After reaching quick agreement on their course of action, the group began moving without hesitation.
Considering the extreme danger of their mission and the fact that the Straw Hat Pirates' ship Going Merry had been severely damaged in recent battles, they decided to split their forces.
Jerry would lead the Black Star Pirates and Ace in immediate pursuit of the Blackbeard Pirates, while Sanji and the other surviving Straw Hats would follow Nami's navigation to Water 7 for emergency ship repairs.
Although they didn't waste any time getting underway, when Jerry's crew reached the open ocean, they'd already lost sight of Teach and his forces completely.
In fact, the Blackbeard Pirates had departed Long Ring Long Land well before Jerry's ship had even arrived at the island chain.
On the morning of the third day, shocking news spread far and wide as News Coos carried newspapers across the globe, reaching Marine officers, ordinary citizens, and pirates alike.
"Something major's happened! Commodore, you need to see this immediately!"
On a Grand Line island, Tashigi shouted urgently as she ran from their anchored warship to the coastline where Smoker was stationed, thrusting a newspaper toward her commanding officer.
The recently promoted Marine took the paper and glanced at it with casual disinterest. "Blackbeard Teach became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..." he began dismissively.
Tashigi waved her hands frantically, breathing hard from her sprint. "It's not just the title! Although becoming a Warlord is definitely significant news, look at what comes after that!"
"Hmm?" Smoker paused with his fingers holding his cigar, and his eyes suddenly widened as he continued reading.
"Monkey D. Luffy—the Straw Hat pirate who defeated Sir Crocodile and earned a bounty exceeding 100 million berries—was defeated by the Blackbeard Pirates and taken into custody by Marine Admiral Aokiji..."
Upon seeing this development, Smoker felt a complex mix of emotions wash over him.
Ever since recognizing something unique about Straw Hat Luffy back in Loguetown, he'd been pursuing the Straw Hat Pirates relentlessly across the Grand Line.
In Alabasta, he'd personally witnessed how they'd defeated Crocodile and thwarted the Warlord's conspiracy against the kingdom.
Even though they operated on opposite sides of the law, Smoker had developed considerable respect for many of Luffy's actions and principles.
He'd never expected that before he could capture them himself, this particular crew of pirates would be apprehended and escorted back by other Marines.
"Next, they'll probably be thrown into Impel Down and spend the rest of their lives rotting in cells," Smoker muttered, slowly looking up at the cloudy sky.
Something nagged at him—a vague feeling that he was missing some crucial piece of information, though he couldn't identify exactly what.
Meanwhile, in the New World aboard the Red Force, Red-Haired Shanks stared at the newspaper in his hands and murmured with obvious gravity, "Luffy... and Blackbeard Teach."
He unconsciously began radiating powerful waves of Conqueror's Haki, which proved too much for some of the weaker crew members behind him. Several collapsed unconscious on the spot from the overwhelming pressure.
Beckman shook his head and addressed Lucky Roux and the other senior members. "Let him process this first. We can discuss strategy once he's calmed down."
The others nodded silently, understanding their captain's emotional investment in this particular development.
Back on the Black Nova, Ace gripped Skull's shoulders tightly and shook him with desperate intensity. "Skull, any news? Where's Aokiji heading? We need to pursue him immediately!"
Skull raised his hands in obvious distress. "Stop! Please stop first, Boss Ace!"
"Uh, sorry." Realizing his overwhelming anxiety was getting the better of him, Ace took a half-step back, drew a deep breath, and waited with barely contained anticipation.
After rubbing his aching shoulders, Skull spoke slowly and carefully. "Boss Ace, according to basic logic, no matter how quickly newspapers are published and distributed, the news always lags behind actual events."
"So we need to prepare ourselves mentally. There's a Sea Train system in this region that connects directly to Enies Lobby, and from there prisoners can be transported quickly to either Impel Down or Marine Headquarters via ocean currents."
Hearing this explanation, Ace's expression darkened as he began to grasp the implications.
As expected, Skull continued with obvious reluctance. "Unfortunately, I just received confirmation that Aokiji began his return journey some time ago. By now, he might already be halfway to his destination."
"Then we'll break into the prison!" Ace declared, clenching his fists with grim determination.
Deuce and the other crew members exchanged meaningful glances, determination flashing in their eyes before they all turned to look at Jerry expectantly.
Jerry stood stroking his chin with a thoughtful expression, clearly working through multiple scenarios in his mind.
After several long minutes, he looked around at the assembled group and nodded with calm authority.
"If we want to rescue people from Impel Down successfully, we'll need an extremely detailed plan."
"I currently have a rough framework in mind, but let's head to Water 7 first. It's not far from here anyway, and Sanji and the others have every right to know about this operation and participate in the planning."
Everyone's eyes lit up with hope upon hearing Jerry's confident words. Ace asked with barely restrained impatience, "What's your idea? Tell us right now!"
"Patience," Jerry replied. "We'll discuss everything properly once we're all together."
With that, he manipulated the ocean currents to carry their ship toward the Water Capital at maximum speed.
The bright moon hung high in the night sky, illuminating the darkness with silver light.
In Water 7, within a small hotel reserved by Jerry's crew, the Black Star Pirates and the surviving members of the Straw Hat Pirates sat together in a circle.
When Jerry began explaining the rough plan he'd mentioned earlier, Ace, Deuce, and the others fell into stunned silence.
Sanji, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper sat in their chairs completely dumbfounded by what they were hearing.
After Jerry finished outlining the first phase of his strategy, Deuce was the first to voice his concerns. "Becoming a Warlord? Are you completely serious about this?"
Jerry's lips curved into a confident smile. "Of course! There happens to be a vacancy among the Seven Warlords at the moment, doesn't there?"
Skull waved his hands frantically before pointing directly at Jerry. "That's true, but Boss Jerry, don't forget how that position became vacant in the first place—and you're the one who made it happen!"
"Doesn't that make it even better?" Jerry puffed out his chest and responded with perfect logic. "It proves I'm stronger than the previous occupant and deserve the position!"
Brook turned his skull and raised his concern with obvious puzzlement. "But Jerry, have you forgotten that you assaulted a Celestial Dragon? Will the World Government really agree to make you a Warlord?"
"Exactly!" Carina added. "And there's also the Gran Tesoro incident and what happened at Sabaody Archipelago. You've had quite a few direct and indirect conflicts with the World Nobles."
"Those aren't insurmountable problems," Jerry replied, accepting all their concerns with casual confidence. "As long as you're strong enough and demonstrate proper sincerity while offering reasonable explanations, many things in this world become negotiable."
He wasn't lying about this assessment. Jerry vaguely remembered that in the original timeline, Trafalgar Law had also been considered an accomplice in the Celestial Dragon incident at Sabaody Archipelago, along with the Straw Hat Pirates and Eustass Kid.
Yet afterward, Law had still successfully become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Compared to Law's situation, although Jerry had been identified as the mastermind behind the Celestial Dragon assault, the "sincerity" he planned to demonstrate would be far more sophisticated than anything Law had offered.
Deuce tilted his head with a strange expression. "What kind of explanation? Are you planning to frame someone else again?"
"Ahem, this time I'm being completely serious," Jerry replied, coughing lightly as he smiled broadly at the memory of past deceptions.
"What sort of sincerity are you talking about?" Cavendish asked with obvious confusion. "As far as I know, the Celestial Dragons and World Government aren't easily fooled."
Jerry spread his hands with a matter-of-fact expression. "First, capture several well-known pirates with high bounties. Second, publicly write a formal letter of apology admitting past mistakes. Finally, offer a substantial tribute of gold and treasure. Isn't that sincere enough?"