The golden sun spun in Lin Yan's palm, swelling with every revolution. This was no ordinary flame, but a new power that combined the "Devil Fruit Origin Key" with the "Sun God Nika legacy"-Lin Yan called it the "Flame of Dawn."
As Imu watched the golden sun grow larger and larger, fear appeared on that withered face for the first time.
"Impossible... the Sun God form... requires the complete Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika... the Gum-Gum Fruit is clearly still in that Straw Hat brat's hands... how could you..."
"Because the Sun God was never a fruit." Lin Yan's voice echoed through the golden flames with a sacred resonance. "It is a 'will,' a 'concept.' The Gum-Gum Fruit is merely a vessel, and my flames... are a better vessel."
The fiery wings on his back spread fully, every feather composed of pure light. All the blood-red light in the hall was dispersed and purified by the golden flames, like dawn driving away the night.
"Eight hundred years ago, you murdered Nika through conspiracy and usurped the world." Lin Yan advanced toward Imu, a golden lotus of flame blooming beneath his feet with every step. "Eight hundred years later, it's time to repay that debt."
Imu roared, and the red gem on the scepter unleashed one final burst of blood-red light:
"So what if you can awaken! I've lived for eight hundred years! Accumulated eight hundred years of power! You're a twenty-year-old brat-what gives you the right-"
The words never finished.
Lin Yan was already in front of Imu.
It was not teleportation, but "Light-Speed Movement"-transforming his body entirely into photons and moving at the speed of light. The consumption in this state was immense; he could maintain it for only three seconds at most, but that was enough.
"What gives me the right..."
His right hand pressed against Imu's chest.
"Is that I am a pioneer of the new era."
"Flame of Dawn Purification."
Golden flames erupted from his palm and instantly surged into Imu's body!
It was not burning, but "purification"-reducing all the darkness, curses, and sins accumulated over eight hundred years to nothing!
"Aaaaaah-!!!"
Imu let out a scream so shrill it no longer sounded human! That body rapidly disintegrated within the golden flames, turning from a dried corpse to ashes, from ashes to motes of light, before vanishing completely.
Only a red gem remained, falling to the floor.
Lin Yan picked up the gem and could sense some of the Devil Fruit Source's power still lingering inside. But now was not the time to study it. He put the gem away, turned, and rushed toward Ace and Robin.
Both were gravely wounded. The shock wave had damaged Ace's internal organs, and he had multiple fractures. Robin was in even worse condition-overusing the Flower-Flower Fruit had exhausted her body, and her life force was rapidly draining away.
"Chopper's medicine..." Lin Yan took out Chopper's specially made "Life Pills" from inside his clothes and fed one to each of them. The pills dissolved in their mouths, stabilizing their injuries, but they still needed professional treatment.
He picked them up, one in each arm, spread his fiery wings, and burst straight through a window at the top of the tower!
Below, the Holy Knights and CP0 had already surrounded the tower. Seeing Lin Yan fly out, Roland roared:
"Stop him! Don't let him escape!"
Dozens of attacks shot into the sky at once!
Lin Yan did not look back. He simply gave the fiery wings on his back one fierce beat!
Boom-!!!
A golden firestorm swept down, annihilating every attack! The buildings below were destroyed as though made of paper, and the members of the Holy Knights were scattered by the blast.
"After him!" Roland gritted his teeth and spread his wings in pursuit-the Holy Sword could grant him the ability to fly.
But Lin Yan was too fast. The thrust of the golden flames far surpassed that of the holy flames, and the distance between them kept growing.
A minute later, Lin Yan landed at the harbor.
Kuma was already waiting there, with the large black ship behind him.
"Get aboard!" Kuma opened the cabin door. "The World Government has activated its highest alert level. All of Mary Geoise is sealed off. I can only take you to the edge of the Red Line. After that, you're on your own."
"Thank you." Carrying the two of them, Lin Yan boarded.
The Black Ship immediately took off, leaving Mary Geoise at top speed.
Inside the cabin, Lin Yan laid Ace and Robin flat on the beds and used the Flame of Life to treat them. The golden flames were warm and gentle; wherever they passed, wounds rapidly healed and life force recovered.
Half an hour later, Ace woke first.
"Brother..." He weakly opened his eyes. "Did we... escape?"
"Yes." Lin Yan nodded. "You're badly hurt. Don't move around."
"What about Robin?"
"She hasn't woken up yet, but her vital signs have stabilized."
Ace breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "That dried corpse..."
"Taken care of." Lin Yan said no more. "Rest. Leave the rest to me."
He went to the cockpit, where Kuma was piloting at full speed.
"We'll be out of Mary Geoise's airspace in another ten minutes," Kuma said. "But a Marine fleet is blocking our way ahead. Leading them is... Admiral Akainu."
Lin Yan's gaze sharpened.
Akainu, one of Marine Headquarters' strongest fighters and a Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit user. He was an absolute believer in "Absolute Justice," merciless toward pirates.
"Can we go around?"
"No. They've set up an encirclement."
Lin Yan fell silent for several seconds, then said, "Then we'll charge through."
"In your current condition, you can't beat Akainu," Kuma said frankly. "The Sun God form consumed too much. You need time to recover."
"I know." Lin Yan looked out the window. "That's why I don't intend to fight. I'm going to... negotiate."
"Negotiate?" Kuma frowned. "Akainu isn't someone who negotiates."
"Then I'll force him to."
Lin Yan went to the bow and pressed both hands against the deck.
"Furnace-Furnace Fruit · Stage three release-"
"Stellar Furnace, activate!"
Humm-!!!
Red-gold patterns emerged across the entire surface of the Black Ship! They spread like blood vessels before converging at the bow, forming an enormous vortex of flame!
At the center of the vortex, the temperature soared wildly!
Ten thousand degrees, a hundred thousand degrees, a million degrees...
It finally stabilized at five million degrees-the temperature of the sun's core!
The Black Ship became a flying star. Wherever it passed, the air ionized, clouds evaporated, and the sea boiled!
Ahead lay the Marine fleet.
Akainu stood on the flagship's deck, his expression grave as he watched the rapidly approaching point of light on the radar, its energy readings off the charts.
"What is that?" his adjutant asked in terror.
"It's the Flame Emperor." Akainu gritted his teeth. "Prepare to engage! All warships, charge the main cannons! We cannot let him break through our defenses!"
But the moment he gave the order, the communicator rang.
Lin Yan's voice came through, carried by flames vibrating the air, ringing across the entire sea:
"Admiral Akainu, I don't want to make an enemy of the Marines. Clear a path, and I guarantee I won't harm a single Marine soldier. If you insist on stopping me..."
His voice turned cold:
"I'll turn these waters into a sea of magma."
Akainu was so furious he laughed. "Arrogant fool! Who do you think you are? You think you alone can threaten an entire Marine fleet?"
"It's not a threat. It's a fact."
The moment he finished speaking, the fiery vortex in front of the Black Ship fired a red-gold beam a hundred meters in diameter!
The beam did not shoot toward the fleet, but toward the sea!
Hiss-!!!!!!!
The instant the beam touched the seawater, its terrifying heat vaporized it directly! The steam explosion triggered a chain reaction, blasting an enormous cavity a kilometer across into the sea! Seawater rushed madly into the cavity from its edges, forming a whirlpool that dragged several nearby Marine warships straight in!
Even more terrifyingly, at the bottom of the cavity, the intense heat melted the seabed's rocks into crimson magma! The magma's contact with seawater produced even more steam explosions, turning the entire stretch of sea into a scene like hell!
Akainu's pupils contracted.
Power like this... had already gone beyond the category of "pirate." This was nothing less than a natural disaster!
"Admiral, what do we do?" The adjutant's voice trembled. "If we keep trying to intercept him, our entire force could be wiped out..."
Akainu stared fixedly at the approaching Black Ship, his clenched fists cracking. As a Marine Admiral, he had never faced a threat like this. But as a commander, he had to take responsibility for his subordinates' lives.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and ordered:
"...Clear a path."
"Admiral?!"
"Carry out the order!"
The fleet split to either side, opening a passage.
The Black Ship streaked through the defensive line like a meteor and disappeared over the distant horizon.
Akainu stood on the deck, watching the still-boiling waters, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.
"Flame Emperor... Monkey D. Yan..."
"Are you a savior... or a world-destroying demon?"
No one could answer.
Three hours later, in the waters off Alabasta.
The Black Ship landed beside the Flame Emperor. Isuka and the others had long been frantic with worry. Seeing the ship return, they immediately gathered around.
"Captain! Ace! Miss Robin!" Chopper was the first to rush aboard. Tears immediately welled up when he saw their injuries. "How did you get hurt this badly..."
"Treat them first." Lin Yan handed the two over to Chopper. "Use the best medicine. Don't worry about the cost."
"Yes!"
Chopper and the medical team carried them into the cabin.
Lin Yan went out onto the deck and looked at Kuma:
"Thank you for this. Without you, we might not have made it back."
"No need to thank me." Kuma shook his head. "I was only fulfilling your mother's request. Next, I need to return to Revolutionary Army Headquarters to report. You all... be careful. The World Government won't let this go."
"I know." Lin Yan nodded. "Give Dragon my regards. Also... tell Sabo that Ace and I are both fine, and not to worry."
Kuma paused, then nodded. "...All right."
He turned and boarded, and the Black Ship slowly rose into the air and disappeared into the clouds.
Lin Yan returned to the Flame Emperor and entered the captain's quarters. He took out the three books he had obtained from the Empty Throne, along with the red gem and golden key, and placed them on the table.
[Ding-] [Major plot advancement detected] [Comprehensive system upgrade in progress...] [Upgrade complete!] [New features unlocked:] [1. Bond Fusion System (full version): fuse abilities with companions whose bond level is above Lv. 3 to produce entirely new skills] [2. Template Synthesis Workshop: combine multiple fragmented templates into a complete template, or fuse and evolve abilities] [3. World Quest Tracker: main quest "The truth of the D Clan" progress updated. Current: 2/7] [Currently held templates:] [Furnace-Furnace Fruit (complete, stage three release): fire + iron sand + lightning = Stellar Furnace] [Flame-Flame Fruit (Ace template, 80% complete)] [Flower-Flower Fruit (Robin template, 60% complete)] [Sand-Sand Fruit (Crocodile template, 40% complete)] [Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Enel template, 30% complete)] [Several other fragments] [Perform template fusion?]
Lin Yan thought for a moment and selected "Yes."
[Please select the primary template: Furnace-Furnace Fruit] [Please select fusion templates: Sand-Sand Fruit, Rumble-Rumble Fruit] [Fusion beginning...]
Red-gold flames surged from his body, condensing into the phantom image of a rotating furnace before him. Yellow motes of light from the Sand-Sand Fruit and blue motes from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit were cast into the furnace, melting and restructuring in the intense heat.
Ten minutes later, the fusion was complete.
[Fusion successful!] [Furnace-Furnace Fruit evolution: Stellar Furnace → "Genesis Furnace"] [New abilities:] [1. Matter Reorganization: break down any substance into elementary particles, then reconstruct them into new substances (current limit: one ton)] [2. Energy Conversion: convert between any forms of energy, including thermal, electrical, and kinetic energy, at 95% efficiency] [3. Domain Creation: deploy a "Furnace Domain" one hundred meters in diameter, partially rewriting the physical laws within]
As Lin Yan felt his newfound power, a surge of bold ambition rose within him.
Genesis Furnace... this was already approaching the authority of a "creator." Although he could currently use it only on a small scale, as his strength increased, perhaps he really could "create a world" someday.
He placed the red gem and golden key together. The key automatically slid into the groove in the gem, and the two fused into a new pendant-half red, half gold.
His mother's final message came from the pendant:
[Yan, when you hear this message, it means you have obtained the complete "Origin Key." Now, you are qualified to learn the final truth.]
[The Devil Fruit Source was a tool the Great Kingdom used to control the world. But its essence is the "crystallization of wishes." Every fruit represents a "possibility."]
[Eight hundred years ago, Sun God Nika discovered this secret. He did not destroy the origin, but sealed it away, because he believed that one day, someone from the D Clan would master this power, not to rule, but to "create"-to create a truly free world without oppression or deception.]
[That person is you.]
[Go. Gather the three fragments and open the Final Gate. There lies Nika's final legacy-the "Blueprint of the New World."]
[Remember, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Do not become a second Imu.]
The voice faded.
Lin Yan gripped the pendant tightly, determination flashing in his eyes.
The Blueprint of the New World...
He would find it.
Not just for his parents and the D Clan, but for everyone who yearned for freedom.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Robin pushed the door open and entered. She had changed into clean clothes. Her face was still a little pale, but she was in good spirits.
"Captain, I'm awake. Ace is awake too. Chopper said he needs three days of quiet rest."
"Thanks for your hard work." Lin Yan looked at her. "Thank you for saving me at the Empty Throne."
"It was only right." Robin walked over to the table, her eyes flashing with longing as she looked at the three books. "These are..."
"Stolen from Mary Geoise." Lin Yan pushed the books toward her. "Study them. Tell me if you find anything."
Robin froze for a moment. "These documents are so important, and you're just giving them to me?"
"Aren't you my historical adviser?" Lin Yan countered. "Besides, I trust you."
Those few simple words warmed Robin's heart.
She solemnly accepted the books. "I'll translate and organize them as soon as possible. Also... about what I said in the tower..."
"I remember it all." Lin Yan smiled. "You said you couldn't stand by and watch me die."
Robin blushed slightly, but quickly regained her composure. "That was because... if you died, there would be no one to help me find the Poneglyphs."
A very flimsy excuse.
But Lin Yan did not call her out on it.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow, we're setting off for Sky Island."
"Sky Island?"
"Yes." Lin Yan looked out the window. "The second fragment is there. And... there's a clue there about the Ancient Weapon Poseidon."
Robin's eyes gleamed. "Understood. I'll be ready."
She turned to leave, but suddenly looked back when she reached the door.
"Captain."
"Hm?"
"From now on... don't go risking your life alone like that again," she said softly. "We're a team."
Lin Yan paused, then nodded.
"All right."
The door closed.
Lin Yan sat in his chair, looking at the pendant in his hand.
Sunlight streamed through the porthole, refracting into a rainbow of colors on the pendant.
A new journey was about to begin.
And this time, he was no longer alone.
He had companions, brothers, and a goal.
"Sky Island... Enel..."
"Are you ready to welcome the Flame Emperor?"
A confident smile curved his lips.
Before you continue