Chapter 11 — Slip-Sliding Dash
"♪ Drifting, drifting, drifting so proudly~ ♪"
Barefoot and "ice-skating" across the ground, Jack looked utterly content. If the Slip-Slip Fruit were treated as a fun ability, it suddenly didn't feel nearly as useless as people made it out to be.
During those days on the ship, Jack hadn't been idle. He'd experimented with several ways to use the power and even developed a few special moves.
One of them was a technique that already existed in the original story—
"Slip~ Smooth~ Jet~!"
Way too damn lewd!
So the self-proclaimed Naming Saint, Jack, rechristened it:
"Slip-Sliding Dash."
And honestly? It worked great. Time-saving, effortless, and stylish. For someone like Jack, who cared a lot about appearances, the cost-performance ratio of this Devil Fruit was skyrocketing. His initial reluctance had long since been forgotten.
Three words summed it up perfectly:
So worth it.
"Ooh~! Ooh~! Ooh~!"
"How can you move by sliding?"
"That's so cool!"
Just as Jack was looking around while showing off some "figure-skating tricks," a straw-hat-wearing boy with eyes sparkling suddenly leapt down from a tree!
This stupid, silly idiot…
No mistake about it—this was definitely that overpowered protagonist, Luffy.
His grandpa was the Marine hero Garp, the man who once chased Pirate King Roger across the world.
His dad was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, a top-tier boss who specialized in picking fights with the World Government.
His two sworn brothers—one was the Pirate King's son, destined to become a Whitebeard Pirates division commander and adoptive son; the other was currently working for his dad and would become the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff.
With a family lineup like that—yeah. Untouchable. Absolutely untouchable.
Not to mention that from the moment he set sail, Luffy barreled down a one-way road of absurd plot armor.
Natural-type users you can't beat? Doesn't exist.
No Haki? Still beats you in minutes.
Enel. Warlords. Yonko. Celestial Dragons. Marine Admirals…
He fights them all—one after another.
Before Jack transmigrated, Luffy had already become the Fifth Emperor of the Sea.
Bounty…
1.5 billion Berries.
There was no denying it—the green, naive boy standing before Jack now, staring at him with shining eyes, would one day turn the entire world upside down.
But right now…
"Who are you?"
"I'm Luffy! The man who's gonna become the Pirate King!"
So… are you becoming the Pirate King, or the man of the Pirate King?
Jack really wanted to throw out that overused joke, but considering Luffy's IQ, he figured it'd be wasted anyway.
"Pirate King? You've got the strength for that?"
"Of course! I'm really strong! Once I go out to sea, come be my crewmate—Sliding Weirdo!"
The hell is Sliding Weirdo?!
Could you at least learn something from me when it comes to naming? Add a little artistic flair!
Jack was unhappy.
"You're still too weak to be my captain," he said bluntly. Sure, future Luffy would be terrifying—but present Luffy? Hard pass.
"Wanna fight then? I'll make you my crewmate for sure!" Luffy burst with enthusiasm.
Jack had come here to make his presence known anyway, so of course he wouldn't refuse. He liked people like Luffy—pure, unyielding in pursuit of their dreams.
But those were Luffy's dreams and Luffy's way of life.
Not his.
Only those who shared the same path could walk together. Clearly, they didn't.
"Wait. We can fight, but let's settle the terms first. If I lose, I'll sail with you—no problem. But if you lose?"
"If I lose, I'll keep fighting until I win! Besides, I won't lose!"
Perfect. Very Luffy.
"Alright then. If you lose, you owe me a Devil Fruit. When you finally go out to sea and meet me again, you pay up. Deal?"
With Luffy's personality, unless he forgot entirely, he'd never break a promise.
A guaranteed profit—Jack really did have a merchant's blood running through his veins.
"Devil Fruit? Those awful-tasting fruits… blegh!"
Just mentioning Devil Fruits made Luffy gag. That flavor had left him with serious psychological trauma.
"Deal! If I lose, once I go out to sea I'll definitely find you a Devil Fruit! And you will be my crewmate! Though I won't lose!"
Luffy was brimming with confidence.
However, a few minutes later…
"Gomu Gomu no… Gatling!"
Bang!
Luffy was slammed hard into the ground after Jack grabbed his wrist and smashed him down!
No need for the Honey Badger to show up—what's the defining feature of the Slip-Slip Fruit?
Slippery.
Zero friction isn't a joke.
Every single one of Luffy's attacks that landed on Jack had only one result—
They slid right off.
Honestly, as a defensive ability, this power was pretty damn solid.
"Still want to fight?"
Luffy didn't answer. He simply climbed back to his feet and charged again without a word.
If he were the kind of person who gave up easily, how could he have faced so many powerful enemies and still rushed forward again and again?
The only time Luffy ever truly felt his crew couldn't win was at Sabaody Archipelago, when they faced Kuma.
And he'd shouted for everyone to run.
A heartbreaking arc.
But admiration aside, Jack wasn't going to kneel or flatter anyone. In fact, he believed that since he had appeared in this world, the protagonist should naturally be him.
If he ever truly stood on the opposite side of Luffy's crew, he wouldn't hold back in the slightest.
So Jack cleanly slipped past every one of Luffy's attacks, dashed right in front of him—
And raised his right hand, wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, high into the air!
Boom!
Luffy was smashed straight into the ground.
A massive crater appeared beneath him!
Luffy struggled to stand, wobbling again and again—but every time he did, Jack expressionlessly hammered him back down.
Holding back? Showing mercy?
That would be disrespectful—to the fight and to his opponent.
After Jack had lost count of how many times he'd knocked Luffy down, Luffy finally lost consciousness.
"What a hassle…"
Muttering, Jack bent down and hoisted him onto his back.
"Damn, I forgot to ask where he lives…"
"Whatever. I'll look around."
By the time Jack finally found Bandit Dadan's place, night had already fallen.
"Who's there?!"
"Does Luffy live here?"
Only then did Dadan notice the unconscious Luffy on the stranger's back.
"Who are you? What happened to Luffy?" Instead of lowering her guard, Dadan grabbed a nearby weapon.
"My name is Jack. When Luffy wakes up, please tell him this—"
"I'll be waiting for him in the New World, for him to fulfill his promise."
"That's all."
With that, Jack casually handed the unconscious Luffy over to Dadan and left on his own.
So, when we meet again…
What kind of surprise will you bring me then, Luffy?