"Brothers, am I imagining it, or did a wheel just run over my face repeatedly?"
"Is this serious world the place for you to be thinking about that?"
In the world of One Piece.
"These so-called gods look like trash, just like the Celestial Dragons!" Garp said something that made everyone's scalps tingle.
"Garp!"
Sengoku looked at him in shock and anger. How could he say such a thing here? If he had to say it, he should have found a better place!
"Ah, right, shouldn't say that. Just pretend you didn't hear it, hahahaha... hic!"
But no one in the room laughed along.
...
[In the footage]
Riku draped clothing over the girl, making her appear more human, and gave her a name.
[You shall be called Shuvi.]
The boy pulled up her hood and brought her back to the settlement.
Inside the room, Shuvi suggested continuing their game, but Riku coldly refused.
[If Riku defeats Shuvi... Shuvi will provide useful information...]
[For example... the reason the Great War began, and the conditions for its end.]
Riku looked darkly at Shuvi and stated what he desired.
Because he knew he was powerless.
Shuvi picked up the food that had fallen onto the game board and said curiously:
[In such an environment... humans continue to survive... is anomalous... even the Ex Machina cannot analyze or comprehend it...]
[There must be a reason for this... hypothesized to be the 'heart'... Shuvi wants to know what the 'heart' is...]
Before the girl could finish, the boy interrupted her.
The faintly glowing ore in the room gradually dimmed.
[Hey...]
[Are you joking with me? You all started this war arbitrarily... took everything from us.]
[And then you say, What nonsense... Humans... why do you still live... tell us what secrets your hearts hold...]
Riku trembled as he gripped his dagger, his anger no longer containable. He stood up abruptly, pushed the girl down, and stabbed the dagger into the ground beside her ear.
[Fine! I'll tell you what I think! It hasn't changed since the day I was born!]
[And that is for all of you to die!]
[Do you know how many people you've killed... how many have been slaughtered... how many!]
[How many more must I sacrifice...]
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Riku's face, his lips quivering.
The girl gently wiped the boy's tears away, pulled open her collar, and revealed her mechanical heart.
[If you stab here... Shuvi will die...]
[Die? We have no life, so we only shut down permanently...]
[Shuvi... wants to understand Riku's heart...]
[So...]
[If Riku's heart desires this... wants to kill Shuvi?]
A light flickered in Riku's eyes as he uttered names in a low voice:
[Chad, Anton, Elma, Cory... Asso... Iwon!]
[They all died because of my orders! Of course, it was because of the Great War... wiped out like dust!]
[I was the one who gave the orders!]
Riku could no longer hold back. He rushed onto the bed, pulled the covers tightly over himself, curled into a ball, and wept.....
Shuvi watched Riku in this state... something seemed to be born within her, and an expression of profound sadness appeared on her face.
Deep inside a cave, gems hung everywhere, water dripping down them. Below, many people prayed with their eyes closed.
This was a resting place for the deceased. They couldn't even bring back the bodies of the departed, only commemorating them with these gems.
Everyone wore slight smiles on their faces. Even with tears streaming down, they maintained their smiles because they had to live on for the sake of those who had passed away...
Shuvi lived in the settlement for a year...
They returned to the place where they first met.
Here, Shuvi gradually came to understand Riku's heart, and Riku learned from Shuvi the reason the Great War began and the conditions for its end...
...
People 6000 years later watched in disbelief.
"How bitterly our ancestors must have lived back then!"
"Is this real... for some reason, my heart aches."
"I so wish this video were false."
[The footage continued]
The battle between the Dragon and the Flügel reached the settlement, and everyone began to flee.
Kuronee found Riku trembling in his room. Unable to control herself, she紧紧抱住他 (held him tightly).
["Riku... hey... rest for a while... leave the rest to your big sister..."]
Riku, his tone completely different from before, smirked and said:
["Shuvi, did you record everything?"]
["Loud and clear!"]
A confused Kuronee quickly asked:
[Riku, the settlement and I need you! Where are you going?!]
Riku smiled at her and said,
[From now on, no one will die.]
Kuronee looked at Shuvi's "tail," then at Riku, who seemed completely different from before, and shouted with a smile:
[Hey... do you guys have some big plan?]
[We're going to play a game... just a children's game!]
Inside the cave, everyone gathered quietly before Riku. The faint light couldn't hide the determined conviction on their faces.
[Everyone here has held out until the end. It seems we are no longer ourselves, no longer exist in this world—we have become ghosts!]
[We hoped the war would end someday. Let's stop waiting for a future that will never come. Should we just scurry around in this garbage world, barely surviving, waiting for the war to end?]
Riku waved his arms, his emotions bursting forth as he roared:
[To whom? To those self-proclaimed gods, the destroyers?!]
[Artosh, creator of the Flügel! Kanade, creator of the Elves! Okeanos, creator of the Dwarves! These bastards fight for the throne of the One True God, destroying our world in the process!!!]
One by one, pieces were placed on the map—these were the creators who had ravaged the world!
[It's time to accept reality. There is no hope in this world, so we must create it. This world is simple, like a game. Those destroyers are fighting to seize the Suniaster, a conceptual device!]
[In that case, we will set our own rules, and then achieve victory!]
Riku tightly grasped Shuvi's hand, looked at everyone watching him, raised his finger high, and swore.
[Rule One: No one may kill.]
[Because I don't want anyone to die...]
[Rule Two: No one may die.]
[Because my heart doesn't want to kill anyone...]
[Rule Three: No one may be exposed.]
[Because that would mean death...]
[Rule Four: No method shall be considered cheating.]
[As long as you are not exposed, no method counts as cheating...]
[Rule Five: There is no need to respect the rules of the other races.]
[It is foolish for them to fight to the death like this..]
[Rule Six: Violating any of the above rules means defeat.]
[Because victory obtained by violating these rules is meaningless...]
[That is all. Now, act according to the rules!]
[We are ghosts... We must not kill anyone of any race, including the Gods, and we must not be exposed by them!]
[On the contrary, we will end this war through guidance!]
[We are ghosts. Ghosts do not speak...]
Riku lowered his head, clenched his fists, and thought to himself:
[But... if... if we win this game...]
The boy placed a hand over his heart and smiled brilliantly at everyone.
[Then can we die with our heads held high, without any regrets!]
Everyone smiled and gathered around. They had long been prepared. No one showed a trace of displeasure or hesitation!
[Let's do this, everyone! Swear by the will of the deceased!]
[Swear by the will!!!]
Riku smiled and raised his palm.
[No, we are not swearing by the will of the deceased, but by the rules we have all agreed upon.]
[From now on...]
[Swear by the Pledge!!!]
[Come, let the game begin!!!]