Deep in the vast, boundless universe, the river of stars shone brilliantly.
They resembled rivers flowing with diamond-like stardust.
Yet...
At the edge of this dazzling Star Sea, a dark crimson planet floated silently.
It was like a necrotic scar upon the body of the universe.
It emanated a suffocating aura of deathly stillness and decay.
A Four Seas-class Destroyer belonging to the First Fleet under Marine Headquarters Admiral Kizaru.
Its cold metallic hull gleaming, it slowly approached this star region shrouded in death under the escort of two Storm-class frigates.
The kilometer-long warship cast its shadow across the void.
Like a steel behemoth from another world.
At that moment, within the spacious, futuristic command center of the warship.
Various holographic screens flickered with a dim blue light.
Complex streams of data cascaded across their surfaces like waterfalls.
Hashirama Senju stood before the enormous main screen, dressed in a black robe embroidered with red clouds.
With his hands clasped behind his back.
His deep eyes reflected the dark crimson planet on the screen, its surface covered in fissures.
His brow furrowed slightly as he let out a soft sigh.
"So this is Kouan Star."
His voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly through the relatively quiet command center.
It carried undisguised regret.
Standing behind him, Umibouzu tightly gripped the handle of his umbrella.
His knuckles had turned faintly white from the force.
His gaze upon the planet surged with incomparably complex emotions.
Nostalgia, grief, regret, and intense hope.
"Yes, this is Kouan, the original homeworld of our Yato Clan."
Umibouzu's voice was low and hoarse.
As though every word had been steeped in the vicissitudes of time.
"A planet already sentenced to death, about to truly 'die.'"
As he spoke, his gaze grew distant.
The image of a beautiful