After leaving the Mermaid Cafe and Jerry's touching moment with the arguing children, the Black Star Pirates found themselves with nearly half a day of free time to enjoy as they pleased.
Deuce had made his routine purchases of food supplies and local specialties that would serve them well during their upcoming journey. Everyone else took advantage of this relaxed period to handle personal business, explore areas they'd missed during previous visits, or say proper farewells to friends they'd made on Fishman Island.
The following morning, the pirate crew prepared to depart once again. Under Jerry's expert control of his water manipulation abilities, they were spared many of the usual troubles that plagued ordinary sailing. Instead of dealing with complex navigation through the dangerous currents around Fishman Island, Jerry could simply propel their ship directly through the ocean depths or across the surface as needed.
As long as someone provided him with the correct directional heading, Jerry could maintain smooth sailing whether they traveled underwater or on the surface. His natural sense of direction functioned like a human compass—once their course was established, there would be virtually no deviation from their intended route.
Their ship rose rapidly through the ocean layers, and well before noon, the crew found themselves approaching the familiar sight of the Sabaody Archipelago's massive mangrove trees.
Carrot, who had never experienced the unique beauty of the "Soap Bubble Islands" before, held up a half-eaten carrot and marveled at the dreamlike landscape spread before them. While different from Fishman Island's underwater paradise, Sabaody possessed its own magical quality with the enormous trees and floating soap bubbles creating an almost surreal atmosphere.
Deuce couldn't help but recall his first socially catastrophic experience during their previous visit to these islands. Now that they were returning to the surface world again, everyone's spirits seemed to lift naturally—there was something about breathing surface air and feeling natural sunlight that improved their collective mood.
"Alright everyone, same routine as always," Jerry announced as they prepared to dock. "We'll split up and handle our individual business."
Before they'd departed Fishman Island, Deuce had taken time to explain the various precautions that pirates needed to observe while operating on Sabaody. Both Carina and Carrot were naturally cautious individuals, so the crew felt confident about letting them explore independently.
After helping Carrot adjust her disguise slightly, Carina also changed into different clothes before they headed out together. Their shopping expedition the previous day had given them both a better understanding of how to blend in with civilian crowds.
As expected, Ace bolted from the ship the moment they reached shore, his thoughts clearly focused on sampling the archipelago's cuisine. Having learned from their previous chaotic experience, Deuce didn't dare let his impulsive friend run wild across the islands unsupervised, so he immediately gave chase.
With everyone else occupied with their own plans, Jerry found himself without any immediate destination in mind. He decided to take a leisurely stroll through the area, bringing along both Kotatsu and Skull for company.
Since Jerry had spent considerable time fishing around Sabaody during their last visit, he wasn't particularly eager to cast his line again so soon. This trip was more about relaxation and enjoying the unique atmosphere of the bubble-covered archipelago.
However, Skull seemed to have a specific agenda in mind. Their intelligence officer took the lead, walking purposefully in a particular direction with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where he was going.
Jerry, dressed casually in comfortable Hawaiian shirt, black round sunglasses, and carrying his ever-present fishing rod more out of habit than intention, couldn't help but notice the attention they were attracting from passersby. Despite his attempt at a low-key appearance, their group was still drawing curious glances from other visitors to the islands.
Before long, they found themselves standing outside the entrance to Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Grove 13—a establishment that served as both a drinking spot and an information brokerage for those who could afford the prices.
Perhaps due to the early hour, or maybe for other reasons entirely, the bar appeared to have very few customers at the moment. Through the windows, they could see only two figures inside: the establishment's manager, Shakky, and the coating craftsman they knew as "Old Man Ray."
More than half a year earlier, when the Spade Pirates had first landed on these islands, Skull had discovered that the elderly coating specialist was actually none other than the legendary "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh—former first mate of the Pirate King's crew.
At the time, Skull hadn't fully understood the significance of Rayleigh choosing to live quietly in a bar that specialized in buying and selling information. It was only later, as his knowledge expanded during their time with the Whitebeard Pirates, that he'd come to appreciate the full implications of this arrangement.
He finally understood exactly who was operating behind the scenes at this seemingly simple establishment. However, his purpose today wasn't to seek out Rayleigh, but rather to conduct business with Shakky herself.
The trio—two humans and one lynx—pushed through the bar's entrance, with Skull taking the initiative to greet their hosts.
"Good morning, boss lady and Old Man Ray," he called out cheerfully.
"Oh my, what a pleasant surprise," Shakky replied, looking up from where she'd been organizing wine bottles and glasses behind the bar. "You must be Jerry and Skull from the Black Star Pirates. What brings you to my humble establishment?"
Despite her obvious surprise at seeing them, the experienced proprietress maintained her professional composure perfectly.
Hearing his name mentioned, Jerry raised his sunglasses and pushed them up onto his forehead before responding to her greeting. Then, with obvious mock confusion, he asked, "I thought my disguise was pretty thorough—how did you recognize me so easily?"
"Hahaha, you're quite the comedian, my friend," Rayleigh chuckled from where he sat nursing a drink at the bar. "According to our intelligence reports, you're rarely seen without that fishing rod of yours. It's become something of a signature trait."
"Seriously?" Jerry scratched his head with genuine bewilderment. "Has carrying a fishing rod really become that distinctive? I thought lots of people fished..."
It seemed his personal hobby had become such a well-known characteristic that it made him instantly recognizable to anyone with access to decent intelligence networks.
After the two men finished their casual banter, Skull turned his attention to Shakky with obvious business intentions. He reached into the backpack he'd brought specifically for this outing and withdrew several carefully organized documents.
"Ma'am, I'd like to arrange an information exchange with you," he said formally, approaching the bar with professional confidence.
"An exchange?" Shakky's eyebrows rose slightly with interest. "I know you're involved in the intelligence trade yourself, so I assume you understand how these transactions typically work?"
Shakky had vast experience dealing with information brokers and had encountered many people who made similar requests. Unfortunately, quite a few of them were simply hoping to obtain valuable intelligence without offering anything worthwhile in return.
Skull patted his chest with obvious pride and assurance. "Absolutely. What I'm bringing to the table is definitely exclusive information, and I can guarantee its value will meet your standards."
"Really now?" Shakky's professional interest was clearly piqued. "Come over here and let's discuss the details properly."
After glancing at the documents he carried, Shakky noted that this individual had recently returned from adventures in the New World and had spent considerable time with Whitebeard's organization. He shouldn't be as naive or unrealistic as the small-time troublemakers and clueless rookie pirates who occasionally tried to waste her time, so she gestured for him to join her at a table in a quieter section of the establishment.
Seeing that Skull and Shakky were settling in for serious business negotiations, Jerry and Rayleigh found themselves looking at each other across an suddenly awkward silence. Neither man seemed to have much to say initially, creating one of those uncomfortable social moments that sometimes happen between relative strangers.
Since he had nothing pressing to occupy his time anyway, Jerry decided to make an effort at casual conversation, even if it felt somewhat forced.
"So, Old Man Ray," he began with deliberate casualness, "are you finding retirement life satisfying and fulfilling these days?"
"It's... adequate," Rayleigh replied with mild curiosity. "Why do you ask? That's an unusual question from someone your age."
"Well, I like to think ahead about these things," Jerry explained with mock seriousness. "I want to plan out what I'll do after retirement while I'm still young. That way, if I ever get tired of the pirate life, I can retire early and avoid wasting decades figuring out what comes next."
Jerry didn't particularly envy people like Rayleigh who had chosen early retirement and apparently leisurely lifestyles. After all, he was well aware that the former pirate had no pension plan and frequently needed to take odd jobs to support himself financially.
"Haha, young man, I suspect you already know my true identity," Rayleigh said with an amused smile. "As a rising star like yourself—someone everyone's talking about throughout the Grand Line—you should probably focus on your present adventures rather than worrying about retirement planning."
Rayleigh found it genuinely amusing that such a notorious and rapidly advancing pirate would have such unconventional concerns about his future.
"That's exactly why I'm studying you right now—a successfully retired old-timer," Jerry replied with completely straight-faced logic.
However, Jerry's thought process proved even more unusual than Rayleigh had anticipated. Jerry began petting Kotatsu thoughtfully, then stretched his neck, cupped one hand near his mouth, and asked in a stage whisper:
"You retired immediately after returning from the Final Island, didn't you?"
"So I'm thinking the secret or whatever treasure you found there probably wasn't worth breaking up the crew over, right?"
"Is there some kind of depressing truth recorded there? Like... cosmic disappointment or existential dread?"
"What kind of cosmic disappointment..." Rayleigh started to respond, clearly confused by the direction this conversation was taking.
"You don't need to deny it, and you don't have to explain anything to me," Jerry interrupted, nodding sagely as though he possessed deep understanding of hidden truths. "I can read between the lines here."
Rayleigh stared helplessly at this self-proclaimed wise young man who seemed to spend most conversations talking to himself while apparently believing he'd uncovered some profound secret. The legendary pirate genuinely didn't know how to respond to such bizarre logic.
"Don't worry though!" Jerry added reassuringly. "I'll definitely keep your secret safe."
"Ah... well, that's... considerate of you," Rayleigh managed, shaking his head in bewilderment.
Based on the intelligence reports he'd reviewed, Rayleigh knew the man sitting across from him was genuinely capable and had accomplished impressive feats. However, there definitely seemed to be something uniquely unconventional about his behaviour.
Jerry was actually just amusing himself out of boredom. Seeing Rayleigh sitting there with apparently nothing to do, he'd decided to engage in some playful conversation to pass the time. After all, they weren't particularly familiar with each other—their only previous interaction had been the coating service Rayleigh had provided for their ship during the last visit.
"Oh, that reminds me," Jerry said, shifting to a more genuine tone now that they'd gotten the awkwardness out of the way. "Since we're done with the silly stuff, I should properly thank you for the coating work you did for our crew last time."
"The bubble coating was incredibly thin yet durable, with excellent protective qualities and perfect timing," he continued with sincere appreciation. "It allowed us to easily escape from that Marine encirclement we ran into. Really top-quality craftsmanship."
"You're quite welcome," Rayleigh replied with professional pride. "I was simply providing the service you paid for."
With the ice properly broken, they settled into more comfortable idle conversation while waiting for Skull and Shakky to conclude their serious intelligence negotiations at the other table.