Replacement Pages Cannot Replace People

"Block Naji's testimony!" Vegapunk practically shouted, warning bars popping up one after another on the small screen. "The Replacement Page isn't silencing him; it replaces his words with a proxy version that will still sound like his voice."

Naji, wrapped in a thermal blanket and just warmed up a little, loosened his grip on the blanket and then clenched it again upon hearing this. "He used to speak for me too."

The military doctor lowered the temperature control, saying, "Don't push yourself; your testimony can be protected for now."

Naji, however, looked at the Incineration Cart outside the Cold Room and said, "Number Two is singing, not crying."

The white-gloved agent opened the Transfer Ledger in the Third Archive Room. Half of the black text on the pages had been burned, but it could still be filled in by itself, and a new line of testimony appeared on the Sky Screen.

[Naji's testimony revised: Number Two had no ability to produce sound independently; the singing was recorded as equipment noise]

Buggy slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Bullshit! He can't even tell the difference between singing and noise. Why doesn't he just write himself as a cabinet rattling?"

Robin immediately said, "We can't just criticize; we need to question the legality of the Replacement Page testimony."

Akainu said, "With the witness present, no proxy has the right to speak on their behalf."

Long said, "We must also preserve Naji's right to rest; the Throne will force him to constantly prove himself."

Makino glanced at Lin Qi's hand and directly stated the key point of the question for him, "Personal testimony protected, proxy version frozen, we can't force Naji to keep talking."

Lin Qi nodded, his fingertips brushing against the edge of the keyboard, avoiding the cracked keycaps.

[Question on the Legality of Replacement Page Testimony]

[Question: Did the acting Custodian have the right to use Replacement Page to rewrite Naji's testimony regarding the Number Two singing machine as equipment noise?]

[A. Has the right, agency records take priority]

[B. He has the right; Naji's testimony needs to be amended.]

[C. Replacement Page version may be used temporarily]

[D. No right. Naji is his own witness, Replacement Pages cannot overwrite his testimony. Substitute versions should be frozen for review, and Naji should not be forced to repeatedly testify against himself.]

Akainu pressed D, "Navy Seat, D."

Longdao: "Revolutionary Army Seat, D."

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

Lumi said, "Victim Seat, D."

Buggy said, "D, anyone who wants to speak for someone else should register their own tongue first."

[Answer: D]

The correction line on the Transfer Ledger was covered by Golden Light. Naji's original sentence about his singing being protected by Naji Independent Guard was slowly lowered. The military doctor took the opportunity to push the medicine into the tube.

The white-glove agent didn't stop; the Transfer Ledger turned to another page, and among the three stacks of tattered pages next to Naji, tiny black characters suddenly appeared on the leftmost stack.

[Number Two has no oral cavity structure]

[The singing does not exist]

Bonney pressed down on the Golden Light shining through the tattered page. "It's still writing."

Void Seven (blank): "The proxy uses structural denial testimony to negate the pre-modification behavior with the modified state."

Robin's face darkened. "Cut his mouth off. Besides, he can't sing."

He pushed Rayleigh's glass away, the wine sloshing against the rim. "I've heard that line before."

Shanks looked at Rayleigh, "Where?"

Rayleigh said, "After the God Valley, the people who came to pick up the children said that some children didn't have names, so they weren't considered lost."

Garling closed his eyes in the restraint circle. "I didn't say that."

Buggy sneered, "But you've handed the child over to the person who said that."

Garling did not reply.

Lin Qi continued with the question.

[Post-modification state denial question]

[Question: Can the substitute Custodian be used to deny that they had a singing voice and independent vocalization ability before the modification, based on the absence of an oral cavity structure after the Number Two modification?]

[A. Yes, based on the current status.]

[B. Yes, without speech there is no song]

[C. Can be temporarily denied]

[D. No, the incompleteness after modification cannot prove the ability before modification. Naji's testimony should be preserved and the Number Two modification record should be investigated.]

Five unanimous votes for D. The black text on the leftmost page was crossed out, and a slight vibration came from the edge of the page. It was not a sound, but it made Naji's eyes widen.

Naji whispered, "He heard me."

Lumi quickly asked, "Can Number Two respond?"

Vegapunk reviewed the data. "It can't be called a response, it's just a fragment resonance, but it has salvage value."

Long said, "Don't reveal Number Two's old name yet. Follow the rescue procedure outlined in the incomplete page."

Akainu said, "Investigate the modification records and lock up the agent."

Third Archive Room of the Old Building, the mixed squad had already approached the door. The Momonga stood on the left, and the leader of the Revolutionary Army Infiltration Unit stood on the right. The two looked at each other and kicked the door open at the same time.

The white-gloved agent closed the Transfer Ledger, his black badge gleaming. "The Custodian has no personal identification; arrest is invalid."

The Momonga knife pointed at his glove. "Whether he has an identity or not, Sky Screen decides."

Lin Qi has already typed out the question.

[Question on verifying the identity of the acting Custodian]

[Question: Can a front-line Custodian be exempt from detention and scrutiny by claiming to have no personal identity?]

[A. Yes, but cannot be investigated without identification]

[B. Yes, the proxy only executes the recording.]

[C. Throne Retrieval]

[D. No, the lack of identity itself should be subject to review. The act of Replacement Page should be stopped immediately, potential victims should be protected, and the authority to destroy evidence should be restricted.]

Akainu said, "D."

Dragon Path: "D."

Makino said, "D."

Lumi said, "D."

Buggy said, "D, if you don't have an identity, you need to be investigated even more. Who knows how many names you're hiding?"

[Answer: D]

The agent Custodian's white gloves were locked by Golden Light, and half of the Transfer Ledger was dragged out from the black mark on his chest. The Momonga reached out to grab it, but the Transfer Ledger suddenly turned to Blank page, and a line of words floated up from the bottom of the page.

[The proxy Replacement Page is now linked to Naji's proof of life]

[Forced detention of the agent, invalidation of Naji's certificate of survival]

The military doctor's expression changed. "Naji's vital signs are being managed by a proxy in the system."

Naji understood, and clutching the thermal blanket, tried to sit up. "Don't worry about me, grab him first."

Lumi immediately said, "You mustn't say that."

Xing also panicked, "Living isn't his thing."

Makino looked at Lin Qi and asked, "Who owns the proof of survival?"

Robin added, "The fact of survival cannot be held by the perpetrator's agent."

Lin Qi writes the title.

[The issue of unbinding Naji's proof of survival]

[Question: Does the acting Custodian have the right to link Naji's certificate of survival to his own personal Replacement Page in order to prevent his detention?]

[A. Has the right to, or can, prove their existence]

[B. Has the right; losing the agency means losing the record]

[C. Agency can be secured first, then verification can be conducted]

[D. Unauthorized. Naji's survival is confirmed by his vital signs and multiple medical witnesses. The Replacement Page should be immediately unbound, and the binding behavior should be preserved as evidence of coercion.]

After the vote passed, Naji's vital signs were removed from the Transfer Ledger and connected to the military doctor's record, the Revolutionary Army doctor's record, the Sky Screen Rescue Index, and the Vegapunk technology backup. Naji watched himself being pulled out of that book, his fingers gripping the edge of the blanket, and finally stopped saying "don't worry about me."

The Momonga seized the opportunity, slashing off the cover of the Transfer Ledger with a single stroke. The Infiltration Unit leader used a gold thread restraint to bind the wrists of the acting Custodian. What was exposed under the white gloves was not hands, but layers of folded medical records.

Mia looked closely at the outermost medical record number and leaned forward slightly. "That's not a substitute; that's a patient who was turned into a substitute."

Akainu frowned. "Another victim and Executor."

Long Dao: "Destroy evidence, restrict authority, protect life and personality, and handle according to the logic of Void Seven."

Void Seven (blank): "Similar product confirmed, agent's original number, Number Three."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Luo Ya looked towards the Third Archive Room, "Number Three?"

Naji, wrapped in a thermal blanket, struggled to lift his eyes. "Number Three, tell us a story."

The paper medical record handled by the white-gloved agent trembled, and a line of charred old words squeezed out of the Transfer Ledger.

[Former name Number Three, unauthorized]

Buggy swallowed back the curse that was about to come out of his mouth, "Another unauthorized attack."

Robin said, "Number Three is acting as an agent to destroy evidence, but he himself may also be one of the first Void King Attendant. His old name cannot be kept on the Throne any longer."

Akainu said, "Suspense authority first, then save them."

Lin Qi nodded, and the question was pushed up to the Sky Screen.

[Question on Detaching Proxy Access from Number Three]

[Question: After confirming that the acting Custodian is suspected to be the first batch of Void King Attendant Number Three, how should their acting authority and identity be handled?]

[A. Destruction Agent and Number Three]

[B. Throne Recycling]

[C. Continue to be used as an agent]

[D. Immediately strip the agent of their authority to destroy evidence, protect the identity of the Number Three potential victim, and have their old name undergo a de-identification and verification process, to be confirmed by the victim after their identity has stabilized.]

Five unanimous votes (D). The black seal on the Custodian's chest was peeled off, the Transfer Ledger fell to the ground, and an incomplete face was revealed through the medical record paper inside the white glove. The face had no complete features, but the pages were desperately trying to close together.

Number Three emitted a short, sharp syllable, like the rustling of paper, "Story."

Naji's eyes reddened. "You remember."

Number Three's paper-thin face turned towards Naji, and a line of text appeared in the Blank.

[Naji, don't be cold]

Lumi turned her head away, not letting Xing see the redness in her eyes.

Makino re-soaked the damp cloth and placed it back beside Lin Qi. "Shall we continue?"

Lin Qi looked at the seven Void King Attendant positions on the Sky Screen: Zero, Luo Ya; number one, Naji; Number Two, Fragment; Number Three, Agent. The other three positions remained Echo-less. Just as he was about to speak, the unsealed giant book deep within the Master Page suddenly turned to the last page.

The last page has no number or name, only an Empty Throne Seal.

The sound from behind the Black Gate fell against the Sky Screen.

"The first seven people are just the keys."

The Throne Mark slowly opened, revealing a new line of catalog titles.

[The second batch of Void King Attendants are currently located in various parts of the world.]