"Red-Haired Shanks!?"
The big-headed man's declaration left Deuce and the others completely stunned. It wasn't because they were intimidated by the name—after all, they had met Shanks personally before.
They simply couldn't understand how a pirate claiming to serve under Shanks could appear so pathetically weak.
Although they hadn't seen the big-headed man actually fight, everyone quickly reached the same conclusion after observing his scrawny arms and legs, plus the fact that he'd been completely immobilized by Jerry's fishing line—which didn't even have any Haki reinforcement.
Jerry blinked thoughtfully, stared at their captive, and asked with obvious skepticism, "So does your red-haired boss actually know about your little mission here? Or did you just slap your oversized forehead and use that not-particularly-bright brain of yours to make this decision on your own?"
"Let me go and I'll fight you!" The big-headed man was initially startled, then his face turned bright red as he struggled and roared hysterically. Certain repeated references to his physical appearance seemed to trigger an explosive temper.
Deuce and the others slowly gathered around, with Skull clenching his fists and asking, "So what should we do with Big Head here?"
"Why don't we use him as fishing bait?" Jerry suggested with characteristic mischief.
Everyone immediately agreed with this creative solution.
Deuce glanced at the big-headed man, who had suddenly stopped struggling, and gave Jerry an encouraging thumbs up. "Go fishing! I hope you catch a Sea King."
"Alright, let's hang him up here for now," Jerry declared, ignoring the man's renewed resistance and increasingly creative curses. "We'll come back after we eat and see what we've caught!"
Jerry tied their captive directly to the ship's railing, leaving him dangling above the ocean's surface, then led everyone back into the dining room.
When Jerry reappeared after finishing his meal, the big-headed man had stopped his verbal abuse entirely. Instead, he was staring like a dried fish at a pirate ship that had appeared on the distant horizon, murmuring quietly, "Boss?"
Jerry and the others naturally noticed the approaching ship as well. They exchanged meaningful glances and maneuvered the Black Star to meet the newcomers head-on.
When the two ships were several dozen meters apart, both crews stopped simultaneously.
"Hey there! Long time no see," Red-Haired Shanks called out cheerfully, leading his officers to stand at the bow of the Red Force while waving in greeting. "Your growth really has exceeded all our expectations."
"You shouldn't be surprised," Jerry replied casually, raising his hand in response. "We've been eating well and staying healthy."
Both crews stood on their respective bows, facing each other across the gap between ships.
Hearing such an unconventional response, Shanks scratched his head with obvious amusement, then remembered the purpose of today's visit. His expression grew more serious as he pointed at the dangling big-headed man. "I'm sorry—I need to apologize for his behavior. I hope you can release him."
"Boss, even though you didn't fight for the Laugh Tale pointer yourself, everyone knows it rightfully belongs to you! You are—" The big-headed subordinate stopped talking abruptly when he met Shanks' stern gaze.
Jerry glanced at their captive, then casually swung his fishing rod to launch the man at high speed toward the Red Force. "Go ahead and take him," he said with a smile. "Although his behavior was definitely provocative, since you've asked personally, Red-Hair, I'll show you that respect."
After saying this, Jerry thought to himself with amusement: I'm giving him face this time, which should count as following the unspoken rules of this world, right? Maybe that'll help my fishing luck next time I'm trying for something legendary.
Shanks caught the dizzy big-headed man with one hand, set him gently on the deck beside him, and nodded gratefully to Jerry. "Thank you very much!"
After expressing his appreciation, Shanks shifted to more serious matters. "But now that we've settled that issue, I want to discuss the Laugh Tale pointer with you."
"Hey! We've shared drinks together before, and now you're going to strong-arm us too?" Skull shouted indignantly. "That's really—"
Jerry reached out and patted Skull gently on the back, shaking his head to signal for silence.
Then Jerry looked directly at Shanks and asked with calm directness, "What kind of discussion did you have in mind?"
"I didn't expect to encounter something this interesting when I came to visit old friends," observed a new voice. A figure wearing a black coat, burgundy patterned shirt, and distinctive black top hat emerged from the rear of the Red Force.
Cavendish's eyes narrowed as he whispered with recognition, "Hawkeye? I thought I sensed a powerful and familiar presence just now."
The newcomer was none other than Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk, known throughout the world as the greatest swordsman alive. He walked slowly to the front of the Red Force and studied the Black Star Pirates with his penetrating gaze.
After confirming with his eyes that this was indeed the person he'd been eager to face again, Cavendish tightened his grip on his sword hilt, his sharp gaze fixed intently on Mihawk.
Shanks nodded to Mihawk, then turned back to address Jerry's crew with obvious sincerity. "I'm grateful that you consider me a friend and ally. Captain Roger's great treasure and that pointer are indeed closely connected to me personally. That's why I'm standing here today, but..."
He paused, his expression softening slightly as he continued, "Just as Skull mentioned, Ace, Jerry, and the rest of you did share drinks with us before. That's an undeniable fact, and I consider it a rare blessing of fate."
Shanks' voice grew more earnest. "So I don't want to start an all-out war today, and I don't want to harm people I consider friends."
Jerry stroked his chin thoughtfully and looked around at his crewmates. Feeling their silent support and trust, he took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Shanks. "Traditional rules of conflict, then? A one-on-one duel?"
"Well..." Shanks was about to respond when he received a firm pat on the back from his vice-captain, Ben Beckman.
"Ahem! Not exactly, but close enough," Shanks replied after clearing his throat, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "It's just that we thought we might add a little more... insurance for both sides."
Hearing this unexpected term, Jerry looked genuinely confused. "What do you mean by insurance? Did you change careers and go into sales?"
Automatically ignoring the second half of Jerry's question that he didn't understand, Shanks explained carefully, "What I mean is that we don't have to limit ourselves to strictly one-on-one duels. We could potentially add more participants to the arrangement."
In today's world, almost everyone who paid attention to current events knew about Jerry's incredible feat of defeating Kaido in single combat. Even though Shanks was extremely confident in his own abilities and believed he wouldn't lose a fair fight, Beckman had already voiced strong objections to that approach.
Out of caution and his continuous focus on Jerry as a key threat, Beckman had witnessed the young captain's amazing growth throughout their journey. He'd found that no matter how often he raised his assessment of Jerry's capabilities, he would inevitably be proven wrong when Jerry exceeded even those elevated expectations.
"Oh! What you're saying is that a simple one-on-one fight can no longer satisfy everyone's needs," Jerry said with sudden realization, his eyes widening. "So we need some kind of team battle format?"
"Pfft!" Deuce felt as though he was about to cough up imaginary blood and glanced at Jerry with exasperation.
But the next moment, Deuce felt somewhat relieved. The fact that Jerry was still in the mood to make jokes proved he wasn't intimidated by facing four legendary pirates with extraordinarily high average combat power.
"Young man, ahem..." Shanks unconsciously started to give a thumbs up in appreciation, but quickly suppressed the gesture after sensing Beckman's warning glare.
Jerry crossed his arms and spoke with mock seriousness. "Are you thinking something impolite about me? What I want to confirm is this—each side sends three fighters to determine the winner, right?"