The auction hall gleamed under brilliant chandeliers, its elegant simplicity reflecting careful attention to every detail. The venue radiated quality and sophistication, from the polished marble floors to the ornate moldings that decorated the walls. Soft classical music played in the background, adding to the refined atmosphere.
After entering, Jerry and his crew discovered the hall was packed with people, creating a buzz of excitement and anticipation. VIP guests occupied an exclusive long table positioned near the main stage, their expensive clothing and confident demeanor marking them as the evening's biggest spenders. The remaining seats were filled with wealthy collectors from across the world, notorious pirates, underground brokers, and various other colorful characters drawn by the promise of rare treasures.
Jerry scanned the crowd with interest, noting the diverse mix of expressions on the attendees' faces. Some appeared supremely confident, already planning their bidding strategies, while others seemed anxious or nervous, clutching their auction paddles with white knuckles. Everyone had their own agenda and secrets.
The Black Star Pirates found their assigned seats in the middle section, with Kotatsu curling up comfortably at Jerry's feet. The venue staff had thoughtfully provided small tables with refreshments, and Jerry had supplemented these with his own snacks, much to his crew's delight.
As they settled in, Jerry's Observation Haki automatically swept across the room—a habit he'd developed for detecting potential threats. Something immediately caught his attention: a group of roughly ten strong-looking men huddled together in whispered conversation, their body language suggesting they were planning something significant.
The group wore what appeared to be form-fitting armor beneath heavy cloaks that concealed most of their equipment. An older gentleman in expensive formal wear seemed to be their leader, speaking in urgent, hushed tones to his friends. One member of the group looked particularly anxious, constantly glancing toward the curtained backstage area with obvious worry.
Jerry continued to observe them with casual interest, his mouse mask hiding his expression. The nervous man suddenly seemed to sense his attention and turned around, only to find Jerry smiling and nodding cheerfully at him.
The man's face tightened with alarm. Had their operation been discovered? He shot Jerry a fierce glare before quickly turning back to whisper urgently to the gentleman leader.
The older man glanced over at Jerry and saw the mouse-masked figure still grinning and waving in a friendly manner. He shook his head dismissively, reasoning that their carefully planned covert operation couldn't be so easily detected by some random auction-goer. Besides, the rat person's silly behavior suggested he was just being friendly, not threatening. The gentleman turned away, deciding to ignore the potential distraction.
"Boss Jerry, what's wrong?" Skull asked quietly, noticing Jerry's focused attention on the suspicious group.
"Nothing serious," Jerry replied casually, leaning back in his seat. "Just looks like tonight's auction won't be as peaceful as expected."
Jerry had no real idea what the group was actually planning—his Observation Haki had simply detected their nervous energy and obvious intent to cause trouble. From their behavior, it seemed like they were planning some kind of rescue operation, which was interesting enough to keep an eye on.
The auction hadn't started yet, so the crew relaxed in their seats, enjoying the provided refreshments along with Jerry's additional snacks. Carina made notes in a small notebook, probably cataloguing the other bidders and their apparent wealth levels. Carrot bounced excitedly in her seat, ears twitching as she took in all the new sights and sounds. Skull adjusted his collector's bag nervously, still uncomfortable in crowds this large.
Meanwhile, on another part of Sabaody Archipelago, Ace and Deuce had spent the better part of the day exploring the island's attractions. After Ace had eaten his way through approximately half the restaurants in the area and was finally about eighty percent full, he suddenly remembered something Deuce had mentioned during their previous visit.
"Come on," Ace said with a grin, "I'll help you fulfill one of your childhood dreams."
"Huh? What dream?" Deuce looked confused, having just left their latest restaurant stop and expecting Ace to immediately head toward the next food establishment.
Ace raised his finger and pointed toward a massive structure that dominated the nearby skyline.
"The Ferris wheel? Oh, come on..." Deuce's voice trailed off as he stared at the enormous attraction.
The giant wheel turned slowly against the afternoon sky, its brightly colored gondolas creating a mesmerizing rainbow pattern as they rotated. The sight was genuinely spectacular, and despite his embarrassment, Deuce couldn't hide the slight longing in his expression.
"What do you mean 'come on'? Have you ridden one before?" Ace asked with an amused smirk.
"That's not the point! Let's just go somewhere else," Deuce protested, but his eyes kept drifting back to the Ferris wheel.
"Don't be so embarrassed about it," Ace laughed, already pushing Deuce's shoulder to guide him in that direction. "You've been talking about wanting to try it since we got here last time."
"You... you were the one who said you wanted to ride it!" Deuce sputtered.
"Sure, sure. Now stop arguing and let's go."
The two made their way quickly through the crowds, and before long they'd reached the ticket booth at the base of the massive attraction. Just as Ace was reaching for his wallet to purchase their tickets, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"Fire Fist? What are you doing here?"
Both Ace and Deuce froze, then turned around in surprise to find Isuka standing behind them. She was dressed in civilian clothes—a simple blue dress and light jacket—which made her look younger and more relaxed than they remembered. However, they still recognized her immediately as the Marine officer who had pursued them for so long.
"Hey, Isuka!" Ace greeted her cheerfully, apparently unfazed by the unexpected encounter. "Want to join us? I was just buying tickets for the Ferris wheel."
While Deuce stood there looking stunned by the casual invitation, Ace stepped up to the booth and purchased three tickets without waiting for an answer.
"That's... actually fine," Isuka replied after a moment's hesitation. "I'm on vacation today, so I might as well try to relax for once."
She had to admit she'd always been curious about the famous Ferris wheel—one of Sabaody's most popular attractions—but had never ridden it due to concerns about maintaining her professional image as a Marine officer.
The three of them joined the surprisingly short line, making small talk while they waited. Soon enough, it was their turn to board one of the spacious gondolas.
Once they were settled inside the enclosed cabin and the wheel began its slow ascent, Deuce finally found his voice.
"You're still a Marine, right? Are you sure it's okay to be here with us?"
"I'm on vacation, and I'm already here," Isuka replied with a slight shrug. "So I'll just forget about work for now."
Before Deuce could relax completely, she continued with a small smile, "But once we leave this amusement park, we'll go back to doing what we're supposed to do."
"Ah... so you mean you'll go back to chasing us?" Deuce asked with a resigned shake of his head.
Ace, however, seemed completely unbothered by the arrangement. "How have you been since that whole thing with Draw?" he asked genuinely.
"Thanks to you guys, I've been doing pretty well," Isuka replied, her expression growing more serious as she recalled recent events. "After what happened that day..."
Her faith in Marine justice had been severely shaken when she learned the truth about Vice Admiral Draw's actions. She'd walked away from that confrontation in a daze, unable to focus or find motivation for several days afterward.
Fortunately, the person who had appeared on the island that day wasn't just Admiral Kizaru, who had been temporarily assigned to the Celestial Dragon. Vice Admiral Momousagi Gion, one of the Admiral candidates, had also been dispatched by Fleet Admiral Sengoku as backup insurance in case the Warlord negotiations failed and Ace's crew became hostile.
However, Gion had been delayed by other duties and arrived half a day late. Vice Admiral Draw had been too impatient and overconfident to wait for the additional support, choosing instead to proceed with the negotiations on his own schedule.
After Draw's defeat and Jerry's dramatic intervention that diverted Kizaru's attention, Ace and the others had managed to escape successfully. By the time Momousagi arrived on the scene, the situation was essentially over.
Vice Admiral Draw, who had ignored the established plan and initiated negotiations prematurely, faced serious accountability measures afterward. When Gion learned about the full incident—and about Isuka's personal crisis of faith—she decided to take the young officer under her wing.
That's how Isuka had ended up serving under Momousagi by chance. The Vice Admiral's unit consisted primarily of female Marines, and with their encouragement and support, Isuka's emotional state had gradually stabilized as she rebuilt her personal beliefs about justice.
Since Momousagi was renowned as one of the Marine's master swordswomen, Isuka's own swordsmanship had improved dramatically under her guidance. The intensive training and combat experience with the elite unit had pushed her skills to new heights.
After listening to Isuka's story, Ace picked his nose thoughtfully and said, "Sounds like things worked out pretty well for you."
"So you've got a new boss now?" Deuce asked.
"It's Vice Admiral Momousagi Gion-sama," Isuka corrected with a slight note of pride in her voice. "And I've been promoted too—I'm a Captain at Marine Headquarters now."
Ace's eyes widened in surprise, and he raised his chin with an impressed expression.