Lin Ye took the lamp and was about to descend the stairs when he suddenly remembered something. "What about you?"
Ramon smiled calmly. "The Catarina Family's mission is to guard the passage entrance. We'll do everything we can to hold the enemy back and buy you time."
Another thunderous boom rang out, this one close enough to make the entire shrine tremble. Outside the window, the first shell had already struck the island, its fiery explosion illuminating the sky.
"Go." Ramon gave Lin Ye a push. "Fate has already been set in motion. It cannot be stopped. Remember, find the 'Between the Light' on the moon. Everything you need is there."
Lin Ye took a deep breath and stepped onto the spiral staircase. Behind him, Ramon began chanting an ancient spell. The Moon Stone floated into the air, spinning as it released a powerful energy barrier.
As Lin Ye descended deeper underground, the passage entrance slowly closed, cutting him off from the chaos above. In the final instant, he saw Ramon's resolute gaze and the moon hanging in the sky beyond the window—the D-shaped pattern on the lunar surface had fully formed, spreading a complex web of energy in every direction.
The waters at the edge of the New World were even more dangerous than rumors claimed. Massive Sea Kings cruised the surface like small mountains, while erratic currents and sudden storms could destroy any ordinary vessel. Yet Ace's small speedboat cut through them with astonishing stability, all thanks to the strange device Whitebeard had given him—a palm-sized hexagonal metal box covered in intricate patterns, with the sound of liquid flowing inside.
"According to Pops, this should be the legendary 'Tidal Compass,'" Ace muttered, watching the blue light on top of the device shift with the currents. "The Ancient Kingdom's