"Oh really?" Rayleigh and Shakky looked at Jerry with obviously amused expressions, clearly expecting him to elaborate on his cryptic statement.
Jerry blinked innocently and shrugged. "Nothing more to it. Just eat well and sleep soundly, you know?"
"Uncle Rayleigh," Nami stepped forward with clasped hands and an earnest expression, "we would really like to ask you to either guide us personally or provide the exact location of Amazon Lily. We absolutely must find Luffy. Please help us!"
At this crucial moment, Sanji and Zoro also stopped their constant bickering and bowed deeply alongside their crewmates, showing genuine respect and desperation.
Jerry simply spread his hands toward Rayleigh and remained silent, letting the Straw Hat Pirates make their own case.
Rayleigh studied the determined faces of the Straw Hat Pirates for a long moment, complex emotions flashing in his eyes. There was warmth there—the kind that came from precious memories—along with something that looked almost like relief. He turned his head and shared a meaningful smile with Shakky.
"In that case," he said finally, "I suppose it's time for me to move these old bones of mine."
Hearing Rayleigh's agreement, Nami and the others looked up in surprise, their faces lighting up with joyful smiles as they cheered with obvious relief.
During their journey to the bar, Jerry had specifically mentioned that it would be much better if Nami and her crewmates could convince the legendary Dark King to help them directly.
Otherwise, even if they managed to reach Amazon Lily on their own, there would definitely be numerous misunderstandings and complications waiting for them there.
After all, the current ruler of Amazon Lily was the notoriously willful Empress Boa Hancock, and Jerry honestly wasn't sure whether there would be immediate conflict between the Empress and Luffy upon their first meeting.
The nation of Amazon Lily was extremely exclusive toward the outside world, yet remarkably united internally. The Kuja warriors were incredibly loyal to their empress, following her orders without question or hesitation.
Luffy's inevitable intrusion was bound to cause significant chaos. If he ended up captured and they couldn't resolve the misunderstanding quickly, Jerry feared that without Rayleigh's expert mediation, Nami and her crew would struggle to rescue their captain easily.
It was based on these practical considerations that Jerry had wanted to "drag Rayleigh into the water," so to speak.
Seeing that the former vice-captain had agreed to help, Jerry stroked his chin thoughtfully and secretly guessed that Rayleigh had most likely recognized something significant about Luffy's identity and felt compelled to assist him.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Rayleigh," Robin said hesitantly, her voice carrying obvious internal conflict. "But I have another question I need to ask—about the Void Century, and about..." She had been wrestling with her uncertainty for some time, but finally decided to voice the question she'd always wanted answered.
When these words left her mouth, most of the people present immediately perked up their ears with interest, except for a select few who seemed less concerned.
While they weren't particularly invested in this blank period of history for scholarly reasons, they instinctively realized they were about to hear some major secrets and wanted to get in on the revelation.
Rayleigh's eyes flashed with deep nostalgia as he responded, "We do know everything about that history, but even if I told you everything right here and now, there wouldn't be anything you could actually do with that knowledge."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Both we and your homeland of Ohara were perhaps a little too impatient in our approaches... I'd suggest you take your time to search and discover things for yourself. Maybe you'll find a different answer than we did."
After a moment of consideration, he added, "Of course, if you really want to know everything right now, I can certainly tell you."
After hearing Rayleigh's thoughtful response, Robin fell into deep contemplation, then shook her head with visible resolution. "No, I think you're right. I'll wait."
"Eh? Wait, don't give up so easily! I actually want to hear what this old man has to say," Jerry suddenly interrupted with obvious curiosity.
When Rayleigh glanced meaningfully at Robin and the others, they remained silent about their decision. Jerry chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, fine. If you don't want to share, that's your choice."
Before he could finish that thought, Carina asked with bright interest, "Does that legendary great treasure actually contain a lot of valuable stuff?!"
This question immediately captured Nami's intense attention. Her eyes instantly transformed into berry symbols as she stared at Rayleigh with laser-like focus.
Not only were the two treasure-obsessed women interested, but Usopp and the others—who had been slightly disappointed about not hearing the historical secrets—were now waiting excitedly for this answer.
Rayleigh's lips curved upward in a knowing smile. "Of course. It contains the greatest treasure belonging to all of humanity."
Jerry nodded seriously while adopting a scholarly tone. "Allow me to translate that for everyone. What he means is that there may not be the kind of treasure you're specifically hoping for, but there might be other types of valuable things there."
Seeing that Rayleigh didn't contradict this interpretation, both Carina and Nami looked at each other and couldn't help scratching their heads in mild confusion.
Afterward, everyone spent some pleasant time chatting casually in the bar. Once Rayleigh had made his preparations, they all walked out together and headed toward where the Black Nova was anchored.
A group of more than a dozen people walking through the streets naturally attracted considerable attention from passersby.
But similar to their earlier experience when arriving, no one from any official Marine organization appeared to confront them directly. Occasionally, when some lawless elements looked like they might want to cause trouble, they were typically restrained by their own accomplices who recognized the danger.
"It seems like I haven't encountered many of my devoted fans today," Cavendish mused aloud, holding Farul's reins with one hand while gingerly touching the bandages wrapped around his torso with the other. "But that's probably for the best. I don't look particularly suitable for meeting fans in this current state."
Brook, who was walking nearby, lifted his coat and patted his exposed ribcage with satisfaction. "That's exactly why I keep telling everyone to drink more milk! Look, I'm almost completely healed already. Yohohoho!"
Just as Brook claimed, his bones that had originally been damaged in the recent battle now showed only tiny, barely perceptible hairline cracks.
"Eating carrots works too!" Carrot puffed out her cheeks indignantly and raised the orange vegetable she was currently munching on.
Watching their playful banter with an amused smile, Deuce asked casually, "Mr. Rayleigh, approximately how long does it take to reach Amazon Lily from here?"
Rayleigh tilted his head thoughtfully and calculated in his mind. "Based on the speed of a normal sailing ship, it would probably take about seven or eight days of steady travel."
"That's not too far compared to the distances between other major islands on the Grand Line," Nami murmured with some relief.
Before long, the entire group had returned to the quiet coastline along the same path they'd taken earlier.
As they watched the Black Nova slowly emerge from beneath the ocean's surface, Rayleigh looked at Jerry with genuine surprise and admiration. "Well now! That's quite an innovative approach you've developed there."
Jerry shrugged with characteristic nonchalance. "Nothing special really. That's just the current limit of what my abilities can accomplish."
Regarding his obvious humble-bragging, Deuce and the others remained diplomatically silent, while Rayleigh simply smiled and shook his head in amusement.
As Jerry's strength had grown over their journey, he had become capable of remotely keeping the Black Nova hidden beneath the sea for extended periods without any difficulty.
This capability had developed because there were relatively few people in the Black Star Pirates' crew, and every time they made landfall on an island, everyone agreed it wasn't practical to leave someone behind to guard their ship.
If they remained consistently unprepared and someone actually managed to steal their ship, they would find themselves completely stranded and helpless.
So Jerry had devised this elegant solution based on his unique abilities. Given his tremendous strength and specialized powers, this operation didn't create any burden or strain for him whatsoever.
Even if someone actually attempted to dive down and board the submerged Black Nova, Jerry could easily detect everything through his keen perception of water and the movements within it.
"Alright then, let's get going," Jerry called out as the Black Nova finished surfacing. He jumped onto the deck first and gestured for everyone to follow.
Once all the passengers had boarded safely, the Black Nova began moving in the direction Rayleigh indicated. Using ocean currents that Jerry controlled and directed, the ship sped toward their destination with remarkable efficiency, cutting through the waves as they embarked on their mission to reach Amazon Lily and reunite Luffy with his scattered crew.
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