[TIOP] Chapter : 134

"Oh? A feint?" Jack narrowed his eyes, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Distract me with a frontal attack while you aim for the real prize? Clever. That fruit must be ripe!"

With a flash, Jack appeared beside the plant before the dragon could reach it.

"Roar~~~!"

The dragon skidded to a halt, roaring in alarm. But it didn’t dare advance any further—it was clearly afraid of harming the plant in its desperation.

Jack blinked. A mischievous idea sparked in his mind.

"This isn’t the best place for a proper fight," he said, standing beside the fruit without touching it. "How about we move elsewhere? If you win, I’ll give you the fruit—and I’ll promise never to bother you again. But if I win, you become my mount. Deal?"

The dragon seemed to hesitate. But it was clear from its expression and posture that it understood his proposal.

"Relax," Jack continued, smiling. "I said I wouldn’t harm the plant, and I meant it. When the next fruit ripens, we’ll return, and it’ll be yours."

"Roar~!"

After a long pause, the dragon gave a low, rumbling nod and let out a soft roar—its way of agreeing.

"Perfect." Jack chuckled. "I’ll store the fruit for now. We’ll settle this fairly—winner takes the prize."

With that, he carefully took out a box to preserve the fruit. Confident in his chances, he had no intention of eating it before their contest was resolved.

But just as he reached out toward the fruit—

"Roar!"

The dragon let out a sudden roar and whipped its tail toward him.

"Hmm?" Jack leapt back, narrowly avoiding the strike. "What’s that about?"

"Roar~~ Roar~~!"

The dragon bellowed again, gesturing toward the fruit and then Jack’s outstretched hand.

Jack frowned in thought. "Wait… Are you saying I can’t touch it with my hands?"

The dragon nodded solemnly, then slowly sank back into the magma, disappearing beneath the glowing surface.

Jack sighed. "Great. So I have to go down there if I want to retrieve it?"

He glanced at the magma. He wasn’t a magma fruit user—there was no way he could dive in and come out unscathed. But if he left the cave now, there was a real risk the dragon would return and devour the fruit while he was gone.

"Roar~!"

Sensing his hesitation, the dragon surfaced again, looking confused at Jack’s inaction.

"Ah, forget it." Jack waved his hand. "I’ll exit through the vent. When you come out from below, just give a roar—I’ll find you."

The dragon blinked in surprise, then nodded, sinking once more into the magma with a comically slow, trusting dip.

Jack let out a helpless laugh. "Only a creature this simple could actually stick to a deal like that."

With a final glance at the untouched fruit, he turned and made his way toward the vent, leaving the mysterious cavern behind.

Soon after emerging from the cave, Jack found Kalifa waiting nearby. Without wasting time, he briefed her on everything that had transpired inside—including the looming possibility of a battle with a giant dragon near the island.

Kalifa froze for a moment, stunned by the gravity of his words. But she quickly regained her composure and sprang into action, summoning all nearby navy personnel. She understood all too well: if Jack truly fought at full strength, the resulting destruction could level the island.

"Don’t worry," Jack reassured her. "I’ll try to take the fight away from here."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a thunderous roar echoed from the eastern side of the island.

"Looks like the big guy’s already here," Jack said with a grin. Then, using Moon Step, he shot forward like a streak of light.

Before long, Jack reached another small, uninhabited island not far away. It was cloaked in dense forest, with a solitary mountain rising at its center. A faint plume of smoke drifted from its peak—it was a volcano.

"Roar~!" came the unmistakable cry of the dragon from the direction of the crater.

"Smart beast," Jack muttered, amused. "Picked a place with magma to fight. Knows where its strengths lie."

He accelerated once more, heading straight for the volcano.

As he approached, the dragon spotted him and let out an excited roar. To the creature, victory meant reclaiming its peaceful life—and it was more than ready to fight for it.

Jack darted in, raising a finger toward the beast’s eye.

"Shigan bullets!"

"Roar~~~!"

The dragon reacted instantly, flaring its wings wide to shield its face. With a sharp metallic clang, Jack’s attack was deflected—bounced away by the dragon’s armored wings.

It was the first time Jack had ever seen someone—or something—bat away his attacks so simply. Though imbued with sword-like energy, the technique was still fueled by chakra. The dragon’s defense was impressive.

"Roar!"

The dragon roared again, beating its wings with powerful gusts before lifting off the ground. Once airborne, it exhaled a wide stream of flame, aiming straight at Jack.

"Persistent creature," Jack muttered as he dodged left and right using Geppo. Still, the dragon tracked him in midair with uncanny precision, rotating its neck to keep the flames locked onto its target—like a living flamethrower.

"I don’t believe you can keep breathing fire forever!" he shouted, abandoning the aerial skirmish and landing near the volcano’s crater to shift tactics.

"Roar~~ Roar~~~!"

Seeing Jack withdraw, the dragon threw back its head and roared triumphantly. Then, wings spread wide, it dove after him.

"Hmph, if that’s how you want it..." Jack’s expression sharpened. "Let’s settle this properly. Galaxy fist!"

With a powerful thrust, he unleashed a dragon-shaped shockwave of pure Haki and Chakra.

Bang!

The attack clashed head-on with the dragon’s flames, erupting into a thunderous explosion that rocked the volcano. The dragon tumbled backward through the air, flailing as it fought to regain control.

"Roar~!"

Wounded pride burned in its cry. Its wings flapped harder, faster, as it surged forward once more.

"Come on then!" Jack laughed. "Ultimate Galaxy Fist!"

Another explosive strike shot forth, its energy coalescing into a massive, roaring dragon that surged toward the beast.

The dragon didn’t retreat. Mid-flight, it swung its tail to meet the incoming energy.

Boom!

"Woo~~ Roar~~~!"

The resulting blast shook the mountain. The dragon howled in pain—its tail now scorched and partially charred, with scales shattered and falling like burning feathers.

"That’s it?" Jack was stunned. The dragon had taken his full-force strike head-on. Though a few of its scales were damaged, it hadn't even bled. “That’s absurd…” he muttered in disbelief.

"Roar~~!"

The dragon, clearly in pain, ascended once more. Despite its size and strength, it lacked variety in its attacks—apart from its breath, it had few options to fight Jack at a distance.

"Hey, big guy! Want to admit defeat?" Jack called out, noticing the dragon’s growing desperation.

In response, a fresh blast of flames surged from the dragon’s mouth.

"Alright then. If you still want to play, I’ll entertain you!" Jack grinned, then launched himself skyward, dashing toward the beast.

"Roar~~~"

"Boom~~~"

As Jack and the dragon clashed midair, Kalifa had already led the navy to a nearby location on a warship.

"Captain! We've identified the battlefield—Admiral Kurohyou and the dragon are fighting on that island!" a soldier reported, saluting crisply.

Kalifa’s expression turned serious beneath her cloak of justice. "Approach cautiously and drop anchor. That’s close enough. Everyone, stay alert. Jabra, Fukuro, Kumadori and Sentomaru—you scout the situation, but don’t get too close. Prioritize your safety!"

"Yes, ma’am!" the four replied in unison with a salute.

"Tch! I’m not your subordinate. You don’t get to order me around. I’m just going to watch Admiral Kurohyou fight!" Sentomaru growled—but despite his words, he moved with the team.

"Chababa! Sentomaru is shy~ Chababa!" Fukuro laughed heartily, unzipping his mouth with a gleeful flourish.

Sentomaru's eyes narrowed. He and Fukuro had never gotten along. He glared at the zipper on Owl’s mouth—was that thing just for show?

"Fukuro! Shut it! Is that zipper just decoration?!" Jabra snapped.

From this distance, they could feel the intensity of the battle. Getting too close could be fatal. If Sentomaru bailed out because of Fukuro’s taunting, it would be a serious problem.

"Chababa~ Jabra’s scared!" Fukuro teased again.

Sure enough, Jabra went into a rage. It was the same chaotic pattern every day. Sentomaru sighed. He withdrew his earlier complaint—it wasn’t him and Fukuro that were incompatible. Those two were the real problem.

"Enough. Let’s go. Just don’t get in Lord Jack’s way—unless you want to face the consequences," Kalifa snapped, her tone sharp.

"Soru—Geppo!" In a blink, the four vanished from sight, reappearing in the air high above the island.

Back on the battlefield, Jack stared at the dragon mid-flight, sighing.

"This guy’s really a handful..."

Despite broken scales and several bleeding wounds, the dragon barely seemed slowed. With its monstrous physique, it was regenerating rapidly. But clearly, Jack’s strikes were beginning to wear it down—the dragon hadn’t felt this kind of pain in a long time.

"Looks like I can’t hold back anymore. Let’s finish this quickly and grab the fruit."

His gaze sharpened. In the next instant, he vanished.

"Roar~~!"

The dragon sensed a sudden, overwhelming danger. It flapped its wings in a panic, climbing higher into the sky—but it was too late.

Thud!

A fist crashed into its exposed underbelly. The blow was so powerful that the dragon’s body arched, its stomach nearly colliding with its back.

Before it could even react, Jack disappeared again—this time reappearing right above the dragon’s head.

"Ultimate Galaxy Fist!"

Jack struck with Ryou haki infusion, slamming them onto the dragon’s skull.

Bang!

The beast plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing into the ground with a deafening impact that carved a massive crater into the earth. Jack remained hovering in the air, calmly watching from above.

"So that’s... the power of an admiral?" Jabra whispered in awe, having witnessed the entire sequence. He swallowed hard.

Sentomaru, still observing the aftermath, quietly compared Jack to Borsalino. There was a stark contrast—Jack, like himself, preferred direct melee combat, while Kizaru relied heavily on his Devil Fruit powers.

Then it struck him—Jack wasn’t even a Devil Fruit user. Yet he had still become an admiral.