The Fabricated Everyone

"Don't let it take away your choice." Robin pressed his hand against the edge of his Straw Hat, his palm reddened from the gold pattern, but he didn't pull his hand away.

Luffy looked up at the scrolling list of answers on the Sky Screen, his expression unusually grim. "It's going to change the word everyone chose to 'open the door'?"

Vegapunk's voice came from Future Island, amidst a chaotic clatter of keyboards. "The Chief Adjudication Platform is drawing answers from around the world to confirm them, piecing together all the D options to form 'Everyone Has Arrived.' It's trying to deceive the Gate of Old Days into thinking the whole world agrees to its opening."

Nami immediately retorted, "Who agreed to that? We were rescuing people, not opening a door!"

Garling stood on the cracked Chief Adjudication Platform, the tip of his knife piercing the depths of the black markings, blood flowing down his wrist into the disc. "Everyone is here, the record is full, the Gate will respond."

Shanks looked at him across the Sky Screen, the old tattoos on the back of his hand now shrouded in black and red light, the ship's cannon fire still closing in, but he didn't turn around. "Garling, you don't even know the basics, yet you dare to speak up for everyone."

Garling looked up. "I don't need to understand doors, I just need to make it open a crack enough."

Sabo held the water pipe horizontally, pushing the flames inwards along the edge of the Chief Adjudication Platform. "Then smash your table."

Kizaru raised his hand to block the Red Mark spreading from the entrance of the Old Wing; the light had already dimmed considerably. "Smashing the platform is fine, but that thing is currently connected to the global quiz record; randomly smashing it will cause a backlash against the quiz takers."

Bonney supported Bear's arm, her fingertips avoiding his recent burns. "Using others as shields again, don't you Holy Land have any other tricks up your sleeve?"

Garling looked at her. "If it's usable, we should use it."

Bear pulled Bonney a little behind him. "Humans are no good."

"In the Chief Adjudication Platform record, the participants first made threats, then presented evidence." Garling gripped the hilt of his knife, black markings creeping towards the Sky Screen with his movement. "You yourselves have given me enough participants."

Luffy gripped his Straw Hat tightly, and the Ancient Script hidden within Straw Hat Inner Compartment were stretched into thin lines by a black and red light. "Robin, it's tearing words."

Robin looked down at the Ancient Script that had surfaced, his fingertips slowly pressing against the brim of his hat. "The door recognizes the Bearer, not the king; Everyone Has Arrived, the door opens wide, but the crowd here is not just numbers."

Usopp, who was hiding next to the evacuation team, had just handed a wounded soldier to Koby when he heard this and quickly shouted, "What's that? Explain quickly, don't let that old man answer first!"

Robin looked up, his voice piercing the Sky Screen. "The Everyone Has Arrived refers to collectively reaching the truth and voluntarily accepting the consequences, not to being intercepted and selectively recorded by the Chief Adjudication Platform."

Garling coldly replied, "The right to interpret this is not in your hands."

"That's not in your hands either." Robin pushed the Straw Hat back into Luffy's arms. "Request for questioning; can the answer record be rewritten by the Chief Adjudication Platform to confirm the opening of the Gate of Old Days?"

The Sky Screen flickered, and black and red light pressed down on the question, as if someone on the other side was vying for the right to write.

[Urgent Verification]

[Question: Can the global answer record be directly used by the Chief Adjudication Platform to confirm the opening of the Gate of Old Days?]

[A. Yes, because the record includes the choices of the majority.]

[B. Yes, but requires additional authorization from the Throne.]

[C. No, answering questions is different in nature from confirming door opening]

[D. No, and forcibly rewriting constitutes the Appropriation of Everyone's Will.]

Nami practically slammed the sea chart onto the wooden crate. "D, is that even a question?"

Luffy shouted towards the Sky Screen, "D! Everyone was rescuing someone, not opening a door for him!"

Dan stood at the exit of Sabaody, clutching the old tattoo on his chest, his face pale, yet he still raised his hand. "I chose D. I answered the question to avoid being caught and taken back, not to open the door to the Throne."

Among the evacuees, someone shouted, "I chose D, I didn't agree to open the door."

"I choose D. I don't even know where the door is."

"I choose D. Don't use my name to harm others."

Koby pushed the naval ensign forward. "Sabaody Temporary Support Team, select D. All witnesses wish to register separately; no other use permitted."

Tashigi deflected the charging guard, the back of her blade striking his chest. "Witnessed by the Navy Independent Review Group, option D is correct."

Marineford, Akainu looked at the question and immediately pressed confirm. "Marine Headquarters, choose D."

This time, the staff officer didn't try to persuade him further, but simply pushed the document in front of He. "Should we add a record, stipulating that answers cannot be used for military authorization?"

The crane drops its pen. "Write; all publicly available answers are for the purpose specified in the question."

The Sengoku stamped the seal. "Anyone who oversteps their authority and misuses it will be treated as Fabricating Public Opinion."

Garp leaned against the door, his face grim. "I'm also choosing D. Don't use my vote to open that damn door."

On Future Island, Vegapunk split the answer records into dozens of backups. "I've added a usage lock to all the D items; if the Sky Screen recognizes them, the Chief Adjudication Platform won't be able to move."

Hina stared at the screen. "What if the Sky Screen doesn't recognize it?"

Vegapunk's fingers were still twitching. "Then let the whole world say it again: the choice I made just now was solely to save lives."

On the Scrap Platform, Lumi clutched her coat, her voice still a little hoarse. "I chose D. I said my name to live, not to open the door."

The Little Bear raised its mechanical arm. "S-Bear, record, Lumi, refuse to use."

Bonney smiled slightly upon hearing this. "Little Bear, write mine down too. I choose D: I'll save Lumi, not open the Throne door."

The bear spoke in a low voice, "I choose D."

Garling pressed down on the knife, and the dark red light emanating from the crack in the Chief Adjudication Platform deepened. "It's too late for your denials; the record is already at the door."

Shanks raised his sword, his Conqueror's Haki surging along the old patterns into the edge of the Sky Screen. "There's still this section of the index before the door; you can't get past it."

Garling looked at him. "You won't last long."

Shanks didn't reply to that, but only said to Luffy, "Luffy, don't let the writing inside the Straw Hat be dragged away. Ask the door."

Luffy looked down at his Straw Hat. "You asked about the hat again?"

Usopp, supporting the injured man, said in a trembling voice, "I won't complain this time, just ask."

Luffy pressed his Straw Hat to his chest, becoming so serious that he fell silent. "Hey, the door, we didn't give him permission to open it."

Inside the Straw Hat Inner Compartment, the Ancient Script slowly lit up, Robin immediately read it aloud, "The Everyone's Voice, the Everyone's Will."

Then, Golden Light descended from the Sky Screen.

[Answer: D]

[Answer records cannot be used for confirmation of opening the Gate of Old Days]

[Characterization of the Chief Adjudication Platform's actions: Appropriation of Everyone's Will]

The black and red light was stripped off from the global screens, like severed threads, and shrank back to the Chief Adjudication Platform in large sections.

A second deep crack appeared on the disc beneath Garling's feet, and blood gushed from his palm even faster, but he did not loosen his grip on the hilt of the knife. Instead, he pressed his other hand into the crack.

Sabo immediately shouted, "He hasn't stopped yet."

Vegapunk stared at the data, his expression even more grim than before. "He's abandoned the global record and is now targeting key witnesses."

Robin looked at the newly emerging red letters in the Sky Screen, her finger still pressing against the edge of her Straw Hat.

[WARNING: The Chief Adjudication Platform is currently selecting Key Witness Qualification.]

[Target: Luffy, Robin, Shanks, Kuma, Bonney, Lumi, Dan, Ka Mi Er]

Bonney's face immediately changed. "It wants to use us as keys?"

Garling raised his head, blood dripping from his chin onto the Chief Adjudication Platform. "If no one else is willing to come, then let those who can open the door come first."

At the very bottom of the Sky Screen, a line of black text slowly appeared.

[The fake response from the Gate of Old Days has not been dispelled]

[Key Witness Forced Arrival Program initiated]