Chapter 13: If I Can't Sail, I'll Exploit the System!

Black Maria was still young, but even Jack, who had the wisdom of two lifetimes, couldn't help but admire her.

When it came to dealing with people, Jack felt she had an innate skill he could hardly match, even now.

In just half a day, Maria and Yamato were already like sisters.

With King out at sea and most of the crew taken along, only a handful of low-level pirates remained on Onigashima. Yet even they were utterly smitten by Black Maria's charms.

Of course, once they learned her true age, most of them snapped back to reality—except for two particularly disgusting scumbags.

Jack silently memorized their faces. Next time King went out to sea, he'd make sure those two tagged along. If they ended up dead, all the better. Nine years old and already attracting this kind of attention? Unforgivable!

The next morning, Jack eagerly made his way to the port, his excitement barely contained. Today was the day he'd test out his theory.

By the time Yamato and Black Maria arrived, an hour had already passed. Spotting them from the deck, Jack immediately shouted,

"Alright, you two! Stop right there!"

"As pirates, strength is everything! It's the foundation of who we are!"

"Even if you're women, it doesn't matter—one of you has an Ancient Zoan like me, and the other has a Mythical Zoan! Wasting such powers would be disgraceful. From now on, you're training with me!"

Clapping his hands, Jack pointed at Black Maria and declared,

"Maria! Let's see what you've got! Yamato, stand aside!"

Maria frowned, her tone sharp.

"Do you have to talk like that? 'Women'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Stop underestimating women, you idiot!" Her voice rose in anger as her lower half transformed into a menacing spider. To Jack's surprise, a second face appeared on her spider body, grinning eerily with a mouth full of sharp, white teeth.

Seeing this, Jack muttered to himself, recalling something Queen had once mentioned.

"Ah, so this is what happens when transformation zones are altered with drugs… Interesting."

Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Jack roared,

"Bring the ship closer!"

And with a long sword in hand, he charged at Black Maria.

Maria shot a web at Jack as he ran, but he abruptly halted, the web missing its mark.

"Just like Yamato—no real battle experience," Jack scoffed, shaking his head.

"You're wasting such powerful Devil Fruits."

Maria's face twisted in fury, her usual charm replaced by raw anger. Yamato, meanwhile, shouted encouragement from the sidelines.

"Maria! Crush that dumb elephant! Show him not to mess with us!"

Though Jack's words were dismissive, his actions were cautious. One glance at Maria's spider legs told him they were likely venomous. He didn't dare transform into his mammoth form, without knowing the strength of her venom, it was too risky. A massive mammoth body would just become an easy target.

Despite his care, Jack underestimated Maria.

A single slip was all it took. Her web wrapped around him, unyielding, no matter how hard he struggled to cut through it. More and more threads surged over him, binding him tightly. Poisonous droplets dripped from her hairy legs, splattering toward him.

"Underestimate women, will you?" Maria hissed, her expression a mix of smugness and sinister delight. Her tongue flicked out, her excitement unmistakable. Even Yamato stepped back, unnerved by Maria's intensity.

"Ugh..." Jack growled, gasping for air as the webs constricted him. The pain and suffocation were overwhelming, leaving him no choice.

With a desperate roar, Jack transformed into his mammoth form.

Maria's grin faltered as an immense strength surged through the webs. She scrambled to tighten her hold, but it was no use. In one swift motion, she was flung toward Jack.

BAM!

Jack's trunk struck like a hammer, sending Maria crashing into the deck. She lay there, unconscious.

Reverting to his human form, Jack looked down at her and exhaled deeply, his heart still racing.

"That was too close," he muttered. "If I wasn't built tough, this could've ended very differently."

Still, a grin spread across his face. He'd won. Now, it was time to see if his theory was correct.

As Jack waited with bated breath, a voice echoed in his mind, clear and melodic:

"Congratulations, Host. Successful 'Ship-Close' Combat. Evaluation: Average."

"Rewards:"

1)Agility +1

2)Perception +1

3)10,000 Belly

4)Constitution +1

5)Devil Fruit Proficiency +10

The rewards were modest, likely due to Maria's lower strength and his own less-than-perfect performance. Still, Jack couldn't contain his excitement.

"This changes everything," he thought, grinning from ear to ear.

"I don't even need to set sail! As long as I'm on the ship, I can grind for stats!"

Jack's mind raced with possibilities.

"Same opponent? Doesn't matter. The system didn't say I wouldn't get rewards!"

"If I stay here grinding for ten years… I'll be invincible!"

"And it's not just Maria and Yamato. There's also King, Queen, and even Kaido! If I milk them for rewards, who knows what I might get?"

Jack burst into laughter, his plans clear.

"If they won't let me sail… I'll just exploit the system. Onigashima is my playground. Ten years from now, the world will bow to me!"

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