"Is she one of the fairies from here? She's absolutely adorable!"
After confirming that her wallet had been safely returned to the table by Jerry, Carina's first reaction was to marvel at the tiny person held gently in Jerry's palm.
What Jerry was carefully cradling was none other than a local member of the Tontatta Tribe—specifically, Wicka, one of the dwarf people who lived in the forest surrounding Dressrosa.
She wore a dark blue outfit with a matching hat, while her hair was a slightly lighter shade of blue than her clothing.
"Oh no! This is terrible! I'm so stupid—I've been captured by a human!" Wicka panicked when she realized that even using all her considerable strength, she couldn't break free from Jerry's gentle but secure grip.
"If you don't want to be discovered by other people in here, you should probably keep your voice down," Jerry suggested calmly. Seeing that she was about to cry out loudly, he raised the index finger of his right hand and placed it softly against his lips, signaling for quiet.
Wicka was momentarily stunned. Her large eyes, which had been filling with tears of fear, widened as she looked up at Jerry, then glanced around at Carina and the others who were smiling kindly at her while remaining completely silent.
Perhaps because she sensed that Jerry and his crew weren't making a big fuss about her true identity, but instead were showing genuine kindness and understanding, Wicka's panic gradually began to subside. She found herself nodding almost instinctively.
Seeing this positive response, Jerry seemed to suddenly remember something important and grinned with obvious mischief. "Actually, I know all about you people. We're your friends—the heroes you commissioned to come save you."
Wicka's eyes immediately widened to their absolute limit upon hearing these unexpected words. "Really?! You're actually here to help us?!"
"Shh, keep your voice down," Jerry reminded her once again with gentle patience. "Of course it's true. Would I lie about something that important?"
After hearing Jerry's confident confirmation, Wicka replied with barely contained excitement, "Yes, I understand completely, great hero!"
"Good. Now let's finish eating first, and we can talk properly after everyone's had their fill," Jerry announced. Looking up from his tiny companion, he noticed that everyone except Carrot was giving him somewhat peculiar expressions.
Carrot clenched her small fists in front of her chest, her voice revealing excitement that was difficult to conceal. "Oh wow! So we get to be real heroes this time!"
"You're... really something else," Deuce said, shaking his head in amazement. "The incredible thing is that someone actually believes you when you make stuff up like that."
Of course, Deuce had no way of knowing that the Tontatta people possessed such naturally trusting and innocent personalities that they instinctively believed everything others told them.
Jerry had simply spouted some nonsense on a whim, without even bothering to correct the obvious inconsistencies in his improvised story, yet Wicka had accepted his claims without the slightest doubt or suspicion.
Throughout the remainder of their meal, Jerry and his crew introduced themselves properly to Wicka and engaged in casual conversation while continuing to eat.
During this entire period, whenever other restaurant patrons approached their table, Jerry and the others would cleverly position themselves to block Wicka from view, ensuring that her presence remained completely undetected.
By the time everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and prepared to leave the restaurant, they had already learned virtually everything that Wicka knew about the current situation.
"So right now, even your princess and five hundred of your people are being held captive by the Donquixote Family?" The more Deuce and the others understood about the circumstances, the more convinced they became that their decision to visit this island had been absolutely correct.
Through Wicka's earnest personality and detailed explanations, they could piece together a much larger picture from these specific details.
The natural kindness and generosity of the Tontatta people hadn't brought them much prosperity or protection. Under the current rule of the Donquixote Family, they were suffering from systematic injustice and oppression, with living conditions that were genuinely worrying.
Beyond learning about the dwarfs' plight, Deuce and the others also discovered through Wicka's accounts numerous crimes and misdeeds committed by the Donquixote Family, gaining insight into the true dark side of this seemingly prosperous nation.
This information made Deuce and his crewmates realize once again just how fundamentally flawed the Seven Warlords system could be in practice.
It was as if the World Government was openly providing sanctuary for certain evil individuals, essentially declaring to the entire world that everything these pirates did was completely legal and sanctioned.
As long as these crimes weren't made public through major scandals, it would remain extremely difficult for the World Government and Marines to exercise any meaningful supervision over the Seven Warlords.
This meant that if a sufficiently powerful pirate wanted to cause trouble and commit atrocities, they could act with complete impunity, knowing that no one would care even if their victims screamed for help at the top of their lungs.
"That's exactly right! So we're also building up our strength and waiting for the perfect opportunity to begin a decisive battle against Doflamingo!" Wicka declared with fierce determination, standing proudly in Jerry's shirt pocket.
Skull scratched the back of his head thoughtfully and asked with obvious concern, "Do you honestly think there's any realistic chance of winning? Doflamingo has more than ten powerful officers under his command, and he's incredibly strong himself."
"We understand the odds, but we absolutely will not give up!" Wicka replied with unwavering conviction, her tiny face set with grim determination.
"I certainly hope you're right about that," Deuce said with an encouraging smile before turning to Jerry. "What do you think about all this?"
"Well, Wicka, you can head back now and inform your people about what's coming," Jerry announced, his words immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Wicka looked up at him with obvious confusion written across her features. "What exactly should I tell them? What do they need to know?"
"Tell them that the heroes have finally arrived, and they should prepare to welcome back their trapped friends and family members," Jerry said with confidence, gazing toward the high ground where Dressrosa's royal palace was located in the distance. A determined smile spread across his face.
"Wait, what?! Hero Jerry, are you really planning to attack Doflamingo directly? When are you going to do it?" Wicka was momentarily stunned, then immediately fired off rapid questions.
The title she'd used was exactly the kind of playful designation that Jerry had encouraged on a complete whim.
"If I say we're going to beat someone up, then we're definitely going to beat them up—thoroughly and completely," Jerry said with growing enthusiasm, almost singing the words before adopting a more serious tone. "Doflamingo isn't that impressive. Today we're going to turn him into a complete mess."
"You don't need to rush into anything right away," he continued thoughtfully. "Just wait and observe how things develop before making any major decisions. You'll know instinctively when the time is right to act."
"If everything goes according to plan, you and all your people will be completely free by tomorrow morning."
Seeing Jerry's absolutely confident expression, Wicka's eyes practically sparkled with hope and excitement. "Do you really mean that?!"
"Even the most precious pearls aren't as genuine as my promise," Jerry declared, giving her an enthusiastic thumbs up.
Although several people nearby continued looking at Jerry with distinctly peculiar expressions, Wicka didn't care about their skepticism at all. She believed every single word Jerry had spoken without the slightest reservation.
Finally, with Jerry and his crew watching protectively, Wicka disappeared happily into the crowd, moving so quickly and skillfully that she seemed to vanish into thin air.
Carrot blinked her large, shining eyes and approached Jerry with obvious curiosity. "Brother Jerry, are we really going to play heroes this time?"
Before Jerry could respond, Deuce interrupted with a somewhat teasing tone in his voice. "So, Hero Jerry, what exactly are you planning to do here?"
"Hey, didn't you hear what I just explained?" Jerry replied, completely ignoring Deuce's sarcastic tone while giving him a dismissive look. "I told you already—we're going straight to Doflamingo's lair to settle this directly."
Hearing this declaration, Cavendish immediately became visibly excited. "So this will be the battle where we officially announce our presence in the New World to everyone watching!"
Obviously, he had subconsciously dismissed the recent Punk Hazard incident, considering Caesar and his associates too weak to provide any real challenge to the Black Star Pirates.
"Yohohoho! Although I wasn't able to duel with him during our last encounter at Marineford, I have no objections if you want me to face him this time," Brook said cheerfully. He didn't particularly care about being in the spotlight, but was always ready for a good fight.
"Haha, don't worry about getting enough action," Jerry reminded everyone with obvious amusement. "The enemies significantly outnumber us, so they can take turns fighting... ahem, I mean there will be plenty of battles for everyone to enjoy."
This situation would be completely different from their previous encounter with Caesar at Punk Hazard, where they'd faced minimal organized resistance.
Upon hearing this promise of extended combat, Skull and the others began showing obvious eagerness to get started with their mission.