The next morning, Jerry and his crew departed Water 7 aboard the Sea Train as if nothing had happened the previous night. Behind them, Iceberg had already arranged for his shipwrights to begin construction at Dock No. 1, working around the clock according to the functional requirements Deuce had meticulously outlined.
Meanwhile, both Iceberg and Franky would begin their covert investigation of the undercover list Jerry had provided, carefully monitoring the daily activities of Kalifa and the other suspected CP9 agents without arousing suspicion.
"Woohooo! So this is the Sea Train? This is incredible!" Carrot exclaimed, pressing her face against the window as the ocean spray misted past them.
"Fascinating! It doesn't look like it should be able to sail on the sea, yet it moves so fast," Brook marveled, his skull face somehow managing to convey wonder. "This is the first time I've seen such a contraption in all my years—both living and dead!"
"Hahaha, Brook, times have changed quite a bit since your day," Jerry chuckled, stretching in his seat. "You'll need to update your perspective on the world."
The crew filled the train car with animated chatter as they marveled at Tom's revolutionary invention. The Sea Train glided smoothly across the ocean surface, its rhythmic clacking creating a soothing soundtrack to their journey. Through the windows, they could see other islands connected by the elaborate track system, each one growing larger as they approached their destination.
Their target was none other than the highly anticipated Pucci, the renowned Food City. According to information they'd gathered during their brief stay in Water 7, some kind of major culinary celebration was about to begin, making it the perfect opportunity for the crew to enjoy themselves while their new ship was under construction.
After half a day's train journey across the sparkling blue waters, they finally arrived at their destination. The moment they disembarked, everyone was immediately struck by the incredible atmosphere—even the air itself seemed saturated with the rich aromas of countless delicious foods.
Jerry stepped onto the platform and stretched his arms above his head. "Finally here. It's been a while since I took a train like this," he said with a nostalgic smile.
"Eh? Boss Jerry, have you ridden the Sea Train before?" Skull asked curiously, adjusting his collection of bone-related accessories. "Tom's Sea Train system only opened a few years ago to connect these islands. As far as I know, you've never been to this region before."
"Sure have—rode it in my dreams," Jerry replied with a completely serious expression, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Get out of here!" Carina scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Next you'll be telling us you saw the One Piece in your dreams too!"
"How did you know I saw that in my dreams?" Jerry asked with exaggerated surprise, his eyes widening dramatically.
"Yohohoho! Speaking of dreams, I can enjoy seeing beautiful ladies' panties in mine!" Brook chimed in with his signature laugh, striking a pose despite being a skeleton.
As they bantered, the group made their way through the bustling Sea Train station and onto the main streets of Pucci. The sight that greeted them was nothing short of spectacular.
The streets teemed with people from all walks of life—locals, tourists, merchants, and fellow pirates all mingling together in the festive atmosphere. Countless shops and food stalls were arranged in perfect order along both sides of the wide thoroughfares, creating a harmonious blend of commerce and celebration. The entire city seemed to be designed with food in mind, with multiple streets converging from different directions into a massive central square, from which the town radiated outward like spokes on a wheel.
The crowd moved in a constant, lively flow, and the sheer variety of cuisines on display was staggering. Stalls and shop windows showcased everything from exotic meats and fresh seafood to elaborate pastries and candies. The city planners had been brilliant in their organization—different types of food were categorized into distinct districts, allowing visitors to easily find what they craved while preventing the various aromas from mixing into an overwhelming cacophony of scents.
Instead, each area had its own distinct olfactory character: the sweet perfume of a candy district, the rich smokiness of barbecue row, the fresh ocean scent of the seafood quarter, and the warm, yeasty comfort of the bakery section.
"Wow! There are so many amazing foods!" Carrot practically bounced on her feet, her rabbit ears twitching with excitement.
"Foodie Number One, requesting permission to attack!" Ace declared dramatically, already drooling as his eyes darted between dozens of different stalls.
Deuce sighed and began his usual responsible routine. "Does everyone remember where our hotel is? And the meeting—"
"Go ahead, everyone's free to explore!" Jerry interrupted with a grin, waving his hand dismissively. "Just don't get into too much trouble."
The crew immediately scattered into their preferred groups. Carrot and Carina set off together with Kotatsu in tow—the two had developed quite a bond over feeding and spoiling the large lynx, and Jerry was more than happy to have some free time to explore at his own pace.
"Oh? What's all that commotion over there?" Jerry asked, noticing a particularly dense crowd gathered around something in the distance.
While casually strolling and sampling various street foods, he spotted the gathering and nodded to Skull and Brook. The three of them made their way through the crowd, using Jerry's impressive physique and Brook's naturally intimidating skeleton appearance to politely but firmly clear a path.
When they finally squeezed through to the front, they found themselves facing numerous bulletin boards covered with schedules and program descriptions for a celebration that would officially begin the following day. This explained all the decorative lights and colorful banners they'd noticed throughout their walk—the entire city was preparing for something big.
"Food festival activities?" Jerry read aloud, scanning the various announcements.
"Cooking competition, gourmet rankings, taste-testing tournaments..." Skull continued, reading from another board.
"Fishing competition?" Brook added, pointing with a bony finger.
All three of them had spoken the last words simultaneously, their attention drawn to the same announcement. Jerry felt a familiar spark of interest—and perhaps inevitability.
"Yohohoho! Mr. Jerry, isn't this right up your alley?" Brook asked with his characteristic laugh.
"Absolutely, Boss Jerry! Are you planning to enter?" Skull added eagerly.
Jerry stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well... it's not impossible. Let's see what the details are."
Just as he spoke, Jerry heard a familiar chime in his mind. Recognizing the telltale sound of his system activating, he quickly opened the interface to check.
[Ding! Random Quest Triggered: Fishing Champion]
[Quest Reward: Double attribute rewards for completing daily tasks for one week, plus one Mystery Treasure Chest]
[Quest Penalty: Confess to the mermaid girls on Fishman Island that you are the perverted underwear thief]
"What a ridiculous system!" Jerry thought to himself, his eye twitching slightly. "Last time it really tried to destroy my magnificent reputation."
He wondered if the system had just had a temporary malfunction before, and after realizing it couldn't successfully trick him, had returned to its normal quest-giving behavior.
Not wanting to draw attention to his internal dialogue, Jerry closed the interface and shrugged casually. As it happened, he'd already been interested in participating in the competition anyway—now the system had simply given him an additional incentive with an official quest.
After locating the registration area on the map, he and Skull walked over to sign up. The registration booth had been strategically placed close to the announcement boards, presumably to help visitors with poor directional sense find their way easily.
After completing his registration, Skull examined the detailed competition guidelines and schedule. "Oh, Boss Jerry, your competition is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. They're running the events in order throughout the day."
"That works perfectly," Jerry replied with supreme confidence. "I can spend the morning exploring and shopping, then casually stroll over and claim the championship."
This was, after all, just a small local fishing competition. Even if the celebration had attracted participants from across the region, Jerry was absolutely certain of his victory. He'd always considered his fishing skills to be unmatched anywhere in the world. When he occasionally failed to catch fish, it was clearly the fault of the fish themselves—they should reflect on why they weren't biting his hooks instead of being so unreasonably picky about their meals.
"Yes, it'll be good to explore more thoroughly," Brook agreed. "There really are incredible foods here. I'm so satisfied I could swallow my tongue—though of course, I don't have a tongue anymore! Yohohoho!"
The celebration would officially begin tomorrow, but many businesses were already hosting preliminary events and festivities. Different performance groups entertained crowds throughout the city, creating a constant stream of music, dancing, and culinary demonstrations.
The crew spent the entire day wandering through the various districts, sampling foods and enjoying the pre-festival atmosphere. From morning until well into the evening, there was a continuous parade of rich performances and cultural displays that only gradually wound down as the night deepened and the crowds began to thin.
Later that evening, everyone had returned to their hotel rooms to rest and prepare for the next day's festivities. Jerry was just settling in for the night when he noticed a dark shadow flash past his window. In the distance, he could hear the whistle of wind, along with faint sounds of conflict—shouting voices and the distinctive clash of metal on metal.
"Oh? Looks like someone ran into that narcissist," Jerry murmured to himself, activating his Observation Haki to sense the disturbance in more detail.