On the wide bridge deck, the overseer mercilessly swung his whip. A technique honed on who knew how many bodies lashed out with precision, striking squarely across a laborer's face.
In the overseer's eyes, the cotton-padded coats the workers wore were worth more than the workers themselves. Damaging a coat would cost more than damaging a person.
The only reason they were given those coats was so they could work longer. In the frigid seas of the East Blue, without cotton clothing a laborer's lifespan would be far too short. Only this way could they endure a little longer.
Once a laborer died, the only outcome was to be stripped naked and thrown into the sea, or simply turned into fuel.
"Who told you to rest?! If today's work isn't finished, nobody eats! Stay sharp! 12138, who told you to stop? Get back to work!"
There were no names here, only code numbers sewn onto clothing. But just as he raised his whip again, someone grabbed his arm.
"Boss? Why are you here? It's so cold out, you should go rest; I'll discipline these worthless skins."
"Get lost, don't get in the way. Can't you see this lord has business to attend to?"
Having chased away his meddling subordinate, the head overseer of this place arrived, leading someone sent by the World Government.
"My lord, look, every laborer who can work is here. All strong and sturdy. Just take your pick."
"Are there no others?"
"There are a few in the kitchens and such, but those are women and children who can't handle heavy labor."
In the Kingdom on the Bridge, there was no such thing as someone who couldn't work. In this environment, being unable to work was equivalent to a death sentence. No one here would arrange for a doctor to treat injured workers.
"Pick five hundred for me first. If it works out, I'll come back later. Time is tight over there, so we'll make do for now.
Have them stop. Bring the ones from the kitchen too. I have something to say."
The pressure from Mariejois was intense, and he didn't have the time to choose slowly.
Under the overseer's orders, the laborers stopped what they were doing and gathered together. Though confused, no one spoke. They simply cherished this rare moment of rest.
"Listen up, you lot! Originally, your fate was to work here until you die! But now I bring you a new opportunity. You can move to a better environment!
No bitter cold, no endless labor. If you manage to please the right people, you might even change your fate. I need strong men, beautiful women, and clever children!"
He then laid out specific requirements, embellishing the virtues of Mariejois, hoping to entice qualified laborers to step forward on their own and save time.
But after he finished speaking, not a single laborer stepped forward.
They did not believe someone standing beside the overseer could possibly mean well. If it were truly as good as he claimed, he himself should go do it.
In the laborers' memories, talk of leaving this place alive had always been a lie. No laborer had ever gained freedom here.
"My lord, let me handle it. Only the whip makes these guys obey."
As he spoke, the head overseer raised the whip in his hand, but he met the same fate as his subordinate—his arm was gripped firmly by a large hand.
"B*stard! Who dares interfere?!"
He angrily turned his head, only to see a wall of robust red muscles.
Tiger appeared before them in his true appearance.
The World Government's representative sensed something wrong and tried to act, but Tiger seized him by the head with one hand and hurled him away.
The Kingdom on the Bridge's large bridge stood tall, but for Tiger, whose climbing talent was maxed out, who could even scale the Red Line, the scaffold-covered structure was easy to ascend.
"My name is Fisher Tiger. As you can see, I am a Fish-Man. Today I have only one thing to say to you, you are all free!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? This is a prison built by the World Government! You dare cause trouble here? You must be tired of living!
All around is icy sea, do you think you can escape? The patrol boats have already cut off your retreat!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out, and the nearest patrol boats all emitted black smoke, with some simply snapping in half.
"What's going on? Where did that bombardment come from?!"
The loud explosion put the guards on edge. But scanning the surroundings, they saw no enemy ships.
"Underwater! There's something underwater!"
A guard leaning over the railing made the discovery. The shifting shadows drifting across the sea's surface made the hairs on their backs stand on end.
Beneath the water, Hachi was muttering a mnemonic.
"Green to start, red to boom, aim at the target and let go."
After adjusting the torpedo's direction, Hachi locked the rudder in place and left it behind. In less than a minute, another ship on the surface became nothing more than a drifting wreck.
All the ships capable of threatening the bridge at close range were completely cleared out.
The distant vessels had just begun to move in for support when Feraligatr smashed a massive hole through one with a single punch. Seawater poured in wildly, and in the end the ship could only sink helplessly into the ocean.
Meanwhile, around a supply transport ship, splashes erupted as more and more Fish-Men leapt onto the deck.
"It's time! Take this ship!"
"Boss Tiger has already succeeded, don't let him look down on us!"
The Fish-Men launched their attack right on schedule. The patrol boats stationed here were fairly weak. Normally they only had to watch over laborers, so they had little combat ability. Against the Fish-Men, they stood no chance.
The deck was quickly seized.
The fire-support frigate was instantly destroyed by a torpedo. The sudden assault from the depths of the sea gave them no time to react.
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Art: Demon Brick Fist!"
On the bridge deck, the guards who had gathered after hearing the commotion were blasted apart by Tiger's punch. Seeing this, those behind them abandoned any thought of resistance and fled desperately toward the rear.
"So now, who do you think is tired of living?"
"Th-that… maybe it's me?"
Facing Tiger's questioning, the head overseer could only force a smile and hurriedly pulled out a ring of keys.
"These are the keys here. There are only so many types of locks here, and this set of keys can open them all."
There were simply too many laborers, so the keys were usually universal. They couldn't possibly manage thousands of separate keys.
"You see, I'm just doing my job. When commands come from above, I have no choice. Could you consider letting me leave?"
"I can't make that decision. Let the laborers decide."
With that, Tiger tossed both the overseer and the keys down into the crowd below.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want to be slaves here for the rest of your lives? The keys are in your hands, the road to freedom lies beneath your feet. Now that it's come to this, do you still not dare to make up your minds?
The Lord once said—"
At first, Tiger was rallying them, but as he continued, he suddenly drifted into preaching.
"Boss Tiger! Boss Aladine asked me to tell you, our objective this time isn't preaching…"
When Tiger's occupational habit kicked in, Hachi, who had just climbed up, timidly spoke up. Aladine had originally wanted to say it himself, but as a Merman, it wasn't convenient for him to come here.
By now, the ship seized by the Fish-Men had come over. Reluctantly ending his impromptu preaching, Tiger urged the laborers to board quickly.
But before they could all transfer, a group of people came rushing toward them from the other end of the bridge.
"Boss Tiger, more enemies are coming."
They swiveled the cannons on the deck, aiming at the approaching crowd, but Tiger raised his hand to stop them.
"Wait. Those people are different."
They wore tattered laborer clothes and carried pickaxes and rakes. At the very front, however, someone was holding high the banner of the Revolutionary Army.
"The Revolutionary Army? Are they taking action here too?"
Tiger signaled for Hachi and the others not to fire, then moved to meet the incoming crowd. What happened next, however, caught him off guard; the person in front slid forward and dropped to his knees directly before Tiger.
"What are you doing?"
"Benefactor Tiger, it's me…"
As he spoke, he tore open his shirt, revealing the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon beneath—the mark that signified he had once been a Celestial Dragon's slave, one of the first slaves Tiger had rescued.
"You joined the Revolutionary Army?"
"Yes. I want to help more people break free from the chains of slavery. Lord Tiger, it's wonderful that you're still alive. When we saw the news of your death back then…"
Koala had met Tiger, but she never revealed that fact. She had carefully protected the secret.
She understood that Tiger must have had his reasons for hiding his identity and living in secrecy. As a result, everyone else still believed Tiger was dead.
"Enough. This isn't the time for sentiment. Since you've joined the Revolutionary Army, can I entrust you with taking them somewhere safe?"
"No problem. We in the Revolutionary Army were already planning action against the Kingdom on the Bridge. We should be thanking you for the help."
In the end, Tiger watched with a smile as the enslaved laborers were led away. In his hand, however, he now held a withered flower.
"Boss Tiger, where did you find that dried grass?"
"A little kid just gave it to me. It's not easy to find a flower in an environment like this. Maybe it represents the hope in his heart.
Let's go! There's still more to do!"
"Yeah!"
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