The Third Witness

I'm not going down.

Lin Qi tucked the pen into his sleeve.

Mo'er looked at him.

"You're already on the Handover Page."

"Just because something is written on paper doesn't mean someone is actually there."

"The iron gate only recognizes the records."

"Then remove the record."

Who's withdrawing?

Lin Qi looked up at the Sky Screen.

The Throne page was still hanging in mid-air, with an additional gray annotation appearing after the Handover Page.

[Record locked]

Nami walked up to Lin Qi.

The Handover Page didn't just appear a moment ago.

You noticed?

"The first line is in old handwriting, the second line was added to the Throne, and the third line has not yet been written."

"Then don't start writing the third line yet."

We need to know who the third person is.

Mo'er pointed to the iron gate.

"Go in and take a look."

A Hui raised her hand.

"I'll go."

You can't go in.

Mo'er said, "You are the Receiver of the Echo Node; the Old Ship will recognize you as the Gatekeeper."

"Then you go in?"

"I'm the Maintainer."

"You'll be recognized too."

Therefore, only Lin Qi and someone without a past identity can go in.

All eyes turned to Lingering Voice.

Lingering Voice sat back down on the hospital bed.

"I'm not going in."

Mo'er nodded.

You are not suitable.

You spoke too quickly.

"Because you just said you wouldn't go."

"I can change my mind now."

"Changing your story is not an option either. You have Experimental Core Records on you, Old Ship will identify you as Object Awaiting Destruction."

Lingering Voice looked at Little Patch.

"And him?"

The Little Patch of red thread was wrapped around the Paper Thread.

I have no body.

"Perfect."

"I don't want to go into the water either."

Nami said, "Little Patch can act as Remote Witness; they don't count as entrants."

Lin Qi glanced at the iron gate.

"Then it'll be me and Mo'er."

A Hui grabbed Mo'er's clothes.

He just said you can't go in.

He said I would be recognized.

What will happen if they recognize me?

Give me back my Maintainer account.

"You just came out from underground."

"The identity remains, but the responsibility has been transferred."

"This is different."

"The Old Ship doesn't care about the differences between us."

Lin Qi interrupted.

"Once you're inside, will the Handoff Point reassign you to responsibility?"

"Able."

"Can Lin Qi's records be turned into Custodian?"

"Able."

"Could you add the third person's name?"

"Yes."

"Then why go in?"

Mo'er looked behind the door.

"Because after the third person wakes up, the name on the White Ship will return to the child."

"Can he control it?"

"He might be the one in charge of control."

"Possible?"

"He might be the first person to be controlled."

Lin Qi remained silent for a moment.

"You saw him on the Transport Ship back then?"

I've only heard three people's voices.

"You, A Hui, and him?"

There was no A Hui then.

A Hui loosened his grip a little.

You said you were the only one on the ship.

"That's what the Custodian told me."

You believed it?

"I needed to stay alive."

"So you forgot about someone else?"

Mo'er didn't look at him.

I've forgotten many people.

"Is that the third person someone you've forgotten?"

"Possible."

Lin Qi picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"Lingering Voice, listen inside the door for me."

All I can hear is knocking.

That's enough.

He nodded Lingering Voice.

Lin Qi said to the iron gate, "Can the people inside hear me?"

There was no sound.

"If you're the Handover Clerk, knock."

A sound.

Mo'er raised his finger.

It wasn't him.

"If you're the one being handed over, knock twice."

Two sounds.

"If you are the Third Witness, knock three times."

There was no response from inside the iron gate.

Nami looked up at the Sky Screen.

It doesn't answer.

"So that means neither of them are true?"

"Does not mean."

"The person inside heard it," Mo'er said, "But it refuses to acknowledge its identity."

"Why?"

"Once the identity is confirmed, the handover is complete."

Lin Qi crouched down and pressed his ear close to the iron door.

The sound of water behind the door bypassed the metal plate, producing a very faint clanging sound.

Not tapping.

It's a fingernail scratching against wood.

He is writing.

What to write?

"I can't hear you."

Lin Qi changed his position.

The sound stopped.

He looked back at the bottom of the boat.

He knows I'm listening.

Mo'er said, "Some of the Old Ship Crew can read lips."

There was no light behind the door.

There was Echo.

"Is this how all Maintainer talk?"

We have no other choice.

Lin Qi raised his hand and knocked on the door.

One time.

I'm not coming in.

There was no response from inside.

"Twice."

I will not Receipt.

A cough came from inside.

Three times.

I will not take any name with me.

Four consecutive sounds rang out from inside the iron gate.

Lingering Voice immediately replied, "He said you have to take one with you."

Whom are you taking away?

The coughing started again.

This time there were only two sounds.

Lingering Voice's expression changed.

He said, "Take yourself with you."

Nami said, "These are the conditions for the handover."

"I know."

You cannot agree to that.

I didn't agree.

Lin Qi looked through the crack in the door.

"I'm taking Lin Qi with me."

The sound of water behind the door stopped.

A line of text suddenly appeared on the Throne Page.

[Confirmation of handover recipient]

[Second Handover Person: Lin Qi]

Lin Qi dropped his pen onto the deck.

Nami stepped on it.

What did you just say?

I said I wanted to take Lin Qi with me.

"You agreed?"

"I am repeating its requirement."

"Old Ships don't accept duplicates."

Mo'er immediately grabbed Lin Qi by the shoulder and pulled him back.

A dull thud came from inside the iron gate.

All the Black Cups on the White Ship lit up simultaneously, and the mother's records, which had been transferred, began to converge on Lin Qi's communication terminal.

Zixuan voice came from the Den Den Mushi.

My name is going backwards.

Haruka said, "I just remembered a pair of red shoes."

Seiya said, "My daughter's name is..."

She didn't finish speaking.

Nami picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"Everyone stop trying to recall the child's name and start by saying your own protective name."

A jumble of voices could be heard from various receiving points.

"Haruka."

"Seiya."

"Zixuan"

"Nan Zhi."

"Blank."

The sounds came in layers, but the Name Line continued to shrink towards Lin Qi.

Vegapunk said, "Their consciousness didn't go back; what went back was the receiving relationship."

"Sever ties."

"It's already been cut."

"Cut it again."

"It can't be cut off; the person responsible for the handover has been confirmed."

Dragon access communication.

"Pull Lin Qi off the Handover Page."

Robin responded, "There is no stripping option on the page."

"Then increase it."

"The Throne has blocked editing rights."

Lin Qi picked up the pen.

"Give me some paper."

Nami handed her a Blank page.

What to write?

"Register me as evidence."

You cannot register yourself.

"Let the five seats vote."

How should the title be written?

Lin Qi stared at the Handover Page that was constantly being re-inked.

Can a person who has been forcibly included in the Handoff Record apply to become evidence of a handover offense at their own request?

The Throne immediately presented three options.

[A: The recipient of the handover must not refuse.]

[B: The person handing over the work must complete the return process]

[C: Refusal is equivalent to evading debt]

Lin Qi picked up his pen.

[D: Those forcibly included in the Handoff Record have the right to refuse to be the subject of the handover, and the record can be converted into evidence of forced handover.]

The Navy Seat lights up.

Garp said, "Choose D."

Akainu pressed confirm.

"Navy Seat, D."

The dragon later confirmed this.

Makino said, "Civilian Witness Seat, D."

The Lingering Voice said, "Medical Seat, D."

Buggy paused for a moment.

"Pirate Seat, D."

Five votes were cast.

The second line on the Handover Page begins to peel off.

The black ink receded from Lin Qi's name and fell back into the iron gate.

A piercing cough came from inside.

Mo'er pulled Lin Qi back.

"Step back."

A hand reached out from behind the iron gate.

There was no date or serial number on the back of the hand.

But there was a piece of paper, softened by seawater, pressed against his palm.

There were four characters written on the paper.

[Rejection invalid]

Upon seeing these four characters, Lin Qi asked, "Who wrote this?"

The hand took the paper back.

The person inside knocked.

The Lingering Voice said, "He said, 'The third person.'"

"Written by a third person?"

"This is not an answer."

"What was he saying?"

He said, "The third person is not a person."

Mo'er stared at the iron gate.

"It's Handoff Record."

How did the record end up below?

"When the ship sank, the Maintainer would write down anything that couldn't be archived on the hull."

"Does writing it down mean someone knows?"

"For the Throne, writing it down is considered a form of handover."

Lin Qi asked, "Then why did you wake him up?"

Five knocks were made from inside the door.

I listened to Lingering Voice for a while.

He said the third person had already woken up.

The cracks at the bottom of the White Ship widened.

The rusty mast moved upwards, revealing a wall covered with old papers behind it. The papers were full of names, some complete, some with only half a character remaining.

The top sheet of paper has no name on it.

There is only one Black Line.

The Black Line led to Lin Qi's computer.

Lin Qi took a step closer.

The computer screen lit up again.

[The Third Presence has been confirmed]

[Identity: Lin Qi, the Unfinished]

Nami turned her head.

"What's the meaning?"

Lin Qi remained silent.

The Black Line on the screen extended outwards, passed through the communication terminal, and landed at his feet.

The loose thread didn't touch his shoe.

It was waiting for him to lift his foot.