The Truth of the Void, Enlightenment Through Destruction

Akainu's flagship and the Dawn slowed down almost simultaneously, the two great ships less than a hundred meters apart on the sea. For a moment, an eerie stillness settled over the battlefield.

"Hand over the key." Akainu's voice no longer sounded human, but like a strange resonance somewhere between a whisper and a howl. "Embrace the Void, and you will gain eternity."

"Sakazuki, you are no longer yourself," Vice Admiral Tsuru said sorrowfully. "Look at what you have become!"

Akainu let out a piercing laugh. "I am more clear-headed than ever. I have seen the truth of the universe, the limits of life, and the possibility of transcendence. What you struggle to protect is nothing more than an illusion on the verge of collapse."

He abruptly raised his hand, and a sphere of magma mingled with purple energy formed in his palm. "One last chance. Hand over the key, and I can let you retain your consciousness and become witnesses to the New World."

Dragon replied calmly, "We will not submit to the unknown, no matter how powerful it is. Humanity's fate should be decided by humanity itself."

"Foolish." Akainu smiled disdainfully. "Then attain enlightenment through destruction."

The energy sphere in his palm suddenly expanded and shot toward the Dawn. Ace and Whitebeard immediately stepped forward to intercept it, but Lin Ye suddenly felt a powerful impulse, as though the Dawn Blade was telling him what to do.

"Let me do it!" Lin Ye shouted, leaping into the air with the Dawn Blade aimed directly at the core of the energy sphere.

The instant the blade collided with the energy sphere, a dazzling light erupted, and the entire battlefield seemed to freeze. Lin Ye felt an immense force surge into his body, yet strangely, the Dawn Blade was not destroyed