The Sea Forest, Fish-Man Island's most mysterious forbidden zone.
There were no magnificent coral buildings here, no bustling schools of fish, only an endless forest of gigantic seaweed that gave off a dim blue glow. Its ribbonlike blades swayed in the water, each dozens of meters long, forming labyrinthine passages.
And in the deepest part of the seaweed forest, a ship lay moored.
It was no ordinary ship-it was unimaginably vast, over five thousand meters long and as tall as a mountain. Its hull was built from a pitch-black ancient material that was neither metal nor wood, its surface covered in intricate patterns and mechanical structures that had long since stopped working. Countless strands of seaweed and clusters of coral clung to the hull, making it look more like a sleeping underwater mountain range.
The ancient ark, Noah.
Legend had it that this enormous ship had been built jointly by the Fish-Man Race and humans eight hundred years ago, intended to carry all fish-men to live on land beneath the sunlight when the "promised day" arrived. But the promised day had never come, and Noah had remained asleep here, becoming the "dream ship" of fish-man legend.
Now, on Noah's deck, Lin Yan, Ace, Robin, Shirahoshi, King Neptune, and several core members stood before the enormous wheel at the bow.
Three shards-gold, silver, and blue-hovered above Lin Yan's palm, giving off a gentle glow. Their light intertwined and shone onto a recess in the center of the wheel, its shape matching the three shards perfectly.
"This is it." Robin stroked the Ancient Script on the wheel. "According to the records, when the three 'Covenant Shards' are reunited, Noah's 'Core Mechanism' will activate, revealing the final message left by Sun God Nika."
Lin Yan placed the three shards into the recess.
Click-!
The shards fitted perfectly, without a single gap.
The next second, all of Noah began to tremble!
It was not a tremor of danger, but of "awakening"-seaweed and coral fell from the hull, revealing the intact black hull beneath. Machinery that had stood idle for eight hundred years began to turn, the sound of meshing gears traveling through the seawater, deep and majestic.
At the center of the wheel, the recess began to rotate. The light of the three shards merged into a pure white pillar that shot into the sky-no, toward the top of Noah's mast.
At the top of the mast, an enormous eyelike gemstone lit up.
The gemstone projected a three-dimensional hologram. Within it stood a figure wreathed in golden flames-Sun God Nika.
It was neither a statue nor a picture, but a "recorded image" left eight hundred years ago.
Nika's image was blurry, but his signature smile was still visible. He began to speak, his voice traveling not through the seawater, but directly into everyone's minds:
[You who come after me, if you are seeing this recording, it means you have gathered all three Covenant Shards and found Poseidon's successor.]
[I am Nika, the leader who led the D Clan against the tyranny of the 'Great Kingdom' eight hundred years ago. I left this recording before the final battle.]
The image changed, revealing scenes from eight hundred years ago:
The vast kingdom enslaved the world through technology, while the ancestors of the Celestial Dragons stood high above everyone in extravagant clothing. The D Clan, the Fish-Man Race, the giants, the Mink Tribe, and many other races united, rising in resistance under Nika's leadership.
The war was brutal, but in the end, the allied forces stormed the Great Kingdom's capital.
Nika stood before the throne, looking at the dying "King" seated upon it.
[We won the war, but lost the future.] Nika's voice carried sorrow. [The 'Devil Fruit Source' left by the Great Kingdom is about to go berserk. It will devour all ability users and return the world to its primitive state. To stop this, I made a choice-]
The image changed again:
Nika poured part of his soul and life into the Devil Fruit Source, forming a "seal." His body dissolved into motes of light, leaving only the Gum-Gum Fruit as a "key," waiting for the next successor.
At the same time, he entrusted the three Covenant Shards to his three most trusted allies:
He gave the Earth Shard to Alabasta's Nefertari Family, asking them to safeguard history.
He gave the Sky Shard to the Shandora warriors of the sky island, asking them to safeguard the sound of the bell.
He gave the Ocean Shard to Poseidon's successor on Fish-Man Island, asking them to safeguard the promise.
[I foresaw that, eight hundred years later, the seal on the Devil Fruit Source would weaken. When that happens, a new 'successor to the Sun God' must gather the three shards and come here to Noah to obtain the last of the power I left behind-the 'Nika Core.']
In the image, Nika pointed to his heart.
[It was formed from my heart and contains the complete legacy of the Sun God form. Whoever obtains it will have the power to take complete control of the Devil Fruit Source and end this cycle that has lasted eight hundred years.]
[But remember, this power is not for ruling, but for 'liberation.' Use it to break every shackle, so that every race and every person can live freely beneath true sunlight.]
The image ended there.
A pillar of pure white light shot from the gemstone at the top of the mast, forming a ring of light on the deck. From its center, a golden orb of light slowly rose, beating like a heart.
The Nika Core.
It was only the size of a fist, but the energy fluctuations it emitted made the entire stretch of sea tremble. The power of Poseidon within Shirahoshi resonated with it, the Sun God's power within Lin Yan yearned for it, and even Robin could feel her Flower-Flower Fruit trembling faintly.
"This is... the Sun God's final legacy," King Neptune murmured.
Lin Yan stepped forward and reached out.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the Nika Core-
Something suddenly went wrong!
An enormous hole suddenly burst open in Noah's underside!
It was not natural damage, but a breach forcibly torn open from outside by some kind of power! Seawater rushed in wildly, and a twisted, crazed laugh came from the hole:
"Zehahaha!!! Finally found it!!! The Sun God's core!! That's going to be my third fruit!!!"
A pitch-black figure shot out of the hole, trailing black mist that devoured everything.
Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach!
He had actually tracked them here, and had even... brought help.
Five figures followed behind Blackbeard: Lafitte, Doc Q, Burgess, Sanjuan Wolf, and Avalo Pizarro. But more alarming still was the sixth person-
A masked CP0 agent in a white suit, holding a long blade wreathed in purple arcs of electricity.
The World Government had intervened as well.
"Teach..." Lin Yan's gaze was icy. "You really won't stop haunting me."
"Zehahaha! I've waited so long for this very moment!" Blackbeard spread his arms. "The Sun God's core, plus my Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit I'll have in the future-I'll become the strongest ability user in history! The Four Emperors? Marine Admirals? They're all trash!"
The CP0 agent behind him said coldly, "Blackbeard, don't forget our agreement. The Nika Core is yours, but the Flame Emperor's corpse and Princess Poseidon go to the World Government."
"I know, I know!" Blackbeard waved impatiently. "Let's join forces and kill them first!"
The situation reversed in an instant.
The Blackbeard Pirates + a CP0 agent, versus the core of the Flame Emperor Pirates + Fish-Man Island's royal family.
Moreover, the battlefield was ten thousand meters beneath the sea. Lin Yan's flame abilities were restricted, while Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit could function underwater-his black mist did not need air and devoured matter directly.
"Ace, protect Shirahoshi and the king as they retreat," Lin Yan ordered swiftly. "Robin, Tashigi, handle those officers. Blackbeard... leave him to me."
"Brother, it's too dangerous!" Ace said urgently. "Your flames underwater-"
"Who said my flames had to 'burn'?" The corner of Lin Yan's mouth curved upward.
He took a step forward, and his body began to change.
Crimson-gold flames surged from within him, but this time, instead of spreading outward, they contracted inward-compressing, condensing, and finally forming a thin layer of flame armor over his body, like liquid metal.
Solar patterns flowed across the armor's surface. Its heart position lay directly toward the Nika Core, resonating with it.
"Sun God Nika: False Form-"
"Deep-Sea Adaptation: complete."
Lin Yan opened his eyes, his pupils turning the pure color of molten gold.
"Blackbeard, didn't you want the Nika Core?"
"Then come and try to take it-"
"Let's see whether your darkness devours everything, or my sun... lights up the abyss!"
The decisive battle in the Sea Forest had officially begun.
And the outcome of this battle would determine the future course of the entire world.
Before you continue