"Jerry, why don't we retreat and find another route around them?" Ace shook his head, making his decision to avoid conflict.
In the end, he couldn't ignore his own conscience. Knowing that Dragon was Luffy's father and that his sworn brother Sabo was most likely among the enemy forces, Ace couldn't bring himself to make a decision that would hurt both of his brothers.
Especially after Sabo's previous disappearance, Ace had experienced the devastating feeling of "loss" firsthand and never wanted to risk that pain again.
"Are you certain about this?" Jerry asked calmly. "We can definitely withdraw, but what if they decide to pursue and intercept us again?"
Faced with the enemy fleet consisting of dozens of ships aggressively surrounding them, none of the Black Star Pirates showed excessive concern. After all, they had experienced far more overwhelming scenarios during their journey together.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Ace shook his head with quiet determination. "No, I believe they'll back down once they see how difficult we are to handle."
After saying this, he fixed his gaze like burning torches on the enemy flagship steadily approaching with its fleet in the distance. He lowered his stance, stepped forward, and clenched his fists at his sides as he slowly assumed a posture that everyone aboard the Black Star recognized immediately.
It was precisely the combination attack stance they had practiced countless times together.
At this moment, Ace's left fist, positioned at his side, erupted into blazing pure white flames that seemed to burn with impossible intensity.
"Come on, Jerry!"
Everyone stared at his body and arms wrapped in dense bandages, then silently and consciously stepped back several paces to give them adequate space.
Jerry blinked, put away his fishing rod, walked to Ace's side, and stretched his joints with casual confidence. "Alright! Let's show them we're not easy prey. If they want to reach Laugh Tale, they can negotiate with Whitebeard and Shanks instead!"
Suddenly, Ace's solemn concentration faltered as he glanced at Jerry with confusion. "Stop talking nonsense! What does this have to do with Pops?"
"Okay, okay, focus up," Jerry replied with a grin. "Let's give them a proper demonstration first!" He lowered his body and assumed a perfectly symmetrical stance beside Ace.
The two looked at each other with complete understanding, and Ace nodded with serious determination. "Right!"
Immediately afterward, a powerful aura as majestic as an ancient mountain erupted from both their bodies—the unmistakable pressure of Conqueror's Haki.
Under their deliberate control, the two waves of Conqueror's Haki intertwined yet remained independent, never canceling each other's power but instead seeming to amplify and enhance their combined force.
The breathtaking invisible pressure surged forward like an enraged dragon emerging from the depths, rapidly rushing toward the approaching Revolutionary Army fleet.
Seeing the sky above the enemy ships suddenly fill with dark, swirling clouds, the revolutionaries felt an overwhelming gust of wind sweep across them. Before they could properly react, the crushing wave of willpower crashed through their bodies.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
In an instant, countless Revolutionary Army soldiers foamed at the mouth, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed unconscious across every deck.
Dead silence settled over the entire Revolutionary Army fleet like a suffocating blanket.
"It seems I severely underestimated them," Dragon muttered, involuntarily taking half a step backward as his muscles tensed in response to the overwhelming spiritual pressure.
Recognizing the devastating impact of these two terrifying Conqueror's Haki auras, Dragon and Ivankov exchanged meaningful glances, both seeing genuine shock reflected in each other's eyes.
Ivankov was particularly affected—under the influence of this combined domineering pressure, even he felt as though he were standing on the edge of a precipice, his vision swimming dangerously. If he hadn't gritted his teeth and fought to maintain consciousness, he feared he would have joined his unconscious comrades on the deck.
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed across the waters.
"Judgment of the Dragon Gods!"
Following the battle cry came a colossal water dragon wreathed in brilliant white flames.
Its interior pulsed with tangible Conqueror's Haki, flowing like the lifeblood of some mythical creature, jumping and weaving in mysterious patterns that seemed almost alive.
The water dragon launched from the Black Nova with a silent roar, streaking forward like lightning that could slice through the heavens themselves, generating an incredibly intense heat wave in its wake.
Wherever the white flames passed, seawater within several hundred meters evaporated instantly into steam, yet somehow the water dragon at the technique's core remained completely unaffected—a truly awe-inspiring sight.
The massive dragon flashed past nearly a hundred meters away from the Revolutionary Army's flagship, carving a perfect semicircular channel in the ocean's surface. The resulting shockwave caused nearly ten surrounding ships to rock violently like leaves in a hurricane.
This display left the few remaining conscious army commanders and their deputies feeling deeply unsettled about their chances of victory.
"Revolutionary Army!" Jerry's voice boomed across the waters through the ship's loudspeaker, echoing across the suddenly calm sea that seemed to have just weathered a devastating storm. "Considering our relationship with Ace and our friendship as former comrades-in-arms, this is your first and final warning! If you provoke us again the next time our paths cross, be prepared for a fight to the death!"
As soon as Jerry finished speaking, ocean currents suddenly surged upward, enveloping the Black Star completely. In the blink of an eye, both ship and crew vanished beneath the waves without a trace.
Looking out over their now eerily quiet fleet, Ivankov raised his hand to wipe away the cold sweat still beading on his forehead and spoke softly. "Dragon, we should give up this pursuit. If that legendary treasure can really overthrow the established world order, then why shouldn't they be the ones to claim it?"
Dragon stared at the spot where the Black Star had disappeared, slowly lowering his right hand that had been raised defensively in front of his chest. After a long moment, he sighed deeply. "Perhaps... Sabo was right about this after all..."
After saying this, he nodded to Ivankov with obvious resignation. "Signal the fleet—we're withdrawing."
"Hey, Ace! Are you serious? Getting winded at your age already?"
The Black Nova traveled smoothly beneath the ocean's surface while Jerry looked at the heavily breathing Ace with mock disdain.
Ace raised his head, took another deep breath, and responded with an exasperated eye roll. "Ha... your abnormal recovery ability is really too ridiculous, you know that? You were half-dead after defeating Kaido—how are you already back to full strength so quickly?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you don't understand the secret, do you?" Jerry replied with characteristic smugness. "It's all thanks to my unparalleled fishing expertise. I catch so many fish every day and eat so much seafood that my protein reserves are naturally through the roof. Amazing recovery ability is just a natural side effect."
Hearing Jerry's obvious nonsense, Skull immediately questioned him. "Boss Jerry, are you absolutely sure the fish you actually manage to catch are enough to fill anyone's stomach?"
"Ace-san, perhaps you should try drinking more milk?" Brook suggested helpfully, producing a carton of milk from seemingly nowhere and offering it to the fire user.
Seeing that everyone's conversation had lightened the mood considerably, Deuce patted Jerry on the shoulder and asked quietly, "Did we successfully shake those Revolutionary Army pursuers?"
Jerry nodded with confidence. "Yeah, they didn't follow us down here."
Deuce gave him an approving thumbs up, then pulled out a Log Pose to confirm their next heading.
As evening approached, the Black Star resurfaced from the depths.
Looking out at the crimson seawater illuminated by the setting sun under the clear sky, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Carrot immediately stripped off her heavy winter clothing and stuck out her tongue, looking around desperately for something to drink.
Having left the frigid waters around Egghead Island—which had winter island characteristics—the temperature naturally rose to much more comfortable levels.
"Carina, is dinner ready yet?!" Ace's voice carried from the deck toward the kitchen with obvious hunger.
After receiving a positive response, everyone rushed toward the dining room like a sudden gust of wind.
Just as the crew was settling in to enjoy their well-earned meal, the sound of artillery fire and chaotic shouting suddenly erupted from somewhere across the water, shattering the peaceful evening atmosphere.
Everyone paused with their food halfway to their mouths, exchanging glances as they wondered what new conflict they'd stumbled into. After everything they'd been through recently, the sounds of distant battle had become an unfortunately familiar soundtrack to their adventures.
Jerry sighed and set down his chopsticks. "Can't we have one peaceful dinner without someone starting a war nearby?"