novelhk Chapter 111: Yet Another Blasphemy
Chapter 111: Yet Another Blasphemy
Chapter 112, Section 111: Yet Another Desecration
On Gaya Island, the midday sun is blazing.
The square in Magic Valley Town was packed with people.
The huge granite-built information board in the center of the square was crowded with people.
Inside the glass display case on the bulletin board, there was a specially made, larger edition of the Gaya Daily, with the full text of Zephat's speech on the front page, along with printed copies of the photos.
The text is in bold black font, and the photo has been processed to reveal details so clear they are almost unbelievable.
This ocean is so vast that the printing capacity of the United Kingdom's printing plants is far from sufficient to cover all the islands.
In order to send more newspapers to areas outside the control of the United Kingdom, the only option was to limit the share of domestic newspapers and use this method of propaganda.
People crowded at the front, craning their necks, trying hard to read every word.
"brute----"
A middle-aged man, still wearing greasy work clothes, stared at the figures floating on the sea in the photo, his teeth grinding together.
"How could they—what did those people do wrong—"
A woman holding a child murmured, her eyes already red.
"My uncle was taken away because they said he had some kind of pirate relative, what the hell! My uncle is just a small-time cargo merchant, he doesn't have any pirate relatives!"
A young man roared and slammed his fist into a nearby lamppost with a loud bang.
Emotions exploded like oil that had been ignited.
"Damn the World Government! Damn the Celestial Dragons! A bunch of damn parasites!"
"What have those self-righteous navy personnel actually done all this time?!"
"Someone has stepped forward after all—the new Navy?"
"Support them! We must support them!"
More and more people poured in from the surrounding streets, crowding into the square and the bulletin board, and the crowd's emotions became increasingly turbulent.
Similar scenes began to unfold repeatedly on this vast sea.
The central square of Water Seven, in front of the medical association on Drum Island, and in the open market area of Long Circle Island —
Wherever the Gaya Daily can deliver its message promptly, public sentiment is being ignited.
Compared to the bustling atmosphere at Marineford and Gaya Island, Marineford felt unusually subdued.
That special edition of the Gaya Daily was not publicly circulated at the Navy Headquarters.
But you can't hide fire with paper.
On this day, the naval sailors received numerous calls from relatives and friends: "What exactly is the navy doing? Is that island real?"
"Admiral Zephyr and Vice Admiral Garp really betrayed us? And even formed a new navy?"
"Those photos—they're horrible—"
Various rumors began to spread rapidly in the corridors, canteens, and corners of the training grounds of the headquarters.
"Have you heard? That island east of Enies Lobby isn't a temporary prison at all, it's a slaughterhouse!"
"Gas chambers—they poisoned the people they captured with poison gas, then burned them—"
"The photos have leaked! The sea is full of corpses!"
"General Zephyr and Lieutenant General Garp led their men to blow up that place and rescued tens of thousands of people—"
"The new navy, they call themselves the new navy—"
The officers tried to quell the soldiers' commotion and maintain order, but their shouts sounded somewhat weak, because they themselves were in a state of great shock and confusion.
In a confidential room on the upper level of the main fortress.
The curtains were drawn, and only a dim bedside lamp was on.
Sengoku sat on the bed, leaning against the pillow. His body was indeed wrapped in bandages, but the injuries were not serious, at least not enough to make him unconscious.
He was holding a special edition of the Gaya Daily in his hand.
He read the Warring States period very slowly, reading each word repeatedly.
He stared at each photo for a long time.
His face was expressionless—no anger, no sadness, no guilt—just a complete blank.
After reading the last line, he remained silent for a long time.
Then he raised his hand and began to tear the newspaper.
The movements were slow, but forceful. Starting from the bottom left corner, following the grain of the paper, the entire newspaper was torn into pieces, one tear at a time.
The sound of tearing paper was particularly clear in the quiet room.
He tore it very carefully, until the newspaper was reduced to a pile of unrecognizable scraps on his blanket.
Then he stopped and looked at the pile of paper scraps.
A few minutes later, he reached out and began picking up the scraps of paper one by one, trying to piece them together.
But his fingers were trembling, and the scraps of paper were too small; he couldn't piece them together after only a few.
He stopped, looking at his trembling hands and at the pile of fragments that could never be put back together.
He remained in that position, motionless, like a stone sculpture.
Footsteps came from outside the room, very light, and stopped at the door.
The door was pushed open a crack, and Tsuru's figure appeared in the doorway. She didn't come in, but just stood there, looking at Sengoku on the bed, at the pile of scraps of paper, and at his trembling hands.
She did not speak.
The Warring States period did not see a rise in prominence.
Finally, He sighed softly and closed the door again.
The footsteps faded into the distance.
The Warring States period remained unchanged.
In the Marshal's office on the highest level of the main fortress, the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) had been ringing for an entire morning.
Steelbone sat empty behind his desk, with at least seven or eight Den Den Mushi (snail communication devices) in front of him, each representing a different communication request.
The admiral did not answer any of the Den Den Mushi (snail phone calls).
He just sat there, his hands clasped on the table, his eyes looking straight ahead, but unfocused.
The weariness on his face was so deep it was almost palpable, and the bloodshot in his eyes was frighteningly red.
The clock on the wall ticked away.
Finally, after another round of collective ringing of Den Den Mushi, he very slowly raised his hand and pressed a hidden button on the side of his desk.
All the Den Den Mushi calls abruptly stopped.
The room's external communication lines were directly cut off.
The office fell silent instantly, with only the ticking of the wall clock and his own heavy breathing remaining.
He kept his hand in the button-pressing position for a few seconds before finally lowering it.
Then, the admiral closed his eyes.
Near the ruins of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, a temporary marble temple has been erected.
The hall is not large in scale, but it is made of exquisite materials and has a solemn style.
Inside the hall, five massive marble columns support the dome, and the floor is covered with a deep red carpet.
At the end of the hall is a platform three steps above the ground, upon which sit five high-backed chairs.
There were only four people sitting up there at the moment; the Martial God Mars was not present.
The four elders gathered here all looked grim, with the most grim being the God of Science and Defense, Saturn Saint.
He held a photocopy of a special edition of the Gaya Daily in his hand, his eyes almost spitting fire: "Blasphemy! This is yet another blasphemy against noble blood!"
"How dare they publicly slander us! This is tantamount to inciting rebellion!"