The current hot topic surrounding the Black Star Pirates, and the information that Skull had been tirelessly searching for over many weeks, concerned a former great pirate—a figure relatively unknown in today's world named Buena Festa.
This was an obscure character that Jerry had only vaguely remembered after digging deep into his memories for an extended period. He had only been able to recall and confirm the name after extensive cross-referencing and careful inquiries with Skull through multiple channels.
The reason for seeking out this particular individual was simple: Festa possessed the permanent pointer to the final island, Laugh Tale.
Many years ago, when Gol D. Roger and his crew had successfully reached Laugh Tale, some crew members had secretly created a permanent pointer to preserve the route. However, after Roger discovered the unauthorized navigation tool, he had thrown the pointer directly into the sea, where it was promptly swallowed by a massive Sea King.
But sometimes fate works in mysterious ways. Buena Festa, who harbored a personal grudge against Roger's pirate crew, had encountered that very same Sea King during a shipwreck one fateful day.
Everyone had assumed he would become nothing more than Sea King excrement, but he had miraculously survived the encounter. Through sheer coincidence, he had recovered the permanent pointer to Laugh Tale that had been lost by the Roger Pirates all those years ago.
Although Jerry wasn't entirely clear about all the specific circumstances, he knew that unless some major change had occurred, Festa's fundamental nature and objectives wouldn't be easily altered from their original course.
At this point in time, even if Festa hadn't yet established his partnership with Douglas Bullet, the precious pointer was very likely still in his possession.
As for why Jerry desperately wanted to obtain this particular navigational tool, the answer traced back to his system's long-standing mission requirements.
When they had landed at the summit of Reverse Mountain years ago, Jerry had received a quest that required him to visit several specific locations—and Laugh Tale had been prominently featured on that list.
It was simply that because they had been wandering throughout the other seas for the past few years with no immediate plans to return to the New World, and because Laugh Tale wasn't accessible just because someone wanted to reach it, Jerry had placed this particular destination on indefinite hold.
Initially, Jerry had been troubled by the challenge, wondering whether he should attempt to locate all four Road Poneglyph historical texts and then find someone capable of interpreting their ancient script.
After all, at that time he couldn't even remember Festa's name, let alone actively search for such an obscure figure.
Given these circumstances, Jerry hadn't suddenly realized the solution until recently, when he'd been contemplating Byrnndi World's escape during their previous adventure. If World had regained his freedom, there was no logical reason for Bullet to continue languishing in prison.
Remembering that Bullet had most likely returned to active piracy by now, Jerry had thought to ask Skull to follow various leads in tracking down Festa, who had disappeared from public view for many years.
It was noon on this particular day, and thick clouds completely blocked the blazing sun overhead. A gentle breeze swept across the ocean's surface, stirring up layers of delicate waves that caught the filtered light.
On the deck of their ship, Carrot's enthusiastic cheers broke the peaceful silence as she pointed toward their destination.
Deuce held a telescope in his steady hands, examining the island that lay partially hidden within the distant sea fog.
"Our destination should be just ahead," Deuce announced after consulting with Skull and receiving mutual confirmation of their navigation.
Hearing his words, everyone couldn't help but display hints of genuine excitement on their faces.
Pirates who set sail during this particular era, regardless of their individual ideals and personal goals, found themselves involuntarily drawn to anything connected with the legendary treasure that Roger had mentioned during his final moments.
This was especially true since they all understood that the purpose of this expedition involved obtaining the permanent pointer to Laugh Tale itself.
"Alright everyone, let's try to stay calm," Jerry said, pressing his hands downward in a settling gesture as he attempted to manage their rising enthusiasm. "We still don't know if our information is completely accurate, so we should—"
"What?!" Skull interrupted with obvious indignation, holding his head dramatically with both hands while letting out a shrill cry of protest. "Boss Jerry, are you actually doubting the accuracy of my intelligence work?!"
Jerry's outstretched hand froze in mid-air as he paused for two seconds, processing Skull's reaction before shaking his head clarify. "I'm not questioning your intelligence gathering abilities, Skull. I'm questioning the reliability of my own information. If Festa never actually obtained the pointer in the first place, then no matter how accurate your investigation has been, we'll have made this entire journey for nothing."
"Oh!" Skull replied with sudden understanding. "That makes sense. But then, Boss Jerry, what exactly is your original source of information? Can we trust it to be reliable?"
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Jerry with intense curiosity. Obviously, none of them had considered this crucial question before now.
Jerry nodded solemnly, as if he were confirming something of tremendous importance to himself.
When everyone began breathing sighs of relief, anticipating a reasonable explanation, Jerry slowly continued, "Of course it's reliable. My source of information doesn't come from some small-time information dealer or unreliable rumor mill."
As everyone smiled with visible excitement and anticipation, Jerry added with complete confidence, "All of this comes directly from my own dreams and imagination."
Hearing this revelation, Deuce and the others were struck speechless, staring at Jerry—who maintained his expression of absolute certainty—with complete disbelief.
"But I personally believe that he should have obtained the pointer," Jerry continued, seemingly oblivious to their shocked expressions, "judging from his personality and the circumstances surrounding—"
As Jerry continued arguing enthusiastically about the validity of his unknown news sources, Deuce and his companions felt as though a crow had flown directly over their heads, cawing "idiots" as it passed by.
"Hehe, I think Big Brother Jerry is absolutely right!" Just when Deuce and the others looked completely hopeless, Carrot raised her right hand with an encouraging smile.
Carina covered her forehead with one hand while placing her other hand gently on Carrot's head, speaking with obvious exasperation. "Carrot, you really should listen to less of his nonsense. Look how completely he's fooled you—you believe everything he says without question."
"Oh? What's with those expressions?" Jerry asked, finally looking at his companions with genuine surprise after talking to himself for several minutes. "Aside from Carrot and Kotatsu, none of you believe me? What happened to the most basic trust between crewmates?"
Seeing that Deuce and the others were rolling their eyes so dramatically they seemed on the verge of achieving some kind of ocular enlightenment, Jerry spread his hands defensively. "It seems I can't explain this situation to your satisfaction, but you just need to have faith in me and believe that there's light in this world—that should be enough."
"You're definitely not that light!" Deuce retorted with a pointed glance.
Jerry waved his hands dismissively, speaking in a deliberately relaxed tone. "Don't worry about it so much. Now that we've come all this way, what's the point of hesitating? At worst, we can just consider this a sightseeing trip."
Although Jerry felt nearly certain about his information, he understood that it was genuinely difficult to explain his knowledge to the crew. He decided that the current situation was perfectly acceptable—he would claim the pointer if possible, and if not, he'd simply devise an alternative approach.
Not long afterward, the Black Star Pirates chose a remote, inconspicuous location to dock their ship, following their usual cautious procedures. Soon they were walking through the bustling streets of the island's main town.
"This place is certainly lively enough," Cavendish observed with an appreciative smile as he watched the busy crowds passing by on the street. "Though I wonder if I'll be able to gain as many devoted fans here as I did on Gran Tesoro."
Previously, during their stay on the golden ship, he hadn't chosen to perform on any official stages. Instead, he had preferred to ride his beloved horse Farul through the streets in his typical attention-seeking manner, which had proven remarkably effective for attracting admirers.
At that moment, Jerry gazed into the distance with focused attention, a gleam of recognition flashing across his eyes as his enhanced Observation Haki detected something significant.
"Well, it seems someone has extended us an invitation," Jerry announced with calm certainty. "Let's go meet them and exchange proper greetings, shall we?"