"Captain, what's going on? Who's broadcasting this live footage?" Ben Beckman asked, clearly confused.
They had originally been sailing in the first half of the Grand Line, but their captain had suddenly ordered a course change—heading straight for Marijoa.
The crew had no idea what was happening.
"I'm afraid this time, the world is about to learn a shocking truth," the red-haired captain said thoughtfully as he looked at the massive screen in the sky.
Back at the World Conference Hall, confusion still gripped the dozens of gathered leaders.
"Who's behind this absurd stunt?! If I find out, I'll kill them myself!" Sakazuki (Akainu) growled, his fists clenched tightly, magma dripping around him.
The meeting was supposed to conclude without incident, yet at this critical moment, everything had gone completely off the rails.
"What does it mean by needing to answer questions?" Dalton, the King of Sakura Kingdom, asked aloud.
"Can answering correctly reveal the secret of the Void Century… how fascinating," Doflamingo sneered, lounging with one leg crossed over the other. His eyes gleamed with wicked delight.
Everyone stared up at the holographic screen, tension and panic slowly creeping into their expressions.
"This is nonsense! I mean, come on, the only person who would dare hit Red-Haired Shanks with a wine bottle must be the Pirate King!" one of the kings declared boldly.
[Incorrect answer.]
[Commencing punishment.]
As soon as the voice finished speaking, a round wheel appeared in the air for everyone to see.
The spinning wheel was divided into ominous sections: money revoked, Devil Fruit power revoked, territory lost, lifespan reduced, and worst of all — death.
The pointer began spinning wildly.
It finally came to a stop on one word: Death.
[Please accept your punishment.]
"Hah, what a joke! You say I'll die? I'd like to see you try and—"
SLASH!
Before the king could even finish his sentence, a swift flash of light passed through the hall.
He was cleanly cut in half.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The stench of iron filled the air, and the other kings who had been seated nearby were splattered with his blood — their eyes widened in pure horror.
What just happened?!
No one saw anything.
A single instant, and the man was simply... dead.
Was this the punishment for answering a question wrong?
Too terrifying.
But… it wasn't just about the wrong answer. That man was unlucky enough to land on death.
Even the three admirals — Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji — were shaken.
They hadn't sensed anyone entering. Yet, a man had been killed right under their noses.
What kind of Devil Fruit power could do something like this?
Even they couldn't trace it!
The hall went dead silent.
No one dared speak anymore.
Even if they still had doubts... no one dared to gamble with their life. The punishment was too cruel.
"Vice Admiral Garp has arrived!" a marine reported.
Outside the conference hall, hundreds of people had gathered.
Vice Admiral Garp entered, all eyes falling on him.
"Luffy?!" Garp froze in place.
The screen showed a paused image—Shanks and his grandson, Luffy.
What was going on?
"Vice Admiral Garp…" Aokiji stepped forward to yield his seat and quickly explained everything that had just occurred.
After hearing it, Garp's face changed slightly.
No one had appeared… yet a man was killed. And this massive screen—it was revealing real-time images?
What kind of terrifying, unseen force was behind this?
"The four Emperor crews are all positioned near Marijoa… they must be after something," Garp said slowly. "We should contact Navy HQ immediately. Send reinforcements to protect Marijoa's safety."
His calm voice brought a measure of stability to the room.
After decades of service and countless battles, Garp was no stranger to strange situations. But this was still shocking, even to him.
Then, new words appeared on the massive screen.
[Luffy: Isn't this obvious? Shanks got hit by the bandit boss Higuma back then! This one's way too easy!]
Luffy's head popped up again on the screen, grinning proudly.
Everyone in the hall was stunned.
"Luffy… can talk through the giant screen too?!"
Even Garp looked dumbfounded. After decades in the Navy, he had never seen anything like this.
[Correct answer.]
[Receiving reward…]
The mechanical voice echoed once more.
The roulette wheel spun again—this time filled entirely with rewards: Devil Fruit powers, money, extended lifespan, enhanced Haki…
It finally stopped.
[Correct answer reward: Navy Six Powers technique acquired!]
"Sugoi!! I got it right!" Luffy shouted joyfully from East Blue, jumping with excitement under the massive sky-screen.
On his ship, two others were watching everything unfold with him.
"Wait… why can I jump so high all of a sudden?! What's Navy Six Powers?" Luffy asked in confusion.
Yet, he could clearly feel something had changed.
His body felt light, powerful. He leapt straight up—ten meters into the air!
It felt like he could kick off midair.
"The reward's insane!!" Luffy yelled, bouncing up and down with pure joy.
Zoro, Usopp, and the others looked at him in awe.
They didn't know what was going on—but they knew this was big.
[Red-Haired Shanks: That brat Luffy… he really got it right.]
[Ben Beckman: Captain, can Marijoa really withstand a siege by the four Emperors?]
Two more messages appeared on the screen.
This time—it was a live conversation between Shanks and his crew!
The room fell into an even deeper silence.
Whoever was controlling the screen… they weren't just revealing secrets.
They were watching everything.