Seeing that Jerry was about to start causing more disruption, Sengoku coughed loudly to regain control.
Once everyone's attention was focused on him, he immediately spoke in an authoritative voice:
"Alright, let's discuss the purpose of this gathering and the specific deployment details."
"I'm sure everyone is aware of recent events. Some time ago—"
Jerry noticed the hostile glares Teach and Doflamingo kept shooting in his direction, so he raised his hand to interrupt. "Report, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Those two seem dissatisfied with you and keep staring menacingly. They're probably planning to jump you after the meeting."
"Pfft! Cough cough..." Upon hearing this accusation, a Marine officer sitting across from them—who had actually been observing Teach and Doflamingo glaring at Jerry—spat out a mouthful of tea.
Simultaneously, everyone present, including Sengoku, couldn't help but turn their attention toward the accused Warlords.
They noticed that both Teach and Doflamingo appeared stunned for a moment before displaying expressions of obvious anger.
Seeing this volatile situation developing, Sengoku glared at all three troublemakers and said firmly, "Behave yourselves and let the meeting continue..."
The proceedings resumed in an orderly fashion, with most of the Marine officers listening attentively to the strategic briefing.
Among the Seven Warlords, however, the level of engagement varied dramatically. Kuma maintained his usual expressionless demeanor, Jinbe was paying serious attention to the presentation, while the others were essentially just killing time in their own ways.
Jerry was gently stroking Kotatsu with one hand while supporting his cheek with the other, yawning continuously throughout Sengoku's lengthy explanation.
Sengoku and the other Marine officials didn't particularly care about the Warlords' attitudes. The Marines never expected this group of pirates to provide significant assistance anyway, so naturally they wouldn't entrust them with crucial responsibilities.
After a while, Jerry suddenly remembered his promise to bring back treats for Carrot and the others. He waved to a nearby attendant and asked him to go to the kitchen and pack up some delicious food for takeout.
The Empress beside him and everyone in the immediate vicinity wore expressions of complete disbelief. Although they refrained from voicing their thoughts aloud, most were internally complaining about this guy who seemed to treat the sacred halls of Mariejois like a casual dining establishment where he could order takeout at will.
They shook their heads in resignation and decided to ignore this apparently bored individual who seemed to be here purely for entertainment, returning their attention to the official proceedings.
However, no one noticed that there appeared to be a faint light flickering in the depths of Kotatsu's eyes as the enhanced lynx sat motionlessly on the table under Jerry's gentle stroking.
Temporary Base, Sabaody Archipelago
Ever since Jerry had entered the conference room, Ace and the assembled crews had been sitting in front of a projection screen that Skull had carefully adjusted and calibrated.
The images in the projection were exactly what Kotatsu was seeing and hearing in real time, using his mythical abilities to broadcast the proceedings back to their base.
"There we go! Haha, Kotatsu's abilities are incredibly useful for situations like this," Skull laughed with obvious satisfaction.
Hearing Skull's praise, the members of the Black Star Pirates and Ace exchanged smiles and nodded in agreement.
Although Sanji, Nami, and the other Straw Hats didn't fully understand the technical details behind the transmission, they also marveled at Kotatsu's ability to display live audio and video feed with such clarity.
One of the abilities Kotatsu had acquired through his mythical enhancement was complete mastery over various Den Den Mushi functions, including radio communication. The communication quality, encryption, and signal strength enhanced by Kotatsu were absolutely top-tier.
Because of this capability, the Black Star Pirates never worried about their external communications being intercepted or monitored.
In fact, actively choosing not to eavesdrop on other people's communications was already a sign of respect for their privacy.
"Wow! Papa's there too!" When little Bonney spotted Kuma appearing on screen, she jumped up and down with excitement.
But shortly after, she began muttering with disappointment, "Aw, why doesn't Brother Jerry go talk to Papa more? What's there to discuss with that guy with the missing teeth?"
"Teach!" Staring at the figure in the projection, Ace gritted his teeth and whispered with pure hatred.
"That damn bastard actually dared to capture Miss Robin... and everyone else." Sanji was also filled with righteous indignation, his teeth clenched in fury.
Nami and the others were equally focused on glaring at Blackbeard with cold contempt, muttering various curses under their breath.
Deuce, who was standing nearby, was about to speak up to calm everyone down when he saw Ace excitedly pump his fist in the air and shout, "Yes! That's exactly how you should confront him, Jerry!"
"That's right! Wait, who's this flashy blonde guy? Oh! Doflamingo? Why is he getting involved?" Sanji was just beginning to cheer for Jerry when the camera angle shifted to reveal a man wearing distinctive sunglasses and a flamboyant pink feather coat.
"Yay! Papa spoke! Eh? Just one sentence? Brother Jerry, go chat with him for a while!" Little Bonney's emotions swung wildly between happiness and disappointment as she kept her eyes glued to Kuma's every movement.
Carrot watched Bonney's rapidly changing expressions with obvious amusement, while Carina placed a gentle hand on the younger girl's head and said softly, "Maybe they think this isn't the right time to show they're familiar with each other."
"That makes sense. Even though Bonney is on our ship now, at least on the surface, the World Government and Marines aren't aware of the relationship between Jerry and Kuma," Skull agreed with Carina's analysis.
"Alright, don't get too excited. The Marines are taking their seats and the meeting is about to begin..." Noticing that Sengoku in the projection was preparing to speak, Deuce quickly asked everyone to settle down.
However, just like at the actual conference, everyone in the base suddenly erupted in amazement.
Sanji's eyes transformed into exaggerated red hearts that seemed to stretch directly toward the display screen.
Hearing the voices of Marines in the conference room, Sanji screamed, "The Empress?!"
"Hmm? Is there someone who could actually compete with my looks?" Cavendish's fingers, which had been casually twirling a rose, suddenly paused before resuming their previous motion.
"Is this the Pirate Empress? I wonder if she'd let me see her panties? Yo ho ho ho!" Brook opened his mouth wide and asked his characteristically inappropriate question.
Although the others weren't as obviously excited as Sanji and Brook, they also paused momentarily in their activities or conversations.
"Spurt!" Two streams of blood suddenly gushed from Sanji's nose.
"Ah! She's talking to me! I..." Sanji shouted at the top of his lungs, his entire body tilting backward before he collapsed dramatically to the ground.
Chopper was startled by this sudden medical emergency. He leaped up swiftly and said anxiously, "Sanji! Why is the bleeding so severe? Oh, fortunately it's stopped already."
Seeing Chopper's relieved expression, Nami rolled her eyes while Usopp slapped his own forehead and shook his head helplessly. "Sanji, she's not talking to you! Could you please pay attention before getting so excited next time?"
"Yes, exactly! She was clearly talking to Brother Jerry..." Carrot glanced at the fallen cook, then looked back at the screen and nodded matter-of-factly.
Since Kotatsu was positioned next to Jerry, the footage he was broadcasting happened to provide a first-person perspective of Hancock's conversation, which had led to Sanji's delusional excitement.
Soon, Carrot narrowed her eyes and spoke with obvious displeasure, "Huh? Is she actually scolding Brother Jerry?"
When Ace and the others heard Hancock mention the Celestial Dragons, their expressions grew serious and they sighed quietly.
Even though they understood that people might misunderstand Jerry's actions, and Jerry had told them not to take such criticism too seriously, they still felt somewhat hurt and frustrated on his behalf.
This was especially true for Ace, who knew in his heart that if Jerry hadn't wanted to help him rescue Luffy, he would never have needed to humble himself before the Celestial Dragons and World Government, let alone play the role of a cooperative Warlord.