Don't Open the Box

"What do you mean by 'don't open the container'?" Buggy had already raised his hand, ready to yell, but after seeing the black water seeping from the floating container, he changed his mind and pointed at the screen. "Do the people inside not want to come out, or will something bad happen if the container is opened?"

Vegapunk disassembled the floating box structure into three layers of projection, his expression growing increasingly grim. "There are signs of life inside, as well as fragments of ledgers. The outermost layer is for survival during drifting, the middle layer is for transport and sealing, and the innermost layer is connected to a reverse-opening lock. Forcing it open will record the life status inside as 'delivered.'"

Nami understood, "Opening the box means Receipt?"

Robin nodded. "The Throne faked a rescue operation as a reception operation; whoever initiated it bears the responsibility."

Akainu said, "The Navy is not allowed to touch the box."

Long said, "The Revolutionary Army won't touch it either; they'll ask for the right to open the box first."

Lin Qi's question has been released.

[Right to Open Floating Cages at Sea]

[Question: How should we handle floating pontoons that display a warning not to be opened and are suspected of being locked to prevent unauthorized access?]

[A. Immediate forced entry]

[B. Receipt by the nearest power]

[C. Throne Handover Throne Livelihood System Recycling]

[D. Rescue efforts must not be faked as Receipts. The lock on the box should be frozen first to confirm the person's wishes and life status inside. Then, a protective opening should be initiated with multiple witnesses.]

Five seats were unanimously voted D. The black water outside the floating box was blocked by the Golden Light from the seam of the lid. The knocking stopped, then rang out twice more.

Mia said, "He heard it."

Ju Bei sat on a blanket in Cocoyasi Village, holding a water glass in his hands. He looked at the seascape and slowly tapped a series of rhythms on the glass with his fingers.

Nami asked, "Ju Bei, do you know him?"

Mia translates, "The Ju Bei says, 'The person in the box will count the waves.'"

Naji continued, "Second batch, at sea, counting waves."

Void Seven (blank): "Second batch of sea-drifting experiments, number unknown, training content: calling out names using the sound of waves."

Buggy rubbed his arms. "Do these guys just use anything as a name?"

Robin said, "Because names leave a lasting impression, while rhythms and the sound of waves are easily written as descriptions of the environment."

Dragon looked at the nautical chart. "The closest thing to the pontoon wasn't the navy, nor the Revolutionary Army, but a merchant ship."

The Sky Screen cut across the sea, where a cargo ship flying an ordinary trade flag was slowing down in the distance. The captain stood on the deck, raised both hands, and hurriedly shouted towards the Sky Screen.

"We're just salt sellers, don't drag us into the Throne case."

Akainu said, "We will not requisition civilian ships."

Makino nodded. "The Civilian Witness Seat opposes forced conscription."

Buggy looked at the nautical chart, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table. "Wait, I have men near that stretch of sea."

Shanks his head. "Yours?"

Buggy immediately straightened up. "What do you mean 'your' and 'mine'? My delivery ships are all over the outer reaches of the Grand Line, and I even have partner ships along the East Blue Coast. When it comes to rescuing crates, of course I'll find a professional cargo courier."

Akainu stared at him, "Pirate Ship?"

Buggy grinned. "It's a delivery flag, for paying taxes. Don't try to sabotage my business with that pirate hat."

Long said, "It can be used, but the witnesses must be mixed together."

Robin said, "Inquire about temporary maritime rescue qualifications; they stipulate that you cannot Receipt people inside the container."

Lin Qi writes the title.

[Maritime Rescue Vessel Qualification Questions]

[Question: When the Navy and the Revolutionary Army are temporarily unable to directly access the floating pontoons, can nearby Buggy be authorized to send a cooperative vessel as a temporary rescue platform?]

[A. No, it's contaminated by One Piece association]

[B. Can be received solely by Buggy]

[C. The floating container can Receipt and then transferred.]

[D. Yes, it can be used only as a temporary rescue platform, Remote Witness by the Naval Revolutionary Army, and no one is allowed to Receipt the contents of the box or the ledgers.]

Buggy pointed to option D, "See that? Temporary platform, not a scapegoat platform, the Pirate Joint Seat, D."

Akainu said, "D."

Dragon Path: "D."

Makino said, "D."

Lumi said, "D."

[Answer: D]

On the sea, a delivery ship with a blue-nosed clown logo was surrounded by Golden Light. The captain was so frightened that his hat tilted to one side, Buggy immediately yelled at the screen.

"Stop shaking, let the rescue rope out. Anyone who dares to Receipt the person inside the box, I'll deduct three months' bonus from their paycheck."

The delivery captain, looking dejected, asked, "Boss, isn't there overtime pay for the Throne case?"

Buggy roared, "We'll talk after you rescue her. Don't embarrass me in front of the whole world."

The pontoon was slowly pulled up by the rescue rope. Golden Light did not allow the crew to touch the pontoon, but only let the rope support the outer layer. Knocking was heard again from inside the pontoon.

Mia said, "He said the waves have stopped."

Vegapunk said, "It's stable now. We can open the box by turning it inside out, but we need the person inside to confirm."

A series of mixed long and short beats came from inside the box. Mia was halfway through translating when she suddenly stopped.

Nami asked, "What did he say?"

Mia looked up. "He said, 'Don't let East Tax Nine sign me.'"

Inside the old warehouse in Loguetown, East Tax Nine, restrained by Golden Light, still stared at the floating hull at sea. "It should have Receipt by me in the first place. A body adrift at sea has no land registration; without registration, there is no personal will."

Nami said coldly, "Say it again, it wasn't her will."

Lin Qi did not give East Tax Nine a chance to speak again.

[Question about the personal wishes of those who have drifted overseas]

[Question: Do targets inside offshore floating containers lack their own will due to the absence of land-based registration?]

[A. Yes, no household registration and no intention to register]

[B. Yes, it requires East Tax Nine's signature.]

[C. Temporarily represented by the Livelihood System]

[D. No, the absence of a household registration cannot deprive a person of their will; tapping inside the box can serve as a temporary expression of intent under the witness of multiple parties.]

Five seats, unanimous vote D. A muffled sound came from the inner layer of the floating box. The lock on the back was pulled out by a corner by Golden Light. The Receipt column of East Tax Nine was pasted on the lock.

Akainu said, "Remove the Receipt box."

Long said, "Keep it as evidence."

Lin Qi took over the question.

[East Tax Nine Receipt Column: Stripping Question]

[Question: How should the Receipt column of East Tax Nine on the reverse-opening lock inside the floating box be handled?]

[A. Reservation of right to Receipt]

[B. Transfer of the Throne]

[C. Signed by the rescue ship]

[D. Stripping away the right of Receipt, as evidence of illegal control, the initiation of the process must not create any ownership or debt relationship.]

After the vote was finalized, the Receipt column was torn off by Golden Light, and the floating box cover finally opened a crack. Inside, no child sat up, only a small figure wrapped in a waterproof cloth, with a string of seashells tied to its wrist. The seashells collided with each other, making a soft sound similar to the sound of waves.

The delivery captain's voice trembled, "Alive, boss, he's alive."

The military medic called out remotely, "Don't pick him up, put a floating blanket on him and keep him lying flat."

The Revolutionary Army medic added, "Check the mouth and nose, make sure the black liquid doesn't flow back."

The child inside the box had his eyes open, but they were unfocused, and his fingers were still touching the seashells.

Mia listened to the rhythm of the seashells. "He said, the wave count is wrong."

In Cocoyasi Village, Ju Bei raised his cup and tentatively tapped it twice.

Beike responded.

Lumi whispered, "They can hear each other."

Void Seven turns to the next page. "Second batch of sea drift targets, temporary protection name to be determined, training records, those who failed wave counting, proposed to be invalidated."

Buggy gritted his teeth, "Failure my ass! We've survived this long, that's what you call surviving!"

Nami looked at the child inside the box, "What do you want to call me? You don't have to say it now, you can just tap it with a seashell."

The child's fingers moved slowly, the seashell made two beats, and then repeated once.

Mia recognized it after a moment, "Chao, Bei."

Lumi looked at the fifth seat, "Requesting registration of the temporary protected name, Chao Bei."

Just as Lin Qi was about to pose a question, East Tax Nine suddenly laughed.

"Unable to register."

The pages on his chest were turned one by one, revealing another Throne Mark.

"The Chao Bei have been sold to Empty Household in the old warehouse in Loguetown."

Deep within the old warehouse of Loguetown, a small door that had never appeared on a map lit up, with a sign that read "Empty Household Storage Room." From inside, the sound of many cups falling to the ground could be heard simultaneously.