Seeing that the enemy's armed forces had suffered devastating casualties while the remaining troops chose to retreat to safer distances, disappearing into the gradually clearing rain, the uprising slowly began to subside.
"Victory? We actually... we won?"
"Amazing! We're finally free! WOOHOO!"
The liberated slaves looked upon the ruins of Tequila Wolf's command structures and cheered with wild, unrestrained excitement.
Afterward, uncontrollable sobbing broke out throughout the crowd in many places—emotional catharsis mixed with overwhelming relief after years of suffering.
Standing at a distance, Deuce and the others exchanged satisfied smiles, said nothing more, and turned around with tacit understanding to return toward their pirate ship.
At that moment, everyone suddenly noticed that the lighting had become much brighter. This dramatic change made them all look up at the sky simultaneously.
Only then did they realize that the enormous water barrier that had been sheltering the entire area had vanished without a trace, and the continuous rainstorm had quietly given way to clear skies. Strands of weak but wonderfully warm sunlight were breaking through the thick cloud cover, illuminating both heaven and earth.
"Greetings, Leviathan Jerry. I'm Barney Joe from the Revolutionary Army's East Blue division. Thank you very much for your invaluable assistance!"
The young revolutionary who had been secretly organizing and directing the people's resistance approached Jerry with a respectful gentleman's bow.
Standing on the bridge and waiting to welcome Deuce and the others back from their triumph, Jerry nodded and waved his hand with casual dismissal: "Hello there. No need for thanks—your own efforts certainly can't be ignored in all this."
"But without your help, we might not have achieved these results even if we had worked for several more years."
Barney Joe looked with humble appreciation at the slaves whose eyes had regained their natural sparkle, speaking with genuine sincerity.
This wasn't false modesty on his part, but rather the voice of hard-won experience.
He had witnessed other countries and peoples liberated by Revolutionary Army operations, but few had been able to inspire such large-scale spontaneous resistance from the oppressed population.
Even Belo Betty, the East Army commander who possessed the Pump-Pump Fruit's power, could only temporarily inspire people's fighting spirit. After each incident concluded, most of those naturally timid individuals would inevitably return to their original submissive state.
Otherwise, the Revolutionary Army would have overthrown countless tyrannical governments long ago.
The Revolutionary Army didn't simply want to topple corrupt regimes through physical force—they wanted people to fight spontaneously from the depths of their hearts to defend themselves, their families, friends, and homes.
Jerry raised his finger thoughtfully, looked at the freed slaves who were displaying every conceivable emotion, and spoke with calm authority: "No, I think you Revolutionary Army members haven't figured out one crucial point, which is why you feel this way."
Barney Joe blinked in confusion, not understanding Jerry's meaning. He asked with genuine humility, "I'd very much like to hear your perspective."
Jerry clasped his hands behind his back, raised his head, and took two measured steps forward, adopting the posture of a learned scholar before declaring loudly:
"Nothing can stop humanity's yearning for freedom!"
Having delivered this profound statement, Jerry maintained his dignified pose, standing ramrod straight with obvious pride.
"Boss Jerry, what exactly are you doing there with your chest puffed out like that? Are you looking for a bathroom?" Skull's curious voice rang out at the most inopportune possible moment.
Deuce and the others happened to be walking nearby when they spotted Jerry striking his dramatic pose, with a bewildered young stranger standing behind him, scratching his hair with a thoroughly constipated expression on his face.
"Shut up! Nobody thinks you're mute when you don't talk!" Jerry's composure crumbled instantly as he blurted out an irritated complaint.
Then Jerry spun around, pointed at Deuce with an air of mysterious wisdom, and addressed Barney Joe: "He understands what I mean. Do you get it?"
"Oh, I'm truly sorry. I'm not well-educated enough to fully grasp your meaning." Barney Joe pondered the words for several moments before finally admitting his confusion.
"Uh... well, just take that phrase back to your Revolutionary Army leadership. Someone there will understand it eventually." Jerry said casually while stroking his chin thoughtfully.
After finishing his explanation, Jerry waved goodbye to Barney Joe with simple courtesy and prepared to return to the Black Nova alongside Deuce and the others.
"Hey! Wait just a minute! Aren't you going to stay until everything here is completely resolved?" Barney Joe struck a pleading pose, stretching out his hand to try keeping them from leaving.
He continued urgently: "There are still other who want to express their gratitude personally..."
Deuce and the others exchanged meaningful glances before shaking their heads slightly. Jerry continued walking forward without looking back, calling over his shoulder:
"It's good that you Revolutionary Army folks are here to handle things. We should be withdrawing now."
"As for those thanks, they're unnecessary. Tell everyone to cherish the results of their own hard-fought victory and live good lives from now on."
Before he could finish speaking, Jerry leaped gracefully forward and landed steadily on the Black Nova's deck.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened and his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the distant sea.
In his field of vision, there was a ship that had shrunk to smaller than his little finger and was continuing to move farther away.
Jerry quickly produced his telescope and peered through it carefully. He could vaguely make out that it was indeed a warship, and the distinctive shape of its bow clearly displayed the image of a dog holding a bone in its mouth.
"Is that Garp's ship? The one they call 'Hero of the Marines'?" Jerry muttered to himself with growing interest.
"Jerry, what are you looking at through that telescope? Is there something important out there?" Deuce, who had returned to the deck behind Jerry, asked with obvious curiosity.
He looked in the same direction Jerry was observing, but saw only calm, empty ocean beneath the sky that had just cleared after the rain.
Jerry lowered his telescope and shook his head dismissively. "Nothing worth worrying about. Where is everyone else?"
Deuce pointed backward without bothering to turn around, shrugging casually. "They're all still back there. Cavendish is doing his usual thing—walking around in dramatic circles to show off. Brook said he wanted to play one more song before returning to the ship."
"Skull is exchanging some intelligence with the Revolutionary Army. Carina, Carrot, and Bonney are already waiting near the bow with Kotatsu."
"Alright, we'll wait for them." Jerry nodded and asked with genuine concern, "So how are you feeling now, you passionate young idealist? Has your mood improved?"
"Uh..." Deuce scratched his cheek with his fingertip, revealing a bright smile that matched the brilliant sunshine following the storm.
Then he raised his thumb in an enthusiastic gesture of approval:
"Of course I feel much better! But when it comes to being a passionate young person, I can't compare to you. I can't believe you actually managed to say something so inspiring."
"Not only did you fire up all those people, but you even got me excited about our cause."
Deuce turned his head to look back at the people behind them—former slaves now joining with returning fighters from the front lines, all venting their excitement and joy—and a knowing smile spread across his face.
Jerry waved his left hand up and down with obvious amusement, grinning widely: "That's basic stuff! Don't get too worked up about it. That was just the most fundamental crowd motivation technique. I'm embarrassed that it got you so fired up. What's next—are you going to start getting all sentimental on me?"
"Get lost!" Deuce instantly retaliated with a playful kick.
The two didn't have to wait long before the rest of their crew returned to the Black Nova one by one.
Amid laughter and celebration, Jerry once again summoned ocean currents from the sea, lifted their pirate ship upon the flowing water, and swiftly returned to the ocean's surface.
This spectacular display of Jerry controlling massive water currents attracted the attention of all the people they had helped liberate.
The freed slaves spontaneously gathered at the bridge's edge, directing their grateful gazes toward the Black Nova and expressing their deepest appreciation and solemn thanks to everyone aboard the departing ship.
"Boy! Even though your words weren't very pleasant to hear, we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts!" A white-haired man in his fifties with a hoarse but powerful voice hugged his young granddaughter tightly while waving his arms with unbridled excitement.
"That's exactly right! You're the one who made us face ourselves again and regain the courage to take up arms in our own defense. Thank you!" A thin but determined young man clenched his fists and shouted with all his strength.
"Thank you! Thank you so very much! sob..."
A seemingly fragile young woman gently set down her shovel, carefully picked up her small son, and after embracing her husband—who had suffered a broken leg during years of forced labor—for a long, emotional moment, she stood up to wave and speak through tears of joy.
Whether they were among the people who had stepped forward at the very beginning or those who had followed their lead afterward, along with all their relatives and friends, every person present was now showing beautiful, genuine smiles as they watched with heartfelt gratitude while Jerry and his crew gradually disappeared beyond the distant horizon.