"Oh my! Dear guests! You... they..." the shopkeeper stammered, looking in shock at the groaning men scattered across her shop floor.
"Don't worry about it," Jerry said, turning to give her a reassuring smile. "This has nothing to do with you. You're not in any trouble."
Jerry genuinely didn't want to involve the innocent shopkeeper in what was clearly going to become a much larger conflict, which was why he had chosen to incapacitate rather than kill the gunmen who had opened fire in her establishment.
"Come on, let's head to the port," Jerry announced to his friends, gesturing toward the door.
Before leaving, Jerry grabbed the unconscious thugs by their collars and dragged them outside. After settling their bill with the still-stunned shopkeeper, he unceremoniously dumped the groaning men next to a trash bin on the corner of the street, leaving them there to contemplate their poor life choices.
The small crew of three humans and one cat made their way quickly through the confection-themed streets toward the harbor district. Upon arrival, they were greeted by an impressive sight—dozens of pirate ships of various sizes and designs docked at the extensive port facilities.
This made perfect sense given that this particular island served as a border trade hub for Totto Land, facilitating commerce and diplomatic exchanges between Big Mom's territory and the outside world. Ships were constantly arriving and departing, carrying goods, tribute, and visitors from across the New World.
A wide, bustling square stretched out in front of the port proper, designed to accommodate the loading and unloading of cargo as well as the movement of large numbers of people conducting business.
Jerry briefly activated his Observation Haki to assess the situation, scanning the various ships and their crews for potential threats or opportunities. What he discovered confirmed his suspicions—most of the pirates present had distinctly malevolent auras, their hearts filled with the kind of darkness that suggested they were involved in particularly unsavory activities.
After a moment of consideration, Jerry selected a medium-sized pirate ship that was moored relatively close to shore. The ship appeared to be well-maintained and seaworthy, exactly what they needed for their continued journey.
"Listen up, everyone on that boat!" Jerry called out in a voice that carried clearly across the water. "You are now surrounded by me! Your only option for survival is to abandon ship immediately!"
He cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice as he repeated the demand. "I repeat—abandon ship now if you value your lives!"
Jerry leaped onto the deck of the targeted ship, his sudden appearance causing immediate chaos among the crew members who had been going about their daily business.
Like a disturbed hornet's nest, pirates began pouring out from below decks and gathering on the main deck, all of them staring at Jerry with expressions ranging from confusion to outright hostility.
"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" demanded a particularly fierce-looking middle-aged pirate who pushed his way through the crowd to confront Jerry directly.
The man's scarred face and intimidating demeanor suggested he was accustomed to being feared and obeyed without question.
"If you don't want to die right here and now, you'll get off my ship immediately!" he snarled, attempting to use pure intimidation to resolve the situation.
Jerry noticed that when this man spoke, the other pirates immediately fell silent and stepped back slightly, clearly deferring to his authority.
"You're the captain here, I assume?" Jerry asked with casual interest.
"What's it to you? Are you planning to beg for mercy?" the pirate captain sneered. "Well, too bad for you—I'm not in a forgiving mood!"
His expression grew even more vicious as he continued. "Boys! Tie these intruders up and throw them to the sea creatures!"
Facing Jerry and his small crew, the enemy captain showed no intention of showing mercy, especially since they had been the ones to initiate this confrontation.
With a dismissive wave of his hand, the assembled pirates drew their weapons simultaneously and began advancing with bloodthirsty shouts, clearly confident in their numerical advantage.
"Oh? How convenient," Jerry said with genuine satisfaction. "I happen to be here to borrow a ship, and I wasn't planning on being polite about it anyway."
His tone became more serious as he addressed the attacking pirates. "I don't care who you think you are—get down, all of you!"
Jerry stood calmly in the center of the deck, his presence somehow becoming more intimidating despite his relaxed posture. Water began coalescing in his open palms, forming perfectly spherical projectiles that seemed to pulse with contained energy.
As he took a single step forward, the water balls launched themselves through the air with devastating speed and accuracy. They dispersed like falling petals, each one finding its target among the advancing pirates and striking them down one by one with surgical precision.
Jerry himself moved with fluid grace, dodging through the chaos and appearing directly in front of the pirate captain almost instantaneously. Seeing the captain's expression transform from arrogance to horror, Jerry delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that sent the man flying off the ship entirely.
The captain crashed down onto the wooden planking of the port dock with a thunderous impact that reverberated throughout the harbor area.
Faced with this sudden explosion of violence, the civilian dock workers began screaming and scattering in all directions, desperately seeking cover from what had rapidly escalated into a full-scale battle.
On the many nearby ships, pirates who had come to this port for various reasons—whether to pay tribute, conduct business, or simply resupply—wisely chose not to intervene. They found hiding spots and observed the situation from a safe distance, uncertain whether this was a personal dispute or the beginning of something much larger.
However, some of the more enterprising or troublesome individuals secretly pulled out their Den Den Mushi to report the incident to Big Mom's organization, recognizing that unauthorized violence in the Empress's territory was something the authorities would definitely want to know about.
Deuce and Skull, who had been preparing to join the fight, suddenly realized that the battle was already over before they could even assume proper combat stances.
"Wait..." Deuce said slowly as he climbed aboard the now-captured pirate ship, "when you said earlier that you wanted to get a boat here, this is what you meant?"
The realization of Jerry's true intentions was only now becoming clear to him.
"Look, it's not that we can't afford to buy a pirate ship," Jerry explained with absolute seriousness, "but borrowing one is much more cost-effective in our current situation."
After delivering this perfectly logical explanation, Jerry wagged his finger at Deuce as if lecturing him on the fundamental principles of sound financial management.
"Ah yes, for traveling scholars like ourselves, borrowing is definitely the way to go!" Jerry continued with mock academic authority.
"Boss Jerry really knows how to manage resources efficiently," Skull commented with obvious amusement. "This approach has certainly opened my eyes to new possibilities. Haha!"
Although Skull's words were supportive, his tone suggested he was both impressed and slightly incredulous at Jerry's audacious methods.
Both Deuce and Skull understood that Jerry's abilities allowed him to directly perceive the moral character of other people. In situations like this where he chose to take immediate violent action, it was safe to assume that their targets were essentially irredeemable criminals who deserved whatever happened to them.
This kind of scum wouldn't stand up to any serious investigation, so trusting Jerry's judgment and following his lead was generally the safest course of action.
Deuce felt somewhat helpless about their current circumstances, but he knew from experience that Jerry would never harm innocent people without cause. Given that they were now operating in Big Mom's territory—one of the most dangerous places in the New World—he couldn't afford to second-guess their methods.
Of course, he chose to trust his friend and follow along with whatever plan Jerry had in mind.
"Alright, fine. We'll 'borrow' this ship," Deuce said with resignation. "It's the best option we have at the moment."
"Good. Now you guys take the ship back to where we left our old ship and transfer over anything we want to keep," Jerry instructed, his tone becoming more serious. "Then sail directly out to sea toward the rendezvous point we discussed earlier."
His expression grew more focused as he continued. "I need to take care of something here, but I'll catch up with you very soon."
As they spoke, Jerry began systematically clearing all the unconscious pirates off the captured ship, dumping them unceremoniously onto the dock. Then he paused, his head tilting slightly as if he was sensing something approaching.
After giving his final instructions, Jerry leaped back onto the open plaza area of the harbor, positioning himself in a clear space where he would have room to maneuver.
Deuce and Skull exchanged meaningful glances, both recognizing that Jerry's sudden change in demeanor meant a powerful enemy was likely approaching their location.
Without wasting time on further discussion, they wished Jerry luck and began steering their newly acquired ship out of the port as quickly as possible.
After confirming that his friends had departed safely, Jerry turned his attention back to the harbor area. He could see crowds of onlookers gathering at what they considered a safe distance, along with several distinctive cookie-shaped soldiers that were clearly part of Big Mom's special forces. A group of uniformed subordinates had also appeared but seemed hesitant to advance.
Looking toward a particular alley that led away from the main plaza, Jerry called out with obvious impatience.
"Why aren't you coming out yet? Do you really enjoy playing hide-and-seek this much?"
"Haha, so you're the Dragon Fist Jerry I've been hearing about," came a response from the shadows.
A tall, somewhat disheveled-looking middle-aged man slowly emerged from the alley, moving with the confident stride of someone accustomed to being feared and respected.
"I heard that Fire Fist Ace, the captain you used to follow, has joined the Whitebeard Pirates," the newcomer continued conversationally. "So what brings you to our territory?"
The man had a long, unkempt beard and somewhat ape-like facial features. He was wearing distinctive armor that appeared to be made entirely of biscuits or cookies, and he carried a long sword casually resting on his right shoulder while a matching shield was strapped to his left arm.
"One of Big Mom's sons, if I remember correctly," Jerry mused, studying the approaching figure. "Cracker, right?"
Looking at this individual who seemed to have brought his own snack supply with him, Jerry took a moment to recall what he knew about Big Mom's extensive family.
"I didn't expect to run into such a high-ranking member just by passing through," Jerry commented with genuine interest.
"Just passing through?" Cracker's expression grew skeptical. "I just returned from a battle elsewhere, and before I could even catch my breath, I heard reports that someone had stolen items that were specifically ordered by my brother Katakuri."
His tone became more accusatory as he continued. "I think it's safe to assume that you're deliberately provoking us, wouldn't you agree?"
Cracker clearly didn't believe Jerry's claim of innocent passage through their territory. As a member of one of the most well-informed pirate organizations in the world, he knew quite a bit about the person standing before him.
Although Jerry wasn't exactly a household name, his recent activities were well-documented, particularly his assistance to the Whitebeard Pirates during several conflicts over the past six months. This information was all part of the public record that Big Mom's intelligence network maintained.
The fact that this particular individual had suddenly appeared in their territory without warning raised obvious questions about his true intentions. He could be gathering intelligence, planning some kind of operation, or serving as an advance scout for a larger force.
As Cracker finished speaking, dozens of additional biscuit soldiers began emerging from behind him, marching out of the alley in formation.
It was clear that during his period of observation from the shadows, he hadn't simply been watching the situation unfold—he had been actively using his Devil Fruit abilities to create these reinforcements in preparation for battle.
"Hmph! Since you don't seem inclined to reveal your real purpose willingly," Cracker declared, pointing his sword directly at Jerry, "I'll just have to beat the truth out of you!"
He gestured toward his assembled biscuit soldiers and the various subordinates who had gathered in the area. "Attack him from all sides!"
Seeing enemies approaching from multiple directions in a coordinated assault, Jerry stepped forward to meet them head-on rather than trying to avoid the confrontation.
In a blur of motion, he appeared in the center of the group of attackers, his speed making it difficult for observers to track his exact movements.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Facing simultaneous attacks from every angle, Jerry demonstrated remarkable agility and combat awareness as he weaved between the opponents' fists and sword strikes with fluid precision.
His own fists and feet, coated with Armament Haki, struck out rapidly at the surrounding soldiers, each blow delivered with surgical accuracy and devastating force.
However, the armor protecting these soldiers proved to be remarkably durable, resisting even Jerry's Haki-enhanced attacks. His strikes created visible cracks in their biscuit-based protection, but failed to cause serious structural damage. Even while being pummeled, the soldiers continued swinging their weapons in counterattacks against Jerry.
"These things are really hard," Jerry observed with genuine surprise as he continued his high-speed combat maneuvers. "Don't they hurt your teeth when you eat them?"