Sakazuki was stubborn, but he wasn't an idiot.
He wanted to eradicate all evil and eliminate every pirate, but what was the point if he ended up dead in the process? Justice could only be upheld by the living.
Before he arrived, Garp had already been fighting Jack for two days and nights. Even after Sakazuki joined the battle, Garp remained the primary force.
Although it was unwise to see Garp merely as an old man, even he had limits. No matter how monstrous his stamina was, exhaustion was inevitable. On the other hand, Jack clearly had the upper hand when it came to endurance. If Garp reached his limit, Sakazuki alone wouldn't stand a chance against him.
If they lost, it would be a devastating blow to the Navy's reputation.
That was unacceptable.
They had to seize the opportunity while they still had strength left—to knock Jack into the sea. That, too, was justice.
With their decision made, the two changed their approach. Instead of reckless assaults, they focused on dodging and wearing Jack down, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Jack, oblivious to their strategy, assumed they were simply exhausted. He shifted into his human form and started taunting them.
"Come on! Knock me down!"
"Try and capture me!"
"Protect your so-called justice!"
"Pfft! Two naked old men!"
"You're not even embarrassed at your age?"
"But hey, Garp, you sure know how to dress flashy!"
"Unlike that Akainu over there—so single-minded, even his underwear is red! What is it, your lucky year?"
"You little bastard!"
Both their faces darkened, greenish with hints of yellow and black. Then, Garp squinted and pointed at Jack's tattered pants.
"Hah! Don't think I didn't notice—you're wearing cartoon elephant prints!"
"Fits you perfectly! Shouldn't you still be drinking milk, brat?"
"You—!"
Rip!
Jack tore off what remained of his shredded pants and pointed at his underwear.
"You call this cartoon? This is designer!"
"Custom-made! You fools wouldn't understand!"
"Look at this fabric, this elasticity—"
Jack spun in place to show it off, but before he could finish, Garp doubled over, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably.
"Hahahaha! Brat, did you put your pants on backwards?"
...
Jack instinctively reached behind to check, his expression turning murderous. His gaze locked onto Sakazuki.
"You bastard! You're the one who started this, you fireworks-spewing bastard!"
"Shameless! Coward! Take this!"
Enraged, Jack transformed back into his hybrid form and charged straight at Sakazuki.
"Sakazuki, get ready!"
Sakazuki gave a slight nod and leaped into the air. With the battlefield reduced to floating chunks of the shattered island, the fight had become an aerial battle.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Boom!
Jack, now in his full beast form, flapped his massive wings and swung his club at Sakazuki. But instead of dodging, Sakazuki's entire body turned into molten rock, black smoke billowing as he lunged straight into the attack.
Splurt...
Lava burst into the air as Sakazuki coughed up blood—but it instantly evaporated in the heat. Jack barely had time to react before he sensed an overwhelming presence approaching.
"That's… Garp?"
Jack snorted. "Hah! Do you think I'm afraid of you? Bring it on!"
Whoosh!
The aura around Garp intensified. Jack expected him to attack from the side while Sakazuki kept him pinned—like before. But the next moment, he realized Garp was above him.
"Iron Fist!"
"Wait… this guy, don't tell me—"
"You—!"
Jack struggled, but with Sakazuki locked onto him, he couldn't break free. Garp's overwhelming strike crashed down on him from above.
Boom!
Jack and Sakazuki plummeted into the shattered remains of the island. What was left of the battlefield was obliterated, and both of them sank into the sea.
...
Underwater, Jack remained conscious. He locked eyes with Sakazuki, their gazes clashing in a silent battle of wills. Hundreds of rounds of eye contact later, a well-rested Garp finally swam down leisurely.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the two gripping each other's hands so tightly, Garp scratched his head before proceeding to pummel Jack's skull.
Wham! Wham!
"You damn brat! Not again!"
Unfortunately, Garp's stamina was finally running low. After giving Jack one good lump on the head, he hurriedly dragged Sakazuki away before he could start another staring contest.
As the sea calmed, a mechanical voice echoed in Jack's mind.
"Congratulations, host. Docking complete. Would you like to draw a reward?"
"Draw!"
Ding ding dong…
A flash of light flickered in his consciousness, followed by the system's robotic voice.
"Congratulations! Host has received a special reward: Armament Haki: Tempered Bones."
"What the hell?! Full mastery of Armament Haki?!"
"No wonder Garp is called a hero—other people's systems start you from scratch, but he hands out full upgrades right away!"
Jack's excitement soared as he hurriedly opened his status panel.
Armament Haki: Tempered Bones
"The pinnacle of Armament Haki, capable of tempering one's bones to enhance durability, increase attack power and penetration, and vastly improve endurance and recovery. Maintains peak condition until death."
"Tempered bones? Increased attack power and penetration?"
"Wait—so that's why Garp's punches hurt so damn much?"
"And this endurance and recovery boost…"
"Could it be that Garp doesn't have some special physique—he just tempered his bones with Haki?"
Jack replayed their fight in his mind, slowly piecing everything together. The final line of the description stood out to him: Maintains peak condition until death.
"So that's why Garp hasn't grown weaker with age…"
Hold on.
If the system only gives the best rewards, then doesn't that mean my bones are already fully tempered?
Closing his eyes, Jack focused on his body.
"This is…"
A strange warmth radiated from his bones. Even submerged and unable to move, he could tell—his skeleton was now denser than ever before.
Though his endurance and recovery were already absurdly high, his defense had just skyrocketed.
Who could possibly hurt him now?
Wait.
No way.
Even… soft bones got tempered?!
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg