The Black Nova cut swiftly through the wind-swept, snow-filled waters, leaving the devastated island far behind.
Deuce glanced back at Egghead Island, which was rapidly being obscured by the intensifying blizzard. The so-called "island 500 years in the future" now lay completely submerged and abandoned beneath Jerry's artificial tsunami.
"Jerry, are you sure this was the right move?" Deuce asked with obvious concern. "Little Bonney and Kuma are still in the hands of the Five Elders."
Hearing his question, Jerry gazed into the distance with a thoughtful expression. "I'm not entirely certain, but I don't think it's a major problem. Their desire to obtain the Laugh Tale pointer is definitely greater than our urgency to rescue Bonney."
He paused, then shook his head with a darker tone. "Of course, if they realize they can't get what they want, they definitely won't hesitate to destroy what they can't control."
"Why do you say that?" Skull's question echoed everyone's confusion.
Jerry raised the corner of his mouth in a mysteriously confident smile. "Call it intuition."
Seeing everyone's speechless expressions, Jerry waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Didn't you see how I cut off his little negotiation attempt? I just wanted him to show some genuine sincerity instead of making demands from a position of assumed superiority."
"Alright, but what you mentioned before about some war—what was that about?" Obviously, the Black Star Pirates weren't familiar with this aspect of history, and Deuce's question immediately drew everyone's attention.
Jerry scratched his head and began carefully organizing his thoughts. "Didn't I tell you? This all stems from my unique abilities and observations."
"A long time ago, while fishing in various deep-sea locations, I discovered the remains of many ancient cities beneath the ocean. Combined with some interesting legends and folklore I've heard, I started making educated guesses about the so-called 'Void Century.'"
Jerry's voice grew more serious. "If there are any records about this at Laugh Tale, we'll be able to verify my theories. But judging from that fat spider's reaction, I'd say my assumptions are probably pretty close to the truth."
Deuce and the others exchanged bewildered looks. Skull asked in amazement, "Boss Jerry, you can actually deduce historical events just from... fishing?"
As an excellent intelligence specialist, Skull naturally understood what the "Void Century" represented. The scholars of Ohara had been brutally eliminated for merely researching that forbidden period, making it absolutely a taboo subject that the World Government would never tolerate others investigating.
However, they all knew that their captain had no genuine interest in academic historical research, so they figured Jerry was likely just making surprisingly accurate guesses.
Skull asked with growing curiosity, "What else can you theorize about?"
As an aspiring novelist, Deuce keenly sensed the potential for excellent source material and leaned forward with obvious interest.
Jerry rubbed his chin thoughtfully, rolled his eyes, and replied with characteristic casualness. "Uh... it's probably nothing more complex than a massive war that took place during those hundred years, with ancient weapons—including the Pluton we've heard so much about—being deployed extensively."
His expression grew more analytical. "As for the war's outcome, it must have resulted in some kind of global catastrophe, with entire continents sinking or sea levels rising dramatically. Otherwise, there's no way to explain how an entire century could be completely erased from historical records."
Jerry's voice took on a more practical tone. "No matter how powerful the World Government is, it's impossible to eliminate every single trace of evidence. Think about it logically—everyone has some private information stored away that authorities don't know about."
Deuce automatically filtered out Jerry's modern references, pulled out a pen and paper with shining eyes, and asked excitedly, "Is there anything else you can deduce?"
Jerry waved his hand dismissively. "No more, no more. If you want to know the real answers, we'll have to get to Laugh Tale."
At this point, seeing that their conversation had reached a natural conclusion, Carrot hesitated before speaking up. "Big Brother Jerry, what if that old man contacts us again on our way to Laugh Tale? If we give him the pointer, we can't continue our journey, but if we don't give it to him, little Bonney..."
Thinking of little Bonney's situation, Carrot clearly didn't want to prioritize their exploration of Laugh Tale over their friend's safety, but she also didn't want to spoil everyone's dreams.
Jerry immediately recognized Carrot's internal conflict, raised his hand and gently stroked her head with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we're definitely going to rescue little Bonney. You can count on that."
He continued with strategic confidence. "Before that happens, we need to continue our unfinished journey. This also puts pressure on that old spider. The more pressure we apply, the less likely he'll dare to act recklessly against our friends. This way, Bonney and Kuma will actually be safer."
Carrot and little Bonney were almost the same age and had spent countless hours together during their previous voyages, developing a deep sisterly bond. Additionally, young minks didn't naturally engage in complex political calculations, so it was inevitable that she'd be more emotionally invested in their friend's welfare.
However, after hearing Jerry's logical explanation, Carrot chose to nod with renewed trust in her captain's judgment.
"Good," Jerry breathed a sigh of relief. He had specific strategic considerations and confidence behind this decision.
He knew that even as the highest authorities of the World Government, the Five Elders—and presumably even the mysterious figure above them—couldn't simply locate Laugh Tale's exact position through conventional means. If given the opportunity, they wouldn't pass up a pointer that could lead directly to the legendary final island.
After all, from a practical standpoint, the Five Elders and World Government would most likely conclude that compared to honestly competing with the Four Emperors for Road Poneglyphs, it would be far more convenient and cost-effective to acquire a permanent pointer through negotiation.
Noticing the expectant looks from Ace, Cavendish, and the others, Jerry smiled with genuine warmth. "Everyone, I need you to bear with me for what's coming next. Although we have many enemies, we're going to sprint forward with everything we've got!"
Hearing this rallying cry, everyone looked at each other and responded in perfect unison with determined eyes. "No problem!"
Deuce raised his fist enthusiastically and shouted, "What's our destination?"
Everyone roared back in unison, "Laugh Tale!"
"Since everyone's in agreement, I can't object to such enthusiasm," Jerry declared with a grin, waving his arms as he controlled the Black Star to ride the wind and waves toward their ultimate destination.
Half a day passed peacefully, and everyone seemed to have returned to the familiar rhythm of sailing life, each crew member busy with their respective duties and interests.
Suddenly, Carrot's voice rang out urgently from the crow's nest.
Almost simultaneously, a thunderous boom of artillery fire echoed from the distance, and a cannonball crashed into the sea directly ahead of the Black Nova, sending up a massive waterspout.
Skull grabbed the telescope beside him and peered into the distance, then exclaimed in complete bewilderment, "A Revolutionary Army fleet!?"
The crew immediately tensed, hands moving to weapons as they tried to process this unexpected development. After everything they'd been through with the World Government, the last thing they'd expected was to face opposition from the Revolutionary Army—especially when they'd assumed Dragon's forces would be natural allies in any conflict with the Five Elders.