"Try it, then! You can forget about controlling me!"
Koza gritted his teeth. To prove that this was nothing but a form of control, he immediately took a deep breath and tried to raise his right hand high, intending to expose Vivi's lie.
But the moment he exerted his strength...
"Ugh!"
Koza's expression changed, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.
He was horrified to discover that his right arm felt as though it had been filled with millions of tons of lead.
No matter how hard he gritted his teeth or how much he strained every muscle in his body, that right hand only inches away seemed to be firmly welded to the ground. It could not be lifted even a millimeter.
It wasn't just him. Several of the rebel loyalists who had been shouting the loudest earlier were also unable to raise their arms at all, no matter how hard they tried.
Because deep down, they genuinely did not recognize Vivi as their queen.
And under the Law of the Scales of Vivi's ability, denial in the soul meant absolute deprivation of the body.
Those who did not sincerely submit did not even have the right to pretend to obey at this moment.
"Why? Why is this happening?"
Koza collapsed to his knees, looking at the woman on the royal carriage in confusion.
He didn't understand what Vivi was trying to accomplish. Surely raising their hands was a way of supporting her.
Could it be that she wouldn't even accept false support?
"In this world, having the right to choose is itself something that comes at a price."
Vivi looked down over the entire crowd. Golden sunlight fell across her cold suit, giving her an untouchable solemnity and sanctity, "If the scales ultimately tip toward me, then those who reject me and do not acknowledge me will inevitably be judged at this moment. Because purging the rebels is the will of the majority of those who support me."
"Conversely...", Vivi spoke calmly, "If the scales still tip to the left, then that proves I have lost. In that case, those who raised their hands to support me will likewise be judged. Going along with the general tide is also the will of the majority."
"Koza, leaving the future of Arabasta to be judged by the collective will of tens of millions of people across the country, this is democratic, and it's fair, isn't it?"
As Vivi's words, which amounted to a system of near-total elimination by popular vote, spread throughout Arabasta through her voice, the hearts of everyone present, as well as the Arabastans throughout the country who heard her words, were instantly gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, cold sweat soaking their backs.
This was a nationwide purge in which only one side could survive.
In the silence, "Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"
Someone in the crowd was the first to cry out, suddenly thrusting his right hand straight toward the azure sky.
Then came the second, the third, the hundredth, the ten-thousandth.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Like wind sweeping through a field of wheat, in this prosperous and peaceful royal capital, countless civilians who had long grown tired of the parade and only wanted to live their lives in peace raised their right arms without hesitation.
At the same time, everyone looked up and noticed.
Every time one person, ten thousand people, raised their right hands, the golden scales high in the sky, which had remained sunk to the left, would emit an extremely heavy sound of metal scraping against metal.
Clack... Clack... Clack...
The pan on the right side of the scales was sinking bit by bit under the countless faith and willing submission.
The pointer, which had originally been overwhelmingly tilted to the left, was slowly but irreversibly leaning toward the right at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Everyone knew what this meant.
Once the scales crossed the center line and completely tipped to the right, it meant that Vivi had won the support of more than half of the country.
And that also meant, Koza, who represented the people on the left who could not raise their right hands, along with all the rebels, was about to face an indisputable judgment.
At this moment, the entire plaza, no, the entire Arabasta, fell into dead silence and tension amid the slowly grinding sound of the scales.
As the scales clacked and turned, tipping toward the right faster and faster, the unwillingness in Koza's eyes as he sat collapsed on the ground was gradually replaced by an utterly incredulous terror.
'How is this possible?'
"Hey, hey, hey... this is way too ridiculous..."
On the clock shop's terrace in the distance, Zoro held the hilt of his sword, staring at the speed at which the scales were tipping, his brows tightly furrowed.
"There are tens of thousands of people gathered down there for the parade, and the other cities must be about the same. With such a huge commotion, how can the scales supporting that woman be tipping so overwhelmingly fast?"
In his common sense, with such a huge gathering of public resentment, even if it couldn't completely shake the royal authority, there should at least have been a close contest, or even a fierce struggle, between the two sides.
So how had things turned into what looked like a one-sided avalanche?
"You idiot swordsman who draws his sword faster than he uses his brain, of course you don't understand."
Sanji had somehow appeared beside the railing. A cigarette, its glow flickering in the sea breeze, hung from his mouth as he watched the tangible tide of faith below.
"Actually, in this world, those who remain silent are always the majority."
Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke and calmly analyzed the reality, "Don't just look at these tens of thousands of people making a scene in the streets today and shouting their slogans at the top of their lungs. Don't forget that Arabasta has a massive population of tens of millions. The people who actually took to the streets are nothing more than noise that accounts for less than one percent of the entire society."
"Not to mention that, after ten years of Vivi's rule and the World Government's financial support, Arabasta's civilians enjoy free medical care and generous welfare. This place has long since become a paradise on earth that ordinary people dream of."
"Other than the handful of ambitious schemers who want to exploit the situation, or brainwashed fools, the overwhelming majority of ordinary people who have tasted the benefits absolutely won't betray this kind of life."
As if to prove Sanji's words...
BOOM!
The enormous golden scales in the sky crossed the center line with overwhelming force and speed.
And the instant they crossed the center line, the right side crashed all the way down to the bottom while the left side rose high into the air.
They hadn't merely won. They had achieved victory in this judgment with an absolute, overwhelming advantage of more than ninety percent.
Looking at the scales locked in place at the far right, Koza's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
"No, this is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Koza climbed hysterically to his feet and pointed at the woman on the royal carriage, shouting wildly, "You cheated! You must have controlled the scales yourself! I don't believe the people of Arabasta would willingly hand their country over to a lapdog of the World Government! You cheated!"
Facing his helpless rage, Vivi slowly lowered the hand she had pointed at him.
"Looks like you're not only stupid. When this boring game has ended, you actually don't even know where you lost. How unfortunate."
Vivi's beautiful eyes looked coldly at Koza, as though she were looking at a pathetic clown.
"Koza, do you really think those twisted arguments you keep shouting represent the will of the people?"
Vivi's voice was not loud, but every word struck at the heart.
"You keep claiming that you represent the interests of the people of Arabasta, but can the interests you speak of fill the stomachs of the hungry? Can they spare dying patients from expensive medical bills?"
Vivi shook her head disdainfully, "You're comparing the people's will with me. What you offer is nothing but some vague sense of dignity. What I offer is bread and well-being that every citizen willingly holds in their hands. What do you have to compare with me?"
Koza's lips trembled. He wanted to argue, but he couldn't make a sound.
"You're comparing ability. While you were leading this mob through the streets shouting slogans, I had already turned this country, plagued by sandstorms year-round, into the most prosperous jewel of the Grand Line."
"You're someone who has barely even been to the government offices. What do you have to compare with me when it comes to governing a country?"
Vivi's suit fluttered in the wind. Finally, she gave a soft laugh and delivered the most fatal blow, "Even that which you're most proud of, that layer of legitimate royal bloodline from the former king that has always wrapped itself around you..."
Vivi smiled lightly and waved her hand.
The moment her words fell, amid everyone's astonished gazes, an old man with graying hair and a haggard face appeared in front of the royal carriage and collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Father?"
Koza's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he rushed over and supported the old man on the ground.
The old man was none other than Koza's supposed adoptive father, Toto, the former minister of Arabasta.
"Mr. Toto."
Vivi looked down at this former national hero from above, her voice completely devoid of warmth.
"You were once the trusted minister of the late King Cobra. Today, in front of tens of millions of people throughout Arabasta, I'll give you one last chance."
"Is Koza truly the illegitimate son left behind by the late king?"
The entire plaza fell silent. Every rebel and civilian stared at Toto.
Toto trembled all over. He raised his head and looked at Koza, who had been driven into a desperate situation, then looked at Vivi on the royal carriage, who seemed almost like a god.
"Yes... yes!"
Toto gritted his teeth, a trace of resolute tears flashing in his eyes as he shouted, "Koza is indeed the biological son of His Majesty Cobra who was lost outside the kingdom. This old subject back then..."
"Heh..."
Before Toto could finish, Vivi interrupted him directly, a smile curling at the corner of her lips, "Are you willing to swear on the soul of your deceased wife, Koza's biological mother, that this is true?"
Toto's pupils suddenly shrank.
Vivi paid no attention to his hesitation and continued her casual judgment, "Actually, whether you swear or not, and what the answer is, no longer matters. Because the scales have tipped. Regardless of whether he is actually an illegitimate son or not, today, right here, all of you, including that pitiful fatherly love of yours, will be erased. You will all die."
Those words were like the sharpest blade of ice in the world, instantly piercing Toto's heart.
That was right, facing Vivi's overwhelming advantage, whether the scales were under her control or she truly possessed the people's hearts, they had no power to resist.
She had pronounced them dead. Even if he lied and stubbornly held on, whose life could he possibly save?
Hearing this, Toto fell completely silent. His shoulders slumped helplessly, as though he had suddenly aged ten years.
"I'm not afraid to die! Even if I die, I'll die with the dignity of Arabasta!"
Koza had no idea how serious this was and continued shouting hysterically over that false identity.
"Enough, Koza. Stop talking."
Toto finally raised his head. His weathered face was filled with indescribable bitterness and despair.
He looked at Koza and spoke in an extremely hoarse voice, "Since Her Majesty has already seen through everything and knows that it isn't true, why keep forcing me to answer?"
BOOM!
To Koza, those words were a thousand times more terrifying than a thunderbolt.
The fervor on his face instantly froze, and his entire mind seemed to be shattered by some enormous hammer at that very moment.
Toto's refusal to argue anymore, and those words, "knows that it isn't true."
All of this had already made one utterly devastating fact crystal clear to the entire world.
Koza, had never, ever, not even in the slightest, been Cobra's son.
The so-called destiny, the so-called legitimate royal authority, and even the foundation of the uprising that the people around him had believed in without question, from beginning to end, it had all been nothing more than an absurd joke.
"Why... why did this happen? Father! Tell me why! You lied to me, didn't you?"
Koza completely broke down.
This young man, who had relied on his supposed royal bloodline to hold on to his last bit of strength all this time, was now like a madman whose faith had collapsed. He screamed hysterically at Toto, tears and snot mixed together on his face, making him look utterly ridiculous and pitiful.
"I... I don't know either!"
Toto wept with cloudy tears, pounding the dust-covered ground as guilt and regret nearly consumed him.
"At the time, when I saw how stubborn you were and how much you hated tyranny, I somehow thought of His Majesty Cobra. In a moment of impulse, I just blurted it out."
He didn't know what had come over him at the time.
It was as though something had possessed him. Looking at Koza, who had just spoken with Robin and Crocodile, he had somehow blurted out those words.
"But... but after I said it that day, when I saw how you changed afterward, I regretted it myself!"
Toto was in tears.
"But things had already gone this far, so I could only keep going down this road. I never thought that you, you foolish child, would choose such a way of confronting the royal authority that left yourself no way out!"
Koza had never told him anything about what happened today.
By the time Toto learned about it, Vivi had already transformed into her divine form and raised the scales high into the sky.
"You! Just because of such an absurd excuse, you brought tens of thousands of people here to die?"
In his collapse, Koza screamed hysterically, practically shifting all the blame onto his father.
"Blame me! Blame me!"
Toto shook Koza off and staggered to his knees before Vivi.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare Koza this once. I'm the root of all this. It was because I incited him that he rebelled against you."
No matter how completely Koza had broken down, when he saw Toto slam his head against the ground, asking only to exchange his own life for his, he still fell silent.
Was Toto at fault? Perhaps.
But the person who had stood here holding onto his convictions was clearly Koza himself.
Now that things had come to this, he couldn't blame anyone.