The next morning, the Black Nova quietly departed from the final island that pirates had dreamed of reaching for over two decades.
The violently rotating whirlpool had completely disappeared, and the sea surface in this area had returned to its previous appearance. From above, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary patch of ocean with choppy waves.
Even if someone sailed directly through this area, they would never imagine that a legendary island lay hidden in the depths below.
Perhaps this island was still waiting for someone specific to arrive, or maybe it could float above the surface at certain predetermined times.
"Argh!!! I'm so furious! Who the hell said there was some great treasure there?!" Carina wielded a kitchen knife with the intensity of a legendary blade while shouting in obvious rage.
She had come to that legendary place with tremendous enthusiasm and dreams of getting rich, but in the end had gained absolutely nothing for her efforts.
Carrot was "helping" nearby, occasionally munching on carrot snacks. She puffed out her cheeks and responded while chewing, "Big Sister Carina, maybe the great treasure you wanted is behind that door we couldn't open?"
"No! Don't say such things—it's definitely not there!" Carina declared with excessive emotion. "It's all a massive scam! There is no great treasure at all!"
Of course, Carina knew there might be countless riches behind that sealed entrance, but she'd rather convince herself otherwise—thinking about inaccessible wealth would only break her heart whenever the subject came up.
"Okay, Big Sister Carina, I'll go get something to eat outside," Carrot said diplomatically. "Try not to think about it too much." Seeing that Carina was in a genuinely foul mood, Carrot rushed away immediately.
But she encountered a guy with curly blonde hair running frantically around the deck, sometimes beating his chest and stamping his feet, sometimes rolling on the ground while clutching his head in despair.
"Ahhh! How could I forget about the livestream?! It's all because of that cursed drumbeat!" Cavendish's anguished roar made Jerry—who was sitting calmly at the ship's rail—glare at him with obvious disgust.
Brook quietly picked up his teacup and observed slowly, "Cavendish-san, it's been an entire night, and you're still obsessing over this today?"
Just as everyone was beginning their new day and busying themselves with various deck activities, a News Coo spread its wings and flew overhead.
Skull stepped forward to purchase a newspaper, but after just one glance, he froze completely in place.
"This is terrible! The World Government is really going to execute Kuma and Vegapunk!"
Upon hearing this shocking announcement, everyone immediately gathered around.
"What's the specific situation?"
"Where's little Bonney?"
"What time and location?"
"Vegapunk? Isn't he working for the World Government?"
Skull felt dizzy from the barrage of questions. He rubbed his temples and shook his head while answering them systematically. "First of all, little Bonney's situation is still unclear—she's not mentioned in the article."
He continued reading. "The execution date is set for seven days from now, and the announced location is Mariejois."
Skull looked up grimly. "As for Vegapunk, he's accused of secretly betraying the World Government, which is why he's been sentenced to execution..."
After hearing Skull's summary, Deuce frowned with obvious concern. "Seven days from now... isn't this clearly designed to force us into the open?"
"Most likely," Brook agreed with dark humor. "They probably don't realize we've already been to Laugh Tale. They might still believe we're genuinely heading back and are already near Dressrosa. Yohohoho."
"That's true—they'll never imagine how fast we can travel underwater!" Carina glanced at Jerry, who appeared lost in thought, and spoke through gritted teeth.
Carrot covered her mouth and giggled softly while gently patting Carina's back. "Big Sister Carina, it's just that you didn't brace yourself properly during acceleration. Don't be angry—it's like when we dropped from the sky to the sea. There's no point getting upset about physics."
"Carrot, you really know how to comfort people," Carina replied with an eye roll, choosing not to elaborate further.
"Jerry, what do you think?" Ace asked directly. "Should we rush over to rescue them? Do we have enough time?" Obviously, if the Black Star Pirates were determined to attempt a rescue, he would consider it his duty to help.
Cavendish's eyes sparkled as he studied Jerry quietly, recognizing that a rescue mission would definitely provide another excellent opportunity to make headlines worldwide.
The others also focused their attention on Jerry, their expressions filled with quiet determination.
"Of course we're going," Jerry replied with a cold smile. "We have plenty of time to reach Mariejois. Since they want to play games, I'll play with them until the very end!"
Jerry looked around at his assembled crew and spoke with measured gravity. "This time, we've touched upon the World Government's deepest taboo, so we may encounter their most powerful forces. Everyone needs to be extremely careful."
"Understood!" Everyone nodded with solemn acknowledgment.
They naturally understood the implications. The fact that the World Government was desperately trying to cover up historical truth and prevent anyone from learning about that blank century was sufficient proof that the stakes couldn't be higher.
Jerry nodded with satisfaction. "Then let's depart immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, before anyone could respond properly, the Black Star shot forward like an arrow released from a divine bow.
"Captain, do you have some kind of acceleration addiction?! Why do you always speed up so suddenly without warning?!"
The Black Nova dove into the vast ocean with the velocity of a rocket launching into space. In the blink of an eye, it vanished beyond the horizon, leaving only echoing screams and creative curses hanging in the air.
Mariejois, Pangaea Castle
"Hahaha! Greetings, everyone! Long time no see—you're all looking much more handsome and beautiful than ever!"
"Hohohoho! Tesoro, you've arrived."
"Yes, I'm honored to be invited as a distinguished guest to attend the upcoming execution ceremony."
"Excellent! After all, the gold you brought... ahem... that's wonderful. Please enjoy yourself here. I need to return to inspect the new slaves."
"Of course, Blau. Take care of yourself."
Using Mariejois—the residence of the Celestial Dragons—for an execution was unprecedented and immediately sparked vocal protests from various World Nobles.
However, after careful manipulation and persuasion, they soon decided that executing Vegapunk—who possessed the world's greatest intellect—in their sacred domain would actually highlight their own extraordinary intelligence by comparison.
After the Celestial Dragons departed, Tesoro surveyed the scene, observing the various individuals who had also been "invited" and were now chatting and laughing in the grand hall. Among them, he noticed an elderly woman enthusiastically sampling the elaborate food spread, and he couldn't help but grin with anticipation.