Present World
The same multiple-choice question appeared on the screen:
A: Was put on the scaffold and executed in public.
B: Was punched through the chest by Akainu and burned to death.
C: Became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Peace Federation.
D: Became an Ultraman.
Sengoku immediately started analyzing the options.
"Option A seems the most plausible. Ace is currently on the execution platform, and the possibility of him being publicly executed is extremely high," he reasoned.
"As for option B, that is the least likely choice! Ace is a Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi user. How could he be killed by a flame attack from Akainu? It's completely illogical. Logia users can transform into their elemental forms. Even with Armament Haki, it shouldn't be that easy to pierce through his chest."
"Option D is another strange one. What is an 'Ultraman'? Is it something unique to that other world? Though it seems unreliable, it's still more plausible than B."
"So we should distribute our choices among A, C, and D. This way, at least some of the Marines will get it right."
At that moment, a message from the original world appeared.
"(Original) Sengoku: As expected from my counterpart, the thought process is the same."
"(Present) Sengoku: Unfortunately, we can't share answers."
Just as Sengoku was about to finalize the plan and divide the Marines into three groups, Ron, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
"(Present) Ron: Order all Marines to choose B."
The room fell into stunned silence.
What?
Both worlds were in uproar.
Are you kidding?
Ace is a Mera Mera no Mi user. How could he possibly be burned to death by Akainu? Lava may be stronger than fire, but Ace could still transform into flames. Even if Akainu used Armament Haki, Ace should have been able to avoid such a fatal blow.
This answer seemed the least probable among the four choices.
Even Sengoku himself was momentarily taken aback by Ron's sudden statement.
But Ron had spoken.
And his word carried weight.
Even if the answer seemed completely absurd, his command had to be followed.
"Everyone, choose B."
Sengoku gave the order without hesitation.
The Marines, though confused, obeyed.
Many still found it hard to believe. If they had to choose between the seemingly ridiculous options, picking D: Become an Ultraman seemed more realistic than Ace dying to Akainu in that manner.
Still, since Ron had spoken, they all chose B without question.
This decision shocked the people in the original world.
"Are they crazy? Why would they all pick the obviously wrong answer?"
Garp was completely baffled.
Even he, despite his brash nature, knew that B made no sense.
Sengoku, watching from the original world, was equally speechless.
"What is with this Ron? Why does everyone listen to him so blindly?"
From the footage, Sengoku noticed something astonishing.
Initially, when he gave the order to choose B, many Marines were hesitant. But the moment they learned it was Ron's decision, they selected B without question. Not a single Marine secretly picked another answer.
"This level of influence is terrifying," Sengoku muttered.
Even as the Fleet Admiral, he couldn't get this kind of blind loyalty from his men. But this political commissar Ron? Everyone trusted his word implicitly.
Sengoku felt an uncomfortable realization creeping in.
"Why does it feel like Ron holds more authority than the actual Marine leaders?"
He pushed that thought aside for now.
The 180-second countdown ticked away.
Unlike the previous world, there was no time wasted on discussion. Ron had made the decision, and the Marines had obeyed.
Time's up.
---
Announcement of the Correct Answer
"Time's up. Anyone who has not answered will be disqualified."
"The correct answer is now revealed."
"Correct Answer: B. Ace was punched through the chest by Akainu and burned to death."
"110,000 people answered correctly."
The revelation sent shockwaves through both worlds.
The answer everyone thought was the least probable turned out to be correct.
"(Original) Sengoku: What? How is that possible?! A Logia user, killed by another fire-based attack?!"
"(Original) Ace: Impossible! How could I lose to Akainu like that? How could fire kill fire?"
"(Present) Sengoku: Ron, how did you know?"
"(Original) Sengoku: That's right. Even I, coming from the original world, didn't see this outcome coming. How did you figure it out?"
---
Sengoku's Doubt and Kizaru's Reward
Meanwhile, the system announced the first person to answer correctly.
"Congratulations to Kizaru for winning the First Answer Reward."
"Please select your reward."
1. Max out Conqueror's Haki and reach its highest level.
2. The Soul of a Worker—Sleep only two hours a day to eliminate all fatigue. The more you work, the more energetic you become.
3. No energy consumption when using awakened Devil Fruit abilities.
4. Increase overall strength by 30%.
Everyone was in awe of the generous rewards.
These were far superior to any previous quiz rewards.
"(Original) Kizaru: Eh? What an interesting selection. If it were me, I'd pick option 3. With unlimited Devil Fruit awakening, I could fight endlessly."
"(Original) Akainu: No, the first option is the best. Conqueror's Haki at its peak is unbeatable."
"(Original) Aokiji: I'd go with the last one. A 30% overall strength boost is insane."
For a moment, everyone debated which choice was best.
One thing was certain—whichever option Kizaru picked, he would surpass his fellow Admirals and possibly even Whitebeard himself.
The people from the original world envied the other Kizaru.
Then, Kizaru made his choice—and left everyone dumbfounded.
"Of course, I'll pick option 2!"
The room fell silent.
What?
Why would anyone choose the worker's soul over the other insanely powerful options?
Kizaru grinned. "Now, I can work without getting tired. Perfect!"
Plop.
People from both worlds collapsed in disbelief.
"You threw away Haki mastery, unlimited Devil Fruit, and a 30% power boost—for what?! To work more?"
Even the original world's Kizaru was shocked.
"(Original) Kizaru: The other me must have a screw loose."
"(Present) Kizaru: You all don't understand. I've been a model worker for 10 years. Now, I can keep working for 20 years without rest!"
Everyone gave up trying to reason with him.
---
Sengoku's Protest
While others reeled from Kizaru's bizarre choice, Sengoku was still fixated on one thing—how Ron had known the answer before it was revealed.
Something wasn't right.
Even in the original world, where events had already played out, nobody could have predicted that Ace would die that way.
But Ron had been absolutely certain.
Sengoku couldn't shake the feeling that Ron had seen Ace's fate somehow.
And that terrified him.
So, he spoke up.
"(Original) Sengoku: I formally protest! I refuse to believe this result until I see proof. How did Ace truly die?"
The system responded.
"Protest accepted. Now playing 'The Death of Ace.'"
A video began to play.
And as the screen lit up, the truth of Ace's death would finally be revealed.
---
To Be Continued…
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