A thunderous roar echoed across the water as the massive goldfish Sea King lunged toward their ship with its enormous jaws gaping wide. In that critical moment, Jerry, Ace, and Cavendish reacted without hesitation.
Fire and lightning struck with devastating precision while Jerry delivered a Haki-enhanced punch that carried the full force of his willpower. The combination of their coordinated attacks instantly knocked the rotund Sea King unconscious, its huge eyes rolling back as it collapsed into the water with a tremendous splash.
"Hey! Cavendish, you almost hit me!" Jerry called out, turning to glare at his crewmate.
"Ahaha, sorry about that! I'll be more careful next time," Cavendish replied sheepishly, touching the back of his head in embarrassment. Jerry had rushed forward so quickly that the lightning-powered prince had nearly struck him by accident during the coordinated assault.
Jerry shook his head dismissively and immediately began securing their catch, pulling out thick rope to wrap around the giant goldfish's teeth and body before it could sink or drift away.
"Quick, quick! Skull, take pictures of me!" Jerry demanded, scrambling onto the Sea King's massive head while gripping the rope. He began striking various heroic poses, his face beaming with pride. "This is incredible! Though without the internet, I'll need to find some other way to let everyone know I caught such an enormous fish..."
Back on deck, Jerry used his water manipulation abilities to lift the giant goldfish alongside their ship, his thoughts drifting to grand possibilities for documenting his achievement. The system's completion notification had become background noise in his mind as he gently stroked his chin in deep contemplation.
"How many tons do you think this thing weighs?" Ace asked, swallowing hard with obvious excitement at the prospect of an epic feast.
Amid the crew's heated discussion about their unexpected catch, Deuce walked up to Jerry and waved his hand in front of the distracted captain's face. "Come back to reality! Let's land on that island ahead first!"
"Oh, right! Let's go!"
Carrying their giant goldfish—which was easily ten times larger than the Black Nova—the crew quickly sailed toward the mysterious island that Carrot had spotted earlier.
As they approached the coastline, they discovered that the island possessed a remarkably pleasant climate. Lush, towering trees and vibrant flowers created a verdant paradise where countless plant species complemented each other in a stunning natural display that was both visually magnificent and deeply calming.
"Wait a minute... is that...?" Carrot began, but trailed off as something unexpected caught everyone's attention.
Before the crew could properly comment on this beautiful island, they noticed another pirate ship anchored quietly on the shore in their intended landing direction.
"If I'm not mistaken, Boss Jerry, that belongs to an acquaintance of yours," Skull observed, his eyes focused intently on the distinctive pattern displayed on the other ship's sail. "Though I'm not entirely sure whether he's currently friend or foe."
Jerry studied the familiar symbol and nodded slowly. "I recognize it—that's Bartholomew Kuma's ship. He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea now, but we shouldn't be enemies."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone could see a tall, imposing figure on the opposite pirate ship. The man wore a distinctive trapezoidal spotted hat, and his exposed curly hair fluttered gently in the ocean breeze. It was unmistakably Kuma.
The Warlord appeared to be writing something in what looked like a letter, his head lowered in concentration. A rare, gentle smile graced his usually serious features as he worked.
Suddenly, as if sensing their approach, the smile faded from Kuma's face and he turned his head to look in their direction. Recognition dawned almost immediately.
"Oh! It's Jerry. It's been quite some time," Kuma called out in greeting. His glasses seemed to catch the light for a moment before that gentle smile returned to his features. He raised one massive hand in a friendly wave.
Jerry grinned and waved back enthusiastically. "What an incredible coincidence, Kuma!"
After nodding to his crewmates to indicate that the Warlord was indeed a friend rather than a threat, Jerry used his ocean current manipulation to guide their ship and its massive catch closer to shore.
Once both ships were securely anchored and the giant goldfish had been temporarily deposited on the beach, Jerry looked up at Kuma as the towering man disembarked from his ship. With obvious pride, Jerry gestured toward their catch and declared, "I actually caught it! Pretty impressive, don't you think?"
Seeing Kuma smile warmly and give him an encouraging thumbs-up, Jerry proceeded to introduce his crew members before asking curiously, "What brings you to this remote location?"
At that question, the normally stern lines of Kuma's face softened considerably. He turned to gaze deeper into the island's interior, his eyes gleaming with unmistakable warmth.
"I was traveling and happened to arrive here by chance," he explained quietly. "I've been writing a letter to Bonney."
"Ah, by the way—Bonney is my daughter, the patient with Sapphire Scale disease that I asked you about previously."
Skull, acting as the crew's social coordinator despite his usual nervousness, pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead as he laughed. "Whew... Mr. Kuma, for a moment I thought you might be working with the Marines to ambush us here! Hahaha!"
"No, I have no current connection with Marine operations," Kuma replied with a dismissive wave. "The World Government hasn't issued me any orders to pursue your crew."
Perhaps the World Government felt that having already deployed Admiral Kizaru and CP0 agents was sufficient, so they hadn't assigned Kuma the additional task of hunting Jerry's group. The government didn't monitor every Warlord's movements constantly—as long as Kuma avoided sensitive areas, they couldn't always track his exact whereabouts.
"Your decision to join the Seven Warlords must be related to Bonney's illness," Jerry said with genuine curiosity. "How is she doing?"
"Yes, and Bonney is doing wonderfully. She..." When the conversation turned to his daughter, Kuma's face lit up with obvious joy, deep paternal love spreading across his features. He walked over to a fallen tree trunk and sat down, clearly eager to share the story.
Through Kuma's detailed explanation, Jerry learned that—perhaps due to his own earlier interference—Bonney had received treatment several months ahead of the original timeline. The agreement between Kuma and the World Government had been extended for one year, and it seemed he had also negotiated some undisclosed arrangements with Dr. Vegapunk in private.
While Kuma didn't reveal the specific terms of his agreement, Jerry already understood the general nature of their arrangement.
Before seeking out Vegapunk, Kuma had also visited the Drum Kingdom. He had found Dr. Kureha, who claimed to know a potential treatment method, but explained that even the most skilled chef couldn't cook without proper ingredients.
Years earlier, the Drum Kingdom had suffered under Wapol's tyrannical rule. Nearly all the country's excellent doctors had been exiled, and much of the essential medical equipment had long since become unusable or gone missing entirely.
Upon hearing this devastating news, Kuma had been consumed with righteous fury. He had beaten Wapol so thoroughly that the corrupt king had literally been launched into the sky, though this victory provided no immediate solution to Bonney's medical needs.
Eventually, Kuma had followed the treatment method that Dr. Kureha provided and chosen to seek out Dr. Vegapunk directly. What followed was a complex series of negotiations and agreements with the World Government. While the specific details seemed to have changed slightly from what Jerry remembered, the overall outcome remained similar to the original timeline. Something had influenced Kuma's approach, though Jerry couldn't be certain what.
As a result of these negotiations, Kuma had become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and Bonney had successfully received treatment before being returned to the Sorbet Kingdom in South Blue, where she remained under careful monitoring by CP organization members.
A few days ago, while passing through the area, Kuma had visited Drum Island again to express his gratitude to Dr. Kureha. After learning about Vegapunk's specific treatment process and comparing it with the methods she had originally provided, Kureha had delivered wonderful news: following Vegapunk's six months of treatment, Bonney would need only about another six months to achieve full recovery.
By that point, even if the sapphire-colored marks on her face hadn't completely faded, she would be able to move freely in sunlight as long as she avoided excessive exposure.
Upon receiving this incredibly hopeful update, Kuma had immediately begun composing a letter to share the good news, though he hadn't yet sent it.
"Since I happened to find myself on this beautiful island where giants live, I decided to write one additional letter," Kuma explained. "Once I finish both, I'll send them to Bonney together."
"Giants?! This island is Little Garden?" Deuce exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with recognition. "So the adventure stories of that famous explorer, Louis Arnote, were actually true?"
"Indeed," Kuma confirmed with a gentle nod. "You're welcome to explore and see for yourselves. The presence of giants should become obvious quite quickly."
Jerry's words sparked immediate excitement in Deuce, who grabbed Ace's arm and called out to the rest of the crew. "Come on, everyone! Let's check out this island where a volcano seems to be erupting!"
The prospect of encountering real giants and exploring the legendary Little Garden was too exciting to resist, and the crew began preparing for their latest adventure with characteristic enthusiasm.