Chapter 47: The Price of a King's Wing
The 60-second timer appeared in the center of the sky, glowing a blood-red that pulsed like a ticking bomb.
00:59... 00:58...
The world exploded into a shouting match. In the Sabaody clearing, Nami was gripping her hair, her eyes turned into Berries. "30 DAYS?! If I lose my sense of direction, we'll sink before we save Ace! Zoro, think! Is it the promise?! It has to be the promise to that girl!"
"I... I don't know!" Zoro roared back, his face flushing crimson. "I've always said my dream comes first! If I can't be the greatest, how can I even stand next to Luffy?! But that guy on the screen... he didn't look like he cared about the title anymore. He just wanted that Dragon to die."
> [Kaido]: "WORORORO! Look at the little ants scurrying! Straw Hat, your swordsman is a selfish demon! He'd cut you down for a better blade! Pick D, you fools!"
> [Donquixote Doflamingo]: "Fuffuffuffu! A pirate valuing someone else over their own dream? Don't be naive. It's D. Ambition is the only currency in this sea!"
> [Arlong]: "SHAHARA! It's A! Humans are obsessed with their pathetic 'promises' to the dead. Pick A and lose your way forever, Sun-Gazer!"
> [Rocks D. Xebec]: "VOHAHARARA! Squeak-man, tell them it's C! Tell them the sword is everything! I want to see Garp and Sengoku try to navigate a hallway for a month! It'll be the funniest thing since God Valley!"
> [Sengoku]: "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! (SQUEAK!) Marines, stay silent! If we answer incorrectly, the entire fleet will be lost at sea! This is a trap!"
>
While the world was screaming, three voices cut through the noise with absolute, chilling certainty.
In Sabaody, Sanji exhaled a long cloud of smoke. He didn't look at the screen. He looked directly at the back of Zoro's head.
"You're an idiot, Moss-head," Sanji said, his voice unusually quiet. "You've always been an idiot. You act like a lone wolf, but we all saw you at Thriller Bark. We saw you take that bubble of pain. You don't give a damn about being 'Great' if your Captain isn't the one standing at the top."
Sanji stepped forward and tapped the floating interface.
[Sanji selects: B]
In the void of the afterlife, Gol D. Roger let out a booming laugh that shook the stars. "Gahahaha! Rayleigh, look at them! They remind me of us! A man who won't let his King fall... that's a weight no blade can match!"
[Gol D. Roger (Deceased) selects: B]
On a Marineford, Garp threw a rice cracker into his mouth, his eyes uncharacteristically sharp. "It's the burden of the 'Wings,' Sengoku. To fly that high, you have to leave your own ego on the ground."
[Monkey D. Garp (Marine) selects: B]
Immediately after those three, a flurry of names appeared: Rayleigh, Fujitora, Shanks, and Sengoku all hit B—but they were seconds too late for the top prize.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[TIME EXPIRED!]
[Correct Answer: B — His Captain's Victory]
[Top 3 Winners (Gold Coin Recipients): Sanji, Gol D. Roger, Monkey D. Garp]
[Late Correct Entries (Punishment Waiver if they have): Rayleigh, Fujitora, Shanks, Sengoku, Beckman, Whitebeard]
[Incorrect Entries (The Curse of the Lost): Kaido, Big Mom, Doflamingo, Arlong, Akainu, Buggy the Clown]
In the New Order, Akainu stood up to bark an order to his men, but as he stepped toward the door of his office, he somehow ended up in the supply closet. He walked out, turned left to go to the docks, and found himself back in the laundry room.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" he roared, only to walk through a doorway and end up in a bathroom stall.
At Impel Down 6th floor, Buggy running and crying. "I just wanted to saved my nephew! But he is not here and now I think my escape plan is also in danger."