New Dawn Plaza, the highest council chamber. The peaceful atmosphere of discussing construction and development has been replaced by an unprecedented tension and solemnity. A huge holographic projection screen occupies the center, displaying in real time the devastation of East Blue Carnival Island: purplish-black cracks like scars on the sky, ferocious alien creatures rampaging, flames and thick smoke engulfing the former Paradise. The image is distorted from time to time due to strong interference, and each time it becomes clearer, it brings a deeper chill.
Around the oval conference table, almost all the key figures were present. Dragon, seated at the head of the table, frowned deeply, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the surface. To his left sat Sabo, his face grim; Allen, his fingers entwined with silver-purple energy threads; and Ace, still warm from the lingering Flame of World Purification. To his right were Luffy, Nami, Robin, and others, who had just returned, travel-worn. Zoro stood behind Luffy, sword in hand, while Sanji, cigarette dangling from his lips, wore a somber expression. Jinbe, Tesoro, Koala, Sentomaru were also present.
"How bad is the situation?" Long asked in a deep voice, breaking the suffocating silence.
Sabo immediately responded, speaking quickly and clearly, "Very bad. Carnival Island communications have been completely cut off. The last images transmitted back show an extremely large number of invading creatures, which are intelligent and know to prioritize destroying communication facilities and energy nodes. Energy readings show that the rift is still slowly widening, and the intensity of the emerging creatures is increasing." He switched the projection to show several relatively clear close-ups of the otherworldly creatures, "Tentatively named ' Rift Demons.' They can absorb various forms of energy, including thermal energy, electrical energy, and even... life energy. Their physical defense is extremely high, and conventional weapons are largely ineffective."
Ace slammed his fist on the table, and platinum flames leaped up. "My flames can be absorbed by them too, slowly, but it's definitely happening! It's almost like..."
"It's as if it was born specifically to devour," Allen interjected, his voice as calm as ever, but with a chilling undertone. "That rift wasn't formed naturally. Its edges bear the marks of Spacetime Cutting; it was forcibly torn open by human hands. The other end connects to... a dimension filled with hunger and a destructive lust."
"Man-made?" Nami exclaimed. "Who did it? The remnants of Imu's forces?"
"It doesn't seem like it." Allen shook his head. "This method of spacetime manipulation and its energy properties are completely different from Imu's 'order' power; they are more... primitive and chaotic. It's more like the work of some civilization or individual completely unknown to us."
Robin crossed his arms and pondered, "Their purpose? Is it merely destruction and plunder? Judging from their energy-absorbing behavior, perhaps their homeland is experiencing energy depletion, and our world has become their 'hunting ground'?"
"Who cares what their purpose is!" Luffy suddenly stood up, his Straw Hat pulled low but unable to conceal the rage in his eyes. "They're hurting innocent people! They're destroying our home! That's enough! We have to take them all down!"
"I agree with Luffy's assessment," Jinbe voice. "The most urgent task is to stop the disaster from escalating. But we need a strategy. We know very little about the characteristics of these creatures."
"Weaknesses?" Zoro asked succinctly.
Sabo pulled up the data analysis. "The weaknesses observed so far are not obvious. They seem to be relatively less resistant to pure physical impacts, but their resilience is extremely strong. They adapt quickly to energy attacks. Allen, what about your time manipulation abilities?"
Allen frowned slightly. "Their biological structure is very peculiar. The passage of time seems to affect them differently than that of native organisms. The effects of Time Acceleration or deceleration are diminished. But ' Time Stripping ' (accelerated aging) seems to be effective, albeit at a huge cost."
Sentomaru exclaimed, " The Science Department has already conducted an emergency analysis of the captured sample (a small piece of the limb severed by Ace )! But this thing dies quickly; it rapidly decays and emits pollution as soon as it leaves the body, making the analysis very difficult!"
" The Intelligence Department will do its utmost to collect all records regarding anomalous spatial fluctuations and whether there have been similar events in history," Koala added. "But currently, there are no matches in the database."
Tesoro pounded on the table. "Funding and resources are not a problem! Whatever you need, I'll mobilize it immediately! But we need an effective counterattack plan, not money to fill a bottomless pit!"
The meeting fell into a brief silence as everyone digested the information and considered countermeasures.
Ultimately, the dragon made a decision:
"Establish the ' Rift Crisis Response Headquarters,' with me as Commander-in-Chief. Sabo, you are responsible for intelligence gathering and overall coordination, prioritizing the identification of methods to stabilize the rifts and the fatal weaknesses of these creatures."
" Ace, your Science Department is fully committed to developing targeted weapons and protective equipment, especially materials and technologies that can Resistance energy absorption."
" Allen, your Civilization Barrier Army, as the main force, immediately head to the East Blue to establish a defensive line and stop the spread of the Rift Demons! At the same time, closely monitor global spacetime to prevent the emergence of new rifts!"
" Luffy, your Straw Hat Pirates will serve as the mobile assault force, responsible for supporting Allen, clearing out large monsters, and protecting the civilians during their evacuation!"
" Jinbe, you will coordinate the forces across the land to ensure the smooth operation of logistics and evacuation routes."
" Tesoro, ensure the supply of materials for all operations."
"Act now! We have no time to waste!"
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison, quickly getting up and leaving the meeting room, the atmosphere tense yet orderly.
Luffy pressed down his straw Straw Hat, looked out the window at the distant, seemingly bleeding horizon, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"Let's go, everyone," he whispered, "Let's beat those uninvited bastards back to their hometowns!"
A new war is looming, and the battle to safeguard the hard-won peace has begun once again.