Battle in the mist, bonds of brotherhood

Luffy gripped the crystal tightly and nodded. Despite his weakness, his gaze remained resolute. "We have to save Lin Ye..."

Just as they turned to leave the secret chamber, a suffocating pressure suddenly swept in from the temple entrance. The air grew thick, making it difficult to breathe. A tall figure in white robes slowly appeared at the far end of the corridor, his purple eyes gleaming dangerously in the darkness.

"One of the Five Elders..." Silvers Rayleigh murmured, his eyes turning grave. "Looks like we'll have to fight."

Roaring flames sprang up along Ace's arms. "Then let's fight!"

Luffy stood before the seventh node, with Lin Ye's spectral figure hovering beside him, guiding him as he channeled the rune energy within his body toward the final crystal. As the energy flowed, pain unlike anything he had ever felt swept through him, as though every nerve had been set alight and every cell was burning.

"Hold on, Luffy!" Lin Ye's voice sounded both distant and clear. "The rune energy has to resonate fully with your life force to activate the final node."

Luffy clenched his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead, yet he did not let out so much as a groan. Purple patterns flowed beneath his skin, surging toward his fingertips like living things before streaming into the pitch-black crystal.

Ace stood nearby, his flames still steadily keeping the first node active, but his gaze remained fixed on his little brother. Watching Luffy endure such tremendous pain cut him to the heart, yet he was proud of the extraordinary willpower his brother displayed.

"Just a little longer," Ace encouraged softly. "You can do it."

Luffy's eyes suddenly snapped open, shining with purple light. He aimed both hands at the final node, and the rune energy he had been gathering