[TIOP] Chapter : 129

"So that's it!" Jack muttered as realization dawned on him the moment he felt the attack. Something clicked in his mind—he was beginning to understand. There was no intent behind the slashes, they were just strong and fast wind slashes. Because of this his haki is unable to capture it.

With his body cloaked in Haki for protection, Jack stepped cautiously into the cave. The deeper he ventured, the more slashes he endured. Along the path, scattered animal corpses and bleached bones appeared, grim evidence of what had happened here. No wonder Jabra mentioned the island's lack of wildlife—they had all perished in this very place.

"What could possibly drive these animals to rush toward death?" Jack eyed the remains curiously, unable to shake the questions forming in his mind.

As he pushed forward, the source of the mysterious slashes finally revealed itself.

"Wind blades... could they be caused by the cave’s unique environment?" Jack speculated as he deftly avoided another slicing gust.

"Tch... that power..." he grunted. As he progressed, the animal corpses thinned out, but the wind blades only grew fiercer—so much so that even his Haki defenses were being breached.

Realizing the danger, Jack decided to retreat for now. His curiosity burned to know what lay deeper inside—what force could compel creatures to die chasing it? But he wasn’t alone. His team was still waiting outside.

Outside the cave, Jabra's eyes widened as he noticed Jack's injuries.

"Sir, are the monsters inside really that powerful?" he asked, concerned.

Jack shook his head and explained the situation. Then, turning to Jabra, he said, "I’m going back in to investigate. There’s something strange in there—but if I don’t return in a day, don’t wait. Head back to the G1 branch and wait for my signal. Oh, and leave me a boat."

"But—" Jabra began, but Jack raised a hand to silence him. The decision was made. Whatever awaited inside, Jack had to find out.

After Jack disappeared back into the cave, Jabra exchanged a look with the others.

"Fukuro, go inform your men at the shore. Kumadori and I will wait here for news," Jabra said after a moment of thought.

Fukuro nodded and sprinted off toward the docked warship.

A full day passed. Jack still hadn't returned.

Reluctantly, Kumadori and Fukuro boarded the warship and set sail for the G1 branch, leaving Jabra behind. None of them liked the idea of abandoning Jack, but they had no choice.

Inside the cave, Jack was far from finished—and far from unharmed. His body was marked with fresh wounds, and he was breathing heavily.

"Whew... if I weren’t in such a rush, this place would be perfect for training my body's toughness," he muttered, stepping back to recover.

The wind blades now filled the air like a storm of invisible razors. Every second demanded precision—one misstep meant another cut.

"I’ve come so far... I should’ve reached the end by now. Why does it still feel endless?" Jack gritted his teeth, pausing again to regain stamina.

Something about this place didn’t add up. The wind blades all shot outward from deep within the cave—none swept toward its entrance. They only faded when they reached too far.

"I can’t brute-force my way through this. I’ll need to refine my speed and agility to move forward."

Exhaling, Jack suppressed his frustration. He began to shift tactics—adapting to the environment, using each wind blade as an opportunity to sharpen his reflexes and agility.

Eventually, Jack emerged from the cave, exhausted and bloodied. The scent of roasted meat drew his attention to the fire pit outside, where Jabra sat calmly, turning a spit with a wild animal skewered on it.

"Sir, you’re back!" Jabra jumped up. "How did it go?"

Jack shook his head grimly. "The wind blades inside are too dense and far too powerful. We can’t rush this."

"Sir, you should eat something first. I've already sent Fukuro and Kumadori back to the G1 branch. I’ll stay here and wait for you," Jabra said, handing Jack a roasted piece of game.

"Thanks. How long was I in there?" Jack asked between bites, his expression calm but curious.

When he first emerged from the cave and saw Jabra, he had assumed less than a day had passed. But hearing that the others had already returned made him realize it had been longer.

"You’ve been inside for three days, my Lord. If you hadn’t come out tonight, I was planning to go in and look for you," Jabra admitted, worry etched in his voice.

Jack chuckled lightly. "You can go in—but only within your limits. That cave’s actually a great place to hone your body's toughness and reflexes."

Jabra’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. He nodded with growing anticipation, already planning to follow Jack inside next time.

That night, they spoke little. After finishing their meal, Jack rested again. At dawn, the two of them stepped into the cave together.

It wasn’t long before Jabra bore several shallow cuts across his body.

"Don’t push any farther," Jack told him, noticing his condition. "Stay here and focus on sensing the air currents. Once you can dodge the wind blades reliably, then move forward."

Jabra nodded reluctantly. He hadn’t been able to avoid a single blade so far—he couldn't even sense them properly.

Leaving Jabra behind to train, Jack advanced to the point where he had turned back previously. There, he halted, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in the sensation of the air’s movement—sharpening his reflexes to avoid the invisible blades with precision.

A week passed.

Now back at the cave’s entrance, Jack and Jabra sat by a crackling fire, grilling meat over the flames. Their meal: a small Sea King that Jack had fished from the surrounding waters—more than enough to sustain them for a while.

Most of the island’s wildlife had perished within the cave, so they avoided hunting the few beasts that remained. As a Devil Fruit user, Jabra couldn’t enter the sea, so catching food had become Jack’s responsibility.

"How’s your progress coming along?" Jack asked, smiling as he chewed on grilled fish.

"Feels like I’ve hit a wall. I’ve been stuck at the same point for two days," Jabra replied, frowning in mild frustration.

"No need to rush. You only recently awakened your Observation Haki, remember? You’ve improved a lot already. I’d say Fukuro and Kumadori wouldn’t be able to beat you now. Even Kaku would struggle," Jack said encouragingly.

It was true—Jabra had awakened his Observation Haki on his second day inside the cave. It had been building within him for a long time, and once it surfaced, his progress had surged—though naturally, that pace was beginning to slow.

"Heh, that square-headed giraffe doesn’t stand a chance now!" Jabra said with a grin, clearly pleased with how far he’d come.

"What you need now is patience. Don’t rush strength. Let it come to you naturally." Jack smiled again. He didn’t mention Kaku’s aloofness—there had never been any real rivalry from his side. But for Jabra, this was healthy motivation.

"Understood, sir," Jabra replied. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he added, "Sir, have you still not reached the end of the cave?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "No. It’s strange. Judging by how far I’ve walked, I should’ve gone past the island’s edge by now—but the tunnel just keeps going."

"Maybe it leads underground?" Jabra guessed, his brow furrowed.

"You’ve been inside before—did you notice any signs of the tunnel sloping downward?" Jack asked, frowning in thought.

Jabra shook his head. "No, it felt like it was moving straight ahead the whole time. But this cave is so bizarre... maybe it’s distorting our senses somehow."

Jack fell silent, considering the idea. After a moment, he nodded. "That could be it. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. Still... how long is this cave really?"

"Once Fukuro and the others realize we haven’t returned, they’ll definitely come back. By then, we can bring a Logia-type user. With their elemental body, they should be able to reach the end with ease," Jabra said with a confident nod.

It was a logical plan. The wind blades inside the cave, while powerful, didn’t seem to carry haki that could disrupt Devil Fruit abilities. A Logia user, capable of turning their body into elements, could simply pass through unharmed.

"Maybe... but I doubt it’ll be that simple," Jack muttered. "Still, if I can’t reach the end myself, calling in a Logia user is the next best move. Either way, the Navy has to claim this place before its value as a training ground disappears."

Jabra nodded in full agreement, already reaping the benefits of training within the cave.

With their own goals clearly in mind, the two men rested briefly—then stepped into the cave once more.

"It’s Jabra~!" Fukuro’s familiar voice rang out as he arrived at the cave entrance, accompanied by a group of Marines and Lena. Jabra was sitting by a fire, roasting a large fish Jack had caught the previous day.

The nearby Sea Kings were getting harder to find. It seemed they had learned to avoid the area, wary of the predator who kept fishing them up for food.

"Hey there, you're finally here," Jabra greeted Fukuro with a smirk, barely looking up.

"Jabra, has the Admiral come out yet?" Lena asked immediately, her tone serious.

A Navy admiral had been missing for an entire month. If not for Aokiji’s suppression, the higher-ups would’ve already raised a storm at headquarters.

"He went back in just yesterday," Jabra replied calmly. "Based on his usual pace, he should be out in about four days."

Lena exhaled in relief. "So he’s still alive in there... What's going on exactly?"

Without hesitation, Jabra explained everything—how the cave worked, the wind blades, and their training regimen.

"Chababa~ So you’ve awakened your Haki in there, huh, Jabra?" Fukuro asked, eyes blazing as he stared at the cave entrance.

"Wahahaha! That’s right! Now even if you and Kumadori teamed up, you still wouldn’t stand a chance against me!" Jabra declared proudly, puffing up with pride.

"Chababa~ Then I want in too!" Fukuro said, completely ignoring Jabra’s bravado and turning eagerly to Lena.

Lena thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Fine. I’ll go in with you. But the moment you feel overwhelmed—we pull out. No heroics."

Fukuro grinned from ear to ear and nodded enthusiastically before following her into the cave.

Jabra watched them disappear, smirking. "First time, huh? I bet they won’t last more than an hour."

Sure enough, nearly an hour later, Fukuro stumbled back out, covered in shallow cuts and scratches—but grinning from ear to ear like a child who’d just discovered a treasure trove.

"Told you it wasn’t easy! But where's Lena?" Jabra asked, chuckling as he saw Fukuro’s battered state.