Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

The three young slaves signed their names without hesitation.

Then, the next moment, they heard Tsurugi's gentle voice.

"Very good, congratulations on becoming followers of the water goddess Aqua and the war god Tsugumi. Remember to be kind to others in the future~~~ As long as you uphold the doctrine, you can go to heaven to enjoy happiness after you die."

The three children stared in astonishment at the handsome man who appeared before them. This man, who had single-handedly intimidated the entire Valley of the Gods, had actually come all the way to them!

"I will keep an eye on every kind believer," Tsugumi said with a smile as she looked at them.

"I cannot promise you the good things of the present, because no one knows where the future will lead. As the doctrine says, we will not restrict what you do; our only requirement is that you be good people with a clear conscience."

"This is enough. This is perfect."

"God does not ask for your offerings, nor does He ask for your fanaticism. If you want to fight, choose the latter; if you want to be friendly, choose the former. There is no superior or inferior choice, only the right path that pleases God."

"Big brother, does heaven really exist? Does the afterlife exist?" Big Bear looked at the messenger of the gods with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, of course it exists." Tsugumi smiled and stroked his head with one hand.

"Little Bartholomew, your father is here waiting for you. Would you like to see him?"

—Even if it didn't exist before, it did after I arrived!

While the One Piece world does not have a fixed afterlife, it does have related understandings and actual products of the concept of the soul.

Or rather, the human beings in this world are inherently capable of forming a collective understanding of a certain belief or concept, thereby generating tangible products.

Devil Fruits are a product of this concept.

Devil Fruits are products born from humanity's expectations and desires for "evolution." Because the human population strongly desires certain abilities, such as controlling fire or ice, and yearns for the natural abilities possessed by other species in nature, this "possibility of evolution" is materialized into fruits.

Im ate the original 'Devil Fruit', while the many more Mythical Zoan Fruits are the most direct embodiment of this concept.

By the time the One Piece manga reached the Elbaf arc, it had entered the 'Age of Gods,' with the emergence of gods like the Sun God, the Rain God, the Forest God, and the Earth God. However, these gods were not actually real gods; they were merely conceptual products resulting from humanity's worship and condensation of certain beliefs.

Just like the Nika Fruit disguised as a rubber fruit, it might actually be the other way around. It's not that it's naturally a divine fruit, but rather that those who eat it will become symbols of the so-called sun god under people's desire and worship.

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It was Joy Boy who became the sun god, not Joy Boy who ate the fruit of the sun god.

This shows just how powerful people in this world are at spreading their 'names'!

That's why Tsurugi chose this world—it's moderately powerful, vast enough, has a long enough timeline, and a very suitable environment.

It's perfect for him to use Aqua's skin to conduct his own deification experiments.

When Tsuruga arrived, he conveniently connected with his own underworld—the underworld he had expanded was now enormous, almost indistinguishable from a complete world.

He was too lazy to maintain the environment inside, always leaving it to the ghosts to handle themselves. One half was a collection of his punishment rooms from cyber hell to various other hells, while the other half was a pure paradise for these kind souls.

Dongjiang has plenty of resources, so they just throw them in and let them handle it themselves. Especially after Tianyuan went in, he really used his experience to create one paradise after another where the souls could have their wishes fulfilled.

When Tsurugi arrived in this world, she directly connected her underworld to this world, and the souls of the dead would naturally enter it.

This also includes Kula, the father of the Wanderer's bear.

Tsurugi flicked his finger, and the next moment, a point of light appeared in front of the bear.

"dad!!!"

Upon seeing his father, who had been shot dead by a Celestial Dragon, appear before him, Kuma couldn't contain his emotions and burst into tears, throwing himself into his father's arms.

The father smiled and comforted his son, telling him about the beauty of heaven, and that he and his mother were waiting for him there, but—

"Do not despise the suffering on earth because of the beauty of heaven. Earth is a painful practice and trial. Only those who prove their good deeds and virtue can enjoy bliss in heaven."

Tsugumi, with a slightly serious expression, persuaded everyone who had been influenced by him to see their relatives.

"Life is a long yet short journey. For the eternity after death, the hundred years of human life is an exam. Those who do well go to heaven, and those who do poorly go to hell."

“I sincerely hope that you will follow goodness, even if it goes against the doctrine. The doctrine is a standard to guide people toward goodness, but it is not an inviolable dogma, much less an excuse for you to exclude those who disagree with you!”

"I must warn you, anyone who tries to harm or persecute others in the name of the Axis religion will surely fall into the deepest hell after death and never be reincarnated!"

Tsuruga gave the believers a stern warning, as he abhorred nothing more than anyone using his name to wage religious war.

Not only him, but God and Jesus also detested this kind of behavior the most.

After all, this is not just an individual's evil deed, but also involves their faith and so-called "good intentions" that they believe to be correct, which inevitably makes them feel guilty.

The believers nodded frantically, and the three children whose tragic futures had been altered would forever remember this lesson.

"But, messenger of the gods!" One, or rather the only, marine who had been drawn here because of his good deeds stepped forward and spoke sorrowfully to the messenger of the gods before him.

"But what if we have to kill other people who want to uphold justice in order to make the world a better place?"

“If your sense of justice is right, then you’re not wrong,” Tsugumi said with a light laugh.

“I know what you mean. There are indeed many righteous and correct Marines, but so what? When they are protecting the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, which is a collection of evil, they have no justice to speak of. They are just the largest pirate crew on the sea.”

"'The worst order is better than the best chaos' is the most viciously true statement in the world. It is true, but it obscures what lies behind it—if there is no conflict and chaos, how can there be a new order?"

Dragon's originally sad and cloudy eyes gradually brightened, and he nodded heavily. At this moment, the son of a naval hero had found his future path and the belief that he was determined to uphold!

—Lead the Axis cult to overthrow the World Government!

Tsugumi was taken aback by Ryu's idea for a moment, but then a look of pleasure appeared on her face.

What's wrong?! Is it really that bad for the Axis to lead the world?

It's really bad, but it's still better than the world government!

Besides, let him do it! Anyway, Tsurugi will correct the mistakes, and isn't that what the immortal philosopher king does?

Outside the realm of thought, the marines and pirates of God Valley were completely unaware of what had transpired. They only saw the slaves and commoners before them pause for a moment, then their faces lit up with expressions of immense happiness and relief before they signed their names on the parchment in their hands, or simply shouted them out.

"I want to join the Axis Cult!!!"

The next second, all those who had joined the Axis Cult were sent out of the Valley of the Gods by Tsurugi and scattered to various corners of this sea.

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They will spread the divine names of Aqua and Tsurugi, bringing sparks to every aspect of this sea!

Of course, this will be a long period of incubation.

When Dongjiang returns after making a full circle, that will be the moment to activate everything and completely steer the world onto a distorted path.

The enormous phantom of Aqua suddenly dissipated, and Tsugumi also turned to leave.

Just then, someone boldly called out to Dongjiang.

"Hey, what's with that messenger of the goddess or something!"

Garp arrived in the air and looked at Tsugumi with a nonchalant expression.

"Do you and your goddess want to replace the world government?!"

What outrageous words! But Garp could say them, even in front of all the Celestial Dragons—no, perhaps it was precisely because of the presence of so many Celestial Dragons that he could say them.

After all, he came to God Valley with the purpose of hunting down Roger, but after realizing what he had protected, Garp is now disgusted to the core.

Of course, Garp didn't have any complicated or unnecessary thoughts; he simply didn't have the brain for it! Asking such a question was purely out of curiosity.

Of course, this was the answer everyone was curious about, and even Im looked up with a nervous expression.

Amidst all the focused gazes, Tsugumi smiled slightly and said softly.

Does it matter?

“It’s very important.” Garp picked at his ear, then said with a serious expression.

"I know they're rotten, but you can't just destroy them all without doing anything about it. I know I'm no match for you, but if that's your goal, our navy will stop you until the very end!"

"This is a 'trial'," Tsurugi said with a slight smile.

“You are not important, nor is what you build. Life is a trial, and what you give is the answer that determines eternity after death.”

"Wait, plant the seeds of faith and wait for them to ferment. The gods will eventually return, and when I arrive, this world will face its final judgment!!!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I finally managed to get the inter-posts back online. Anyway, I'm offering a reward, asking for monthly tickets, donations, and anything else. I'll work harder to catch up on everything I missed recently!

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664. Provoking Trouble and Alabasta

"Ahei! Ahei! Ahei!"

"Hey, hey, hey, are you really sick with a cold? Cheer up!"

Inside the Adventurers' Guild in Axel, Kazuma, seeing Aqua sneezing incessantly since yesterday, worriedly handed her a cup of hot water.

"No way, how could I catch a cold? Achoo!" Aqua rubbed her chilly shoulders and muttered.

"Could it be because my divine essence was taken away...?"

"Good day, Aqua-sama."

Just then, Tsugumi's voice came unexpectedly again. Aside from Kazuma being startled, Aqua reacted as if she had seen a long-lost relative.

"Waaaaah, you're finally here!!!" Aqua burst into tears and rushed over, hugging Tsugumi's waist tightly and refusing to let go.

"Can I go back? Can I finally return to the Heavenly Realm?!"

Tsugumi looked at Aqua, maintaining a fake smile, and smiled as she looked at Aqua, whose face was covered in snot and tears.

"After joint discussions at the Celestial Conference, we have finally reached a conclusion regarding the matter of Lady Aqua—"

"Mmmmm!!!" Aqua's eyes sparkled, and she nodded repeatedly in anticipation.

"With Lady Aqua absent, the number of reincarnated individuals from the Japanese region traveling to this world has decreased significantly—"

"So can I go back now?!" Aqua asked, raising her hands.

“Senior Eris cast the crucial vote.” Tsugumi changed the subject, spreading her hands and shrugging.

"She said that Aqua-senpai's example in conquering the Demon Lord of this world is an encouraging act, so we must let Aqua-senpai unleash her full potential to achieve her self-goals and personal value..."

Aqua's body turned to stone in an instant.

"Hey, Aqua, are you okay?" Kazuma cautiously poked Aqua with his finger, and then the next second...

"Whoa!!! Eris, I'm not done with you yet! You just wait, you just wait!!!"

Filled with grief and indignation, and convinced that Eris had utterly tricked her, Aqua raised her hands and shouted to the sky.