164 powert stones, enjoy your bonus chapter :)
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Arton and his companions moved swiftly. In barely five minutes, the Sylvan had already set sail again, heading out into the distant seas. Standing by the ship's railing, Arton wore a calm expression as he looked down at the still-unconscious World Noble. Hina stood to one side, watching uneasily, afraid Arton might suddenly kill the World Noble. Tashigi, on the other hand, wore a deep, contemplative look, her gaze fixed on the World Noble as though lost in thought.
All at once, Arton charged forward and stomped on the World Noble's stomach.
"Hey, you there—get up."
"I've still got questions for you."
At the sound of Arton's voice, Saint Charlos cried out in pain, suddenly opening his eyes.
"Dammit… that hurts!"
"You bastard—how dare you treat me like this?!"
"I'm the descendant of a god!"
Furious, Saint Charlos roared at Arton.
"I've heard enough of that line, you moron."
Arton, displeased, kicked the World Noble squarely in the chin, shattering several of his teeth. Watching the World Noble roll around the deck in agony, Arton shook his head in scorn.
"A mere spawn of traitors—what's so special about that?"
"Descendant of gods? Hah… so what? Even the World Government behind you World Nobles is a complete joke."
With that, Arton opened up his Diary System page and began writing.
[All that talk about uniting countries, co-managing the world… In the end, the one truly running everything is that figure who stands above the Five Elders.]
[This World Government that supposedly governs the world? Just a joke.]
[And the Marines serving that web of lies—equally a joke.]
[Speaking of which, the Revolutionary Army always figured their main enemy was the World Nobles, or at worst the Five Elders of the World Government.]
[They'd never guess the real opponent is that figure even higher than the Five Elders.]
Belo Betty: "Huh? Someone above the Five Elders? That's who we in the Revolutionaries have to fight?! Arton just went and mentioned such critical info at a time like this!"
Koala: "We've always heard the Five Elders are the highest authority in the Government. How could there be someone higher?"
Nico Robin: "There really must be a web of lies behind the World Government…"
Smoothie: "That's quite interesting information. If the world found out, it'd cause utter chaos."
Doll: "Impossible… But then again, it's Arton who's saying it."
Kujaku: "Arton's words are unreal. He's gone and said something huge."
Ain: "He calls the Marines a joke, huh. Well, maybe they are—any force that could betray Teacher Zephyr truly is a farce."
Gion: "What's Arton really trying to say…?"
Kalifa: "A person above the Five Elders…? Could such a figure exist?"
Stussy: "Someone above the Five Elders… They couldn't possibly be the one who sits on the Empty Throne—the seat no one is permitted to occupy, right?"
Stussy: "If so, Arton's talking about something the Government never allows to be exposed. If there are Diary holders inside the Government and they report to the Five Elders, this might blow up big time…"
The intel Arton revealed about Imu was an earthquake in the minds of all Diary holders—Revolutionaries, Marines, everyone affiliated with the Government, and even free-roaming pirates and common folk. After all, for many years, people had believed the highest authority in the World Government was the Five Elders. Now, out of nowhere, came the news that above the Five Elders stood someone with even greater power, shocking them all.
"The Marines… a joke?"
"Someone above the Five Elders?"
"All these lies…?"
These words echoed in Tashigi's mind, her gaze darkening further. Since Carina, Nami, and the others had not forced Tashigi or Hina to shut off their Diaries—only monitored them to keep them from conversing with other female Marines—they could still read Arton's ongoing remarks. Thus both Tashigi and Hina saw what Arton had written.
"Arton, are you joking?"
"On what grounds do you call the World Government a joke?!"
Even Hina, always so calm, couldn't help blurting it out. In truth, her main concern was Arton's mention of someone beyond the Five Elders, but she knew she couldn't ask that point-blank, so she tested him indirectly from another angle.
Arton merely gave a cold laugh:
"What good would it do me to lie, Ms. Hina?"
He hammered another kick onto the World Noble. While the World Noble screeched in pain, Arton kept typing in his Diary, as Hancock, enthralled, watched the broadcast feed.
[Publicly, the Government claims it was founded by an alliance of twenty ancient nations.]
[They even set up the so-called Empty Throne, symbolizing all member nations being 'equals', with no single occupant. But the weapons around that Throne belonged to the ancient kings who formed the World Government. And every time a new country joins, they have to kneel before that 'empty' throne. Heh—if only they realized that throne isn't empty at all.]
[That someone named Imu, before whom even the Five Elders must kneel, is actually seated on it. If those kings found out, wonder how they'd react?]
[They'd never guess that when they swear loyalty to the Empty Throne, they're really swearing to Imu.]
Doll: "He's got to be kidding. Is there really someone sitting on the Empty Throne?"
Belo Betty: "So we've hooked a big fish indeed. Imu… I've memorized that name—shame we don't know his face."
Smoothie: "If those arrogant kings knew they'd actually bent the knee to Imu all along, how would they react?"
Kalifa: "So we're serving this Imu? That's hardly righteous justice, not even dark justice."
Nico Robin: "Arton knows so much history. The more I hear, the more I want to find him."
Sadi: "Impossible, right?"
Gion: "No way something like that could be real!"
Even Gion, famed for her composure, was reluctant to believe Arton's story—because it involved an unimaginable scope. If Imu truly existed, then the Marines might effectively be that person's personal tool. How could they still say they enforced genuine justice?
If Imu was real, Gion thought, the justice that the Marines upheld might actually just be whatever Imu desired.
Arton continued writing.
[By the way, if Imu learns I know of his existence, he'll probably decree a 'light-extinguishing operation' on me.]
[Maybe one day a giant orb of lightning powerful enough to wipe a kingdom off the map might suddenly drop onto my head.]
[Like how, in the future, Imu drops a lightning sphere onto the Kingdom of Lulusia. But whatever. By the time he tries that, I'll be strong enough to crush any lightning orb.]
[Poor Lulusia, though—out of luck. That lightning ball will erase the entire kingdom.
Truly pitiful for the people living there.]
[The king's demands for Heavenly Tribute left folks starving…they had no choice but revolution. They became one of eight nations that rose up in revolt under the Revolutionaries' influence.]
[Speaking of which, it was the burden of Heavenly Tribute that indirectly caused a starving commoner to kill the Marine officer T-Bone—who ironically had been a real champion of justice. That poor man died at the hands of those he was defending.]
Nico Robin: "A light-extinguishing operation? That sounds even worse than a Buster Call!"
Smoothie: "An attack that can annihilate an entire kingdom? Could it be some ancient weapon?"
Black Maria: "Dropping a massive lightning orb to wipe out a kingdom… this Imu is dangerously powerful."
Kujaku: "T-Bone died because of Heavenly Tribute?"
Gion: "So Imu unleashed that operation just to suppress a revolution? Or was there another reason?"
Koala: "How awful—completely erasing an entire country. What of all those innocent people…?"
Belo Betty: "Lulusia is indeed a realm with deep rifts between king and subjects. Our Revolutionary Army did get involved there—I wonder if we suffered any losses. In any case, we need to give Lulusia more attention."
Arton kept typing.
[Luckily, Moda has already left with some people involved in the revolution by boat, otherwise my heroine would have died in the Kingdom of Lulusia.]
[Moda's rescue is largely thanks to the Eastern Army Commander and Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.]
[Speaking of which, I'm a bit jealous of Moda, being able to bury her head in the hearty embrace of the Eastern Army Commander.]
[That commander's chest…man, I'd love to see how that squish feels up close.]
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1 extra chapter every 100 stones