The night passed without incident. The next morning, both pirate crews had docked at Elbaf's shores.
When members of the Red-Haired Pirates spotted Ace eating heartily at a table on the Black Nova's deck, they were visibly stunned.
"Hey! Skull, didn't you say last night that he was critically injured?" Lucky Roux pointed across at the Black Star while shouting in confusion to Yasopp. "What's going on here? Are you pulling the same kind of tricks?"
Skull wagged his index finger dramatically, then pointed at Jerry, who was still sprawled lazily in his chair, and placed his hands proudly on his hips. "Of course I wasn't lying to you, but we have our amazing Boss Jerry!"
Upon hearing this explanation, the Red-Haired Pirates' attention inevitably shifted to the Black Star's most distinctive feature—their seemingly miraculous captain.
Jerry appeared completely fine, hands casually positioned behind his head. His battle-torn clothing had long since been replaced with clean, casual beachwear.
His open shirt revealed well-defined muscles with only a few faint scars that served as evidence of yesterday's fierce battle. Given more time, even those marks would likely disappear entirely.
Noticing that everyone was staring at him with obvious fascination, Jerry turned around and asked with genuine confusion, "What's everyone looking at?"
Later that afternoon, Jerry and his crew bid farewell to the Red-Haired Pirates. The Black Star submerged beneath the ocean's surface and disappeared into the vast waters.
"Are you really going to give up the pursuit?" Beckman—looking like a mummy wrapped in bandages—blew out a smoke ring and asked Shanks beside him.
"What else would you suggest? Fight them again?" Shanks glanced at his vice-captain with obvious displeasure. "Have you already forgotten the pain now that your wounds are healing? Your life was saved by them, remember?"
Recalling that the first person he'd seen upon regaining consciousness was Jerry himself, Beckman shook his head and said nothing more.
Shanks looked up at the sky and sighed softly. "I wonder whether it's good or bad for them to reach Laugh Tale first like this. After all, Jerry isn't the person Captain Roger was waiting for..."
Although this battle wasn't reported to the general public, news spread rapidly among well-informed and interested parties. Most people had abandoned unrealistic fantasies about claiming the legendary pointer to the greatest treasure.
Many began anticipating what these young pirates would do after obtaining Roger's legacy—wondering if they would become cryptic riddlers like the Roger Pirates, or usher in another great age of piracy.
The world held its breath in anticipation.
On the vast ocean, the Black Nova sailed steadily against wind and waves in their predetermined direction.
"Ring, ring! Oh, it's the old spider again?" Jerry observed as the setting sun blazed like fire, illuminating the changing colors of sky and sea. On deck, he held communication equipment in one hand while turning grilled fish with the other. "What can I do for you this time? If you want a midnight snack, please call earlier next time. I've got some excellent grilled fish here."
"Leviathan! It seems you don't care about Kuma and Bonney's lives at all!" The Den Den Mushi connected to Kotatsu's communication device mimicked Saint Saturn's expression perfectly as it spoke with cold authority.
Jerry blinked innocently. "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't think you can hide your destination from us! You've been heading toward Laugh Tale for days without contacting me!"
Hearing this accusation, Jerry replied with complete deadpan delivery, "Why are you still so paranoid at your age? Our signal reception is terrible out here—of course we can't stay in touch..."
Jerry paused to emit a long electronic beep: "Beep!"
"See? There are no signal towers in this vast ocean, and satellite launches have been unsuccessful. Your World Government should really reflect on these infrastructure failures."
Glancing at the Den Den Mushi's increasingly furious expression, Jerry continued with mock sincerity, "As for what you said about going to Laugh Tale, that's complete nonsense. We're almost back to Dressrosa by now!"
He adopted a tone of wounded dignity. "I'm full of sincere intentions, but where exactly is your sincerity? I've never seen any evidence of it."
The Den Den Mushi took several deep breaths before Saint Saturn's voice emerged: "Tell me! What exactly do you want?"
"Hmm..." Jerry pondered thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded with apparent seriousness. "Well, since you asked—I want to become one of the Elders!"
The Den Den Mushi fell silent for several moments before Saint Saturn's barely suppressed roar erupted: "I asked you to make a reasonable request, not voice impossible fantasies!"
"I don't think you have sufficient authority to make decisions anyway," Jerry replied with casual dismissal. "Why don't you let that mysterious figure behind you handle the negotiations? That's all for today. May the mountains and rivers remain unchanged, and may you enjoy a long life!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jerry hung up with a decisive click.
"Big Brother Jerry, why are you blessing that horrible man?!" Carrot's face showed obvious anger as she stared at Jerry with indignation.
Jerry shook his head and spoke with mock gravity. "Carrot, you should always be polite. Even if someone is your enemy, you should still offer courteous blessings..."
He paused meaningfully. "What if he's already over a hundred years old?"
"Oh... okay," Carrot stood there looking confused, obviously struggling to digest the implications of Jerry's words.
"Don't worry about that old spider," Ace shouted with renewed excitement. "Let's continue our celebration! Then we sail toward the ultimate treasure!"
Hearing their captain's rallying cry, everyone responded with enthusiastic cheers.
Several days later, the Black Nova found itself floating in waters experiencing a violent storm, with thunder rumbling ominously overhead.
"It should be somewhere nearby, right?" Deuce held a permanent pointer while looking through the water barrier protecting their ship. He appeared confused by the massive waves and apocalyptic dark sky surrounding them.
Along with him, Ace, Skull, and the others stood at the ship's rail, holding telescopes and scanning the horizon as if searching for something that should be obvious.
"This is strange," Deuce muttered, repeatedly checking the pointer that rotated in sync with the ship's slightest movements. "The location indicated by this pointer should be exactly this area, so where is it?"
Carina observed the exaggerated natural phenomena outside their protective barrier and speculated, "Could it be that the current weather—all this wind, waves, and heavy rain—is obscuring the island?"
"There should at least be a shadow or silhouette visible, right?" Brook scratched his afro, equally puzzled by their situation.
"Could it be that this pointer is... fake?" Carrot started to voice this possibility before quickly covering her mouth, realizing she probably shouldn't suggest such a thing at this crucial moment.
Skull held his head in both hands, scratching frantically. "No way! Did we come all this way for nothing?"
"This is terrible! I was planning to livestream our arrival, which would definitely increase our fan base!" Cavendish wailed dramatically.
"Deuce, are your hands shaking and causing the pointer to move erratically?" Ace stared at the trembling instrument in Deuce's grip, his gaze quickly noting his navigator's bloodshot eyes. "I told you to get more rest these past few days, but you wouldn't listen."
Jerry stood quietly without contributing to the discussion, his eyes scanning the seemingly empty ocean before them. He secretly activated his water elemental perception abilities and carefully examined the vast sea area around their position.
After an extended period of concentration, he raised his hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully, frowning as he whispered with growing understanding, "Maybe... I know where it is."
"Where?!" Upon hearing this revelation, everyone immediately turned their heads to focus all attention on him.
Jerry looked deeply into Deuce's face, then slowly lowered his gaze until it stopped at a very specific location.
Deuce instinctively moved his hands behind his back and said with obvious annoyance, "What exactly are you staring at?!"
"Look down below," Jerry answered in a peculiar tone that suggested he'd just solved a mystery that should have been obvious all along.