Baterilla Island held deep significance—it was the place where Ace had been born.
Before Roger surrendered himself to the Marines, he had married Portgas D. Rouge and spent about a year here living as an ordinary husband with his beloved wife. After Roger's public execution beneath the platform where he famously declared the existence of One Piece and launched the Great Pirate Era, the World Government had tried to completely erase all traces of the Pirate King's legacy.
Combining various rumors and intelligence reports, the World Government had turned its attention to South Blue. During that terrible period, they conducted large-scale searches for pregnant women and newborns throughout the region. Following their ruthless policy of "better safe than sorry," they adopted extreme measures that resulted in the tragic deaths of many innocent civilians.
Thanks to Rouge's miraculous willpower and extraordinary sacrifice, Ace had been born safely and eventually taken to East Blue by Garp, far from the World Government's reach.
This island wasn't particularly large or remarkable in any way. If not for Roger's connection to it, the place would never have attracted the attention of the World Government, Garp, or anyone else of importance.
After everyone disembarked and entered the quiet village, they quickly abandoned any thoughts of splitting up to explore. There were simply ordinary people living ordinary lives here, with nothing particularly interesting visible in the surrounding area.
Ace wandered through the town seemingly aimlessly, occasionally speaking to residents in hushed tones, as if searching for something specific or trying to learn about the past.
The rest of the crew followed at a respectful distance, chatting quietly among themselves while observing their surroundings with curious eyes.
Skull, ever observant, calmly studied the people they passed with his sharp gaze.
"Strange, Boss Jerry," he approached and spoke in a soft voice that wouldn't carry. "There seem to be more intelligence personnel on this small island than there were in Sorbet Kingdom."
"Yeah, I noticed that too," Jerry nodded with a carefully neutral expression.
Just then, Ace stopped walking and turned around, waving for everyone to follow him. He led them through the town and along a winding path toward the outskirts.
Soon they arrived at a coastal area where Ace walked directly toward a small, weathered mound overlooking the sea. He stood in silence for a long time, staring down at an old stone marker beside the gentle slope.
Slowly, Ace removed his backpack and carefully withdrew a bouquet of fresh flowers he'd prepared beforehand. With deep reverence, he placed the flowers in front of the simple grave marker, bowed his head slightly, then turned to face his concerned crewmates.
"This is where my mother rests," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "The wonderful woman who gave me life and loved me more than anything. This is the first time I've been able to come here since... well, since I could remember."
The crew stood in stunned silence as understanding dawned on them. Now they realized why Ace, usually so cheerful and energetic, had seemed different after arriving at this island.
Ace removed his signature orange hat with one hand, held it gently against his chest, and bowed his head in silent tribute to the mother he'd never known but whose sacrifice had made his life possible.
Seeing this deeply personal moment, his friends all adopted solemn expressions, following Ace's lead and joining him in respectful silence.
The sound of approaching footsteps came from the distance, but no one paid attention at first. The footsteps grew closer and closer until they stopped abruptly about ten meters away from the group.
When Ace's simple ceremony concluded and they finally turned around, they were all shocked to see several figures wearing Marine officer coats standing there quietly.
One of them, a tall, lazy-looking man wearing an eye mask, raised his hand in a casual wave. "Hey there. Sorry to interrupt such a private moment."
Beside him stood a muscular man wearing sunglasses and a woman the crew recognized all too well.
These were none other than Admiral Aokiji, Admiral candidate Vice Admiral Gion, and Vice Admiral Maynard.
"Just as Fleet Admiral Sengoku predicted, you really did come to this island," Aokiji said slowly, hands casually tucked in his pockets.
A few days earlier, when Sengoku learned that the Black Star Pirates had entered South Blue, he'd thought long and hard before deciding to send Aokiji directly across the Calm Belt as a shortcut. The Admiral had then coordinated with Gion, who was already pursuing them, and Maynard, who happened to be on a mission in South Blue, to reach nearby islands in advance and position themselves strategically.
Sengoku hadn't disclosed his specific reasoning, only saying it was to verify certain intelligence. Therefore, although Jerry's crew followed an unpredictable itinerary, someone had been waiting for them.
When they'd approached the island, relevant information had already reached interested parties. This explained the current scene—in addition to Aokiji and the other two officers, a large number of Marine soldiers had landed with them and were now spreading out to surround the area.
Actually, Jerry had sensed the Marines' presence when they first landed and began their encirclement, but the crew had already been at the grave site by then. There was no way Jerry would interrupt Ace's long-awaited pilgrimage just to avoid a confrontation. He understood this had been Ace's regret and deepest wish for many years.
Given the circumstances, Jerry had no real choice. The timing of the Marines' arrival was too coincidental—so perfectly timed that even with advance warning, this encounter would have been unavoidable.
The only option now was to find a way out of this situation. On the surface, Jerry appeared far less shocked than Brook and the others. Instead, he responded with a relaxed demeanor:
"We're truly flattered. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who's so busy with important affairs, still has time to pay attention to small-time pirates like us?"
"You're hardly small-time, Leviathan, Fire Fist, and the Pirate Prince," Maynard replied in a serious tone. "You've really been making waves recently and turning the seas upside down."
"Making waves? You must be talking about this young master!" Cavendish's eyes sparkled with delight. He struck a dramatic pose and responded first: "Since you have such excellent taste, this young master will definitely be more gentle with you!"
Gion ignored Cavendish's narcissistic display and instead focused on Deuce and the others with amused interest. "You're pretty good at slipping away, aren't you? Your eyes have been darting around looking for escape routes this whole time."
"Ah, well..." Deuce and Skull exchanged uncomfortable glances, both rendered speechless.
When they'd discovered Marines surrounding them from all directions, everyone including Carina and Brook had felt chills run down their spines. They'd immediately begun secretly observing their surroundings, searching for opportunities and potential breakthrough points.
There wasn't excessive confrontation between the two sides, and the conversation didn't carry much obvious hostility, but everyone understood that a battle was inevitable.
Aokiji yawned and scratched his head casually. "So, have you figured out how you're planning to escape?"
"We'll only know after we fight," Jerry said as he stepped forward, apparently ready to take the initiative.
Ace quickly grabbed Jerry's shoulder. "Let me handle this. His ice abilities seem like they'd give you trouble."
"Who's giving who trouble? We won't know until we try," Jerry replied without looking back, giving Ace a confident thumbs up.
"Stop arguing, let me—" A flash of lightning shot forward as Cavendish tried to interrupt, but his words were suddenly cut off.
CRASH!
Cavendish came flying back through a cloud of shattered ice fragments, landing smoothly behind Jerry with practiced grace. He straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, touched his abdomen where ice crystals still clung, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled awkwardly.
"On second thought, you should probably handle this one."