. "I’m still too weak..."

Ivankov perked up. "Jack-boy? You mean that marine, Rear Admiral Jack?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded, eyes clouded with guilt. "He’s Ace’s sworn brother... which makes him mine too. And he’s also Grandpa Garp’s apprentice."

"EH!?" Ivankov’s jaw nearly hit the deck. He hadn’t expected that connection.

But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. The way Jack had acted, his conflicted loyalties... it all started to come together.

"Brrrr~~~ Brrrr~~~"

Back at Marineford, as Sengoku monitored the battlefield with furrowed brows, the Den Den Mushi in his coat pocket suddenly rang. He snatched it up and barked:

"This is Sengoku. Borsalino? Report—what’s the situation?"

The snail's face morphed into Kizaru’s lazy, mocking features, and his voice followed with its usual eerie tone.
"Moshi Moshi Sengoku-san, this is Borsalino. Everything's under control here. The Revolutionary Army didn’t send their full force—just one commander and a few higher-ups. The rest were small fry~"

Sengoku exhaled slowly, shoulders easing. That was the best possible news—Mariejois was safe.

"Excellent. Then wrap it up quickly and return to Marineford. We still have chaos here."

"Ehhh~ sorry about that," Kizaru replied with a wry smile. "The Celestial Dragons won’t let Sakazuki or me leave. They’re terrified the Revolutionary Army will strike again."

Even for someone like Kizaru—whose sense of duty was as laid-back as his speech—the whims of the Celestial Dragons were a bitter pill to swallow. Being forced to follow orders from those parasites grated on him, even if he wouldn’t admit it outright.

"Damn it! The battle’s still raging, and now we’ve lost two of our strongest assets! What are we supposed to do without you both?" Sengoku roared, fury etched across his face. "Forget it—get back here immediately. I’ll handle the Celestial Dragons myself and take full responsibility! I’ll contact the Five Elders if I have to!"

He was practically losing his mind. At such a critical juncture, he’d actually allowed two admirals to be reassigned to Mariejois. What was I thinking?

"Hai hai~" came Kizaru’s signature lazy response before he casually hung up, leaving Sengoku fuming in silence.

Tsuru, who had overheard everything, frowned. "Those pompous bastards are getting bolder by the day," she muttered.

Sengoku let out a weary sigh. "It's a cycle we can’t seem to break..."

"Maybe it’s time we try Jack’s way," Tsuru said, finally voicing what had been on her mind. "We do it discreetly. It’s not ideal, but it's better than continuing down this dead-end path."

The truth was, Jack’s potential was being held back—not by lack of skill or ambition, but by the upper echelons of the Navy itself. Unless they relented, his hands were tied.

Even though he’d begun building a secret base on an uninhabited island, Sengoku had turned a blind eye. Out of respect for Garp, he chose not to interfere. After all, it wasn’t near headquarters, and technically, it broke no official rules.

What they didn’t know, however, was that Jack—as a transmigrator—had been laying the groundwork for something much bigger. Most of it was hidden in plain sight, masked as trivial acts no one thought twice about.

Meanwhile, the battle raged on.

Both the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates’ remnants were worn thin from brutal combat. Marco, once a shining force on the battlefield, was now heavily wounded—along with nearly every other fighter.

Even the Navy’s Vice Admirals were beginning to fall. The toll of this operation was staggering.

Surprisingly, the Blackbeard Pirates had sustained only one fatality—Burgess, slain by Jack. But that didn’t mean they were unscathed. Every one of them bore wounds, and Blackbeard’s face was drenched in blood. Any normal man would have died from those injuries already.

Now, a tense stalemate had formed. None of the three factions dared risk an all-out clash, knowing the third would strike the weakened victor.

Logically, Marco and Blackbeard, both pirates, should have teamed up against the Navy. But the hatred between their crews ran deeper than their loathing for the Marines. Their infighting was more vicious than anything the Navy had thrown at them.

Under Jack’s leadership, the Navy had strategically focused their assault on Blackbeard. But despite his command, many Marines still bore a stronger grudge against the Whitebeard Pirates—fracturing their focus and worsening the situation.

"Sengoku, we can’t keep this up," Tsuru said, her tone grim as she scanned the field. "We’re losing vice admirals now. The price is too high."

"These damn brats..." Garp muttered, delivering a devastating punch that sent a pirate flying before staggering over to Sengoku. His breath was heavy, his body bruised. "They’re really testing my patience."

He was old now, and though his strength remained formidable, even Garp had to acknowledge his limits.

"Just hold out a little longer," Sengoku said, grimacing. "Kizaru and Sakazuki are on their way. We’ve gone too far to retreat now."

Garp gave a tired nod and turned back to the chaos. He understood Sengoku’s meaning all too well—there was no turning back. All that remained was to fight to the bitter end.