As the sun rose and set in endless cycles, the Black Nova sailed forward boldly, unafraid of wind and waves, gradually approaching the waters surrounding Egghead Island.
"The sea's getting rough... there's something strange about the currents down there," Deuce observed grimly, watching the turbulent waters beyond their ship as the temperature dropped sharply around them.
Jerry stared at a massive black shadow rapidly emerging from the depths and shook his head with a sigh. "Of course the currents are strange—I've got another big fish about to take the bait, but this particular fish..."
"Boss Jerry, have you changed?" Skull asked, poking his afro out from beneath thick winter clothing. "Shouldn't you be happy when you catch a big fish?" He looked toward Jerry's fishing float, only to find it bobbing peacefully with nothing unusual about it.
"Huh!?" Skull scratched his head and took another closer look, suddenly realizing that the Black Star had become shrouded by an enormous deep-sea shadow.
"Whoa! We're gonna die, die, die!"
Skull's terrified scream coincided with the thunderous roar of displaced water as everyone on deck felt the light around them suddenly dim to an ominous twilight.
Moments later, everyone stared in shock at the massive razor-sharp teeth that had risen from the water around the Black Star, stopping mere feet from their ship as if frozen in mid-attack.
"Is this what you meant by 'catching a big fish'? What kind of hook could do that?!" Carina pointed at the enormous mechanical maw suspended motionlessly above them, its jaws poised to tear them all apart.
"Are the Black Nova and all of us the bait? Yohohoho," Brook commented with amusement, still holding his violin from the song he'd been composing moments before.
Cavendish glanced at the gleaming teeth in the still-open mouth, stroking Farul with one hand as he made his assessment. "Some kind of giant shark?"
"Can we eat it?!" Ace's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"It probably doesn't taste very good, right?" Carrot asked hesitantly, her mind racing through the possibilities.
Deuce slapped Ace on the shoulder in exasperation. "Eat your head! This thing is a mechanical creation made of steel!"
After saying this, he turned to Jerry and found their captain studying the mechanical shark with obvious fascination as it struggled futilely against whatever force held it suspended in place.
"Jerry, what exactly are you looking at? The appearance of mechanical creatures proves we should be close to the island."
Hearing Deuce's observation, Jerry replied with complete seriousness, "I'm trying to determine if it was my spicy bait that attracted this steel shark. Also, I want to see if it's really so hungry that it'll try to swallow anything."
Jerry waved his hand casually. "Alright, let it go. Today marks another successful day of big fish catching."
The surging waters around them slowly receded like an invisible giant hand releasing its grip, forcing the massive steel shark back beneath the surface. It had been Jerry's water manipulation that had created what appeared to be a solidified tidal force, clamping down on the enormous predator when it had leaped from the sea to devour the Black Star.
As the mechanical shark retreated, everyone could see daylight again.
The next moment, their attention was drawn to the vast ocean ahead, where they spotted sea beasts of various sizes and shapes lurking beneath the surface or poking their heads up to observe the Black Star with obvious hostile intent.
"Those all look like mechanical creations too," Deuce noted, scanning their surroundings and making an immediate assessment. "So we've definitely entered Egghead Island's territorial waters."
"Get out of the way, or I'll tear you all apart!" Jerry slowly put away his fishing gear and gazed into the distance, the increasingly violent snowstorm seemingly unable to obstruct his vision at all.
However, after he finished speaking, the sea beasts not only refused to clear a path, but their expressions became even more menacing.
Witnessing this aggressive response, Ace, Cavendish, and the others moved to the ship's rail and prepared for battle.
"Oh yeah! Seems like they don't want us to pass through," Skull announced, running to the figurehead and rubbing his hands together eagerly. "How about I give them a proper greeting first?"
Under Jerry's control, the turbulent ocean currents became as docile as sheep, carrying the Black Star steadily forward toward their destination.
"These sea beasts are obviously under someone's control," Jerry observed coolly. "Whoever's guarding this place is probably waiting for us here. Let's clear them all out."
As soon as Jerry finished speaking, Skull raised his hand and slammed it down on the control button beneath his palm.
"Time to teach them a lesson!"
With a heart-shaking roar, a devastating beam of energy mixed with lightning and fire suddenly swept across a 45-degree arc directly in front of the Black Star.
Wherever the energy beam reached, every sea beast that had surfaced was destroyed without exception, creating a chain of spectacular explosions across the water.
This aggressive display was like disturbing a hornet's nest—the remaining mechanical sea beasts swarmed toward them with renewed fury.
Naturally, the crew wouldn't allow these creatures to damage the Black Star or knock them into the freezing waters.
"Flame Ring: Firefly!"
Ace spread his arms wide, and dense clusters of green fireballs immediately dispersed around them, creating a protective barrier around the Black Star.
Cavendish wasn't slow to respond either. He raised both hands high and summoned lightning from the storm clouds above, striking the sea monsters in the distance with crackling electrical fury.
Deuce instantly transformed into his pink dragon form, and a column of high-temperature flames erupted from his wide-open maw, sweeping across their flanks to eliminate threats from the side.
Carina appeared beside Skull seemingly out of nowhere, and together they controlled the two modified and enhanced cannons mounted on the figurehead, firing with precision at the sea beasts scattered throughout the water.
Brook and Carrot positioned themselves at the ship's sides, ready to leap into action at any moment to deal with any enemies that slipped through their coordinated assault.
Seeing how enthusiastically everyone supported the offensive, Jerry raised his arm toward the sky and stretched dramatically.
"I don't know if this is Vegapunk's work or if that old spider is controlling them remotely," he declared with determination. "Either way, let's punch through to Egghead Island in one go!"
Everyone responded to Jerry's rallying cry with renewed vigor, their attacks never losing intensity. Wherever their combined firepower struck, metal shrapnel flew and the roar of explosions echoed continuously across the water.
In the midst of the blizzard, shockwaves spread outward, causing the waves to surge wildly. Many snowflakes falling from the sky melted away before they could even touch the sea's surface due to the intense heat generated by their assault.
Any massive steel sea beasts that dared to block the Black Star's path or attempted to ambush them from the depths were systematically eliminated by Ace and his crewmates, making their ship seem like a blessed ship with divine protection as it sailed smoothly through the mechanical gauntlet.
Time passed unnoticed, and eventually the number of steel sea beasts dwindled to almost nothing. Everyone looked at the island gradually growing larger in their field of vision and smiled at each other with satisfaction.
"Is that Egghead Island up ahead?" someone asked.
"Ah! I wonder if they have any special delicacies up there," Ace mused hopefully. "All this fighting is making me hungry."
"Are you trying to blind yourself with optimism?!" Carina snapped back. "We've been fighting opposition the entire way here. This obviously isn't a friendly welcome."
As they drew closer and could make out the details of what lay on the island, everyone stopped their casual chatter and stood in stunned silence.
"Deuce, didn't you say this island belongs to the World Government and serves as Vegapunk's research institute?" Ace asked with obvious confusion.
"You're absolutely right, Boss Ace," Skull confirmed, explaining the situation. "This is the island known as being '500 years in the future' because of Vegapunk's presence."
After hearing Skull's explanation of the island's reputation, everyone silently observed the landscape before them, barely able to hide their shock and surprise.
"It looks like a major battle took place here recently," Cavendish observed, pointing to the ruins visible throughout the island. "A lot of areas have been completely destroyed."
Jerry also gazed up at the sky above the devastated island and spoke quietly, his voice carrying a note of dark humor. "Looks like all the eggs got scrambled after all."