Pluton, slowly descended onto the war-torn Iron Shield Fortress plaza. The hatch opened, and the Allied Forces' high command, led by Sabo, emerged first, greeted by a deafening roar of cheers mixed with tears. When Luffy and Ace carefully carried the life support pod, still shrouded in a faint silver-purple glow, the entire plaza fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more fervent excitement.
The heroes have returned! Even in this special form, it is enough to ignite the flame of hope in the hearts of all survivors.
The life support pod was placed in a temporary, quiet room in the center of the fortress, protected by layers of purification runes. It was guarded day and night by the Allied Forces' most elite soldiers, while Luffy, Ace, Sabo, and others took turns caring for it inside. Law, as the attending "doctor," closely monitored any changes in Sanji's body and Allen's Dragon Soul.
Time passed day by day.
Inside the quiet room, change was taking place silently yet resolutely.
Sanji's penetrating chest wound had completely healed, leaving only a faint, silver-purple scar resembling dragon scales. His vital signs had long since returned to normal, even stronger than before his injury; his breathing was deep and his heartbeat powerful, as if a true dragon were sleeping within him. However, he still hadn't awakened, seemingly still immersed in some kind of profound transformation.
Meanwhile, Allen's dragon soul was undergoing its final integration and separation from Sanji's body at an astonishing speed.
On this day, only Luffy and Ace were guarding the quiet room. The two ate meat and chatted idly, but their eyes never left the life support pod in the center.
Suddenly, the silver-purple aura surrounding the life support pod changed abruptly, as if breathing! The light flowed faster, and an indescribable sense of majesty spread out, Luffy and Ace to stop what they were doing and look over with a mixture of wariness and anticipation.
Sanji, lying in the cabin, had his brows slightly furrowed, and his eyeballs under his eyelids began to move rapidly. Subtle, distorted spatial fluctuations began to emanate from his body.
"Is he about to wake up?" Ace put down the meat and leaned closer to observe.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
Without warning, fine, translucent, silver-purple dragon scale phantoms appeared on Sanji's body! A powerful energy uncontrollably overflowed from his body, the air in the quiet room instantly became viscous, gravity seemed to be disrupted, and some small items floated up!
"What's going on?!" Luffy exclaimed.
"It's Allen's power! He's trying to control this body, but it seems... a bit out of control!" Ace immediately realized the situation, his expression changing. This level of energy rampage was enough to level the entire quiet room and even the surrounding area!
Just as the two were about to step forward to forcibly subdue him, Sanji (or rather, Allen ) suddenly opened his eyes inside the life support pod!
What eyes they were!
The left eye is as clear as the luminous river above the heavens, containing infinite possibilities for creation and life; the right eye is as deep as the Silent Abyss of eternal ruins, flowing with the eternal laws of ending and reincarnation. And at the boundary between light and darkness, a trace of Chaos color appears and disappears, as if it could stabilize the universe and recreate the world!
Those eyes held a hint of bewilderment, as if just awakened, but more than that, they reflected an instinctive, somewhat awkward, desire to control one's own power.
"Stay calm, Allen!" Ace whispered, trying to rouse him from his reverie.
But it seemed too late. The overflowing spacetime energy became even more violent, cracks began to appear in the walls of the quiet room, and the defensive runes flickered in and out!
It was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
"Snort!"
A soft, displeased snort escaped from Sanji's lips. The voice carried a hint of Allen's characteristic coolness, yet strangely blended with Sanji's magnetic quality.
With that soft hum, a flicker of Chaos flashed in his eyes.
The next moment, the violently overflowing spacetime energy was as if forcibly grasped by an invisible hand, and suddenly shrank inward around his body! All the strange phenomena—the dragon scale phantoms, the distorted light, the disordered gravity, the floating objects—vanished in a fraction of a second! The quiet room returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
Only the lingering, chilling aura in the air testifies to the reality of what had just happened.
Sanji slowly sat up, looked down at his hands, and moved his fingers, his movements quickly becoming smooth from the initial awkwardness. He raised his hand to touch the dragon scale scar on his chest, and then felt the vast, ocean-like, yet perfectly responsive new power within him, a flash of understanding appearing in his eyes.
He looked up at Luffy and Ace, who were staring in disbelief, and a familiar yet slightly more profound smile appeared on his lips.
" Luffy, Ace," he spoke, his voice steady and carrying a reassuring strength, "Sorry, I've just mastered this body and these new powers, I'm still getting used to them."
That tone, that look—there's no doubt it's Allen! But he's using Sanji's body right now!
" Allen! You're really awake!" Luffy was the first to rush over, hugging him ( Sanji's body) tightly with his rubber arms, shouting excitedly.
"You bastard... you scared us to death!" Ace breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and punched him on the shoulder (the feeling was a bit strange).
Allen (temporarily Sanji's body) smiled and gently pushed Luffy: "Easy, Luffy. Although this body has been strengthened by me and the World-Purifying Flame, it can't withstand this kind of abuse." He paused, sensing something, " Sanji's consciousness is still dormant, undergoing a deep recovery and comprehension. I need some time to fully condense my Dragon Soul, detach it from his body, and reshape my own husk."
He raised his hand, palm up, and a tiny, solidified phantom of Torch Dragon appeared, surrounded by fine sands of time and flickering particles of light and darkness. His powerful control was completely different from his previous loss of control.
"But before that..." Allen ( Sanji ) stood up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the quiet room, looking out at the world. "There are some things that need to be taken care of first."
He took a step forward, his figure seemingly merging into space, instantly appearing outside the quiet room, bathed in the sunlight of the Iron Shield Fortress.
The moment he appeared, the entire fortress seemed to fall silent for a moment.
All the soldiers who saw him, whether human, Fish-Man, or of other races, felt a sense of awe and affinity from the very essence of life. He stood there as if he were the center of the entire world, with time and space revolving around him.
Sabo, Jinbe, Law, and the others sensed the commotion and rushed over immediately. Seeing Allen standing in the sunlight, his demeanor drastically changed (despite wearing Sanji's face), they all showed expressions of surprise and relief.
" Allen, you..." Sabo was about to ask.
Allen ( in Sanji's body) slightly raised his hand, interrupting him. He looked up at the azure sky, his eyes, which seemed to see through light and darkness and time and space, narrowed slightly.
"The war is over, but the world's wounds remain," he said softly, his voice carrying clearly throughout the fortress. "The sorrow of the dead, the pain of the living, the shattered land... all need to be healed."
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, he slowly raised his hands.
There was no earth-shattering outburst, only a gentle, boundless, and pervasive power of time and space, emanating from him and spreading out like mercury, covering the entire Eastern Theater Command and even more distant lands affected by the war.
The next moment, a miracle that everyone will never forget happened—
On the scorched and broken earth, tender green grass sprouts broke through the soil at a visible speed and spread rapidly. Withered trees sprouted new branches and buds, and polluted water sources became clear... This is not simply accelerated growth, but as if time has gently "reversed" on these damaged natural things, soothing the wounds and awakening life!
The subtle spatial cracks and energy contamination remaining in the sky were smoothed and purified by an invisible force. The sunlight became brighter, and the air became fresher. Even the atmosphere of sorrow and despair that permeated the air due to the war seemed to be replaced by a peaceful and hopeful atmosphere.
This is not creation, but... restoration! It is the supreme power of spacetime that guides the world's own restorative force, accelerating the process of renewal for all things!
"A miracle... this is a miracle!" An elderly soldier, with tears in his eyes, knelt down on the ground.
Everyone was so shocked by this earth-shaking method that they were speechless.
Allen ( in Sanji's body) slowly lowered his hand, his face slightly pale, clearly indicating that this large-scale operation had taken a toll on him. But as he looked down at the revitalized earth, a look of relief appeared in his eyes.
"This is just the beginning." He turned to his excited companions behind him and smiled. "Once my body is fully reconstructed, we'll have a lot to do. The future of this world needs us to create it together."
The dragon's first cry revealed its immense power to illuminate eternity and heal wounds. Portgas D. Allen's return brings not only ultimate combat power, but also hope and strength to heal the world and usher in a new era!
A new era, led by the Spacetime Torch Dragon and brimming with infinite possibilities, has officially begun!