Whose Testimony Counts as Tainted?

"Is this considered protecting the remnants of the Pirate King's faction?"

Buggy rolled up his sleeves, his fingers almost poking into the Sky Screen, "I'm a remnant of the gang today, come and arrest me!"

Marco pulled him back slightly. "Don't give it anything to talk about."

Jinbe chimed in, "It doesn't want to arrest you, it wants to invalidate your testimony."

Lin Qi glanced at the blank "D" option in the question on the Throne, and tapped his fingers on the keyboard. "Then write it clearly. Testimony is judged by its content, not by background."

Makino whispered a reminder, "Add cross-checking as well."

Robin said, "We also need to add a reverse Contamination Review; the Throne can't just review pirates."

Akainu said, "This also applies to the Navy; the chain of evidence must be checked for any faction's testimony."

Long Dao: "Write it as a general rule."

Lin Qi added option D, and the black option box was expanded by Golden Light.

[D. Without natural contamination, the validity of testimony should be based on verifiable evidence and cross-verification from multiple sources. No one of any power or influence can unilaterally determine the authenticity of testimony; even testimony from the Throne is subject to scrutiny.]

A sound of pages turning came from behind the Black Gate, as if countless sheets of paper were being torn open and closed.

The voice on the Throne lowered, "Outsider, you are expanding your judgment."

Lin Qi retorted, "You were the one who used judgment as an eraser first."

Makino didn't look at him, but simply straightened the crooked wooden cup. "Civilian Witness Seat, D."

Akainu said, "Navy Seat, D."

Longdao: "Revolutionary Army Seat, D."

Lumi said, "Victim Seat, D."

Buggy raised his hand and pressed down, "Pirate Joint Seat, D. Today, whoever says my testimony is inherently dirty, I'll shove their top hat into the cannon barrel."

Marco said, "D."

Jinbe said, "D."

[Answer: D]

[Testimony must not be based on natural contamination of one's birthplace]

[The Throne testimony will be subject to equal cross-verification]

The pen of the white-gloved writer stopped on the black page. The word "pollution," which was only half-written, was crossed out by Golden Light. The page was turned back to the Luo Ya name column, and Rayleigh and Buggy's testimonies were incorporated into the verification chain.

Rayleigh looked at the link. "That's more like it."

Buggy snorted. "First mate, you need to write down everything I just said too, not just what you said."

Robin said, "It's been recorded. You just admitted to being a remnant."

Buggy's face darkened. "Don't bother memorizing that line."

Shanks looked at him. "Pretty loud."

Buggy snapped, "Shut up, Red-Hair! You have no right to laugh right now!"

The path of light in front of the door finally pried open the outer layer of the Throne Mark, and Sabo half-entered the crack in the door. The flames did not burn the book, but instead blocked the shadow's escape route by staying close to the ground.

Kizaru spoke from his side and behind, "Don't touch that Black Line on the left, or it will bounce back to Zero."

Sabo said, "I see it."

Bonney, protected by the bear, walked to the door and saw the wrist peeking out from under Zero's White Robe. There was no one's name on that wrist, only a series of overlapping numbers.

Bonney gritted her teeth, "Vegapunk, which layer should we remove first?"

Vegapunk's voice came from the small screen, "Don't touch the number. First, find the outer clasp of the Personality Seal. The outer clasp should be attached to the scribe's register."

Mia held up the record board. "There's an old-fashioned medical stamp in the bottom right corner of the book, though it's been crossed out, the edges of the paper are still marked as being supplied by the Medical Department."

Koby immediately asked, "Can it be used as evidence?"

Mia said, "Yes, I can confirm the batch."

Tashigi, knife in hand, blocked her path. "So you're sure we're blocking people?"

Upon hearing the words "Medical Department," the white-gloved scribe turned his pen towards Mia, revealing her old file number on the black page.

Mia's pen fell onto the whiteboard.

The bear raised its paw, its paw print blocking the light from the black page. "Don't look at it."

Bonney stood in front of Mia. "You wrote down other people's deleted records; now it's your turn to testify. Don't let it scare you away."

Mia picked up the pen, the nib drawing a crooked line on the paper, then continued writing, "I confirm, the paper comes from a banned batch from the Medical Department; the Receipt section is covered by the black seal of the Throne."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qi immediately pushed the question forward.

[Medical Department Paper Evidence Question]

[Question: The register of those responsible for writing the Order Archive used paper from batches prohibited by the Medical Department, and the Receipt section was covered by the black seal of the Throne. Should this be preserved as evidence of collusion between the Medical Department and the Void King Order Archive?]

[A. Not preserved; paper source is irrelevant]

[B. Not secure; the Black Seal of the Throne is untraceable]

[C. Temporarily held in custody by the Holy Land]

[D. Preservation, as one of the physical evidences used to remove the identity chain in the Void King Order Archive, and to protect the witnessing archivist]

Akainu pressed D. "Navy Seat, D, continue investigating the old case from the Medical Department."

Longdao: "Revolutionary Army Seat, D."

Makino said, "The Civilian Witness Seat, D."

Lumi said, "Victim Seat, D."

Buggy said, "D, protect the girl who's writing. Don't let the white gloves target her."

[Answer: D]

[Medical Department bans the inclusion of sealed paper as evidence]

[Mia, the Witness Archivist, has had her protection level increased]

A corner of the black page that was written by the author was torn off by the Golden Light, revealing an old Receipt column in the lower right corner. Mia saw a line of small, crossed-out words inside, and she stood up straighter.

"The Receipt was not the Medical Department."

Vegapunk asked, "Who is it?"

Mia read aloud, "Throne Custodian, Number: Void Seven."

Upon hearing the words "Void Seven," Garling looked up and said, "The sequence of writers."

Robin asked, "Is Void Seven the one who wrote it?"

Garling said, "He is the seventh writer. He may not be a person; he could also be a position."

Lin Qi looked at the white glove inside the door, "So this person is Void Seven now?"

Garling said, "If he has this book, then it is."

Sabo was already close to the inside of the door crack. The firelight illuminated a section of arm behind the white gloves. The arm had no skin texture, only layers of paper covered with small writing.

Sabo frowned. "His body is like a book."

Vegapunk stated, "The paperization of the personality carrier involves a different technological approach than ordinary modification."

Bonney cursed, "They're turning people into things again."

Robin said in a deep voice, "First, we need to confirm whether Void Seven is a tool for harm, or a victim who has been modified and is also a perpetrator."

Akainu said, "We can't let him get away with destroying evidence just because he might be a victim."

Long said, "We can't just destroy it; there might be other people's names written on it."

Lin Qi incorporated both opinions into the question.

[The author Void Seven blanks for the question.]

[Question: Order Archive Void Seven, the author of the document, is erasing Luo Ya's name, and it appears that Luo Ya was created through a personality paper alteration. What should be done?]

[A. Direct destruction]

[B. Handed over to the Throne for recovery]

[C. No intervention for now]

[D. Immediately cease its acts of destroying evidence, seal its registers and physical remains as evidence, retain the identities of potential victims for investigation, and do not allow the Throne to be retrieved or destroyed.]

The vote passed, Golden Light from inside the door climbed up the white gloves. Void Seven's pen was pinned to the black page, and the half-written entry for Luo Ya was fixed in place.

Void Seven spoke for the first time, his voice, like the rustling of paper, squeezing out from the crack in the door, "Recording incomplete, no Echo with names."

Bonney called out to him, "Do you even have a name?"

Void Seven's pen tip drew a Black Line on the black page, "Written by an anonymous author."

Lumi looked up from the Victim Seat, "Another nameless one."

Xing held up her Name Card, "You can call him Void Seven for now, and change it later if he's willing."

Lin Qi took a deep breath, said nothing more, and simply typed out a task prompt.

[Sound Protection Question for Void Seven]

[Question: Given the suspected characterization and alteration of Void Seven's personality, does the author have the right to undergo identity verification and be granted protection of his voice after the destruction of evidence has ceased?]

[A. No authority; the writer is merely a tool]

[B. No authority; the scribe only has the duty of recording.]

[C. Decided by the Throne]

[D. Has the right, but the act of destroying evidence that it is currently involved in must be stopped immediately, and the content of its statements must be verified in the presence of multiple witnesses.]

After option D passed, the paper arms on the Void Seven stopped peeling off, and a chaotic turning sound came from behind the black page.

"Void Seven Records, Luo Ya, Zero of the Gate, Cry Deleted, Old Name Sealed, Takeover Person, Garling."

Garling kept his mouth shut inside the restraints, while Shanks stared at him for a long time before finally speaking.

You signed it yourself.

Garling said, "I've signed a lot."

Shanks said, "So now you'll go one by one."

Void Seven continued turning the page, "Additional orders after takeover: Zero must not cry, must not dream, must not respond with his old name; if he witnesses anything related to Roger, it will be considered contamination."

Rayleigh's hand paused on the rim of the glass, the wine inside swirling in a line, but he didn't drink it.

Buggy gritted his teeth, "Captain Roger made them give him a name, and they just wrote 'Pollution' on it."

Lin Qi noticed that the Order Archive was beginning to loosen and immediately posed a question.

[Luo Ya's former name responds to the question]

[Question: After the name of Luo Ya has been corroborated by witness statements, the Black Seal Tube evidence, non- Throne witness testimonies, and written records, does the Void King Attendant Zero have the right to respond to Luo Ya personally?]

[A. No authority, Zero is an attachment to the gate]

[B. No rights, old name revoked]

[C. The Throne can answer on one's behalf]

[D. Has the right to lift the speech blockade and allow the individual to choose whether to respond to the old name under protection.]

Unanimous vote: D.

Before the narrow white door, the black mark on Zero's neck cracked, the black frame of the sound panel was pried open by Golden Light, and the white glove inside the door tried to press down again, but was blocked by Sabo's flames. Kizaru's beam cut the Black Line between the book and the threshold.

Zero's lips moved slightly in the shadow of his White Robe, his voice dry as if it hadn't been used in years.

"I... heard."

Xing held the Name Card, her eyes instantly turning red.

Lumi pressed down on his shoulder. "Don't interrupt him."

Zero raised his hand, and the number on his wrist was revealed layer by layer by Golden Light. As if imitating someone else's speech, he slowly uttered the name.

"Luo Ya."

Just as the Sky Screen was about to record the person's response, a second Throne Mark suddenly lit up deep within the narrow white door, and the sound of thousands of pages being turned simultaneously came from inside the door.

Void Seven's voice became shrill, "Order Archive is awake."