Jack had no idea that Mihawk would break down in tears because of him—just like he had no idea how the Red-Haired Pirates truly viewed him. The moment Shanks greeted him, he launched a sneak attack, and the entire crew worked together to drag him into the sea.
After spending three months alone at the ocean floor, Jack was finally fished out by Rim, who had failed in his original mission and had to return empty-handed. That was when Jack made up his mind: the next time he encountered Shanks, he would hide his presence and strike first.
The entire Red-Haired Pirates crew had no sense of honor!
Following his rescue, any pirates unfortunate enough to cross paths with Jack became his punching bags as he vented his frustrations.
After thoroughly drilling Enel on Ailen Island, snowflakes started falling. This signified that in a month, the Fire Festival would take place once again.
Jack rubbed his chin, reflecting on everything he had done that year:
Training Yamato and Black Maria
Traveling...
Training Dressrosa's secretarial squad
Fighting Garp and Akainu...
Spending a month sightseeing at the bottom of the ocean
Getting ambushed by Shanks and his lackeys, leading to another three months underwater...
Educating pirates, playing around, and getting smacked into the sea by a rogue wave—another month underwater...
Training Enel...
Damn it! Out of an entire year, he had spent five months at the bottom of the sea!
What a fulfilling year indeed!
...
The Fire Festival
In the year 1518 of the Sea Calendar, Jack returned to Onigashima with King after losing a few kilos, only to be "released" by Black Maria and Yamato.
Rim was also looking exhausted. Ever since Ivankov had gone missing for years, Master had been clinging to Rim more and more.
As Jack and Rim were enjoying a barbecue at Teren's restaurant, a disheveled Kaido suddenly plummeted from the sky. Dark circles under his eyes, lips pale, he staggered to their table, grabbed a plate of kidneys, and shoved them into his mouth.
Moments later, King arrived, dragging Queen along with him. Both of them looked just as drained as Kaido and wordlessly made their way into a private dining room.
Judging by the direction they came from, they had just returned from the laboratory.
"Smack!"
"Teren! Hurry up! It doesn't need to be that well-cooked!"
With each passing year, the Fire Festival became even more extravagant. The performances by mermaids, courtesans, and oiran were growing increasingly daring and revealing.
Yet Kaido, along with his top officers in the Beasts Pirates, didn't spare the women a single glance. They were too busy devouring strange, exotic dishes.
This left Orochi, who had been drooling, feeling rather awkward. After clearing his throat a few times, he forced himself to sit properly, picked up his cup, and pretended to be dignified. However, the moment he accidentally took a bite of food, he quietly slipped away in embarrassment.
...
Training the Next Generation
After the Fire Festival, Jack remained uncharacteristically quiet.
Yamato had recently been frustrated with her own strength, claiming that fighting Jack no longer hurt as much. She insisted on more rigorous training.
Jack didn't particularly want to, but he knew that if war with the World Government broke out in the future, Yamato would undoubtedly join the battle. The stronger she became, the more peace of mind he would have.
Thus, he dedicated himself to training Yamato and Black Maria day and night.
Thanks to the system's rewards, their mastery of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki progressed rapidly. More importantly, it provided insights on how to reach higher levels, making their improvements visible to the naked eye.
Seeing this, Kaido tossed Ulti and Ulti's younger brother into the mix. He also sent over a mermaid named Kriya, who had eaten a Zoan-type Sabertooth Cat Fruit.
King had developed a habit of stargazing on the beach at Ailen Island. One fateful night, Kriya happened upon him after he had removed his mask, revealing a surprisingly refined and intellectual demeanor. She became infatuated with him at first sight.
Kriya was among the rare few mermaids whose strength rivaled that of male fish-men.
She eagerly volunteered to serve under King. Eventually, on a particularly dark night, despite not yet being at the age where she could transform fully into a human form, she "captured" King.
That was last year. Upon hearing the news, Kaido personally gave her the Sabertooth Cat Fruit as a gift.
Kriya's talent was undeniable—she had already become a prominent fighter.
...
The Arrival of a Certain "Pervert"
Life continued peacefully for over half a year until a merchant ship brought in an odd-looking group of people.
When Jack arrived at the harbor, the first thing he saw was a man wearing nothing but black swim trunks and a massive gold chain around his neck. His forearms were unusually thick, adorned with two blue stars.
Beside him stood a pair of twin sisters with cube-shaped hairstyles, along with a group of people dressed in fishnet stockings, goggles, and the latest avant-garde fashion, all enthusiastically putting on a show.
Once the man finished playing his ukulele and was met with a chorus of boos, he shamelessly turned around, bent over, and struck a bizarre pose before confidently striding toward Jack, who looked completely speechless.
"Jack-san! I can't thank you enough!"
"I'm not here for anything else—I've come to repay the great debt I owe you!"
"Allow me to introduce myself! I am the disciple of Tom-san, the man who once sought your help... Franky!"
Jack frowned as he listened to Franky's exaggerated speech. Franky then gestured toward his companions and loudly declared:
"These people are my family!"
"We are the Franky Family!"
...
After finishing their dramatic pose, Franky and his group fell silent. Jack, after holding back for a long time, finally muttered:
"You guys should just call yourselves the Pervert Family instead."
"Perverts? Why, thank you for the compliment!"
...
"I already met my master on Ailen Island. As I mentioned in my letters, as long as you saved the old man, my life and my people are yours! I came to fulfill that promise!"
"No, you never said that."
"I did!"
"You didn't."
"I..."
Clang!
A wrench fell out of Franky's swim trunks. Jack stared in silence.
"Yo, don't mind that! As everyone knows, I'm a shipwright! Carrying a wrench is perfectly reasonable, right?"
Clang!
"Same with this hammer! Shipwright essentials, you see!"
Jack blinked and said slowly, "I don't care what you have on you. But why the hell can your swim trunks hold all that?!"
His voice grew louder as he turned to Rim and shouted, "Take this pervert to the shipyard! And take all these so-called 'fashion icons' with him!"
Rim nodded and handed Jack a newspaper.
"Jack-sama, there's been another development. You should take a look."
"Huh?"
Flipping through the pages, Jack rubbed his chin in thought.
"A Four Emperor, huh?"
"That bastard Red-Hair actually became one of the Emperors of the Sea?"
"I should definitely pay him a visit to congratulate him..."
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg