Back in Tequila Wolf, Jason floated calmly, unaware that on the other side of the world, Vegapunk had already speculated on his true origin. And to be honest, even if he had known, Jason wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.
After all, the man in question was not just anyone.
Dr. Vegapunk: the most brilliant mind of the last 500 years.
With everything Jason had shown—
his manipulation of vibration that dismantled matter, advanced physics applied with simple snaps, mastery of energy that no form of technology in that world could replicate, and even the seemingly trivial act of walking on water as if it were the most natural thing on the planet—
...if Vegapunk hadn't at least raised the possibility that Jason didn't belong to that world, then the title of "smartest man alive" would be wasted.
Jason was thinking about where he would take those thousands of former slaves. He couldn't just abandon them on some random island and leave them to fend for themselves. That's when an idea formed—simple, logical, and practically perfect.
An island in the sky.
Is there a safer place in the world of One Piece than an island more than ten thousand meters above the sea?
Only in the future, when the world began to sink, would the Fish-Men overcome this security. But until then... the sky was sovereign.
"We'll stay here, folks. Tune in to the same channel at the start of the War of the Best."
Jason said to the giant screen before saying goodbye and turning it off.
Then he turned to the crowd.
"So... do you have somewhere to go, or do you want me to take responsibility for your new homes?"
He really left the choice open. Anyone could leave and start their life as they wished.
But no one spoke up.
No one stepped forward.
No one wanted to leave him.
They preferred to trust him.
Hoh... what pressure.
"All right, let's go to your new home."
As soon as Jason said that, everyone felt their hearts pound. Anxiety, hope, nervousness—but above all, a strange feeling of security. None of them could explain it, but it was as if... they could trust this absurdly powerful being.
While the crowd was still processing everything, Jason closed his eyes, feeling the space as if it were part of his own body. He searched for the exact coordinates of that island in the sky he had discovered earlier.
When he found them, he began to teleport them—one by one—until only Robin and Soran remained.
Soran disappeared shortly thereafter.
Then Robin.
And then Jason.
==
Island in the Sky
The former slaves appeared one by one in the new location, confused and nervous. They felt no pain, no displacement, no dizziness—they simply ceased to exist in Tequila Wolf and appeared there.
And when they looked up... they were speechless.
The ground was white and soft like snow, but not cold. Clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, forming gentle hills and paths. Between them, areas of solid ground supported tall trees, vibrant crops, and an endless blue sky without a single speck of pollution.
"W-what an incredible place is this...?"
"How beautiful..."
"W-wow... is this our new home?"
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
They had been freed... but there was still fear. Fear of being abandoned after freedom. Fear of having nowhere to go. Fear of returning to their islands and being captured again—because the Navy would never protect escaped slaves.
That's why no one wanted to leave.
Jason was their only guarantee of survival.
Robin appeared seconds later. She looked at the landscape, impressed even though she had seen an island from the sky before. Soran was beside her, smiling while crying, enchanted by the view.
Robin placed a gentle hand on her head and smiled back.
"You've taken the first step..."
Then Jason appeared last.
"For the next few seconds, you'll feel short of breath and a sharp pain in your chest. Don't worry, it's because of the thin air. We're very high up in the sky."
The next moment, everyone except Robin fell to one knee, clutching their throats, struggling to breathe.
Robin just blinked and said, "Hmph."
Her body was still partially accustomed to the air of the sky islands.
Jason then looked to the side and saw an elderly man of medium height walking with calm steps, accompanied by a tall, muscular man with small wings—Gan Fall and Wyper.
One was the "god" of Skypiea.
The other was the fiercest warrior of the Shandians, known for never bowing his head to anyone.
As they approached, Jason noticed Wyper becoming increasingly tense, almost restless. The man who had faced Enel, who had fought to the death for the pride of his tribe, now watched Jason cautiously—not with fear, but with forced respect for his overwhelming presence.
"Yo, Gan Fall."
Jason said, nodding his head.
They had spoken before, not to ask permission, of course, but to avoid unnecessary conflict. Jason does not accept anyone dictating where he can go. The conversation was just a warning: the new island in the sky was his, and he wanted to keep the peace among his new neighbors.
The soil of that new island was the most fertile and healthy in the entire region thanks to Jason's touch. He didn't want to arouse greed or mistrust between Skypieans and Shandians—but, as always, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Jason-san, I saw your live broadcast. What you did... was truly noble."
Gan Fall said respectfully.
Jason's screens had also appeared in the sky. All Skypieans and Shandians watched in shock as they witnessed the reality of the "Blue Sea."
They saw another Logia user, similar to Enel... and saw Jason defeat him with ease.
That alone was enough to make them uneasy.
But what really destroyed them emotionally was seeing the Straw Hats defeated at the hands of Bartholomew Kuma.
They saw Luffy, the young man who liberated Skypiea, who defeated Enel and brought peace to an island divided for centuries...
...fall to his knees, helpless, desperate, watching his crew being wiped out one by one.
They saw Chopper, Usopp, Robin, Zoro, Sanji... disappear without being able to resist.
They saw the pure despair on Luffy's face, the scream tearing at his soul.
Skypieans and Shandians who knew them personally wept.
Some screamed, others clenched their fists tightly.
Luffy's pain seemed to pierce the sky.
Is this the Blue Sea?
A place where even the strongest cannot protect those they love?
That sight left everyone terrified of what was happening down below.
And then...
Another screen appeared in the sky, Jason appearing once again.
But this time without fighting, without violence.
He was freeing people who had known nothing but slavery since birth.
When the inhabitants of the sky learned that these people were born into slavery, their hearts burned.
They felt deep solidarity.
They fervently rooted for the former slaves.
And when Jason spoke...
...his voice pierced every fiber of Skypiea.
The speech ignited the entire population.
They felt pride, hope, and a strange faith in the man who was changing the world below—a man who faced injustices they never imagined existed.
Jason D. Winchester, the liberator, had earned their respect.
"It was nothing. There are still three more places like that to destroy and liberate."
When Jason spoke, Gan Fall, Wyper, and even Nico Robin widened their eyes.
Three more?
Three more colossal bridges like that one?
The two warriors looked around. They saw thousands of people crying, taking deep breaths, and slowly getting up, finally free from the thin air.
And that was just one of the four?
Just by looking, there were hundreds there. How many lives were trapped in the others?
Robin kept her eyes fixed on Jason, assessing him. She knew that he had nothing to gain by lying.
Tequila Wolf was already mentioned in ancient books and documents, a mega secular construction, 700 years old. And to discover that there were three more structures of that level... it couldn't just be trade between islands, as the Celestial Dragons claimed.
There was something much darker behind it.
"Let's talk about what life will be like for these people here, Gan Fall."
Jason's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. He already knew that most of the freed people were just civilians, peasants, fishermen, artisans, people who just wanted to live in peace, work the land, and take care of their families.
They were no different from the inhabitants of the sky.
And with the two islands connected by the sea of clouds, trade could flow. Fertile land, resources, labor... there was a new future there.
"Hmm, Jason-san, forgive me for asking, but this island wasn't here before, right?"
Gan Fall seemed embarrassed to bring up the subject, but he couldn't help himself. He knew every corner of the sky. An island that size couldn't just appear without attracting attention. Not even Enel would have let something like that slip by.
Jason just smiled, an enigmatic, almost provocative smile.
He had done the same thing as Knock Up Stream... only with his own hands.
He lifted an isolated, nameless island, transported it, fertilized the soil with his divine power, and accelerated the growth of vegetation. But he didn't say a single word about it.
"So, will you take good care of these people?"
Jason returned the question, ignoring Gan Fall's.
The old knight got the message and didn't insist. He watched the new inhabitants lying on the soft clouds, still recovering, and smiled kindly.
"If all they want is a home and to live in harmony, they are welcome. Everyone here will treat them with respect."
Jason nodded.
He knew Gan Fall was committed.
And, luckily, there were no pirates among the survivors. Jason quickly discovered the reason: those who got too excited about their freedom, pirates and bandits hiding among the slaves, tried to cause trouble and were killed by the guards themselves.
What remained there were only people broken by slavery, accustomed to obeying and surviving.
Jason didn't mind.
Pirates would only bring trouble.
And that island would be a home, not a new battlefield.
"Then it's decided," he said, crossing his arms. "They start a new life here. With you."
Gan Fall smiled and bowed his head.
Jason watched the floating island before him—alive, fertile, bathed in a glow that had not existed in that sea of clouds until his arrival. People who yesterday had known only darkness now breathed hope. Children laughed, elders trembled as they felt freedom for the first time... and yet Jason felt the weight of power pulsing beneath his skin.
He let out a slow sigh.
'Looks like things are really going to start getting exciting now.
Jason knew exactly what he had done.
It wasn't just freeing slaves.
It wasn't just destroying a symbol.
He wiped off the map a construction that the World Government had been trying to build for seven hundred years.
He turned history to dust.
He humiliated centuries of planning.
He made the gods at the top of the world swallow hard.
And there was no regret.
"Those old men must have finished their meeting by now..."
He imagined the five Gorosei, pale, gnashing their teeth, trying to decide whether to attack, retreat, or kill someone in secret to regain control.
Jason smiled.
A slight smile, but sharp as a blade.
"I want to see what they'll try. I'm curious to know what their first move will be..."
The wind blew between the clouds.
The former slaves looked at him as if he were about to announce the next chapter in their lives.
And Jason knew it:
From this moment on, the whole world would change, not because of the destroyed bridge, but because of the desperate response the World Government would be forced to take.
And he would be there to watch it all.
==
Throne Room — Pangea, Mariejois
A few minutes after Jason reduced Tequila Wolf to dust
The silence in the room was so suffocating that it seemed to pull the air into the walls.
The large screen showing Jason freeing the slaves was already turned off, but no one there could turn off the sound — that snap of fingers that reverberated like a funeral bell.
The Gorosei of the sword finally broke the silence.
His voice... lacked even a hint of the serenity he normally used.
"Seven hundred years..."
His hand gripped the hilt of Kitetsu, his fingers turning white.
"Seven hundred years of construction.
Seven hundred years of control.
And that... bastard reduced it all to NOTHING with a single gesture."
Saturn leaned forward, his face gripped by cold tension.
"Don't underestimate the impact of this. Tequila Wolf isn't just a bridge. It was one of the foundations of the true New World... the flooded SEA."
The word echoed, heavy.
The blond Gorosei crossed his legs, like someone who realizes the inevitable is approaching.
"If he finds out about the other three..."
Marcus Mars cut him off immediately:
"He'll find out. Don't forget that item he uses... the one that, according to him, contains all the answers in the world."
The silence that followed was almost palpable.
Everyone remembered the first time Jason showed it off, displaying women from all over the world, showing past events.
A fragment of omniscience.
"... He can destroy the four bridges in a single day."
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
None of them would admit it out loud, but the truth was simple:
even together, they couldn't destroy a bridge of that scale with the absurd ease Jason had demonstrated.
It would take them days, weeks... Jason took seconds.
Helplessness boiled inside them.
Anger nearly overflowed.
Jason had to die.
The bearded Gorosei placed his heavy hands on the table.
"If we let Jason act freely, he will destroy the other bridges. He will free entire peoples.
He will upset the balance of the world."
The blond man added, his gaze dark:
"And worse... he is being revered. They see him as a liberator."
Suddenly, the atmosphere became... icy.
The lights flickered.
The room seemed to plunge into a faint darkness.
The five immediately straightened their posture—like dogs sensing the arrival of their true master.
The voice came from behind the Empty Throne.
Soft.
Low.
But each syllable carried centuries.
"You know what this means."
Imu did not need to appear.
His presence was overwhelming even though invisible.
Saturn tilted his head.
"Jason D. Winchester crossed the line."
The answer came as an inevitable whisper:
"The line... of tolerance."
The phrase was a sentence.
Saturn raised his face.
"Imu-sama has sent a direct order."
The others stared at him.
"The execution of Portgas D. Ace will be BROUGHT FORWARD."
The bald Gorosei frowned.
"When?"
Saturn did not hesitate:
"Immediately."
The blond man inhaled sharply.
"This will draw Whitebeard in sooner than expected. The war will begin now."
Nusjuro spoke, dry as steel:
"That's EXACTLY what we want.
A controlled battlefield.
If Jason shows up..."
Saturn concluded:
"...he'll be forced to fight on our terms. Not his."
There was silent agreement—but also something unwanted.
A thought that none of them wanted to admit:
Is one of us enough?
Doubt flashed in everyone's eyes.
And that infuriated them.
Then a firm voice rose.
"I'm coming too."
Everyone turned their faces away.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro—the Gorosei of the sword—stood with his hand firmly on Kitetsu.
"I will wipe away the humiliation he has caused me."
The memory fell upon everyone like a shadow:
Jason's spear piercing through Sabaody, flying thousands of kilometers and entering through the window of the throne room.
Nusjuro defending the blow by a hair's breadth.
And then... the explosion.
Broadcast to the ENTIRE WORLD.
They weren't hurt, but... the embarrassment?
The world saw it.
Subordinates saw it.
Celestial Dragons saw it.
Unacceptable.
Nusjuro stared into the void behind the throne and swore:
"I will cut off Jason's head with my Kitetsu... and offer it to Imu-sama."