Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
This is the kingdom above the clouds, situated at the peak of the Red Line. It is the heart of the World Government's power and the absolute "Domain of the Gods" on this sea.
Sunlight pierced through the year-round mist, spilling onto streets paved with pure white marble. Every floor tile here was spotless, as if even dust dared not desecrate this holy land.
However, beneath this facade of extreme luxury flowed a nauseating scent of decay.
"Hurry up! Crawl faster! You useless pieces of trash!"
A sharp and unpleasant roar broke the tranquility of the Pangea Castle.
Charlos Saint sat astride a burly male slave who was already foaming at the mouth from exhaustion. The diamond-encrusted cane in his hand fell like raindrops, battering the slave's back into a bloody mess.
Even so, the slave did not dare to pause for a second. Using both hands and feet, he left shocking trails of blood on the polished, mirror-like corridor.
Behind him was a group of CP0 Agents dressed in white suits and wearing masks. One of them carefully held a black box printed with a strange three-arrow logo, along with a uniquely shaped den den mushi projector.
His posture was as respectful as if he were holding a nuclear bomb that was counting down.
"Father went to attend the Levely, and that old man Rosward isn't here either."
Charlos Saint sniffled his perennial snot, a smile like that of a simpleton who had snuck a piece of candy appearing on his face.
"Perfect!"
"No one will fight with this Saint for that 'female ghost' now!"
"Hehehe... I heard she's an immortal beauty."
He impatiently jumped off the slave's back, kicked the man aside, and then swaggered through the pure gold doors inlaid with countless gems.
"Everyone, get in here for this Saint!"
"Close the curtains! Not a single speck of light is allowed!"
"Today, this Saint wants to see something exciting!"
...Ten minutes later.
The originally magnificent luxury hall, large enough to accommodate thousands, had now been transformed into a massive private cinema.
Heavy velvet curtains completely blocked out the sunlight. The hall was pitch black, with only a few whale oil lamps emitting a dim yellow glow.
Charlos Saint was slumped on a huge sofa made of rare sea beast hide in the center of the hall. He held a handful of gold-rimmed popcorn and chewed on a straw, blowing bubbles into a glass of some unknown, expensive red wine.
And all around him...
...hundreds of ragged slaves were kneeling.
They didn't dare to raise their heads, their entire bodies trembling. This was Charlos Saint's "rule"—when he watched a show, there had to be an audience. Moreover, these audience members could become his "props" at any moment on a whim.
"Start it!"
Charlos Saint ordered indistinctly while chewing popcorn.
"Yes, Lord Charlos Saint."
A tall CP0 Agent stepped forward. Though he wore a mask and his expression was hidden, the tense lines of his muscles betrayed his inner unease.
As the "Strongest Shield" directly under the Celestial Dragons, his Observation Haki far surpassed that of ordinary people.
From the moment he touched this black box earlier, he had felt an extremely uncomfortable aura.
Cold, viscous, and full of malice.
It was as if an invisible pair of eyes was coldly watching everyone in the room through the box.
"Is this kind of thing... really okay?"
The Agent muttered to himself inwardly.
But he did not dare to question the decision of a "God."
He took a deep breath and removed the black videotape from the box.
Click.
The videotape was inserted into the specialized den den mushi projector.
Hum—
The slight vibration of the machine running sounded.
The den den mushi's eyes suddenly shot out two beams of pale light, projecting onto the massive white wall at the front of the hall.
Sizzle... An image didn't appear immediately; instead, there was a grating sound of static.
The screen was filled with distorted snow—black and white interlaced, jumping constantly.
This crude image quality made Charlos Saint, who was used to high-definition holographic images (even though the One Piece World's tech tree was skewed, visual den den mushi were very clear), frown.
"What is this piece of junk?"
"That bastard Disco actually sold this Saint something with such garbage quality?"
"After I'm done watching this female ghost, I'm definitely going to feed him to the dogs!"
However...
...at the very moment he complained...
...the snow on the screen suddenly vanished.
The temperature of the entire hall plummeted by over ten degrees without warning!
The originally dim whale oil lamps seemed to have their necks squeezed by an invisible hand; the flames instantly turned a ghastly pale green and then went out in unison!
"Ah!!!"
The kneeling slaves all around let out terrified gasps, but they immediately covered their mouths tightly, fearing that the slightest sound would bring about their death.
In the darkness...
...the light on the screen appeared exceptionally piercing.
It was a pitch-black background.
A white ring logo consisting of three inward-pointing arrows slowly rotated into view.
The indifference of that geometric shape was completely out of place with this World's wild style full of Jolly Rogers and skulls.
It represented Order.
It represented Containment.
And it represented... absolute ruthlessness.
Immediately following that...
...lines of blood-red text flowed down from the top of the screen like fresh blood.
Accompanied by a mechanical, cold male voice-over devoid of any emotion, it echoed through the hall.
**[WARNING: Foundation DATABASE ACCESS DETECTED]**
**[Warning: Illegal access to Foundation database detected]**
That was Mordred voice, specifically processed through a voice changer, sounding deep as if coming from the depths of hell.
Charlos Saint blinked his beady eyes, his movement of chewing popcorn coming to a halt.
"Data... database? What the heck is that?"
"It sounds like something very impressive."
Before he could even react...
...the screen flashed.
The red warning text instantly magnified, occupying the entire screen, bringing a powerful visual impact.
*[SECURITY CLEARANCE LEVEL 5 REQUIRED]*
**[Top Secret Level: Direct Authority of the O5 Council]**
**[Unauthorized access will result in immediate termination by Memetic Kill Agent.]**
**[Unauthorized access will directly trigger the Memetic Kill Program.]**
"Memetic... Kill?"
The CP0 Captain standing next to the projector felt his pupils contract sharply under his mask.
Although he didn't understand the specific meaning of the word "Memetic"...
...he could feel a naked killing intent from that line of text!
That killing intent wasn't directed at any specific person, but at all living beings looking directly at that line of text!
"Lord Charlos Saint!"
The Captain subconsciously took a step forward, shielding the Celestial Dragon, his body instantly covered in Armament Haki.
"Something is wrong with this thing!"
"I have a very bad premonition... this might be an ancient curse targeting the mental level!"
"I suggest stopping the playback immediately!"
"Get lost!"
Charlos Saint kicked the Captain's leg. Although it felt like kicking a steel plate, he still roared angrily.
"You stupid dog! Don't block this Saint from watching the show!"
"What curse? What kill?"
"This Saint is a God!"
"A descendant of the Creators!"
"In this World, how could there be anything that can harm a God?!"
Charlos Saint shoved the CP0 Captain aside, his fat face filled with morbid excitement.
"This must be some new trick Disco came up with!"
"The scarier the beginning, the more explosive the female ghost that comes out later will definitely be!"
"Quick! Get out of this Saint's way!"
The CP0 Captain helplessly stepped aside, but his body remained tense, ready to deal with any sudden situation at any time.
Sizzle... The image on the screen jumped again.
The mechanical voice-over disappeared.
In its place...
...was an extremely subtle yet bone-chilling background sound.
It was like the wailing of wind blowing through an abandoned tunnel.
Or like the sound of countless fingernails scratching on a blackboard.
It even... included some kind of heavy, wet breathing.
On the screen...
...appeared a yellowish document that looked like a scan of a top-secret file.
**[Item #: SCP-198]**
**[Object Class: Keter (Extremely Dangerous)]**
**[Special Containment Procedures: This object is currently in a Containment Breach state. Any individual who comes into contact with this visual data will be marked as SCP-198-1.]**
**[Description: SCP-198 is a visual-based contagious anomalous curse. Its physical manifestation is a video filled with resentment.]**
*[Victims will encounter irreversible, rule-based death within seven calendar days after viewing.]*