The sea boiled.
Dozens of enormous tentacles broke through the waves, each thicker than a warship's mainmast. Then even larger shadows emerged from the depths-true Sea Kings, ancient, gigantic overlords of the deep. Their eyes lit up like searchlights in the night sea, radiating a primal, imposing presence.
"S-Sea Kings!" the soldiers aboard the government ship screamed in terror. Even the CP0 agents looked horrified.
The nobles' private troop ship fell into even greater chaos. Some people had already begun lowering lifeboats to flee.
Jerome's face turned ashen, but he quickly regained his composure. "Don't panic! Aim at that boy! He's controlling these sea beasts!"
The cannons turned toward Allen, but the Sea Kings had already moved! An enormous tentacle swept across, easily batting away the cannonballs fired at Allen! Another Sea King opened its vast maw and let out a deafening hum. The sound waves rocked both ships violently, sending many people tumbling to the deck.
Allen himself was stunned by the sight before him. He had only tried to send a distress signal using the conch and the Power of Zhulong. He had never expected to summon so many deep-sea behemoths! Poseidon's power far exceeded his imagination!
"Ace! Get over here!" Allen shouted, focusing his mind as he tried to communicate with the Sea Kings: Protect the raft! Attack those ships!
The Sea Kings seemed to understand his intentions. One tentacle carefully curled around the raft, lifting Allen and Ace to a safe height. The other Sea Kings began attacking the two warships!
"Madness... this world has gone mad..." On the nobles' private troop ship, the richly dressed man slumped to the deck, muttering to himself.
Jerome, however, demonstrated the qualities of a CP0 elite. He calmly gave orders. "Concentrate all fire on the sea beasts' eyes! Tekkai users, move forward to defend! Prepare Rankyaku for ranged attacks!"
The CP0 agents quickly organized an effective counterattack. Rankyaku slashes left bloody gashes across the Sea Kings' thick skin. Though nowhere near fatal, they certainly enraged the beasts.
One Sea King roared in pain and slammed its enormous tail into the government ship! The hull cracked with a teeth-grating sound and began listing as water poured in!
"Abandon ship! Get to the lifeboats!" Jerome ordered without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the nobles' private troop ship was in even worse shape. Lacking CP0's strength and discipline, they quickly lost the ability to resist the Sea Kings' attacks. A tentacle smashed the figurehead apart, and seawater surged in!
"The treasure! My treasure!" the richly dressed man screamed wildly. He actually tried to rush toward the sinking bow, only for his men to drag him away.
Allen stood on the platform formed by the tentacle, looking down over the chaotic sea battle. Beside him, Ace watched with his mouth hanging open, the flames in his hands unwittingly going out.
"Y-you did all this?" Ace asked in disbelief.
Allen shook his head. "Not entirely. I just... sent a distress signal. They came to help of their own accord." He gently stroked the conch in his hands. It emitted a soft blue glow that echoed the Sea Kings' humming.
Just then, the Ark Core suddenly vibrated against his chest, transmitting an urgent message: "Shelter under attack... life signs weakening... repeat, shelter under attack..."
Allen's expression changed sharply. "Oh no! Sabo and the others are in danger!"
Ace grew anxious too. "We have to go back!"
But they were stranded in the middle of the sea, surrounded by a chaotic battle and sinking ships. How could they get away?
Allen's thoughts raced, and an idea suddenly struck him. He concentrated, sending a new thought to the Sea Kings through the conch: Take us back to shore! As fast as you can!
The largest Sea King-a gigantic sea serpent the size of a small island-slowly lowered its head, signaling for them to climb on top.
Allen and Ace exchanged a glance and jumped over without hesitation. The sea serpent's scales were as hard as iron, and they clung tightly to the gaps between them.
"Hold on!" Allen shouted, sending the thought to depart at the same time.
The sea serpent surged forward, shooting toward shore like an arrow! The other Sea Kings continued occupying the people from both ships, buying them time.
The wind was so fierce that Ace had to kindle his flames to withstand it. He looked at Allen's back ahead of him, his eyes filled with complicated emotions-just how many secrets did this older cousin who had suddenly appeared still hide?
The sea serpent was extraordinarily fast. In less than half an hour, the coastline was already visible. Yet Allen's heart sank further and further-his Observation Haki had already detected the disturbances of battle coming from the shelter!
"Faster!" he urged anxiously.
The sea serpent seemed to understand his urgency and accelerated again!
At that very moment, the battle inside the shelter had reached a fever pitch.
Sabo and Luffy stood back-to-back, surrounded by fallen mountain bandits and several enemies in black. Dadan had been wounded in the shoulder, but she still stubbornly swung her machete.
At the passage entrance, a tall, thin man slowly approached. He wore a black uniform different from CP0's and a bizarre mask over his face. His altered voice sounded mechanical and cold:
"A decent resistance. But the game is over."
He raised his hand, and an invisible shock wave erupted! Sabo and Luffy were hurled away, slamming hard into the rock wall!
"Sabo! Luffy!" Dadan cried out. She tried to rush over, but two enemies kept her occupied.
The masked man approached Sabo, who lay on the ground. A peculiar device appeared in his hand. "The Poseidon Resonator's signal last disappeared here. Hand it over, and you can spare yourself some suffering."
Sabo gritted his teeth and tried to rise, but his injured leg hampered him. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Luffy suddenly stretched his rubber arm and threw a punch at the masked man. "Don't hurt Sabo!"
The masked man easily caught Luffy's arm. A slight twist made him cry out in pain. "The Gum-Gum Fruit? Interesting. But far too weak."
Just then, the entire cavern suddenly shook violently! Rocks rained down from the ceiling!
"What's happening?" The masked man looked up warily.
A deafening hiss came from outside the passage! An enormous sea serpent's head squeezed into the passage, and Allen and Ace leaped down from it!
"Allen! Ace!" Luffy shouted in delighted surprise.
Allen immediately spotted the injured Sabo and the captive Luffy. Fury blazed in his eyes. "Let my little brother go!"
The Power of Zhulong erupted in full! His golden slit pupils shone like two lamps in the darkness, and dragon-scale patterns surfaced across his skin! He shot toward the masked man like a cannonball, moving so fast that he even produced a sonic boom!
The masked man released Luffy in surprise and raised a hand to block. "This power... so you really are a resonator of the ancient legacy!"
Fist met palm with a dull impact! Both men retreated three steps, surprise showing in their eyes.
"Who are you?" Allen asked warily. This masked man was far stronger than Jerome, and the pressure he exerted on Allen was no less than Garp's!
The masked man did not answer. Instead, he looked at the glowing conch against Allen's chest. "The Poseidon Key... so you do have it." A hint of fanaticism entered his voice. "Hand it over. This is not a power you should touch."
Ace helped Sabo and Luffy up, flames burning in his hands. "Not a chance!"
The masked man sneered. "Then don't blame me for being ruthless." He made a gesture, and more enemies in black poured in through the passage!
The melee erupted again! Allen fought the masked man alone, the Power of Zhulong colliding fiercely with a strange dark energy! Ace, Sabo, and Luffy joined forces against the other enemies, while Dadan and the mountain bandits fought desperately as well.
But the masked man's strength was too terrifying. His abilities were bizarre and unpredictable, shifting between invisible shock waves and clinging restraints of darkness. Though Allen held his own using the Power of Zhulong and Observation Haki, he remained at a disadvantage.
"Your understanding of power is still far too shallow." The masked man easily neutralized Allen's attacks. "The ancient legacy is utterly wasted in your hands."
A blast of darkness struck Allen in the chest. He spat blood as he flew backward, and the conch slipped from his grasp!
"Now!" Greed flashed in the masked man's eyes as he lunged for the conch!
"Don't touch it!" Luffy suddenly stretched his rubber arm and grabbed the conch first!
"Fool!" The masked man aimed a Shigan straight at Luffy's heart!
"Luffy!" Allen and Ace cried out together, but it was already too late to save him!
At that critical instant, another sudden change occurred!
The conch erupted with an unprecedented blaze of light! Blue radiance enveloped Luffy's body, and an indescribable majesty emanated from him!
The masked man's Shigan stopped dead an inch from Luffy's chest, as though it had struck an invisible barrier!
Luffy opened his eyes. Those usually innocent eyes were now filled with ancient wisdom and the ocean's unfathomable depths. When he spoke, his voice overlapped with another, gentle female voice:
"Those who harm my friends shall suffer the Sea Sovereign's wrath."
The entire cavern shook violently, and the distant humming of Sea Kings rose as though in response! Outside the passage, several enormous tentacles were trying to widen the entrance!
For the first time, the masked man looked horrified. "Poseidon's will... possessing a human boy? Impossible!"
Allen stared at Luffy in shock as well. It seemed that Luffy had inadvertently resonated with the fragment of Poseidon within the conch, temporarily gaining a portion of the Sea Sovereign's power!
"Leave this place," Luffy (Poseidon) said calmly, his voice carrying unquestionable authority. "Otherwise, the deep sea will become your grave."
The masked man hesitated for a moment, clearly weighing his options. Finally, he gritted his teeth. "Retreat! But remember, this is only the beginning! The World Government will not give up on the ancient legacy!"
The figures in black withdrew swiftly, as suddenly as they had arrived.
Once the last enemy disappeared, the blue light around Luffy gradually faded, and he collapsed limply. Allen hurried forward to catch him.
"Luffy! Are you all right?" Ace and Sabo gathered around him.
Luffy weakly opened his eyes, back to his usual self. "I'm so tired... what just happened? I think I had a weird dream..."
Allen checked the conch and found its light had dimmed considerably. Clearly, that eruption had consumed a great deal of energy. But the crisis was over for now.
He looked outside the cavern, where the Sea Kings were slowly retreating. Moonlight streamed through the widened entrance, illuminating the wreckage.
Dadan assessed the casualties, her expression grave. "Two badly wounded, five with minor injuries. We can't stay here."
Allen nodded. "We have to leave the Goa Kingdom. Neither the World Government nor the nobles will let us go now."
He looked at his three younger brothers and made up his mind. It was time to embark on a new journey.
"Pack up. Get ready to leave," Allen said firmly. "We're going to Foosha Village. It's relatively safe there. Then..."
He gazed toward the distant sea. "We need a ship, and more companions."
Their days as fugitives at sea were about to begin. What Allen did not know was that the repercussions of this battle were spreading rapidly...
Mary Geoise, the Room of Authority.
Five shadows sat upon the Empty Throne, listening to the masked man's report.
"The Poseidon Key has surfaced and resonated with a certain boy. I recommend immediate action at the highest level."
An aged voice rang out. "The D. Clan again? Always disrupting the balance of the world."
Another voice said, "Gol D. Roger's legacy, Portgas D. Rouge's bloodline, and now a resonator of an Ancient Weapon... this little East Blue kingdom truly harbors hidden talents."
"Dispatch CP0's strongest squad. Mobilize Marine Admiral-level combat forces if necessary. The Ancient Weapon must never fall into the D. Clan's hands."
"Agreed." "Agreed." ...
Orders issued from the shadows, one after another. A full-scale manhunt for Allen and the others was about to begin.
At that very moment, Allen stood on the shore, gazing at the rising sun. The conch in his hand and the core against his chest resonated faintly, as though pointing the way forward.
"Let's set sail," he said softly, a resolute light shining in his eyes. "No matter how many hardships and dangers lie ahead, we will forge a path of our own."
A new journey had begun.