[One Piece] Inferior Star

Chapter 535 Traces of the Heart

On these stone tablets, all the reasons for the curse of the plague thousands of years ago are recorded, and there may even be the origin of the Emerald Isle!This is something no one thought of.So who is it that draws these?Regardless of whether the answer in my heart is reasonable or not, it seems that only one person has the possibility.That is--

"Miss Qili...have you always lived here?" Youxiang asked such a question, "After leaving Wano Country, I came here to live in seclusion until my death—"

"He didn't die?"

"what?!"

The sudden sound made everyone alert. They saw a young woman walking out of the woods behind the group of steles. She was wearing ordinary casual clothes and even had some Totland style. Her face was the same as before. The Qili I saw in the dream is exactly the same, but the barrier is quite stable at this time, and the one in front of me is undoubtedly a human being!

"Eternal...eternal curse..." Youxiang suddenly understood that the reason why Qili can live until now is because she is the same as herself!That voluntary dedication also became a kind of sacrifice. She sacrificed herself, summoned demons, and then cursed all over the earth!

In that case, then she might be the same as herself... Youxiang suddenly had a bad feeling, these stone monuments are the same as the tombstones on the bottom of the sea, and she sacrificed herself——

"Xiaoxi!!"

Almost at the same time as she made a sound, dense black things rushed towards Toki and Oden, but they were blocked by the crows just as they were about to touch them! !

"Yes, this is... a ghoul?" Xipu stood in front of Youxiang, and he looked in surprise at Qili who was wrapped in black in front of him.If you look closely, those things look like insects like flies!

"What is a ghoul???" Ace asked immediately.

"It's low-level demons composed of famine, despair, anger, and resentment...it's very common when human beings haven't developed a complete civilization." Sipp roughly explained, he said, "Sometimes when there is a war or... …places of plague are also unwittingly summoned.”

"That is to say, Qili, like Youxiang, has become the master of the devil or something?"

"It's not very similar, because unlike us, there are many ghouls, and they are usually born directly at the place where they are summoned and have no rationality or higher consciousness... What Qi Li bears is all the things that happened with her at that time. The resentment and despair of the people who died in the country are endless and will never fade."

It's not a bride's contract, it's not as sane and organized.This is the most common end of demon summoning.This is the ending that ordinary people will get when they touch their nightmares—the never-ending pain.

"Arrogance..." Qili smiled, and she said, "I really met a big shot."

"Qi...Miss Qili..." So she didn't make a contract with the devil, but was directly possessed by the devil... Youxiang didn't know what to say, now that Xiaoxi's crows were circling around them to let those bugs Don't come around, obviously Qili itself is full of hostility!

"Miss Qili... You, this is not your own resentment... It's useless to say this now, right?" Ship stopped in the middle of speaking, "I'm sorry, it's very painful, Miss Qili?"

"Who are you talking to? Arrogant Lord. Of course Qili is long gone." Qili, or the devil raised her hand to look at her hand, as if admiring some handicraft, "Humans are really stupid, although this pair of It’s not a bad thing for us.”

"...Miss Qili, ghouls don't have high intelligence. So if you really lost yourself completely, you should roar towards us now." But you didn't.And obviously living here, so... Ship said, "You just started resenting too... right? You just started harnessing the power of the demons, and their resentment became your resentment."

"I'm not a human being for a long time, and what you said is not right." Qi Li smiled slightly, and she said, "Because of some people, I was possessed by this disgusting, dirty bug, and then praised as beautiful My hero, I—I can’t die! My lord! Even if I cut my skin, only disgusting insects will crawl out! I’ve become a disgusting monster that can’t die!!”

"Xiangxiang!"

Xipu immediately turned around. He hugged Youxiang in his arms and then spread his wings to wrap them both. Youxiang only felt that something was being attacked outside. She couldn't imagine that it was those people just now. Bugs, just when she felt as if a bug had crawled up her leg, the flames exploded with a bang out of Chip's wings!

The sound of the insect's wings vibrating disappeared immediately. When Xipu opened his wings again, You Xiang could still see something burning and falling from the sky.On the other side, when Oden was protecting Shi, and Ace was standing not far in front of them, he was still half burning, and his expression was not very good:

"Although I don't know what's going on with you now, if you attack Youxiang, I will make you suffer even more?"

"You don't understand! You must not understand! That girl, she is not herself anymore!" Qili was a little hysterical, she pointed at Youxiang with rounded eyes and said, "She exudes the breath of the dream world, she Already a demon, she has no heartbeat, I can't feel it!"

"Ah?" Without a heartbeat, I know what's going on... Ace glanced at Sipp, and what he needed to confirm was that sentence: She is not herself anymore.

"It's different, Qili." Shipp felt that if he didn't explain it, he would be the one who burned Ace in the next second, "Youxiang will not become a demon. As a human being and becoming eternal, this is her Use a normal life to sacrifice to us, and then exchange for something."

"I don't understand!" Qili became a little broken again, she hugged her head, "Why? Why did I become the only monster? Why did this happen? Those resentments, those voices, are in my ears, every day, every day ... I just want to help, I just want to do something, is this my fault? is it my fault??"

"You are not wrong! Miss Qili!!"

Youxiang replied loudly, but before she finished speaking, Qili also raised her voice and shouted: "That's right! I'm not wrong! I'm absolutely right!! It's those people who are wrong, those who are dead, and those who are alive Yes, those who cursed me and made me suffer, those who praised me as a hero and hoped that I would continue to help them suffer! It’s everyone! Everyone is wrong!!”

"Xiaoxi..." Is Miss Qili... crazy?Youxiang felt a little sad, she said, "Why did it become like this..."

"I'm sorry, Xiangxiang. I also..." This is something I can't help.Xipu said, "This is the normal ending of demon summoning...and Qili probably didn't do it voluntarily, she just became a 'sacrifice' by accident. It's not her fault, nor your fault, Xiang fragrant."

"But Miss Qili has become...become like this, but I..."

"A lot of things are unreasonable, Xiangxiang. There is nothing fair or unreasonable, and there is nothing reasonable or unreasonable. It is absolutely impossible to make a deal with a demon to be fair and reasonable." No matter who summons the demon, it will only change in the end. Come on.Shipp said, "...Sorry. That's what the call of the three religions is going to be."

"...If, if the demon possessing Miss Qili was summoned by all the people of Wano who were persecuted, if this is also a summoning of three religions, then... as the pure big demon, Konishi, Frey There are other people who are summoned, what kind of price is needed? What is the real price of the bride's contract? Xiaoxi??"

Shipp didn't answer the question, he had images of exploding stars, broken warships and executed people in his mind.What is the real price of the bride's contract... I am afraid that only the person who summoned them in the first place can really explain clearly.Everything is for the purpose of making Youxiang a 'bride', gaining the power that human beings shouldn't have——

In terms that can be easily understood by humans, those people used Youxiang as a raw material for a 'weapon', and she was just a part of all the sacrifices.It's like the most critical part.This is just a 'necessary price', what really matters is the final 'weapon'.

It's just that there is still something more precious in this world than all those devastating costs.As long as you offer that, even a demon will succumb.And I'm afraid this is what Qili lacks compared to Youxiang.

However, this is no one's fault.At least, both of them were unwilling sacrifices, and neither of them was wrong.

"Xiaoxi!!"

"Sorry. Now is not the time to talk about this, Youxiang."

Sipp's tone has changed slightly, he is now more like a demon: "Don't forget your real purpose here. There is no time left. If you want to save someone important to you, you may have to You have to trample on other people's lives, even so, do you want to save them? Are they such an important person to you?"

"what……?"

"This is a cruel question, but...you have reached the moment when you have to answer." Xipu was very serious, he looked at Youxiang, his wings spread outward, and the whites of his eyes turned black, "Qi Li Possessed by a demon and after thousands of years, she is no longer human. She is now just a shell with the last layer of human consciousness."

"Although it's pitiful, are you really strong enough to pity the enemy? You Xiang? Is that all you made up your mind before?"

"..." I made up my mind... Even if I want to defeat Miss Qili, I must...

"Issue your order, my master, my bride." Sipp spread his wings to the maximum, and he said, "Without a heart, there is no way to save anyone. But without a heart, no one can be saved." .What do you want to do, tell me now."

I... I want... Youxiang to look at Qili who is almost collapsed in the back, she can't communicate at all now, maybe in her dream, she showed her last bit of reason.A thousand years is really too long, no one can demand that she remain noble forever, it is not her fault, but...

Youxiang looked at Oden Kazutoki again, the person who is being tortured in the future at this moment is even more right.Mr. Mita and Miss Toki are not wrong either.This is unreasonable and absolutely not fair.

"Only the heart... can't save anyone..."

I heard this sentence not long ago.It's just that the person who told me at that time was not Xipu, but Qili.Shi walked up to Youxiang, and said to her: "Youxiang, I... no matter what price I pay, I will protect the one I love. And... I will never reject my own end point."

"Miss Shi...?"

"People always need a hero as their spiritual sustenance, whether it's Qili or Oda-sama...but that's an irresponsible behavior. We throw the burden on the heroes without authorization, hoping that they will help us bear everything." Youxiang smiled, and she said, "Youxiang, you don't have to be a hero instead of us, and you don't have to force yourself to bear everything."

"That's right." This is what we should take on, no.This is what I should take on.Oden also came over, he drew his sword, looked at Qi Li and said, "This should not be your choice. Yuxiang. Thank you for never coming here to tell me. Next is the big hero The job! You can quit now!"

"Mister Mita, wait a minute—"

"Qili!!" Mita raised his knife and pointed at Qili. He said loudly, "My name is Kozuki Mita! He is the man who is about to give you the end. Use your whole body and the few remaining souls to remember the light. Yue's name! Whether it is now or in the future, I! Will protect Wano country from your hands!!"

"Light...moon...?"

Qili, who was still muttering, suddenly raised her head, she didn't dodge, and the surrounding bugs didn't come around again, she just stood there and was cut off by Mitian's knife!For some reason, fresh blood spewed out of her beautiful body that should not bleed. She looked at her own blood in surprise and joy: "Can I...can I die?"

"... Thank you for your hard work. Master Qili." At this time, Yutian put the knife into its sheath, and he said, "Leave the burden of being a hero to me. You don't need to bear all this anymore. All the pain, all the resentment, all Don’t be reconciled, leave it all to me. I will succeed you, I will replace you, and protect the country of Wano.”

"...I... Originally..." Qili's body was collapsing, the surrounding bugs were also spreading, and the stone tablet was shattered piece by piece for some reason, and tears flowed from Qili's eyes, "It's love ...I... don't want to hate... Master Kozuki..."

"Ah, I understand how you feel." I also couldn't wait to escape from that place, but now, I really want to go back there.We all love that place, after all, it's our hometown, and we all have a responsibility to protect it.

This responsibility may not be what we want, and we may have avoided it because of it, but...but in the end, it has become a situation that only we can do before we know it.Until this time, we can only go up.

It's hard work, it's hopeless.It's okay, it's over now.Everything will end.One day, Wano Kingdom will not need prophecies, curses, or heroes, it will become a brand new look, I promise you, Qili, I promise you, what you sacrificed yourself to protect , I will continue to protect it!

Yu Tian said: "Rest in peace. Beautiful."

"Yes, Oden-sama." Qi Li closed her eyes and smiled, "Finally, please be careful...that man still exists. He is more... hopeless than me."

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The author has something to say:

Qili wanted to use herself as a sacrifice to end people's resentment, but unexpectedly, she was possessed by a demon summoned because of people's resentment, and became something neither human nor ghost.She tried to record everything, trying to keep the heart that wanted to protect the land she loved, but in the end she was swallowed and collapsed.

The thing Xipu said is inferior to Youxiang in beauty is love, the love of others. After all, after the bride's contract is reached, Youxiang can still maintain a fairly normal life like this, and it is also a sacrifice from Youxiang's mother. It was only in exchange for other things! (See Chapter 182 for details! Xiaoxi’s section!)

As for Qili, everyone hopes that she will solve all problems as a hero, people are just shrugging off their responsibilities, calling for heroes from beginning to end, making her have to make sacrifices like kidnapping.In the end, she also developed resentment.

Oden’s relief for her at this time is equivalent to waking up on behalf of the people of Wano Country, and represents the "commitment" to prepare for self-help, while Qili has been determined to die. After someone takes over her "mission", she can finally become a human being. dead.Perhaps it was because of the hearts of both parties that Oden's sword was able to injure Qili, who was no longer human, and let her really die. (As for the remaining demons, we will deal with them in the next chapter!)