Jack was unusually tolerant of Teren because of his remarkable talent.
Though Jack always claimed to be a man of peace, he was, in reality, someone who never hesitated to use force when necessary—a true hardliner. Occasionally, Jack would even take the time to teach Teren, thinking that one day he might have him join the Beasts Pirates and help lighten Finder's workload.
Before Aladine's crew appeared, Jack had higher hopes for Teren than he did for Finder. Even now, Jack believed that among all the Fish-Men, Teren's talent was second only to his own.
Teren used to run a small business back on Fish-Man Island, but his ventures reportedly went poorly. Instead, he often resorted to robbing solitary humans or drunken Fish-Men. Unsurprisingly, Teren's reputation on Fish-Man Island was far from good. So, when Finder invited him to Wano, Teren agreed without hesitation.
At around thirty years old, Teren had sharp horns on his head—a unique trait whose origins were unknown. The bloodlines of Fish-Men were notoriously complex, even children of the same species could differ greatly in appearance from their parents.
Teren possessed immense strength that rivaled Jack's, and his Fish-Man Karate was quite impressive. However, he had yet to master Observation or Armament Haki.
Even Kaido himself was once amazed by Teren's raw power. Two years ago, shortly after Teren had started running a night market, Kaido—drunk and causing a ruckus—tried to flip over a table. To his surprise, Teren held him down. After a brief standoff, Kaido took an interest in Teren.
But when Teren made it clear that he had no interest in piracy and simply wanted to make money as a chef, Kaido dropped the subject.
Jack, however, was less indulgent. When intimidation failed, Jack threatened to shut down all of Teren's snack shops, leaving Teren no choice but to begrudgingly agree to join the crew.
Even so, Teren restricted his activities to Wano and Onigashima. As he put it, "Here, I'm at least a small-time boss. I've seen the earth, I've felt the sun—no need to go elsewhere."
Jack didn't bother pointing out that Teren used to frequent the pleasure quarters, relying on his newfound pirate status to visit brothels.
Luckily for Teren, he was much shorter than his brother Aladine, standing at only about four meters tall. With Aladine's towering six-meter frame, finding a suitable partner would've been far more challenging—unless...
Ultimately, Jack agreed to let Teren remain in Wano.
Considering Teren's current strength, sending him out to sea would likely result in him becoming nothing more than salvage material. But as a guardian of Wano, stationed in Kuri to deal with the stubborn samurai, Teren was more than capable.
After a hearty meal, Jack decided to test Teren's growth. Bringing him to a secluded clearing, Jack said, "I've taught you the basics of Observation and Armament Haki. With your physique, you should've picked them up in no time. If you still haven't made progress, you're in for a real lesson."
Aladine, worried about his younger brother, watched from a distance.
Teren, however, seemed eager, practically bouncing on his feet. Stopping a few steps away, he called out excitedly, "Hey! Lord Jack!"
"If I beat you, will you give me permanent ownership of my snack shops?"
"What? Beat me?" Jack raised an eyebrow, pointing at himself. "You don't even need to beat me. If you can injure me, I'll give you an entire brothel."
Bam!
Before Jack finished speaking, a sudden sharp pain shot through his jaw. The next moment, he was airborne, leaving Aladine wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Huh...? What just happened?"
Jack sat up in a daze, shaking his head as he tried to process what had occurred. He finally realized that Teren had punched him into the air.
Though Jack hadn't been prepared, the fact that Teren could send him flying meant his strength had grown significantly.
And that Armament Haki...
Jack's gaze landed on Teren, now fully covered in Armament Haki.
A year ago, this guy couldn't even use Haki, and now he could cover his entire body with it?
"Ha! Lord Jack! You said it!" Teren laughed triumphantly. "Hand over the brothel!"
Jack stood up, yelling, "I said you had to injure me. Did you injure me? Am I bleeding?"
"You...!" Teren inspected Jack closely and found that, aside from a bit of dirt, there wasn't a single drop of blood on him. Frustrated, Teren shouted, "Just you wait! Injuring you, huh? I'll show you what I've been working on this past year!"
"Fish-Man Karate!"
Boom!
Aladine watched nervously from the sidelines. He knew his younger brother had always been strong, but due to a childhood head injury, Teren had only been capable of short bursts of power before collapsing. Though Teren trained hard, Aladine never believed he could master Armament Haki.
Yet here Teren was, wielding Haki more abundantly than even Aladine himself.
Teren's sudden growth began two years ago when he first arrived in Wano. He had met Master, who casually helped him move some heavy items. When Teren fainted, Master discovered a blood clot in his brain and healed it using her abilities.
Though Master didn't think much of it, Teren never forgot the favor. He treated her with the utmost respect, always ensuring her skewers were top-quality. His decision to join the Beasts Pirates was largely influenced by his desire to stay near her.
Of course, Jack knew nothing about this, and Master didn't care to mention it. To Teren, Master was like an elder sister—someone he silently admired and protected.
Bang!
"Huff... Huff..."
Though Teren gave it his all, he ultimately couldn't defeat Jack. Collapsing to the ground, he gasped for air as his body throbbed with pain.
Jack, on the other hand, stood there, stroking his chin with a peculiar expression.
Teren's growth had far exceeded his expectations.
Even after Jack used Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Teren had managed to hold his ground for several exchanges. At this rate, Teren's strength was on par with—or even greater than— Sasaki.
If compared directly, Teren might only be slightly weaker than Yamato.
With proper training, this powerhouse could one day become an All-Star.
How had such a gem gone unnoticed on Fish-Man Island? Plenty of Fish-Men there could use Haki, so why hadn't anyone taught him?
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg