Should Red-Hair Recuse Himself?
"Red-Hair, you must avoid this question."
Garling gripped the longsword that had been swallowed by the black light of the Chief Adjudication Platform. The blade was no longer just a weapon; black patterns crawled up his arm, and the judgment sounds emanating from the cracks in the Chief Adjudication Platform were dragged out by him, becoming heavy and dull.
Shanks did not draw his sword immediately; instead, he removed his hand from the hilt and pressed it against the edge of his cloak.
Benn Beckman glanced at him.
"Boss, this time he doesn't want you to not vote."
Shanks nodded.
He's going to move the entire Pirate Seat chair away.
The Sky Screen hung above the outer ring of the Holy Land site, with Golden Light and black light tearing back and forth along the edges of the question.
[Preliminary ruling question]
[Question: Figarland's bloodline, must Shanks, the Pirate Seat, completely recuse himself when investigating Figarland and Garling's on-site command?]
[A. Must be completely avoided; Pirate Seat temporarily ineffective]
[B. Shanks must recuse himself completely, and all previous votes related to him must be reviewed.]
[C. Shanks may listen in, but may not speak or provide evidence.]
[D. Shanks must publicly acknowledge the connection and abstain from the final vote, but may state facts and provide counter-evidence. The Pirate Seats will be voted on his behalf by temporary substitute witnesses, and the vote requires verification by the remaining four seats.]
Garling raised his hand, which was wrapped in black markings.
Choose A.
Shanks smiled.
"You choose for the world?"
Garling looked at him.
"Your surname is Figarland, your lineage, your Straw Hat, the God Valley Archives—all of these are related to this case. You have no right to speak here."
Shanks turned his head to look at the Sky Screen.
"I publicly acknowledge the connection."
As Golden Light descended from the Sky Screen, several lines of records appeared beside Shanks.
[Shanks Related Disclosures]
[Part 1: The God Valley Infant Files involve records from the Figarland branch]
[Second, the chain of command of the Holy Knights was once interfered with due to the remnants of inheritance from a collateral branch.]
[Third, there is a family connection with the subject of the investigation, Garling, but he did not receive orders from him.]
[4. Has repeatedly provided protection for witnesses and prevented the destruction of evidence]
Benn Beckman took the cigarette but didn't light it.
"That's all I had to say. Now it's up to us to see who will take the Pirate Seat."
Luffy immediately raised his hand on the Sabaody side.
"I'll do it!"
Nami raised her hand and pressed his head down.
"You're also involved with the Straw Hat Index, don't cause trouble."
Luffy disagrees.
"That Zoro?"
Zoro looked at the screen.
I have no interest in voting.
Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, interrupted from the side.
"Just because you're not interested in voting doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, you Moss Head."
Robin looked up at the Sky Screen.
"The temporary substitute witness must not be related to Figarland by blood, not have participated in the safekeeping of the Straw Hat Index, and be able to represent the independent stance of the pirate group."
Buggy's face suddenly appeared at the edge of a projection. He had been peeking, but when he realized he had been caught, he leaned back.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't look at me like that! I'm not close to that Red-Hair bastard, I just shared a ship with him!"
Shanks looked over.
"Buggy."
Buggy pointed at him.
Don't call me! It never sounds good when you do!
At this moment, the candidate list was unveiled in the Sky Screen.
[Temporary substitute candidate for the Pirate Seat]
[1. Buggy, former apprentice crew member of Roger Pirates, now leader of an independent pirate force]
[2. Marco, representative of the Whitebeard Pirates]
[3. Jinbe, former Shichibukai, now widely recognized as a chivalrous hero of the sea]
[IV. Temporary joint witnessing by the pirates, confirmed by the above three parties]
Marco rubbed his forehead on the Whitebeard ship.
"Isn't this just throwing trouble at us?"
The Whitebeard sat in the middle of the deck, his laughter causing the wine in his bowl to spill.
"Kuralala, go for it, Marco, don't let the Red-Hair kid take the blame alone."
Jinbe is standing in another scene, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"If it is to serve as a witness and prevent the destruction of evidence, I am willing to assume temporary duties."
Buggy's eyes widened.
"Don't be so quick! Who said I had to take responsibility? I'm the great pirate Buggy- sama! Why should I clean up Red-Hair' mess?"
Shanks said, "Because you owe Captain Roger a serious answer."
Buggy was about to curse again, but when he heard the name Roger, the words caught in his throat, and in the end he just tossed his cloak back.
"Don't try to intimidate me with the captain's name, Red-Hair."
Rayleigh looked up at the exit of the old passageway in Sabaody.
"Buggy, don't let the younger generation keep making fun of you."
Buggy's face turned green.
"Mr. Rayleigh, even you're here?"
Luffy shouted from the side.
"Buggy, choose D!"
Buggy pointed at Luffy.
"Straw Hat Kid, don't try to order me around!"
Nami watched as the timer bar at the edge of the Sky Screen turned red.
"Stop arguing. Let's have all four parties jointly confirm the candidates to avoid giving Garling any loopholes."
Robin nodded.
"Option D already includes avoidance and substitution mechanisms; further confirmation from multiple parties within the pirate crew would make it even more secure."
The Sky Screen then added a sub-question.
[Temporary Substitutes for the Pirate Seats ]
[A. Designated by the Throne]
[B. Designated by Garling]
[C. Designated by Shanks]
[D. Confirmed jointly by the pirate candidates, and must not involve the interests of Figarland]
Buggy pressed D before anyone else could.
"Let me make this clear first, I'm not helping Red-Hair, I just don't want that old man to designate me!"
Marco pressed the button.
"The Whitebeard Pirates, D."
Jinbe said, "I am D."
Shanks took a step back.
The Red Hair Pirates are not participating in this question's poll; they only publicly support option D.
Garling sneered.
"You guys are quite the actors."
Buggy immediately jumped up and down.
"What am I supposed to act for? If I were acting, I would have made you all kneel before Lord Buggy by now!"
The Sky Screen curtain has been lowered.
[Answer: D]
[Pirate Seat Shanks from the final vote in this round]
[Temporary Joint Pirate Witness Seat is established, members: Buggy, Marco, Jinbe]
[Shanks may state facts, but cannot participate in the final vote.]
The black markings on the back of Garling's hand flared outwards, but were blocked back onto the Chief Adjudication Platform by the Golden Light.
"Temporary seats are nothing more than pirates protecting each other."
Akainu spoke in a cold voice.
"The Navy Seat accepts a temporary replacement, and their avoidance restrictions are recorded."
Long Dao: "The Revolutionary Army Seat accepts."
Makino turned to a new page in the ledger.
"The Civilian Witness Seats accept it; Shanks's connection has been made public."
Lumi held up her Name Card.
"The Victim Seat accepts because he didn't rush to decide for us."
Garling looked at Lumi.
"A child dares to interrogate me?"
Lumi pressed the Name Card tightly against her chest.
"You just tried to swap a child for a ticket, of course I'd dare."
The black light on the Chief Adjudication Platform flowed back again, and the crown pattern on Garling's back began to deform. The power clauses that originally belonged to the Chief Adjudication Platform were dragged into his body one by one.
Vegapunk's alarm sounded again.
"He is merging on-site command and Chief Adjudication Platform's authority. If the merger is completed, even if he is relieved of command, he may continue to destroy evidence as a personal judge."
Lin Qi stared at the computer screen.
"Then we can't just ask about being relieved of command."
Makino looked at him.
"You want to change the question?"
"It's not a change, it's a finishing blow."
The new question board was Sky Screen after being reviewed by five chairpersons.
[Final On-site Review Main Questions]
[Question: Should Figarland, the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights Garling, be relieved of his on-site command and listed as the main culprit in the destruction of Holy Land Witness Evacuation Case, and be publicly detained?]
[A. If not dissolved, the Holy Knights retain supreme law enforcement authority over the Holy Land.]
[B. Do not lift the ban for now, only request that Garling cease his attack]
[C. Some powers are revoked, but the power to judge witnesses and the Knights is retained.]
[D. Remove him from on-site command, freeze his trial authority, designate him as the principal offender in the destruction of evidence, and immediately subject him to public detention and evidence preservation.]
Garling did not stop the question.
Instead, he laughed.
"Cast."
Shanks frowned.
What is he waiting for?
Benn Beckman looked up.
"After we chose D, he used the Chief Adjudication Platform to swallow the restraints."
Lin Qi also saw the black annotation in the background.
[WARNING: The target has written the authority of the Chief Adjudication Platform into their body; regular restraints may be absorbed in reverse.]
Lin Qi typed out the supplementary application.
[Question setter's supplementary request: Determine the method of restraint]
The second layer of the question flashed across the Sky Screen.
[Preliminary question regarding restraint method]
[Question: If Garling has already written the authority of the Chief Adjudication Platform into his body, what method should be used to enforce restraint?]
[A. Reclaimed by the Throne]
[B. Guarded internally by the Holy Knights]
[C. Self-examination by the Figarland Family]
[D. Separate its personal ties to the Chief Adjudication Platform, have multiple witnesses monitor its actions, prioritize the preservation of the chain of evidence, and prohibit the repossession of the Throne.]
Garling's laughter trailed off in his throat.
"You dare."
Lin Qi looked at him.
"When you swallow the table, you should have expected someone to make you spit it out."
Buggy slammed his fist on the table at the makeshift Pirate Seat.
"D! This bastard who eats the table can't be allowed to keep the key!"
Marco said, "The Whitebeard Pirates, D."
Jinbe said, "Pirate Joint Seat, D."
Akainu said, "Navy Seat, D, Additional: Any attempt to destroy evidence during detention will be treated as a current crime."
Longdao: "Revolutionary Army Seat, D."
Lumi said, "Victim Seat, D."
Makino said, "The Civilian Witness Seat, D."
Shanks didn't vote; he just stared at Garling.
You heard me.
As Garling pressed down on the knife, Black Chains suddenly shot out from the crack in the Chief Adjudication Platform. Instead of rushing towards the five seats, the chains pierced the foundation of the Chief Adjudication Platform and the maintenance cabin that had just been rescued.
Bonney backed away, clutching Star.
He wants to drag his child down with him!
The bear raised its hand to block her, and Sabo's flames spread across the ground.
Lin Qi's fingers slammed on the keyboard.
"Secure witness protection first!"
The Golden Light descended from the Sky Screen, but was bounced back when it touched the black chain.
Vegapunk shouted, "He's tied himself to the foundation of the Chief Adjudication Platform! We can't cut him before we separate him; a forced cut will disturb the maintenance bay!"
Garling looked at Shanks, his lips tugged open by black markings.
"Red-Hair, if you're avoiding us, then we can only watch."
Shanks' hand returned to the hilt of his sword, but he did not draw it.
A new mandatory notification appeared in the Sky Screen.
[Execution of detention obstructed]
[Detected that Garling is holding the victim protection area within the Chief Adjudication Platform base hostage; access control blocked]
[Additional questions being generated]
Who has the authority to sever the hostages' bonds?