"Hehe, you want to take this opportunity to mock me? Not a chance," Jerry chuckled to himself as he slipped away through several winding streets.
Standing in a quiet alley, he grinned triumphantly. He could easily predict what Skull and Brook were planning just by their mischievous expressions. Since there had been some commotion during the awards ceremony, he'd quickly seized the opportunity to make his escape before they could embarrass him further.
Hearing thunderous footsteps approaching again, Jerry looked over with genuine curiosity to see what new chaos was unfolding.
"Ah! Don't run away! You promised me in your dream that you would marry me!" came a desperate female voice.
"You shameless hussy! Get lost if you're that desperate! Don't chase after my prince!" another woman shrieked angrily.
"Stop right there! No matter how fast you run, you can't escape from my heart!" a third voice declared dramatically.
"Go away! You shameless wenches! How dare you try to compete with me for my husband?!" yet another fan screamed possessively.
The chaotic pursuit grew closer and closer to Jerry's position, with screams and heated arguments from numerous women echoing between the buildings.
Looking closer, he finally spotted the source of all the commotion: an absurdly handsome young man with long, flowing blond curls that gleamed under the sun. He wore a pristine, aristocratic ensemble complete with a high-collared cape and frilled cravat—but what truly stood out was the elegant black tricorne hat atop his head, styled like a musketeer's, with a feather plume swaying dramatically as he ran.
And run he did—desperately—fleeing from a stampede of screaming female admirers, their eyes sparkling with obsession. The man glanced over his shoulder with both terror and pride, as though torn between escaping and basking in his own legend.
"Hey! You there blocking the path, move out of the way!" the blonde man shouted urgently when he spotted Jerry.
Jerry's location happened to be positioned right at the corner of the alley, effectively blocking the man's most obvious escape route from his determined pursuers.
Hearing that familiar voice, Jerry immediately recognized the person being chased as Cavendish. A distinctly mischievous smile spread across his face as he remained completely motionless, making no effort whatsoever to clear the path.
"What? If you won't move aside, then I'll have to apologize in advance!" Cavendish called out in frustration.
Although he shouted this warning, his running speed showed no signs of decreasing as he rapidly approached Jerry's position.
When Cavendish drew close enough, he suddenly swung his fist forward, clearly intending to knock Jerry aside so he could continue his desperate escape.
However, he hadn't expected Jerry to effortlessly dodge his clumsy attack and then casually extend one leg to trip him at precisely the right moment.
"Whoa! You tricked me!" Cavendish exclaimed indignantly.
Due to his carelessness and momentum, Cavendish tumbled spectacularly to the ground. He couldn't help shouting in surprise and dissatisfaction as he fell, his voice filled with both shock and wounded pride.
"Baby! Are you lying on the ground waiting for me? Here I come!" one of his pursuers squealed with delight.
"He's obviously waiting for me instead! Mwah!" another declared confidently, blowing kisses.
"Stop daydreaming, you delusional women! He's clearly mine!" a third fan insisted possessively.
The numerous middle-aged women and younger girls who had been chasing Cavendish were absolutely delighted to see this development. Several of them even gave Jerry enthusiastic thumbs-up gestures to express their sincere appreciation for his assistance.
Then they swarmed forward like a pack of wolves descending on fresh prey, leaping through the air with surprising athleticism and instantly burying Cavendish's figure beneath their collective enthusiasm.
"Haha, you're very welcome! Just enjoy this rare opportunity," Jerry called out cheerfully.
Worried that the overzealous fans might accidentally injure innocent bystanders in their excitement, Jerry laughed heartily and stepped back several meters for safety, waved casually, and turned to walk away from the scene.
When doing good deeds, he never bothered to leave his name behind for recognition.
Looking up at the sky, which was beginning to darken with the approaching evening, Jerry decided his next priority should be finding some dinner before the best food stalls closed for the night.
"Boss Jerry! Over here!" came a familiar shout just as he returned to the busy main street.
It turned out that Skull and Brook were standing in front of an extremely popular food stall, both holding impressive piles of various local delicacies in their arms. They wore genuinely happy expressions and were waving at him with obvious enthusiasm.
Jerry figured the embarrassing incident from the fishing competition should have blown over by now, so he walked toward them with a relieved smile. They all had to eat dinner anyway, and it would be pleasant to enjoy the local cuisine together while having good company for conversation.
The three friends divided up the purchasing duties and quickly bought more than enough food to satisfy their appetites.
They found a peaceful location away from the busiest commercial streets and decided to enjoy their feast in the relatively quiet atmosphere of Riverside Square, where they could eat without being constantly interrupted by curious passersby.
Suddenly remembering something important, Jerry asked his two friends, "Have either of you seen Carrot and the others around anywhere?"
Both Skull and Brook shook their heads in response. "No, they're probably exploring a different district of the city," Skull replied reasonably. "Is there some kind of problem we should know about?"
"Nothing urgent," Jerry answered with a casual shrug. "We can discuss it later when we all meet up."
After finishing their satisfying meal, Jerry stretched contentedly and spoke in a relaxed tone, feeling much better about the day's events now that his stomach was full.
"Hmph! You certainly made it difficult for me to track you down!" came a loud, angry shout from behind them.
All three friends turned their heads in confusion to see what was causing this new disturbance.
Cavendish stood there with his distinctive golden curly hair, angrily drawing his elegant sword and pointing it directly at Jerry with obvious hostile intent.
His outfit, which should have been radiating aristocratic charm and sophistication, now appeared completely disheveled and messy. His black musketeer tricorne hat sat askew on his head, and his overall appearance suggested he'd been through some kind of ordeal.
His previously pristine white shirt was missing several buttons entirely, and both his fair face and clothing were covered with numerous bright red lipstick marks. Anyone who didn't know the actual circumstances might have mistaken him for someone who'd just emerged from a house of ill repute.
Under the puzzled and concerned gazes of Skull and Brook, Jerry smiled with obvious amusement at Cavendish's predicament.
"Haha, what's the matter, buddy? Did something happen that requires adult supervision?" Jerry asked with barely concealed laughter.
"You! This is all your fault! Don't pretend you don't know exactly what happened!" Cavendish's face turned red with embarrassment and frustration, clearly annoyed by Jerry's casual and indifferent attitude.
Before Jerry could offer any response, Skull stared more carefully at Cavendish's distinctive clothing and facial features, frowned thoughtfully, and asked, "You look familiar somehow. Are you by any chance Cavendish?"
Brook also adopted a more serious expression as both of them simultaneously recalled the previous night's unexpected encounter at their hotel.
Although the man's face appeared slightly different from what they remembered, the person standing before them wore identical clothing and carried the same ornate sword they'd observed during the midnight intrusion.
"Haha, that's absolutely correct!" Cavendish replied with a brief chuckle as he addressed Skull and Brook. "Since you know who I am, I suppose I could be somewhat gentler with you two."
Then he pointed his sword directly at Jerry again with renewed determination. "Except for him, of course!"
Seeing that Jerry simply smiled without offering any reply, Skull asked with growing curiosity, "What exactly is this all about?"
Cavendish's expression suddenly shifted from sunny to stormy, as if dark clouds were gathering before a violent tempest. He gritted his teeth with unmistakable anger and deep dissatisfaction as he spoke:
"Don't think I don't know exactly who you are! You're the one they call 'Leviathan,' and you actually dared to steal several of my newspaper headlines! This is completely unforgivable!"
His voice rose with increasing indignation as he continued, "And that kick you gave me earlier today—now we need to settle both our new grievances and our old scores together!"
Hearing this accusation, Jerry didn't seem particularly concerned by Cavendish's heated words and responded with an amused grin:
"Haha, your last name isn't Murdoch, so how was I supposed to know you wanted exclusive media coverage?"
He paused briefly before adding with a more serious tone, "Besides, what exactly did you do last night? Have you conveniently forgotten about that little incident?"
Cavendish was visibly stunned and said with genuine astonishment, "Let me think carefully... Could it be that Hakuba did something problematic again?"
Cavendish was well aware that he suffered from a rare form of split personality disorder triggered by deep sleep. After falling unconscious, he would enter a sleepwalking state and manifest a secondary personality that called itself "Hakuba."
He knew about this alternate persona's existence, and when he was awake, Cavendish could use his dominant consciousness to suppress and control the secondary personality's influence.
During his waking hours, if the second personality attempted to forcibly seize control of his body, Cavendish could usually maintain enough control to prevent serious problems.
However, once he fell into deep sleep, he became completely helpless against Hakuba's emergence and actions.
As for the specific actions taken by his secondary personality while he remained unconscious, Cavendish could sometimes recover partial memories if he concentrated hard enough on recalling the events.
In the past, the secondary personality hadn't caused major problems—mostly just property damage and minor disturbances. But recently, Hakuba seemed to be becoming increasingly aggressive and bold, constantly creating more serious trouble.
Initially, the alternate personality had limited itself to destroying objects and causing general mayhem, but as time progressed, its behavior had become more extreme and dangerous, even showing disturbing signs of developing into a potential murderer.
After thinking for a long moment, Cavendish seemed to remember fragments of the previous night's events. He fell silent briefly before offering a sincere apology:
"I'm deeply sorry for nearly harming those two ladies last night. That was completely inexcusable."
Then his mood shifted dramatically as righteous anger flared up again: "But you! You definitely kicked me last night, didn't you? Right in my face, no less!"
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