thefictionvixens Chapter 386: The Wallfacer and the Winner
Chapter 386: The Wallfacer and the Winner
Half a month slipped away quietly in the daily life of Windmill Village. Garp's vacation had finally come to an end. After once again beating Luffy black and blue, the naval hero finally boarded the warship back to Marijoa. Before leaving, he glared at Yakumo Shiro, the scrutiny in his eyes undiminished.
The moment the warship's sails disappeared below the horizon, Yakumo Shiro stood on the terrace at the edge of the forest, his fingertips tapping lightly on the railing. Garp's departure marked a temporary return to the tranquility of Windmill Village, but it also put his heart at ease—it was time to set off.
"Mr. Koshiro, I'll leave this place to you for now." He turned around, his voice steady, "I believe you can fulfill your duties well."
"Please rest assured, Master Yakumo." Koshiro bowed slightly from behind him, his tone calm but with unquestionable certainty. "As long as I am here, I will not allow anyone to disturb the peace here. Kuina and the others will never slack off in their training."
Yakumo Shiro said no more. The moment he pushed the door open, a dense wisp of lightning enveloped him. With a rumble of thunder, his figure transformed into a streak of purple lightning, soaring into the sky. As he pierced the clouds, he could vaguely see the white windmills of Windmill Village turning in the morning light—the place he was temporarily leaving behind, and the starting point of the coming storm.
Target: South China Sea.
And just as this lightning streaked across the sky of the East China Sea and crossed the Red Earth Continent, in the Pangu City of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, as a meeting that would determine the direction of the world was held, the shadow of the Void Throne enveloped the entire hall like a physical entity.
Unlike previous private discussions between the Five Elders and Yim, today's list of attendees was truly impressive. Twelve members of the Knights of God stood in two rows, like iron statues. Their aristocratic yet defensive armor resembled medals, symbolizing both honor and eternal, unwavering loyalty.
The Five Elders sat at the foot of the throne. The leftmost seat had been occupied by a new face. Saint Galin's expressionless face had replaced Saint Satan's former seat, and between his fingers he played with a ring inlaid with a pigeon-blood ruby.
At the seats of the navy's top brass, Admirals Sengoku, Zephyr and Sakaski stood solemnly. Their white navy coats seemed to be the only bright color in this depressing environment. But at this moment, facing the real ruler of the world, they had to bow their heads and hide justice in the shadows.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the Void Throne.
Yim, dressed in a pure white robe, half-leaned on the edge of the throne, her pale fingers clutching a few pages of bounty notices—they were the "fruits" freshly minted after the great battle. She gently stroked the long bounty numbers on the warrants, and her voice, usually indistinguishable, exploded through the hall like a sharp blade breaking through ice:
"Vegapunk's progress is faster than expected."
Garinsheng stepped forward and bowed, reporting, "Yes, Lord Yim. The island cloud created by Vegapunk using its 'cloud device' technology has passed testing and is found to be far more stable than the natural mangroves of the Sabaody Archipelago."
Currently, the first batch of island-cloud transport hubs have been completed on the east and west sides of the Red Earth Continent, and the New World and Four Seas routes will be fully restored within a week."
"Very good." The flames burned the bounty order to ashes, and after she scattered them casually, the tiny flames drifted down the corners of her pure white robe, and then died silently, as if the "threats" on which the bounty was placed were nothing but dust that could be easily crushed in her eyes.
"Tell the old man to give him 'that thing'."
"That thing?"
The rather eccentric Limosifu Kirin Gom Saint asked curiously for a moment, his sharp teeth inadvertently showing as he opened and closed them.
"Is it the ancient robot that broke into the Holy Land two hundred years ago?"
After emerging from the abyss and rising from the ashes, Saint Vochuli seemed unchanged, even unmoved by the sacrifice of Saint Satan, with whom he had worked for centuries. Digging out that relic from history from the corners of his memory, Saint Vochuli added at the right moment.
"Have Vegapunk research the power core's structure. I want the 'Mother Spark'. Since he can create artificial fruits, he should understand the value of this power."
Hearing this, Nasujuro pushed his glasses up and said with a touch of nostalgia, "It's very likely that the robot's power source comes from the 'Eternal Flame'. If we can understand its principle, perhaps we can achieve an unlimited energy supply... Haha, just like what Vegapunk dreamed of."
"It's not maybe." Yim interrupted him, with a hint of unquestionable majesty in his voice, "It's a must."
The hall fell into a brief silence. Everyone knew that if the "Mother Fire" was successfully developed, the World Government would possess a hegemony powerful enough to overturn the existing power structure—no need to rely on seastone, no need to fear the fruit's ability users, pure, controllable destructive energy.
Especially for the Five Elder Stars (except for Saint Garin, of course), it would mean that they could finally recreate the scene of eight hundred years ago and truly replace that huge kingdom!
"Next, let's talk about 'Azur Lane'." Im's topic suddenly changed, and the air around the throne seemed to freeze instantly. "Those rebels instigated by the Revolutionary Army think they can fight against authority by gathering together?"
"According to CP0 intelligence, eight member nations have publicly seceded from the World Government and formed an alliance with six non-member nations. Sabo and Monkey D. Dragon of the Revolutionary Army have frequently appeared in alliance meetings."
Garin Sheng unfolded a map, on which the locations of the allied nations were marked in bright red ink. "They've even established a new system, vainly attempting to allow a mob lacking judgment to decide the country's future. Using this as bait, they've surprisingly attracted quite a few followers."
"Humph! A bunch of clowns."
Upon hearing this, Saint Shepard Somaz sneered. Transparent thorns began to float around him, invisible but deadly. "Do you need me to lead a team to clean up? Within three days, I guarantee that the mobs in those countries will suffer the most unforgettable pain!"
"No need." Yim slowly stood up, his pure white robe sweeping across the steps of the throne. "Destroying the flesh is too cheap. We must make them feel fear from the 'fundamental'."
Her eyes swept over the Knights, and every word she said seemed to be icy. "Somaz, Qilin Gorm, your abilities are most suitable for this kind of thing."
"Go 'visit' the member states of Azur Lane." Yim's order was simple and cold. "No need to destroy cities, no need to kill."
Kirin Gom Saint knelt on one knee and responded with an energetic voice: "As you command, Lord Yim, leave it to me!"
There was a strange light in the man's eyes, as if an invisible monster was already stirring in them - that was the ability of his Kirin Fruit, which could materialize the fear in people's hearts into a man-eating monster. The greater the fear, the more ferocious the monster became.
On the other side, Saint Somaz bowed, his casual appearance revealing a more distorted understanding: "I understand."
As a non-traditional user of the Thorn Fruit ability, Saint Somaz can wrap invisible thorns around his target. Once someone touches the target, the deeper their love for the target, the more painful the thorns will be, until their flesh and blood are blurred - this is the curse that can most tear apart family and friendship.
Galinsheng explained at the right moment, his tone steady and almost cruel: "Qilin Gorm will make every rebel's nightmare come true, causing them to collapse in their self-created fear; Somaz will make them understand that 'love' can also be used as a weapon of torture.
Without bloodshed, a country can be destroyed from within. This is much more efficient than simple war!"
At the navy seat, Zhan Guo's breathing suddenly stagnated, and sweat could not help oozing from his forehead under his military cap.
"Lord Im!" Zhan Guo's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "This has gone beyond the scope of 'punishment'. It is a distortion of human nature! The Navy must not tolerate this..."
"Agree?" Yimu's eyes swept over, like an ice pick piercing into the bone marrow.
"Zhan Guo, do you think the navy's purpose is to measure its actions with 'humanity'? When Azur Lane uses 'freedom' and 'justice' to incite millions to take up arms, and when the flames of war spread across the world, who can your so-called 'humanity' save?"
Sakaski frowned, but rarely refuted - although he disdained such cruel means, he had to admit that it was one of the most effective ways to destroy evil, and as long as it helped to destroy evil, he naturally didn't care about stains on his white navy coat.
Zefa's fists clenched until they creaked, his eyes filled with indignation: "Using fear or even love to cause pain, how is this any different from the despicable behavior of pirates?"
"The difference is, we're here to end war."
Mazisheng spoke slowly, his voice carrying an unquestionable "rationality".
"Kirin Gorm's power only targets those harboring rebellion; Somaz's thorns only entangle the alliance's top brass and their relatives. They won't harm innocents, only making the 'rebels' truly feel the torment their choices will bring to those around them."
He paused and looked at Zhan Guo. "Marshal Zhan Guo, you've experienced the burning of O'Hara. You should understand that sometimes good medicine tastes bitter. It's better to let the rebels of several countries collapse in fear and division than to let war engulf the entire world."
Kuzan's expression didn't show any sign of relaxation. The justice in his heart made him ask back, "But... can you use 'love' to hurt others..."
"That's because their 'love' is based on betrayal of the World Government," Pit Saint said coldly. "When they chose to rebel, they should have expected that those around them would be implicated. Somaz's thorns only served to make them realize this in advance."
Zhan Guo closed his eyes, and the fire of O'Hara and the cruelty of the war on the top flashed through his mind - he knew that what the Five Elders said was nonsense, but he could not find a position to refute it.
The Navy’s “justice” inherently involves compromise. When the banner of “protecting more people” is raised, “cruelness” to a minority seems to be a price that must be paid.
Im's fingertips paused on the throne's armrests, her gaze sweeping over the tense profiles of the admirals. She hadn't intended to reveal more, but the inherent obsession with "justice" among these men, if not channeled, could become an obstacle to carrying out orders, and even a potential risk...
After a moment's silence, she slowly spoke, her voice a few notes lower than before, but with unquestionable determination: "Although this should be forgotten history, the current situation seems to be unprecedented in eight hundred years. It seems that if I don't say more, you will find it difficult to let go.
Vochuli, tell them, what is the reason for our eternal existence in this world?
These words stunned not only the high-ranking navy officers and the Knights of God, but even the Five Elders paused slightly. Saint Wouchuri, the designated spokesperson, felt his eyelids twitch slightly, then his pupils shrank imperceptibly—he instantly understood Im's intention.
How could "that thing" be a core secret that could be revealed? And what Yimu wanted him to do was obviously not such a stupid move.
Was the real intention a cover-up? A deception! It was all just a "blank century" of history, so wasn't that just something they could fabricate at will? Whether it was true or not wasn't important; what mattered was stabilizing the navy's unstable morale!
Use a larger "historical lie" to cover up the current bloody means, so that the navy's "justice" can find an anchor point, so that it will be convenient for the navy to continue to work for "justice"!
Saint Vochuli took a deep breath, and when he raised his eyes again, his face was just the right amount of heavy, as if the truth that was about to be revealed was enough to crush the world.
"You don't need to know too many specific details. You just need to know that during that blank hundred years, there was also chaos like today.
Under the leadership of a man who was extremely good at demagoguery, those people also used "revolution" to package rebellion, used "freedom" to incite the people, and shaped the so-called "resistance" into a new belief!
Under the instigation of those people, a war engulfed the entire world! It was a war that the twenty kings had fought with all their might to finally end!
To prevent such a rebellion from resurfacing, the former Twenty Kings decided to establish a World Government, burying that history in the shadows. And as the Wallfacer, Lord Im will always guard Mary Geoise to prevent the same war from spreading across the world again!
Saint Vochuli's voice suddenly became heavier, and each word sounded like hammering on a stone slab.
"No matter how the so-called Azur Lane embarked on this forbidden path, there is no doubt that they are repeating the same mistakes!"
These words were like red-hot irons, burning deeply into the hearts of the sailors.
Sakaski's tense jawline relaxed slightly, and a flicker of fluctuation flashed in his eyes, which were as hot as magma.
He has always believed in "absolute justice" and scoffed at the shady tactics of the Knights of God. But if things really develop to that extent, what is the difference between the so-called Azure Lane and pirates?
After all, the Revolutionary Army's goal is to overthrow the World Government and expand Azur Lane to every corner! And when they do, they'll inevitably be accompanied by endless war!
A faint smell of sulfur emanated from his body. Sakaski snorted coldly, and veins appeared on the back of his hand.
As for Zhan Guo, he now thought of O'Hara's burning library. He still harbored resentment towards that almost cruel order. But if the "blank hundred years" mentioned by Saint Vochuli was true, then what O'Hara had always pursued was what Azur Lane is practicing now?
Under the pretext of revolution, the whole world has been plunged into the quagmire of war!
"Navy..." After thinking for an unknown amount of time, Zhan Guo finally said in a hoarse voice, "We will do a good job of 'surveillance' to ensure that no innocent people are harmed."
This was the biggest concession he could make.
"Of course." Seeing everyone's tense shoulders slowly relax, Im nodded slightly and sat down again. His tone was emotionless. "Well, then, the meeting is over. The Knights will act according to the plan, the Five Elders will keep a close eye on Vegapunk, and the Navy... will prepare for 'containment'."
The sound of measured footsteps echoed, though a bit stiffly. Within the echoing footsteps in the hall, there lay an unspeakable heaviness. Regardless of the outcome, whether one believed it or not, this necessary evil, disguised as "protecting peace," would weigh heavily on everyone's shoulders, lingering for a long time...
It was unknown how long it took, but when the last footsteps disappeared, Im, who was in a high position, turned around and seemed to be looking at the sky outside the dome of the hall.
Just now, halfway through the meeting, she vaguely sensed an extremely weak wave passing over Mary Geoise - the speed was so fast that it seemed like an illusion, but due to her confidence in her own abilities, she still instinctively became alert for a moment.
"Is that the guy? He's so brazen, yet so cautious..." She moved her fingertips slightly, and ripples seemed to appear around the Void Throne. "Forget it, he's just a mortal who will die sooner or later."
The track of lightning had long since disappeared into the sky, just like the countless ants that had attempted to challenge the divine authority over the past eight hundred years, who would eventually turn into dust.
Deeper in the palace, Im walked to a mirror at the end of the hall and waved his hand to dispel the black mist that enveloped him. Reflected in the mirror was a stunningly beautiful face—long azure hair like flowing seawater, and deep eyes that reflected eight hundred years of experience. It was Lily, the legendary first queen of the Alabasta royal family, who had disappeared.
She gently stroked herself in the mirror and slowly closed her eyes. Her consciousness seemed to drift into the past, to the distant sky, and also to the unknown dark underground of Pangu City.
The magnificent "desire" born from fear and awe is the result of hundreds of years of profound accumulation.
The "pupil" that forever peeks into the sea from the unknown sky is a weapon that can restart the world.
The gods who come from ancient times and carry wishes are the source of everything.
"I signed a contract with my soul, taking full control of the power to answer wishes. I used the many powerful souls of the past as nourishment in exchange for the gift of immortality.
No matter how many years pass, there will always be only one winner, and that is the truth: the strong will always be strong!"
Queen Lily in the mirror slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only cold indifference remained in them.