Let the World Remember Them
The white light in the Sky Screen seemed to press even lower.
[The final publicly shared memory.]
[The day the order to exterminate the Buccaneer Tribe was carried out.]
[The Holy Land's direct command team has arrived.]
[All records are being destroyed.]
Even Kizaru didn't say another word on Future Island.
Vegapunk braced his hands on the edge of the control panel, his eyes unblinking.
"They've arrived."
Sabo looked at him.
Who's here?
Vegapunk answered very slowly.
"The first person to take action."
"Also, the person who knows best how to smear someone."
Robin was silent for a moment before speaking.
"It's Satan."
On the other side of the Holy Land, Saint Saturn's face immediately darkened.
Nicole Robin.
"You really know how to pick your moments."
Robin looked at the Sky Screen and didn't reply.
"You think that hiding your name will make things go away?"
"But as long as people are alive, this matter is never over."
Inside the Sky Screen, the fire had already reached the roof.
The team in white surrounded the wooden house, carrying sealing scrolls and torches.
The man carried a small bag containing several stone shards and a roll of old paper.
The woman stood behind him, her face covered in ash.
Are you still going out?
The man nodded.
I need to take my things with me.
"What is that?"
"So that future generations will know that we didn't just disappear suddenly."
The woman gave a wry smile.
"You're about to die, and you're still thinking about your descendants."
The man turned to look at her.
"It is precisely because I am about to die that I should think even more about future generations."
"If our generation leaves nothing behind, future generations will only become a laughing stock."
"That won't do."
The bear stood at the doorway, clutching the old wooden plank tightly in its hand.
"Father, there are people everywhere outside."
The man looked at him, his gaze steady.
"Then we'll squeeze through the gaps in the crowd."
Remember what I taught you.
"First look at the road, then look at your hands, then look at who's blocking your way."
The bear nodded vigorously.
"I've got it."
The woman draped an old cloak over his shoulders.
"Once you're outside, don't look back."
The bear was stunned.
"Why."
The woman raised her hand and touched his face.
"Because when you turn back, you'll want to save us."
But you still can't save them.
This was said very softly.
So light it would shatter at the slightest touch.
But the bear remembered it.
In the Sky Screen, the man in white finally kicked open the door.
The man stuffed the last roll of paper into the bear's arms.
"Run."
The bear didn't move.
And what about you?
The man smiled.
"I'll go close the door."
"You live first."
The people outside have already rushed in.
A man in white raised his hand and pointed at the man.
"Target confirmed."
"Clear the rest."
The man opened the door and stood blocking the entrance.
"If you want to arrest a child, you'll have to ask me first."
The man in white sneered.
"Your kind can't even protect yourselves, yet you want to protect others."
The man lifted the wooden plank and slammed it heavily onto the ground.
You're wrong.
"We've survived to this day because we protect others."
"If you understood this, you wouldn't be so afraid."
The man in white's face darkened.
"Fire."
Flames and smoke rushed up together.
The bear was pushed backward by the woman and rushed into the alleyway behind the back door.
"Run!"
The bear looked back.
The man stood in the fire, his entire body obscured by smoke.
But the sound is still there.
Don't look back.
"Remember."
Remember this road.
The bear stumbled forward, the old paper and wooden planks in its arms creaking.
When he reached the end of the mountain path, he finally couldn't help but turn back.
The room was already ablaze with red light.
The Sky Screen then provides a final narration.
[The extermination order against the Buccaneer Tribe has been completed.]
[Record: Original settlement destroyed by fire.]
[Record: Destruction of family genealogy.]
[Note: Externally, this is referred to as an accident.]
[Actual outcome: The survivors dispersed and fled.]
[One of the childhood survivors was later named Bartholomew Bear.]
Bonney was already sobbing so hard her shoulders were shaking when she heard this.
They burned your house down.
"They burned your names too."
They also said it was an accident.
Xiong looked at her, his voice gradually becoming steady.
That's why I've never been able to forget.
"I'm afraid that if I forget, they'll really win."
"Vegapunk said in a low voice."
You haven't forgotten.
"You've carried the pain with you all this time."
The bear didn't respond to that sentence.
Sky Screen presented him with a new perspective.
An adult bear stands in a dimly lit warehouse, facing a Den Den Mushi (a type of Den Den Mushi).
A cold command came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"From today onwards, your name can be recorded."
Your clan name must not be mentioned again.
"Your past is archived."
"Your body will be used for preliminary testing of the Pacifista Project."
The bear stood still.
"Condition."
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi paused for a moment.
You have no right to negotiate.
The bear looked into the darkness and spoke.
"Then let's not talk about it."
Just tell me what I want.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.
"Explain."
When the bear opened its mouth, its face was devoid of any other expression.
The child must live.
"The remaining records of our clan must not be deleted."
"After she recovers, she'll be her own person."
"The remnants of Sorbet, do not move."
"I can accept rehabilitation."
The Den Den Mushi went silent.
Are you sure?
"That's what the bear said."
"Sure."
"I have already lived."
Future Island hearing this, Bonney took two steps forward.
"What did you say."
The bear slowly turned its head to look at her.
I said, I have already lived.
Bonney's tears fell even harder.
"Who gave you permission to say such things on my behalf?"
"Who gave you permission to trade the time you've lived for me?"
"Who gave you permission to sign this kind of thing all by yourself!"
The bear looked at her for a long time before speaking.
"Nobody's allowed it."
"I chose it myself."
As these words were spoken, the Golden Light in the Sky Screen suddenly dimmed.
New words slowly emerged.
[Final Judgment.]
The Buccaneer Tribe must disappear, not because they are guilty.
[It's because they seem too much like evidence that someone is still alive.]
[Once they stand firm, the World Government will appear to be unable to stand firm.]
[Next reveal: Fragments of Bartholomew Kuma's memories retained before his personality began to be erased.]
Sabo looked up.
"It's not over yet."
The dragon gazed at the Sky Screen.
"Of course it's not over yet."
Kizaru sighed.
"I knew this wouldn't end there."
Vegapunk stared at that line of text, his fingers hovering over the control panel for a long time.
"The next memory will probably directly touch upon something the Holy Land least wants anyone to know."
Robin whispered.
"Then let's keep driving."
Bonney hugged the bear even tighter.
"Dad."
"This time, you can't carry this alone."
The bear looked at her, about to speak, when the Sky Screen lit up with a new preview.
[Loading memory fragments.]
[Target location: Holy Land.]
[Participant: Saint Saturn]
[Timeline: The night before the bear undergoes modification.]
Golden Light suddenly descended, enveloping the entire Future Island.
Outside the maintenance cabin, the laughter of a masked man in white echoed through the corridor.
"Do you really think that saving him will turn all this around?"
Sabo looked up at the door.
Say it again.
The person in white with a mask raised their head.
"I said, the real beginning is only just getting started."
As soon as he finished speaking, the images on the Sky Screen fully unfolded.
For the first time, Saint Saturn's face appeared clearly above the entire world.