At that critical moment, Ace suddenly let out a pained roar, and the purple runes within his body fully bloomed. He charged into the spear's path, his entire body wrapped in purple flames.
"Ace! Don't!" Luffy cried out in terror, but it was already too late.
The purple spear collided with Ace's flames, erupting with a deafening boom and blinding light. The entire island seemed to hold its breath in that instant. Everyone was forced to close their eyes against the almost tangible energy waves.
When the light dimmed slightly, Luffy barely managed to open his eyes and witnessed a shocking sight: atop the stone platform, half of Lin Ye's body had already materialized, while Ace floated in the air, shrouded in purple flames as he held Alfred's spear at a standstill.
"Now!" Ace shouted through gritted teeth. "Finish the ritual!"
Alfred of the Five Elders stood erect at the bow of the black ship like a cruel statue. His Voidified right arm spread like ink in water, constantly changing shape as it released terrifying power. Purple ripples radiated from him, directly disrupting the stability of the Dimensional Passage and violently warping the vortex overhead.
"Foolish children," Alfred's voice seemed to come from a distant dimension, carrying an eerie echo. "Do you think you can reverse the laws of dimensions? This fusion is fated. It is the law of the universe!"
Luffy roared and increased his Rune Energy output. Veins bulged across his forehead, and sweat poured down like rain. The purple runes across his body flickered like burning flames as he did everything he could to maintain the passage's stability, but he was clearly reaching his limit.
"We have to hold on!" Luffy shouted through clenched teeth, both hands pressed firmly against the stone platform.
Ace floated in the