Chapter 2: The Divine Retribution
The Golden Impenetrability
As the red numbers of the countdown pulsed against the sky, the initial shock of the world began to curdle into a desperate, frantic curiosity. To the powerful, the unknown was a threat; to the arrogant, it was a challenge.
Across the globe, the reaction was the same: The world tried to break the screens.
On the frost-bitten deck of a Marine destroyer near Enies Lobby, a Vice Admiral roared an order. "Fire! Scorch that thing from the heavens!" A broadside of cannons thundered, sending dozens of iron shells screaming toward the golden display hovering over the sea. The soldiers cheered as the shells struck—but the cheers died in their throats.
The iron didn't explode. It didn't bounce. Upon touching the golden light, the massive cannonballs simply turned into fine, gray dust that drifted harmlessly into the ocean. The screen didn't even ripple.
The Foolishness of the Strong
On Sabaody Archipelago, the tension was a physical weight. Eustass "Captain" Kid, whose temper was as volatile as his magnetic powers, snorted in derision. "I don't care if it's a 'Heavenly List' or a God's joke. Nothing stands in my way!"
He thrust his hands forward, and the magnetism tore the weapons from the hands of nearby Marines and the scrap metal from the surrounding buildings. A massive, jagged arm of iron—the Repel—formed over his shoulder. With a primal scream, he launched the multi-ton fist at the screen floating between the mangroves.
"Die!"
The metal fist collided with the golden light. There was no sound of impact. Instead, a wave of translucent white energy backlashed. The scrap metal didn't just fall; it dissolved into nothingness.
[System Warning: Unauthorized interference detected.]
[User 'Eustass Kid' has attempted to damage the Sovereignty. Penalty: 10-Minute Absolute Silence.]
Kid opened his mouth to roar a curse, but no sound came out. He clutched his throat, his face turning purple with rage, but he was as mute as a stone. His crew backed away in horror.
The Admiral's Curiosity
Even the highest powers were not immune to the urge to test the "Heavens."
In the air above the archipelago, Admiral Kizaru hovered, his yellow coat fluttering in the wind. He tilted his head, his finger glowing with a blinding light. "Oh... how strange. Is it a Logia? Or something... more?"
A beam of pure light—a Sacred Treasure—shot from his fingertip, traveling at the speed of light toward the center of the display. The beam hit the gold and was instantly reflected—not back at Kizaru, but into the empty ocean, carving a mile-long trench in the water.
[System Warning: User 'Borsalino' has attempted to probe the Sovereignty.]
[Penalty: Stay Still in the Same Place— 2 Day.]
Kizaru's eyes widened as his world went gray. The vibrant colors of the Sabaody bubbles vanished into a dull monochrome, and the roar of the ocean went silent in his ears. The Admiral lowered his hand, his lazy smirk replaced by a thin line of genuine unease.
The Wrath of the Empress
In the New World, the reaction was more violent. On Whole Cake Island, Big Mom screamed in fury at the screen blocking her view of her croquembouche.
"Prometheus! Napoleon! Burn it! Cut it!"
The sun-homie roared, diving into the golden light with the heat of a thousand fires, while Big Mom's hat-sword swung with the force to split an island. The fire washed over the screen like water over a diamond, and the blade passed through the light as if it were air.
[System Warning: User 'Charlotte Linlin' has shown aggression toward the Sovereignty.]
[Penalty: Hunger Pang Suppression.]
The insatiable craving that defined Big Mom's existence was suddenly snuffed out. She stumbled, her eyes losing their manic glow as her stomach—for the first time in sixty years—felt nothing. To a woman driven by hunger, the sudden emptiness was more terrifying than a wound.
The Lesson Learned
From the East Blue to the Red Line, the message was clear. Whether it was a peasant throwing a rock or an Emperor swinging a blade, the result was the same: the Sovereigns of the World were powerless against the List.
The World Government tried to use their Buster Call ships to ram the displays; the ships simply glided through them as if passing through fog. Pirates tried to cover the screens with black cloth; the cloth burned away into golden sparks.
[Notice: The Sovereignty is Absolute. The Ranking is Inevitable.]
The world finally stopped fighting. The realization sank in like a lead weight. They couldn't break it. They couldn't hide from it. They could only watch as the clock continued its rhythmic, heart-stopping tick.
23:15:42...
At the Marine Headquarters, Sengoku watched a Vice Admiral try to punch the screen only to have his arm paralyzed by a "System Penalty." He turned to his officers, his voice cold.
"Cease all attacks," Sengoku commanded. "We are no longer the ones in control. Tell the men to sit. Tell them to watch. The sky is no longer ours."
The world settled into a terrified, forced peace. For the next twenty-three hours, the only thing anyone could do was stare at the gold and wonder: If I am not on that list, who is?