The next morning, when news birds flew across the world carrying fresh newspapers, everyone was utterly shocked. Countless people found themselves in disbelief, yet they couldn't suppress their overwhelming excitement.
"The World Government has fallen!"
"The World Government is finished forever!"
Although yesterday's live broadcast had already conveyed extensive information to viewers worldwide, after enduring a sleepless night of processing these earth-shaking events, many people weren't completely convinced until this moment of repeated confirmation through official news sources.
Then they either cheered with wild jubilation or wailed in despair, each group displaying dramatically different reactions based on their circumstances.
After all, apart from the rulers of World Government member nations and upper-class citizens like nobles, most other people—including ordinary civilians and pirates—harbored little affection for the previous regime.
In their daily lives, the World Government had always felt impossibly distant and disconnected from their real concerns. The only time most people encountered anything related to the organization was during the annual collection of Heavenly Tribute—a crushing financial burden that drained resources from every corner of the world.
As the old saying went, a distant emperor was less relevant than a local magistrate. Compared to the Marines whom people frequently encountered in their communities, the World Government that existed solely to demand enormous wealth payments naturally maintained a terrible reputation in most citizens' minds.
Later, when people learned about all the detailed information reported in the newspapers, they developed an almost religious reverence for Leviathan Jerry, who had infiltrated Mariejois alone, eliminated the Celestial Dragons, liberated countless slaves, and personally brought an end to eight centuries of oppressive rule.
Jerry's series of incredible accomplishments amazed civilians, merchants, and people from all walks of life, earning him thunderous applause from across the globe.
His actions in destroying the Red Line and opening pathways between the Four Seas particularly impressed the general population, as people immediately recognized the tremendous conveniences this would bring to future trade, travel, and communication. This revolutionary restructuring received universal praise from every corner of the world.
This dramatic transformation was understood by people everywhere as the true meaning behind "One Piece"—to connect the entire world into a single, unified whole.
In recognition of these achievements, even though Jerry himself remained indifferent to titles and formal recognition, everyone willingly acknowledged him as the new "Pirate King" of this transformed world.
Through comprehensive news reports, the global population learned that Jerry hadn't limited his restructuring to the area around Mariejois. The region surrounding Reverse Mountain had also been dramatically opened up using his powerful water dragon techniques. Through masterful ocean current manipulation, he had created an "X"-shaped flow pattern that allowed water from all Four Seas to converge at both Mariejois and Reverse Mountain, fundamentally altering global navigation forever.
Of course, such massive geographical manipulation inevitably affected the Calm Belts, but Jerry had adhered to his philosophy that "existence serves a purpose" and refrained from making wholesale changes to these regions. He particularly avoided disturbing the countless Sea Kings that made their homes in these mysterious waters.
Instead, he had simply used strategic ocean current adjustments to generate wind patterns, transforming the Calm Belt areas near the former Red Line into what could now be described as "Wind Belts" with natural air circulation.
Additionally, Jerry had created numerous new shipping channels through the Red Line barriers between East Blue and North Blue, as well as between South Blue and West Blue—seas that had previously been separated by the same Calm Belt systems. These innovations achieved true connectivity between all the world's waters for the first time in recorded history.
After the fall of the original World Government, the Marines under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's leadership assumed management responsibilities, and most people expressed no objections to this transition.
The primary complaints came from certain pirates who cursed Jerry for his decision, wondering why he hadn't simply eliminated the Marines entirely in one decisive stroke. Such action would have not only cleared their bounties but guaranteed complete freedom from law enforcement in the future.
Of course, the situations of many former World Government member nations changed dramatically due to the central authority's collapse, leading to considerable warfare and social upheaval in various regions.
Jerry couldn't do much about such developments. After all, his individual capabilities had limits, and he had never claimed to be anyone's savior or saint. Political reconstruction would have to emerge organically from the world's peoples themselves.
Several Days Later
It was early morning under crystal-clear skies on an island that Jerry and his allies had temporarily selected as their victory celebration venue.
After a full night of revelry, the pirates' enthusiasm showed no signs of diminishing.
On the contrary, because they had personally participated in world-changing events, everyone felt particularly energized. They offered drinks to everyone they encountered—even friendly ghosts would have been invited to join the festivities.
Nearly the entire island was filled with infectious celebratory atmosphere, and even the local villagers had been invited to participate in the massive banquet.
Deuce surveyed the people lying unconscious on the ground after their enthusiastic participation, then slowly walked toward Jerry, who continued fishing despite being wrapped head-to-toe in enormous bandages from his recent battle injuries.
The two friends greeted each other warmly before Deuce reported: "Shanks and the Revolutionary Army members who remained at the Marine branch are basically recovered and conscious now."
"Apparently, some high-ranking Revolutionary Army and NEO Marine officials want to negotiate with the regular Marines about jointly participating in future governmental changes and establishing new administrative structures."
Seeing that Jerry simply nodded slightly without verbal response, Deuce didn't mind the silence and continued his update: "Speaking of Shanks, I've been thinking that he might have been influenced by Joy Boy unconsciously many years ago when he was sailing the waters near Laugh Tale with Roger's crew."
"That would explain why he later tried to intercept the Nika Fruit shipments being transported by the World Government."
"But since Joy Boy remained dormant for years after Luffy consumed the Nika Fruit, Shanks never realized anything was wrong with his mental state."
"I suspect the high-ranking Revolutionary Army officials who were compromised had similar experiences, or the 'infection' could have been transmitted by their leader Dragon. After all, Dragon's behavior patterns seemed slightly different from Shanks' controlled state."
Hearing this analysis, Jerry shifted his gaze from the fishing float bobbing on the water's surface to meet Deuce's eyes, then waved his hand dismissively: "Who cares about the details? The ancient parasite is gone for good, and none of them will face mind control in the future."
"Let's talk about our crew instead," he said, changing the subject while scratching his head thoughtfully. "Carrot should return to Zou to fulfill her responsibilities there, and Carina wants to join Tesoro on his golden ship. She probably still has some scheme brewing..."
"Brook will naturally go back to Laboon, and Cavendish wants to take Kotatsu on a tour. He seems to have fallen in love with talk show entertainment."
"As for Skull, he doesn't have any specific destination in mind. Unlike Ace, who needs to return home to inherit the Whitebeard Pirates' leadership responsibilities."
Listening to Jerry discuss everyone's future destinations and plans in such detail, Deuce remained thoughtfully silent.
"What about you? Have you made your own plans yet?" Jerry asked with genuine interest. "I can provide transportation services. As long as there's water access involved, I can take you anywhere—even to the underworld if necessary..."
Seeing that Jerry was about to launch into another tangent, Deuce quickly interrupted: "Stop, stop, stop! I already have an appointment scheduled with Morgans."
"Oh? What business do you have with that bird-brain?" Jerry asked with obvious curiosity.
"Ahem..." Deuce gestured with his eyes toward Morgans, who had just approached within hearing distance, asking the heavens wordlessly for patience.
Unexpectedly, Jerry simply glanced at the World Economic News president and ignored the implied criticism, speaking with casual indifference: "It's fine. He's a bird-person. Can't he handle people stating the obvious?"
Deuce shot Morgans an apologetic look before explaining: "Well, I'm planning to work with his organization for a while to facilitate publishing my adventure novel."
"Go for it—it's not like we'll never see each other again," Jerry chuckled when he noticed the complicated emotions in Deuce's expression. "If we don't pursue our dreams, we'll just get old and regretful. Why overthink such decisions?"
"True enough. What about your own plans?"
Hearing Deuce's question, Jerry leaned back comfortably in his reclining chair and responded: "I'll spend a few days helping everyone reach their destinations. After that, I'm thinking of visiting Wano Country."
"Have you thought of a title for your book yet?"
This question made Deuce hesitate before suggesting: "Maybe... 'The Old Man and the Sea'?"
Jerry sneered with amusement: "Can you come up with something more appealing? A title that makes people want to read it the moment they hear it?"
Deuce spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness, clearly out of creative ideas.
Seeing this predicament, Jerry slapped his forehead and declared: "If you ask me, just call it 'This Guy and the Sea!' Much more dynamic!"
One and a Half Years Later
Time had flown by remarkably quickly, and Jerry now found himself on the banks of the Kuri River in Wano Country. Tama was playing happily with her pet komainu nearby, while Jerry reclined peacefully in a comfortable chair with a hat that Tama had woven for him resting on his head. He waited patiently for fish to bite his line.
"Boss Jerry! Here's Boss Deuce's latest novel, 'This Guy and the Sea,'" Skull announced as he approached along the riverbank, carrying a packaged collection of the bestselling book. "It's supposedly selling incredibly well throughout the world!"
He tossed a copy to Jerry before remembering something else: "Oh, and apparently there was some strange activity last night. Several people claim they saw multiple figures appear out of nowhere near the old castle ruins."
"Oh? Could it be..." Jerry experienced a flash of intuitive understanding and stood up suddenly. His Observation Haki burst outward, encompassing all of Wano Country within his sensory range.
"Seems like some of the old retainers are finally returning to help rebuild," Jerry murmured with a slight smile.
He had been fishing throughout Wano Country for days now, periodically scanning the entire nation with his enhanced senses. This constant surveillance had reached the point where he could identify each individual person simply by their unique spiritual signature.
"Who are they exactly?" both Skull and Tama asked with obvious curiosity.
"Just some loyal samurai who've been hiding since Kaido's defeat," Jerry replied, settling back into his chair. "They're probably here to help establish the new government. That's good—Wano needs experienced people to guide the transition."
He stretched comfortably and turned toward the young girl beside him. "Tama, your training period is officially completed."
"Huh?! But I still haven't learned the Fireball Technique!" Tama exclaimed with surprise and secret frustration.
Jerry smiled warmly and reassured her: "Don't worry about it. Next we'll learn the Tama Rasengan instead."
As he spoke, Jerry suddenly felt a profound sense of completion wash over him. Looking around at the peaceful countryside, the happy child, and the rebuilt nation, he realized something important had shifted.
[Ultimate achievement unlocked: World Liberation Complete - All major oppressive systems dismantled, freedom established globally, new governance structures operational. Dimensional mastery achieved.]
Jerry was genuinely surprised by this unexpected recognition. It seemed the system had been tracking not just his individual battles, but his overall impact on world peace and freedom.
Following the system's guidance, he turned his attention to the lotus interface within his consciousness.
At first glance, he discovered that the display looked completely different from before.
The five-pointed star pattern formed by his collected Wall-breaking Beads was now glowing brilliantly, emitting dazzling multicolored light. The pentagon in the center appeared to be slightly raised, as if it were some kind of interactive button.
"I wonder if I can press this thing?" Jerry thought to himself before pressing the pentagon without hesitation.
[Five stars aligned. Dimensional travel option now available.]
As this prompt appeared, corresponding world selection options materialized at each corner of the pentagram.
[Dragonball Super]
[Hunter x Hunter]
[One Punch Man]
After these options appeared, they seemed to stabilize and continued floating temptingly before his vision. Jerry scratched his head thoughtfully before turning to address Skull and Tama:
"Looks like I have to leave this world now. Please say goodbye to everyone on my behalf—'Pockmarked Face' Ace who leads the Whitebeard Pirates, 'Indecisive Novelist' Deuce, 'Talk Show Superstar' Cavendish, 'Whale Companion' Brook, 'Money-Obsessed Diva' Carina, and 'Queen of Zou' Carrot."
"I hope everyone can live out their dreams in this new world without Celestial Dragons."
After delivering this farewell message, Jerry's figure instantly vanished from the spot, leaving Skull and Tama staring at each other in complete confusion.
As the morning sun continued to shine down on the liberated world Jerry had created, the waters of all seas flowed together as one, carrying the hopes and dreams of countless people toward whatever adventures awaited them in this age of true freedom.
The age of the World Government was over forever. The age of individual choice and authentic liberation had begun.
And somewhere in the vast multiverse, Jerry was about to discover what new adventures awaited him in entirely different worlds—with his trusty fishing rod and unshakeable confidence ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.