"Ugh!" Jerry slapped his forehead and sighed helplessly. "Of course, everything in life requires evolution and growth. This thing is completely brain-dead..."
This skill that Jerry had been eagerly anticipating left him speechless for quite some time.
There was nothing wrong with the concept of granting life to water constructs, and he could understand that maintaining them required continuous energy expenditure.
But Jerry had never expected that these creations would have absolutely zero intelligence and virtually no capacity for independent action.
Not only that, but after being granted "life," the water constructs couldn't stray beyond Jerry's perception range. Without his direct control, they not only couldn't speak coherently, but would quickly dissipate entirely.
The silver lining was that although they couldn't function as independent beings, they could at least serve as water clones under Jerry's direct control.
This ability was fundamentally different from the projection Jerry had used when framing Edward Weevil for attacking the Celestial Dragon on Gran Tesoro.
That technique had been nothing more than a lifeless, temporarily shaped stream of water.
Anyone seeing it in person would have easily detected its artificial nature.
Now, however, the water clones that had been granted "life"—no matter how mentally deficient they appeared—were flawless in appearance and presence, convincing enough to fool casual observation.
After calming himself considerably, Jerry dismissed the brain-dead "Deuce" clone and spoke to himself in a self-deprecating tone: "Right, I'm not some divine creator. How could I possibly grant water constructs independent consciousness and personality?"
"Still, even a pair of underwear or a piece of toilet paper has its uses. This ability must have some application. We'll figure it out eventually."
After this philosophical reflection, Jerry packed up his equipment and headed back toward their temporary base.
He remembered that today was when Sanji and his group were scheduled to arrive.
To avoid causing unnecessary trouble and compromising their operations, Ace had been staying out of public view as much as possible recently.
Even during his occasional outings, he always made sure to maintain his disguise.
Similarly, Sanji and the others had altered their appearances and arrived in complete secrecy.
When Jerry returned to their hideout, the Straw Hat Pirates had just finished their clandestine arrival.
"Excellent, then it's settled," Jerry announced after explaining their detailed action plan and securing everyone's agreement. He stretched and stood up, addressing the assembled Black Star Pirates, Ace, and the Straw Hat Pirates. "We still have half a month to prepare, so keep working hard. If you want to train, train harder. Getting stronger is always beneficial."
"Jerry, where are you going now?" Deuce was about to say something when he noticed Jerry dusting off his pants and preparing to leave again. He couldn't help but ask.
Jerry paused, turned around, blinked innocently, and spread his hands. "Deuce, I didn't expect your intelligence level to match that water clone I just made. Where else would I go? Obviously, I'm going where I need to go."
Hearing this comparison, Deuce felt inexplicably insulted, and a dangerous glint flashed in his narrowed eyes. "What exactly have you been up to now?"
"Haha, take a guess!" The voice still echoed in the air, but Jerry's figure had already vanished without a trace.
Soon, Jerry was making his way toward Grove 13 of Sabaody Archipelago.
"Rayleigh should be freeloading at the bar, right? Let's check that out first."
Not long after, with intentions both good and questionable, Jerry pushed open the bar's door.
"Oh, Sister Shakky's here too?" Jerry glanced around the empty afternoon establishment, called out a greeting toward the counter, then turned to Rayleigh sitting by the wall. "Old Man Ray! What a coincidence seeing you here!"
Hearing the greeting, Shakky nodded acknowledgment and continued with her work.
Rayleigh folded the newspaper in his hands, looked up, and responded, "Hey, what brings you here again?"
Jerry caught a glimpse of the newspaper's headline about Straw Hat Luffy's execution date through Rayleigh's fingers and shrugged casually. "Can't a guy drop by for a drink when he's got nothing better to do?"
Rayleigh leaned back in his chair, looked directly at Jerry, and said knowingly, "Come on, tell me what's really going on this time."
"Nothing major. I just came to thank you for providing us with that secret base location a few days ago." Jerry tossed a bottle of premium alcohol toward the former pirate.
Rayleigh caught the flying bottle and gently placed it on the table before him, a slight smile crossing his features. "You're saying this is just a small courtesy visit?"
"Ahem, that's right." Jerry cleared his throat lightly, quickly moved to the seat opposite Rayleigh, pointed with his finger, and grinned. "But I can see you're very interested in current events. Are you perhaps intrigued by this young man wearing the same straw hat as your former captain?"
Rayleigh's eyelids drooped slightly, concealing the gleam in his eyes as he replied calmly, "Haha, whether I'm interested or not doesn't matter anymore. He's about to be executed."
"So you are interested. Why don't you try causing a massive disturbance at Marine Headquarters and spread your reputation as the Dark King?" Jerry suggested casually with a mischievous grin.
Rayleigh's eyes widened dramatically. "Whoa! Young man, you certainly know how to shock an old timer. You think far too highly of me, don't you? If I dared show my face at Marine Headquarters today, these old bones would be torn apart instantly."
He gestured toward the newspaper as he spoke.
Jerry was certainly aware that Marine Headquarters was currently assembling a massive force of Marine officers and elite soldiers who had rushed back from posts around the world.
Except for essential garrison forces, most Marine officers had already arrived or were en route to headquarters.
Obviously, following World Government directives, the Marines weren't taking the Revolutionary Army threat lightly, but were treating it with utmost seriousness.
They had made comprehensive preparations in advance and were ready to handle any possible conflict.
"If someone really plans to do something at Marine Headquarters, it would be better left to young people," Rayleigh said with an knowing smile as he looked at Jerry.
Ignoring the older man's teasing expression, Jerry nodded nonchalantly. "Well, I don't know which handsome young heroes would attempt such a dangerous endeavor, so I wish all the world's youth continued success!"
After this declaration, Jerry extended a finger with a hint of Haki crackling around it and called out to Rayleigh, "Come on! Master of Haki... ah, Old Man Ray! Take my finger attack!"
"What are you doing?" Rayleigh casually swatted away Jerry's not-particularly-fierce assault, his tone full of confusion.
Jerry scratched his head when the system showed no response. He frowned in concentration for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh right! Don't ask why. Just say that you acknowledge my Haki is very strong!"
Hearing this bizarre request, Rayleigh became even more puzzled.
But when he saw Jerry's finger poking at him again, he waved his hand to deflect it once more and spoke in a completely flat, emotionless tone: "I acknowledge that your Haki is very strong."
"Is this sufficient?" Rayleigh asked, pursing his lips while looking at Jerry like he was observing a peculiar zoo animal.
This time it was Jerry's turn to be confused. He glanced at his still-silent system interface, then said to Rayleigh hesitantly, "That was too monotone. How about adding some emotion? Recite it with genuine feeling."
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