Witnessing Is Not Taking Over

"Look carefully, it says below 'No takeover allowed.'"

Luffy pressed his face against the secondary screen, tapping the Iron Plate with his finger in the air. Usopp tried several times but couldn't pull him back.

Garp stood up again and threw the wooden frame that couldn't be put back together onto the table.

"My old handprint serves only as witness; the Throne has altered the second half of that statement."

The dragon placed the old Receipt and the original text on the Iron Plate in the same frame.

"The Tavern will continue to operate as a guarantee, and those inside may leave at their own discretion; these two records have been combined by the Throne into a trusteeship."

Robin picked up a pen and drew a box around the words "Monkey Family".

"The family is merely a source of witness; control cannot be inherited by any descendant."

The voice behind the Black Gate didn't argue, but the Cup Shadows in Foosha Village changed direction, with the bottoms of all the cups pointing at Garp simultaneously.

[Witnesses were present to confirm the execution of the Old Testament.]

A black handprint appeared in front of Garp, its shape exactly matching the mark on the old Receipt.

Sengoku reached out and pressed down on his wrist.

"Don't touch it."

Garp looked down at the black mark.

"If I don't touch it, it will just let the person inside continue waiting."

"Touching it is necessary to complete the takeover."

"Then let witnesses simply be witnesses."

Garp withdrew his hand, not pressing it against the black seal, but instead placed his palm on his own desk in the Navy Seat.

"I'm saying this now: those inside can leave whenever they want, and no one can stop them. Is that enough?"

Cup Voice behind the door.

Makino looked at Lin Qi.

He heard it.

The black handprint still hung before Garp, and the Throne continued to urge him on.

"The Old Testament must be verified by its original printing."

Sengoku turned to the page in the naval documents that contained the guarantee record from Foosha Village.

"The original seal was used for the transfer of the Tavern, and its effect has long since expired. The Throne has no right to use it a second time."

Akainu said, "The Navy Seat has sealed the old seal and refuses to authorize the Throne."

Long retrieved a personnel register of Foosha Village from the Revolutionary Army records, dating back many years.

"After the former owner, Mo'er, disappeared, there were no unusual registrations at the Tavern, proving that the Monkey Family's testimony never translated into routine management."

The Village Chief put his hat back on, and this time it didn't slip off after being straightened.

"The village never let Garp manage the basement; he often forgot to pay for the drinks."

Garp turned and shouted, "When have I ever owed anyone money for drinks?"

Makino revisited the old story, her fingertip hovering over a long list of names.

"Which year should we start studying?"

A few uncontrollable coughs came from the naval conference room, Garp turned his face back to the black mark.

"Let's take care of business first; we can talk about the cost of the drinks later."

The hand inside the door wrote a new word on the floor.

[Mo'er]

Naji looked at the name.

There are Menwai Mo.

The edges of the Void Seven pages gleamed with Golden Light, and a supplementary entry appeared next to the records that originally only had code names.

"Mo'er, former owner of the Foosha Village Tavern and Echo Node Maintainer, is suspected of disobeying the Throne's orders to protect the target inside the gate."

Black characters immediately appeared on the Throne.

[Defectors are not permitted to testify.]

Makino flipped through the old ledger to the year Mo'er ran the Tavern. There were no secret orders on the pages, only entries for drinks and meals.

"He gave meals on credit to the village children, stored letters for those going to sea, and offered his Tavern to fishermen to take shelter from the storm. Don't these things qualify him as testimony?"

Genzo took over the conversation.

"When I was young, I got drunk at his place, and when I woke up, my purse was still there. There was only enough money left to pay for the drinks; he didn't take any more."

The Old Carpenter picked up the plane.

"He fixes the tables and chairs in the Tavern himself when they break, and only comes to me when he really can't fix them. He also makes up for any unpaid wages he owes."

The village doctor placed an old prescription on the screen.

"He bought children's fever reducer, but didn't register the child's name. He said it was for a passing customer."

Robin included these records in the circumstantial section.

"The Throne removed his Maintainer's name, but the village's records still show him; this is cross-verification."

Lin Qi looked through the crack in the door.

"When Mo'er told you not to wait, did he mean you shouldn't wait for him to come back?"

The water stains stopped at the doorway, and two sounds came from inside.

Mia said softly, "He said he didn't know."

Lin Qi nodded.

"Then I won't explain for him."

Makino picked up the key and placed it next to the water stains outside the door.

"This is the key to the outside lock. If you want me to open the outside lock, put some water on the key; if not, put the water back."

The water did not move immediately; only the soft crackling of the oil lamps filled the Tavern.

The voices behind the Black Gate began to count down.

"Terminal stability has decreased; the Protection List will be removed after the countdown ends."

Lumi closed the list and pressed the cover with both hands.

"Don't listen to its urging."

Naji wrote down a piece of paper and held it up.

[We wait.]

Luo Ya also raised his hand, and the sealed wound on the side of his neck parted slightly with the movement. He pressed it with a cloth, without looking away.

We'll all wait.

Chao Bei put down the seashell, Ju Bei hugged the cup to his chest, the Muqiao's table legs stopped rattling, and Deng touched the marks left by the empty key. All the scenes fell silent.

Buggy glanced over, then at the countdown, reached out and tore a page from his delivery ledger, covering the numbers on the Sky Screen.

"Whoever wants to watch can watch, I'm not watching."

Shanks reached out and held the corner of the paper down for him.

Buggy turned and said, "Don't try to show off that you're on my side."

The paper is about to fall.

"You don't need to press it if it falls out."

As the two argued, the water finally flowed forward, touched the tip of the key, and then quickly retreated back inside the door.

Makino picked up the key.

I only open the outside lock.

There was a sound from inside the door.

Makino inserted the key into the lock, but didn't turn it immediately. She looked at the crack in the door and asked again, "Can you open it wide enough so you can push it open yourself?"

A response was received.

As the latch retracted, another corner of the darkened Sky Screen above the Tavern disappeared, and the Golden Light on each item on the Protection List gradually weakened.

Lumi did not let go.

The name is still there.

The voice from behind the Black Gate said, "Without system protection, the Throne has the authority to reclaim all anomalous targets."

Akainu pushed the Navy's Detention Order beneath the Sky Screen.

"Marine Headquarters acknowledges the existing Protection List; even if the system light is destroyed, the Navy's records will not be erased."

Long copied the same list into the Revolutionary Army's archives.

"The Revolutionary Army will be preserved simultaneously."

Shanks said, "The Red Hair Pirates are safe."

Buggy rushed to get his stamp.

"The Delivery Alliance also provides security; let's make it clear upfront that there are no storage fees for security."

Makino placed the Foosha Village ledger next to the computer.

"Security for Civilian Witness Seats."

The Golden Light in the Sky Screen continued to fade, but the list was caught by real-world records; no name disappeared from the paper.

Lin Qi stared at the screen, which was mostly black.

"Turns out, you don't need it to record your name."

The basement door was pushed from the inside, opening only a narrow crack before stopping, revealing an arm so thin it was just a skeleton, with rusty iron and old wires wrapped around the wrist.

Makino lowered the oil lamp.

Do you want some water?

The person inside did not answer. He passed a second piece of Iron Plate through the crack and then wrote words in the water stains on the floor with his fingertip.

[Save the lower part first]

When Lin Qi took the Iron Plate, he didn't touch his hand. The back of the Iron Plate depicted the old structure of the Tavern's basement, and at the deepest part, under the table propped up by the metal box, there was a downward staircase marked.

The Old Carpenter stared at the drawing for a long time, then slid the plane from his armpit to his hand.

"There's another floor below the Tavern."

The person inside the door used their palm to hold the door open, preventing anyone from pushing it open further. Watermarks traced the last sentence along the stair markings.

[Mo'er is below.]