69novels Chapter 278 The Truth That Arrived, Dilt Remains Silent
Chapter 278 The Truth That Arrived, Dilt Remains Silent
Chapter 278 The Truth That Arrived, Dilt Remains Silent
At the night of Elbaf, the capital of the giants, the bonfire blazed in the ancient stone square, the firewood crackling, and the flickering flames elongated the shadows of the giants and humans sitting around, casting them onto the towering stone walls behind them.
The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat, the richness of ale, and a heavy, solemn atmosphere.
Some time has passed since Shanks and his crew arrived in Elbaf.
During this time, they gained a precious respite under the cautious and hospitable protection of the giants.
Using the simple but sturdy workshops within the Giants' Castle, Vegapunk managed to stabilize Bonney's father's life support system and attempted to maintain intermittent and dangerous contact with his clone who remained on Egghead Island.
Leonardo da Vinci was deeply engrossed in observing the civilization and technology of this ancient country, and the carvings on those huge stone slabs fascinated her.
Jason and Bucky quickly adapted to the atmosphere of the land of giants. Jason was keen to boast to the giant warriors about his adventures, while Bucky spent a few days half embarrassed and half proud, amidst the teasing of his old red-haired friends and the curious onlookers of the giants.
Bonnie spends most of his time by his father's side, occasionally venturing out of their temporary home with encouragement from Shanks or Da Vinci, gazing up at the towering buildings and mountains, his heart filled with a mixture of unease and faint hope for the future.
At dusk, Elder Yorulu formally sent someone to invite all guests to the bonfire gathering in the Royal City Square.
At this moment, everyone sat around the main campfire, facing several giant elders led by Elder Yorulu, as well as warriors such as Dorry and Brogy.
The giant children hid behind a stone pillar in the distance, curiously watching the tiny people and the enormous man with an astonishing aura.
Elder Yorulu tapped the ground lightly with his wooden staff, the deep sound drowning out the crackling of the campfire.
"Guests from afar, the tradition of the giants is to be completely honest with each other over the campfire and with fine wine."
"In the meantime, Shanks has already briefly explained your purpose and what you have been through."
"Now, tell us what you know about this Holy Grail War that has swept across the sea."
Regarding Heroic Spirits, and—regarding the anomalies occurring in the world.
All eyes turned to Da Vinci.
This omnipotent being gracefully set down his wine glass, his fingertips lightly tracing patterns in the air, a magical glow shimmering and coalescing into several simple images.
The outline of the Holy Grail, the pillar of light from the arrival of Heroic Spirits, the silhouettes of Blackbeard and Arjuna, and the blurry image of the battle on Fishman Island.
"Elder Yoru, wise men and warriors of the giant race," Da Vinci's voice was clear and penetrating.
"First, we—including myself, Hercules, and the other heroic spirits who have come to this world."
"That Dieter also said that we are not a reproduction of the inherent legends or history of your world."
Vegapunk's image flickered: "That's right, but there's one suspicious point: your legends are also sporadically recorded in our world—"
"That's an information ripple," Da Vinci explained.
"When two worlds with similar foundations but which have developed independently come into contact or observe each other under certain conditions, the information will leave a blurry reflection in the other's world, like ripples created by a pebble thrown into water."
"
"What you are recording may be a shadow of our world history, distorted by the passage of time and the perspectives of different civilizations."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the solemn faces of the crowd.
"After coming to this world, although all memories of that world's arrival have been erased, I kept a backup plan, which is engraved deep within my spirit foundation."
"Our world, the world we call the pan-human history world, is facing an unprecedented crisis."
"An invasion from beyond the stars, a conceptual plunder, the planet—is dying."
"The world—is dead?" Bonnie couldn't help but repeat, subconsciously looking at his father in the life support pod.
"To be more precise, it is that the very foundation of existence has been eroded, covered up, and rendered blank."
At Da Vinci's fingertips, the magical landscape shifted, revealing a terrifying scene of a blue planet being gradually covered and swallowed by a pale color.
"The invaders, we call them alien gods or similar beings. Their purpose is not destruction, but reset."
"To transform our world into a new home that conforms to their divinity and their rules."
Our civilization, our history, our humanity are all being forcibly erased.
Shanks frowned. "What does this have to do with Blackbeard, Arjuna, and the Heroic Spirits who have descended into this world?"
"The key lies in the pattern." Da Vinci's gaze sharpened.
"We now suspect that the Holy Grail War and the unusual descent of Heroic Spirits in your world are not just accidental entertainment or simple fighting."
"Behind this, there is likely a similar, but more covert and gradual, process of coverage."
Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke: "You mean—there's some kind of being that wants to turn our world into a blank sheet of paper, and then draw the patterns they want on it?"
"Are those descending divine spirits merely paintbrushes?"
"The analogy is very apt," Leonardo da Vinci nodded.
"The rainforest of Alabasta, the heart of the cloud sea formed from the sky islands, behold the divine power of Arjuna, who forcibly merged with and crushed all rules."
"And look at Azrael's attempts to reshape the cycle of life and death—this is not merely a display of power."
.
"This is environmental alteration, forcibly transforming parts of your world into a form that conforms to their divinity and rules."
She looked at Elder Yoruru: "What the elder mentioned earlier about the forced implantation of heterogeneous divinity and the rejection and distortion of the world's foundation is exactly this."
"Your world will, if it possesses a vague overall consciousness, is instinctively resisting this cover-up."
The giants murmured amongst themselves. Donley stroked his chin: "Bang bang bang bang! So, those guys are bandits who came to rob our home?"
"From a consequentialist perspective, yes," Leonardo da Vinci said frankly.
"However, the bandits' methods were more sophisticated. Instead of directly overwhelming the country with their army, they planted the seeds of heterogeneous rules into this world."
"The seeds will take root and sprout, transforming the surrounding soil, until finally—when enough heterogeneous regions connect, the world's resistance is weakened to a critical point—"
She waved her hand again, and the scene transformed into the entire pirate planet, with various colored light spots lighting up in different places. The light spots gradually expanded and connected, eventually covering the entire globe.
"The entire world will no longer belong to your original civilization and rules."
"It becomes a bonsai world completely dominated by an external divinity, where all original history and culture are covered or distorted."
A deathly silence.
Only the campfire was burning.
Vegapunk's mechanical voice carried a hint of dryness: "—So, the Holy Grail War itself is a trap? Dilt—"
"He might be someone in the know, or he might be the mastermind, or he might be something else entirely," Da Vinci shook his head.
"But the form of war does indeed provide the best cover for the invasion of rules."
"While the Heroic Spirits are fighting and fulfilling their Masters' wishes, they are also unconsciously spreading the rules and information of their respective pantheons and civilizations, like a virus spreading."
Jason also put away his frivolous expression and became unusually serious.
"We heroic spirits, who were accidentally swept in, may have fallen in through a rift created by the collision of two worlds. We ourselves—maybe we also carry the virus?"
"The possibility exists." Da Vinci looked at him.
"But precisely because we are an accident, we may have retained more of the purity of pan-human history and—"
Potential antibodies that resist this coverage.
Elder Yorulu remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice seemingly carrying the weight of a thousand years.
"The ancient stone tablets of the giants record that at the beginning of the world, there was a great flood that swept everything."
"That wasn't just an ordinary rise in sea level; it was a cleansing and restart at the level of rules. Only after the flood could the existing world order be established."
His cloudy eyes looked at the leaping flames.
"The stone tablet warns that when stars fall, alien gods roam the earth, and the order of life and death is disrupted, a new flood may be coming."
"That is not a torrent of water, but—a torrent of rules. The old will be washed away, and the new will be established."
Shanks gripped his glass tightly: "A new flood—a flood of rules—"
"Is this why world governments are desperately trying to maintain the status quo through extreme order? Do they know the world itself is heading towards its end? Are they trying to build a dam?"
"Very likely," Leonardo da Vinci mused.
"Using a rigid, harsh, but stable order to forcibly solidify the status quo and delay the coverage process."
"But this is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. A rigid order itself will stifle the world's vitality, and may eventually cause the world to wither from within before it can resist external encroachment."
Bucky was completely dumbfounded, clutching his head. "This...this is way too complicated! Weren't we just supposed to shoot Blackbeard down?!"
"The problem is that Blackbeard and the Earl behind him are likely among the most active promoters of this rule-following process."
Beckman analyzed the situation calmly.
"Seizing the divinity of the Sky Island, coveting Davy Jones's secrets, attempting to control the cycle of life and death—every step accelerates this process."
Bonnie asked anxiously, "Then what can we do? How can we stop it?"
Da Vinci looked at Shanks, then at Elder Yorulu.
"First, the key nodes of the overlay must be destroyed. Blackbeard, Azrael, and other powerful divine spirits that may descend are the primary targets."
"Secondly, it is necessary to find and protect the resistance mechanisms or cores that may exist in this world itself."
;
She paused.
"Finally, and perhaps most importantly—we need to figure out what role Dieter actually plays."
"Is he the initiator of this war game, the one who carried it out? Or does he have other motives?"
'
"And where are the last key resisters in our broader human history?"
"If our world has deteriorated to the point where we need to expand outwards to survive, then has he/she failed?"
"Or is everything that's happening here related to his/her actions?"
Meanwhile, in Beehive Island Heaven.
Dilt leaned back in his luxurious chair, while the World Watch displayed scenes of a campfire in Elbaf, Ace's resolute profile on the Moby Dick, the surging darkness deep within Impel Down, and Noah sleeping on Fishman Island.
Leonardo da Vinci's voice came through clearly.
"—Was he the initiator of this war game, the executor of the covert operations? Or—did he have other motives?"
Dilt's face remained expressionless; he simply nodded slightly.
"The analysis is very close. You are an omnipotent person. You are indeed a genius. Even after losing most of your memories, you can still grasp the truth with your wisdom alone."
He picked up his glass, but didn't drink; he simply swirled the amber liquid inside.
"Two dying worlds—a forced gamble—it's very close to my guess—"
In the shadows behind him, a golden ripple spread, and Gilgamesh's figure emerged, leaning against the throne, toying with a golden goblet in his hand, a very pleasant smile on his face.
"Oh? Finally feeling emotions other than boredom?" the Hero King teased.
"Annoying," Dilt said bluntly. "I considered it, because of the alien god issue—but quickly dismissed it."
"I think Fujimaru Ritsuka should be able to handle this. Even if he can't, we shouldn't let the situation escalate to the point of affecting other worlds."
"This isn't like them."
"Style?" Gilgamesh scoffed.
"In the face of survival, so-called style is nothing more than fragile decoration. Pan-human history is already riddled with holes, and the choice of restraint has always been ruthless and pragmatic. The search for new fertile ground is an inevitable necessity under desperation."
"And what about you?" Dilt turned his head and stared at him intently.
"You were summoned by Shamrock and coincidentally came before me. What a coincidence, isn't it? Your omniscient and omnipotent star remains as useless as ever."
Gilgamesh downed the wine in his cup, his smile growing ever more enigmatic.
"Memory? That kind of thing is the first thing to become blurred when crossing the barrier between worlds."
"All I know is that my presence is justified. As for how much I know—"
He stood up, walked to the light screen, and looked at Ace's resolute eyes and Karna's silent protection.
"I know that there is never just one key. Fujimaru Ritsuka may be the key to pan-human history, but this world also has its own key."
"That rubber boy, that fire fist boy, that redhead, and even—that Celestial Dragon leader who thinks he's in control of everything."
He turned around and glanced at Dieter.
"Stop focusing solely on finding a savior, you boring fellow. Has the passage of time made you forget—"
A sharp, golden light, as if piercing through eternity, flashed in Gilgamesh's eyes.
—What should a true king be doing now?
Dilt's pupils contracted slightly.
The true king?
Dominate? Conquer? Protect? Lead?
Or—when the rules collapse and the world is in chaos, redefine the order?
The two fell silent. Only the images on the screen continued to scroll quietly.
In Elbaf, as the campfire dies down, Da Vinci's narration comes to an end. The sheer volume of information requires everyone to process it.
Elder Yorulu finally broke the silence.
"The glorious path of the ancient trials of Elbaf, and the Hall of Wisdom Tablets in the Forbidden Land."
"There may be knowledge related to the origin of the world hidden there, or there may be methods to resist the erosion of rules."
But unlocking them takes time and requires qualifications.
He looked at Shanks: "Red, you can rest here, treat the wounded, and replenish your supplies."
"The giants will continue to provide shelter. But you must be vigilant about the threat of pursuit."
He then looked at Leonardo da Vinci and Hercules.
"Heroic spirits from afar, thank you for your honesty. The giants respect wisdom and strength. Until the answers are found, Elbaf will be your temporary home."
Shanks rose solemnly and bowed: "I am deeply grateful, Elder Yoruru."
Just then, a giant warrior rushed over and handed over a special small Den Den Mushi.
"Captain Shanks! An urgent encrypted communication from the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"This is news from Hawkeye Mihawk, regarding the aftermath of the Fish-Man Island battle and—the Whitebeard Pirates being attacked!"
Shanks' expression changed, and he immediately accepted it; an even bigger storm was about to break.