Game Event (2)

At this point, Eto no longer thought about how he could gain SP from the Game Event. But it seemed that fate was truly cursing Eto on this day.

"MBO! MBO! MBO! MBO! MBO! MBO! MBO!"

The sounds of the cannibal monkeys grew closer.

They sounded so joyful, as if eagerly anticipating a grand feast. Eto could understand that the cannibal monkeys had also caught the scent of the rebels who were now running toward Eto's position.

However, what he didn't know was that, while the cannibal monkeys were indeed excited at the prospect of smelling human flesh, they were even more thrilled at catching Eto's scent.

Like the Humandrills, cannibal monkeys had the ability to recognize and remember human faces and scents. They were also creatures of vengeance with a strong sense of pride.

So, when Eto and Taka managed to escape their pursuit before, the cannibal monkeys had already memorized their scents and faces.

They viewed Eto's presence as a blemish on their honor and evidence of their failure to hunt down the small rodents that intruded into their territory.

There was a reason why Eto gave the name "cannibal monkey" to these monkeys.

It was because when Eto first encountered them, he witnessed one cannibal monkey feasting on the flesh of another cannibal monkey.

The sight was so horrifying that it made one of his comrade vomit on the spot. What Eto didn't know was that in this forest, there wasn't just one group of cannibal monkeys, but several.

At that time, food resources in the forest were abundant, allowing the monkeys to coexist with other monkey groups, albeit with occasional skirmishes.

These monkeys hadn't yet resorted to cannibalism and were simply referred to as monkeys.

However, after the outbreak of the war between the rebel forces and the royal army, the ecosystem of the forest was disrupted.

The increased hunting and deforestation on the forest's outskirts caused herbivorous animals within the forest to flee deeper into the woods.

Thus, the monkeys, who previously had to hunt far from their homes, suddenly found that the food was coming to them.

The monkeys, unaware of food reserves, engaged in large-scale hunting, depleting the number of herbivores rapidly.

Consequently, they couldn't find food even after three days of hunting.

They began to wage war against each other to claim hunting grounds. Despite this, the food supply within the forest did not increase but dwindled further.

Thus, the conflicts within the forest escalated.

Then one day, a monkey, starving after days without food and constant fighting for hunting grounds, stumbled upon the body of another monkey nearby.

The scent of blood from the body reminded the hungry monkey of the fat deer it had once eaten.

Unbeknownst to itself, the monkey began to devour the flesh of the fallen monkey greedily. By the time it realized what it was doing, only the skeleton of the other monkey remained.

However, instead of feeling fear or remorse for its actions, the monkey felt joy and reported its find to its boss.

In the end, they gathered the corpses of fallen monkeys from the war, including those of their own comrades, and began resorting to cannibalism.

Suddenly, every monkey in the group was no longer starving and had regained full energy.

Then…

They engaged in massive battles, more aptly termed as large-scale hunts against other monkey groups.

By the time Eto and his group arrived in the forest, war and cannibalism were at their peak, with only two groups remaining.

Monkeys were no longer just monkeys; they were now Cannibal Monkeys.

Initially, the cannibal monkey group that encountered Eto and his group thought they were a new type of cannibal monkey never seen before.

However, when they tasted the flesh of one of the rebels they managed to kill, they found that the meat of this new monkey species was far more delicious than that of other cannibal monkeys.

Consequently, the group launched a massive hunt against Eto and his group.

Despite this, Eto, Taka, and several other rebels managed to escape alive from the forest, enraging the Cannibal Monkey Boss.

They then engaged in another large-scale battle against the remaining cannibal monkey group.

Through cunning and ferocity, they managed to become the only cannibal monkey group left in the forest.

However, the taste of human flesh still lingered on their tongues.

Thus, today, the Cannibal Monkey Boss decided to leave the forest and hunt for human flesh.

Little did they know that along the way, one of the cannibal monkeys caught a whiff of Eto's scent and immediately reported the finding to the Cannibal Monkey Boss.

Consequently, the Cannibal Monkey Boss mobilized all its troops to hunt down Eto, swearing not to let this small rat slip from its grasp again.

After explaining the background of the two groups hunting Eto, can anyone see the threads of fate entangling them?

Eight years before canon, Thalassa Lucas was the first king to warn other kings at the Reverie about the danger of Monkey D. Dragon.

What would happen if Lucas couldn't attend the Reverie after being assassinated by rebels?

In canon, Ilisia Kingdom was one of the kingdoms that fell into rebel hands, and Caesar became king. There were no reports of dangerous creatures like Humandrill or Cannibal Monkey in this kingdom.

But what if dangerous creatures salivating for human flesh emerged from this forest?

But is it really so important for Thalassa Lucas to attend the Reverie eight years before canon, and are there really no dangerous creatures like cannibal monkeys in West Blue?

Didn't Thalassa Lucas just show a picture of Dragon at the Reverie eight years before canon, and no king took the threat seriously?

Furthermore, even though West Blue is not the Grand Line, it is still one of the World Government's allied nations, so there must be marines on guard, right?

So, couldn't the threat from cannibal monkeys be easily neutralized?

But, really?

The butterfly effect is a phenomenon where small changes in one part of a system can cause significant changes in other parts of the system.

In this theory, small errors believed to occur in one time can cause significant problems and consequences in the future. The butterfly effect also refers to very small changes in the Earth's atmosphere that ultimately alter the path of storms, delaying, accelerating, or even preventing tornadoes elsewhere.

So, although it may seem trivial, our small actions can have a larger impact in the future. Like a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere can affect the weather elsewhere.

Sometimes, people underestimate how important they are to the world and how crucial their actions are to what happens in the world.

Let's imagine again if the Rebel Captain and Euroka managed to survive and carry out their assassination plan.

If Thalassa Lucas is killed, he cannot attend the Reverie eight years before canon. So, Caesar would come as it happened in canon.

Perhaps many kings disregarded Lucas's fear, but it's unlikely that no one thought about it.

Then, would Caesar inform other kings about the danger of Dragon?

If not, which kingdom would Dragon overthrow?

Would Doflamingo's arms business still thrive as it does now when they have another rival like the Revolutionary Army?

Would the World Government see Dragon as a major threat before it's supposed to?

What crazy things would the World Government do to hunt down Dragon?

What about the fate of Garp and Luffy if the World Government orders them to be captured as bait for Dragon?

And what about Shanks, would he still give the Gomu Gomu Fruit, or as we know it, the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nica?

Let's imagine again if Nico Olivia, who hasn't been taken to Impel Down yet is still in this kingdom, precisely at the marine headquarters.

Then suddenly, a horde of cannibal monkeys attacks the city, forcing the marines to be dispatched to intercept them.

Suppose the marines manage to wipe out all the cannibal monkeys without a trace, but will this affect Olivia's transfer to Impel Down?

Will the marines be short of personnel, so they have to request assistance from other marine bases?

And how long before Nico Olivia can be transferred to Impel Down?

During that time, can Nico Olivia escape from the marine headquarters?

Then who will Nico Olivia meet after escaping?

What will happen to Ohara when Nico Olivia escapes before she's supposed to?

And what happens to Nico Robin?

Will Nico Robin still join the Straw Hat pirates?

Can Luffy find the One Piece without Nico Robin, who reads the Road Poneglyph?

There are too many possibilities and too many permutations, each of which can change the canon storyline as we know it.

Perhaps it's excessive to say that the fate of the world rests in Eto's hands right now.

After all, he's just an ordinary 11-year-old boy dreaming of finding a wife.

A foolish dream that's laughable compared to dreams of becoming a pirate king, the strongest swordsman in the world, finding the All Blue, creating a world map, or even becoming the bravest warrior in the world.

But that's how the real world is.

Everyone has the ability to change the world, no matter how small they consider themselves.

Everyone isn't an NPC filling the background screen of a game played by the Main Character.

Everyone is a Main Character in this world, where every word, action, and choice they make has significant impact, whether seen or unseen.

However, Eto currently doesn't know the crossroads of destiny ahead of him. He's not clairvoyant about the future like mere creatures usually are.

If he knew, then Eto would realize what triggered the Event Game. But unfortunately, all that's on Eto's mind right now is,

"I am screwed, aren't I?"

Next chapter