As Skull's dramatic retelling concluded, the roar from the crowd outside the ruined warehouse served as a powerful, living punctuation mark. Jerry now had a complete picture of the island's grim situation.
The local boss, a direct subordinate of one of the Seven Warlords, had turned this prosperous island into his personal hunting ground. His primary business was the slave trade, but his true, sadistic passion was preying on rookie pirates.
He delighted in watching hopeful crews, new and ignorant to the ways of the Grand Line, stray into his territory. He would then orchestrate their capture, taking pleasure in watching their dreams and spirits be methodically torn apart without them being able to offer any resistance.
This grotesque hobby was likely the very reason he chose to occupy this island, so close to the entrance of the Grand Line, a perfect trap for fresh meat.
As a result, a large number of the people on this island were not willing residents. They were individuals deceived and abducted from various places, brought here against their will.
Some were travelers who had landed on the island without knowing the situation and were subsequently captured and controlled. Others had already been sold in his dark trades. Almost all of them had been subjected to the most inhumane treatment. The few who dared to resist were met with brutal, violent suppression, and if they were recaptured after an escape attempt, the torture they endured was even more severe.
Over time, the people of this town had learned to be silent. They could only be angry in their hearts, never speaking out, spending their days walking on eggshells, careful not to anger their cruel overlords. They had long since given up on the fantasy of rescue. This was, after all, a territory ruled by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea; the Marines and the World Government would never interfere.
Therefore, when the scene from their most impossible dreams actually came true—when they saw the boss who had haunted their lives struck down with their own eyes—the explosion of emotion was absolute and overwhelming.
"In that case, you did a good thing," Jerry said, a genuine smile touching the corner of his mouth. He walked briskly toward Ace and clapped him firmly on the shoulder. "You've saved so many people, directly and indirectly."
"Ughhh..." Ace groaned, taking the opportunity to theatrically lean his entire weight on Jerry's shoulder. He looked utterly exhausted, his tongue lolling out. "I'm hungry again."
Jerry laughed, supporting his captain with one hand. "Then let's go eat our fill later," he said, drawing a delicious picture for him. "This time, I think you should be able to eat a free meal with a perfectly clear conscience!"
At that moment, the townspeople began to slowly gather around them. Through word of mouth, the full story was spreading like wildfire. It was this young man with freckles on his face who had single-handedly defeated their long-time ruler. The news was racing across the island, and soon, it would reach shores far beyond.
After their initial, cathartic outburst, hundreds of people began to form a tight, dense circle around Ace and his crew, three layers deep, making it impossible to leave. It seemed one of them had been nominated as a representative, and a respected-looking, middle-aged man with short hair took two hesitant steps forward.
He looked excited, his eyes shining with profound gratitude. He clearly wanted to say something to Ace and the others, but he was held back by a deep-seated fear, perhaps worried that these new, powerful pirates would simply become the island's next rulers.
Jerry's Observation Haki vaguely sensed the uneasy, hopeful-yet-fearful mood rippling through the crowd. He glanced over at Ace, who just looked utterly confused by all the attention, as if he couldn't understand what was happening.
Seeing this, Jerry felt a wave of helplessness. It wouldn't be easy to prompt Ace to say something inspiring in this situation, so he decided he could only speak on his captain's behalf. He raised his voice, making sure it carried over the murmur of the crowd.
"Don't worry!" Jerry announced loudly, his voice acting as the one to install the air conditioner in the tense atmosphere. "You are all free. From now on, you are free!"
His loud declaration, confirming what Ace's actions had started, was the spark that lit the final fuse. The crowd erupted into a second, even more thunderous cheer.
"Great! Thank God! We are free!"
In that moment, pure joy spread like a wave across the entire island.
In order to express their bottomless gratitude to the Spade Pirates, the townspeople came to a collective decision. They would hold a feast lasting for three consecutive days and nights, starting immediately.
During this time, Ace and his friends could eat, play, and celebrate as much as they wanted, with all expenses paid by the town. Furthermore, the town would gather supplies to provide the pirate crew with all they would need for their subsequent voyage, completely free of charge.
Hearing this incredibly practical and down-to-earth decision, Ace was so moved that tears of joy and drool began streaming from the corners of his mouth simultaneously. He patted his chest enthusiastically to show that he would absolutely support this wonderful plan.
With that settled, the massive crowd finally began to disperse, the people returning to their homes to prepare for the party of a lifetime.
"Are you going to stay for the next three days?" Jerry asked, turning his head toward the alley where he knew Kuma and Shirley were peeking out at the situation.
"No," Shirley's small voice replied. She had a conflicted expression on her face. "Even though I want to stay here for a few more days, I still want to go back home as soon as possible..." She was probably afraid that her family would worry too much; the little girl was still very sensible. "Big brother, goodbye!"
"I won't be staying any longer either," Kuma's deep voice rumbled. "I cannot wait to go and find those people you told me about." He paused. "Of course, that is after I send little Shirley home. Take care, Jerry."
The big bear turned, waved a massive hand, and walked away. Jerry saw Shirley, perched on Kuma's broad shoulder, purse her lips and look back at him, waving a small hand in farewell.
"Tyrant Kuma!?" Skull exclaimed in a low, shocked voice once they were gone. He stared at Jerry with wide, disbelieving eyes behind his mask. "Boss Jerry, you actually know him?"
Jerry just shrugged, a pained expression flickering across his face as he recalled the sheer force of being hit by the bear. He didn't want to comment too much on the beating he took. "Yes, we just met. Although he's called a tyrant, he's not bad, in fact he is very nice. As long as you are not hostile..."
"Anyway, let's go eat first!" At this time, Ace's stomach let out a loud growl, and his only desire was to find something to eat.
As night deepened and the moonlight shone like water, Gunnas Island fell into a full-blown feast. People's laughter and joyous shouts were everywhere. Perhaps it was because they had been suppressed for so long, but the people who were suddenly released completely forgot themselves.
The happy atmosphere infected everyone's hearts, and lively laughter echoed in the air. The feeling was roughly analogous to holding in a fart for far too long; the moment of release was extremely satisfying.
The crew had fun on the island. After all, it was a rare opportunity to eat whatever they wanted, so how could Ace possibly let it go? The others also released themselves and joined in the celebration.
Only Jerry stared at the rewards he had received from the random tasks in the system and fell into deep thought.
The reward for completing the mission this time was learning the [Fish-Man Jujutsu (Beginner)].
Fishman Jujutsu and Fishman Karate are distinct martial arts practiced by fish-men in the One Piece world, with Jujutsu focusing on throws and grappling, while Karate utilizes water-based strikes. Jujutsu techniques can involve manipulating water as a tangible substance, even to create water currents or projectiles. Karate, on the other hand, manipulates water molecules in the area affected by strikes.
This made Jerry a little speechless. Although Fish-Man Jujutsu had its own unique merits, it ultimately had the same goal as Fish-Man Karate. He believed that the core of both skills was the control of water, so Jerry, who had already learned Fishman Karate, could actually apply what he learned to other situations. Still, it was better than nothing.
At least it could save him some training time and improve his water control skills a little bit. He felt that with the further development and improvement of his water-related skills, he would eventually be able to control all kinds of water at will, including the water in the outside world and even inside living organisms. In the future, he expected to be able to perform various technique, and even simulate most of the water-style techniques from the Ninja world next door.
He could also combine it with Haki to develop something more suitable for himself.
At the same time, the news that "Fire Fist" Ace had defeated a major underworld figure under the protection of a Warlord had already spread across the sea. "Big News" Morgans was truly a professional paparazzi. There was basically nothing he didn't know about. As long as there was any sign of trouble, he would get a hot headline, and the newspapers would even use exaggerated words to report the incident.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Garp ate his senbei with a loud crunching sound. He muttered to himself while reading the newspaper, "Ace, this kid..."
"GARP!!! Just pay attention when you eat! Stop spraying it all over the place like a showerhead! My documents are all covered in senbei!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku yelled, veins popping out on his head as he saw Garp eating the senbei from his office and dirtying his important papers.
"Ah? Really? You made it dirty when you were eating. What does it have to do with me?" Garp said dismissively. "I'm going to leave first. Sengoku, you should work hard! Don't yell all day long, what a mess!" Garp grabbed the newspaper while talking, picked up two more bags of senbei from Sengoku's desk, and rushed out the door.
"Get back here! If you want to run, just run! Why did you tear down my door!!!" The entire headquarters could hear Sengoku's hysterical roar.
"That was bad to begin with! Bwahaha!" Garp's faint laughter could be heard in the distance.
After the incident fermented, the World Government and the Marine increased the bounty on Ace and his pirate group. Ace's bounty was raised directly to nine figures. The rest of the crew also received bounties. As the deputy captain, Jerry was given a ten million Berry bounty as a token of appreciation. Deuce and Skull only received bounties of a few million, and since the fishman Wallace had just joined the pirate group, there was no bounty for him for the time being.
Jerry's brief battle with the Bartholomew Kuma was not reported in the newspapers. It was unknown if it was because there were no intelligence personnel around at the time or for some other reason. In short, Jerry was able to continue to live a low-key and leisurely life as a fisherman.