After facing against Garp, Jack realized that even though he already possessed a considerable amount of techniques and abilities in his own arsenal, he still could not truly match the overwhelming experience of those who had spent decades fighting against extremely powerful individuals.
This only emphasized and further supported what Rayleigh had said before, that the only genuine way for Haki to improve is by repeatedly clashing against opponents who have a stronger and more refined Haki.
This encounter became a wake up call for Jack, who had been sailing through the seas with a mindset that made him avoid unnecessary troubles whenever possible.
He began to understand that if he genuinely wanted to reach the peak of his own potential, especially with the added boost that came from inheriting Rocks' natural talent, he needed to seek out more battles and continuously fight strong people, while also ensuring that his devil fruit development would not stagnate or be hindered.
"It seems that we are still too weak," Jack said to his crew. All of them agreed with him, except for Laffitte who remained silent. Laffitte was genuinely shocked that Jack had been able to briefly match against Garp, someone who was already considered a living legend throughout the sea.
However, since he could see the determination and morale radiating from his captain, Laffitte decided that he did not have the heart to contradict Jack at this moment.
Meanwhile, aboard the Marine vessel where Garp, Kuzan and Bogard had gathered, the three of them were deep in discussion. None of them could fully believe that a pirate whose name was not Gol D. Roger or Edward Newgate had just managed to stand toe to toe for even a moment against Garp while Garp was actually fighting in a serious manner.
"This kind of strength is something that has never been recorded before. What did the Headquarters say about them," Bogard asked, directing the question to Kuzan who was holding a report in his hands and reading through it carefully.
"It says here that they have been traveling the sea for three years, and their captain easily defeated Sakazuki. It also says that Jack and Aramaki, the user of the Forest forest fruit, are from the Taya Kingdom. The report also mentions that the two of them have a reputation for robbing and killing gangsters throughout the kingdom, and they are also suspected of being involved in the large scale robbery of the royal vault," Kuzan stated after finishing the report.
"Taya Kingdom? That is a country affiliated with the World Government. Why did the Marines stationed there never report the existence of two young but extremely talented individuals before they turned into pirates," Bogard asked. Kuzan looked back at the report once again but found nothing else written that could answer this question.
"What happened has already happened. The sea gained another contender. Let us simply hope that they continue following their philosophy of not attacking innocent civilians," Garp said, interrupting the two.
The report had also mentioned that they never attacked anyone without being provoked, and multiple witnesses confirmed that every kill associated with them occurred only after their enemies initiated the conflict.
Both Kuzan and Bogard fell silent after hearing this. Garp, however, became increasingly troubled because of the overwhelming similarities he had observed between Rocks and Jack, particularly in their attacks and their swordsmanship.
Throughout all of Garp's years sailing the seas and encountering countless people and enemies, there had only been two individuals who used that specific style of swordsmanship.
One was Jack, and the other was someone whom Garp had once joined forces with Roger to stop, which was Rocks D. Xebec.
"What kind of man will you eventually become, Sparrow D. Jack," Garp could not help but think to himself as he stared at his own fist, which still felt a faint burning sensation despite being coated in his Haki earlier.
While Garp was lost in his thoughts, both Bogard and Kuzan were also silently contemplating their own concerns.
Their minds drifted toward the opponents they had just faced, as one of those opponents possessed a devil fruit ability so strong that only three Marines currently had something comparable, and all of those Marines were expected to become admirals later in their careers.
Realizing that the right hand of a pirate captain had the potential to reach an admiral level of strength was something that deeply concerned Kuzan, and Bogard shared the same uneasiness.
It was ironic because the two individuals who were now the main sources of concern for the Marines aboard Garp's ship were originally supposed to become admirals in the future. However, due to Jack's unexpected birth and the events that followed, the path of history had changed.
There was no certainty anymore, and there was not even any guarantee that if Jack had been born earlier, both Kuzan and Borsalino, two of the three Marine prospects believed to be capable of becoming admirals, would have remained in the Marines at all..
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A week had passed since the incident and Jack had finally decided that it was time for them to leave the East Blue and start their journey toward the Grandline.
During the entire week, Jack never once ran into Garp again. It seemed that their encounter truly was not fated to happen a second time, something that left Jack somewhat disappointed, especially after feeling the rush and excitement that came from clashing with a genuinely strong opponent, the kind of strength that normally only existed in the New World.
When Jack mentioned his plan to the crew, Issho, who came from the Grandline originally, immediately grew serious.
He knew very well what kind of chaos existed there and what kind of people called that sea their home, especially the pirates.
Even so, Issho had no complaints, because like the rest of the crew, he understood that it was only a matter of time before they entered the Grandline anyway.
They all knew that staying in the East Blue forever was impossible with the path they chose.
"Laffitte, can you make it happen?" Jack then turned toward Laffitte, the navigator of their group, who simply smiled at him as if the question was unnecessary.
"Aren't you underestimating me by asking something like that, Captain? I can handle it without any problem," Laffitte answered confidently. Jack only responded with a grin, satisfied with the trust he had in his crew, and everyone began their preparations for the upcoming journey.
Their next destination was the final island of the East Blue before reaching the Grandline. It was the birthplace of Gol D. Roger, the island that would later be known as the town of the Beginning and the End because it was both the place where Roger was born and the place where he eventually died.
This was also the island where the Golden Age of Piracy would begin, and Jack had already decided that he wanted to see the town with his own eyes before history unfolded.
He wanted to compare how it looked now to the version that would exist after Roger changed the world, simply to understand what kind of transformation Roger brought to this quiet place.