It's just past seven in the morning, and the sun has already risen.
The grayish-white dense fog still shrouds Klaykan Island.
Thud, thud, thud!
Jack is drenched in sweat, his towering figure sprinting through the forest, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.
He just finished his morning exercise and is about to head back to the castle to have breakfast with everyone.
Suddenly, as if he sensed something, he paused his steps slightly.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar erupted from the side, and immediately after, a massive black shadow charged out from the fog!
It's the King of Baboons!
It wields a giant broadsword eerily similar to Hawkeye's Black Blade Yoru, baring its teeth with defiance and swinging the sword fiercely at Jack's back!
"Haven't you learned your lesson? Coming at me again?"
Jack grinned, neither dodging nor evading, raised his right arm, and let the sharp blade strike him.
Clang!!!
With a crisp clang of metal, the King of Baboons' broadsword was deflected forcefully.
Meanwhile, only a faint white mark was left on Jack's arm, which soon faded without a trace.
"Surprised, aren't you?"
Jack turned around, proudly pounding his chest, "With attacks like that, there's nothing you can do to me, even without transforming into my Mammoth Form!"
His arms, chest, and even his entire skin were now covered with a layer of deep black Armament Haki, thick as ink.
"Except for Internal Destruction, which is a bit tough to learn and not quite mastered, I've grasped the other three techniques: Entwining, Hardening, and Emission! You should go all out!"
"Roar?!"
You know that technique too?
Surprise flashed in the King of Baboons' eyes.
But it quickly adjusted its stance, let out an enraged roar, and swung the sword again!
This time, its strikes were even fiercer, with a sudden increase in speed, and notably, the blade also shimmered with a black glow!
It certainly knows Armament Haki as well!
However—
Swoosh!
Jack's figure blurred momentarily, and the King of Baboons' blade sliced through thin air.
"Where are you looking, dummy? Over here!"
Jack's voice came from the side, demonstrating agility completely unexpected given his large frame, effortlessly dodging.
"Roar roar roar!!!"
The King of Baboons was thoroughly enraged, crazily swinging its colossal sword, assaulting like a violent storm.
Yet Jack seemed to anticipate its every move, effortlessly darting and weaving, occasionally using Armament Haki to block and seizing the opportunity to counter with a few punches.
"Haha, what a thrill!"
The more Jack fought, the more exhilarated he became; the results of two months of intense training were finally proving themselves!
Back when he first faced this big baboon, if he didn't transform into his Mammoth Form, he would have been beaten without being able to retaliate.
But now...
Having mastered Dual-Colored Haki and greatly improved his Body Techniques, even in his weakest human form, he could toy with the King of Baboons!
The clash between the two lasted quite a while, and before they knew it, the sky was fully bright.
Jack was unscathed, whereas the King of Baboons was battered and bruised, ready to cry without tears, finally realizing that this silly human in front of it was now far beyond comparable to before.
Trying to escape, Jack would use "Soru," suddenly "shoom" and block its way.
If it wanted to fight, Jack would childishly refuse to end it quickly, instead continuously teasing it...
Torture!
At that moment, a mature woman's voice, deep and serene, suddenly rang from above:
"Aren't you done playing, Jack?"
In the next instant.
On the ground, pink petals whirled, suddenly growing into a giant human hand, which was instantly dyed in a layer of black, slapping towards the King of Baboons with great force.
"Ten Thousand Hues of Red and Purple·Giant Tree·SPANK!"
Bang!
The King of Baboons had no chance to counter, screaming as it was sent flying high, becoming a meteor across the horizon.
And in the sky, a slender figure with wings growing from her ribs slowly descended.
As she landed on the ground, the wings composed of countless hands dissipated with a rustle.
"Big sis Robin." Jack scratched his head, "What brings you here?"
"What do you think?"
Robin glanced at him nonchalantly, "Breakfast is ready, but you're still missing. Everyone thought something might have happened, but I came to find someone playing with monkeys like a three-year-old."
"Eh? Has it been half an hour?"
Jack was shocked, realizing he had kept his seniors waiting for so long, he hurriedly ran off, "I'll head over right away, thanks for the heads-up, big sis!"
Watching Jack run into the distance, Robin pondered while pinching her chin.
"To have trained Haki and Body Techniques to such a degree, what enviable talent."
It seems, I've been left far behind.
Memories from two months ago flashed in her mind—
"Hey, Robin."
That evening, at the dinner table, the boy with black hair across the table, cheeks stuffed full, suddenly looked up:
"Do you want to learn Haki as well? When I teach Jack every day, I could guide you too?"
"Haki?" Robin smiled and tilted her head with interest.
"Yeah! Don't you think your devil fruit development path might be a little off?"
The boy grinned, "It's too flashy! Though it's very pretty... but in my opinion, elevating your Haki and Body Techniques, straightforwardly would pack more punch!"
"With the Flower-Flower Fruit, you can grow fists anywhere within sight. Imagine, if someone like Garp mastered your power, what would that be like?"