Aboard the Black Nova, after briefly exchanging information with Ace through the Den Den Mushi, Jerry hung up the call and studied the official summons for the Seven Warlords meeting that had arrived that morning.
A flash of inspiration crossed his mind as he looked at the formal World Government seal.
"You all stay here for now," he announced to his crew. "I'm going to Mariejois."
"Huh? Boss Jerry, why would you go there? That place is..." Skull was stunned for a moment before speaking anxiously.
Jerry waved his hand dismissively, interrupting with a casual smile. "I know exactly where that is. Don't worry—I'm just going to take a look around and see what I can learn. Maybe I can gather some inside information while I'm there."
"Just... be careful," Deuce wanted to say more, but he understood that Jerry never acted recklessly when it came to serious matters. Instead, he offered a solemn warning.
Seeing everyone's concerned expressions, Jerry grinned broadly. "Don't worry about me. Fishermen have excellent survival skills in the wild."
"Oh yes, and you're so proud of that," Carina muttered with obvious displeasure.
Jerry hoisted his fishing rod over his shoulder and was about to bid farewell when he suddenly remembered something important. "By the way, Carina, make sure to keep in contact with Nami and the others. You might want to ask them to come here first—we could use the extra help."
"Brother Deuce already mentioned that," Carrot interjected with a cheerful smile.
"Good thinking. You can also let Cavendish and Brook know they can relax a little... well, it seems like they're managing to act naturally while staying relaxed anyway."
Jerry shook his head with amusement before turning to address everyone, including little Bonney who had just emerged from the kitchen with a snack. "I'm heading out now."
Without wasting any more time, he leaped up from the ship's deck, landed steadily on the ocean's surface, and began walking across the waves with practiced ease, quickly disappearing toward the Red Line.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere on the Seas
"Is there really no way?" Ace asked the blue-skinned fishman before him with a serious expression.
Jinbe shook his head helplessly. "I'm afraid not, Ace. There's nothing I can do to help with that approach."
After receiving Ace's call a few days earlier, Jinbe had responded immediately to the request for a meeting. The two had maintained an excellent relationship since their five-day battle, and since they weren't far from each other when Ace made contact, they had been able to meet quickly.
When Ace explained their current situation and plans, he had hoped to find an alternative approach by consulting Jinbe's expertise as a fishman.
Ace's idea had been straightforward, if somewhat crude. Although the intelligence Jerry's crew had gathered wasn't complete, they had confirmed that Luffy was imprisoned in Impel Down, the great underwater prison.
Since Impel Down was built in the deep sea, Ace had wondered whether Jinbe, as a fishman, might know of a shortcut to infiltrate the facility, or if he could carry out a rescue operation directly through the ocean depths.
Even though he had received a negative answer, Ace wasn't discouraged. If this plan couldn't work, they would simply have to return to their original strategy.
Mariejois, Near Pangaea Castle
"Well, even though it's artificial scenery, it's quite pleasant," Jerry murmured to himself as he surveyed the quiet, beautiful environment beside a winding ornamental river. "This looks like a good spot for an entrance."
He set down his various fishing equipment and tools, taking a moment to appreciate his surroundings.
The Holy Land, situated ten thousand meters above sea level, wasn't an unreachable destination for someone with Jerry's abilities.
Even after Jerry had arrived quietly and swept the area with his Observation Haki—detecting numerous powerful auras scattered throughout the vicinity—he felt no particular concern.
After all, he wasn't here to cause trouble today, and he was confident he could provide a perfectly legitimate reason for his presence if questioned.
"Let's get started then," Jerry said to himself as he quickly set up his fishing equipment. He cast his line into the pristine waters, then settled back leisurely on the folding reclining chair he had brought along.
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens…. " he began humming softly, then paused. "Uh... no, let's change songs. How about this one instead."
"Today I don't feel like doing anything...I just wanna lay back and stare… I feel like casting out my pole…."
Jerry crossed his legs comfortably and continued humming a pleasant tune while waiting patiently for fish to take his bait, the very picture of a carefree angler enjoying a peaceful afternoon.
After what felt like a long while, a burst of angry shouting shattered the tranquil atmosphere around him.
"Hey! You there! Who are you and what do you think you're doing here?!"
Upon hearing this challenge, Jerry—who had been humming contentedly in his reclining chair—casually placed his hands behind his head and lazily turned to look toward the source of the commotion.
A squad of guards had appeared in his line of sight, marching in orderly formation. Behind them walked a figure in the distinctive bubble helmet and robes of a Celestial Dragon, followed by several bound slaves whose steps seemed heavy with despair.
"Are you blind or something? Don't you recognize me?" Jerry glanced at the approaching guards with mild annoyance before slowly turning his head back to his fishing line. "I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and I'm here on official business!"
He continued leisurely swinging his crossed legs as he responded.
When the guards drew closer, they indeed recognized that the man before them was the pirate who had recently been appointed as one of the Seven Warlords. However, this recognition wasn't enough to make them retreat.
As tension began building in the air, the guard captain stepped forward and spoke authoritatively. "Even if you are a Warlord, you're not permitted to enter this area without proper authorization! And you certainly can't fish here!"
"Oh, so you're looking down on me, are you?" Jerry had been lying casually in his chair, but as the guard captain spoke, he gradually sat up straighter with obvious irritation. "I have all the proper documentation, thank you very much. Besides, there's no official fishing ban in Mariejois, is there?"
Just as Jerry was about to retrieve his papers to prove his authority, an impatient shout interrupted the entire exchange.
"What are you all doing standing in front of me like that? Can't you see I'm trying to pass through here? Get out of my way immediately, or I'll have you all captured and turned into my personal slaves!"
It turned out that the guards had been blocking the road during their confrontation with Jerry, and the Celestial Dragon had finally reached their position.
"Ah, my deepest apologies, Saint Charloss!" The guard captain quickly spun around to address the World Noble with obvious panic. "We're currently investigating an unauthorized—"
"Whoa!" Upon hearing that heavyweight name, Jerry couldn't help but scratch his head and turn around with renewed interest.
There stood a man wearing the iconic attire of the Celestial Dragons, featuring a characteristically fat face, thick lips, and what appeared to be a perpetually runny nose beneath his protective bubble.
Without waiting for the guard to finish his explanation, Saint Charloss waved him away dismissively.
The World Noble took two steps closer to Jerry, stared at him directly, and declared loudly, "I know who you are! You're that pirate who begged pathetically and spent a fortune in gold to get Princess Sabrina to recommend you for a Warlord position!"
"Oh yes, exactly right!" Jerry responded with a bright smile. "I didn't expect that someone as... well-fed and distinguished as yourself would have heard about my humble achievements."
Jerry barely caught himself before making a less diplomatic comment about the Celestial Dragon's appearance.
Saint Charloss looked around at the fishing equipment scattered near Jerry's position and asked with genuine curiosity, "What exactly are you doing here anyway?"
"Well, where there's a river, there are fish," Jerry replied with complete seriousness. "Where there are fish, there are fishermen. Isn't that just the natural order of things?"
Jerry's matter-of-fact explanation seemed to catch Saint Charloss completely off guard.
The Celestial Dragon tilted his head to one side, blinked his eyes in obvious confusion, and began rubbing his fat chin with his right hand as he pondered this profound statement for an extended period. After several long moments, his brain seemed to have some kind of breakthrough, and his eyes suddenly lit up with realization.
"Speaking of which, you must have a lot of gold, right? Why don't you hand it all over to me right now and—"
At that precise moment, Jerry suddenly looked tremendously excited. He quickly spun around toward his fishing line and shouted with genuine enthusiasm, "Whoa! I've got a big one! This is incredible! I'll have to continue our conversation later!"
Jerry grabbed his fishing rod with both hands and continued speaking in a voice filled with joy and anticipation. "This fish feels enormous—everyone needs to be patient! No wait, everyone needs to get out of the way immediately!"
Before he had even finished speaking, he yanked his fishing rod backward with tremendous force.
Under the brilliant afternoon sunshine, a massive fish approximately seven or eight meters in length came flying out of the pristine water in a spectacular arc.
"Hey! Don't let that thing come over here! Ugh!" A terrified male voice cut through the air, filled with absolute panic.
"CRASH!" A thunderous impact echoed across the area, instantly overwhelming all other sounds in the vicinity.
Jerry ignored the familiar system notification chiming in his mind and turned around excitedly, ready to share his fishing triumph with the assembled crowd.
However, his gaze suddenly froze, his eyes widened in shock, and the triumphant smile on his face became completely rigid.
"Ah... whoops, sorry about that," Jerry said with a cunning flash in his eyes, offering words of apology that contained a barely perceptible note of amusement. "Didn't I tell you all to get out of the way?"
These words struck the nearby guards like a warning bell, instantly awakening them to the full gravity of the situation. They couldn't help but shout in unison, "Quick! We have to save Saint Charloss!"
The next moment, they frantically began trying to lift the enormous fish, desperately attempting to rescue the trapped Celestial Dragon who was completely pinned beneath its massive bulk.
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