In front of the ruined Egghead Island, the Black Nova sailed slowly toward the shore.
Jerry scanned the devastated landscape before them, his gaze finally settling on the island's center. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Skull, are you absolutely certain there haven't been any reports about what happened here recently?"
"Boss Jerry, that's right—nothing at all," Skull replied with a solemn nod. "I've been searching for any information about Egghead Island these past few days, and there's been complete media silence."
"Interesting," Jerry responded, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Deuce recalled their earlier phone call and offered his theory. "Could this be the World Government's work? From what we can see, it looks like even Vegapunk has been affected."
"But isn't Vegapunk employed by the World Government?" Brook asked with confusion. Having heard frequent mentions of the scientist during their recent discussions, he understood the basic relationship.
Jerry nodded grimly. "This definitely has the World Government's fingerprints all over it. As for Vegapunk being caught up in it, that's probably because of Kuma and little Bonney, or maybe they found some leverage to use against him."
"No point speculating from out here," Ace said, looking at the island ahead while patting his stomach. "Let's go ashore and see for ourselves."
"Agreed," Cavendish replied, taking Farul's reins and preparing to leap onto the shore.
However, a flash of movement suddenly appeared as Kotatsu materialized on the ship's railing in the blink of an eye.
"Meow!" The enhanced lynx fixed his penetrating gaze on a concealed location along the coastline, issuing a sharp warning cry before turning to look at everyone with obvious urgency.
Jerry's eyes flashed with understanding as he asked, "Kotatsu, are you sure about what you're sensing?"
Everyone looked confused by Jerry's question, but they all stopped their preparations to disembark and watched quietly, trusting their captain's instincts.
"Meow!" Kotatsu turned his head toward Egghead Island again, a mysterious light flashing in his enhanced eyes.
Suddenly, under everyone's watchful gaze, a massive projection appeared hovering above the island.
"What the—?" Deuce and the others stared in surprise at the imposing figure before them.
The projection showed a burly elderly man with white hair and beard, a distinctive scar across his left cheek that extended past his eye. He wore an immaculate suit and regarded them with cold, calculating silence.
Jerry blinked, looked up casually, and greeted him with characteristic irreverence. "Well, well, if it isn't the spider from the Five Elders. Didn't you get washed away last time?"
The identity of the person making the projection was none other than Saint Jaygarcia Saturn of the Five Elders.
"What!?" Jerry's casual attitude and mocking words clearly caught Saint Saturn off guard.
The Elder's gaze then shifted to Kotatsu, who had jumped back onto the deck and was now rubbing against Jerry's legs with obvious affection.
"So it was that creature that detected my surveillance," Saint Saturn muttered with obvious irritation.
The Elder had been hiding behind the scenes, intending to observe silently through concealed monitoring equipment like Den Den Mushi, waiting for the right opportunity and only revealing himself through projection if absolutely necessary. He had never expected that his carefully laid plans would be disrupted by what appeared to be an oversized house cat.
Seeing that his cover was blown, Saint Saturn decided not to waste time with subterfuge.
He fixed Jerry with a menacing stare and spoke slowly, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "Since you've managed to arrive here, I assume you've obtained some intelligence about the situation. In that case, let's discuss a trade."
"What kind of trade?" Although Jerry had some vague ideas forming in his mind, he wanted to hear the details directly.
Saint Saturn glanced dismissively at the others, then returned his attention to Jerry without bothering to acknowledge the rest of the crew.
"Tsk!" Jerry could read the meaning behind that condescending look perfectly. He curled his lips in disgust. "Yeah, I figured as much."
"Very well then," Saint Saturn continued with cold calculation. "Bartholomew Kuma and Jewelry Bonney are in my custody. If you want to save them, hand over the Laugh Tale pointer."
After these words were spoken, Deuce and the others glared at him with barely restrained fury, but Saint Saturn obviously couldn't care less about such reactions from mere pirates.
Just as everyone's anger was reaching a boiling point, Jerry responded with surprising calm. "Fine. Hand them over first, and I'll give you the pointer."
Saint Saturn's expression remained unchanged as he regarded them with a condescending look that spoke of absolute power. "There are no conditions to negotiate here. You will first proceed to the research institute in the center of Egghead Island and surrender the pointer before you'll be permitted to meet with the prisoners."
Having delivered this ultimatum, Deuce and the others looked to Jerry silently, waiting for his decision.
Jerry smiled with deceptive tranquility. "If there are no conditions for negotiation, then there's nothing to discuss. Don't forget—you were the one who initiated this trade proposal."
Hearing this response, Carrot bit her lower lip and clenched her fists, looking at Jerry with desperate hope.
Just as she was about to speak up, Carina reached out and gently patted her shoulder, shaking her head to signal the young mink to remain calm and trust their captain's judgment.
Carrot glanced around at the silent, determined expressions on everyone's faces and decided to hold her tongue.
Saint Saturn seemed momentarily taken aback, staring at Jerry for a long moment before asking, "Don't you care whether they live or die?"
"Of course I care," Jerry replied evenly. "But any legitimate transaction requires negotiation from both parties. If you're unwilling to engage in good faith discussions, that clearly demonstrates you lack sincerity, so—"
Saint Saturn interrupted him with obvious impatience. "In that case, you will surrender the pointer immediately, or they will continue living as slaves until their eventual execution!"
In response to this barely veiled threat, Jerry gave him a look of pure disdain. "Have you been sitting on your throne for so long that you've forgotten how to show basic respect to others, or how to conduct fair negotiations?"
As he spoke, Jerry reached out and gently stroked Kotatsu's head. His expression grew deadly serious, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes that seemed to steal the words right from Saint Saturn's mouth. "Let me make something crystal clear. If anything happens to Kuma and Bonney, don't think that you and your precious Mariejois can rest easy just because you're sitting ten thousand meters above sea level."
After these words were spoken, Deuce and the others unconsciously exchanged meaningful glances before continuing their silence, though a steely determination now blazed in their eyes.
"What?" Saint Saturn stared hard at Jerry, clearly trying to assess whether this was mere bravado.
But Jerry paid no attention to his intimidating glare and calmly raised his right hand as he continued. "Since you were able to rapidly raise global sea levels by over two hundred meters during your recent war, you should be able to imagine the worst-case scenario of what my abilities could accomplish."
Saint Saturn's pupils suddenly contracted as he demanded in a deeper voice, "What exactly do you know!?"
Jerry looked up at the massive projection of Saint Saturn, but instead of responding immediately, he suddenly raised the five fingers of his right hand into a claw-like formation.
With a thunderous roar that shook the very air, enormous waves nearly two hundred meters high rose from all directions around Egghead Island, surging and turbulent as they formed a perfect circular barrier that held completely still. Only the area where the Black Star floated remained calm, like the eye of a hurricane.
"I don't need to explain to you what I know," Jerry stated with frightening composure. "I'm simply stating a fact. Don't think you can manipulate this world at will—you're not omnipotent. So take very good care of Bonney and Kuma."
His voice grew harder, more threatening. "Otherwise, I'll seriously consider making the information I possess public knowledge, or even... Actually, never mind. I won't reveal too much to you just yet. Anyway, those are my terms for today's negotiation! If you still want to talk, show some genuine sincerity!"
Saint Saturn's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? The consequences of angering us are not something you could possibly survive!"
Jerry's grin took on a genuinely unsettling quality as he replied, "I'll say the exact same thing back to you! Can you survive the consequences of angering me!?"
Without waiting for Saint Saturn to respond, Jerry suddenly clenched his right hand into a tight fist. Another deafening roar erupted across the seascape as the massive tsunami barrier began rushing toward Egghead Island from every direction.
At the same time, Jerry's mocking voice carried clearly over the sound of the approaching deluge. "Don't think I don't know you've filled this island with explosives and hidden countless Pacifistas throughout the facility. If you like playing games so much, why don't you try playing them underwater!"
The surging seawater came crashing down from every angle, its height still rising rapidly as it swept across Egghead Island, destroying and submerging everything in its path without mercy. All of Saint Saturn's carefully laid preparations were rendered completely useless in moments.
The projection of Saint Saturn flickered and disappeared as the surveillance equipment was destroyed by the flood, leaving a scene of absolute devastation spread out before the Black Star Pirates.
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