236 One Piece: My Name is Jack

What Jack didn't know was that if not for his growing infamy over the past two years, Teach would have invited him to join long ago. The only reason he hadn't was simple—Teach feared he wouldn't be able to keep Jack under control.

Of course, had Teach actually approached Jack, there was a high chance he'd spend the rest of his life sightseeing at the bottom of the ocean.

The incident within the Whitebeard Pirates was a massive disgrace in the pirate world. If this were an ordinary crew, it wouldn't be a big deal. Among lower-tier pirates, betrayal, deception, and slaughter over money happened daily. But at the level of the Four Emperors—the most powerful pirate crews in existence—such betrayals were a humiliating stain on their reputation.

By that point, a pirate crew was practically a military force, rivaling even the Marines in sheer power. A subordinate betraying their captain, even going so far as to kill their comrades, was utterly unacceptable.

Even the Beasts Pirates—infamous for their brutal, iron-fisted rule—had never experienced such a betrayal, let alone the Whitebeard Pirates, whose ship was filled with sworn brothers and sons. This event called Whitebeard's judgment into question, making it seem as though he lacked control over his crew. Worse still, it raised doubts about his authority as captain. If he didn't take action, the reputation of the Whitebeard Pirates would suffer immensely.

Before long, ambitious pirate crews started eyeing Whitebeard as a target, and even the Beasts Pirates—who had been quiet for a while—were dragged into the chaos. Countless reckless pirates took the opportunity to challenge the Emperors, effectively sending themselves to their deaths.

This, of course, delighted Enel.

As the one handling such affairs, Enel took full advantage of the situation. Any pirate foolish enough to challenge the Beasts Pirates ended up facing his wrath. Transforming into a god of thunder, he not only annihilated enemies but also honed his battle instincts, using them as an outlet for his pent-up frustration over the years.

Meanwhile, Jack continued his daily brawls with Kaido. For Kaido, this was the perfect arrangement—a free, relentless sparring partner. The two had already destroyed several small islands in their relentless fights.

However, since Kaido still had responsibilities to take care of, Jack often found himself with too much free time. And when that happened, he set his sights on Shanks.

Jack's relentless pursuit drove Shanks to the brink of despair. On one occasion, upon spotting Jack, every single member of the Red-Haired Pirates collectively jumped into the ocean. Fortunately for them, none of them were Devil Fruit users, so they executed their escape flawlessly.

As for Shanks trying to hide? Impossible.

During one of their battles, Jack had deliberately yanked out a strand of Shanks' red hair and handed it to Yamato, who then crafted a Vivre Card. With it, Jack could track Shanks wherever he went, no matter how well the red-haired Emperor tried to conceal himself. The Vivre Card made it impossible for Shanks to disappear, and Jack had no interest in its other functions—he only cared about tracking his prey.

But why was Jack so fixated on Shanks?

First, Shanks' talent was undeniable. His mastery of Conqueror's Haki had reached its pinnacle, and his Observation Haki had evolved to a level where he could completely suppress his presence. On one occasion, he even managed to conceal himself so thoroughly that if not for the Vivre Card, Jack wouldn't have been able to find him at all.

Jack wanted these abilities.

So he kept closing the distance, constantly forcing fights. By now, Shanks trembled at the mere thought of docking near Jack's ship. But despite all his efforts, Jack still hadn't managed to 'acquire' these abilities.

Second, Shanks' crew was strong. Every time Jack engaged him, the entire Red-Haired Pirates fought as one, bombarding Jack with attacks in an effort to shake him off. This kind of combat experience—where he faced multiple high-level opponents at once—helped Jack refine his understanding of his undying body better than his fights with Kaido ever could.

For a long time, Jack's relentless pursuit of Shanks continued, making the Red-Haired Emperor's life utterly miserable. Finally, with the Fire Festival approaching, Jack temporarily returned to Onigashima and took a break.

After fulfilling his 'duties' to Black Maria and Yamato, the festival began. Drinks flowed, and slowly, Wano returned to its usual state of peace.

But Kaido wasn't the type to sit still for long.

Once his affairs were settled, he dragged Jack out once again. Perhaps realizing he was no longer Jack's superior in battle, Kaido's pride was ignited. Yet, their clashes had already laid waste to every uninhabited island in Wano's vicinity. Now, they had to fly for over a week just to find a new battleground.

Determined to push his training further, Kaido and Jack fought for months without returning.

Then, one day, during yet another brutal sparring session, Kaido's Thunder Bagua struck Jack with full force.

Jack didn't move.

Kaido's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He raised his kanabo once more and swung down with another Thunder Bagua.

BOOM—

The impact rang out, but something was different. The sound was odd, as if the strike had landed on water rather than flesh. Even Kaido felt an unusual resistance when his weapon hit Jack.

A moment of silence followed.

Kaido stared at Jack's dazed expression before exhaling deeply, a bitter smile forming on his lips.

"You broke through, didn't you?"

Jack absentmindedly nodded. Kaido let out a heavy sigh, tossed his kanabo aside, and collapsed onto the ground.

All these years of relentless training, and he still had no idea when he'd achieve his next breakthrough—yet this brat had already surpassed him.

Did he… not have the potential to advance further?

For the first time in years, Kaido felt a twinge of depression.

Jack, however, wasn't concerned with Kaido's emotions. Instead, he opened his status panel.

Many of his abilities had disappeared, including 'Ultimate Regeneration.' Only one skill remained, glowing brightly:

Immortal Body: Undying and Indestructible
(Ignores all negative conditions. Neither disease nor aging can affect you. Your body will always remain in peak condition. Greatly reduces the impact of enemy attacks. The only way to defeat you is to exhaust your stamina. However, even when stamina is depleted, your powerful regeneration will restore you within moments.)

"From this moment on... I am immortal and indestructible."

!!!

Jack understood the implications of everything else, but those two lines left him stunned.

What did this mean? Was he… truly immortal now?

Not even aging could touch him? Would his body remain in this state forever?

Jack scanned through his other abilities and found an unexpected surprise:

Rokushiki: Mastery
(You have reached the pinnacle of body control. Your techniques unleash the maximum destructive power of the human body. Even a single strand of your hair can kill.)

"Damn... this is incredible! I must be invincible now!"

With newfound excitement, Jack turned to Kaido and declared loudly:

"Kaido-san! Let's overthrow the World Government right now!"

"I think I'm the strongest in the world!"

Kaido groaned and waved him off. "Screw off!"