svetikya Chapter 354 Not a Difficult Multiple Choice Question
Chapter 354 Not a Difficult Multiple Choice Question
"kill!"
On Flower Fruit Mountain, shouts of battle were already deafening.
Amidst the sounds of battle, numerous monkeys and their offspring clashed with the heavenly soldiers and generals.
And in the midst of the great war.
A group of trial participants, who had transformed into monkeys, gathered together. While fighting, they watched as the shadowy figures of light flashed across the clouds in the sky, occasionally shattering the clouds and flashing blades that pierced the sky.
Even the slightest drop of that power would shatter a mountain range below and evaporate a lake.
"No matter how many times I watch it, I can't help but sigh...it's truly terrifying."
Some of the trial participants couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes, I was so scared when I first saw it that I fainted on the spot. When I woke up, the trial was already over. If I hadn't been lucky enough to be saved by a monkey and barely made it through the first round of trials, I wouldn't have even been able to get a visa."
"Speaking of which, although the Trial Grounds were created by the Twelve Constellations using their abilities, they should still have a prototype, right? Is this Trial Grounds based on some island or country in the ocean? This is way too powerful!"
"Impossible. If there really was an island like Flower Fruit Mountain, it would be known even in the far corners of the world. Every single monkey on it is a rare and precious animal."
"By the way, what does the Heavenly Court represent? The Celestial Dragons?"
"Huh? Don't be ridiculous. How could those scumbags possibly compare to the gods of Heaven?"
From the conversation among the group, it was clear that most of the participants were no longer in a trial and were quite familiar with their surroundings, so they were not particularly flustered.
They all knew that this battle wouldn't last long—in a little while, the process of this "Battle of Flower Fruit Mountain" would be sped up and skipped. They would see Flower Fruit Mountain littered with corpses and the Monkey King captured and taken to heaven. Then they would be prompted "Trial failed" and teleported out of the trial grounds.
They tried more than one method to this end—some tried to escape Flower Fruit Mountain, or to hide in some corner, but all of them failed in the end.
And that is indeed the case.
"Buzz!"
It happened right between their words.
The divine light in the sky and the sound of war drums grew increasingly intense.
Then, time around us began to accelerate instantly.
"In this trial, 89 people failed and will soon be teleported out of the trial grounds."
And during that accelerated time, they heard the same sound as always.
But it followed closely behind.
"One person has succeeded in this trial and will soon proceed to the next stage."
Then they heard a sound unlike any they had ever heard before.
"Did someone succeed?"
"The next stage of the trial?"
"It's that guy!" All the trial participants present became excited.
They had realized that the "successful trial participant" mentioned in the prompt must be Luffy, who had been taken to the sky with the Monkey King not long ago!
"Hey! He's the only one who succeeded, what a lucky guy!"
"Finally, someone's made it to the next stage! Hey, does anyone know that guy? I need to buy information about the second stage trial from him after we get out!"
"Brother Ross, you seemed to know him quite well just now?"
Some people couldn't help but look at Ross, their conversation quite familiar—as one of the first people to arrive on the Esther, almost all the trial participants who entered Flower Fruit Mountain knew Ross.
They also knew that this older brother seemed to have been a slave in the past, however.
Nobody cares about that kind of thing anymore; there's no concept of slavery on the Esther.
"No, I don't know him either, and I've forgotten to exchange names with him."
Ross shook his head: "But I saw a straw hat on his back. That's probably something he always carries with him. You can keep an eye out for it when we get out."
At this point, Ross scratched his head again: "And, although there's no evidence... I think that guy is probably not a navy officer or a civilian; he's most likely a pirate."
He couldn't help but recall Luffy's appearance—that carefree, chuckling demeanor and eccentric behavior—and for some inexplicable reason, he felt this way. "Straw hat? Pirate?"
Upon hearing this, the trial participants silently memorized these two pieces of information.
As they spoke, their bodies began to slowly transform into scattered starlight.
Just then...
"Bang!"
An old monkey covered in blood appeared before them, holding a long staff.
Upon seeing their bodies slowly transform into specks of light, the monkey seemed momentarily stunned.
But then...
"Is it magic? Your Majesty... Your Majesty taught you magic?"
He was clearly seriously injured and his mind was no longer clear.
But a hint of relief appeared on the monkey's face: "Good...good, escape if you can, try to save your life, try to survive."
As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed to the ground with a thud and fell silent.
at the same time..
"Buzz!"
The figures of all the trial participants had completely dissipated.
The next moment, their consciousness returned to the Esther.
The enormous star gate still stood before them.
But their bodies are no longer those of monkeys.
They looked at each other, their expressions complex.
This is not the first time.
Each round of trials, sooner or later, is simply a replay of the same story.
On several occasions, after the Monkey King's defeat in the final battle at Flower Fruit Mountain, when they were teleported away, they would encounter other native monkeys. These monkeys might suspect the trial participants of being "traitors to Heaven," or be angry at their "escape," or, like the old monkey in this instance, be "delighted."
"I know that old monkey. He's the manager of the orchard. I picked peaches with his grandson before, and he told me that he likes the white-haired female monkey on the east cliff."
"What a coincidence, I recognize the female monkey you mentioned... Come see me next time, and we can introduce you to that guy."
Yes.
They all participated in the trials for their own wishes or goals.
However, during the trials, they had to live as monkeys in Flower Fruit Mountain each time, only the duration varied.
To this day, many of them have lived as "monkeys" there for more than a few months.
They had already recognized many of the monkeys in Flower Fruit Mountain, and had even become friends with many of them in order to gather intelligence.
Therefore, no matter how many times they go through it, the trial participants can't help but sigh.
"Those monkeys, that Flower and Fruit Mountain... are they really just fictional beings?"
They had almost never discussed such a thought.
But almost everyone has thought about it to some extent.
If that trial ground, if those guys inside are real... that wouldn't be bad.
Of course, the trial participants quickly put their minds at ease.
"Anyway, let's just wait here—wait for that guy to come out."
"Yes, everyone should pay attention to the person wearing the straw hat."
"This is the first time the trial has entered a new stage. He can't possibly pass it in one go; he should be out soon!"
But clearly, the trial participants who were teleported away were unaware of this.
At this point, Luffy's experiences were far more bizarre than they had imagined.
"Huh?"
Luffy was staring wide-eyed at the scene around him.
Before him, he could no longer see the endless heavenly soldiers and generals, nor the majestic Monkey King clad in golden armor.
"Where is he? Didn't he promise to treat me to meat after the fight?"
Luffy muttered to himself.
"Where am I? It looks so glamorous. Wait, where are my eyes?"
He instinctively looked up and saw an extremely magnificent palace.
The surrounding pillars are carved with dragons and phoenixes, and seven-colored celestial light swirls between them. There are also magnificent celestial clouds all around, revealing the extremely tall and illusory figures of gods.
But then Luffy realized another problem.
He has no eyes—or to be more precise, he can't feel his own body.
It was as if he were residing in the body of some being from a special, almost "third-party" perspective.
"Um?"
Before Luffy could react...
"Demon Monkey".
He heard it, the sound coming from beside his ear.
The voice was very strange—to Luffy, it sounded like his grandfather, like Shanks, and at the same time, it seemed like one of the nobles that Sabo had mentioned before.
The voice carried a kind of "majesty" that even someone as fearless as Luffy would instinctively feel awe from.
Then, Luffy was horrified to discover that "his" hands seemed to be bound at that moment.
Immediately afterwards, his body was also uncontrollably pushed to the ground.
Only through the reflection of the floor tiles did Luffy finally see his current appearance.
That blood-stained golden armor, that arrogant figure—at this moment, he was none other than the "Monkey King".
Do you know your crime?
The authoritative voice continued to ring out.
"You know... your crime!?"
Upon hearing this, Luffy frowned.
At the same time, he also heard the body, the Monkey King, reply: "Sin?"
"Hahahaha! You old Jade Emperor, tell me, what crime have I committed?"
He laughed so loudly, his words seemingly full of disdain.
"You are a naturally gifted monkey, born with all seven orifices open and the three gates complete. You should ascend to heaven to be appointed by the gods, receive a divine title, and enjoy heavenly blessings."
"However, you did not recognize the opportune time, disrupted the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, and rebelled against Heaven; this is your crime."
As he spoke...
Luffy then heard the Monkey King's roaring reply from within that body.
"Wrong, wrong! You old Jade Emperor, I am not some born clever monkey with all seven orifices open—quite the opposite, I am born stubborn and ignorant, unable to understand profound truths."
"I only know how to see with my eyes."
He sneered: "I only know you so-called gods of the Heavenly Court, standing among the clouds but unaware of the suffering of the world, punishing mortals because of your own likes and dislikes, and annihilating a country because they do not obey your rule."
"They summoned me to heaven, but they deceived me greatly and showed no sincerity."
"Such heavenly blessings are too much for me to bear, which is why I have rebelled against heaven. How could I be guilty?"
He said that.
Luffy couldn't understand most of it.
But inexplicably—as the Monkey King roared, Luffy's memories seemed to be stirred by some force. He inexplicably remembered some things as well.
For example, he recalled his first stop at sea—where he met his first friend after setting sail, "Coby," and the tyrannical naval captain, "Morgan."
"I'm a member of the Navy, the 'sword' of the World Government to suppress the seas. You insects should naturally obey my orders." That's what the other party said.
Then, Luffy remembered Nami's hometown, "Cocoyasi Village," a place also ruled by the fishman pirate Arlong with the Navy's tacit approval.
Then came Alabasta, and Water Seven... He had unknowingly traveled to many places.
Upon closer reflection, although he hadn't paid much attention to it, he seemed to have encountered oppressed people in many places.
Whether it's the Navy, pirates, or something else, Luffy will get angry and might even punch the other party away.
But
"What is the root cause of the current state of the world? Luffy?"
Luffy seemed to hear someone asking him a question.
He remembered a question Shanks had asked him during a casual conversation when he was a child, or a question Rayleigh had recently discussed with him.
Luffy remembered that he didn't seem to give an answer.
After all, just like the words the Monkey King had roared at the gods earlier, such questions were simply too profound for him. But it was precisely at this moment...
"Monkey demon, you still have a choice."
The voice of the being known as the "Jade Emperor" once again reached Luffy's ears.
It was as if the master of the gods was issuing him a final ultimatum.
"Confess your crimes and submit to the law, and return to the Heavenly Court."
"From this day forward, you shall be my guardian deity in Heaven, and you shall not enter the mortal realm without permission."
"In this way, I can guarantee the safety of your monkey descendants and ensure the continuation of your Flower Fruit Mountain lineage."
The voice, at the very end, was almost like thunder.
In Luffy's mind, it felt as if countless mountains were pressing down on his spirit, forcing him to submit and compromise. And so it was at this very moment.
"Nika/Joyboy/David".
Memories surfaced in his mind again out of nowhere.
It seemed to be somewhere extremely high, where you could see the clouds.
A being wearing a crown, whose face was obscured, was asking him a final question amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"The journey has come to an end."
Chi said this to the hero who once tried to liberate the world.
Luffy could almost see figures collapsing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
He didn't recognize them.
But he also seemed to see Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Reiju, Brook, Chopper, Franky among those figures. He saw his own crewmates, and the shadows of many others.
They were all seriously injured, and seemed to be waiting for hope.
"Submit to Mother, and be with Mother."
"Abandon those insects, abandon your delusions."
"Muko will make you Celestial Dragons, grant you divine status, allow you to reside in the divine realm, and let you live forever in the heavens."
"Mukden will protect your companions and give you endless riches."
"Mukher will grant you eternal life and everlasting existence."
The spark of hope is in Luffy's hands; he has the choice.
Choose to end the journey here, let dreams turn into fleeting light, and let them flow away.
You will gain wealth, power, and status, and your companions will also be able to survive.
Choose—choose that foolish rebellion.
You will suffer death and pain; the world will face disaster, and your companions will be in danger.
"It's not a difficult choice, is it?"
It seemed as if a voice was speaking to Luffy.
Luffy then fell silent.
He was silent along with the Monkey King in the Heavenly Palace.
They all closed their eyes.
then
Open your eyes again.
Yes, it's not hard to choose.
"I refuse!"