Next Bonus, 100!!
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"I understand," Jin said, hanging up the Den Den Mushi from his CP0 contact. "And don't worry. Our... partnership... remains unchanged."
He fell into thought.
The Five Elders had summoned Saint Jalmack. They had informed him that Jin would no longer be allowed to pay the Heavenly Tribute with "Dream."
Jalmack may have been a Celestial Dragon, and "Dream" may have elevated his status in the Holy Land over the past few years, but in the presence of the Five Elders, he was still just a peon.
He treated ordinary people like dogs.
And to the Five Elders, he was a dog.
He didn't dare to defy their will.
But given his greed, he wasn't about to give up his supply. His demand was simple: the tribute must be paid, and the Dream must be delivered.
Money? What money?
A mere "gardener" who grew Dream for Saint Jalmack dared to ask a descendant of the gods for money?
It was a joke.
Compared to Jalmack, the CP0 agent acting as the middleman was much more reasonable. He had revealed a great deal of information.
He was a greedy man, and Jin had bought his loyalty long ago. He had become an important source of intelligence in the Holy Land.
The "partnership" Jin had spoken of was, of course, with him.
But that trust had its limits.
Jin knew that the information the agent was "leaking" was most likely what the Five Elders wanted him to hear.
The shift in their attitude was not unexpected. He had seen it coming since his fight with Kaido last year.
A Warlord-level Jin and a Yonko-level Jin were two entirely different threats. The stronger he became, the stronger the Winter Blossom Kingdom became, the more threatened the World Government would feel. Their support would inevitably turn to suppression.
He had seen it happen in his past life. Two great nations, once allies, had quickly become bitter rivals.
The world of One Piece was no different.
At the last Levely, Jin had sensed the delicate balance between the World Government and its member nations. The Five Elders didn't just have to balance the Marines, the Yonko, and the Warlords. They also had to keep the member nations in line.
What if a powerful kingdom got ambitious? What if they tried to emulate the twenty kingdoms of old?
The Celestial Dragons would be finished.
And so, they had to be controlled.
The powerful kingdom of Alabasta had given rise to Crocodile. It was not impossible that the World Government had had a hand in that.
'A useful tool is only useful for so long,' Jin thought, his eyes narrowing. He picked up a document from his desk: 'A Method for Translating the Ancient Text'.
Robin had completed it long ago.
"It's time," he said. "Time to drop this little bomb and give them something else to worry about."
He contacted Dragon of the Revolutionary Army through Kuma and laid out his plan.
"What?" Dragon was stunned. "You're going to release the method for translating the Poneglyphs?"
"Don't you think it will be... interesting?" Jin said. "When everyone in the world knows how to read the ancient text..."
Dragon frowned. "This is madness."
"Only a greater chaos, a greater upheaval," Jin replied, "can destroy the old world and build a new one."
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As the newspapers began to publish the first of the hit pieces on Jin...
West Blue, a tavern.
"Hey, have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"They say the only way to find the Pirate King's treasure, the One Piece, is to read the Poneglyphs!"
"Huh? Who says?"
"Read the Poneglyphs? Are you crazy? Besides, after what happened to Ohara, who can even read that stuff anymore?"
East Blue, Orange Town.
"You need to read the Poneglyphs to find the One Piece??" a pirate exclaimed.
"Of course I know that!" Buggy said dismissively. If it hadn't been for Kozuki Oden, the Roger Pirates never would have found Laugh Tale. A shame that Shanks had tricked him, and he hadn't been able to go with them.
"Eh? Captain Buggy, how did you know?" Cabaji asked, confused.
"Because... I was on Roger's—"
"HUH??!!" his underlings all stared at him, then burst out laughing.
"The Captain's always telling jokes."
"Yeah!"
Buggy ignored them. "Hey, Cabaji," he said, "where did you hear this?"
"Everyone's talking about it!"
Buggy frowned.
South Blue.
"Why is it that after twenty years, with the Four Emperors around for so long, no one has been able to find the One Piece?"
"It's because they don't know how to read the Poneglyphs. They can't reach the final island."
North Blue.
"The Poneglyphs are the key to the One Piece!"
The news hit the world like a thunderclap.
A simple rumor shook the world to its core.
Countless pirates who had set out to sea, dreaming of finding the Pirate King's treasure, were now all asking the same question: What is a Poneglyph?
"Hey! What's going on?"
"Why is everyone suddenly so interested in the Poneglyphs?"
"Who the hell linked them to the One Piece??"
The Five Elders, receiving the news, gathered in the Chamber of Authority, their faces a mixture of rage and anxiety.
"This is spreading too fast."
"In just a few days... the East Blue, the West Blue, the South Blue, the North Blue, Paradise, the New World... it's everywhere."
"By the time Cipher Pol realized what was happening, it was already too late."
"This was a planned, coordinated media campaign..."
"Who?"
"Morgans?"
"He wouldn't dare."
"Jin?"
"It can't be him. His own news outlets haven't been involved. In fact, they've been forbidden from reporting on it. And from what we know of him, he's never shown any interest in the Poneglyphs or the One Piece."
"The most likely culprit is the Revolutionary Army. They've been lying low since Baltigo was destroyed, scattering their forces around the world. They're the only ones with the capability to spread information like this. And because it's tied to the One Piece, it's become a global sensation."
"We can deal with the 'who' later. We cannot allow the Poneglyphs to become a matter of public interest. We need to figure out how to handle this. A Buster Call won't solve this problem. We can't just burn the whole world down."
The Five Elders were at a loss. They knew the power of public opinion.
"Strict prohibition," one of them said. "Inform all the kingdoms. Anyone caught discussing the Poneglyphs will be severely punished. And if they can't control their people... we will charge them with the crime of researching the Poneglyphs and issue a Buster Call. We'll make an example of one country."
But before they could issue the order, the head of Cipher Pol burst in, his face pale, carrying a document.
"What??"
"A Method for Translating the Ancient Text?"
"Where did this come from?"
"The world... all over the world," the man said, his voice trembling. "This morning, it appeared everywhere. It was posted on walls, left on the streets, carved into rocks and trees... A number of copies even made it into Marine bases."
The Five Elders felt their vision swim, the world turning black at the edges. They were close to choking on their own rage.
"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?"
"WHOSE WORK IS THIS?"
"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"
This was their worst nightmare. The Poneglyphs were a secret they had guarded jealously, for which they had destroyed Ohara. And now, the secret was being broadcast to the entire world.
This was a large-scale, premeditated, organized act of rebellion.
"Issue the order! Cipher Pol, the Marines, all forces! Collect all related documents and materials! Destroy them on sight! Anyone caught reading or possessing this document is to be arrested and executed!" the Five Elders commanded, their voices filled with panic.
They were truly afraid.
"The Revolutionary Army..." Doflamingo said, a slow smile spreading across his face as he looked at the document that had been scattered on the streets. "Yes. Only the Revolutionary Army would have the manpower for something like this. I never thought... after a year of silence, they'd make a move this big. They've really poked the hornet's nest this time. The world is about to change."
West Blue.
"Zehahahaha... This is fantastic!"
Blackbeard sat on his massive raft, holding the document and laughing, as he and his crew sailed through the churning waves.
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