The free Sea Route forcibly opened by Allen is like a silver river flowing on the boundary between reality and illusion, carrying the Thousand Sunny to the unknown. Beyond the Sea Route are bizarre and ever-changing bubbles of spacetime, occasionally revealing fragments of other worlds—burning forest cities, frozen mechanical planets, or biomes composed purely of light.
After sailing for an unknown period of time, the surrounding starlight gradually dimmed, and a suffocating silence descended. The sight ahead made everyone hold their breath.
It was neither an island nor a sea, but a vast, boundless "ruin belt" floating in the Void. Countless wrecks of enormous starships, broken man-made celestial bodies, and metal structures whose original forms were unrecognizable floated silently like a cosmic graveyard. These wrecks were astonishing in scale, some even larger than an entire island, their surfaces covered with thick cosmic dust, and in some places, traces of energy overload melting remained, or terrible wounds torn apart by some immense force.
"Where... where is this?" Usopp's voice trembled. "So many... so big ships..."
"Not a ship," Robin said gravely, staring at the futuristic, alien-tech structures. "It's a starship. A massive vehicle capable of traversing the Xinghai. This is... a battlefield ruin."
Franky excitedly stroked the ship's hull, gazing at the technological creations far beyond his comprehension. "SUPER! This technology! It's amazing! It's a pity they're all damaged..."
Nami, however, was more concerned about the environmental data. "The spatial readings are extremely unstable, the gravity is abnormal, and there is strong residual energy radiation. Everyone be careful; there may be hidden dangers here."
Allen stood at the bow of the ship, his eyes swirling with light and darkness as he carefully sensed this graveyard of stellar remains. He could not only feel the destruction on a material level, but also "hear" the silent lamentations and despairing thoughts emanating from the countless civilizations that had perished within those remains. This Void had buried more than one glorious interstellar civilization.
"What... destroyed them?" Chopper asked in a low voice, hiding behind Zoro.
Just then, a faint, intermittent red light suddenly appeared inside a huge starship wreck resembling a twisted cross, to the side and front of the Thousand Sunny! At the same time, a broadcast signal mixed with electrical noise and repeated in some unknown language was simultaneously picked up by Brook and Franky's equipment.
[Warning... Encounter...' World Devourers '... Civilization Sequence... Elimination... Survivor... Escape... Coordinates...]
The signal abruptly stopped, and the red light went out completely.
" World Devourers?" Zoro frowned. "It doesn't sound like a good thing."
"Civilization sequence erasure..." Robin's face turned pale. "Does that mean the same entity destroyed these civilizations? Or... the same thing?"
A chill ran through everyone's hearts. The threat capable of destroying interstellar civilizations was far more powerful than they had previously imagined.
Suddenly, Sanji, who was on guard duty, looked up sharply. "Something's coming! And it's moving very fast!"
From behind a massive, planet-core-like wreckage of engines, three small, shuttle-shaped aircraft suddenly sprang forth! They were entirely black, with smooth surfaces, and no visible portholes or markings. They moved silently like ghosts, but the dark red energy gathered at their bows exuded undisguised hostility!
They clearly saw the Thousand Sunny as their new prey, surrounding it in a triangular formation, dark red energy gathering at the bow, ready to launch an attack!
"Is it them? The ' World Devourers '?" Luffy rubbed his hands together, eager to try.
"Not like it," Allen observed calmly. "The technological style of these aircraft is completely different from the surrounding wreckage, and their energy reactions are more... chaotic and rudimentary. They're more like 'scavengers' or 'carcasses' roaming this graveyard, surviving by plundering wreckage and attacking lone survivors."
Before the words were even finished, the three shuttle-shaped spacecraft opened fire simultaneously! Three dark red energy beams tore through the Void, heading straight for the Thousand Sunny!
"Leave it to me!" Jinbe spun the helm sharply, tilting the Thousand Sunny at an almost impossible angle, narrowly avoiding the two beams of light. The third beam was shattered by Zoro leaping up and unleashing his "Flying Dragon: Flame" attack!
"Since you've come looking for us, don't blame us for being impolite!" Geppo Sanji, his legs wrapped in World-Purifying Flame Purifying Flame Diable Jambe, and unleashed a scorching kick that slammed into one of the aircraft like a meteor.
The aircraft nimbly dodged, its surface rippling with a shield that barely blocked Sanji's kick, but the shield itself also began to fluctuate violently.
"Oh? You've got some skill." Sanji raised an eyebrow, his attack intensifying.
Luffy immediately activated Gear Fourth, his rubber fist slamming into the other ship like a cannonball. " Gum-Gum - King Kong Murder of Crows Cannon!"
The aircraft attempted to evade with high-speed maneuvering, but the immense wind pressure from Luffy's punches and the impact of Conqueror's Haki Coating still made it resemble a small boat in a storm, its shield flickering erratically.
The third aircraft attempted to flank and attack from behind, but was overwhelmed by General Franky's " Franky Laser " and Brook's " Arrow Notch Slash " imbued with a chilling aura.
These "carrion eaters" are individually roughly at the level of Marine Vice Admiral. With their bizarre technology and teamwork, they can gain an advantage over most strong opponents. However, they are no match for the Straw Hat Pirates, especially the Straw Hat Pirates have undergone transformation after a series of battles.
In just a few rounds, the three aircraft were destroyed one after another, exploding into three fireballs in the Void.
The battle ended, but no one felt joy. The existence of this graveyard of star remains, as well as the appearance of the " World Devourers " and "Carrion Eaters," foreshadowed that the Xinghai was not a smooth path, but rather filled with unknown dangers and darkness.
Allen flew to a large piece of wreckage, placed his palm on the cold metal surface, and closed his eyes to sense it. After a moment, he opened his eyes, a hint of heaviness in them.
"The history of these remains... is very ancient. The ' World Devourers ' that destroyed them were... terrifying beings that fed on worlds and civilizations. Wherever they went, they left only graveyards like these."
He gazed into the endless darkness in the distance, "The free route we've chosen is probably closer to this darkness than we imagined."
Silence fell upon the crowd. Behind the romance of the Xinghai lay the cruel laws of survival.
"So what!" Luffy broke the silence, grinning. "What do we care about World Devourers? If it dares to block our way, we'll blast it away!"
The companions' eyes regained their resolve. Adventure is inherently accompanied by danger; they were already used to it.
The Thousand Sunny changed course and carefully navigated among the massive tombstones of civilizations, continuing its journey along the Freedom Sea Route. This graveyard of stellar remains was the first harsh truth they encountered after stepping onto the true stage of Xinghai, giving them a clearer understanding of the challenges ahead.
From this moment on, the journey to the Xinghai truly took on a background of vastness and darkness.