Noticing the puzzled expressions on Cavendish and the others' faces, Deuce immediately launched into a detailed retelling of the Spade Pirates' brave adventure in Wano Country. He painted a vivid picture of their encounter with the oppressed people, their rescue mission on Onigashima, and most importantly, their meeting with little Tama—the courageous girl who had gifted them handwoven bamboo hats despite living in desperate poverty.
After fully understanding the complete story, Carina glanced at Jerry with obvious amusement and asked: "So this is the 'promise to a girl' you were talking about?"
Jerry certainly understood her implication and responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: "Just tell me—are they scumbags or not? Did they make promises to young ladies or didn't they?"
"Yeah! What Brother Jerry said makes perfect sense!" Carrot thought quickly before reaching her conclusion with characteristic enthusiasm.
Ace scratched his face with obvious embarrassment and continued: "Actually... I did ask Pops and the others about launching a joint attack on Wano Country, but..."
"It's completely understandable," Jerry interrupted with a reassuring wave. "Everyone knows that if the Whitebeard Pirates really decided to move against Wano, it would trigger a massive war between Emperor-level pirate crews. The scale would involve far too many innocent people."
After hearing Jerry's explanation, everyone nodded in agreement with his assessment.
"But we don't need to overthink this situation," Deuce interjected, changing the subject with obvious determination. "Our circumstances are completely different."
"Yohohoho! That's absolutely right!" Skull clenched his fists and swung them around enthusiastically. "We're a small family running a modest operation—we can just charge straight in!"
Jerry glared at the skeletal collector and gently shook his fishing rod in mock indignation: "Nonsense! Every fishing spot in this entire world is under my personal contract. How can you possibly call that a small operation?"
"Well, it really is time to go back," Ace said, his eyes taking on a distant gleam of reminiscence. "I wonder how Tama and the other villagers are doing now."
With that declaration, he decisively leaped across the gap onto the Moby Dick to say his final farewells to his Whitebeard Pirates family.
Cavendish twirled a beautiful rose between his fingers, his face radiating anticipation: "Does this mean I'll get another opportunity to shine brilliantly in front of new audiences?"
"Yohohoho! I'm so looking forward to experiencing Wano Country's exotic culture," Brook's voice revealed obvious longing. "I've heard they have many beautiful ladies there as well."
"Brother Jerry, are we really going to Wano Country?" Carrot blinked her large, expressive eyes and raised her hand like an eager student.
Seeing Jerry nod with quiet confirmation, Carrot nodded thoughtfully as well, already beginning to imagine their upcoming adventure.
"Do you really think this pointer can lead us to Laugh Tale?"
On a crystal-clear afternoon above the boundless ocean, Jerry held the legendary Eternal Pose high in his hand—the same artifact that had attracted the desperate struggle of countless pirates—and asked the question with genuine curiosity.
It had already been two days since they'd bid farewell to the Whitebeard Pirates, and Deuce was still experiencing a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and eager anticipation about finally possessing the authentic pointer.
The navigator didn't have overwhelming interest in the actual treasure of One Piece, but the mysterious final island of Laugh Tale filled him with an irresistible urge to explore and document their journey.
Deuce had always been committed to writing adventure novels that would amaze readers with their authenticity and scope. Whenever he encountered an island that was rarely visited or surrounded by legends, he invariably experienced bursts of creative inspiration and could collect tremendous amounts of research material.
"We'll find out when the time comes," Jerry replied, looking in the direction the pointer indicated while sitting up from his comfortable deck chair and stretching lazily. "Regardless, the direction it's pointing toward is definitely an area none of us have ever explored before."
Then he turned to Ace, who was enthusiastically devouring dessert nearby, and asked with mild curiosity: "Why were you in such a hurry to leave with us? Do Marco and the other division commanders know about your departure?"
"Mmm? Mmph!" Noticing that Jerry was addressing him directly, Ace paused mid-chew. His bulging cheeks moved rapidly as he worked to swallow the food in his mouth. After gulping everything down with a satisfied sigh, he responded:
"I only told Pops about my plans. Marco and the others probably don't know yet. Anyway, I really don't want to create problems for my family. After all, this is our personal promise, and we should fulfill it ourselves."
When Ace had decided to depart with Jerry's crew, he had simply requested permission from Whitebeard to take some personal time, explained his intentions honestly, and then enthusiastically urged Jerry to set sail immediately.
Jerry had naturally cooperated with Ace's approach. He had never intended to rely on the overwhelming might of the Whitebeard Pirates to resolve their Wano Country obligations—some battles needed to be fought by the people who had made the original promises.
That morning, as the first light of dawn began illuminating the ocean, the deck of the Black Nova was as lively and energetic as ever.
Just as everyone was enthusiastically engaged in their daily training routines, Skull's voice suddenly shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
"Hey, hey! Everyone look over there!"
All heads turned in the direction he was pointing, and they discovered that in the distance, the sky was filled with extremely low-hanging clouds. Rolling masses of dark storm clouds spread across the horizon like spilled ink, accompanied by brilliant flashes of lightning and tremendous crashes of thunder.
In that section of the world, an invisible hurricane was sweeping across the ocean surface, rapidly forming a gigantic waterspout that connected the heavens to the sea below. The massive funnel danced across the water like some primordial dragon, creating a display so fierce and spectacular that it literally took their breath away.
"Seriously? Is this particular stretch of ocean specifically targeting us?" Skull stared at the astonishing meteorological display in amazement and muttered unconsciously. "Last time we were preparing to reach Wano Country, we encountered a terrible storm too, didn't we?"
Hearing this observation, Deuce immediately reacted with alarm. He turned sharply toward Jerry, his tone filled with urgent concern: "Jerry, stop daydreaming and get us out of here! We need to change course immediately!"
Feeling the increasingly powerful wind beginning to howl around them and observing the surging waves growing larger by the moment, bean-sized raindrops began pelting down on the deck. Jerry glanced at his fishing float bobbing on the increasingly turbulent sea and released a disappointed sigh.
"Alas, I was just about to hook a really big catch," he lamented with obvious regret. "Since you're all so insistent on interrupting my fishing time, I suppose I have no choice but to cooperate!"
Jerry shook his head with theatrical helplessness, then looked toward the raging storm ahead and waved his hand with casual confidence: "Don't worry about it, everyone. While this is definitely still a major storm system, we're no longer the same people we were during our last encounter with severe weather."
Deuce looked around at their enhanced crew and nodded with deep agreement: "That's absolutely true. We're all much stronger now."
Then everyone stared at Jerry expectantly: "So why aren't you taking action? Do you want all of us to get completely soaked?"
Jerry glanced at his fishing rod, which remained stubbornly motionless despite the increasingly chaotic conditions, and scratched his head with resignation.
"Fine, fine! Let's get moving!"
With a fluid gesture, Jerry began manipulating the ocean currents around their ship, creating a protective barrier of controlled water that would guide them safely around the worst of the storm while maintaining their course toward Wano Country.
Wano Country, Onigashima
"Have you confirmed their exact whereabouts?" came Kaido's rumbling voice from within his fortress.
"Yes, Boss Kaido," one of his subordinates replied with nervous respect. "They're definitely heading directly toward our territory. Our previous intelligence-gathering efforts have proven worthwhile."
"Excellent. It's always satisfying when plans come together," Kaido responded with obvious satisfaction. "Go and recall all our external forces immediately. That old woman won't be able to remain passive much longer!"
After Kaido, King, and Queen had discussed strategy for several minutes, Jack the Drought suddenly interrupted with characteristic eagerness: "Boss Kaido! Big Brothers! Let me go out and intercept them first this time! I promise they won't even be able to set foot in Onigashima's territorial waters!"
"Reckless Jack," Queen observed, his corpulent form wreathed in cigar smoke as he smiled with obvious amusement. "You can't stop them with brute force alone. Have you already forgotten about that boy's supernatural water abilities?"
Jack was about to offer a heated rebuttal, but Kaido casually waved the sake gourd in his massive hand, speaking with the slight slur of someone who had been drinking steadily.
"Don't concern yourselves with their approach. They're just arrogant young brats who think too highly of their own abilities. If they want to walk into our trap voluntarily, then by all means, let them come!"
Kaido raised his head and took another long drink from his gourd, then stroked the surface of his black, iron-studded kanabo with obvious anticipation. His voice carried both menace and genuine excitement as he continued:
"I'm genuinely looking forward to discovering whether they can provide the quality of warfare I've been craving. And more importantly..."
The Emperor of Beasts trailed off meaningfully, leaving the implications of his unfinished statement hanging in the air like a storm cloud ready to unleash its fury.
The stage was being set for another legendary confrontation, and this time, the Black Star Pirates would be walking directly into the heart of one of the Four Emperors' most heavily fortified territories. But they carried with them something more powerful than any weapon—the unbreakable promise they had made to a brave little girl who had shown them kindness in the darkest of times.
Some battles were worth fighting regardless of the odds, and keeping faith with Tama was exactly that kind of noble cause.