The compass had been obtained after the Paramount War.
The codex came later, after the Punk Hazard Battle.
They symbolized, respectively, the deaths of Whitebeard and Akainu.
Both the compass and the codex possessed their own unique powers—
and together, they were two of the Nine Keys required to open the "Abyssal Cabinet" hidden beneath Hive Island.
Seven keys remained.
To obtain them, Davy Jones would have to defeat seven more figures on the level of Whitebeard and Akainu.
For now, he set the two relics casually aside. Something else held his attention.
Lowering his gaze, the tendrils upon his chin coiled over the wooden box and gently lifted the fruit within—
a fruit covered in intricate spiral patterns.
He turned it slowly in his hands, examining it.
There was no mistake—this was a genuine Devil Fruit.
"Alvida," Davy Jones asked, his voice even, "where did you come across a Devil Fruit?"
"Yes, Captain…"
Alvida explained in full detail: the clash between the two pirate crews at the harbor,
the discovery of the kidnapped mermaid child while looting the Bellamy Pirates' ship,
and finally, how this Devil Fruit had come into their possession.
Davy Jones listened without interruption. He had no issue with how she had handled the situation.
He merely asked, "And which Fruit is this one?"
Alvida reached into the small wooden box and pulled out a folded slip of paper, handing it to him.
"Captain, Bellamy's crew had already identified it and written it down."
On the paper was a single line of text:
Paramecia-Type: Mark-Mark Fruit (Mato Mato no Mi)
"The Mark-Mark Fruit?" Davy Jones murmured, slightly surprised. "Wasn't that the fruit once belonging to Vander Decken?"
"Yes," Alvida confirmed with a nod. "It seems to have been reborn—and the Bellamy Pirates managed to acquire it.
They were transporting it to Doflamingo when we intercepted them."
She paused, then asked, "Captain, how do you plan to deal with it?"
In truth, Davy Jones had already been thinking along the same lines as she had.
"Give it to Porche," he said at last. "We'll soon be clashing with the Big Mom Pirates.
She'll need to grow stronger—fast."
"Yes, Captain. I'll deliver the Mark-Mark Fruit to her right away…
Oh, and there's one more thing—
the leader of the other crew involved in the conflict wants to meet you."
"Meet me?"
"Yes. His name is Bartolomeo.
He's a Barrier-Barrier Fruit user—quite capable, actually.
He seems eager to join us… though, personality-wise, he's a little… peculiar."
Since even Alvida described him as "quite capable," he was likely of Supernova caliber.
As for being "a little peculiar," that hardly bothered Davy Jones.
After all, none of his subordinates could be called normal.
"Very well," Davy Jones said with a nod. "Let him in."
"Yes, Captain."
Alvida took the wooden box containing the Mark-Mark Fruit and went first to find Bartolomeo—then set off to deliver the fruit to Porche.
Before long, a mermaid attendant led a wide-eyed Bartolomeo into the captain's quarters.
The moment he laid eyes on Davy Jones seated before him, Bartolomeo's expression lit up with sheer ecstasy.
"Captain Davy Jones! I can't believe I'm finally seeing you in person! Hahahahaha—
I could die happy right now!"
His exaggerated bow and wild laughter startled the mermaid attendant,
who quickly slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her.
Davy Jones, long used to sycophants and zealots, didn't even flinch.
"Get up," he said flatly. "Sit wherever you like."
"Yes, yes, of course!"
Bartolomeo sprang to his feet, bowing repeatedly.
He looked around, grabbed a chair, dragged it to Davy Jones's desk, and sat right across from him—
separated only by the tabletop.
"So," Davy Jones said, studying him with a piercing gaze, "you wish to join my fleet?"
"It would be the greatest honor imaginable!" Bartolomeo's eyes shone with excitement.
"That's been my crew's dream since the day we first set sail!"
Davy Jones tilted his head slightly.
"Because of what you read in the papers? The ones declaring me the new Emperor of the Sea?"
"No, no, no!" Bartolomeo shook his head so violently it was almost comical, as though terrified Davy Jones might misunderstand.
"Those who come chasing the title of 'Emperor' are false followers.
The true believers are the ones like us—
who knew from the very beginning that you were destined for greatness!"
He reached into his coat and carefully placed something on the table—
a Den Den Mushi.
"Captain Davy Jones," he asked reverently, "may I play something for you?"
It was a Projection Den Den Mushi, capable of displaying images.
"Go ahead," Davy Jones said, curious to see what this eccentric had prepared.
Bartolomeo's face lit up. He rushed to draw the curtains, plunging the room into shadow, then eagerly pressed the switch.
A projection flickered to life against the wall—
a photograph.
"The first time we learned about you," Bartolomeo began joyfully, "was during the Reverse Mountain Battle!
We formed our pirate crew soon after and went there right away to take photos!"
In the image, Bartolomeo and his crew stood before the massive crater left by Garp's punch at Reverse Mountain,
posing with peace signs and wide grins.
The next few slides were more of the same—different angles, same spot.
Some even featured a tribal-looking local and a massive whale in the background.
They looked, in short, less like pirates and more like tourists on a sightseeing trip.
The next photos showed them in the rebuilt royal palace of Alabasta.
There they were again—grinning, posing for the camera.
In one shot, they stood beside a smiling young woman with long blue hair, surrounded by nervous palace guards.
Davy Jones recognized her instantly—
Princess Vivi, the same girl he had once taken hostage.
Somehow, Bartolomeo and his crew had found her and convinced her to pose for a group photo.
And Vivi, to his surprise, had actually agreed—smiling pleasantly for the camera.
Then came Water 7.
If not for the thick mists shrouding the Florian Triangle,
Bartolomeo and his crew likely would have gone there too, trying to "check in" at Thriller Bark.
Marineford was far too dangerous, of course.
Otherwise, they'd probably have taken selfies there as well.
They even visited Fish-Man Island, taking countless photos—though, regrettably, they never managed to meet the busy Jinbe.
And at last, their journey had brought them to the Thriller Island,
where they finally came face to face with Davy Jones himself.
"Captain Davy Jones!" Bartolomeo's eyes burned with fanatic admiration.
"We've gathered every bit of information we could about you and your crew—compiled it all into our Fan Compendium!
"Ever since the East Blue, we've known—you were destined to become the most renowned pirate in the world!
"We've followed your trail ever since.
Sadly, we missed both the Paramount War and the Punk Hazard Battle…"
He clenched his fists and pounded his chest dramatically, his face contorted with regret.
At that, Davy Jones finally understood why Alvida had described him as "a little strange."
Even among his own crew of oddballs, Bartolomeo was in a league of his own.
The world, it seemed, had no shortage of peculiar people.
"…Very well," Davy Jones said at last. "I'll give you a chance to serve under me.
But first—you'll need to sign a contract."
"Yes, yes, absolutely!" Bartolomeo leapt to his feet, eyes shining as if Christmas had come early.
"Where do I sign? Should I use a bloody handprint?"
It was the first time Davy Jones had ever met someone so eager that he wanted to sign before even hearing the terms.
Still, he refused to take the matter of contracts lightly.
He recited the entire agreement aloud—including the part about serving a full hundred years aboard his ship.
"Yes, yes! Captain Davy Jones! Where do I sign? Do I press my bloody handprint here?"
Bartolomeo listened patiently to every word—then repeated his question verbatim, without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing his enthusiasm, Davy Jones had no reason to refuse.
Thus, the contract was signed—
Bartolomeo officially joined the crew of Davy Jones.
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