"Rise: Spirit of the Sea!"
Jerry stood up and suddenly threw a devastating punch into the air.
A mighty and imposing water dragon formed directly in front of his fist and rushed toward World's fifty-times-enhanced cannonball with tremendous force.
There was a thunderous explosion that shook heaven and earth. The massive projectile—powerful enough to obliterate the entire island—was intercepted by the water dragon and detonated harmlessly in midair.
Flames scattered in all directions while powerful shockwaves surged through the atmosphere.
"What was that thing? A dragon?" The crew members aboard World's pirate ship exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
World narrowed his eyes, his piercing gaze seeming to penetrate the dust and smoke in the distance as he focused on the island ahead.
He had an uncomfortable feeling that there might be some genuinely formidable opponents on that landmass.
"World! We need to retreat immediately!" Byojack said with obvious anxiety, trembling as he pulled several newspapers and bounty posters from inside his coat. "If the intelligence I've gathered is accurate, that technique we just witnessed should belong to the man who's been making headlines recently—'Leviathan' Jerry!"
World casually took the papers, glanced briefly at Jerry's familiar bounty poster, then threw all the information back to his brother without any apparent concern.
Then he opened his mouth wide, revealing his uneven teeth, and burst into hearty, mocking laughter. "Isn't this just some young brat? I am the World Destroyer, Byrnndi World!"
"I don't care what your reputation might be, but don't think you can just get away with scaring off the big fish that was about to bite my hook!" Before the smoke and dust from the cannonball explosion had fully dissipated, a clear voice echoed from within the cloud, reaching the ears of everyone in the World Pirates.
The sound of splashing water could be heard, and four figures gradually became visible as they approached rapidly, riding along with the rolling waves.
"Just as I feared... it's the Black Star Pirates! World, we need to—"
Looking at the three men and one woman who were somehow standing on the ocean's surface without sinking, Byojack fixed his worried gaze on the nonchalant-looking man and spoke urgently.
However, before Byojack could finish his warning, World waved his hand dismissively, signaling for silence, and stared at Jerry's group with sharp, challenging eyes. "So you're 'Leviathan' Jerry? Do you really think you can stop me?"
The approaching figures were Jerry and Carrot in the center, with Brook and Cavendish positioned on the left and right respectively.
Although Cavendish still had bandages wrapped around his torso and his injuries from the recent war hadn't completely healed, he showed no signs of backing down from the confrontation.
Hearing World's arrogant question, Jerry casually put his hands in his pockets and raised a disdainful smirk. "Tch, stop being so self-important. The world doesn't revolve around you, old man!"
Then he stretched out his right hand, flexed his fingers meaningfully, and continued with calm authority, "I originally thought that if we hadn't encountered each other, I would have just ignored your existence entirely. But now you've not only taken the initiative to attack us, but also scared away my potential catch. It seems I'll have to use you as bait one way or another."
"How utterly ridiculous!" World slammed his fists together with obvious contempt. "When I was terrorizing the World Government and the Marines, you probably weren't even born yet! You're young, but you certainly have an arrogant mouth!"
After delivering this insult, he reached toward Byojack and took four tiny shells, holding them carefully between his fingers.
"More-More: Fifty-Times Cannon!"
He suddenly raised both arms, and four bullet-sized shells shot out instantly. They rapidly expanded in size while traveling through the air, becoming massive projectiles that targeted Jerry and his three companions respectively.
However, facing these high-speed artillery rounds, Brook didn't even blink—though he didn't have eyes capable of blinking anyway.
Carrot stretched her arms and legs casually as if nothing dangerous was happening, while Cavendish raised the corners of his mouth in an amused smile and waved his left hand with elegant ease.
Suddenly, an enormous lightning net composed of countless electrical bolts appeared out of nowhere, blocking the trajectory of all four shells with dazzling brilliance.
Amid the thunderous rumbling sounds, the enhanced projectiles fired by World were once again rendered completely ineffective.
"Hey, pretty boy, could you intercept long-range attacks a bit earlier next time?" Jerry said with obvious exasperation, withdrawing the water shield he'd created to protect everyone from flying shrapnel. "If you keep cutting it this close, I'm going to make you clean up the mess."
Cavendish paused mid-motion as he was about to produce a rose for dramatic effect. "Ahem! His attack came too quickly this time. I hadn't even thought of an appropriate dramatic line yet when the shells arrived."
"Yohohoho, I was so frightened that my hair stood on end... Oh wait! I don't have any hair left!" Brook patted his ribcage with exaggerated relief.
"Yeah, Brother Cavendish should do better next time!" Carrot said encouragingly.
Listening to the young mink's supportive words, Cavendish sighed toward the sky with obvious longing. "I really wish everyone could be as sensible and well-behaved as Carrot..."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you unhappy with the rest of us?" Jerry and Brook asked with mock-threatening expressions.
Seeing them preparing for a playful confrontation, Cavendish waved his hands frantically. "No, no! I just accidentally said what was in my heart out loud. Don't take it seriously!"
Perhaps it was their casual attitude and the playful banter between friends that triggered some of World's deeper psychological wounds. He roared with genuine fury, "I said, are you people ignoring us completely?!"
"More-More: Ten-Times Speed!"
A massive shadow flashed by, and an enormous fist wrapped in heavy Armament Haki went straight for Jerry with devastating force.
However, Jerry's reaction speed was equally impressive.
Since his fishing rod remained positioned on the shore to continue his unfinished angling work, he raised his arm and threw a powerful counterpunch.
"Maelstorm Abyss Breaker!"
Jerry also activated his advanced Armament Haki and connected precisely with World's incoming attack.
Even though the two fighters appeared to have a dramatic size difference visually, the strength of their respective strikes didn't depend solely on physical dimensions.
To the absolute astonishment of the World Pirates, their supposedly invincible captain was knocked backward by his opponent's punch, crashing onto the ship's deck and sending countless pieces of debris flying in all directions.
Looking at the young man who had only retreated about a dozen meters before stabilizing his position and returning to his original stance, Byojack and the other crew members couldn't help but feel their hearts tremble with fear.
Then Jerry manipulated the ocean currents around them, lifting all four members of his team smoothly onto World's massive pirate ship.
"Since they attacked us first, there's no need to be polite about this," Jerry announced, giving his crew permission to engage. "Beat them up as much as you want—just spare that old guy over there!"
After Jerry issued his attack order, Cavendish drew his sword and swung it gracefully through the air. "Perfect timing. I've been resting for so many days now. Maybe if I get some exercise, my wounds will heal faster."
"Yohohoho, we really should retaliate against enemies properly," Brook agreed, patting his skeletal abdomen before walking slowly forward. "That sudden massive cannonball nearly scared my soul right out of my body."
"Yeah! If they're enemies, we have to beat them up real good!" Carrot declared, putting on her specialized claw gloves before crouching low in preparation for a lightning-fast charge.
Seeing their determined battle stances, Jerry nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent. I'm not Red-Haired Shanks, so you don't need to show our opponents any mercy. Face them head-on!"