Boa Hancock's condition left Jack speechless. Seriously? This was the Pirate Empress, the woman who had enchanted countless souls across the seas?
Too speechless to even complain, Jack simply followed Hancock's lead. At last, they arrived at the island where Luffy was deep in training.
Waiting for them on the shore was none other than Rayleigh. With his sharp senses, it was no surprise he'd detected Jack's approach. Not that Jack had made any effort to stay hidden.
"Hey~ Uncle Rayleigh! Long time no see!" Jack greeted with an easy smile.
"Rayleigh? The Rayleigh?" Kaku asked in shock, turning to Lena.
Lena nodded calmly. "Yes. The legendary Dark King Rayleigh—right-hand man to the Pirate King himself, Gol D. Roger."
Issho and Kaku exchanged wide-eyed glances. Sailing with Jack for the first time, they hadn't expected him to be on friendly terms with such infamous figures.
"Relax," Lena added with a soft smile. "Rayleigh's from the old era. My Lord said that capturing him is a job for Sengoku or Garp. As long as he's not breaking the law, my Lord won't make a move against him."
Though still a little confused, the two nodded. If they were to drag someone like Rayleigh back to headquarters, even the Marine brass would be shaken.
Rayleigh chuckled warmly. "Jack-kun! Didn't think you'd track this place down. Impressive!"
Jack grinned as he stepped off the boat. "Is Luffy around? I'm here to see him—got some things to discuss."
Rayleigh nodded. "He's training now. Come, I'll take you to him."
"Sure thing—but give me a second first." Jack's smile faded as he turned back to Hancock, his tone turning serious.
"Boa Hancock, I get that you did this for Luffy's sake. But from a Marine's standpoint, we're still enemies. So, don't pull something like this again."
Hancock opened her mouth to retort, but Jack cut her off with a wave. His voice sharpened.
"Did you try to stop me earlier because you wanted to challenge me? Let's not talk about who would win. But as the ruler of Amazon Lily, what about your people? You go to war with the Navy, and your entire island will be reduced to ruins. Will you really have no regrets then? The Shichibukai title isn't what it used to be. Hancock—I'm warning you, only because this is for Luffy's sake."
Leaving those words hanging heavy in the air, Jack turned and followed Rayleigh into the forest. Lena and the others stayed back by the shore.
Hancock stood frozen, watching Jack's retreating back. Her face darkened. No matter his bond with Luffy, her opinion of Jack had soured.
As they walked deeper inland, Rayleigh suddenly asked, "So…the Navy's planning to abolish the Shichibukai system?"
Jack chuckled. "Trust you, Uncle Rayleigh, to get straight to the heart of it in seconds."
Rayleigh let out a hearty laugh. "Well, my wife works in intelligence. Guess some of it rubbed off on me. So that's why you gave Hancock that warning, huh?"
Jack shrugged, half amused, half exasperated. "What can I say? It's rare to meet a woman who cares about Luffy that much. Knowing him, he's probably oblivious—his mind's off somewhere else entirely. As his master, shouldn't you teach him a thing or two about this stuff?"
Rayleigh blinked, then roared with laughter. "Jack, you're a Marine Admiral now—should you really be worrying about that?"
Jack grinned coolly. "An Admiral's still human. My justice isn't tied to my rank."
He meant it lightly, but Rayleigh's next words came slower, more serious. "If the Navy could really live up to that kind of justice… Roger wouldn't have needed to…"
Jack's eyes flickered. "So, did Roger leave the truth of the Void Century on the Final Island?"
The question, though casually posed, made Rayleigh pause mid-step. He turned, his gaze sharp. "Do you want to know?"
Jack shook his head. "I know more than you think. Maybe I don't know exactly what's on that island, but honestly—I don't care. The lost history, the ancient weapons… none of that matters to me. I care about the present, and the future."
Rayleigh studied him carefully, as if weighing the truth in his words.
Jack's voice turned firm. "Don't doubt it. History's there to warn us, not to chain us. Knowing it changes nothing. Instead of chasing shadows of the past, I'd rather put everything into building a future where everyone's equal—where people can thrive together. Isn't that a better use of our strength?"
Rayleigh said nothing, but his nod was deep and thoughtful as he led Jack onward.
Back on the shore, Hancock wavered. She wanted to see Luffy—but not if it meant crossing paths with Jack again. As she stood torn, Lena approached.
"Boa Hancock, what exactly is your relationship with Luffy-san?" Lena asked, her tone innocent but curious.
"Hmph. And what business is that of yours?" Hancock snapped, still fuming from earlier.
Lena just smiled faintly. "Nothing really. But knowing Lord Jack's nature… if he wasn't sure you meant a lot to Luffy, he wouldn't have bothered warning you."
Hancock stiffened, lips parting in silent protest. Her feelings for Luffy were true, but with others, her patience wore thin—even with Rayleigh, to whom she owed gratitude, her loyalty wasn't absolute.
Lena sighed. "Honestly, I wasn't going to say this. But since you seem confused… the Shichibukai system is about to be abolished. Amazon Lily might be protected by the Calm Belt, but that won't save you forever. If you don't prepare, you'll be blindsided—and crushed before you even know why."
That shut Hancock up. Her eyes darkened as she fell into brooding silence. She wasn't foolish—she understood what Lena meant.
Amazon Lily's position wasn't much different from Fishman Island's. While they were spared the racial discrimination, that didn't mean greedy eyes weren't watching. The title of Warlord had shielded them—but that protection was crumbling.
At that moment, Granny Nyon appeared beside her. "Hebihime… the Admiral's words are true."
"Granny Nyon!" Hancock gasped. "You knew about this?"
"No," Nyon said, shaking her head. "But hearing Admiral Kurohyou just now made it clear. He's warning us, child. Even if he didn't spell it out, I would've told you myself once we got home."
Hancock's eyes narrowed, her decision firming. "Then let's go back. Now!"
Without hesitation, she strode to the boat.
"Thank you," Granny Nyon said, bowing to Lena. "Amazon Lily will never stand against the Navy."
Lena waved off the thanks, watching as the Kuja Pirates set sail with a small smile.
Beside her, Kaku leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Lady Lena… are you planning to recruit the Kuja warriors?"
After all, he knew their 'home' already had a squad of Fishmen soldiers under its wing.
Lena chuckled. "My Lord says every existence has its place. There are no higher or lower lives in this world. You might not like it—but you can't deny it. Fishmen are people too. And frankly… haven't you found them kind of cute, once you got to know them?"
Kaku grinned, nodding. He'd worked alongside the fishmen while rebuilding ships at 'home.' Over time, those sea-dwellers had become more than comrades—they'd become true friends.
"Hey, Luffy!" Jack called out as he arrived at the clearing where Luffy was training. Luffy, sitting by a campfire and happily munching on roasted meat, looked up in surprise.
"Whoa—Jack! What are you doing here?" Luffy blinked in shock for a moment before breaking into a wide grin and dashing over with a hearty laugh.
Jack chuckled. "I came to check on you. After what happened at Marineford, you were seriously hurt."
Luffy scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah… I finally get what you meant back then. We really were too weak," he admitted, a little embarrassed.
Back in the East Blue, Luffy had once asked Jack to join his crew. Jack had declined, telling him they weren't strong enough yet. Luffy hadn't believed it then—but now, after everything, he couldn't deny it anymore.
As the three of them sat around the fire, sharing food and conversation, Luffy opened up. He told Jack about Ace, who, despite losing his arm, chose to stay with the Whitebeard Pirates, helping Marco protect their crew. Sabo, after regaining his memories, had rejoined Dragon and the Revolutionary Army. Once again, the three brothers had gone their separate ways after a brief reunion.
Luffy and Ace had even joked that if Jack had been with them, the four of them could've shared a brotherhood toast all over again.
After their meal, Jack followed Luffy as he sought out Rayleigh to ask about mastering Haki.
Jack had already learned conqueror's infusion. To further improve his haki and its mastery, he needed inputs from Rayleigh, who was at the pinnacle when it came to haki knowledge.
Rayleigh, with a knowing smile, began to teach Jack the finer points of Haki training—though it wasn't much different from what the navy practiced, there were some inconsistencies. As an admiral, Jack already had access to most of the navy's secret training methods.
Still, with his current focus on mastering Ryuuma's swordsmanship, which he had gotten previously from the system. And also increasing his base strength and endurance to Kaido's level. He was collecting bounties to improve his swordsmanship level directly.
A day later, Jack announced he had to leave—his duties called. Luffy, of course, was reluctant to see him go. But when Jack mentioned that he had to hunt down the escaped prisoners from Impel Down, Luffy fell silent. Deep down, he knew those criminals were his responsibility.
"Don't worry about the small fry," Jack said with a reassuring smile. "But I will track down every last one of those who continue to harm innocent people. It's my way of cleaning up after this mess—and yours too. We can't let their violence spiral into something worse."
Luffy's face darkened with guilt. "Sorry... I didn't think that far ahead back then," he muttered, rare shame flickering in his eyes.
Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "It's okay. So far, nothing disastrous has happened. A gang of escapees tried to wipe out a small town for its treasure, but I happened to be nearby and stopped them before they could strike."
His gaze turned firm as he added, "But from now on, think things through. If the day ever comes when you harm civilians—brother or not—I will come for you."
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