Jerry's clenched fist contained tremendous energy, water vortex and overwhelming Haki, as imposing as a mountain, making Aramaki feel like he was suffocating under the pressure.
The future Admiral candidate watched helplessly as his enemy's punch approached with unstoppable force like thunder breaking through storm clouds. A chill ran from his feet straight to his head, and his heart seemed to plummet into an endless abyss.
After being forced to stop his claw attack and having his guard completely shattered, Aramaki was left completely exposed and vulnerable.
If he'd been given even half a second to recover, he might have been able to readjust his defensive posture.
But that half-second gap might as well have been an insurmountable chasm.
In a flash, Jerry's thunderous punch struck Aramaki's chest without any interference, sending the man flying backward through the air. He crashed through multiple trees along his trajectory before hitting the ground with bone-jarring impact.
"Cough!" Blood sprayed from Aramaki's mouth as he struggled to breathe.
"Damn it!" The moment he hit the ground, Aramaki glared at Jerry with gritted teeth, then transformed into withered grass and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.
Jerry frowned and swept the area with his Observation Haki, but failed to locate his escaped opponent anywhere in the vicinity.
"Smart move, running when you did," Jerry muttered, shaking his head as he turned to walk back toward their ship. "But it won't be so easy to escape if you come looking for trouble next time."
At the same time, in the town not far away, Aramaki was hiding deep in the soil beneath someone's house.
Looking like nothing more than plant matter, he used his Devil Fruit powers to transform into vegetation, suppressed his presence completely, and lay motionless in the dirt—not even daring to breathe normally.
After what felt like an eternity, Aramaki was confident that Jerry hadn't pursued him, and he finally allowed himself to relax slightly. But when he assessed his injuries, his face twisted in pain once again.
Deep down, he believed the reason for his defeat wasn't that his opponent was overwhelmingly strong, but rather that he'd been too careless and overconfident.
He'd rushed into close combat without fully understanding his enemy's capabilities, leaving himself vulnerable to Jerry's relentless and expertly applied attacks.
However, his usual tactics of transforming into nature and attacking through plant manipulation had proven largely useless against this particular opponent.
Aramaki's normal fighting style allowed him to attack through spikes or vines, and once he pierced an enemy, he could drain their nutrients and bodily fluids. This approach might be effective against most opponents, but against Jerry, even if he managed to land a hit, it would be impossible to steal water from someone who could control it completely.
More importantly, Jerry had clearly studied the special abilities of fighters at this level, making it even more difficult for Aramaki's techniques to pose any real threat.
Apart from his Logia Devil Fruit ability, Aramaki's mastery of both Observation and Armament Haki was indeed formidable, but compared to Jerry's current strength, it was insufficient to gain any meaningful advantage.
When his fruit powers proved ineffective and his Haki and close-combat skills were outmatched, Aramaki simply didn't have the tools to deal with Jerry effectively.
Additionally, Jerry had shown no intention of dragging out the fight. Once he'd seized the initiative, he'd struck with lightning speed, determined to end the battle as quickly as possible.
Jerry vaguely remembered that in the original timeline, Aramaki had been a fanatical supporter of the World Government and Celestial Dragons. After becoming an Admiral, he'd even made extreme statements like "people who aren't World Government members don't deserve human rights."
Given today's unprovoked attack, Jerry had felt no obligation to show mercy to someone with those kinds of beliefs.
However, since his enemy had escaped, Jerry didn't waste mental energy worrying about it. He was confident that if he ever encountered Aramaki again in the future, the man wouldn't be able to cause any serious problems.
Jerry's confidence naturally stemmed from his overwhelming strength advantage.
After several years of combat experience, he'd fought against or observed many different opponents, giving him a broad basis for comparison.
Using his own system attributes as a reference point, Jerry had roughly estimated the corresponding power levels of various world-class fighters.
For example, he estimated that old Garp—whom he'd battled not long ago—had physical attributes corresponding to roughly 4,000 system points.
The combined strength of Admirals like Aokiji and Kizaru might be slightly higher than Garp's current level, or perhaps roughly equivalent.
Jerry estimated that Hawkeye's overall attributes were similar to those of the Admirals.
As for Aramaki, whom he'd just fought, Jerry's assessment placed the man's strength below even old Garp's level—probably around 3,600 points at most.
Regarding other Four Emperors like Big Mom and Whitebeard, whom he'd encountered previously, Jerry couldn't estimate specific numbers since they hadn't used their full strength during those encounters.
Based purely on intuition, he believed both of them possessed attributes above 4,000, though Whitebeard's advancing age meant his strength would inevitably decline year by year.
Jerry had also evaluated several other powerful fighters: Katakuri should be around 2,000 points, while Cracker and Jack were roughly in the 1,000-point range.
Based on this analysis, Jerry had constructed a rough hierarchy of power in his mind using hypothetical scenarios combined with real experience.
He concluded that in terms of comprehensive physical attributes, the Four Emperors he'd encountered so far were all above 4,000 but below 5,000 points. The three prime-age Admirals—Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—operated at roughly the same level.
The Four Emperors' subordinates and senior officers ranged between 1,000 and 3,000 points, depending on their individual roles and abilities.
Of course, there would definitely be variations in specific attributes for each person. Some fighters had balanced development across all areas, while others showed dramatic strengths and weaknesses in particular aspects.
Beyond basic attribute values, actual combat effectiveness was influenced by many factors including personal abilities, Haki mastery, fighting techniques, and tactical application.
External conditions and on-the-spot performance during battles could also have significant impact on the final outcome.
Power-multiplying abilities like Conqueror's Haki coating, or Kizaru's habit of not using his full speed, could dramatically affect battle results and the apparent strength displayed during specific encounters.
These estimates were based on Jerry's current perspective, combined with personal experience and mental comparison. Even if there were some errors, he felt confident they were generally accurate.
"Jerry's back!"
The moment Jerry's figure appeared on the coastline, Carrot's voice rang out across the water.
After briefly describing the battle's process and outcome to his friends, Jerry placed his hands on his hips with obvious satisfaction. "Well, that guy wasn't exactly weak, but not just anyone can hurt me these days."
Deuce put away his medical kit with obvious exasperation. Although he knew Jerry's current strength shouldn't be underestimated and the statement wasn't really exaggerated, something about the phrasing bothered him.
Suddenly, Deuce seemed to realize something, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes behind his mask. "Wait a minute. Are you implying that we're 'just anyone'?"
"Eh?!" Jerry noticed that after Deuce's comment, even Carrot and little Bonney were pouting and cracking their knuckles with obvious intent to commit violence. He immediately waved his hands in frantic denial.
"No, no! Deuce, you completely misunderstood me! How could I describe you all like that? I said 'not just anyone'—that means you're all special and important, right Kotatsu?"
"Meow..." Kotatsu nodded reflexively, then noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly added a questioning "Meow?" as if asking for clarification.
After that exchange, everyone laughed and joked for a while before continuing according to their original plan.
They followed a direct route across the first half of the Grand Line, using their Log Pose to head straight for Alabasta before turning toward Drum Island.
That afternoon, after considerable travel time, the crew chose to dock at a small island along their route.
"We should reach our destination soon, but it would be wise to resupply first," Deuce explained the situation as usual before they made landfall.
Brook clasped his hands beside his skull and spoke in a nostalgic tone. "How wonderful! My heart is filled with excitement at the thought of seeing Alabasta's passionate ladies again—though of course I don't actually have a heart! Yo ho ho ho!"
Cavendish sat elegantly in his chair, playing with a rose in his right hand while closing his eyes with an expression of pure bliss. "Indeed, as another landmark location where I achieved fame, Alabasta surely has many devoted fans eagerly awaiting my triumphant return."
As everyone was chatting, Skull approached with a Den Den Mushi and handed it to Jerry. "It's Ace calling."
The conversation immediately stopped as everyone focused their attention on the communication device.
Jerry nodded and smiled as he answered. "Ace! Any news on our target?"
"Yeah, actually." Ace's grinning expression was perfectly replicated by the Den Den Mushi in real time. "Different from the information Skull provided earlier, someone reported seeing Teach's crew in the Spring Queen Town area. They left pretty quickly, but I want to check it out personally."
Before Jerry could respond, Ace continued enthusiastically. "I'm already heading that way, but want to guess who I ran into while passing through Alabasta?"
"Well..." Jerry glanced at the Den Den Mushi's obvious grin and answered with casual confidence. "Just looking at that expression, I can tell you definitely encountered your little brother."
As expected, the conversation naturally shifted to focus on Luffy, and Ace launched into an enthusiastic account of their reunion.
Through newspaper reports, Skull's intelligence network, and Ace's endless chatter, Jerry and the others learned about Luffy's recent adventures.
Whether due to historical inertia or sheer coincidence, Luffy's crew remained remarkably similar to the original timeline—still consisting of himself, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Nami as they traveled through East Blue.
Even without the Arlong Pirates, Luffy's group had still managed to overcome other threats and challenges, eventually meeting Nami and convincing her to join their crew.
After passing through Loguetown—where they'd gotten tangled up with Buggy at Roger's execution platform and been chased by Smoker before being rescued by Dragon—they'd finally broken into the Grand Line.
Some things, it seemed, were simply destined to happen regardless of the changes Jerry's presence had created in the world.
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