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OPI Chapter 292: The Fifth Dimensional Gate
🕑 Added 2025-02-15 21:38:28 +0000 UTCSea Circle Calendar 1502, September 15.
That day, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise was livelier than usual. Officials from the Propaganda Department held Den-Den Mushi as they closely followed the fifty kings who had gathered for the Levely.
Among the kings, the current emperor of the Empire of the Teigu World stood out. His participation attracted the attention of everyone, including the kings themselves, as he was the first representative from another world to attend the Levely.
In addition to him, Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin and the King of Elbaph also attended Levely for the first time.
Shortly after, the fifty kings left their families and escorts at the Socializing Plaza and headed inside the castle, where the Levely would take place.
Entering the Council Room, everyone saw the huge white round table with the five-circle cross symbol engraved in its center.
Once everyone was seated, attendees began distributing documents with the main topics to be discussed at this Levely.
There were three points on the Levely agenda:
Law on Guaranteeing Basic Living Conditions for All Inhabitants of Starfish World.
Reform of the Proportional Payment System of Heavenly Tribute to the World Government
Nationalization of Devil Fruits and Registration of Devil Fruit Users
Each of these topics was enough to make the kings in the room hold their breath. It was evident that a new era of great change was about to begin.
Finally, the Levely started.
The monarchs began by reviewing the first topic of discussion, and almost immediately many of them frowned.
The Law Ensuring Basic Living Conditions for All Inhabitants of Starfish World stated that all nations must provide their citizens with decent housing, a basic living allowance, employment opportunities, primary and secondary education, as well as medical care.
Although the law stated that in the event of justified difficulties, the World Government would provide financial and logistical support after an evaluation process, many of those present did not trust the effectiveness of this system. They suspected that obtaining such help would be more difficult than it seemed on paper.
However, some monarchs were aware that the World Government had already implemented this plan in some of the poorer kingdoms in recent years. To them, this project was simply being formalized and extended to more regions.
This gave them some confidence, as the World Government had already demonstrated its commitment by investing a considerable amount of resources in these initiatives.
The second item on the agenda, the Reform of the Heavenly Tribute Proportional Payment System, was met with even more discontent among attendees.
In essence, this proposal eliminated the uniform rate of tribute to the World Government and established a progressive system: larger and richer nations would pay more, while smaller and poorer nations would pay less.
At first glance, this seemed like good news for most nations, as many were small and under-resourced.
The problem was that the kings in the room represented richer and more powerful nations. They would not have a seat on the Levely if their nations did not meet those criteria.
Basically, they were asked to sign their own sentence to pay more taxes.
But leaving that aside, among all the monarchs present, almost none would dare to refuse to sign the treaty. Whoever did so would be singled out by the crowd and condemned to absolute contempt.
Over the years, how many kingdoms had fallen into ruin due to the exorbitant amount of heavenly tributes?
Now, at last, the opportunity to improve the situation presented itself.
Do you still dare to refuse?
Finally, the third point: Devil Fruit Nationalization Act and Devil Fruit User Registration. The bill stated that all Devil Fruits would be the property of the World Government.
Anyone who found one in the wild was strictly forbidden to give it to others or trade it.
Instead, people were required to immediately call the Sacred Treasure Office and go to the nearest police station to await the arrival of the collection officers.
However, the informant would not be left empty-handed: If the fruit was identified, he would receive a reward commensurate with its value. If it was an unknown fruit, the minimum compensation would be 100 million berries.
In other words, anyone who found a Devil Fruit and handed it over to the World Government could become a millionaire overnight.
But if someone was caught giving away or selling a Devil Fruit illegally, they would face very serious consequences.
Now, what would happen if someone decided to eat the fruit instead of selling it or giving it away?
According to the law:
Anyone who consumed a Devil Fruit was required to register at the nearest police station, providing their personal information and contact details.
If their address or Den-Den Mushi number changed, they were required to update their information immediately.
This also applied to all current Devil Fruit users.
Furthermore, if the World Government required their skills, the user had an absolute obligation to collaborate. In return, they would receive remuneration, and if their contribution was significant, they would be granted honors and recognition.
But if someone refused to register or was found to have evaded the process for too long, they would face exorbitant fines and forced registration.
And if, after registering, the user refused to comply with the calls of the World Government, the situation would become even more serious…
Each of the three proposals had an impact comparable to that of the previous Act for the Total Prohibition of the Slave Trade and the World-wide Liberation of Slaves.
This also made many kings no longer care about being recorded by the Den-Den Mushi, and gradually slapped the table and talked loudly, and even fought each other with red faces.
Especially the topic of the nationalization of Devil Fruits caused great controversy.
The monarchs of the most powerful and wealthy nations had been hoarding these fruits as treasures for years. Who didn't have at least one in their collection? Who didn't have Devil Fruit-using combatants in their ranks, whether publicly or covertly?
How could they accept it willingly?
Despite their fury, the kings knew that resistance was useless.
Although the Levely was presented as a forum to decide the policies of the World Government for the next four years, anyone with common sense understood that the true power resided in the hands of the Five Elders.
Therefore, the protests of the monarchs were nothing more than a strategy to negotiate better compensation.
...
While the entire world's attention was focused on the Levely, the higher-ups of the World Government turned their attention towards the newly built Dimensional Gate base on the Canberra continent, within the World of the Titans.
Before them, on the holographic screen, six individuals could be seen wearing various clothes and carrying backpacks on their shoulders, waiting in front of the door of the biosafety station.
They were the advance team in charge of exploring the new world.
The fifth Dimensional Gate, opened by Imu for the World Government, was located within the biosecurity station. The biochemical institute had already analyzed the composition of the air on the other side and confirmed that, although it contained unknown elements, it posed no risks to humans.
It had also been determined that the new world had a natural ecosystem, blue skies and a bright sun.
The only peculiar thing was that, as night fell, a second, smaller, reddish moon appeared next to the main moon.
"The time has come. You may enter." Laskey, the current captain of Cipher Pol No. 9, looked at the watch in his hand and his sharp eyes scanned through his red glasses at the six people in front of him.
"Once you cross the gate, it will close immediately. We don't know when it will open again, so you will have to operate without backup in a completely unknown world."
"When we decide to reactivate the gate, we will contact you through Den-Den Mushi. If for some reason you lose communication, you must return to the vicinity of the gate opening point."
"Finally..."
"Amatori Biba will be your captain."
Levi, Uzui Tengen and the others looked at Biba. No one objected to the decision, as his strength was indisputable.
...
The sun was setting on the horizon, announcing the arrival of dusk in Mary Geoise.
The Levely had come to an end.
Even though many kings showed their discontent on the surface, none of them dared to refuse the final signature. With this, the three major decrees proposed by the World Government were officially approved.
At the same time, the monarchs' claims, compiled in an official document, reached the hands of the Five Elders.
As for the Fifth Dimensional Gate, it had been closed by Imu as soon as Biba and his group crossed over to the other side.
The exploration of the other world would take place for a minimum duration of six months. However, according to the prophecy Historia obtained from Ymir, it was that the World Government would encounter a group of individuals who were proficient in magic.
The predictions of Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the Lord of the Path of Peace were vaguer, but they agreed on one thing: in the future, strange races would appear in the Starfish World, including beings with pointy ears, similar to elves.
...
"Look at this." Warcury pointed disdainfully at the documents on the table and let out a sarcastic laugh. "The kings are demanding that we open up a world for their free passage. Furthermore, they are pressuring us to establish a trade regulation between the different worlds."
Nusjuro snorted in displeasure. "Those kings have forgotten their place! Now they even dare to ask things of us as if it were an acquired right!"
At this, Saturn slowly turned his staff in his hands as he looked at the documents with an unfazed expression. "No wonder," he said calmly. "Now that Whitebeard and Big Mom are part of their circle, they feel much more confident than before."
Warcury asked in an inquisitive tone: "And what is the decision?"
"We can consider limited access to the Dimensional Gate," Mars replied. "But their request for access to the Teigu World is out of the question. We have only just begun to exploit its resources, so how can it be their turn to intervene?"
"We can't allow access to the Kabane World either," he added. "That leaves us with two options: the Demon Slayer World and the Titan World."
Saturn shook his head. "The Titan World is out of the question. That world has become a forge world, most of our factories are located on that world, it would not be wise to open it to the other nations."
Nusjuro frowned. "That being the case, the only viable option is the Demon Slayer World. But that world is a gateway to the Titan World. There is a constant transit of military and administrative personnel. Where is the time for them to use the Dimensional Gate?"
With options exhausted, it seemed like no world was suitable for opening.
"I think we can open up the Demon Slayer World in a limited way, set some fixed dates for members of affiliated nations to enter and leave. If there are special circumstances, the World Government can also restrict their entry and exit at any time." Mars interjected.
After giving Mars' proposal some serious thought, the others felt it was a viable proposition.
...
A few hours earlier.
On the other side of Dimensional Gate No. 05, in an unknown world…
Biba and his team watched in silence as the gate disappeared before their eyes in an instant.
Taking advantage of the light of the two moons, they began to examine their surroundings.
It looked like a dense forest, full of vegetation, but the darkness prevented them from distinguishing more details.
At the same time, those with Kenbunshoku Haki scanned the area for any nearby presence.
Cipher Pol had chosen the night for the raid in order to keep the gate hidden and allow the team to camouflage themselves better.
"There are many living presences, but I don't hear any voices that indicate the existence of intelligent beings," Uzui Tengen reported. As he spoke, his ears moved subtly, picking up the sounds around him.
“That’s good news. It doesn’t matter if this world has civilization or not, I don’t want to deal with intelligent beings right after I arrive.” Biba replied calmly, glancing at Horobi, who remained expressionless. Then, without giving it any importance, he gave his orders to the team. “Check the communication headsets. Once the connection is confirmed to be stable, Levi will scout one kilometer to the north, Uzui one kilometer to the south, Horobi one kilometer to the east, and I will take care of the west.”
"Chelsea and Shou Tucker, stay here and set up camp, but don't turn on any lights. We'll meet up in an hour and map out the area. Make sure to report back every ten minutes."
"Understood!" Uzui nodded firmly.
"Got it." Levi replied, his eyes narrowing.
"Okay!" Tucker stated in a calm voice.
"Understood, Captain Biba~~!" Chelsea said with a playful smile.
Horobi simply nodded her head.
Biba didn't give Horobi any further thought. As long as they obeyed his orders, everything was fine. "Okay, let's go!"
[Swish! Swish! Swish!]
In an instant, the silhouettes of the four vanished into the darkness of the forest, leaving only the sound of the wind cut through by their swift movement.
"Wow, they're all incredibly strong…" Chelsea commented with an animated smile, as she nibbled on her lollipop and watched her companions disappear into the darkness.
"No wonder," Tucker replied in a friendly manner. "They are all elites in their respective worlds and have also received years of training from the World Government. It is only natural that they have this level of skill."
He then bent down and began to draw a transmutation circle on the ground.
Inside the circle, he quickly drew formulas, runes, and symbols.
It had been a long time since he had performed basic alchemy with his own hands.
Before, he had low-ranking alchemists who took care of it.
Shortly after, Tucker pressed both palms onto the circle, generating a series of bluish electrical discharges that crackled in the air.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face. “It works! This world allows the use of alchemy!”
