In the darkest hour before dawn, Iron Shield Fortress was as bright as day. All searchlights were focused on the central square of the fortress, where the surviving Allied soldiers stood in solemn ranks, their eyes fixed on the few figures on the high platform. A near-frozen solemnity and an overwhelming sense of tragic grandeur filled the air.
Portgas D. Allen stood at the forefront of the platform, dressed in simple black, yet he seemed to be the fulcrum of the entire world. Behind him were Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, Sabo, Sanji, Jinbe, and Trafalgar Law. These were all the members of the " Spacetime Crevice " expeditionary force, representing the pinnacle of individual combat power in this world.
As the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, Sabo stepped forward, his voice, clear and firm, resounding throughout the fortress via Amplifying Den Den Mushi:
"Soldiers! Enough with the nonsense! The threat beyond the rift can only be overcome by taking the initiative! Today, they will represent all of us, stepping into the unknown future to confront the source of destruction!"
He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the countless blood-stained yet resolute faces below the stage:
"Their rear is in our hands! We will not let the monsters cross our lines until our last drop of blood is shed! For our homeland!"
"For our homeland!!" The earth-shattering roar erupted like a tsunami, piercing the sky and even dispelling some of the gloom in the air with its indomitable will.
Allen turned around and exchanged a glance with Luffy and the others. No words were needed; everything was understood. He took a step forward, his figure slowly levitating until it was parallel to the crack in the sky bound by silver-purple chains.
I. The Torch Dragon, Opening a Path
Allen closed his eyes, adjusting himself to peak condition. When he opened his eyes again, his left eye shone like the sun, while his right eye was like an Abyss, devouring all light. A vast and boundless aura, Transcendence mortal comprehension, roared out from his center!
"The True Form of the Torch Dragon - Awakening Mode!"
A deep dragon roar seemed to come from ancient times, and behind Allen, a phantom of a Torch Dragon stretching across the sky suddenly appeared! This phantom was more solid than ever before, its silver-purple dragon scales shimmering with the light of order, its dragon head majestic, and its eyes, which controlled time, overlooking the mortal world.
Allen formed an extremely complex hand seal in front of his chest, each movement causing the surrounding space to tremble. He mobilized the newly born Power of Zhulong, which was deeply integrated with the world's destiny, and frantically poured it into the " Spacetime Closed Loop " that maintained the entrance to the rift.
"In my name, the Laws of Space and Time, heed my command!"
"Closed loop... reversed! Gap... opened!"
Rumble--!!!
The sky seemed to have been torn apart! The silver-purple Divine Chains of Order that had originally bound the rift, intended to "close" and "remain still," under Allen's will, underwent a fundamental transformation! Like giant pythons that had come to life, they began to rotate in reverse, disassemble, and reassemble! The spacetime structure at the entrance of the rift was forcibly distorted and stretched, and an unstable vortex passage, flickering with Chaos light spots, was laboriously formed under the entanglement and wrapping of countless chains! The interior of the passage was bizarre and colorful, with shattered stars, fragments of reversed time, and distorted spatial prisms, making it awe-inspiring.
The appearance of this passage took a huge toll on Allen; his face paled instantly, but his eyes remained sharp as knives. He could sense that the aura of the dark red entity deep within the crack had become even more violent due to this sudden change, and its impact force had increased dramatically!
"Now! Go in!" Allen hissed, his voice urgent and unwavering. This passage can't last much longer!
II. Heroes face death, stepping into the unknown.
"Go!" Luffy was the first to respond. He grabbed the edge of the platform with his rubber arm and launched himself into the dangerous vortex in the air. His figure disappeared into it without hesitation.
"I can't let you steal the spotlight, you idiot brother!" Ace transformed into a platinum-gold fire meteor and followed closely behind.
Sabo was surrounded by whirlwinds, Sanji's Geppo exploded, Jinbe rode the water, and Law used his ROOM to perform a short-distance spatial jump... One after another, figures rushed into the Spacetime Crevice that represented the unknown and death without hesitation!
Finally, Allen glanced at the Allied forces standing ready below, and at the determined eyes of Nami and Franky on the bridge of Pluton in the distance. With a flicker, he also entered the passageway.
The moment he entered, the vortex passage trembled violently, the entrance rapidly contracted, and was eventually sealed again by layers of silver-purple chains, returning to its previous "sealed" state. However, from the outside, the light of the chains was noticeably dimmer, clearly indicating that maintaining the existence of the internal passage greatly dispersed Allen's power.
III. Chaotic Territory, First Encounter with Danger
Spacetime Crevice.
There is no concept of up, down, left, or right here; there is no solid ground, nor a clear blue sky. Beneath your feet flows turbulent energy, like colorful oil stains; above your head are shattered spatial cracks, like broken mirrors. Twisted light shoots in from all directions, and the sense of time becomes extremely strange, sometimes flowing rapidly, sometimes frozen in place. A massive, silent energy storm roars and ravages in the distance like an invisible behemoth.
Seven figures appeared in this chaotic place; it was Luffy and his crew. Even they felt a strong sense of unease the moment they stepped into this place. The disordered pulling of space, the sense of time distortion, and the omnipresent, chaotic whispers that tried to erode their minds all posed a great challenge.
"Wow! I feel so dizzy here!" Luffy shook his head, trying to adjust.
" My Observation Haki is severely disrupted!" Sanji said gravely, sensing his surroundings.
"ROOM's range has been compressed by two-thirds!" Law immediately noticed the suppression of the Op-Op Fruit.
Ace tried to unleash his flames, but found that the Flame of World Purification burned exceptionally fiercely here, greatly increasing his energy consumption. Jinbe, felt as if he were in a raging ocean, unable to find any support.
Only Allen, amidst this chaos, seemed to thrive. A soft, silvery-purple aura emanated from him, enveloping the team members and temporarily isolating them from most of the direct effects of the spacetime turbulence.
"Stay close to me, don't stray too far from the aura's range," Allen said in a deep voice, his sharp gaze sweeping across the Chaos. "The rules here are barely held together by me, and they're not stable. And... it has already discovered us."
As if to confirm his words, the turbulent energy currents ahead, resembling colorful oil stains, suddenly surged violently. Several monstrous creatures, radiating a dark red light, with distorted shapes, existing somewhere between physical entities and energy bodies, lunged at them like sharks smelling blood! These monsters were all at the Admiral Candidate level! They were minions conceived in the Spacetime Crevice or attracted there!
"Here we come! Prepare for battle!" Sabo shouted, and the steel pipe was instantly covered in jet-black Armament Haki.
"Perfect for warming up!" Ace grinned, and platinum flames shot into the sky.
The expeditionary force's first battle upon entering the Spacetime Crevice erupted instantly! The Chaos territory became a bloody arena for clashes between top-tier powerhouses and otherworldly monsters. And further away, a chilling crimson shadow, carrying the will to destroy everything, slowly approached. The real test had only just begun.