One Piece: I Awakened the Ninja Template System - Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Desperate Situation
Jack lay beneath the shadow of an enormous tree, staring at the canopy through half-closed eyes.
His escape from Born Village had ended several kilometres inside the forest. He had continued running until his damaged leg finally collapsed and his remaining chakra became too low to sustain Body Flicker.
Only then had he stopped.
The pain was terrible.
Kuroobi’s punch had fractured several ribs and damaged his internal organs. Chew’s water bullets had pierced his shoulder, thigh, and side. Swords, teeth, and claws had left dozens of smaller wounds across his body.
The Ten-Tails template could repair everything.
But regeneration required energy.
Jack placed one trembling hand against the nearest tree.
Natural energy and vitality flowed into his palm.
The tree’s green leaves turned brown. Cracks spread through its bark, and the branches sagged as Jack absorbed the nutrients stored within it.
His chakra slowly recovered.
The moment it returned, the Ten-Tails’ Sage Body used it to heal him. Bones shifted back into place. Torn muscles reconnected, and damaged organs began repairing themselves.
Then his chakra fell again.
Jack crawled toward another tree.
He hated destroying so much of the forest, but he had no alternative. If he stopped halfway through the recovery process, internal bleeding might kill him.
He pressed his hand against the second trunk.
Energy entered him.
The cycle continued.
Absorb.
Heal.
Move.
Repeat.
Several trees withered before the hole in his shoulder finally closed. Several more died while his broken ribs and internal organs recovered.
Jack eventually lost track of time.
Sunlight moved across the forest floor as morning approached noon. Sweat covered his body, and blood stained what remained of his clothes.
He continued until the last injury disappeared.
Jack removed his hand from another withered tree and leaned against a healthy one.
His breathing was steady.
The pain was gone.
For the first time since the battle began, his body felt whole.
Notifications appeared before him.
[Combat experience calculated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
More messages followed.
Jack stared as energy surged through him repeatedly.
Killing enemies hadn’t provided a single experience point. Fighting them had.
The system rewarded the development of his abilities, the pressure he endured, and everything he learned during battle. His repeated use of Body Flicker, Chakra Enhanced Strength, Sharingan, Wood Release, and Fireball Jutsu had produced enormous growth.
When the notifications ended, Jack opened his status panel.
—
Template: Ten-Tails
Ability: Sage Body Lv. 10, Sage Spirit Lv. 10, Wood Release Lv10
Level: 28 (196/435)
Status: Genin
…
HP: 280/280 [Recovers 10% per minute]
CP: 260/260 [Recovers 10% per minute]
…
Skill: Chakra Control Lv4(3%), Transformation Lv2(67%), Chakra Enhanced Strength Lv2(16%), Body Flicker Lv2(34%),
Fire Jutsu: Fireball Lv1(75%)
Ability: Sharingan Lv2(2%)
—
Jack examined the numbers.
He was still classified as a Genin, but advancing within that rank offered far greater improvements than levelling as an academy student.
Previously, every level had increased his chakra by approximately five points.
After reaching Genin status, that increase became twenty points per level.
The difference was enormous.
His chakra reserve had risen from one hundred and twenty to two hundred and sixty. At the current level, he could use techniques that would have drained him almost instantly only a few days earlier.
His skills had also improved.
Chakra Enhanced Strength had reached level two, making it faster and safer to gather energy into his limbs. He no longer needed several seconds of concentration before each attack.
Body Flicker had also reached level two. His acceleration remained difficult to control at maximum speed, but he could now change direction without crashing into walls.
Fireball Jutsu was still level one.
It required several hand seals and a short period of preparation. Each use also consumed fifty CP, an enormous cost compared with his other techniques.
Before levelling up, Jack could fire it only twice.
Now he could use it five times before exhausting his chakra, assuming he didn’t spend energy on anything else.
That was a substantial improvement, but Jack understood its limitations. His Fireball Jutsu had severely burned Kuroobi only because the Fish-Man took the attack directly while protecting Chew.
A faster opponent could evade it.
A stronger one might endure it.
Jack closed the panel and looked toward the island’s interior.
Arlong knew about him.
By now, the survivors from Born Village had reported everything. Chew was dead, Kuroobi had suffered terrible burns, and many ordinary Fish-Men had been killed.
Arlong would seek revenge.
Jack didn’t know that Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates had already arrived. As far as he knew, the villagers remained defenceless.
Arlong might punish them for Jack’s actions.
The threat he made to Nami—feeding every human on the island to Momoo—wasn’t something Jack had heard, but he understood Arlong well enough to fear that possibility.
“I have to check.”
Jack stood and tested his body.
His injuries had healed completely. His chakra was full, and his higher level made every movement feel lighter.
He left the dead trees behind and searched for a road.
Finding one was easy.
Understanding where it led was not.
Jack didn’t know the location of Cocoyasi Village or Arlong Park. Nojiko had given him directions from Born Village, but he had fled so deeply into the forest that none of those landmarks remained useful.
He selected a road and began walking.
It ended at an empty field.
Jack returned and chose another branch.
That path led to a cliff overlooking the sea.
He tried a third road and reached a beach covered with fishing boats, but no one was nearby to question.
“Why doesn’t this island have signs?”
Jack returned to the forest again.
After nearly an hour of wandering, he noticed rooftops between the trees.
He hurried forward and entered a village.
Doors stood open, and several farming tools had been abandoned in the street. The settlement appeared inhabited, but Jack couldn’t find any adults.
Then he saw a group of children hiding beside a house.
They watched him fearfully.
Jack stopped at a safe distance and raised his hands.
“I’m not with the Arlong Pirates.”
The oldest child stepped forward.
Jack recognized him as one of the children he had seen during the tax collection.
“Are you the pirate hunter?”
“Something like that.” Jack looked around. “Where is everyone?”
The children exchanged worried glances.
“They went to Arlong Park,” the boy said.
“Why?”
“To fight.”
Jack froze.
“All of them?”
The child nodded.
Jack’s stomach dropped.
Had the villagers rebelled because of him?
Perhaps news of Chew’s death convinced them that Arlong could be defeated. If so, they had no idea what they were facing.
Arlong was a monster. He could slaughter ordinary humans by himself.
“Which way is Arlong Park?”
The boy pointed toward the eastern road.
Jack immediately ran.
If his actions had inspired a rebellion, then every death would be his responsibility. He needed to stop the villagers before they reached the park—or help them if the battle had already started.
He activated Body Flicker.
The road blurred beneath his feet.
As Jack approached Arlong Park, the sound of collapsing stone echoed across the island.
He accelerated.
The main gate had already been destroyed when he arrived.
Jack crossed the broken entrance and stopped.
The scene before him wasn’t what he expected.
Luffy was submerged in the large pool at the centre of Arlong Park. His body remained underwater while his neck stretched toward the surface. A block of stone held his feet trapped at the bottom.
Genzo and Nojiko stood in the shallow water, desperately holding Luffy’s head above the surface so he wouldn’t drown.
The other Straw Hats were scattered across the courtyard.
Zoro had defeated Hatchan.
The six-sword-wielding Fish-Man lay unconscious among the wreckage, but the victory had cost Zoro what little strength he possessed. The wound Mihawk had carved across his chest hadn’t healed, and blood soaked through the bandages wrapped around his torso.
Arlong had beaten him afterward.
Sanji wasn’t in better condition. His battle with Don Krieg’s crew had already injured him before he arrived. Fighting Arlong had added new wounds.
Usopp lay near a shattered wall.
He was a long-range fighter, but Arlong’s water bullets had crossed the courtyard faster than he could react. One projectile had struck him and left him barely conscious.
Nami stood near the villagers with Luffy’s straw hat still resting on her head.
She stared toward the pool, terror hidden beneath desperate determination.
Unless Luffy escaped, the Straw Hat Pirates would lose.
Jack’s Sharingan focused on Arlong.
Level 58
His original estimate had been close.
Arlong wasn’t level sixty, but the difference meant nothing. He remained thirty levels above Jack.
Stronger than Kuroobi.
Faster than Chew.
More durable than any Fish-Man Jack had fought.
Arlong held Zoro by the throat with one hand and Sanji with the other.
The shark Fish-Man looked almost pleased.
“This is the crew that came to rescue Nami?” he asked. “Pathetic.”
Zoro struggled against his grip.
Sanji tried to kick, but Arlong slammed both men together and laughed.
Jack assessed the situation.
He could hide and wait for Luffy to escape.
According to the original story, Sanji should eventually break the stone trapping him. Luffy would return to the fight and defeat Arlong.
But this world had already changed.
Kuroobi was severely injured instead of fighting Sanji. Chew was dead. Jack’s presence had altered events enough that he could no longer trust the exact sequence he remembered.
Waiting for a miracle might get everyone killed.
Jack sighed.
“I’m going to regret this.”
He gathered chakra into his legs.
Body Flicker activated.
Jack disappeared from the broken gate and appeared behind Arlong.
He concentrated as much chakra as he safely could into his right fist.
Then he struck Arlong’s back.
“Chakra Enhanced Strength!”
Boom!
A shock wave exploded across the courtyard.
The stone beneath Arlong’s feet cracked. His grip loosened, causing Zoro and Sanji to fall.
Arlong’s body flew forward.
He crossed the courtyard and landed near the pool, but instead of collapsing, he drove both feet into the ground.
Stone shattered beneath his heels.
Long trenches appeared as the momentum pushed him backward.
Then he stopped.
Arlong slowly turned.
He exposed rows of sharp shark teeth.
“So you finally came.”
Jack’s eyes widened.
His full-powered attack had launched Arlong across the courtyard, but the Fish-Man looked almost unharmed.
Arlong rolled his shoulders.
“You must be the human who killed my brothers.”
Jack raised his fists.
“Chew tried to eat me.”
“You think that excuses what you did?”
“You’ve killed humans for less.”
Arlong’s smile disappeared.
“A human life has no value.”
He flicked one hand.
A bead of moisture flew from his fingers.
Jack’s Sharingan caught the movement.
He tilted his head.
The water bullet passed beside his cheek and struck a stone pillar.
The entire pillar shattered.
Several villagers cried out.
Arlong stared at Jack.
Very few people in the East Blue could evade his water bullets at that distance. In the Grand Line, only experienced fighters with extraordinary perception could react so quickly.
Some masters displayed reddened eyes during moments of extreme focus, a sign Arlong associated with Observation Haki.
But Jack’s eyes were different.
Two black tomoe rotated inside each red iris.
“Are you from the Grand Line?” Arlong asked.
“No.”
“Then where did you learn that?”
Jack didn’t answer.
Arlong charged.
His speed exceeded Kuroobi’s.
Jack barely avoided the first punch. Wind tore past his face as Arlong’s fist missed by inches.
Jack used Body Flicker to shift sideways.
The higher skill level made the technique far smoother. He stopped without losing balance and countered immediately.
Arlong punched at the same time.
Their fists collided.
Pain exploded through Jack’s arm.
He flew backward and landed several metres away.
HP: 247/280
His wrist had fractured.
The Sage Body began repairing it, but the result was clear.
Even with Chakra Enhanced Strength, Jack couldn’t match Arlong’s natural power.
Zoro attacked from behind.
He forced his damaged body forward and slashed toward Arlong’s back.
The Fish-Man didn’t turn.
He gathered moisture in one hand and fired.
The water bullet struck Zoro’s side.
The swordsman flew across the courtyard and crashed into the ground.
Sanji saw his opportunity.
While Arlong focused on Jack and Zoro, he dived into the pool.
His target wasn’t the Fish-Man.
It was Luffy.
Jack extended both hands.
Wood flowed over his forearms and formed thick gauntlets resembling boxing gloves. The reinforced wood would absorb part of Arlong’s strength and prevent every collision from breaking his bones.
Trying to restrain Arlong with vines would be pointless.
If Kuroobi could tear through them, Arlong would barely notice.
Jack attacked again.
Arlong met him directly.
Their wooden and bare fists collided across the courtyard.
Jack’s Sharingan predicted each strike. Body Flicker allowed him to change position, and the wooden gauntlets prevented his arms from shattering.
Even so, Arlong controlled the fight.
Every blocked punch pushed Jack backward.
Every mistake cost HP.
Arlong opened his jaws and snapped at Jack’s shoulder.
Jack twisted away.
The teeth closed beside his face with enough force to crack the wooden gauntlet.
Arlong could regrow broken teeth instantly. His bite could shatter stone pillars and tear through human bones.
One successful bite might remove Jack’s arm.
Jack jumped backward and formed hand seals.
“Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!”
Flames surged across the courtyard.
Arlong inhaled and expelled a wave of water from his mouth.
The attacks collided.
Steam filled the air as the water extinguished Jack’s fireball.
Arlong laughed.
“You’re the weakest Devil Fruit user I’ve ever seen. I’ve met monsters whose powers could destroy entire islands. Your fire is barely strong enough to light candles.”
Jack couldn’t deny the insult.
A ninjutsu needed to reach approximately level four before its strength became comparable to a properly developed Devil Fruit ability.
His Fireball remained level one.
Compared with Ace’s flames, it truly was little more than a candle.
“At least I don’t need to bite people to feel strong,” Jack replied.
Arlong’s laughter stopped.
They collided again.
The fight continued through the courtyard.
Jack’s wounds accumulated despite his regeneration. His wooden armour splintered repeatedly, forcing him to recreate it.
Arlong also began suffering damage.
Chakra-enhanced blows left bruises beneath his skin. Wooden blades opened shallow cuts across his arms, and one Body Flicker attack struck his gills before he could defend.
The injuries only made Arlong more violent.
His controlled amusement disappeared, replaced by predatory fury.
His movements became wild and increasingly difficult to predict.
Arlong raised one hand.
Moisture gathered around his fingers.
Jack prepared to dodge the water bullet.
Arlong flicked his wrist.
Jack used Body Flicker—
But no projectile came.
It was a feint.
Arlong appeared beside him and grabbed his ankle.
Jack’s eyes widened.
The Fish-Man lifted him overhead and slammed him into the ground.
Stone exploded beneath Jack’s back.
HP: 152/280
Blood burst from his mouth.
Before he could recover, Arlong lifted him again.
The second impact shattered the courtyard.
HP: 52/280
Jack coughed blood.
His vision blurred.
One more slam would kill him.
He wasn’t made of rubber like Luffy. His body possessed incredible vitality, but blunt force still damaged his bones and organs.
Arlong raised him for the third time.
A blade struck the Fish-Man’s shoulder.
Zoro had forced himself upright.
Blood ran from his mouth, yet he held his swords with unwavering determination.
“Let him go.”
Arlong turned toward him.
Jack twisted his injured leg free and fell to the ground.
Zoro dropped to one knee.
Neither of them could continue for long.
Then a voice thundered across the courtyard.
“I’m free!”
Everyone turned toward the pool.
The stone trapping Luffy’s feet had broken.
Luffy burst from the water and landed in the courtyard, drawing several deep breaths.
Sanji surfaced behind him.
Nami and Nojiko rushed forward. They dragged Jack and Zoro away before Arlong could attack again.
Luffy straightened.
His eyes settled on Arlong.
The Fish-Man bared his teeth.
The Straw Hat captain cracked his knuckles.
Luffy fight with Arlong started seriously.