As expected, after Ace spoke with Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man didn't attempt to stop his adopted son's determination to save his sworn brother.
However, Whitebeard hadn't yet reached a conclusion about whether the massive Whitebeard Pirates organization would take any official action to support the rescue mission.
He'd simply told Ace to be careful and not to worry too much about affairs in the New World while he was away.
"Sigh... I know my actions will definitely bring serious trouble and consequences for the Whitebeard Pirates, but Pops supported my decision immediately..." Ace said with obvious relief after ending the call.
After a brief pause, he looked up toward the distant horizon and whispered with concern, "I suppose they'll have to deal with the fallout from my selfish behavior. There's no telling how serious the consequences might become."
Jerry patted Ace's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about that now. Leave the future to your future self. What you need to focus on is continuing to train and improve your abilities while preparing for action."
"Yeah, I understand. And I want to thank you once again for always having my back," Ace replied, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude as he raised his fist toward Jerry.
"Hey, cut out the sentimental nonsense! Just look forward to my performance," Jerry grinned, extending his own fist to bump against Ace's.
Afterward, taking advantage of the cover of night, Jerry and his crew quietly returned to their ship and set sail with urgent speed.
Ace, Sanji, and the others remained in Water 7 for the time being, each handling their separate preparations.
As the sun rose the following morning, Jerry was already steering the Black Nova across the boundless ocean, racing toward a specific island destination.
Looking at the blue sea that gradually changed color with the rising sun before finally turning golden, Jerry frowned as he considered a troubling question.
Luffy's arrest had been reported in the newspapers, but there had been no news of any special actions by the Revolutionary Army in response.
However, he reflected that according to the Revolutionary Army's standard operating procedures, even if they were planning something, it would typically only be revealed when they had sufficient confidence, at the last possible moment, or when they were forced into action.
Although the Revolutionary Army had a history of seemingly ignoring the arrest of high-ranking members like the East Army Commander, Jerry felt that Monkey D. Dragon wouldn't ignore his son's safety, no matter how strategically patient he might be—unless Luffy wasn't actually his biological child...
Shaking his head to clear away these distracting thoughts, Jerry decided to proceed according to his own plan regardless.
In his opinion, whether the Revolutionary Army had a response strategy or not was unlikely to significantly affect their current actions.
However, Jerry didn't realize that news of Luffy's arrest had indeed caused considerable movement within the Revolutionary Army—though not from the expected source.
The catalyst wasn't their leader Dragon, but rather their Chief of Staff, Sabo.
Even before the newspaper had been officially delivered, amid discussions among the Revolutionary forces, Sabo had spotted Luffy's large bounty poster in the publication.
The sight had made his heart churn with inexplicable anguish and his head split with agonizing pain. He'd actually fainted on the spot and developed a persistent high fever, giving the Revolutionary Army members present quite a scare.
Finally, after a doctor's examination, he'd been carried back to his room to rest, and the situation had gradually returned to normal.
Back on the Black Nova, Deuce looked down at the two wanted posters in his hands, shaking them slightly before turning to ask, "Jerry, are you really planning to target these two? They're not exactly strangers to us."
"That makes it even better!" Jerry replied with obvious amusement. "As the saying goes, 'When fellow countrymen meet, they stab each other in the back.' Of course, acquaintances are more likely to be reasonable with each other. I'm sure they'll understand our position."
He glanced at the bounty posters in Deuce's hand and continued, "Besides, who told them to be so valuable? They perfectly meet our current needs."
"Exactly! It has to be them!" Cavendish roared with obvious excitement. "What kind of people are they, anyway? Their bounties actually start with the same numbers as mine!"
Seeing this enthusiasm, Skull nodded approvingly. "If you've locked onto these targets, then let's proceed. I happen to have their exact location here."
"Yo ho ho! The passionate pursuit reminds me of running under the sunset all those years ago—so exciting it makes my soul surge, even though I don't actually have one!" Brook laughed as he gazed toward the sky.
Carina, Carrot, and Bonney shook their heads and glanced with obvious pity at the wanted posters of Kid and Killer in Deuce's hands.
The current bounties for those two pirates had reached 315 million and 162 million berries respectively.
Cavendish's reward still remained at 390 million berries, which explained his indignation—after all, he hadn't appeared in major headlines for quite some time.
Recent news coverage had focused primarily on the many rookie pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million who'd emerged along various Paradise routes.
However, among the new pirates who'd entered the Grand Line in the same general timeframe, only Kid's bounty had surpassed 300 million berries.
Since most rookie crews didn't jump repeatedly between different routes, Jerry was able to easily track the Kid Pirates' location and position their ship to intercept them at the next island.
After only one day of waiting, while Carrot was playing with little Bonney at the harbor, she spotted the Kid Pirates' ship slowly approaching on the distant horizon.
Carrot immediately rushed to Jerry, who was fishing leisurely in the distance, and couldn't wait to share the good news.
"Brother Jerry! The big fish you mentioned is finally here!"
"Oh wow! How did you know I caught another three-meter-long fish?" Jerry's eyes lit up as he gripped a massive fish tightly in his hands and offered the head to Carrot.
Carrot grabbed the fish head, tilted her head with a smile, and clarified, "Hehe, not that kind of fish! The Kid Pirates are approaching the harbor."
"Well, that's truly a double blessing today! Come on, let's go catch ourselves two more fish."
Jerry quickly packed away his fishing gear, slung the large fish across his back, and hurried back to the port with Carrot, only to find that Deuce and the others had been waiting aboard their ship for some time.
After boarding, Jerry began operating without any wasted motion. The Black Nova immediately departed from shore and headed directly toward the Kid Pirates' ship Victoria Punk.
At the same time, a Kid Pirates crew member holding a telescope shouted loudly, his voice carrying across their entire deck.
"Boss Kid! There's a pirate ship heading straight for us!"
"Hmph! Suicidal idiots!" Kid cracked his neck and wrists, looking eager for battle. "Did you get a clear look at which crew it is?"
Killer, wearing his distinctive mask with multiple holes, stood beside him along with the rest of their crew, everyone preparing for the upcoming confrontation.
The lookout was staring intently into the distance when he suddenly began trembling all over, dropping his telescope directly onto the deck.
He exclaimed in disbelief, "Boss! That's the Black Star Pirates—Leviathan Jerry's crew!"
"Black Star Pirates?!" Upon hearing that name, Kid clenched his fists and broke into a savage grin. "Ha ha ha! Perfect! I want revenge for what happened last time!"
"Kid, don't be careless," Killer's steady voice warned. "Those people aren't easy opponents."
Deep down, he thought the best strategy would be to turn their ship around and flee immediately.
Killer still remembered their disastrous defeat in South Blue vividly, and he didn't believe he could overcome that lightning-wielding opponent who'd overwhelmed them so completely.
However, seeing Kid's face filled with fighting spirit and fearless determination, Killer chose not to try dissuading him further.
Even if it cost him his life, he was determined to stand with Kid until the end and fight alongside his captain.
"Oh? Looks like they're planning to fight us head-on," Jerry observed with amusement. "Just what I'd expect from a red-haired hothead. Let's give them their chance."
As he spoke, Jerry lowered his left hand, which had been preparing to unleash a devastating technique.
Simultaneously, the powerful undercurrent that had been building in the deep ocean beneath the Kid Pirates' ship quietly dissipated, as if it had never existed at all.