Meanwhile, news about the Black Star Pirates spread across the seas once again, but this time the tone was completely different from their previous coverage. Gone were the sensational headlines, glowing praise, and inflammatory reports that had made them household names.
The reason was simple: Baterilla Island was just an ordinary, remote island, and the battle there had been secretly orchestrated by the Marines and World Government. The conflict had erupted too suddenly and in too isolated a location for proper media coverage.
There were no journalists on the island, which meant the World Economic News Agency couldn't obtain any firsthand information. All subsequent reports and sources came directly from Marine and World Government officials.
For Morgans, who prided himself on being a professional journalist—despite often pushing his own agenda—he still maintained certain ethical standards, especially after receiving a particularly generous "consultation fee" from government contacts.
Without access to accurate intelligence, he had little choice but to write press releases based entirely on information provided by the World Government.
The official reports painted the battle as an unqualified victory for the Marines and World Government, exactly as intended.
While the Black Star Pirates hadn't been captured or destroyed, Jerry—identified as the mastermind behind the Alabasta Celestial Dragon incident—was portrayed as a dangerous criminal who had been severely injured and barely escaped with his life, receiving the punishment he deserved.
This was naturally the World Government's way of making an example to deter others, appeasing the noble families of member nations while simultaneously warning other pirates about the consequences of defying authority.
Even though they hadn't achieved their ultimate goal of eliminating Jerry, deploying an Admiral had certainly sent a powerful message.
According to the official narrative, Jerry and his friends were depicted as a crew of vicious pirates who had fled the Grand Line and retreated to the Four Blues, only to discover they couldn't escape the long arm of Marine justice.
The World Government clearly intended to use these reports to restore and reinforce the dignity and status of the Celestial Dragons, sending an unmistakable message: "Anyone who offends the World Nobles will face consequences, no matter how far they run."
This mixture of truth and fiction successfully kept most uninformed citizens in the dark, achieving many of the government's predetermined objectives.
As long as Morgans honored the conditions attached to his generous payment and avoided actively reporting Black Star Pirates news in the near future, the crew would effectively disappear from public consciousness—unless they performed some earth-shattering feat too significant to suppress.
Given enough time, the World Government had plenty of methods to minimize the crew's negative impact or eliminate it entirely, shifting their countermeasures from public pursuit to covert operations.
Coincidentally, in the months that followed, Jerry and his crew avoided causing any disturbances shocking enough to force newspaper coverage.
Time flowed like a gentle river, carrying them toward new adventures.
On this particular day, Jerry and his crew entered completely unfamiliar waters.
"How are you holding up, Brook?" Jerry asked while adjusting his fishing equipment. "Still missing your hometown?"
The skeleton musician had been lounging in a deck chair like a piece of driftwood, but suddenly sprang to life at the question.
"Ah, I'm managing well enough! Though now that we've reached North Blue, I can only treasure the beautiful ladies of West Blue in my memories—not that I have a brain to store memories in! Yohohoho!" Brook sat up with his characteristic laugh, then paused in confusion. "Wait... don't I have a brain? I do have one, right? Hmm..."
Brook fell into deep contemplation, apparently genuinely puzzled about his own anatomy.
"Can't you just lift up your scalp and check?" Jerry suggested with a laugh, casting his fishing line into the blue waters. "That should settle the question pretty quickly."
Several months had passed since they'd parted ways with Ace. The Black Star Pirates had completed a leisurely circuit of West Blue before arriving in North Blue without major incident.
During those peaceful months, it wasn't that Jerry and his friends had deliberately hidden their whereabouts to avoid attention. Rather, they'd been remarkably fortunate, wandering for such a long time without encountering serious trouble. Even the minor conflicts they'd faced had been easily resolved.
West Blue was known as the birthplace and stronghold of various mafia organizations, but compared to other seas, it wasn't nearly as chaotic as its reputation suggested.
During this period, Capone Bege had essentially unified West Blue's criminal underworld under his control.
Compared to the Grand Line and South Blue that Jerry's crew had experienced, West Blue's civilians actually benefited from the strange order that existed within the apparent chaos.
On the surface, Marine forces maintained official law and order, while secretly, mafia families led by Capone Bege controlled the shadows. This dual system meant that ordinary pirates in West Blue rarely dared attempt anything too extreme, knowing they'd face consequences from one faction or another.
While the mafia didn't openly claim to protect civilian lives the way Marines did, their territorial control created a deterrent effect against common pirates, indirectly bringing a measure of peace to ordinary people.
Jerry and his friends had wandered through many locations, including the ruins of O'Hara where the Tree of All-Knowing had been burned, leaving only scorched earth and painful memories. They'd visited numerous large and small island kingdoms, leaving their footprints across West Blue's diverse landscape.
Jerry had even asked Skull to investigate and search for any traces of the legendary God Valley Island, but they'd found nothing and eventually abandoned the quest.
Throughout this extended journey, they'd passed through countless islands without encountering Capone Bege or any mafia interference. When they'd docked at the Kingdom of Flowers, they'd missed the famous Happo Marine, who were reportedly away on a mission.
Similarly, they'd seen no further signs of CP0 pursuit, and while they occasionally witnessed Revolutionary Army activities, Jerry's group had chosen not to get involved.
Where light existed, shadows naturally followed. Across the vast ocean, there would always be evil pirates, corrupt Marines, and tyrannical kingdoms causing suffering.
When faced with such people and situations, Jerry and his crew could only address problems as they encountered them or when others forced confrontation upon them. They couldn't solve every injustice they passed.
It was worth noting that Brook's homeland still existed as a small kingdom in West Blue. It had apparently survived by becoming a World Government member nation many years ago, avoiding the fate of being selected by Celestial Dragons every three years and subsequently destroyed like non-member countries.
When Brook had returned to his birthplace, everything had changed—but the biggest change was in himself.
Given his skeletal appearance, Brook had quietly walked through his hometown without engaging in deep conversations with locals. Besides, more than fifty years had passed since he'd left the kingdom to become a pirate, and few familiar faces remained.
After routinely asking various beautiful women if he could see their underwear—and being ruthlessly rejected without exception—Brook had left his memory-filled homeland with a heavy heart.
"Hmm... North Blue, is this really possible?" Bonney asked curiously, holding up some colorful comic books for Jerry and the others to see.
"Oh! Germa 66!" Skull transformed into teacher mode, organizing his thoughts before continuing. "Germa 66 is absolutely real, though slightly different from the comic book version."
"These days, Germa is no longer the sole ruler of North Blue, but has become the world's only maritime nation without fixed territory."
"Normally, multiple snail ships combine to form a kingdom, but they can separate when necessary for strategic purposes..." Skull selected relevant information and provided a brief introduction to the real Germa organization.
"I know! These are the snail houses that Brother Jerry told us about!" Carrot raised her hand excitedly.
"Germa 66—what a brilliant name," Jerry said, giving a thumbs up. "Everyone who sees it immediately thinks 'awesome.'"
Carina looked up from her own reading material with a skeptical expression. "Wait, so you're telling me there's actually a kingdom that travels around on giant snails? That sounds completely ridiculous."
"The world is full of ridiculous things," Deuce pointed out from where he was updating their charts. "We've seen islands in the sky, fish-people living underwater, and a skeleton who can walk and talk. Giant snail ships aren't really that strange in comparison."
"Plus, they have some fascinating technology," Skull added enthusiastically. "Their scientific advancements in genetics and warfare are supposedly quite impressive, though much of it remains closely guarded secrets."
Jerry cast his line deeper into the North Blue waters, wondering what new adventures this sea might bring. After the relative peace of West Blue, he was almost looking forward to whatever challenges North Blue might offer.
"Well," he said with a grin, "I guess we'll find out soon enough what North Blue has in store for us."