"Wow! Look at all these flowers!" little Bonney marveled, her eyes wide with wonder. Even though she'd traveled to many islands during their adventures, the sheer abundance of plant life here still amazed her.
This town could truly be called a paradise for vegetation of every kind.
Throughout the streets and alleyways, countless varieties of plants flourished everywhere the eye could see. Some climbed enthusiastically over building walls, while others extended gracefully from flower beds lining the architecture. They came in every imaginable shape and color, perfectly integrated into the daily lives of the residents.
Among the wide variety of goods displayed in shops along the main street, flowers of all shapes and sizes—along with their derivative products—occupied the dominant position in the local economy.
This natural feature attracted countless visitors from other islands, and together with the large local population, they'd created the current scene of vibrant prosperity.
"It really is beautiful," Carina agreed, unable to suppress her own admiration. As usual, she was strolling through the market district alongside Carrot, little Bonney, and Kotatsu.
The other crew members had split up to handle their own business, actively purchasing supplies while quietly gathering intelligence about recent events in the area.
After an hour of exploration, the Black Star Pirates regrouped at their agreed meeting point, found a local restaurant for a simple meal, and then began making their way back toward their ship.
Since Jerry hadn't docked at the town's official port but had instead chosen a random section of coastline, they had no choice but to follow their original route back through the dense jungle.
"You all go ahead," Jerry said suddenly, glancing toward the forest shadows as they walked through the thick woods. "I'll catch up in a few minutes."
Deuce and the others were startled for a moment, then immediately nodded in understanding. They'd been through this routine enough times to recognize the signs.
Skull adjusted the supplies he'd purchased and asked in a low voice, "Boss Jerry, is the enemy particularly strong?"
"Let's just say he's a pretty impressive guy," Jerry replied without denying the assessment.
Cavendish concentrated for a moment, his expression growing serious as he spoke with genuine confusion. "Why do I get the feeling that ever since we returned to the Grand Line, we keep running into powerful monsters everywhere we go?"
"Ha ha! That's obviously because we're pretty strong ourselves now," Skull declared, flexing his right arm to show off his biceps with characteristic confidence.
Brook leaned forward with his skull tilted thoughtfully. "Yeah, I've noticed the same pattern. Yo ho ho ho!"
"Exactly right," Deuce nodded with deep understanding. "Without a certain level of strength ourselves, we wouldn't be able to sense whether other people are powerful or weak in the first place."
"All right then, we'll head back first," Carina decided, signaling for Kotatsu to transform into his larger mount form so little Bonney could climb aboard.
Carrot remained standing to one side, her sharp eyes fixed through gaps in the jungle canopy on a strange figure gradually approaching from the distance.
Just as everyone prepared to depart, the surrounding vegetation suddenly erupted into chaotic motion. The sea of flowers and trees began deforming, growing, and moving at an astonishing speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, they'd woven themselves into an enormous plant net that completely surrounded the entire group.
"Ha ha ha! Evil pirates, now that you're here, you might as well stay permanently!"
A tall man with a bare upper body and a long sword at his waist emerged from the forest, walking leisurely toward them with his hands casually shoved in his pockets.
What immediately caught attention was a tattoo on the left side of his exposed torso featuring four large characters that seemed to tell a story of his personal philosophy. As his feet touched the ground with each step, a green carpet of flowers, plants, and trees sprouted rapidly behind him, creating what looked like nature's own royal pathway.
Witnessing this display, Cavendish suddenly had a moment of realization. "Oh! No wonder those roses felt weird earlier—they were artificial products of his ability!"
Before he could finish his observation, countless sharp branches like wooden spears suddenly sprouted from the intersections of the plant net surrounding them, stabbing outward at tremendous speed.
"Whew! Did you eat garlic for lunch? Your breath is terrible," Jerry commented dryly.
His fishing rod appeared in his hand as if from nowhere, and he swung it out with casual precision. In an instant, what looked like countless invisible cuts appeared in the air, sweeping away all the plant branches that had been blocking out the sunlight around his crew.
This was definitely Jerry using the swing of his fishing rod to control the fishing line for precise cutting—a technique that could serve both offensive and defensive purposes and proved extremely effective for dealing with mass plant attacks.
"You all go on ahead. I'll handle our nature-loving friend here," Jerry said, twisting his mouth into a confident smirk as he carried his fishing rod on his shoulder with even more arrogance than his opponent.
Cavendish took a half-step forward with lightning crackling between his fingers, asking with a grin, "Do you need backup for this one?"
Jerry maintained his casual posture and rolled his eyes at Cavendish. "Wood is a natural insulator that doesn't conduct electricity well. So no—you should head back with Deuce and the others."
"Uh..." Cavendish looked momentarily confused but understood that Jerry was politely declining his assistance.
"Be careful," Deuce whispered, then led the others in their tactical retreat.
The tattooed man in sunglasses walking toward Jerry was none other than Aramaki, user of the Forest-Forest Fruit and future Admiral candidate who would be recruited during the World Military Draft.
Noticing that Deuce and the others were attempting to leave, Aramaki immediately tried to control the surrounding vegetation remotely, hoping to stop them and capture the entire group in one coordinated assault.
However, he was shocked to discover that no matter how hard he tried to manipulate the plants, they simply couldn't grow properly. To be more precise, whenever the vegetation started to sprout, it would immediately be sliced into pieces by invisible sharp blades, providing no obstruction whatsoever.
Only then did he truly focus his attention on the pirate who seemed even more relaxed than himself and appeared to be standing completely still.
"What's with the intense staring? Are you falling in love?" Jerry asked with mock concern. "Let me be clear up front—I'm not interested in guys, so you might as well give up now. Also, stop looking at me so intensely. You don't have a chance."
Aramaki had begun studying Jerry seriously, but the pirate's unexpected commentary left him completely bewildered. Soon enough, though, he realized that regardless of what his enemy said, it definitely wouldn't be anything complimentary.
Besides, Aramaki could roughly understand the insulting implications.
"Kid, I know exactly who you are—supposedly the best of the younger generation, right?" Aramaki roared in response. "No matter what the newspapers say about you, you're staying on this island permanently!"
He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Remember this name—the one who's going to arrest you is Aramaki!"
After his declaration, he rushed toward Jerry like a green hurricane, his body suddenly expanding in size as he transformed into a massive tree-man hybrid.
"Forbidden Hatred!"
Aramaki condensed the surrounding trees into one enormous fist and struck toward Jerry with devastating force.
"Impressive tree technique," Jerry commented with obvious amusement, his mouth twitching with barely suppressed laughter. "But I've seen better."
As he spoke, he suddenly darted forward with the agility of a nimble animal, clenching his left hand into a blade shape and slicing through the air toward his enemy's massive wooden fist.
"Water Blade: Breaking Wave!"
Following Jerry's movement, a perfectly straight line of ultra-high-pressure water erupted from his fingertips, slashing through the air like an impossibly sharp sword. The technique cleanly cut Aramaki's giant tree fist in half and severed it completely at the wrist.
"Although I am not Senju Tobirama, you are not Senju Hashirama either." Jerry grinned.