Seeing that Deuce and his companions shook their heads to indicate they were unharmed, Jerry walked casually toward their gathering spot.
"This entire island has been reduced to complete ruins," Deuce observed with obvious concern. "Fortunately, the Marines who arrived earlier managed to evacuate most of the civilian population, but their future lives..."
After hearing Deuce's worried commentary, Skull interjected with practical insight, "Boss Deuce, you heard Festa's detailed plan when we interrogated him, right? Even if we hadn't come here, they would have used this island as their battlefield once they were properly prepared. They might have even gone crazy enough to trigger the Marines' Buster Call protocol."
"If that scenario had actually played out, I'm afraid the casualties would have been exponentially worse," Skull continued with grim logic. "The current situation should be considered relatively positive. At least the civilian lives have been preserved."
"Those two were absolutely insane," Brook commented while pulling at the fabric over his ribcage, manually mimicking a heartbeat rhythm. "My non-existent heart is still pounding from witnessing their battle! Yo-ho-ho!"
Cavendish nodded in solemn agreement, his attention focused on a pristine rose he held elegantly toward the sky. "Indeed, such a spectacle would certainly attract worldwide attention. However, gaining fame at the cost of innocent civilian lives is definitely not the path I choose to pursue."
"Oh? What are you all discussing so seriously?" Jerry approached with his hands casually tucked in his pockets, asking with obvious curiosity about their conversation.
Deuce shook his head with a slight smile. "Nothing too important. Should we set sail directly for our next destination?"
Hearing this practical question, Jerry suddenly began looking around the devastated landscape, causing Deuce and the others to follow his gaze instinctively. As expected, all they could observe was complete wasteland stretching in every direction.
Jerry muttered thoughtfully, "In order to prevent future complications..."
He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, then continued with growing seriousness, "I want to execute something ambitious, but it will pose significant danger to all of you. So I strongly suggest you head to nearby islands first, or perhaps join up with Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates..."
Before Jerry could finish explaining his intentions, Deuce interrupted with a stern expression. "What exactly do you mean? What are you planning to do?"
Jerry spread his hands and responded with characteristic calm, "Perhaps you haven't realized it yet, but Kotatsu just informed me that the image of Carina obtaining the Laugh Tale pointer has been secretly transmitted to various contacts in the criminal underworld by Festa. I believe it won't be long before this information spreads like wildfire."
"What?!" Carina was genuinely stunned, speaking through gritted teeth with obvious fury. "I beat that disgusting fat bastard half to death and tied him up securely!"
Hearing this disturbing revelation, everyone exchanged worried glances. Deuce couldn't help but clench his fists in anger as he declared, "Damn it! We really should have eliminated him permanently."
Seeing his crew's distressed reactions, Jerry waved his hand with a surprisingly relaxed expression. "It doesn't matter in the long run. Festa is fundamentally a war profiteer and chaos architect. As long as any opportunity presents itself, he won't hesitate to provoke conflict and civil unrest."
"Whether he gets directly involved himself or attempts to shift blame onto others like he's doing now, he would have taken action eventually anyway," Jerry explained with pragmatic acceptance.
"Since things have reached this point, there's absolutely no value in dwelling on regrets," Jerry continued, stretching out his right hand and slowly clenching it into a determined fist. "How about I simply take advantage of this situation and turn it to our benefit?"
After hearing his philosophical remarks, Deuce and the others gradually regained their composure and began asking questions with renewed curiosity about his mysterious plan.
"What exactly are you intending to do?" they asked almost in unison.
Facing everyone's expectant questions, Jerry carefully selected his words and began elaborating on the initial strategy forming in his mind, providing a comprehensive overview of his tactical thinking and expected outcomes.
"Absolutely not!" Cavendish raised both arms excitedly and shouted with obvious enthusiasm. "I want to participate as well!"
Deuce maintained his serious expression while nodding in firm agreement. "That's right, Jerry. Cavendish can definitely provide valuable assistance, and we could also—"
As if he had predicted exactly what Deuce was about to propose, Jerry raised his hand decisively to prevent him from continuing. "Stop right there! Cavendish participating is acceptable, but it would be much better for the rest of you to leave as originally planned. There are far too many unknown variables, and the danger level is extremely high."
"Only if your safety can be absolutely guaranteed do I consider it necessary to proceed with this operation," Jerry explained with unwavering resolve. "Otherwise, we'll have to abandon the entire plan."
Realizing that Jerry had already made his final decision, Skull spoke up with obvious concern, "Boss Jerry, are you completely certain about this? This isn't some kind of joke or casual adventure!"
"Yes, Jerry," Brook added in an unusually serious tone that contrasted sharply with his typical jovial demeanor. "Isn't this approach far too risky?"
"Don't worry about me," Jerry replied with his characteristic confident smile, seeing everyone's anxious expressions. "I'm more slippery than any fish in the ocean. Even if Cavendish somehow gets into serious trouble, I'll be perfectly fine."
Hearing this casual dismissal of potential danger, Carina and Carrot were about to voice their own protests when Jerry continued speaking.
Meanwhile, Cavendish protested loudly with wounded pride, "Hey! Show some concern for my safety as well!"
In the end, amid considerable discussion and debate, the Black Star Pirates reached the decision to split into two separate groups and operate independently for the immediate future.
Not long afterward, Jerry, Kotatsu, and Cavendish stood together on the shoreline, bidding farewell to their companions who were gradually sailing away toward the horizon.
"Big Brother Jerry! Kotatsu! You both have to be extremely careful, and that goes for you too, Brother Cavendish!" Carrot called out from her position at the ship's railing, waving her arms enthusiastically. Her voice carried clearly on the ocean breeze, and genuine concern was evident in every word.
"Carrot, you should put my name first in that list!" Cavendish's arms, which had been waving in response, suddenly stopped moving as he shouted this correction.
However, all he received in response was a mischievous face-pulling gesture from Carrot, who seemed to delight in teasing the narcissistic prince.
"Alright then, let's get this operation started!" Jerry announced as their ship disappeared completely beyond the distant horizon. He turned around and began walking toward the quiet, devastated interior of the island with Kotatsu flying alongside him.
"I can barely contain my excitement!" Cavendish shouted with obvious enthusiasm, allowing his imagination to run wild with fantasies of fame and glory while following closely behind Jerry's measured steps.
For this particular mission, he hadn't even brought his beloved horse Farul, understanding that stealth and mobility would be essential.
As night fell across the landscape, Treasure Island—which should have been prosperous and bustling with activity—was now filled with nothing but post-war desolation and eerie silence.
Throughout that evening, the intensity and spectacle of the fierce battle that had just concluded on Treasure Island remained a hot topic of discussion among countless people throughout the New World.
Many individuals continued staring at their Video Den Den Mushi with intense interest, waiting eagerly to see if there would be any new developments or follow-up events.
After all, confrontations between world-class powerhouses always served as fascinating conversation topics that people couldn't help but discuss endlessly.
But at this particular moment, Video Den Den Mushi across the globe suddenly began activating spontaneously.
This time, the phenomenon's impact was extraordinarily widespread, as if every Video Den Den Mushi in the world was becoming agitated simultaneously.
"What's happening now?" confused voices could be heard from various locations.
"I have no idea, but when this afternoon's events began broadcasting, they behaved exactly like this."
On Gran Tesoro, the shocked voices of Video Den Den Mushi technicians could be heard overlapping as they tried to understand the situation.
During normal operations, they only needed to follow established procedures and broadcast scheduled video content for public viewing on the major screens throughout the golden ship.
However, today they had encountered inexplicable interference and signal intrusion from external sources, forcing their screens to display extended battle footage without authorization.
Surprisingly, their boss Tesoro hadn't punished them for this technical failure. Instead, he had specifically instructed them to continue broadcasting these unauthorized transmissions.
"Hey! Hey, hey! Sound check! Sound check! Can everyone hear me clearly? If you can, please respond!"
"Answer me! This is a live broadcast, not a telephone conversation!"
"Eh?! Really? I thought I could use this opportunity to interact directly with my fans."
"Is there no internet connection in your village? Oh wait, that's right—even if there were internet, you couldn't do live broadcasting anyway."
"Kotatsu, is everything working properly?"
Suddenly, Den Den Mushi began activating simultaneously across the world, and the sound of casual conversation could be heard clearly.
Then, after a brief moment of silence, a man with magnificent golden curly hair suddenly leaped into view from the side of the screen. He held an elegant rose in one hand, bringing it gently to his lips, while his other hand gripped several pieces of paper that appeared to have extensive notes written across them. He spoke with theatrical seriousness:
"Ahem! Greetings, everyone! I am the man whom everyone adores, whose presence makes flowers bloom and causes heads to turn wherever I go... Wait! What kind of ridiculous script is this?" Cavendish paused, clearly flustered by his prepared lines. "Anyway, I am the world's number one heartthrob and international idol, the incomparable Cavendish!"
Just as audiences worldwide were trying to process this unexpected introduction, another voice called out from beyond the screen's visible area: "If you think those lines are terrible, then don't use them! Step aside and let me handle this."
Suddenly, Cavendish's expression shifted to an almost pleading smile. "No, no, no, Director! Please let me continue. Trust me, I can definitely do this properly!"
The impromptu live broadcast had officially begun, though where it would lead remained anyone's guess.
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