Inside his mind, the strange scenery shifted once more, as disturbing waves of scarlet and green washed over his vision. The colors clashed and twisted with no clear pattern, overwhelming him in a way he had not anticipated. Then, as the chaos settled for a brief moment, Jack suddenly saw a figure materialize before him—one he immediately recognized.
It was the form of the Sun God, Nika, smiling with that carefree grin while laughing loudly. Nika's movements were wild yet graceful, his body twisting as though dancing even as he fought. In front of him stood another figure, a hulking mass that wore an angry expression on his face, and the figure with an angry face had six arms that were covered in gold like texture. The fists swung with crushing force, and when it clashed with Nika's round shield, the impact created a powerful shockwave that rippled across the entire strange realm Jack was standing in.
The environment trembled and shattered at every collision, yet neither figure seemed bothered by the destruction. Instead, they pressed forward with even greater intensity. Jack could hear it clearly now—Nika's heartbeat, echoing through the air like a drum, each beat growing louder and faster as the battle escalated. The hulking figure responded in kind, howling like a madman, as its anger was getting stronger by the minute, and its heartbeat was beating like it was a war drum.
The two figures clashed again. At the very moment of impact, a blinding light engulfed everything, consuming both Nika and the figure that had only his fist, which was covered in a gold and red aura that he couldn't understand, and washing out the battlefield in a single flash. Jack shut his eyes instinctively, and when he opened them again, the strange world had vanished.
He was lying once more inside the hidden chamber, his body sprawled on the cold stone floor where he had fallen earlier. The Devil Fruit was still clutched tightly in his hands, as though it had never left his grip during the entire experience. Jack blinked a few times, disoriented, before steadying himself and standing up. Without wasting more time in the cave, he retraced his steps, swimming back through the waterfall and following the path through the forest.
After several minutes of walking, he arrived back at the shore. The Wicked Wench was still docked exactly where they had left it, its hull steady against the waves. At a glance, Jack could tell that neither Aramaki nor B had returned yet, leaving the area quiet.
He boarded the Wicked Wench and sat down with the Devil Fruit in front of him. For a while, he searched through their supplies and reference materials, hoping to identify the fruit's name or at least confirm its origin. However, no matter how long he spent checking, he could not find a single mention or record of a Devil Fruit that matched the strange one in his possession.
Jack leaned back in his chair, holding the fruit up to eye level, staring at its bruised skin and pulsing interior.
'What Devil Fruit are you?' Jack thought, narrowing his eyes as he tried to sense something from it. The longer he looked, the more he felt it—faint whispers, a pull, a strange call that seemed to come from the fruit itself, as though it was alive and aware of him. The sensation unsettled him, but at the same time, his instincts told him there was more to uncover.
Rather than making a rash choice, Jack decided to wait. He set the Devil Fruit down carefully, resolved that he would only act after Aramaki and B returned. Whatever this fruit was, whatever the vision meant, it was not something he could decide on alone.
For now, he would bide his time.
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After several hours had passed, both Aramaki and B finally returned to the shore. The two carried bundles of game slung over their shoulders, evidence of the wild animals they had hunted along the way. Once they reached Jack, they reported their findings, explaining that aside from the occasional predator trying to attack them—which would now serve as tonight's meal—they had encountered nothing else of significance during their exploration.
"I found a waterfall on my path," Jack then said as he stepped forward. "We can use that as a steady source of fresh water. And there's also this."
Jack raised his hand and presented the Devil Fruit he had discovered inside the cave. Both Aramaki and B paused, their eyes fixed on the strange fruit.
"How lucky are you?" Aramaki muttered, sounding half annoyed and half impressed. His time spent under Dragon had already taught him just how rare Devil Fruits were, and seeing Jack casually return with one in his hands brought that truth back to him.
He still remembered how Jack had once tried to offer the Devil Fruit they had taken from the Tayo Kingdom's vaults to Dragon, only for Dragon to firmly reject the gift. That memory made Aramaki click his tongue in frustration, though deep down he knew this was just Jack's nature—somehow always stumbling into things most people could only dream of finding.
B, on the other hand, said nothing at first. He simply studied Jack closely, his expression curious. Out of the three of them, Jack was the only one without a Devil Fruit. B knew that much, and the thought lingered in his mind as he looked at the pulsing fruit. Finally, he asked the question that weighed on him.
"Would you eat it?" B asked quietly, his gaze not leaving Jack.
Jack paused for a moment, his thoughts turning inward. He thought about the visions he had seen, about the strange call of the fruit, and about his instincts, which had never failed him before. Then he looked back at his crew, his face calm but firm.
"Yes, I will," Jack answered, and without any more hesitation, he raised the fruit to his mouth and bit into it.
The moment his teeth sank into the flesh, an overwhelming taste exploded across his tongue. It was bitter and sour, salty and rancid, all at once—a flavor so foul that his body instinctively wanted to gag and spit it out. The taste spread like a flood, hitting every corner of his mouth and burning itself into his senses. But before he could even think of reacting further, the fruit seemed to vanish, disappearing from his mouth as if it had never been there at all.
Aramaki crossed his arms, raising a brow. "Now what?" he asked flatly, clearly unimpressed by the lack of immediate transformation.
B also stared at Jack, waiting silently to see if something would happen.
Jack clenched his fist, trying to feel any difference in himself, any sign of what power he had gained. But as he stood there, nothing obvious happened—no sudden surge of strength, no visible transformation, nothing. A hint of disappointment flickered across his face, but he quickly forced it down.
"We'll discover my Devil Fruit ability soon enough," Jack finally said, his tone steady despite the uncertainty.
Both Aramaki and B nodded in agreement, accepting his words. Without pressing the issue further, they shifted their focus to preparing the food they had brought back. The three of them then began setting up for their meal, the Devil Fruit matter left hanging in the air like an unspoken promise.
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The next morning, the three of them could be seen training once again. On one side stood Aramaki and B, shoulder to shoulder, while on the opposite side stood Jack, facing them alone. It was their usual sparring formation, where both of them would fight against Jack, who insisted on training without a partner.
"Give it everything you've got. If you don't, I might kill you by accident, you know," Jack warned casually, his tone serious yet calm.
Aramaki and B burst into laughter at the remark, almost in perfect sync."Hahahahaha! We'll see about that!" the two said simultaneously, grinning with confidence.
With that, the sparring began. Both sides immediately activated Armament and Observation Haki, knowing that the only way to strengthen Haki was to clash against stronger Haki. B moved first, his unique rhythm shaping the flow of his battle style, while Aramaki joined in, creating his own offensive openings. In moments, the field was filled with dozens of tentacle-like extensions—each hardened with Armament Haki—striking and slashing in hopes of overwhelming Jack.
But Jack was moving like a ghost, weaving between their blows with precise footwork, counters, and subtle shifts of his body. Each time he struck back, his attacks carried more weight than the last, pushing Aramaki and B harder as the sparring gained momentum.
The two, realizing that they were still being handled easily, exchanged a look before activating their Devil Fruit transformations. Their bodies shifted, monstrous features taking form, and they attacked with greater ferocity. Seeing this, Jack's expression sharpened just slightly—he decided to raise his effort, though only a little.
Their training battle stretched on for more than five hours, a grueling clash of power, speed, and willpower. By the end, Aramaki and B were gasping for air, sweat dripping down their exhausted forms, while Jack stood across from them without even breaking a sweat.
"This will be the final clash for today," Jack announced, raising his stance once more.
Both Aramaki and B nodded, bracing themselves for one last effort. They poured everything into their strongest attacks, channeling both Haki and Devil Fruit powers into a devastating combination. Jack, in response, prepared his own impact clash. When the techniques collided, a massive shockwave erupted—so powerful that it tore through the surrounding area.
But Jack had failed to fully restrain himself. His strike overwhelmed their defenses, hitting both Aramaki and B head-on. The two immediately lost consciousness, collapsing onto the ground.
"Ahhh… looks like I'll be the one responsible for dinner tonight," Jack muttered with a sigh, glancing at their unconscious bodies.
While out hunting for food, Jack came across a massive bear, a beast so large that its height nearly rivaled that of Whitebeard himself. The animal planted itself firmly in front of Jack, its hulking form blocking the path, and released a deafening roar meant to intimidate.
Normally, Jack would have brushed such a thing aside, perhaps even walked away, since animals had never been his true concern. But this time was different. Deep within him, something unfamiliar began to stir, an emotion that resembled anger, yet it was rawer and heavier. It churned in his chest, building little by little until it finally boiled over.
Without warning, Jack let loose a howl, a roar that sounded almost unnatural, one that carried with it an eruption of lightning. The storm-like force of his voice burst outward, striking directly at the massive bear. In the blink of an eye, the beast was incinerated, its form collapsing into a heap of scorched flesh, cooked where it stood.
"Huh? Is this… my Devil Fruit?" Jack thought to himself, his eyes narrowing as confusion and curiosity blended. Rather than celebrate or move immediately, he lowered himself into a meditative position, a habit ingrained through countless repetitions of the Hercules Method. He focused inward, calming his breath, slowing his heart, and aligning his spirit, mind, and body into balance, just as he had trained.
As his breathing steadied, Jack sank deeper into meditation, and soon he found himself transported into a vision-like state. His awareness drifted above the ground, suspended in an endless sky filled with violent, churning storms. Black clouds spun furiously, lightning cracked in every direction, and thunder rolled like a constant drumbeat. He realized the storm was not external—it was the fuel of his own anger, boiling once again, demanding release.
Back in the real world, Jack's body reflected this inner chaos. Sparks of lightning burst from his skin, loud cracks of thunder echoing with each discharge. Anything near him was charred black, burned to ash by the energy pouring out uncontrollably.
As the storm raged inside and out, new marks began to etch themselves across his body. Tattoos, glowing faintly red, spread slowly across his skin, curling into intricate designs that Jack himself was unaware of. His focus remained fixed on taming the storm within his mind, battling to bring it under his control, while his body transformed without his knowledge.