[Ding! Congratulations on completing your first fishing mission in Mariejois.]
[Reward: Wall-breaking Bead.]
[Ding! It has been detected that all three types of Haki have reached the required threshold, triggering new system functions. Please check the interface for details.]
"What the hell..." Jerry muttered under his breath while the guards frantically worked to rescue the trapped Celestial Dragon. He quickly examined the system interface while casually packing up his fishing equipment.
After scanning through the system prompts, Jerry paused in genuine surprise before muttering to himself, "So this piece of junk system actually gets updates? Who would have thought?"
Jerry couldn't help but sigh internally that this was like finding out a broken-down car suddenly sprouted wings.
Ever since Jerry had acquired this system, he had never received any detailed explanations about its functions, which had led him to assume that this extremely basic system was simply... well, basic.
Although the system was simple, Jerry had been perfectly satisfied with it. After all, being able to improve his abilities while fishing was an excellent deal—why complain about free power-ups?
"Alright, let's see what kind of goodies have been hiding in here," Jerry said to himself as he quickly browsed through the system interface, turning it inside out within moments.
"Damn... still a piece of junk system." After searching everywhere, Jerry finally discovered a tiny, colorful lotus-shaped icon tucked away in the lower right corner of his inventory screen.
When he clicked on it, he found nothing but several black circular grooves arranged on a flat surface.
Staring at those mysterious grooves, Jerry had a sudden inspiration.
Using his thoughts, he mentally controlled the Wall-breaking Bead he had just received and attempted to drop it into one of the grooves.
However, the Wall-breaking Bead bounced back at lightning speed and seemingly flew directly at Jerry's interface.
"Holy crap, that scared me!" Jerry instinctively leaned back defensively, only to realize a moment later that it was just a virtual image in his mind and the bead hadn't actually launched at his face.
A system prompt appeared above the groove:
[Challenge top-tier experts in corresponding fields. Meeting requirements and gaining their recognition will unlock special rewards.]
Seeing this cryptic message, Jerry fell into deep thought, muttering to himself, "What's that supposed to mean? No more fishing? Am I switching to a career in beating people up instead?"
He shook his head, deciding to shelve this puzzling development for later consideration.
Jerry then looked up at the massive fish he had caught, picked up his fishing line, and walked over with a cheerful smile.
"What do you think you're doing?!" The guard captain immediately noticed Jerry's movement, pointed his weapon directly at him, and demanded in a threatening tone.
Jerry tugged on the fishing line in his hands and responded matter-of-factly, "I'm obviously taking back my catch. I assume Saint Charloss doesn't want this fish, so there's no point letting it go to waste."
Because the enormous fish was still alive and thrashing violently after being pulled from the water, Saint Charloss—who had been pinned beneath it—had suffered multiple consecutive splash attacks from its powerful tail and had promptly lost consciousness.
By this point, the guards had successfully dragged the unconscious Celestial Dragon out from under the fish and carefully positioned him to the side.
"What's going on here?!" A man's authoritative voice suddenly rang out from behind the guards.
Everyone turned to see a middle-aged Celestial Dragon riding majestically on the back of a muscular slave, leading an entourage as they approached the scene.
His gaze passed through the gap created when the guards stepped aside to make way, and his eyes immediately widened in shock. "What?! Son! What happened to you?"
"Saint Rozward..." The guard captain bowed respectfully, stepped forward, and began explaining the incident in hushed tones.
"You! You are the one who—" After listening to the guard's report, Saint Rozward immediately pointed an accusing finger at Jerry and was about to launch into an angry tirade.
However, when his eyes met Jerry's steady gaze, he suddenly felt his consciousness blur for a moment, and he involuntarily stopped mid-sentence.
"Oh my, how did this accidentally fall out?" Jerry exclaimed with exaggerated surprise.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he pretended to pick up an official document that had somehow appeared on the ground, continuing to speak as if talking to himself:
"I wonder if calling us Warlords here is related to that Straw Hat Luffy situation? But according to my information, all the prisoners should be locked up in Impel Down, right? What else could there possibly be to discuss?"
"Well, no point overthinking it. I only came here today to familiarize myself with the area in advance so I won't get lost during the official meeting. Now that I've accomplished my objective, I should head back. Farewell, everyone!"
Jerry casually put away the documents as he spoke, and under the confused stares of everyone present, he hefted the securely tied fish over his shoulder, gathered his equipment, leaped nimbly into the air, and quickly departed the scene.
In the blink of an eye, Jerry's figure had completely vanished from everyone's sight.
"Son!!!" Saint Rozward finally snapped out of his daze and shouted frantically.
"Are otaku popular in Mariejois these days?" Jerry muttered to himself as he once again used his Observation Haki to scan the distant Pangaea Castle.
Then, carrying the massive fish, he dropped straight down from the ten-thousand-meter height toward the ocean below. Amid the puzzled stares of numerous onlookers at the bubble elevator port, he landed on the waves and began walking across the water's surface as he departed.
"Wow! Mom, that man is walking on the ocean! Is he Sora, the Warrior of the Sea?" A little boy pointed excitedly at Jerry's retreating figure, shouting with pure enthusiasm.
The tall woman beside him smiled gently and asked, "Which Sora would that be?"
"Sora, the hero who fights against the evil Germa 66!" The little boy was so excited he began dancing with joy, looking like he wanted to throw a few combination punches on the spot.
"Well, perhaps it is," the woman replied warmly. "After all, this is a place where Marines frequently come and go."
Jerry had no idea he had inadvertently gained a young admirer.
At that moment, he was traveling at considerable speed, feeling free and exhilarated as he made his way back toward Sabaody Archipelago.
After a lengthy journey accompanied by impressive waves along his route, Jerry successfully arrived at the Black Nova's anchorage.
Aboard the Black Nova
As night settled over the archipelago, Deuce, Brook, and Cavendish were sitting peacefully on the deck.
Deuce was writing intently with his head down, while Cavendish and Brook were enjoying a leisurely conversation over tea.
"You all seem to be in excellent spirits," Jerry called out with a grin as he leaped lightly onto the ship.
The sudden voice drew the attention of Cavendish and the others.
Deuce immediately set down his pen, looked up, and asked with concern, "Are you alright? No trouble?"
"Of course I'm fine, and I brought back a huge catch!" Jerry hoisted the massive fish still draped over his shoulder and gestured proudly.
"Yo ho ho! Mr. Jerry, did you go shopping at Mariejois?" Brook chuckled, his skeletal face somehow managing to convey amusement.
Cavendish turned his head and asked curiously, "Weren't you supposed to be conducting some kind of reconnaissance mission?"
Deuce also looked somewhat exasperated as he said, "So this fish is all we got from your dangerous infiltration?"
"Hey, what's with those looks? Of course I accomplished something important! This is just a bonus catch!" Jerry protested as he tossed the large fish onto the deck, then raised his index finger dramatically. "Besides, this is merely one of my major achievements. The other one involves crucial intelligence—I've already obtained accurate information about our situation."
After making this declaration, Jerry placed his hands on his hips, tilted his head back, and gazed up at the star-filled sky with obvious satisfaction.
After a long moment passed without the expected response, Jerry lowered his gaze from the heavens, looked around at his unimpressed crew, and blinked in confusion. "What's this? No applause? Aren't you even curious about the process and results of my intelligence gathering mission?"
"Get lost," Deuce waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away an annoying insect. "Nobody cares about your dramatic presentation. You'll tell us the details when you're ready. Besides, not everyone is here yet anyway."
"You really are like a parasitic worm that's taken up residence in my brain," Jerry complained with obvious exasperation. "Always finding the most inconvenient times to be practical."