The sudden commotion inevitably drew the attention of the surrounding slave workers. However, instead of coming over to help or investigate, their eyes merely flickered with a brief spark of fear before they silently, numbly shuffled away, desperately trying to distance themselves from the area so they wouldn't be implicated.
The young man kneeling on the icy stone was named Bunny Joe. His mother—the elderly man's wife—had also been violently abducted to build this hellish bridge. Unfortunately, as a physically fragile woman subjected to freezing temperatures and backbreaking labor, she hadn't lasted very long before dying of sheer exhaustion.
"Father, it's going to be okay. You're not going to die today," Bunny Joe whispered, holding the old man tightly. He then looked up at Mansherry, his eyes brimming with profound gratitude. He knew perfectly well that if it hadn't been for the miraculous power of this tiny Fairy girl, his father would have frozen to death on this stone pier.
Bunny Joe swallowed hard and looked at the imposing group. "You... you all aren't from here, are you?"
Although it was phrased as a question, his tone was absolutely certain. This heavily armed, diverse, and terrifyingly confident group looked completely out of place in this frozen hellscape. They were undeniably outsiders.
"That's right. We slipped in from the outside," Bardock nodded casually, glancing around the endless, snow-swept construction site. "We just came in to take a look around. Since you're the ones actually building this thing... do you have any idea when this bridge is supposed to be finished?"
Hearing Bardock's question, the faint glimmer of hope in Bunny Joe's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a pale, agonizing despair. He shook his head bitterly. "Never. There is no end in sight."
"Captain..." Chopper tugged at Bardock's pant leg, his large, tear-filled eyes looking up pleadingly. "Can we... can we help them?"
Bardock remained silent for a moment, rapidly calculating the geopolitical variables in his head. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.
"Chopper, resolving the tragedy of Tequila Wolf isn't something that can be achieved through pure, brute force," Bardock explained pragmatically, completely lacking the naive idealism of a 'white lotus' hero.
"Even if I unleashed my Devil Fruit and slaughtered every single World Government official and Marine on this bridge right now... what happens next? Without a governing body, this massive population of slaves would instantly descend into absolute, bloody anarchy. You have to remember, not everyone here is an innocent civilian; the World Government also dumped a massive amount of actual, violent criminals and murderers into this labor camp.
"Furthermore," Bardock continued, his golden eyes sweeping over the shivering workers, "we are pirates. We absolutely cannot stay here to govern and protect millions of people. The moment we sail away, the World Government will simply dispatch a Buster Call, slaughter the rioters, kidnap a few million more slaves, and assign a new batch of overseers. If we act recklessly, we won't be saving them; we'll just be accelerating their executions."
"But we can't just turn a blind eye and leave them to suffer, can we?" Mansherry asked softly, her kind heart aching for the enslaved citizens.
Robin chuckled softly, pushing a strand of raven hair behind her ear. "Actually, the solution isn't that complicated. We don't have to save them ourselves. We can simply outsource the aftermath to the true professionals: the Revolutionary Army. Whether it's organizing a mass evacuation or helping them establish an independent, sovereign nation, Dragon's people are infinitely more qualified to handle the logistics than a pirate crew."
Bardock nodded in strong agreement. "Exactly. This kind of systemic liberation is strictly the Revolutionary Army's domain. The most we should do is provide them with a tactical opening. Give me a second, I'll contact Dragon right now."
Bunny Joe had quietly listened to their entire conversation. Hearing them casually discuss overthrowing the World Government forces and mentioning the legendary Revolutionary Army, a fierce, burning fire suddenly ignited in his eyes.
"Wait!" Bunny Joe interjected, his fists clenched tightly. "If you're truly going to contact the Revolutionaries to liberate this place... please, tell them I want to help! I, Bunny Joe, am willing to risk my life for this!"
Bardock smiled approvingly and patted the young man's shoulder. He then pulled out a highly encrypted Den Den Mushi and dialed a specific frequency.
Ca-cha.
"Bardock? What a pleasant surprise," the calm, deeply charismatic voice of Monkey D. Dragon echoed from the snail. "My intelligence network informed me that you recently had a rather... explosive encounter with my father in Foosha Village."
"Your spies in the East Blue are certainly efficient," Bardock laughed. "I have to admit, your old man's Iron Fists are absurdly heavy."
"Is that so? Yet you and your entire crew managed to walk away completely unharmed," Dragon replied smoothly. "I assume you didn't call just to exchange pleasantries about my family. What do you need?"
"Right to business, then," Bardock said. "I'm currently standing on the Bridge Kingdom, Tequila Wolf. I'm calling to ask: do you currently have a concrete plan to liberate this place?"
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
"Since it's you asking, there is no harm in sharing," Dragon finally answered, his tone shifting into absolute seriousness. "Our infiltration operations are already actively underway on the bridge as we speak. However, we are moving cautiously."
Dragon elaborated. "We desperately want to ignite their innate desire to fight. True liberation cannot be handed to them on a silver platter; they must physically rise up and shatter their own chains to truly overthrow their oppressors. The Revolutionary Army is merely here to provide weapons, tactical guidance, and critical support when the time comes.
"If we simply swooped in with our top commanders and slaughtered the garrison for them... yes, we could conquer Tequila Wolf today. But that completely contradicts our philosophy of liberation. If they don't fight for their own freedom, they will never possess the collective will required to defend it."
"I see. That makes perfect sense," Bardock nodded, realizing his crew had very nearly disrupted a massive, carefully laid Revolutionary operation. "In that case, we won't interfere with your grand stage. However, I do have a highly motivated young man standing right in front of me who is desperately eager to join the rebellion and free this bridge. How can he get in touch with your embedded operatives?"
Bardock specifically wanted to pave the way for Bunny Joe. In the original timeline, this exact young man would eventually become a dedicated Revolutionary soldier who would rescue Robin when Bartholomew Kuma launched her to this frozen hell. Giving him a head start now felt incredibly fitting.
"Have him head toward the third sector's lower scaffolding. My people will find him..."
For the next few minutes, Bardock and Dragon exchanged critical intelligence over the Den Den Mushi. Bardock gained a profound understanding of the Revolutionary Army's grand, long-term operational strategies.
Compared to a pirate's simple, violent method of simply smashing everything in their path, Dragon's methodology was infinitely more profound. He sought to awaken the free will of the masses and permanently plant the seeds of revolutionary consciousness.
The only tragic flaw in Dragon's brilliant, slow-burn strategy was the brutal reality of time. Because the rebellion needed to simmer and grow organically, countless enslaved individuals would inevitably succumb to the cold, starvation, and the overseers' whips before the sun of liberation finally rose.
It was a harsh, agonizing philosophical truth: A single grain of sand from the shifting tides of an era becomes an unbearable, crushing mountain when it falls upon the shoulders of an ordinary person.
The weak had absolutely no agency in choosing their fate. Only the strong possessed the fundamental right to dictate their own destiny.
Before officially departing, Bardock casually flicked his fingers. Several invisible, highly compressed bursts of Hasshoken violently pierced the skulls of the cruel, incapacitated overseers that Perona's ghosts had depressed earlier, killing them instantly and silently. It was a minor, bloody favor to ensure Bunny Joe had a slightly safer environment to begin his revolutionary activities.
After bidding Bunny Joe farewell and wishing him luck in the coming war, Bardock and his crew quietly slipped off the massive bridge and returned to the White Dragon.
There was still absolutely no news from Morgans regarding Arlong's movements.
Refusing to waste time waiting in the East Blue, Bardock gave his next order. The White Dragon turned its bow, fully prepared to cross the Red Line once more.
Their next destination: The North Blue. The final stop of their tour through the Four Seas.
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