After delivering his sarcastic retort to Cracker, Jerry turned his attention to the massive pirate fleet that was rapidly approaching across the open sea. The sight was both impressive and ominous—clearly, Big Mom had decided to take personal action in response to whatever had drawn her attention to this location.
But what caught Jerry's eye wasn't the imposing Queen Mama Chanter with its distinctive design and overwhelming presence. Instead, his focus was drawn to a much smaller ship that was racing ahead of the imperial fleet, desperately trying to maintain its lead in what was obviously a futile chase.
The smaller ship was moving at maximum speed, its sails straining against the wind as two familiar figures could be seen running frantically around its deck, adjusting rigging and shouting instructions to each other.
"Oh my god! Talk about a sitting duck," Jerry muttered as he recognized Deuce and Skull aboard the fleeing ship.
The moment the crowd in the harbor noticed this detail, their attention shifted dramatically from the Queen Mama Chanter—despite its impressive size and the way it seemed to have its own musical soundtrack playing as it moved through the water—to the much smaller ship that was clearly the object of Big Mom's pursuit.
Even the pirates who had been shouting about escaping the harbor fell silent as they processed this new development.
"Did those people on that ship actually manage to anger Big Mom?" one observer whispered in amazement.
"They have absolutely nowhere to run," another replied with the certainty of someone who had witnessed the Four Emperors in action before. "When a Four Emperor personally leads a chase, it only ends one way."
"How did they even survive this long?" a third voice wondered aloud.
The assembled crowd possessed the sharp instincts that came from surviving in the dangerous waters of the New World. Seeing a small ship fleeing ahead of Big Mom's fleet, with the Emperor herself clearly in pursuit, led to only one logical conclusion—the people on that ship had done something to provoke one of the most dangerous individuals in the world.
What they didn't know was the almost comical series of events that had led to this dramatic chase scene.
The entire situation had begun when Jerry, Deuce, and Skull had made their rather conspicuous plan to 'borrow' a ship. Their action had been witnessed by numerous local residents who understood the significance of what they'd seen.
Some citizen had managed to secretly photograph the group and had submitted the images along with a report about the incident. Through the complex information networks that kept Big Mom informed about events in her territory, these photographs had eventually made their way to the Emperor herself, who had been returning from a another part of her domain.
Whether it was due to fatigue from her recent battles, poor lighting in the photographs, or simply the notorious unpredictability of her mental state, Big Mom had stared at Skull's image and reached a conclusion that would have been hilarious if it weren't so dangerous.
She had identified him as a previously unknown species of rare species.
This misidentification wasn't entirely unreasonable, given Skull's particular fashion choices for the day. His entire outfit consisted of skeleton-themed clothing and accessories—black fabric covered in white bone patterns, decorative skull motifs, and most prominently, an incredibly lifelike skull mask that covered his face. To someone viewing a hastily taken photograph under poor conditions, the overall effect could indeed suggest something non-human.
Perospero, Big Mom's eldest son, had immediately attempted to correct this misunderstanding when he saw the photograph. He pointed out that it was obviously just a human wearing themed clothing, a reasonable observation that should have ended the matter immediately.
But Big Mom's obsession with rare and unique creatures was legendary throughout the New World, and once she had convinced herself that she was looking at an undiscovered species, no amount of logical argument could dissuade her. Her infamous greed had activated, operating under the principle that anything she desired automatically belonged to her by right.
She had immediately ordered her fleet to change course and head directly toward Totto Land to claim this "rare beast" for her collection, setting in motion the chain of events that had led to the current chase.
Meanwhile, Deuce and Skull had been completely unaware of these developments. After completing their preparations and gathering the supplies they thought they might need, they had navigated their borrowed ship to the predetermined rendezvous point where they planned to wait for Jerry to finish his business in the port.
Instead of their captain, however, they had found themselves facing the approach of one of the Four Emperors' entire fleet, with Big Mom's distinctive flagship leading the charge directly toward their position.
The moment they realized what was bearing down on them, both men had experienced the kind of pure terror that comes from suddenly finding oneself in the crosshairs of one of the world's most dangerous individuals. Without a moment's hesitation, they had spun their ship around and begun fleeing toward the harbor at maximum speed, hoping that Jerry would be able to help them deal with whatever they had unknowingly done to attract such attention.
Big Mom herself hadn't been particularly concerned when her "prey" had turned and fled toward the island. From her perspective, this was actually perfect—they were essentially trapping themselves in a location where escape would be impossible. She had maintained a leisurely pace during the pursuit, confident that the outcome was inevitable and apparently enjoying the chase itself.
This casual approach was the only reason Deuce and Skull had managed to stay ahead of her fleet for as long as they had. Any serious effort from Big Mom would have ended their flight within minutes.
As the chase reached its climax near the harbor, Big Mom's massive form became visible on the bow of her flagship. Her voice carried clearly across the water, magnified by her sheer lung capacity and the acoustics of the open sea.
"Mamamamama! Little skeleton up ahead, don't run away from mama!" she called out with the enthusiasm of someone who had spotted a particularly interesting toy. "I don't have any rare beasts of your species in my collection yet!"
The response from the fleeing ship was immediate and desperate.
"I'm not a rare animal! Stop chasing me!!" Skull's voice cracked with panic as he screamed his reply across the water.
This exchange had been repeating itself throughout the chase, as Big Mom periodically called out to her "prize" and Skull desperately tried to correct her misunderstanding. By now, he had figured out exactly what had caused this terrible situation—his beloved skeleton-themed outfit had somehow convinced one of the Four Emperors that he was a non-human creature worthy of adding to her collection.
But he couldn't exactly strip off his clothes in the middle of a high-speed chase to prove his humanity. Apart from the practical difficulties involved, there was a very real chance that such an action might anger Big Mom enough that she would simply sink their ship out of irritation.
So Skull was trapped in the surreal situation of fleeing from one of the world's most powerful pirates while shouting increasingly frantic denials of his own species, all while wearing the very outfit that had caused the problem in the first place.
As time passed and the distance between the ships continued to shrink, it became clear that their borrowed ship simply couldn't outrun Big Mom's purpose-built flagship indefinitely. Only their proximity to the island and Big Mom's apparent amusement at the situation had allowed them to maintain their freedom this long.
Jerry assessed the situation quickly, his tactical mind immediately understanding the implications. His fight with Katakuri would have to be postponed—his crew needed immediate assistance, and every second of delay increased the danger they were in.
"It looks like our fight will have to end here," Jerry announced to Katakuri, his tone suggesting mild regret rather than any real disappointment.
Without waiting for a response, Jerry stomped down hard on the water's surface and summoned countless sharks formed from seawater. The aquatic predators leaped from the harbor and swarmed toward Katakuri, their numbers and speed designed to keep the Sweet Commander occupied while Jerry dealt with the more immediate crisis.
Simultaneously, Jerry released his control over the artificial flood, allowing the seawater to flow back into the ocean and restore the port to its normal state. As the water receded, the ground became visible once again, though it remained saturated and muddy from its recent submersion.
While Katakuri found himself dealing with the continuous assault from Jerry's water sharks, Jerry himself turned and raced toward the open sea like an arrow shot from a bow, his enhanced speed allowing him to move across the water's surface as if it were solid ground.
On the fleeing ship, the situation was becoming increasingly desperate with each passing moment.
"Come on! I can see the port!" Deuce shouted from his position at the helm, his voice tight with stress as he pushed their borrowed ship to its absolute limits.
"Captain Jerry! Please hurry! I can't take much more of this!" Skull called out desperately as he worked the sails, constantly glancing back at the approaching fleet with growing terror.
Just when it seemed like Big Mom's flagship might finally close the remaining distance, something extraordinary happened. A channel of water suddenly appeared in front of their ship, parting to both sides as if an invisible force was pushing the sea aside.
Looking ahead, they could see the figure they had been desperately hoping for—Jerry, moving across the ocean's surface at incredible speed. The air displacement from his passage was actually creating a wake effect that parted the water in front of him, and he was approaching their position with the kind of velocity that defied normal physics.
In what seemed like an instant, Jerry reached their ship and leaped gracefully onto the deck, his landing so smooth it barely disturbed the ship's motion.
"Well, well," Jerry said with his characteristic casual tone, despite the life-threatening situation surrounding them. "You two are really something special. You usually act so polite and weak around me."
"But apparently you've been saving up all your troublemaking energy for something really spectacular."
"I have to admit, when you finally decide to cause problems, you don't mess around—you go straight for the Four Emperors."
Despite the fact that Jerry himself had suggested the plan that led to their current situation, he immediately adopted the time-honored strategy of deflecting responsibility as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
"Wait, what? We didn't do anything to provoke her!" Deuce protested, his voice cracking slightly under the stress.
"That's right, Captain Jerry! Please don't try to blame us for this!" Skull added desperately. "She just appeared out of nowhere and started chasing us!"
Both crew members were clearly innocent of any intentional wrongdoing, and they weren't about to let their captain pin this disaster on them without a fight.
"Ha! Skull, don't think I didn't hear what she was shouting," Jerry replied with a grin that suggested he was enjoying this far more than the situation warranted. "Big Mom is definitely coming for you specifically."
"And judging by her tone, if she manages to catch you, she's planning to keep you permanently."
"So the question is: are you going to go along with that plan?"
As he spoke, Jerry began subtly manipulating the ocean currents around their ship, using his water powers to increase their speed while taking control of their navigation. The effect was subtle enough that Big Mom's crew might not immediately notice the supernatural assistance.
"No! Absolutely not! I can't handle that!" Skull wailed, his imagination conjuring up increasingly horrifying scenarios involving life in Big Mom's collection.
"Smart choice," Jerry replied with mock seriousness. "You'd definitely lose weight in that situation."
"That's even more terrifying! We have to get away!" Skull looked back at the pursuing fleet and swallowed hard, his face pale beneath his skull mask.
"Are you sure about that?" Jerry asked as he steered their ship into a sharp 45-degree turn that began taking them away from the island and out toward open water. "Big Mom is a collector too, you know. You two probably have a lot in common when it comes to your hobbies."
"Maybe you should try talking to her about your shared interests?"
As their ship accelerated and slowly began gaining distance from the pursuing fleet, Jerry glanced at Skull with an expression of exaggerated helpfulness, as if he were suggesting a perfectly reasonable social opportunity rather than a potentially fatal encounter with one of the world's most dangerous pirates.
"Do you want to try to talk with her?"
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