The top of the tower fell silent for several seconds.
"That's different."
Shanks answered without any hesitation. He looked toward the distant sea, his only arm clenched tightly into a fist, "We are embracing the last sliver of hope left in this world."
Shanks turned his head, his eyes staring straight into Juste's.
"Back then, the World Government and Rosse chose you and gave you a false bloodline of the Pirate King because they put you and Ace on opposite sides of a scale simply to watch a drama about the true and false sons of the Pirate King. They completely treated all living beings as toys they could manipulate at will."
"Their mentality is completely different from ours. That's the biggest fundamental difference between us!"
Shanks's voice echoed in the wind, carrying a heavy sense of tragedy.
"We are making sacrifices because we are working toward the ultimate goal of freedom for everyone in the world, because we have to tear apart that iron cage. Koza is a sacrifice, you are too, and even I am. At any time, we can all die for that goal."
"But them...", Shanks gritted his teeth, "They clearly have the power to rule over everything. They clearly don't need any sacrifices at all to maintain their rule, yet they still sacrifice and trample on the dignity of others for their own pleasure. That's completely different."
Listening to Shanks's firm answer, Juste's lips moved.
'Really, different?'
In the end, Juste did not ask the question.
He simply turned his gaze back toward the desert horizon, silently watching Koza's figure gradually disappear into the yellow sand and fervor.
No matter how much one dressed it up with the greater good and hope, a lie was still a lie, and a pawn was ultimately still a pawn.
For the sake of a vague dream of freedom that was almost impossible to achieve, they were pushing an ordinary person who could have lived a peaceful life into an abyss with no way back.
Was such a sacrifice really worth it?
The wind kicked up yellow sand across the sky, blocking out the sunlight. No one could give a definite answer.
———
[The Capital, Alubarna]
At this moment, the capital was immersed in the grandest National Day celebration of the year.
The wide main streets were decorated with lanterns and banners, with festive flags flying everywhere.
Nourished by the country's generous welfare, Arabasta's civilians had healthy complexions and well-kept clothes. They had crowded along both sides of the streets early, waving flowers and ribbons in their hands, their faces filled with genuine joy.
According to Arabasta's traditional customs over the years, the most important event of National Day was the royal procession held at around two in the afternoon.
When the heavy gates of the royal palace slowly opened amid the sound of ceremonial cannons, the cheers of the entire capital instantly seemed to reach the heavens.
Twelve exceptionally fine Karoo pulled an extremely luxurious open-top royal carriage smoothly out of the palace.
Vivi stood at the very front of the carriage, receiving the tsunami-like cheers coming from both sides of the road. With a warm smile like a spring breeze, she elegantly waved to her people.
But today, sharp-eyed nobles and some perceptive civilians immediately noticed some extremely shocking details.
At this grand royal ceremony celebrated by the entire nation, Vivi, the only legitimate ruler of Arabasta, was not wearing royal attire.
There was not even anything on her that represented the royal authority of Arabasta.
She was wearing an extremely well-tailored high-end suit.
It was the exclusive uniform of the highest-ranking head of the World Government's Department of Justice.
The crisp suit fitted her graceful figure. Not only did it not diminish her beauty, it instead gave her a sense of solemnity and the authority of someone in a position of power.
Likewise, this was the first time since taking power that Vivi had worn clothing bearing the Jaygarcia family crest at an important public occasion in Arabasta.
Embroidered at the collar of the suit was an insignia representing the highest-power family of the World Government.
Not only that, even the extremely conspicuous open-top royal carriage beneath her had changed. The Arabasta royal emblem originally engraved on its front had been completely removed.
In its place was the emblem of the Jaygarcia family.
Clearly, this young queen was no longer making any attempt to hide anything.
She was announcing her identity to all of Arabasta in the most direct way possible.
Amid this extremely heated atmosphere, with a slight trace of disorder mixed in, the magnificent royal procession continued steadily forward.
At the same time, after an entire morning of forced marching, Koza and the tens of thousands of incited rebels had finally reached the capital as well.
Three in the afternoon, when the royal carriage followed its planned route and was about to reach the end of the procession, the central square of the capital where Vivi would deliver her National Day speech, the road ahead was completely blocked.
Koza wore a rough desert cloak and drew the longsword from his waist.
Behind him were tens of thousands of densely packed rebels and civilians.
They held all kinds of banners reading "The Usurper Must Step Down" and "Restore the Legitimate Bloodline," forming an impassable wall of people that completely blocked the entrance to the square.
"Stand down! Stand down immediately! You're showing contempt for royal authority! Are you trying to rebel?"
The Royal Guards responsible for clearing the way and maintaining order were shocked when they saw this. They all drew their gleaming standard swords and shouted angrily.
However, on the special day of the National Day celebration, the guards were clearly hesitant to act. Without orders, they simply did not dare to openly fire on or cut down civilians in the central square of the capital.
As for Koza's side, tens of thousands of people were worked up and refused to give an inch.
With people packed shoulder to shoulder, the enormous physical pressure of the crowd actually pushed and squeezed the elite guards, who dared not use lethal force, aside and forced open a gap.
The scene instantly became extremely chaotic.
Shouts, slogans, and the clashing of the guards' armor intertwined, like a barrel of gunpowder that was about to explode.
Above this powder keg, slightly to one side, the three-story terrace of a high-end watch shop had been cleared out early, making it an excellent viewing platform.
Zoro stood with his arms crossed, coldly watching the square below, which had descended into chaos. His extremely sharp eyes swept across the crowded mass, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"It's really chaotic. With so many people packed together, there's not even enough room to draw a sword. Once they actually start fighting, the people trapped in the very middle won't even be able to swing a weapon to defend themselves. They'll only become lambs waiting to be slaughtered."
As a top swordsman, Zoro instinctively analyzed the battlefield.
This kind of crude attempt to force someone off the throne without any tactics whatsoever looked to him like nothing short of suicide.
If he were trapped in this kind of encirclement, he would definitely find a more suitable environment for fighting instead of blocking the road here like these idiots.
"Oh, who cares whether they can draw their swords!"
Nami held a cup of iced fruit juice and leaned against the terrace railing.
"All that matters is that the fire doesn't reach us. I'm actually curious what terrifying means Queen Vivi will use to deal with tens of thousands of people holding huge banners and cursing her."
Under the completely different perspectives of Zoro and Nami, on the chaotic central square, the crisp sound of hooves and the rolling of wheels grew closer and closer.
The luxurious royal carriage bearing the Jaygarcia family emblem did not slow down or stop at all because of the riot ahead.
The Karoo Ducks pulling the carriage held their heads high and directly rolled over the ribbons scattered across the ground. Like Moses parting the sea, they slowly made their way to the very front of the crowd surrounded by the Royal Guards.
On the royal carriage, Vivi looked down from above. Her beautiful eyes were as calm as water, without anger or panic.
Less than twenty meters directly in front of the royal carriage, Koza stood quietly at the very front of the spearhead-like formation formed by tens of thousands of people. Both hands rested on the hilt of his longsword, while his desert cloak fluttered in the wind.
He raised his head slightly and met the gaze of the woman on the royal carriage without backing down.
No fear, no retreat.
At this moment, the former king's illegitimate son who had been pushed to the forefront by false lies had an extreme determination in his eyes.
"How dare you!"
A sharp, eagle-like shout filled with anger tore through the tense air above the square.
Pell, captain of the Arabasta Royal Guard, suddenly drew his longsword from the side of the royal carriage, his sharp gaze locking onto Koza at the front.
"Koza! You ungrateful bastard! You're a high-ranking official of the country, yet you don't know how to be grateful!"
Pell's voice echoed across the square.
"I knew there was something wrong with you! In the past, Her Majesty was magnanimous enough to promote you to Minister of Environment. Is this how you repay Her Majesty? Today you've actually dared to bring people here to surround the royal procession. Are you trying to rebel?"
Faced with the anger of the kingdom's strongest warrior, Koza did not retreat.
He took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, and shouted in a deep voice.
"Lord Pell! I didn't come here to rebel. I came to demand justice for this suffering kingdom!"
Koza suddenly extended his hand, pointing directly at the woman in the Department of Justice suit on the royal carriage.
"The true rebel isn't us civilians standing here. It's that usurper on the royal carriage! That woman named Vivi is the greatest rebel of all, the one who usurped Arabasta's legitimate throne!"
Those words exploded in the center of the square like a massive bomb.
In an instant, the entire central square of the capital, a huge space capable of holding a hundred thousand people, fell into deathly silence.
Whether they were the rebels behind Koza holding banners, the civilians waving ribbons along the roads, or the Royal Guards pointing their swords at them,
everyone held their breath at these words that could only be described as treasonous.
The wind stopped.
The enormous crowd seemed to have been pressed into pause. Only pairs of eyes, some frightened, some fervent, some confused, stared fixedly at this confrontation.
On the royal carriage, Vivi did not even lower her head. She still stood elegantly with her hands behind her back.
Only her eyes lowered slightly as she looked down at the tiny figure blocking the carriage.
"By standing here..."
Vivi's voice was not loud, yet through some strange resonance, it clearly reached the ears of everyone present. She calmly asked, "In what capacity are you asking me this question?"
"Are you an Arabasta civilian under the kingdom's protection? The kingdom's Minister of Environment? Or King Cobra's illegitimate son?"
"All of them!"
Koza raised his head without hesitation and shouted like a martyr, "Whichever identity you choose, it is enough reason for me to stand here and denounce you!"
"Oh?"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Vivi's mouth. She showed no anger at being offended. Instead, she continued asking at her leisure, like a teacher tutoring a poor student.
"Since you believe I shouldn't be sitting on this throne, what is your basis?"
As she said this, no one knew that the queen, who appeared to be completely focused on dealing with the attempt to force her off the throne, was actually doing two things at once.
Deep inside her mind, another extremely clear scene was playing simultaneously.
It was the Royal Mausoleum, the forbidden ground in the capital.
In the scene, Luffy and Crocodile's group were struggling to break open the gate, preparing to sneak underground in search of the historical text.
All of Arabasta had long since been her divine kingdom.
As long as she wanted to know about something happening here, there was nothing that could escape her eyes.
A diversion?
It was merely something she had allowed.
Faced with Vivi's question, Koza took a deep breath and shouted, "Law! And justice!"
"Law? What an interesting word."
Vivi calmly straightened the cuff of her suit. The medal of the Department of Justice Minister shone brightly in the sunlight.
"If we follow Arabasta's laws, my mother Titi herself was a branch member of the Nefertari family and possessed royal blood. As her biological daughter, I likewise have the purest royal blood flowing through my veins. Naturally, I have first priority in the line of succession."
A trace of undisguised mockery showed in her slightly lowered gaze.
"And you, Koza. Let's not even discuss whether your identity as an illegitimate son is fabricated or genuine. Even if you are genuine, you're still nothing more than an illegitimate child who has never been recorded in the royal genealogy and has to remain hidden. Most importantly..."
Vivi gave a light laugh, "You're older than me."
"So what if I'm older?", Koza immediately grabbed onto what seemed like a lifeline and shouted in rebuttal.
"I'm the eldest son! I'm older than you. Doesn't that prove even more clearly that I should have first priority in the line of succession?"
Koza was completely confident.
Because according to Vivi's original public statement, the outside world had always believed that she was the posthumous child left behind after Cobra's death.
Koza was supposed to be older than Vivi. If he were not older, wouldn't that mean he was obviously fake?
And since he was older, he naturally had the stronger legal claim.
Besides, Vivi wasn't legitimate either.
At the same time, on the terrace of the watch shop in the distance, "That's right."
After watching the spectacle unfold, Zoro scratched his seaweed-like green hair and voiced an extremely straightforward but puzzled question.
"If they're the next generation, wouldn't the older person have greater inheritance rights? What Koza said isn't wrong."
"..."
Nami beside him rolled her eyes in exasperation and couldn't help raising her hand to knock Zoro on the head.
"Do you even have a brain, you seaweed head? Do you really think this is about dividing up an inheritance?"
"Huh? Isn't it?", Zoro covered his head, even more confused.
"Of course it depends on the circumstances, idiot!", Nami explained, frustrated by his lack of understanding, "Arabasta is an extremely traditional ancient civilization. Under its laws, from ancient times to the present, their country has recognized only one queen consort."
"If the child wasn't born to the king and queen consort, then they're an illegitimate child with no political rights at all."
"Even if an illegitimate child lives to be seventy or eighty, in the face of legitimate royal authority, he isn't worth a damn. Where would he get any right of succession?"