After staying several more days to thoroughly test their new weapon's various capabilities, the crew finally bid farewell and departed under Judge's envious gaze.
There was no helping it—Judge wanted to construct a larger, more complex upgraded version of the device. However, manufacturing such advanced weaponry required additional rare materials and much higher costs that he simply couldn't afford at present.
Moreover, certain technologies remained immature, requiring deeper research that would demand even more funding. Judge currently faced significant financial headaches.
However, this wasn't Jerry's crew's concern, because without realizing it, they had returned to the long-missed East Blue.
At noon that day, aboard the Black Nova, which had just arrived in East Blue waters...
"Ah! Stinky Bonney, change me back right now!" Carrot, transformed into a small child by the Age-Age Fruit's power, was riding on Kotatsu's back while chasing little Bonney in their ongoing game.
"Ha! Deuce, we've been at sea for more than two and a half years now. Time really flies," Jerry said, standing at the bow while stretching lazily and sighing.
"Yes, we're finally back to this sea... Looking back to when we were struggling to survive with Ace on that deserted island, it feels like yesterday," Deuce replied from nearby, gazing up at the blue sky with nostalgic eyes.
Jerry patted Deuce's shoulder and looked quietly toward the distant horizon. After a long moment, he turned and walked toward the mast where Skull was checking intelligence reports.
"Skull, can you give me some recent East Blue newspapers?" Jerry immediately asked for assistance.
Then he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, isn't it almost time for Ace's little brother—Monkey D. Luffy—to set sail?"
"Monkey D. Luffy, right?" Deuce's voice came from behind as he followed them over.
"That's right. Boss Ace mentioned it should be sometime in May," Skull nodded affirmatively, then handed over a small stack of newspapers. "Here, Boss Jerry. This contains recent news and intelligence about East Blue."
Jerry accepted the papers, raised his hand in an OK gesture, said thanks, and squatted down on a small stool nearby.
"Hmm, the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro... this guy's starting to make a name for himself."
"Buggy the Clown's latest escapades..."
Jerry muttered to himself while casually flipping through the materials Skull had recently organized.
"What's wrong, Brother Jerry? Do you know these people?" Carrot asked curiously, having stopped her chase to munch on a carrot with obvious satisfaction.
"Yeah, Brother Jerry's hometown is East Blue, right? It's not surprising he'd know people from there," little Bonney added happily while enjoying the ginger pudding Jerry had provided.
Jerry looked at both girls with amusement and shook his head. "I don't actually know them personally. Just browsing the local news."
"Speaking of which, Mr. Jerry, Mr. Deuce, and Miss Carina—you're all from East Blue, aren't you? Do you miss your homeland?" Brook asked, pausing his violin practice.
"I've been wandering since childhood, so I don't have a hometown in the traditional sense," Jerry replied with a light smile. "What about you, Deuce? Want to go back for a visit?"
"If it's on our route, I might consider it. But honestly, going back would just mean being looked down upon. Besides, I'm a pirate now—it wouldn't be good for them to associate with pirates," Deuce said calmly.
Seeing everyone's attention focused on her, Carina looked up at the sky as if lost in beautiful memories from the past.
After a long pause, Carina said uncertainly, "If possible, I'd like to visit... Cocoyasi Village. I think that's the correct name."
"Cocoyasi Village?" Everyone couldn't help but repeat the unfamiliar place name.
"Yes, I once had a... friend there. Well, I haven't seen her for a long time. I wonder if she's thought things through and forgiven me," Carina said quietly, staring at the sea in a trance.
Similar to Jerry's background, Carina had also experienced wandering outside since childhood, working as a thief to survive.
The former friend Carina mentioned was naturally Nami, with whom she'd had many conflicts while both specialized in targeting pirates through different methods.
A gleam seemed to flash in Brook's dark eye sockets. "Ms. Carina's partner must be a lovely lady, right? I wonder if she'd be willing to let me see her panties? Yohohoho!"
"Looks like this young master is about to gain another devoted fan," Cavendish declared, emerging from nearby with a rose between his teeth that he flicked dramatically.
Carina was speechless for a moment, then pointed accusingly at both of them. "You two perverts, get out of here! What are you fantasizing about?!"
Laughing at Brook and Cavendish's deflated expressions, Carrot and little Bonney tiptoed excitedly while raising their hands. "And us! We want to visit that floating restaurant too!"
"Sure, we'll go wherever you want. Deuce will arrange our itinerary," Jerry said, reclining in his exclusive deck chair while waiting for his fishing line to get another bite.
Deuce nodded, checking their sea charts before looking up. "Alright, we'll visit Cocoyasi Village first, then stop by East Blue's most famous restaurant—Baratie—to sample their cuisine."
"Yeah!" Carrot cheered while little Bonney had already begun imagining the taste of various delicious foods.
In the northwest region of East Blue lay the Konomi Islands, where more than twenty villages were scattered across the archipelago. Cocoyasi Village was one of them.
This sea area fell under the jurisdiction of the 16th Marine Branch, but Jerry's crew hadn't encountered any Marine ships during their approach.
"Perfect timing! We've reached a new island and something's biting..." Jerry shouted excitedly from the bow, standing up to pull his fishing rod vigorously.
The next second, he regained his composure, quickly and calmly threw the unknown piece of garbage from his hook back into the ocean, pretended nothing had happened, and returned to his original position.
Little Bonney had apparently heard Jerry's comment, but she didn't care whether he'd actually caught fish or not. Instead, she pointed curiously toward the left side of their ship, where a rather conspicuous building stood on the island's coast.
"What's that structure over there?!" she shouted with interest.
Hearing this, Carrot's eyes shifted over as she asked in surprise, "Eh?! Is that an amusement park? It looks a bit like the one in Sabaody! Is there anything fun to do there?"
Little Bonney's eyes lit up with excitement. "An amusement park? Let's go check it out!"
Jerry glanced casually at the structure, then gently stroked Carrot's head while the corner of his mouth turned upward in a knowing smile. "There's definitely something interesting there."
The two girls' enthusiasm attracted everyone's attention. Carina looked at the building they were discussing and said softly, "Let's go. Since we're here anyway, we can visit the village together afterward."
"Yay! Let's go to the amusement park!" Carrot and little Bonney jumped excitedly in place.