Seeing Jerry dragging a relatively small Sea King—only a few hundred meters in length—back to the shoreline, everyone watched in stunned silence as he picked up his fishing hook and casually stuffed it into the creature's mouth without saying a word.
Deuce and the others couldn't help but break out in cold sweats, the corners of their mouths twitching slightly at this ridiculous display.
"Phew! I finally caught a Sea King," Jerry announced with obvious satisfaction, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead while putting on a tired expression. "This trip was definitely worth it!"
This particular Sea King had suddenly appeared directly in front of Jerry and his companions during their return journey to the island. The massive creature had probably intended to snack on a few small morsels to clean its teeth, but had unexpectedly encountered Jerry instead. With his eyes practically glowing with excitement, Jerry had knocked the beast unconscious on the spot.
Deuce decided to simply ignore Jerry's intermittent fishing-related madness and turned to address Cavendish and the others with a more practical question. "So how did it go? Was that really the World Destroyer? Has the situation been resolved?"
Hearing this inquiry, the Black Star Pirates members who hadn't yet departed, along with Luffy and his crewmates—who had been given permission by Rayleigh to take a temporary break after hearing the tremendous explosions earlier—all turned their attention toward the returning fighters.
Perhaps because he'd suddenly become the center of attention, a dazzling gleam flashed in Cavendish's eyes as his natural showmanship instincts kicked in.
He quietly signaled for Farul to trot over, then gracefully leaped onto his loyal steed's back with practiced flair.
"Haha, but of course!" Cavendish declared with obvious pride. "Since I was there personally, naturally everything went smoothly and according to plan."
After delivering this boastful statement, he delicately placed a rose near his nose, then slowly and elegantly moved the flower away with a theatrical flourish.
No one reacted to Cavendish's characteristic showboating behavior. Deuce turned to the other two returnees and asked more directly, "Okay, Brook and Carrot, can you tell us exactly what happened out there? I think we spotted Admiral Kizaru earlier?"
"Well, this happened, and then that happened," Brook began cheerfully, and with his and Carrot's enthusiastic narration, everyone quickly understood the complete sequence of events.
"Ah, so theoretically speaking, Kizaru doesn't know you're here," Skull observed thoughtfully after processing their account. "He only saw members of our pirate crew during the confrontation."
Luffy and the other Straw Hat Pirates nodded in understanding of the implications.
Before they could comment further, Deuce took control of the conversation with characteristic practicality. "That means we should prepare to evacuate this area soon. Otherwise, if we don't show up somewhere else in the outside world, the Marines will probably keep surveillance on this location, which could seriously interfere with your training schedule."
At this point, he gestured toward Jerry with obvious resignation. "Besides, he's apparently satisfied now that he's 'caught' a Sea King."
Everyone looked in the direction Deuce indicated and saw that Jerry had already begun taking commemorative photographs with his supposed catch, striking various poses next to the unconscious creature.
Chopper asked with genuine curiosity and admiration, "Does this actually count as catching a fish? That's absolutely amazing!"
If the others didn't know that Chopper possessed a completely pure heart and that the stars of wonder in his eyes appeared entirely authentic, Deuce and his crewmates probably would have assumed the young doctor was deliberately teasing them.
"As long as Jerry believes he caught it, then it definitely counts as far as he's concerned," Carina explained with a resigned shrug.
After hearing this explanation, Luffy and his companions understood that the Black Star Pirates might genuinely be preparing to depart very soon.
Originally, Jerry and his crew had simply had a spontaneous idea to accompany Deuce in experiencing the unique lifestyle and scenery of the Calm Belt region.
However, they'd ended up staying much longer due to Jerry's characteristic "since we're already here anyway" philosophy that had kept them anchored to the area for additional days.
That evening, on what had previously been a completely uninhabited island, everyone gathered together to hold an elaborate bonfire celebration. The main course was prepared from the massive Sea King that Jerry had "caught," providing enough food to feed their combined crews several times over.
"You guys go ahead and chase your dreams!" Luffy declared loudly while eating and drinking with tremendous enthusiasm. "But the position of Pirate King will definitely be mine in the end!"
Hearing this bold proclamation, Jerry waved his hand with complete nonchalance, maintaining his characteristic casual and relaxed demeanor. "Don't worry about us competing with you. We're not particularly interested in being royalty."
At this point, he paused slightly as if suddenly remembering something important. Jerry discretely opened his system interface and glanced at it with careful attention.
After reviewing whatever information had caught his interest, Jerry scratched his head thoughtfully and returned his gaze to the noisy celebration around him without elaborating on what he'd discovered.
"Is something wrong?" Deuce, who was sitting beside him, keenly noticed the subtle change in Jerry's expression and asked quietly.
Jerry grinned with his usual easy confidence. "Nothing serious, just remembered something I need to deal with later. I'll explain when the time comes."
On the other side of the gathering, Zoro raised his sake cup toward Cavendish with a competitive smile. "Listen up, Cabbage Head! You'd better stay sharp, because I'm going to catch up with you soon. Then I'll surpass you completely and claim the title of World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"Really? How exciting!" Cavendish responded elegantly, raising his own glass in acknowledgment. "But my personal ambition is actually to become the world's most beloved and popular idol, so we shouldn't be in direct competition."
Perhaps sensing that their departure was imminent, the members of both the Black Star Pirates and Straw Hat Pirates engaged in more frequent and meaningful exchanges throughout the lively atmosphere of their farewell banquet.
"Jerry!" Luffy called out enthusiastically between massive bites of Sea King meat. "When you reach the New World and see Ace again, make sure to say hello for me! Tell him I'll be joining him there really soon!"
Listening to Luffy's excited chatter about his future plans and messages for his sworn brother, Jerry agreed with casual warmth to relay whatever the rubber pirate wanted to communicate.
Meanwhile, amid Chopper's repeated calls of "big brother" and continuous expressions of admiration, Deuce found himself completely charmed by the young doctor's enthusiasm. He generously agreed on the spot to leave behind many of his precious books and research materials for the Straw Hat Pirates to study during their training.
Anyone familiar with Deuce's collection understood that most of the books he'd accumulated represented intellectual treasures gathered during their travels around the world. Although he'd read through them countless times, many of these materials remained genuinely irreplaceable and valuable.
However, Deuce had long ago prepared for situations exactly like this one. He'd already photographed and digitally preserved all the most valuable and relatively rare materials, ensuring that even if physical books were damaged or lost, he could always find someone to create accurate reprints.
The celebration continued in an atmosphere where everyone felt relaxed and genuinely happy, with laughter echoing across the beach under the starlit sky. Even the usually reserved Rayleigh consumed quite a bit of fine sake, clearly enjoying this rare opportunity to gather with such a diverse and entertaining group.
The bonquet finally concluded amid continued laughter and joy when the moon reached its highest point in the night sky, casting silver light across the peaceful waters of the Calm Belt.
The following morning brought picturesque sunshine that fell gently across the earth. Combined with the perfectly calm weather conditions, the dawn created an atmosphere of peace and natural beauty that seemed to bless their upcoming farewells.
By a fortunate coincidence, the Kuja Pirates also arrived at that time, eager to serve Luffy a magnificent variety of delicious foods prepared especially for him by Empress Hancock's personal kitchen staff.
It was during this perfect timing that the Black Star Pirates waved their final goodbyes to everyone gathered on the beach and officially embarked on their journey back toward the first half of the Grand Line.
At the same time, thousands of miles away in the New World, the smoke and chaos that had engulfed numerous islands during Whitebeard's absence had not yet completely subsided.
When the world's strongest man had led his massive fleet toward Marine Headquarters, countless opportunistic scoundrels couldn't resist the temptation to stir up serious trouble throughout the territories that rightfully belonged to the Whitebeard Pirates.
This widespread unrest even involved powerful organizations such as Kaido's Beast Pirates and Big Mom's forces, who saw the temporary power vacuum as an opportunity for territorial expansion.
Although neither Kaido nor Big Mom had committed their main armies to large-scale warfare, both Emperors had been secretly encroaching on strategically valuable border territories while Whitebeard was distracted.
Throughout Whitebeard's traditional waters, their agents and allies were behind much of the most destructive chaos and violence.
Additionally, numerous smaller pirate crews had been causing mayhem everywhere, many of them secretly instigated by World Government operatives who had promised significant support in exchange for their destabilizing activities.
The true intention behind these relatively small but geographically widespread riots was primarily to test Whitebeard's continued strength and resolve.
The masterminds orchestrating these conflicts all wanted to provoke the legendary pirate into decisive action, hoping to confirm whether he still possessed the overwhelming power necessary to remain firmly seated on his throne as one of the Four Emperors.
During the War of Marineford, Whitebeard hadn't displayed his absolute peak capabilities, which inevitably caused some ambitious rivals to question whether the "Strongest Man in the World" had finally begun showing his age.
However, when the Whitebeard Pirates' main force returned to the New World with their legendary captain, all such doubts and tentative challenges were completely and decisively shattered.