Season 4: Chapter 187. The Great Legacy (2)
“Tell me everything. In detail.” Zelu readily sat beside Shrimp.
Shrimp nodded and began. “First of all, we never truly surrendered.”
Sure, Team Rocket looked like idiots. However, they weren’t complete fools. Their surrender wasn’t genuine, but a strategic move.
“You surrendered your entire nation deliberately? Without fighting?” Zelu couldn’t believe it.
Neither could the viewers.
— ????
— They WHAT?
— We thought they lost in battle lmao
— Fake surrender speedrun
“No wonder Paprika fell like wet tissue paper.”
“I told you! It was fake.”
“How is it fake when we’re literally mining for Cheese and eating rations like orcs!? This is slavery with extra steps!”
— ‘fake slavery’ lmao
— gracious defeat coping arc
— they lost so fast it became meta
Shrimp continued. “We lack power for now, so let’s play along. They feed us, we mine, and raise our levels. We bide our time.”
“So, this humiliation is a long con? A trick show for food?”
Zelu wasn’t convinced. Neither was chat.
— trick show, I'm dying
— cope harder
— okay sure buddy~ fake oppression
— ‘We threw the fight on purpose’ energy
“We’re waiting for the right moment.”
“And when is that? When my father and mother soared like rockets? THAT wasn’t the moment?!” Zelu shot up furiously.
— THIS KID IS SPITTING FIRE
— actual trauma flashback arc
— you can FEEL the resentment
Shrimp looked away as guilt flickered across his face. “We failed your father. I’m sorry.”
“Pfft!” Choco Shroom couldn’t hold in her laugh.
— LMAOOOO the delivery killed me
— Shrimp’s remorse, voice actor of the year
“But your father and us had purpose, Zelu. A righteous cause.”
“A righteous cause without strength is just... emotional clutter, sir.”
— OH DAMN
— Zelu philosophy
— THIS IS NOT A CHILD SPEAKING
— new protagonist unlocked
Shrimp fell silent, but only for a moment. “Strength... yes. You’re right. Soon, we will have it.”
Zelu’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Black Pepper and Salt found him, the legendary scientist who can upgrade the Avenger and Lava Shaman class. Every class.”
They mentioned the name Genzo.
Zelu froze. He never knew the world was bigger than these two villages. He’d never seen the library, nor had he received administrative hints. This was a revelation.
“There’s a person like that? Really?”
They had shattered his worldview in real time.
— LORE DROP
— Mad scientist update??
— WHO IS HE?
— OP class ascension incoming
Shrimp raised his chin with dramatic weight. “This world is bigger than you imagine. Dream, Zelu.”
“Dream...”
“Yes, this world belongs to those who dream.”
It was a beautiful line, but Zelu rejected it instantly. “No.”
“What?”
“I have something to share. Here it is.” Zelu reached into his inventory.
Thok.
He lifted a block of Fertile Soil.
“I made this.”
Shrimp’s breath stopped.
“The world does not belong to dreamers. It belongs to those who hold Fertile Soil.”
— THIS KID IS TOO RAW
— that’s literally One Piece
— the man is BUILT FOR STREAMING
— whoever controls Fertile Soil controls the world
***
Meanwhile, Acorn Jelly returned to Cheese Village with a terrifying secret. He felt lucky.
“So, the Knights set out?”
“Yes! Didn’t you see the world chat?”
He heard it from Miho, the ranch owner.
“They rode out so magnificently. On the horses I raised!” She hopped into Survival Craft, squealing and fangirling over Almond.
Acorn Jelly wanted to join in too.
‘This is my chance.’
With the Knights gone, he could test Fertile Soil production in peace.
“I see, but what if monsters attack tonight?”
“Oh! A monster wave is scheduled today. The villagers will handle stragglers.”
That was more good news.
“Right...”
If no big wave came, the Cheese villagers could defend themselves. They were armored and high-level now.
“Oh, plus the Druids from the Nonghyup Union will guard us.”
“The what?”
“The Nonghyup Union!”
“No, it’s just... never mind.” Acorn Jelly swallowed his laugh.
The moment he heard about the Nonghyup Union, a dark thought flickered across his mind.
‘What if... I told Donuts about this?’
Donuts definitely hadn’t folded to the Knights completely. He’d be waiting for an opening, for a chance to turn the board over. If Acorn Jelly couldn’t shoulder this secret alone, then maybe...
‘No. No. What am I thinking?
He shook his head sharply.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing! Nothing at all!”
Miho blinked, confused.
Acorn Jelly bolted like he was fleeing from danger. The moment he was alone, he yelled into his stream chat, “D-Dammit! I, I can’t tell them! I’ll die!! I’ll get erased from the world!!”
— LMAOOOOO what does he know?
— method acting or actual panic??
— bro sweating IRL
— you have a chance to become the Viewership King, just leak it
The viewers desperately wanted him to leak it.
However, Acorn Jelly looked around at Cheese Village. He saw perfect streets and houses warm against the winter. Everyone lived comfortably with no starvation or monster threat. People played fun jobs while all the dirty mining labor had been outsourced to foreign workers like Paprika.
“This... is a perfectly developed nation.”
Cheese was polished, stable, and peaceful. Could one villager alone reveal that this peace was built on blood and soil?
“No. I... I can’t break this peace.” He took a long breath. “If nothing else, at least I can use the truth. I’ll create Fertile Soil myself. For progress. For efficiency.”
‘Not to expose them, but to profit from it.’
It was cowardly, but practical.
“I have to test it first. When tonight’s monsters come, then I’ll know for sure.”
— fair enough
— if it’s too heavy, don’t leak it man
— he’s too nice for this cursed knowledge
— why give truth to this guy? lmao
— just become an evil Fertile Soil landlord, do it
Night fell, and the usual wave of monsters appeared. Acorn Jelly lit a torch and quietly headed off to perform his forbidden experiment.
***
Meanwhile, in Paprika Village, a temporary Governor’s Office had been built in the center.
“How’s the construction of the Working Holiday Governorship?” Almond asked calmly, hands behind his back.
Radish Servant bowed. “We’ll have it complete by tomorrow, sir. We’ll mobilize the Workers and Scrubs for final assembly.”
“And the mine?”
“Productivity is excellent. Their mining levels are high, incomparable to Cheese labor. Once we sell ore back home, our profits will increase twenty to thirty times.”
Almond nodded in approval. “Well done.”
He gazed across the barren land beyond the walls.
“No rivers or water. Not even a place to fish.”
“Fish...?” Radish Servant blinked, then remembered.
‘Ah. Right.’
The Lord’s original goal had been fishing.
He muttered into the stream mic, “A man denied fishing becomes... this.”
— Oh no...
— He turned into a dictator because he missed a fishing trip
— Some people fail art school and destroy Europe. This one just couldn’t fish
— fishing deprivation builds villains
Radish Servant gently said, “If you’d like, sir, someday we could go fishing together. I’ll prepare rods with Potato Servant.”
Almond paused, then smiled. “That would be good. When everything settles.”
He couldn’t just leave. Too many depended on him, whether it was for money, fame, or viewership. Without Almond, the Knights would collapse.
Potato Servant joined in. “I’ll even become a chef and grill fish for you, sir.”
— Awww
— just let them camp please
— this is so wholesome it’s scary, feels wrong
Radish Servant added, “Once our Working Holiday is rooted properly, Cheese will never lack resources again. Then you can fish freely.”
“And Fertile Soil? Are we producing more?”
“Yes. We’ve generated plenty. In every public execution, we burn the traitors properly. No leaks.”
Sweet Potato saluted. “I personally oversee the burnings, sir. No information escapes.”
Almond exhaled with satisfaction. “Well done. Perhaps next time... we can bring the Tea Sisters camping too.”
The entire leadership going on vacation would have been unimaginable before. Now, it seemed possible with the Working Holiday.
“In two days, this system will be fully entrenched.” Radish Servant promised.
“Then push harder. Night is coming.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
Several days passed.
Tap.
Someone in a black cloak landed on a roof in silent grace. The village had changed, but she recognized it.
[Black Pepper]
No longer just an Avenger, but a villainous hero. A heroic villain. A blade between justice and chaos. She was now...
[Dark Knight]
The night of revolt had finally begun.