One Piece: I Awakened the Ninja Template System - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Joining Pirate Group
Luffy launched himself across the courtyard.
“Gum-Gum Pistol!”
His arm stretched backward before snapping forward with tremendous force.
Arlong tilted his head, allowing the fist to pass beside his face. He grabbed Luffy’s extended arm and pulled.
The rubber pirate shot toward him.
Arlong opened his jaws.
Instead of panicking, Luffy twisted in midair and planted both feet against the Fish-Man’s face.
The impact threw Arlong backward.
Luffy rebounded, flipped twice, and landed upside down with his head buried in the ground.
Silence filled the courtyard.
His legs kicked helplessly above him.
“Get me out!”
Usopp slapped both hands over his face.
“Our captain is an idiot.”
Sanji exhaled cigarette smoke. “For once, I agree with you.”
Nami wiped tears from her eyes and stared at the human-shaped hole in the courtyard.
“Why did I ask him for help?”
Arlong rose from the rubble.
The kick had split his lip, but the sight of Luffy trapped upside down confused him more than it hurt.
“Is this some kind of technique?”
“No!” Luffy’s muffled voice came from underground. “I missed!”
Arlong stared at the kicking legs.
For several seconds, the powerful Fish-Man seemed unable to decide whether to attack or continue watching.
Jack lay near the shattered wall with Nojiko supporting his shoulders.
His body was still repairing the damage caused by Arlong’s slams. Every breath hurt, and his HP remained dangerously low, but he refused to deactivate his Sharingan.
Two tomoe rotated inside each red eye.
The fight looked ridiculous.
Luffy’s level was lower than Arlong’s. His movements were undisciplined, and his plans often made no sense. Yet he repeatedly survived situations that should have ended the battle.
Part of that came from his Devil Fruit.
Luffy’s rubber body absorbed blunt force that would shatter another fighter’s bones. Whenever he stretched an arm or leg, the recoil added tremendous momentum to his attacks.
But the Devil Fruit didn’t explain everything.
Jack’s evolved Sharingan could see subtle changes surrounding Luffy’s body.
There was no visible black armour. Luffy hadn’t consciously learned Haki yet, and he wouldn’t receive formal training until much later.
Even so, something responded whenever his emotions and instincts reached their peak.
His skin became fractionally more resistant before an attack landed. An invisible force reinforced his fists at the moment of impact.
Armament Haki.
It was crude, unconscious, and inconsistent, but it existed.
Jack noticed something similar in Luffy’s reactions.
Before Arlong attacked from a blind angle, Luffy occasionally moved without seeing him. His body responded to hostile intent before his ordinary senses could have detected the danger.
Observation Haki.
Luffy couldn’t summon either power deliberately. If someone asked him about Haki, he probably wouldn’t know what they meant. But his spirit already possessed the foundations.
The same extraordinary will that would one day shake the world was visible even now.
Arlong grabbed Luffy’s ankles and tore him from the ground.
“You think this is a game?”
Luffy spat dirt from his mouth.
“No. Games are more fun.”
Arlong swung him into a pillar.
The stone cracked.
Luffy bounced away, stretched across the courtyard, and snapped back with both fists spinning.
“Gum-Gum Bazooka!”
Arlong raised his arms.
The attack struck his guard and drove him through a wall.
Jack blinked.
Somehow, Luffy’s stupidity seemed contagious.
Arlong was an experienced pirate from the Grand Line. He had fought Marines, sailed with Fisher Tiger, and survived battles against powerful enemies.
Yet every time Luffy did something absurd, Arlong stopped thinking like a veteran fighter.
He stared.
He argued.
He became angry enough to abandon strategy.
It was almost as if Luffy’s comedy lowered the intelligence of everyone nearby.
“He does this often?” Jack asked.
“All the time,” Nami answered.
“That explains a lot.”
Luffy charged into the damaged building after Arlong.
A second later, he flew back out.
His body stretched around a pillar, wrapped itself twice around the stone, and launched him forward again like a slingshot.
Arlong barely moved aside.
Luffy passed him and struck another wall.
Arlong laughed.
“You’re pathetic!”
Luffy emerged from the rubble with blood running down his face.
“But I’m still going to beat you.”
The certainty in his voice silenced the laughter.
Jack focused harder.
Every time Luffy attacked, the Sharingan examined the faint energy reinforcing his limbs. Jack’s Copy ability couldn’t instantly duplicate Haki. Haki wasn’t a sequence of physical movements or chakra flow.
It came from spiritual power and will.
Fortunately, the Ten-Tails possessed a level-ten Sage Spirit. While the template couldn’t grant Haki automatically, it gave Jack exceptional talent for understanding spiritual energy.
He attempted to reproduce the effect through chakra.
Chakra Enhanced Strength and Armament Haki were remarkably similar in principle. Both gathered internal energy and used it to strengthen an attack.
Their learning processes simply began at opposite ends.
Armament Haki was first taught as invisible armour. A beginner learned to cover part of the body—or eventually the entire body—with spiritual force. At advanced stages, that Haki could be emitted outward and even penetrate objects to cause damage from within.
Chakra Enhanced Strength started with external release.
A user gathered chakra inside a fist or foot and released it at the exact instant of impact. The technique emphasized destructive power rather than continuous defence.
Traditional Chakra Enhanced Strength contained no concept of covering the body like armour.
That didn’t mean it was impossible.
Jack had chakra.
He possessed level-four control.
He had already learned to reinforce his hands at the moment of impact.
Now he tried maintaining that reinforcement.
Instead of gathering chakra only inside his fist, Jack released a thin layer through every chakra point in his arm.
The energy dispersed.
He tried again.
This time, the chakra remained for half a second before collapsing.
Nojiko noticed his concentration.
“What are you doing?”
“Learning.”
“You can barely sit up.”
“That’s why I’m learning defence.”
Jack recalled the way Luffy’s unconscious Haki responded before impact. It didn’t form a thick wall. It clung closely to his body, becoming part of him.
Jack reduced the amount of chakra.
A transparent layer covered his forearm.
Jack expanded the layer.
Chakra covered his shoulder and flowed across his chest. Maintaining equal density was difficult. Some sections became too thick, while others collapsed completely.
He adjusted the flow.
The armour spread over his entire body.
A notification sounded.
[Chakra Enhanced Strength has reached Level 3.]
Before Jack could examine it, another message appeared.
[New application integrated.]
[Chakra Enhanced Strength has reached Level 4.]
Jack stared at the notifications.
His skill had passed through level three so quickly that it effectively skipped the stage.
By imitating the defensive principle of Armament Haki, he had transformed his understanding of Chakra Enhanced Strength. The system recognized that insight as a massive increase in proficiency.
The invisible armour stabilized.
Jack finally understood the relationship between skill and chakra.
The skill level determined the efficiency and maximum output of a technique. At level one, Chakra Enhanced Strength could handle only a limited burst before losing stability. At level four, it supported far greater force and allowed defensive applications.
Chakra input determined duration.
As long as Jack continued supplying energy, he could maintain the armour. Increasing the density would improve its defence but drain his CP faster.
One question remained unanswered.
Could chakra armour strike a Logia user?
Armament Haki interacted with the spiritual essence of a Devil Fruit user, allowing attacks to touch bodies made of fire, smoke, ice, or light.
Jack’s technique created physical and energetic reinforcement, but he didn’t know whether it possessed the same spiritual property.
He would need a Logia user to test it.
Preferably one who wouldn’t kill him afterward.
A deafening crash pulled Jack’s attention back to the battle.
Arlong tore a massive stone pillar from the ground and swung it like a club.
Luffy ducked.
The pillar destroyed the wall behind him.
Arlong swung again.
Luffy jumped onto the stone, ran along its length, and punched Arlong in the face.
The Fish-Man staggered.
“Humans are inferior!” Arlong roared. “You can’t defeat a Fish-Man in strength!”
Luffy stretched both arms around another pillar.
“I don’t need to do everything.”
Arlong charged.
“I can’t use swords,” Luffy continued.
He released the pillar and launched himself forward.
“I can’t navigate.”
His fist struck Arlong’s jaw.
“I can’t cook.”
Another punch landed in the Fish-Man’s stomach.
“I can’t even lie!”
Usopp sat upright despite his injuries.
“Hey!”
Luffy grinned.
“But I can beat you.”
Arlong’s rage exploded.
He bit through the stone pillar beside him, shattering it between his teeth. When he smiled again, the broken teeth had already regrown.
“You can’t protect anyone!”
He lunged.
The battle moved into the main tower of Arlong Park.
Luffy followed Arlong through the upper floors, destroying walls with every exchange. The building shook as their attacks collided.
Nami stared upward.
Her maps were stored inside that tower.
For eight years, Arlong had forced her to draw charts for his future conquest. The room represented every hour of her stolen childhood.
Arlong used it against Luffy.
He held up a bloodstained pen and spoke about Nami as if she were merely a useful possession—a talented navigator who belonged to him forever.
Luffy didn’t understand maps.
He didn’t care about navigation tables, measuring instruments, or the charts covering the walls.
He understood what the room had done to Nami.
That was enough.
Luffy began destroying it.
He smashed the desks.
Tore apart shelves.
Shattered the walls holding years of forced labour.
Nami watched from below as pieces of paper drifted through the broken windows.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Arlong attacked with his saw-like sword, Kiribachi.
Luffy caught the blade.
Arlong tried to bite him.
Luffy trapped the Fish-Man’s neck with his feet and stretched his leg high above the tower.
“Gum-Gum…”
His foot rose into the sky.
Arlong looked up.
“…Battle Axe!”
Luffy brought his heel down.
The impact crushed Arlong through every floor of the tower.
For one suspended moment, Arlong Park remained standing.
Then the entire building collapsed.
Stone and timber fell inward. A massive cloud of dust rolled across the courtyard, forcing everyone to cover their faces.
“Nami!” Sanji shouted.
“She’s here!” Nojiko answered.
They waited.
The ruins became silent.
Then Luffy climbed onto the highest remaining section of broken stone.
Blood covered his body, but he remained standing.
He drew a deep breath.
“Nami!”
She looked up.
“You’re my friend!”
His declaration echoed across the island.
Nami lowered her head as tears streamed down her face.
For eight years, Arlong Park had stood as a symbol of fear. Its walls reminded every villager that resistance was impossible.
Now it was rubble.
Arlong lay unconscious beneath it.
The villagers erupted into celebration.
People laughed, shouted, and cried. Some embraced family members they had expected to lose that day. Others simply collapsed as eight years of terror finally released its hold on them.
Nojiko wrapped both arms around Nami.
For once, Nami didn’t pretend to be strong.
She buried her face against her sister’s shoulder and cried.
Jack allowed his Sharingan to deactivate.
His eyes ached, and exhaustion threatened to pull him into unconsciousness. Still, he smiled.
Luffy had won.
The future he remembered had survived Jack’s interference.
A harsh voice interrupted the celebration.
“Stand aside!”
Marine Captain Nezumi entered through the destroyed gate with a squad of soldiers.
Everyone fell silent.
Nezumi surveyed the ruins and quickly recovered from his surprise.
His narrow eyes settled on Arlong’s unconscious body.
“Well done,” he said. “The Marines will take custody of the pirate.”
Nami stepped away from Nojiko.
“You.”
Nezumi ignored the hatred in her voice.
“As representatives of the World Government, we will also confiscate Arlong’s treasure and collect the bounty attached to his capture.”
Usopp’s mouth fell open.
“You didn’t fight him!”
“Official rewards belong to authorized forces.”
“You stole Nami’s money!” Nojiko shouted.
Nezumi smiled.
“Any allegations against a Marine officer should be submitted through the proper channels.”
Nami walked toward him.
Nezumi reached for his weapon.
“Stay back.”
She punched him in the face.
The Marine captain spun and crashed onto the ground.
His soldiers raised their rifles.
Luffy jumped from the rubble and landed in front of them.
He looked at Nezumi.
“You took Nami’s treasure?”
Nezumi sat up and pointed furiously.
“Arrest them!”
Luffy punched him.
Nezumi flew through the broken gate and landed outside Arlong Park.
The Marines stared at their captain.
Then they looked at Luffy.
None seemed eager to challenge the pirate who had just defeated Arlong.
Nezumi crawled to his feet, blood pouring from his nose.
“Fine! Keep the stolen money!”
He ordered his men to return everything taken from Nami’s grove. Some soldiers left to retrieve it, while the others placed chains around Arlong and the surviving members of his crew.
“Enjoy your victory while it lasts,” Nezumi shouted. “Something big is coming for you, Straw Hat!”
Luffy picked his nose.
“Who are you?”
Nezumi trembled with humiliation.
Jack knew exactly what the Marine captain intended.
Nezumi would report Luffy to Marine Headquarters and ensure the entire East Blue learned his name. The result would be Luffy’s first bounty.
Thirty million berries.
The highest initial bounty in the East Blue.
Luffy wouldn’t care about being hunted. He would probably celebrate the wanted poster.
The Marines dragged Arlong from the ruins.
Most of his crew were arrested with him.
Hatchan wasn’t among them.
During the collapse of Arlong Park, the octopus Fish-Man had regained consciousness. He found Kuroobi inside the medical room and escaped through an underwater passage before the Marines surrounded the island.
Neither had the strength to continue fighting.
Their only concern was survival.
Jack watched Arlong being taken away.
The nightmare controlling Conomi Islands was finally over.
A loud growl came from the rubble.
Everyone turned.
Luffy placed both hands over his stomach.
“I’m hungry.”
Sanji’s eyebrow twitched.
“You nearly died, and that’s the first thing you say?”
“I fought a shark. Fighting makes me hungry.”
“There’ll be a feast in the village,” Nojiko said.
Luffy’s eyes brightened.
“Meat?”
“Probably.”
“That’s too far away. I need food now.”
Jack looked around.
Most supplies inside Arlong Park had been buried beneath the tower. The villagers had brought weapons, not food.
Then Jack remembered the trees he had drained while recovering.
One had been an orange tree.
His Wood Release could reproduce any species of tree he had physically touched and properly analysed through the Ten-Tails template.
Jack placed one hand against the broken courtyard.
Chakra entered the ground.
A small green shoot emerged between the stones.
It rapidly grew into a trunk. Branches stretched outward, leaves unfolded, and white blossoms appeared before transforming into ripe oranges.
Everyone stared.
Luffy’s jaw dropped.
“Food tree!”
“It’s an orange tree,” Nami corrected.
Luffy stretched both arms into the branches and gathered as many oranges as he could hold. He bit into the first without removing the peel.
His face twisted.
“Bitter!”
Nami struck the back of his head.
“You peel it first!”
Jack picked an orange and removed the skin.
His experiment confirmed another restriction. He could create any kind of tree he had previously touched, but the chakra cost depended on its size, complexity, and speed of growth.
Creating mature fruit required far more energy than producing ordinary wood.
Luffy swallowed several orange slices at once.
“Can you make apples?”
“No.”
“Meat?”
“Meat doesn’t grow on trees.”
Luffy looked genuinely disappointed.
“Can you make a meat tree?”
“Not unless I find one first.”
Luffy considered this answer with complete seriousness.
Then he grinned.
“Join my crew.”
Jack paused.
Luffy hadn’t asked his name.
He hadn’t asked whether Jack was a pirate, a criminal, or a pirate hunter. He had seen strange powers, received an orange, and immediately decided to recruit him.
Nami struck Luffy again.
“You can’t invite every weird person you meet!”
“But he makes food.”
“Oranges aren’t enough reason to recruit someone!”
“He also fought Arlong,” Zoro said from where he rested against a broken wall.
Sanji glanced toward Jack.
“And protected everyone until Luffy escaped.”
Usopp pointed at the orange tree.
“He can create food! Do you know how useful that would be on a ship?”
Nami began calculating silently.
Endless wood could repair damaged decks and masts. Fruit trees could provide supplies at sea.
Her resistance weakened.
Jack looked at Luffy.
He had already planned to join the Straw Hats, but now that the invitation had arrived, he wanted to hear the answer that defined their entire journey.
“What’s your goal?”
Luffy didn’t hesitate.
“I’m going to the Grand Line.”
“That isn’t a goal.”
“I’ll find the One Piece.”
His grin widened beneath the shadow of his straw hat.
“And become King of the Pirates.”
There was no doubt in his voice.
No fear.
Luffy spoke as though the entire world had already accepted his future.
Jack remembered everything waiting beyond the East Blue—Warlords, Admirals, Emperors, ancient weapons, the Five Elders, and Imu.
Travelling with the Straw Hats would place him at the centre of every disaster.
It would also give him loyal companions, powerful enemies, and endless opportunities to grow.
Jack smiled.
“All right, Captain. I’m in.”
Luffy raised both arms in celebration.
“We got a tree guy!”
“My name is Jack.”
“We got Jack!”
Nami sighed.
Sanji lit another cigarette, while Zoro closed his eyes and returned to sleep. Usopp immediately began asking whether Jack could create wooden weapons, a larger ship, or a fortress around the entire island.
For the first time since awakening on the beach, Jack no longer felt stranded in an unknown world.
He had a direction.
A ship.
And a crew.
Jack joined Straw Hat Pirates.