Chapter 54: The Universal Truth and the Vanishing Rookies
The golden screen above the world pulsated with a cold, rhythmic light, the timer for the Ranker's Challenge ticking down with the weight of a guillotine. In Sabaody, the air was static; in Marineford, the ground trembled under the weight of invisible Haki.
The question hung in the sky like a divine decree: "Is Kid reach the real potential of his devil fruit?"
"Of course I did!" Eustass Kid roared from the Sabaody clearing, his magnetic fields sparking wildly. "I reached Awakening! I crushed an Emperor! There is nothing beyond the ceiling of Awakening! The answer is A!"
"I'm with the Captain!" Killer added, his scythes spinning. "A! No one has ever gone further!"
Even Monkey D. Luffy, grinning from the top of a giant mangrove, shouted at the sky. "The scrap-guy is Super! That bird-cannon was Cool! A!"
> [ Nami ]: " Why you so first!"
> [Donquixote Doflamingo]: "Fuffuffuffu! Look at the children screaming at the sun. They think because they reached the 'Ultimate' of our world, they have reached the 'Ultimate' of the universe. Awakening is the peak of piracy... but is it the peak of Power?"
> [Charlotte Linlin]: "MAMAMAMA! That brat reach the potential?! Don't make me laugh! He was lucky! He hasn't reached anything! I'm choosing D just to insult his existence!"
> [Kaido]: "WORORORO! Linlin, stop screaming. The boy's fruit is good. If he had reached its 'Real Potential,' he wouldn't need a railgun. He's just a flickering candle."
> [Vegapunk]: "Precisely, Linlin. You all view Devil Fruits through the lens of 'Magic' and 'Will.' But Magnetism is a Fundamental Force of Nature. A mortal mind using it to throw iron is like a caveman using a diamond to crack a nut. The potential is infinite; the user is limited. The answer is D."
> [Trafalgar Law]: "If Vegapunk says it's a matter of physics... then our 'Ultimate' is just a starting point. I'll trust the science. D."
>
The screen turned a blinding, sterile white. The letters "CORRECT ANSWER: D" burned through the clouds.
[SYSTEM JUDGMENT: WHY 'D' IS CORRECT]
> "In the 'One Piece World,' Awakening is the recognized pinnacle. However, the System judges by the Universal Standard. Magnetism is one of the four pillars of existence. To reach its 'Real Potential,' one must manipulate the world at a subatomic level—tearing the iron from blood, shifting planetary poles, and controlling the light spectrum.
> Because the human mind in this era lacks the scientific comprehension of Electromagnetism, the 'Real Potential' is Impossible to reach. You are all children playing with the trigger of a star-shattering weapon."
>
[THE RESULTS:]
* Vegapunk: (Answered D) — +1 Gold Coin (Total: 2)
* Charlotte Linlin: (Answered D) — +1 Gold Coin (Total: 2)
* Kaido: (Answered D) — +1 Gold Coin (Total: 1)
[THE PUNISHMENT: THE 'LOST' MASSACRE]
Immediately, the space around the wrong-guessers warped.
* Eustass Kid:
* Killer:
* Monkey D. Luffy:
(Next 24 hours will lose the knowledge of direction.)
Charlotte Linlin in Cake Island wasted no time. She have one more coin now. She didn't care about the physics; she cared about the power.
"System! Take the coin! Give me back my life!"
[TRANSACTION CONFIRMED: 1 GOLD COIN SPENT for 'CHRONOS-REVERSION' (Age Reduction: 50%)]
A pillar of pink, soul-chilling light erupted from the Marineford hallway. The 66-year-old "Iron Balloon" began to shrink and tighten. Her skin smoothed, her pink hair lengthened into a wild mane, and her height became a towering, muscular temple of destruction.
Charlotte Linlin (Age 33) stepped out of the light. She was no longer "Lost." The broom closet exploded outward from the sheer pressure of her Haki.
"MAMAMAMA! I feel light! I feel... HUNGRY!"
> [Sengoku]: "The balance is gone! One more headache. Garp be ready. "
>
> [ Garp]: "Bwahaha! Don't worry Sengoku I am also 38 now. Thanks to that gold coin. Why don't you answer a question correctly! You should also became younger for next fight. Or should I ask my grandson crew to give a gold coin to you, they have six.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[RANK 45: EUSTASS 'CAPTAIN' KID — COMPLETED.]
Reward: True knowledge. Knowladge about Magnetism one of the four fundamental forces of nature.