At this moment, Nami and Zoro, who had listened to the entire conversation, were completely stunned.
'Hell and reincarnation?'
'Something that should only exist in the hands of the Creator is actually under the World Government's control?'
'Is there anything in this world that still makes sense?'
"Come to think of it, what are you, a pampered young lady, doing in that gloomy hell and reincarnation place?"
Sanji ignored the two of them having their worldview shattered and asked curiously with a frown, "Isn't that place managed by the old guys from another world?"
"Hehe! Because I recently discovered something fun~"
Using Nami's mouth, Conis replied with a giggle, "Hell and reincarnation is where the life and death of every living thing in this world converge. In other words, it's the ultimate intersection point of countless fate lines in the world."
"Standing here, my Fate-Fate Fruit ability can be amplified countless times. I can see every single line much more clearly, and I can easily erase, cut, or freely alter the fate of any ordinary person."
"Wait!"
Hearing this, a terrifying realization suddenly flashed through Nami's mind. She noticed the most chilling part, "You mean, the reason you were able to use my body to speak just now wasn't because you controlled my body with your mind. You directly controlled my fate?"
Why did controlling someone's fate end up producing exactly the same effect as a spirit possessing and controlling their body?
"That's right~ Aunt Nami is so smart!"
Conis's sweet yet eerie laughter once again came from Nami's throat, "Why would I crudely steal someone else's body? That's so inelegant. I merely gave your fate line a teeny tiny nudge."
"I arranged a future fate in the setting of this moment, making you subconsciously say these words and perform these actions yourself."
"It just so happens that the words you said, and the tone you naturally imitated, were exactly what I wanted to convey to Big Brother."
Nami's vision went black, and she almost fainted.
"I just thought that interacting through the fate line of a pretty girl like Aunt Nami would be cuter. It's also a roundabout way of having a face-to-face conversation with you, Sanji."
Conis's voice continued, speaking the most terrifying words in an innocent tone, "Actually, Little Conis could use a much simpler and more brutal method. For example, I could directly manipulate Big Brother Sanji's fate line, alter his fate just now, make him have severe hallucinations, and then have him stand in front of a mirror and talk to himself in a woman's voice."
"..."
A chill inexplicably ran down Sanji's back, and the corners of his mouth twitched twice.
He had no doubt that his malicious little sister really could do something that ridiculous.
"Stop pretending to be innocent and cute here! Haven't you secretly messed with people's minds enough already?"
Sanji angrily blew out a cloud of smoke and pointed at Usopp, who was sitting beside them, grinning foolishly in a daze, "Didn't you also change this idiot Long Nose's mind and perception, along with those of some other people, without them even realizing it?"
"Oh, I only made a tiny adjustment! A very, very tiny one!"
Through Nami, Conis held up one finger and made an extremely vivid gesture indicating "a tiny bit," as though trying to excuse her harmless prank, "You know, Big Brother Sanji, even though Daddy is omniscient and omnipotent, he really hates boring worlds where everything is predetermined like a script."
"He prefers putting all living beings in a box and watching ignorant people create unknown surprises and resistance. So, to avoid making Daddy angry, I normally only make some insignificant little adjustments to the details of fate."
"Besides, we're also one of the living beings inside the box, so Daddy won't interfere with this."
"And I really only changed a tiny little bit."
"For example, I merely added a tiny correction filter to Little Conis's own image in the cognitive baseline of everyone around the entire world, making her appear a little more pure and untouchable. If everyone thinks Conis is perfect, that's simply fate's own arrangement."
Conis giggled, her clear laughter echoing through the luxurious suite.
But at this moment, everyone in the room who was still conscious felt a chill run through them.
Manipulating common sense and perception.
Silently rewriting and making fate happen as a reality.
This had already gone beyond the ordinary concept of whether this Devil Fruit was strong or not.
Nami and Zoro looked at each other's sweaty faces, and an unprecedented sense of despair enveloped them.
Who knew what kind of terrible personality this princess deep in hell had originally possessed?
Usopp's fanatical worship of her right now was completely fate playing a trick on him... and they could probably guess why.
Usopp had been connected to the World Government since he was a child, but the people he praised most were Vivi and Shirahoshi.
Yes, there was no Conis.
He had never mentioned the name Conis.
But perhaps precisely because he had never mentioned her, Conis had decided to mess with him.
And furthermore... Zoro and Nami thought about many things at that moment.
Although they knew that with Rosse and Sanji around, Conis wouldn't go too far.
But who knew whether their current emotions and thoughts were themselves part of the fate Conis had predetermined?
Facing this incomprehensible ability that could manipulate cause and effect.
No matter how they thought about it, they could only feel powerless.
"All right, all right. I'm done playing with you."
Just as Nami and Zoro were speechless, that strange and sweet, deliberately cutesy voice came from Nami's mouth again. This time, however, there was a hint of laziness and lack of interest in it, "Don't worry, I won't do anything excessive to you. After all, what Daddy likes watching most is ordinary people desperately struggling and fighting to survive of their own free will. If I simply erased your wills, this show would be way too boring."
"So, my ability will only be used to strengthen the beliefs you already have. I absolutely won't use it to destroy your wills."
With this explanation, the invisible pressure hanging over everyone's heads finally seemed to lift.
"Well then, see you next time. It won't be long before you come to my territory. When that happens, as your host, Little Conis will definitely give you a proper welcome. Bye-bye~"
As the final cheerful note faded away, Nami's whole body suddenly trembled and she collapsed onto the sofa like a limp mass, gasping for breath. Cold sweat had completely soaked through her clothes.
The suite fell into deathly silence, with only Nami's heavy breathing remaining.
No one spoke. Everyone looked at each other.
Just the tip of the iceberg that this Third Princess of the World Government, Conis, had revealed through a few words from afar was already far too shocking and terrifying.
"AAAAAAHHHH! I've completely humiliated myself!"
In the silence, Usopp suddenly jumped up from the carpet as though electrocuted, covering his face in agony. He even wished he could dig a hole in the luxurious carpet and crawl into it.
Everyone thought his perception had been altered just now, that he had completely lost consciousness, or that he had simply believed everything was natural. But in reality, he himself knew exactly what had happened.
He had been completely conscious the entire time.
But he simply couldn't control his mouth or his mind at all. Following the fate that had been manipulated, he had praised Conis like a crazed fan, showering her with endless flattery.
At the time, Usopp knew perfectly well what he was doing wrong.
As an ordinary person facing an existence like Conis, someone who absolutely could not be provoked and whose personality was extremely malicious, the best method wasn't to pretend to be dead and ignore her. He should have treated her like an ancestor and done everything he could to keep her happy.
Other people might still have a choice, but because of Shirahoshi, Usopp had already completely entered the World Government's system.
Besides, he was familiar with both Vivi and Shirahoshi, and Sanji was his companion.
Since he was eating their food and was familiar with their siblings, he had actually dared to avoid mentioning the Third Princess who controlled fate.
That bit of teasing from afar just now was obviously a small punishment for treating her differently. It made perfect sense.
Knowing what had happened was one thing, but being forced to shower her with crazy flattery in front of his companions absolutely did not mean he could accept it without a grudge.
"Hey, don't worry, Usopp."
Seeing Usopp's completely hopeless expression, Sanji walked over sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder.
"Vivi and Shirahoshi must have been watching everything that happened just now from up there. Once we reach Sky Island, as her older sisters, they'll definitely get justice for you from that nasty little girl."
Sanji genuinely felt sorry for his companion.
After all, whether it was Vivi, Shirahoshi, or Conis, all three of these women had inherited more or less some part of Rosse's personality.
Whether it was overwhelming authority, scheming, or sheer maliciousness, none of them were easy to deal with.
"No! No! No! Forget it, forget it! It's nothing! I don't really care that much..."
Usopp shook his head like a rattle drum.
'Get justice?'
'You've got to be kidding. I could barely hide from her as it is. I absolutely don't want that little ancestor tracking me through the connection and altering my fate again.'
"Wait, what is this Sky Island you've been talking about?"
After calming down a little, Zoro caught the key information in their conversation and asked.
"Once we've dealt with Vivi's Arabasta, or rather, once we've left it, Sky Island and Jaya Island will be our next destinations along the Grand Line."
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and looked out at the night sky through the window.
"It's not only a miraculous island floating ten thousand meters in the sky. It's also Conis's mother's homeland, and Conis is managing it now."
"Our next destination..."
Zoro touched the Wado Ichimonji at his waist, a hint of anticipation appearing on his face.
As they traveled this far, although he had seen monsters as unreachable as gods, he had also seen the true vastness of this world.
Only in an unfathomably deep sea like this could he receive the most extreme training and growth.
Zoro had figured it out long ago.
His demands weren't high. He didn't expect to defeat Rosse or Gion.
He didn't even expect to compete with beings like Shirahoshi and Conis.
As long as he could surpass Kuina and Mihawk on this path and reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, he would be completely satisfied.
Now that he thought about it, his goal as an ordinary swordsman wasn't all that outrageous in this world where gods were fighting gods.
"An island ten thousand meters in the sky! I've wanted to go see it for a long time!"
Compared with Zoro, who had thought about many things, Nami's thoughts as a navigator were much simpler.
Back in the East Blue, she had already heard legends about Sky Island from her best friend, Carina.
That kind of physical environment and weather that broke all common sense was an irresistible temptation for any navigator.
Now that she finally had the chance to see and even conquer that stretch of sky, as long as she didn't think about those unpleasant things, Nami's heart raced and her eyes lit up.
———
The night passed without incident.
The next day, when the first rays of morning sunlight fell over the Rainbase port, the entire city remained prosperous.
Only seven days remained until Arabasta's grandest official holiday, the National Day.
At the same time, beneath the city's bright and prosperous surface, the undercurrents could no longer be suppressed and were finally brought into the open.
Crocodile began to act.
He made no attempt to hide it. He directly ordered the rebel leaders under his command to take off their disguises and began openly preaching their political ideas in the squares, streets, and taverns of Arabasta's major cities.
Their slogan was simple, but extremely vicious and explosive.
The current invincible Minister of Justice, Queen Vivi, was a complete usurper.
She didn't possess a drop of Arabasta's royal blood. She was a false king who had taken the throne illegitimately.
Not only that, they even spread all kinds of rumors, portraying Queen Dowager Titi as a shameless woman who had betrayed the late King Cobra.
At the same time, under Crocodile's efforts, the fact that Koza was the late King Cobra's only illegitimate son spread through the streets and neighborhoods like wildfire.
Because yesterday, Queen Vivi had personally admitted in front of countless civilians that she was the daughter of Rosse and Titi.
This was equivalent to official confirmation, validating the bloodline scandal circulating among the public, causing Crocodile's political rumors to spread extremely quickly.
However, this secret that was enough to shake the foundations of the country actually did not manage to sway as many Arabasta civilians as one might imagine.
In Arabasta, most civilians were extremely practical.
What they liked was the ordinary good life they had now: meat to eat every day, free medical care, and ten thousand Beli in welfare payments every month.
They only cared about their own livelihoods and having a warm home with their wives and children.
As for whether the ruler's surname was Cobra or Rosse, the vast majority of people simply didn't care.
Under Vivi's rule, their quality of life had become exceptionally good.
Nobody was stupid. Naturally, they weren't foolish enough to smash the iron rice bowl they depended on for survival just for the sake of a slogan about installing the rightful ruler.
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