The Shadow on the Signing Page

The name wasn't revealed through the crack in the shadow.

It is a slender Throne Mark.

Robin stared at the pattern, his palm pressed against the table.

"This is the signing authority."

Nami asked.

"What's the meaning?"

Robin said.

"It wasn't signed on behalf of anyone, nor was it forwarded by the Five Elders; it was directly approved by the Throne himself."

Luffy looked up at the Sky Screen.

"Then pull out the name."

Usopp swallowed hard.

"You make it sound so easy. That's the Empty Throne."

Zoro pushed the hilt of his sword away with his thumb.

"The Throne can't just fall from the sky and chop people down."

Sanji glanced at him.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. This is the most annoying time at sea."

On Future Island, Vegapunk projects the signed page that Kizaru recorded with light dots onto the instrument.

"The signature pattern and the Error Index match the third revision record; Sky Screen is currently comparing them."

Sabo looked at the White Mask.

Who can use the Throne Mark?

The White Mask sat on the ground, his forehead pressed against the wall.

"The Five Elders cannot be used."

Long asked.

Where is the Holy Knights?

The White Mask shook his head.

"They can only receive orders, not sign them."

Bonney clung to the bear's arm, her voice hoarse from crying.

"That's the person sitting behind the curtain."

The bear looked at the Sky Screen.

The name hasn't been released yet.

Kizaru tilted his head.

What will happen after the name is revealed?

Vegapunk stopped using the screwdriver in his hand.

"The roots of World Government will crack."

At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku instructed a communications officer to zoom in on the image.

"Retrieve the heraldic archives."

The crane opened the newly acquired documents from the Old Archives of the Holy Land.

"No complete record found; related page cleared."

Akainu frowned.

"Empty again."

Garp stood up from the ground.

"The Sky Screen can reveal it."

Sengoku glanced at Garp.

"You seem to have confidence in the Sky Screen Curtain."

Garp didn't laugh.

I have no faith in the Holy Land.

The countdown on the Sky Screen continued to decrease.

[52% of the high-privilege signature page has been stripped.]

[Strengthened Counterattack with Coverts.]

[Additional testimony is needed to weaken the cover-up.]

[Supplementary testimonies may be provided by: God Valley survivors, members of the Roger Pirates, Navy personnel involved at the time, and witnesses to the Old Archive of the Holy Land.]

Rayleigh looked up.

"Is it my turn?"

Shakky pushed the wine glass towards him.

"Drink less, lest you say something wrong."

Rayleigh smiled and pressed the answer button.

"I testify that when Roger took the Red-Hair baby from God Valley, there was a Throne Mark seal on the box."

Included in Sky Screen recording.

[Testimony 1, included.]

Garp picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"I testify that the Holy Land Recovery Team possessed the Throne Mark Cleanup Order after the war; I saw it back then."

Sengoku looked at him.

"You didn't mention the Throne Mark before."

Garp held the Den Den Mushi.

"At the time, I thought it was just the highest seal of the Holy Land."

The crane took the Den Den Mushi.

"I would like to add that in the subsequent Level 2 report on God Valley that Marine Headquarters received, the Throne Mark was replaced with the Joint Seal of the World Government."

The Sky Screen brightened again.

[Testimony 2 and Testimony 3 are included.]

On the outer edge of Future Island, Kizaru raised his hand.

"I testify that Future Island received an additional order for bear modification issued in the name of the Five Elders' Medical Department, but the lower-level authorities have higher authority than the Five Elders."

Vegapunk immediately took over.

"I testify that the underlying code of the Sun-Triggered Suppression Protocol uses Throne Mark hidden signature."

Bonney is holding onto the bear.

"I can testify that on my mother's Sapphire Scales Trial documents, Satan had even higher authority to make annotations after signing them."

The bear looked down at her, then looked up.

"I testify that when Saint Saturn traded with me, he mentioned that the lord was personally watching over Bonney."

Inside the main hall of the Holy Land, Saint Saturn's shoulders were lowered even further.

Saint Mars gritted his teeth.

"The Sky Screen is piecing together a chain of evidence."

Saint Nusjuro asked in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, shall we execute the garrison commander of the Old Archive?"

Imu's shadow did not move.

"Too late."

Golden lettering appeared on the Sky Screen.

[Chain of testimony complete.]

[71% of the high-privilege signature page has been stripped.]

[A Q&A is included on the publicly available signature page.]

[Question: What role does this Throne Mark signature page play in the Corona Crown Plan?]

[A, Authorization Error Indexes become the official solution.]

[B, Allows the backlash to be transferred to the lower levels of the Holy Land.]

[C, Commodore define victims as Replaceable Materials.]

[D, All of the above.]

Luffy pressed the buttons very quickly.

"D."

Nami remained silent.

Usopp didn't hesitate either.

"If this question still isn't D, I'll eat the Sky Screen."

Chopper glared at him.

You can't eat that much.

After pressing D, Robin looked at the imprint on the Inner Compartment of the Straw Hat.

"This signed page will prove that the Empty Throne not only falsified history, but also wrote living people into machines."

Shanks presses D on the New World deck.

Benn Beckman asked.

"Boss, what are you going to do now that the name is out?"

Shanks placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Let's see what Luffy chooses first.

Yasopp frowned.

"Are you really that at ease?"

Shanks looked at the profile of the Straw Hat boy in the Sky Screen.

Captain Roger once said, "Don't make decisions for those who come after you."

At the Foosha Village Tavern, the Den Den Mushi of the floral-shirted agent vibrated.

He didn't answer.

Lin Qi looked at him.

"Not answering?"

The floral shirt fastened the Den Den Mushi).

"At this point, all the higher-ups will do is tell me to do stupid things."

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow.

"You're quite knowledgeable."

The floral shirt stared at the Sky Screen.

"Boss, do you think the signature page might actually pull that person off the Throne?"

Lin Qi wiped the rim of the glass.

I don't know if it can be pulled out or not, but the covering is already torn.

A system message popped up.

[Failed to lock onto host's location during counterattack.]

[The concealment barrier automatically shifts.]

[Host permissions are stable.]

Lin Qi put the cup back on the shelf.

"It's windy today, so we need to keep all the windows closed."

The man in the floral shirt glanced back through the crack in the door.

There's no wind.

Lin Qi said.

"If I say it exists, then it exists."

Countdown to zero.

[Correct answer: D.]

[The function of the Throne Mark signature page has been confirmed.]

[Formalization of the Authorization Error Index.]

[The backlash from the authorization was transferred.]

[Licensed material definition.]

[Ninety-two percent of the signature page has been removed.]

Inside the Old Archive's Black Gate, a black signature page was dragged to the doorway by Golden Light from the Sky Screen.

The shadowy area where the signature should be placed was peeled away bit by bit.

One syllable appears first.

[I.]

The whole world fell silent for a moment.

Inside the main hall of the Holy Land, the Five Elders knelt even lower.

Saint Saturn touched the ground with his forehead.

"Your Majesty, the shield can still maintain the last layer."

Imu stood behind the curtain, his shadow cast on the ground.

"Let them hear my name, but not see me."

The second syllable appeared on the Sky Screen.

[M.]

Robin read it aloud.

"Imu."

Luffy asked.

Who is that?

Rayleigh closed his eyes briefly.

"A name that should never have appeared in the public eye."

An uproar erupted in the Marine Headquarters plaza.

The Sengoku raised his hand.

"Quiet."

Akainu stared at the Sky Screen.

"Record: The current holder of the Empty Throne is named Imu."

The communications soldier wrote it down with trembling hands.

"Yes."

The Sky Screen never stopped.

[Name masking weakens.]

[Identity verification remains blocked.]

[You may ask further questions.]

[God Valley Finale Follow-up Questions.]

[Question: Why does Imu still dare not truly open the Gate of Old Days after he tampered with the Old Days Index?]

[A, Error Index fails gate validation.]

[B, Activating the sacrifice will cause the Old Flame to backfire on the Throne.]

[C, The witness mechanism behind the door will reject the lone king.]

[D, All of the above.]

Vegapunk slammed his fist on the table.

"It's the core logic again!"

Kizaru looked at him.

"It sounds like he's been trying for ages and still hasn't succeeded."

Vegapunk said.

"Because the gate doesn't recognize the king."

Bonney lifted her face.

"The door recognizes the Bearer."

The bear accepted it softly.

"Also, he recognizes everyone."

Luffy has already pressed D.

"Then let's all go drive it together."

Nami facepalmed.

"You've finally gotten to the point."

The countdown began on the Sky Screen.

But just as the countdown reached ten seconds, Black Gate of the Holy Land's Old Archive, the Corona Crown Prototype suddenly glowed with a faint red light.

[Warn.]

[Self-destruct sequence initiated from remnants of the Corona Crown Prototype.]

[Objective: Destroy the original signed page.]

[Time remaining, 30 seconds.]

"Vegapunk roared."

"It wants to burn the evidence!"

Kizaru raised his hand, but stopped in mid-air.

"I'm too far from the Holy Land."

Sabo looked at the dragon.

"Where are the Revolutionary Army's informants near the Holy Land?"

The dragon shook its head.

"We can't reach the Old Archive in time."

The Sky Screen cuts to the front of the Old Archive.

Garrison Commander Ka Mi Er knelt on the ground, the bunch of keys beside him still gleaming in the Golden Light.

The Sky Screen offered a new clue.

[The person closest to the signature page Ka Mi Er, the Old Archive garrison commander.]

[It has physical access permissions.]

[Should we request that they retrieve the signed page?]

Ka Mi Er raised his head, his face completely drained of color.

He stared at the Black Gate, still glowing with a faint red light, and his lips moved slightly.

"The adults will kill me."

Akainu's voice came through the Sky Screen.

"If you produce evidence, Marine Headquarters will record your name."

Ka Mi Er looked at the screen.

"Can you protect me?"

Sengoku took the Den Den Mushi.

"We can't protect you in the Holy Land now, but the whole world will know you saved the evidence."

Ka Mi Er's smile was bitter.

"What's the use of knowing?"

Bonney suddenly spoke up.

"It works."

Ka Mi Er looked at the view of Future Island.

Bonney stood beside the bear, tears still streaming down her face.

"It was only after Sky Screen remembered my mother's name that they stopped calling her 'waste'."

Ka Mi Er's hand gripped the key, trembling violently.

"I'm just a gatekeeper."

"That's what the bear said."

"Even the gatekeeper can decide to open the gate once."

The self-destruct countdown jumped to ten seconds.

Ka Mi Er got up and rushed toward the Black Gate.

"I'll take it!"