A full year had passed since Jack and Aramaki first began living together, and in that time the two boys had grown remarkably. Their bond had deepened through shared struggles, endless training, and countless hunts, and now they were more like brothers than simple companions.
Aramaki, once frail and unable to push a single boulder, could now lift one nearly double his size. His stamina and grit had grown, and he no longer collapsed in exhaustion as easily as before. He had also started hunting regularly, alternating with Jack to provide food. In battle, he was beginning to carve out his own identity as a fighter, blending crude street brawling with a self-taught staff style, using long branches and makeshift poles as weapons.
Jack, however, was a phenomenon of his own. His body had transformed into a compact tower of muscle. Within just a year, he had grown to a height comparable to Bartholomew Kuma during the God Valley Incident—massive for his age, even exceeding Kuma's youthful stature. If Big Mom was said to be the tallest human, Jack looked like he was steadily closing the gap. His growth wasn't just size. His training in the Hercules Method had advanced to a new level, giving him precise control over his muscles. He could compress them to enhance strength far beyond their natural capacity, turning his body into a living weapon.
Their camaraderie resembled the brotherhood of legends, much like Luffy and Ace in another generation. Yet, instead of simply being brothers, Jack and Aramaki forged their relationship as a crew: Jack as the captain, and Aramaki as his unwavering right-hand man. Together, they set their sights on the future, dreaming of leaving Taya Kingdom once they had amassed a fortune of over a billion berries. To prepare, they built a massive treehouse, hidden high in the forest canopy. This fortress served as their home, training ground, and vault where they stored all their stolen treasures.
For months, they clashed with local gangs that plagued the island, systematically dismantling them and looting their wealth. Strangely, no Marines or soldiers pursued them. The authorities dismissed their actions as mere gang-on-gang warfare, blind to the fact that two children were responsible for systematically tearing apart the underworld of Taya.
One afternoon, as they sparred in the clearing near their treehouse, Aramaki launched a furious assault. He swung a staff toward Jack's head, only for Jack to block with a single hand. Aramaki tried a spinning kick, aiming at Jack's temple, but the strike was effortlessly caught. In a blur, Jack slammed him into the ground.
Gritting his teeth, Aramaki spat, "What if we rob the king? Wouldn't that be faster? We'd get more treasure than any gang has!"
Jack pinned him with a hand, raising a brow. "That's reckless. This is a World Government–affiliated country. The moment we're caught, Marines will swarm us. Not just regular soldiers either. We're talking Vice Admirals—or worse."
Aramaki smirked through the pain of being held down. "That's only if we get caught. If we don't, we could skip years of wasting time here. Imagine it—we'd have enough to sail the seas in just one score." With that, he tried to kick Jack below the belt, only for Jack to snatch his leg mid-swing.
"You really don't learn, do you?" Jack sighed before slamming Aramaki onto the ground again—once, twice, then a third time. Aramaki groaned but bore it with familiarity. After all, being slammed was less painful than one of Jack's punches, which he had foolishly tried to endure in earlier spars.
Still, Aramaki's words lingered. As Jack meditated later that night, he considered the idea. The risks were undeniable, but so were the potential rewards. Devil Fruits might even be stored within the royal treasury—rare treasures beyond gold and jewels.
The next morning, Jack gave his answer. "Fine. We'll do it. But if we're robbing a castle, we're doing it right. No half-measures."
And so the two boys began to plan, not as reckless children, but as pirates in the making. The target: the royal palace of the Taya Kingdom.
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A month passed as Jack and Aramaki finalized their preparations for the heist of the Royal Palace. By then, Jack was certain they were ready. He wasn't overly worried—his instincts had sharpened to the point where he could judge a person's strength at a glance, and among the knights and guards he had seen, not a single one posed a real threat. It was almost laughable. The kingdom seemed to rely entirely on the idea that Marines would respond to any true danger.
On a moonless night, the two set out. Dressed in dark clothes, they slipped through the silent streets and made their way toward the towering palace. The first thing they noticed was the sheer number of knights patrolling the perimeter. Each was clad in full armor, rifles at their side, eyes scanning the darkness.
Jack activated the strange blue vision he had recently unlocked. Trails of faint, glowing lines appeared before his eyes, revealing guard patrol routes and the arcs of their movements. Picking up a handful of small stones, he flicked them with unnatural precision, curving their flight so they landed in distant alleys. The clattering noises drew patrols away, leaving gaps for the boys to slip through unnoticed.
Step by step, they worked deeper into the palace grounds. After minutes of sneaking, they reached the vault entrance, where two armored guards stood stiffly at their posts. Jack acted quickly. A blur of motion, two muffled thuds, and both men collapsed unconscious before they even realized what hit them. With almost playful cruelty, Jack propped them against the wall so they still looked like they were standing guard.
Aramaki's eyes widened as he pushed at the great vault door—only to find it swung open without a lock. "Seriously?"
Jack chuckled under his breath. "How cocky are they? They think no one would ever dare rob them."
"They're not wrong," Aramaki replied with a smirk as they stepped inside. "Who'd be crazy enough to try?"
The vault was staggering. Stacks of gold bars glittered in lantern light, and mountains of berry notes spilled from chests like paper waterfalls. Aramaki immediately began stuffing bags full of gold and currency, his grin widening with each handful. Jack, however, had something more specific in mind. He scoured the chamber until his eyes landed on what he sought: a pair of ornate treasure chests, both already unlocked, sitting beside a thick, leather-bound Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
Flipping through the book, Jack quickly identified the first fruit—Mori Mori no Mi, the Forest-Forest Fruit. His eyes narrowed. So this is the very fruit Aramaki will wield in the future… I thought the World Government gave it to him, but here it sits in a dusty palace vault.
The second fruit was far stranger. According to the encyclopedia, it was the Bai Bai no Mi—the Twice-Twice Fruit. Its ability was almost absurd: it could amplify anything the user desired by a factor of two, and then again, exponentially, at the cost of immense stamina. A sword could double in size and weight, a punch could double in impact, and so on. In the hands of a powerhouse, it was the ultimate support ability.
But the description carried a grim warning. Prolonged use would siphon away the user's lifespan, as their cells were forced into rapid division, accelerating decay and degeneration. For most, it was a death sentence.
Jack smirked. For others, maybe. But with the Hercules Method, I can repair my cells. I can handle it.
Carefully, he slipped both Devil Fruits into his bag along with the encyclopedia. Then he helped Aramaki finish packing gold and treasure into their sacks until the vault was stripped of its riches.
By the time they left, more than an hour had passed. Both boys carried multiple bulging bags over their shoulders, but they moved with ease, as though the weight meant nothing. They retraced their steps through the palace, slipping past patrols, and not a single alarm was raised.
At last, they reached the forested mountainside where Jack had dug out a hidden chamber. This secret vault—buried deep within the earth—was where they had stored all their loot from gangs, and now it would serve as the resting place for their greatest haul yet. They stashed their treasure, secured the entrance, and finally collapsed in their treehouse above, exhausted but exhilarated.
As they lay on the floor, grinning despite their fatigue, both boys knew it: they were closer to their dream than ever before. Whatever chaos awaited the palace at dawn was no concern of theirs. For tonight, they slept like kings.