One Piece: I Awakened the Ninja Template System - Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Attack
Jack crouched on the rooftop and surveyed the Fish-Men entering Born Village.
There were far more than he had expected.
They approached through every available route, surrounding the ruined settlement from the north, east, and west. A smaller group moved along the southern stream, cutting off his easiest path toward the coast.
Jack’s Sharingan swept over them.
Most of the Fish-Men were between level ten and level twenty. Individually, they were weaker than him, but nearly thirty had already entered the village, with more emerging from the forest.
Then Jack noticed the three figures leading them.
The first was a tall manta ray Fish-Man dressed in a martial artist’s uniform. His arms were folded across his chest, and his entire posture carried disciplined confidence.
Kuroobi — Level 35
Jack’s eyes shifted toward Chew.
The smelt-whiting Fish-Man appeared even angrier than before, his narrow eyes searching every rooftop while his long lips repeatedly twisted into a snarl.
Chew — Level 24
The final officer was a large octopus Fish-Man with six arms and a sun-like symbol on his forehead. Each hand rested near the hilt of a sword.
Hatchan — Level 32
Jack’s stomach tightened.
All three officers of the Arlong Pirates had joined the hunt.
Arlong himself wasn’t present, which was the only good news.
Jack didn’t know Arlong’s exact level, but he had already estimated that the pirate captain could be close to level sixty. If Arlong had personally entered Born Village, Jack’s chances of survival would have been nearly nonexistent.
His current situation wasn’t much better.
Kuroobi and Hatchan were both significantly stronger than him. Chew was only three levels higher, but Jack remembered the destructive power of his water bullets.
There were also too many ordinary Fish-Men.
Jack might defeat several of them in a direct battle, but eventually, their superior numbers would overwhelm him.
His gaze moved toward the collapsed house where the three bodies were burning.
The Fish-Men hadn’t seen him yet. Smoke and the surrounding buildings blocked their view, giving Jack a few seconds to act.
Escaping across the rooftops was one option, but patrols had already surrounded the village. If he ran immediately, he would be exposed to Chew’s water bullets and several rifles.
Jack needed to create confusion.
His eyes settled on the level-sixteen Fish-Man, whom he killed.
An idea appeared.
Jack formed a hand seal.
“Transformation Jutsu.”
White smoke covered him.
His height increased. His skin became yellow, and false gills appeared along his neck. His clothes changed into a perfect imitation of the dead Fish-Man’s outfit.
Jack examined his hands.
The transformation looked accurate, but it wouldn’t survive a strong physical impact. His skill level was still too low to maintain the illusion after receiving damage.
He would simply have to avoid being struck.
Jack jumped from the rear of the building and landed beside the burning house. He deliberately smeared dirt and blood across his transformed clothes, then stumbled toward the Fish-Men.
“There!” one of them shouted.
Weapons turned toward him.
Jack raised both hands.
“It’s me!”
Chew stepped forward. “Where is the human?”
Jack pretended to struggle for breath.
“He’s inside the village. He killed our brothers.” Jack pointed back toward the burning house. “I tried to stop him, but he’s too strong!”
Several Fish-Men looked at one another.
Kuroobi approached Jack with a dark expression.
“You ran away?”
“He attacked us from behind. I barely—”
Kuroobi slapped him.
“Coward!”
The blow struck Jack across the face.
His head snapped sideways, and the Transformation Jutsu collapsed instantly. White smoke burst around him, revealing his human body.
Silence consumed the street.
Kuroobi stared at Jack.
Chew’s mouth dropped open.
Hatchan blinked all six eyes in confusion.
Jack tasted blood.
“So much for avoiding a hit.”
Kuroobi recovered first.
“The human!”
Before he could seize him, Jack slammed both palms onto the ground.
“Wood Release!”
Chakra surged from his body.
The Ten-Tails was a sentient Divine Tree, the ultimate origin of Wood Release. Its template naturally possessed a far purer form of that power than almost any human.
However, Jack had only Genin-level chakra.
He couldn’t summon a forest, create a wooden dragon, or build gigantic constructs. He could barely produce enough wood to fill the street.
Cracks spread across the ground.
Dozens of thin vines erupted from beneath the Fish-Men. They twisted around ankles, wrists, and throats, binding anyone unable to react in time.
“What is this?” Chew shouted.
Hatchan drew three swords and began cutting.
Kuroobi flexed his arms.
The vines wrapped around his chest for only a moment before he tore through them with brute strength.
The ordinary Fish-Men weren’t as fortunate.
More vines emerged from Jack’s palms and tightened around their bodies. Their green surfaces pulsed as they began absorbing vitality from everyone they held.
A human using Wood Release could learn similar draining techniques. Hashirama Senju had used his wood to suppress chakra, while the Ten-Tails possessed roots capable of draining even Kage-level ninjas until nothing remained but dried corpses.
Jack’s version was nowhere near that powerful.
His vines couldn’t empty a Fish-Man in an instant, but the absorption weakened them while restoring part of the chakra he spent maintaining the technique.
Three Fish-Men collapsed to their knees.
Jack released the ground and moved.
Kuroobi’s fist struck the place where his head had been.
The impact shattered the road.
Jack used Body Flicker and appeared several metres away.
“Don’t let him escape!” Kuroobi commanded.
Fish-Men rushed from every direction.
Chew inhaled, preparing a water bullet, but several of his own crewmates blocked the shot.
“Move!” he shouted.
Jack extended one hand.
Wood grew from his palm and compressed into a narrow blade. It lacked the sharpness of steel, but chakra strengthened its edge, turning it into something more dangerous than the old kitchen knife.
His Sharingan tracked the nearest attackers.
A Fish-Man swung a curved sword toward his shoulder.
Jack stepped inside the arc and drove the wooden blade into the gills beneath the attacker’s jaw. He withdrew it immediately and twisted away from a second sword.
Another Fish-Man lunged from behind.
Jack saw his reflection in the blade of the first attacker’s weapon.
He ducked.
The sword passed over his head.
Jack gathered chakra into his elbow and struck backward.
The enhanced blow crushed the attacker’s chest and threw him through the wall of a nearby house.
Two more Fish-Men charged.
Jack avoided their weapons, but one raked sharp nails across his back. Cloth tore, and four burning lines opened across his skin.
Pain broke his concentration.
A club struck his ribs.
Jack flew across the street and rolled through the dust.
His HP fell.
HP: 167/210
The injuries began healing immediately.
Blood stopped flowing from his back, and the pain in his ribs gradually weakened. His level-ten Sage Body couldn’t make him invulnerable, but its recovery allowed him to survive wounds that would cripple an ordinary person.
Jack pushed himself up.
The Fish-Men surrounded him again.
He formed a hand seal.
Flowers erupted from the road.
They weren’t beautiful. Their pale petals opened unnaturally fast, releasing clouds of yellow pollen into the air.
The Fish-Men coughed and covered their eyes.
“What is this stuff?”
“I can’t see!”
Jack had created the flowers with Wood Release. The pollen wasn’t poisonous, but the thick cloud irritated eyes and blocked vision.
He dashed through the confusion.
A Fish-Man appeared in front of him, rubbing tears from his eyes. Jack slashed across his gills and continued without waiting for him to fall.
Every second became chaos.
Jack leapt from one street to another, using walls, rooftops, and broken houses to change direction. When enemies blocked the road, he used Body Flicker to pass them. When several gathered together, he summoned vines or released another cloud of pollen.
The officers pursued him.
Kuroobi smashed through obstacles instead of moving around them. His strikes shattered walls, and each missed attack reminded Jack that one direct hit could end the battle.
Hatchan’s six swords transformed the narrow streets into a cage of flashing steel. Jack’s Sharingan allowed him to follow the blades, but his body could barely move fast enough to avoid them.
One sword sliced his thigh.
Another opened a line across his forearm.
Chew finally found a clear angle.
He spat a water bullet.
Jack saw the Fish-Man’s cheeks expand and threw himself aside.
The projectile passed through his shoulder instead of his chest.
Flesh tore beneath the impact.
Jack struck the ground hard, clutching the wound as blood soaked his shirt.
HP: 119/210
His regeneration activated.
The hole began closing, but healing such a serious injury consumed far more energy than repairing cuts. Natural energy entered his body while the Ten-Tails template worked to reconnect muscle and skin.
“Got you!” Chew shouted.
He inhaled again.
Jack used Body Flicker.
The second water bullet destroyed the road where he had fallen.
Jack appeared among a group of weaker Fish-Men. He attacked their gills before they could react, using them as shields against Chew’s ranged attacks.
His wooden blade pierced one throat.
An enhanced kick sent another crashing into a burning wall.
A third bit into Jack’s arm.
Fish-Man teeth sank through flesh.
Jack shouted and drove his thumb into the creature’s eye. When the jaw loosened, he slammed an enhanced palm against the Fish-Man’s temple.
The attacker collapsed.
Bite marks covered Jack’s forearm. Blood ran down to his fingertips, but the wounds closed as he moved.
Jack no longer had time to feel horror.
He attacked, dodged, and ran.
Every enemy he allowed to recover became another weapon aimed at his back. He therefore targeted the weakest Fish-Men first and struck with lethal force.
He cut gills.
Crushed throats.
Broke necks with chakra-enhanced blows.
The streets of Born Village became a battlefield.
Broken houses collapsed under missed attacks. Water bullets tore through walls, wooden vines split the road, and clouds of pollen drifted between the buildings.
Fish-Men shouted over one another.
No one could maintain formation.
Jack’s speed made the chaos worse. He seemed to appear wherever their defence was weakest, kill one of their brothers, and vanish before the officers could reach him.
By the time Kuroobi understood the strategy, several Fish-Men already lay dead.
“Stop chasing him blindly!” he roared. “Form groups!”
Few heard him.
Those who did were too angry to obey.
…
On the other side of Conomi Islands, a small boat approached the shore.
Nami stood at its stern, watching the familiar coastline.
A larger ship remained hidden farther out at sea—the vessel she had stolen from Luffy and his companions, along with every treasure aboard it.
The thought of their furious faces produced a brief smile.
Luffy was probably shouting about getting his ship back. Usopp would be panicking, and Zoro might pretend not to care while complaining that he had always known she was untrustworthy.
The smile faded.
Nami hadn’t betrayed them for pleasure.
She needed one hundred million berries to purchase Cocoyasi Village from Arlong. Every coin she stole brought her closer to freeing the people who had suffered for eight years.
She guided the small boat ashore and hid it among the trees.
Instead of going directly to Arlong Park, Nami headed home.
The treasure had to be added to the money buried near Bell-mère’s tangerine grove. Only after securing it would she report to Arlong and continue pretending to be his loyal navigator.
As she approached the house, she heard quiet voices.
Nojiko and Genzo were speaking near the grove.
Nami stopped behind the corner.
“You shouldn’t have told him where to hide,” Genzo said. “If Arlong discovers you helped him—”
“He would’ve died in the forest.”
“He may already be dead.”
Nami stepped into view.
“Who may be dead?”
Both of them turned.
Nojiko’s expression briefly brightened, but concern quickly returned.
“Nami. You’re back.”
“What are you two whispering about?”
Genzo adjusted his hat.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Nami planted one hand on her hip.
“That means it’s definitely something I need to worry about.”
Nojiko glanced at Genzo before answering.
“A pirate hunter came to the island.”
Nami’s eyes sharpened.
“One?”
“He said he’s a scout. The rest of his team is supposed to arrive soon.”
“And you believed him?”
“Not completely.”
Nojiko explained how Jack had appeared during the tax collection, escaped from Chew, and claimed to work for a powerful group of pirate hunters.
She also revealed his hiding place.
“He’s staying in Born Village,” Nojiko said. “It was destroyed about half a year ago, so we thought no one would search there. But this morning, I saw Fish-Men heading south.”
Nami’s face darkened.
“Then he’s already dead.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know exactly that.” Nami’s voice became colder. “How many pirate hunters have come here over the last eight years? How many survived?”
Nojiko didn’t answer.
Arlong had killed every outsider who challenged him. Some had underestimated Fish-Men because of his relatively low bounty. Others had believed they could become heroes by freeing the villages.
They all died.
Nami looked toward the southern forest.
“If this Jack really is only a scout, he should’ve stayed hidden until his team arrived. If Arlong’s officers found him, there’s nothing anyone can do.”
Nojiko lowered her eyes.
She knew Nami was right.
Still, she had wanted to believe Jack’s arrival meant something.
For eight years, Nami had carried the burden of freeing them. She sailed with criminals, stole from dangerous pirates, and returned with new wounds she always tried to hide.
Nojiko wanted to contribute.
Helping Jack had felt like a small act of resistance—something she could do instead of waiting helplessly for Nami to save everyone.
Now it seemed she had only sent a young man to his death.
Genzo looked between the sisters.
“We can’t change what happened. Nojiko, stay away from Born Village. Nami, hide whatever you brought before Arlong’s patrols see you.”
Neither sister answered.
Genzo sighed and left toward Cocoyasi Village.
Nami entered the tangerine grove. She uncovered the hidden storage place and added the treasure stolen from Luffy’s ship to the fortune she had gathered over the years.
She counted everything twice.
She was close.
Soon, she would have enough to purchase the village.
When Nami returned to the house, Nojiko was gone.
…
At Born Village, the battle continued.
Jack ran along the side of a house with chakra holding his feet to the wall. A sword passed beneath him, missing his ankle by inches.
He twisted in the air and landed behind the attacker.
His wooden blade entered the Fish-Man’s gills.
Jack immediately moved on.
He never remained in one place long enough for the officers to surround him.
Kuroobi launched powerful punches that destroyed whatever they struck.
Hatchan’s six swords carved through Jack’s wooden vines.
Chew fired water bullets whenever he found a clear path.
Jack avoided all three.
He attacked only the weaker Fish-Men.
“You coward!” Kuroobi shouted. “Stop running and face me like a man!”
Jack ducked beneath a Fish-Man’s axe and drove an enhanced fist into his stomach.
The attacker flew into two of his companions.
Jack looked toward Kuroobi.
“I am a coward!” he shouted. “So I’ll fight like one!”
Kuroobi’s expression twisted with rage.
“Then die like one!”
He rushed forward.
Jack released another wave of pollen and vanished behind a building.
Chew spat several water bullets into the cloud, but they struck only empty houses.
“He’s making fools of us!” Chew screamed.
“Hachi will cut him!” Hatchan declared, waving all six swords. “As soon as Hachi catches him!”
“That’s the problem,” Chew snapped. “You can’t catch him!”
“I’m trying!”
Around them, more Fish-Men fell.
Jack was faster than the ordinary members and more agile than the officers. His Body Flicker lacked refinement, but his enormous recovery allowed him to use it repeatedly.
The Sharingan made the difference.
Whenever Chew inhaled, Jack saw the muscles in his throat move before the water bullet launched. Whenever Kuroobi attacked, Jack recognized the direction of his strike through the movement of his hips and shoulders.
Even Hatchan’s six swords couldn’t completely confuse his perception.
Jack still suffered injuries.
Blades cut his arms and back. Claws opened wounds across his chest. One Fish-Man tore a piece from his shoulder with its teeth.
His regeneration kept repairing the damage.
To the Arlong Pirates, it seemed as if the human refused to stay injured.
Kuroobi finally stopped pursuing him.
He surveyed the village.
Too many of their brothers were dead or wounded. The ordinary Fish-Men were no longer helping. Their attempts to surround Jack only gave him more bodies to hide behind.
Kuroobi raised his voice.
“Everyone retreat!”
The fighting faltered.
Chew turned toward him. “What?”
“Get the others out of the village. Only the three of us will remain.”
“You think we need three officers to kill one human?”
“He has already killed more than 20 of our brothers because they keep getting in our way!” Kuroobi shouted. “We’ll handle him ourselves.”
The surviving Fish-Men hesitated.
“Move!” Kuroobi ordered.
They began retreating toward the forest, carrying those who were still alive.
Jack stood on a rooftop and watched them go.
He didn’t pursue.
Fighting weaker enemies had allowed him to control the battlefield. Once they disappeared, he would have to face three stronger opponents without distractions.
Then pain burned through his eyes.
Jack flinched and pressed one hand against his face.
A notification appeared.
[Sharingan proficiency requirement fulfilled.]
[Sharingan has reached Level 2.]
The red light in his eyes intensified.
Two tomoe appeared around each pupil.
The world became sharper.
Jack could see individual drops of blood falling from Kuroobi’s knuckles. He saw the subtle vibration of Hatchan’s sword blades and the moisture gathering inside Chew’s mouth.
His enhanced perception had doubled.
A new ability entered his mind.
Copy.
By observing a skill with the Sharingan, Jack could analyse its movements and energy flow. If his body possessed the necessary requirements, he could reproduce it.
Simple physical techniques might be copied after seeing them once. Complex skills would require repeated observation, practice, and time.
It was one of the Sharingan’s defining powers.
The Ten-Tails possessed the highest possible talent for the eye. After all, the ability’s origin could be traced directly to it.
Kaguya had originally possessed the Byakugan. After consuming the Divine Tree’s chakra fruit and merging with its power, she awakened the Rinne Sharingan.
Her son Hagoromo inherited a variation of that ocular power.
Hagoromo’s own strength was later divided between his sons. Indra inherited his powerful spiritual energy and dojutsu, eventually becoming the ancestor of the Uchiha clan. Asura inherited his body and life force, giving rise to the bloodlines that would become the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
A power once united had been divided across generations.
Jack carried the original source as his template.
And he finally understood the condition required to advance his Sharingan.
It grew through battle.
Across the ruined street, the last ordinary Fish-Men disappeared into the forest.
Only three figures remained.
Kuroobi assumed a Fish-Man Karate stance. Hatchan drew all six swords, and Chew filled his mouth with water.
Jack looked towards the Three officers of Arlong Pirate. He is considering whether to run, or make a desperate attempt to kill them.