Even Silence Counts
Water can also provide an answer.
Robin spoke almost at the same time the drop of water appeared, and marked a circle in the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse with the tip of his pen.
"If he cannot knock, cannot speak, cannot move the cup, any trace that proves he is still responsive cannot be ruled out of the Throne."
The sound from behind the Black Gate drowned out the faint clattering of the Cup Array.
"Silent verification only recognizes active sounds."
Nami raised her Clima-Tact and pointed it at the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse.
Who made that decision?
A bead fell from the illusory abacus of East People's General Ledger.
"Livelihood System."
Buggy rolled his eyes at the sound of it.
"It's the system again. If the system is so capable of harming people, we might as well arrest and interrogate the system as well."
Vegapunk actually nodded seriously.
"The source of the rule can be reviewed first."
Lin Qi typed out the problem statement.
[The legitimacy of silent expression]
[Question: When the central target in the Sealed Storage Warehouse cannot produce sound or be struck, can its non-auditory reactions such as water seepage, temperature changes, and cup movement be used as clues to the individual's survival and willingness to participate in the verification?]
[A. No, silence is considered as a lack of willingness]
[B. No, only sound is valid]
[C. Determined by East People's General Ledger]
[D. Yes, non-audible responses should be protected as temporary cues of intent; silence should not be interpreted as abandonment or inclusion in the Cup Array.]
"D."
Lumi throws first.
Akainu said, "Navy Seat, D."
Dragon Path: "D."
Makino said, "The Civilian Witness Seat, D."
Buggy said, "D, I find the droplet more pleasing to the eye than the Throne now."
[Answer: D]
The water droplet in the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse was lifted by Golden Light, and a very faint salt reaction appeared on the surface of the water. Suddenly, the shell on the other side of the Chao Bei tapped.
Mia translated.
"Chao Bei said it tastes like seawater."
Nami looked at the drifting line on the sea.
"The central target is related to the sea drift experiment."
Vegapunk combined the three anomalous links together: the old Tax Token from the Ju Bei, the floating box tag from the Chao Bei, and the old storage compartment from the Muqiao, all converging into the unnumbered cup in the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse.
"He wasn't an isolated case; he might have been used to test whether the three systems could be merged."
Naji whispered, "Tax, sea, warehouse."
Luo Ya accepted.
"The second batch of East Blue Void King Attendants is to integrate people's livelihood, transportation, and warehousing into Cup Array."
Robin looked at Lin Qi.
"If the central target is incorporated into the Cup Array, the Ju Bei, Chao Bei, Muqiao, and lamp that were rescued earlier can all be reconnected."
Lin Qi typed out a new question.
[Three-chain merge freezing problem]
[Question: Can the Throne or the East People's General Ledger merge the Orange Tax Chain, the Sea Drift Chain, and the Old Warehouse Chain into the central target of the Sealed Storage Warehouse, thereby regaining control of the rescued target?]
[A. Yes, it can be managed uniformly by the system]
[B. Yes, the rescue target is still within the chain.]
[C. Merge first, then review]
[D. No, the control chain of the rescued target should continue to be dismantled, and any attempt to merge the three chains should be frozen and listed as evidence of renewed control.]
Five seats, unanimous vote (D).
The Golden Light pressed down on the three chains, the traces of the Tax Token on the neck of the Ju Bei faded, the old Receipt in the Chao Bei- shaped container was washed away, and the sound of table legs being dragged came from the doorway where the Muqiao was located, as if someone was moving themselves closer to the door.
The old warehouse worker quickly translated.
"The Muqiao said he wanted to see the lights."
Lumi's eyes reddened, but she asked the army doctor first.
"Could we let them confirm each other's existence across the Sky Screen, without touching the control chain, just to confirm they're alive?"
The medic said, "We can provide visual witnessing, but we cannot allow the old storage compartments to be used for exchanging items."
Lin Qi adds the supplementary questions.
[Victim Safety Mutual Verification Question]
[Question: Can rescue targets such as the Ju Bei, the Chao Bei, the Muqiao, and the lamp safely verify each other's survival and stabilize their emotions under medical protection via Sky Screen?]
[A. No, mutual corroboration would contaminate the case file]
[B. No, the victim must not communicate.]
[C. Approved by the East People's General Ledger]
[D. Yes, secure mutual authentication does not constitute Receipt or control. The content of the exchange should protect privacy, and only the parts related to the rescue should be preserved.]
[Answer: D]
The Sky Screen split into several small scenes: Ju Bei was sitting in Cocoyasi's blanket, holding a cup; Chao Bei was lifting a seashell in the medical bay of the delivery ship; Muqiao was still inside the door, with only a hand holding the table leg showing; Lamp was being helped to sit up by the military doctor, the blindfold still on.
First, tap the Ju Bei.
Mia lowered her voice after hearing this.
He said, "Are you still there?"
The Chao Bei knocks on its shell.
"Exist."
The Muqiao was rebuilt using table legs.
"Exist."
The lamp touched the cup, tapping slowly, but clearly.
"There are lights outside."
Makino lowered her head and closed the ledger tightly, as if afraid that the sound of her turning the pages would startle them.
Nami stood before the Sky Screen, her shoulders tense, and remained silent.
Genzo spoke from the secondary screen of Cocoyasi.
"Nami, we'll watch the Ju Bei here. You go do your thing."
Nami tapped the deck with her Clima-Tact.
"Don't let him drink cold water. Bellemere once scolded me; children's stomachs can't handle it."
Upon hearing the name Bellemere, the Ju Bei tilted its head and clinked again.
Mia looked at Nami.
He asked, "Who is Bellemere?"
Nami's fingers slid across the Clima-Tact before she retracted it to her side.
"An adult who will give their food to a child while pretending to be fierce."
Ju Bei hugged the cup tightly and didn't ask any more questions.
The voice from behind the Black Gate interrupted the mutual verification.
"The victims colluded to give false testimonies."
Akainu said, "You have no right to say those four words."
Lin Qi's question then popped up.
[Secure Mutual Verification and Collusion Allegations Question]
[Question: Can the fact that victims, under medical protection, confirmed each other's survival and expressed their need for assistance be considered collusion and have their testimony weakened by the Throne?]
[A. Yes, the victim's communication could be contaminated.]
[B. Yes, but the victim must be isolated]
[C. Determining the boundaries of communication based on the Throne]
[D. No, mutual testimony is a rescue and psychological stabilization measure, and the victim's right to communicate and testify should not be deprived under the pretext of collusion.]
Unanimous vote: D.
The drop of water in the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse suddenly multiplied, seeping along the rim of the cup in a small line. Mia put the Sea-Drift Codebook and the medical codebook together, and her expression slowly changed.
He's using water to write.
Vegapunk magnified the watermarks, showing that the water lines were intermittent and could not form complete words, only appearing in three directions.
Cocoyasi.
Maritime.
Loguetown.
Robin immediately understood and said, "He's referring to the three chains, not asking for help."
Lumi asked in a low voice, "Why?"
East Tax Nine looked at the unnumbered cup, and finally flipped to a training record on the ledger page on his chest.
[First rule of cup rack preparation: Call for help for the other cups first, then forget about yourself.]
Nami's face gradually turned cold.
"They trained him to be a rescue decoy."
The sound from behind the Black Gate faded away.
"The central government's objectives do not prioritize any particular interests, which aligns with the cup holder's ownership."
Lin Qi's fingers touched the keyboard, but he didn't immediately type anything.
Makino walked over to him and placed a glass of water next to the computer.
"His act of saving others first doesn't mean he didn't want to live."
Lin Qi nodded, and the questions were answered line by line.
[Question about the inability to substitute one's own will]
[Question: When the central target of the Sealed Storage Warehouse prioritizes other victims, can it be concluded that they have no intention of self-rescue and be included in the East Tax Ten Cup Formation?]
[A. Yes, but giving up means not expressing a desire to save oneself]
[B. Yes, rescuing others means being suitable as a tool.]
[C. The East People's General Ledger explained its intentions]
[D. No, prioritizing seeking help from others should not be interpreted as abandoning self-rescue; one should continue to be given the opportunity to express their needs and be protected from being instrumentalized.]
With five votes cast, option D is now highlighted.
The waterline in the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse paused for a moment, then slowly changed direction, writing a crooked character on the bottom of the cup.
[I]
Mia covered the edge of the codebook with her hand to prevent the pages from falling.
"He wrote about me."
Lumi said, "Continue."
The waterline struggled downwards, and before the second character could even take shape, all the beads on East People's General Ledger suddenly turned black.
[General Cup Rack Pre-Start]
[Goal self-expression exceeded limits, execution muted]
The cup in the center of the Sealed Storage Warehouse was covered by black light, and before the water line broke, only half of the unfinished word remained.