The island where Jerry and his crew had arrived was generally circular in shape, featuring a tranquil inland lake at its very center that reflected the sky like a mirror.
From this central lake, three clear rivers flowed like silk ribbons toward the east, west, and south, eventually merging with the vast open sea that surrounded the island on all sides.
Most of the island's residents lived along the southern riverbank, where houses stood in orderly rows and the atmosphere buzzed with constant activity and commerce.
The town's streets formed a busy grid pattern, with people shuttling back and forth between them throughout the day, creating the unique rhythm that defined island life in this remote corner of the New World.
In stark contrast, the northern side of the river was dominated by pristine wilderness—ancient forests thick with vegetation that remained lush and green year-round, rarely disturbed by human presence.
The intelligence that Skull had painstakingly gathered concerned reports that loud, strange noises had frequently been heard emanating from the island's northern territories in recent months.
Initially, the local population had been filled with doubt and concern about these mysterious sounds. Some residents had even speculated whether some kind of monstrous creature had taken up residence on their peaceful island.
Later, driven by mounting curiosity and concern for their safety, several brave individuals had ventured forth to investigate the source of these disturbances. What they discovered was that the strange noises actually originated from an enormous black shadow moving through the forest.
For a time, wild rumors about flying monsters terrorizing the island had spread like wildfire through the local population.
Even after confirming that the black shadow was actually human in origin, the island's residents remained deeply worried about the potential threat this mysterious figure might pose to their community.
Fortunately, the owner of that imposing shadow showed little interest in the civilian population. As long as the townspeople didn't interfere with his intensive training activities, they could continue living their normal lives without harassment.
At this moment, the Black Star Pirates were traveling through a secret underground passage that had been carved directly into the island's rocky foundation.
"Boss Jerry, this is definitely the right place, correct?" Skull asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Hearing Skull's question, Jerry raised his hand and pointed toward a surveillance Den Den Mushi that was cleverly hidden in a corner of the ceiling above their heads. "We've got these little watchers keeping tabs on us, which proves we're exactly where we need to be."
"Meow!" Kotatsu called softly toward the Den Den Mushi, startling the curious gastropod so badly that it immediately retracted into its shell.
Jerry chuckled and gently patted Kotatsu, who was walking beside him in his large cat form rather than flying. "Don't worry about it, buddy. Don't pay any attention to these little surveillance bugs. We don't need to hide our presence here anyway."
After proceeding through the winding passage for several more minutes without encountering any resistance, Jerry's group finally arrived at a surprisingly spacious underground cavern that had been converted into what appeared to be a makeshift meeting room.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Leviathan Jerry! The Pirate Prince Cavendish! I've heard your names spoken with great respect across the seas!"
A man with distinctively curly hair and a somewhat bloated physique despite surprisingly slender limbs was seated casually behind an ornate wooden table. He immediately burst into hearty laughter upon their arrival, seeming genuinely delighted to welcome the members of the Black Star Pirates to his underground domain.
Although his face was wreathed in smiles, there was something indefinably cunning in his expression—a hint of ill intent that lurked just beneath his friendly facade.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly," the man said, rising from his chair and offering an elaborate bow. "I am a celebration organizer by trade, and my name is Buena Festa."
After completing his theatrical greeting, Festa continued with obvious interest, "I must say, I'm quite curious about what brings such distinguished guests to my humble hideaway."
"Big Brother Jerry, his smile looks really fake," Carrot whispered, tugging gently on Jerry's sleeve while keeping her voice low.
Jerry waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, Carrot. Maybe some people are just born with that kind of smile, you know?"
After reassuring his young crewmate, Jerry turned his attention back to Festa and responded with characteristic directness, "Hello there, Festa. We came here simply to look around and see if we might be able to borrow something from you."
"Ahem." Festa coughed lightly after hearing this straightforward request, then spoke again without allowing his expression to change noticeably. "Well then, that's certainly reasonable. Why don't you tell me exactly what you'd like to borrow?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Festa suddenly realized that every single member of the Black Star Pirates was staring at him with sharp, penetrating gazes that seemed to pierce right through his carefully constructed facade.
Then Jerry's steady, confident voice echoed clearly through the underground chamber: "Nothing too complicated. I just want to borrow a permanent pointer."
The moment these words left Jerry's lips, Festa's eyes widened slightly and his pupils contracted with obvious shock. Although he immediately attempted to adjust his expression and conceal his reaction, Jerry and the others had already noticed his telltale response.
"Ha-ha-ha! A permanent pointer, you say? Well, that's simple enough!" Festa's eyes darted around nervously as his mind raced to formulate a response. "Where exactly are you hoping to travel? If I happen to have the appropriate pointer in my collection, you're welcome to use it!"
Jerry stared directly into Festa's eyes with an amused, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Oh, I think you already have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for. Come on, tell me your answer—I know you want to."
"Alright, alright! I'll guess that you want to reach Whole Cake Island. Here, take this one!" Festa quickly reached into his pocket and produced a pointer, tossing it toward Jerry with practiced casualness.
Jerry caught the device effortlessly and handed it over to Skull for examination, then returned his amused gaze to Festa. "Unfortunately for you, that guess was completely wrong. What I actually want is the permanent pointer to Laugh Tale. And I know for certain that you have it."
Feeling the intense, burning gazes of all the Black Star Pirates focused on him like spotlights, Festa's eyes darted around desperately as he suddenly burst into nervous laughter. "Ha-ha-ha! I have no idea where you could have gotten such information, but I definitely don't have anything like—"
"Tsk, tsk. Really now?" Jerry interrupted directly, his tone becoming more pointed. "Well then, if I happen to find it during my search, I suppose that means it becomes mine by right of discovery."
Jerry's advanced Observation Haki had been carefully monitoring Festa throughout their entire conversation. After successfully detecting and analyzing the fleeting thoughts that had crossed the man's mind during Jerry's accusation, he now felt completely confident in his assessment.
Seeing Jerry's thievish eyes constantly scanning the various secret locations where Festa obviously kept his most valuable possessions, the celebration organizer's heart clenched with anxiety. He spoke hurriedly, "Ahem! Listen, why don't we discuss the possibility of cooperation instead?"
It wasn't that Festa didn't want to continue his denials, but Jerry's supremely confident expression and eager behavior clearly revealed that he seemed to possess solid intelligence and had come well-prepared for this confrontation.
All of this made Festa deeply uneasy, and he quickly realized that continuing to deny the obvious would prove completely useless.
Hearing what amounted to Festa's indirect admission of guilt, Deuce and the others looked at Jerry—who remained perfectly calm throughout the exchange—with complete astonishment.
At this moment, they couldn't help but wonder: could information obtained from dreams really prove so accurate and reliable?
Jerry paid no attention to his companions' bewildered expressions, instead asking with obvious curiosity, "Cooperation? What kind of scheme are you trying to cook up here?"
"Ha-ha-ha! Of course, it's to organize the most incredible celebration the world has ever seen!" Festa exclaimed, his enthusiasm building as he discussed his current ideals and ambitions. "We'll end this boring era of piracy once and for all, and turn the entire world completely upside down!"
"Just think about it logically," Festa continued, gesturing dramatically. "You have fame, tremendous strength, and the remarkable ability to broadcast live to audiences across the globe!"
"Meanwhile, the World Government, the Marines, all Four Emperors, and countless pirate crews regard you as a thorn in their side. They all want to eliminate you as quickly as possible!"
"Under such circumstances, overthrowing the established world order would be only natural, wouldn't you agree?"
"And I happen to possess a powerful tool that's shocking enough to directly cause the greatest possible turmoil! As long as we work together, achieving our mutual goals would be remarkably easy! Furthermore—"
Listening to Festa's increasingly excited and manic speech, Jerry quickly crossed his arms over his chest and interrupted, "Whoa there! Stop right there! You've been spouting a lot of grand nonsense, but you haven't even bothered to ask whether we're actually interested in cooperating with you."
Finally, Jerry pointed directly behind Festa toward the shadows. "Besides, are you absolutely certain your current partner is happy with this arrangement?"
"Huh?! Bullet? Why did you come out already? Didn't we agree that you'd wait in the back until I gave the signal?" Festa spun around in surprise, only to see a powerfully built man in military-style uniform slowly approaching their group.
Realizing his mistake, Festa hurriedly attempted to explain the situation. "Don't worry about this, my friend! My plan is simply designed to better achieve our shared objectives—it won't interfere with your personal agenda in any way."
"Hmph. I don't particularly care about your schemes," the newcomer replied with obvious disdain. "I came out here for one reason only—to meet the strongest representatives of the younger generation."
Bullet's predatory eyes swept across the assembled Black Star Pirates before finally settling on Jerry with unmistakable intensity.
"Leviathan Jerry. Three-point-six billion berry bounty. You're exactly what I've been looking for!"
Noticing Bullet's aggressively challenging gaze and the way the man was flexing his impressive muscles, Jerry immediately jumped backward and shouted with mock alarm, "Hey now! Don't think you can intimidate me just because you're ridiculously buff! I'm not interested in whatever you're selling, muscle-head!"
The cavern fell into momentary silence as everyone processed Jerry's typically irreverent response to what was clearly meant to be a serious challenge from one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
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