Chapter 12 — "Iron Mace" Alvida
When Jack woke up at the inn the next morning, he had a nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something yesterday.
But no matter how hard he tried to recall it, nothing came to mind. He'd already said everything that needed to be said to Luffy… right?
Could it be that he forgot to apologize?
Apologize in advance for stealing your future navigator?
Apologize my ass!
Nami joining the crew was still two years away. Was there something wrong with intercepting her now? Stealing Luffy's future crewmate—can that even be called "stealing"?
Just because Luffy was the original protagonist, did that mean Nami and the others were obligated to obediently wait around for the future Pirate King?
Then how pathetic would he have to be?
No problem at all—snatch her first and talk later!
So the whole day, Jack started asking around about… wait, where was it again? What was the name of Nami's village?
All he remembered were oranges…
Left with no other choice, he asked around for the address of the Bluebird Trading Company and went to seek help from Old John.
Luckily, Old John really did live up to his reputation as someone well-connected. Using clues like oranges, the Arlong Pirates, and Fish-Men, he quickly pinpointed the location Jack was looking for.
Cocoyasi Village!
The very place Nami struggled for years over—only to still get played by Arlong in the end.
Judging by the timeline, Nami should be only about sixteen years old right now?
What the hell—absolute scumbags!
That only strengthened Jack's resolve to bring Nami aboard his ship!
After a prolonged session of relentless nagging, Old John finally couldn't take it anymore and agreed to arrange a merchant ship headed for Cocoyasi Village. In exchange, however, Jack would take on the escort job this time.
Jack patted his chest and agreed without hesitation!
After he left, a young man quietly slipped away and entered a dead-end alley. He hurriedly tossed something aside before turning and leaving.
Not long after, a figure wrapped tightly in a black cloak appeared. After picking up the note the young man had left behind, he smiled faintly and disappeared.
That night, alone in the inn and suffering from loneliness, Jack suddenly slapped his forehead.
He finally remembered what he'd forgotten!
My little beauty!
Has your burn healed yet?!
Damn it—how could I forget?!
Should I go check on her now? Being a day late probably wouldn't matter… right?
After thinking it over, Jack suppressed the tempting thought. He was leaving with the ship tomorrow—causing trouble right before leaving would be way too scummy.
As someone who considered himself pure at heart, Jack naturally wouldn't do something so morally reprehensible.
What if she clung to him, crying and begging him to stay? He definitely couldn't handle that!
Not to mention, his real objective this time was to—ahem, recruit—a flawless little beauty in every sense of the word.
Well… aside from her greedy personality and the occasional inability to control that restless third hand of hers.
...
Another bright and sunny day!
Set sail—departure!
Though honestly, he had no idea who he was looking so spirited for.
Either way, the young women and girls passing by were all starry-eyed. Being handsome wasn't a crime, okay?!
Jack would never admit that a large part of the sensation he caused was thanks to the absurd effects of the Slip-Slip Fruit.
His looks were natural, thank you very much—nothing wrong there!
Same face as before, but with countless subtle changes piling up, he just looked… different. Not only handsome, but with skin so good it made people jealous!
Even long after the ship left the harbor, those love-struck girls were still unable to pull themselves out of their trance over Jack's peerless looks.
Only one young man watched the ship's departing direction with a mix of resentment and satisfaction before turning away.
The merchant ship wasn't particularly fast, but it wasn't slow either. Bored, Jack exercised on deck.
It was just a shame the ship was full of rough men. Otherwise, with his face paired with that well-built, bronze-toned body—glistening under sunlight and sweat—he wondered if the young ladies and noblewomen might have started getting nosebleeds.
But just a few hours later, the lookout suddenly screamed in terror:
"Pirates! Pirates ahead!"
They'd barely been sailing for any time at all, and they already ran into pirates?
Jack walked straight to the edge of the ship and looked out. Sure enough, a pirate ship flying a Jolly Roger was approaching rapidly from the side.
At this distance, running was impossible. A merchant ship loaded to maximize profits stood no chance against a pirate ship built for speed.
"Look at the flag—can you tell which pirate crew it is?"
Jack casually grabbed a crewman and asked.
Although he was confident that there shouldn't be anyone in the East Blue he couldn't handle, unexpected situations were always a possibility. With so many pirates in the world, who knew if he'd someday run into a freak with high strength but a low bounty?
And Devil Fruit abilities were all kinds of bizarre. Just thinking about Sugar's ability alone…
If he messed up even once, there'd be no regret medicine to buy.
The crewman he was holding screamed in fear:
"That's the Alvida Pirates! A female pirate with a bounty of five million Berries—'Iron Mace' Alvida!"
Once they saw the pink, heart-shaped pirate flag, many people immediately recognized it!
After all, in the East Blue, anyone with a bounty over ten million was already considered a big shot.
Take the current "overlord" of the East Blue, the so-called "Admiral" Don Krieg—his bounty had just been raised to seventeen million, making him a so-called "great pirate."
Although "Iron Mace" Alvida only had a bounty of five million, to ordinary sailors like them, it was no different from the sky falling!
After hearing the terrified explanation, Jack fell into deep thought…
Emmmmmmm…
Such a weak "newbie village" enemy—what was he even supposed to say?
Come to think of it, whether it was Arlong the Fish-Man, who ruled his territory with a twenty-million bounty, or Kuro of a Hundred Plans, the pirate who faked his death years ago—weren't both of them far stronger than this flashy Don Krieg?
The East Blue had produced so many big names, yet on the surface it was ruled by a weakling like Krieg. Should they be thanking the Marines for their "special care" of the East Blue in recent years?
Just as everyone was panicking and struggling over whether to flee, Jack finally finished thinking.
"No need to run. Move closer."
"But—"
"No buts. I can handle these few small fry by myself. Otherwise, how do you think your boss made it back alive?"
Being doubted when dealing with trash like this—how embarrassing for a transmigrator!
Seeing Jack's confidence, and knowing escape was impossible anyway, the captain gritted his teeth and decided to fight it out with the pirates!
As the two ships drew closer, Jack finally got a clear look at the people standing on the pirate ship.
And then… he froze.
This was way too much of a coincidence!
That pockmarked, fat woman holding a spiked club—
Couldn't be the unlucky one who got sent flying by Luffy the moment she debuted, right?!