The atmosphere in the intelligence center instantly became subtle and tense. The armored figures moved seemingly casually, yet cleverly blocked several main routes leading to the exit for Allen and his companions. They exuded a murderous aura from bloody battles, making them stand out from the ordinary interstellar travelers around them who were busy with their transactions.
"Looks like we have guests." Jinbe subtly adjusted his position, his broad body subtly shielding Robin and Franky behind him, his deep voice carrying an undeniable warning.
Allen's eyes turned slightly cold, and his spatial perception quietly unfolded. He "saw" that the energy cores of these people operated in an aggressive manner, and their muscles beneath their armor were taut, clearly indicating that they had entered a state of combat readiness. Their target was clear: the precious fragment about the " World Barrier " and the " World Seed " that Robin had just deciphered.
"Aren't you afraid of breaking the rules by making a move in the Star Ring Market?" Franky clenched his fist, the mechanical arm emitting a slight hydraulic hum, as he tried to intimidate his opponent with the market's rules.
The leader, a burly armored man with crimson flashes on his visor, spoke in a hoarse, manipulated electronic voice. "Rules? The rule here is that valuable things ultimately belong to the strong. Hand over the access key to that fragment of the star map, and you'll be spared physical suffering."
His mention of "fragments of the star map" was clearly a cover-up, but their greedy eyes had already revealed their true objective.
Negotiations broke down! The moment the other side finished speaking, a slender, assassin-like figure on the left suddenly attacked! He was Jinbe fast, bypassing Jinbe like a ghost, and his arm shot out an energy blade crackling with eerie blue electricity, aimed straight at Robin was holding the data storage device!
This attack was ruthless and precise, clearly intended to subdue or severely damage the most crucial intelligence holder in an instant!
"ROOM!"
Law, who had been on high alert (connected remotely via a miniature communicator), reacted with lightning speed! A tiny room instantly unfolded in front of Robin!
" Tact!"
The assassin's seemingly inevitable strike unexpectedly landed on a nearby shelf filled with data panels! The shelf collapsed with a crash, causing gasps and chaos!
"What?!" The assassin was stunned.
In that split second!
" Fish-Man Karate - Arabesque Brick Fist!"
Jinbe seized the opportunity and unleashed a powerful punch from a distance! The shockwave was not a straight line, but spread out in a fan shape, not only causing the assassin to stagger backward, but also forcing the other burly men who wanted to rush forward to pause in their tracks!
" Franky... Steel... Chain Punch!"
Franky roared, his massive mechanical fist whistling through the air as it slammed into the leader in front of him like a pile driver! The leader snorted coldly, his armored arms crossing to block!
boom!
A dull thud rang out, and both men took a step back simultaneously, tiny cracks appearing on the solid metal floor beneath their feet! Their strength was surprisingly evenly matched!
"Damn it! How dare you lay a hand on Robin!" Sanji's voice grew louder as he approached. He had clearly sensed the commotion and was rushing over at lightning speed using Geppo. Before he even arrived, a fiery kick was already raining down from above! " Mouton Shot!"
However, the opponent was clearly no pushover either. Another armored warrior raised his arm, and the armor plates on his arm instantly combined and transformed into a small energy shield, precisely blocking Sanji's kick. The World-Purifying Flame collided with the energy shield, producing a sizzling sound.
The intelligence center was thrown into chaos! Other customers and vendors scattered in panic. The market's security forces seemed to have been intentionally or unintentionally delayed on the perimeter.
Allen didn't join the melee. He stood still, his eyes gleaming with a complex mix of emotions. He was analyzing the situation, searching for a way to break the deadlock. The enemy's excellent teamwork and superior equipment clearly indicated they were experienced interstellar mercenaries. A direct confrontation, even if they won, would inevitably cause a greater disturbance and expose more of their strength, making it a losing proposition.
His gaze locked onto the assassin whose attack had been diverted by Luo and who was now trying to blend back into the shadows. That's him!
"Time and space... imprisoned!"
With a barely perceptible twitch of Allen finger, an invisible force of spacetime, like the most resilient spiderweb, instantly enveloped the small space around the assassin! The assassin's movements suddenly became extremely slow, as if he were stuck in sticky glue, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face!
"Now!"
Without Allen needing to say a word, Zoro appeared behind the imprisoned assassin as if by teleportation, Wado Ichimonji slammed heavily into the back of the assassin's neck! The assassin groaned and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, the leader knew he had encountered a tough opponent, especially the black-haired youth who hadn't made a move yet had instantly subdued one of his skilled fighters, posing a great threat to him. He made a decisive move, letting out a sharp shriek of retreat. The remaining men immediately threw down several smoke bombs and energy-disrupting beads, taking advantage of the chaos to quickly disappear into the crowd.
The battle came quickly and ended just as fast. When the smoke cleared, only a chaotic scene and the unconscious prisoner remained.
"Hmph, they got away fast." Zoro sheathed his sword and snorted coldly.
"Miss Robin, are you alright?" Sanji asked Robin with concern.
"I'm fine, thanks to everyone." Robin smoothed out his slightly disheveled clothes, remaining calm, but a hint of lingering fear flickered in his eyes.
The market guards arrived late, asking a few routine questions. In Star Ring Market, they usually turned a blind eye to this level of conflict as long as it didn't result in large-scale destruction or death.
With the prisoners and the intelligence they had gathered, the group quickly returned to the Thousand Sunny. After Law's "friendly" interrogation (mainly using the Op-Op Fruit's ability to probe for memory fragments rather than violence), they learned that the mercenaries belonged to a raider gang called " Dark Star," specializing in intelligence theft and the plundering of rare resources. They had also accidentally learned of the value of the " Stargazers " fragment and intended to seize it, but they hadn't expected to run into such a formidable opponent.
This brief conflict, though ultimately harmless, served as a reminder to everyone that in the Xinghai, those who covet precious knowledge and resources are far more than just terrifying Devourer. The human heart, too, is an unfathomable darkness.
However, the gains were also enormous. The fragment of the " Stargazers " not only indicated that the " World Seed " might be the key to strengthening the World Barrier, but its appendix, an extremely ancient star map fragment, also marked several extreme star regions known as " Nascent Nebula " that might contain " Origin Matter " or related clues.
One of the coordinates happened to be not far from an unknown area they planned to explore next.
"It seems this is our next destination." Nami entered the coordinates into the navigation system.
" The Origin Matter... the World Seed..." Allen gazed at the hazy, mysterious nebula marking on the star map, his eyes filled with determination. "No matter what, we must find it! Not only for ourselves, but for our world!"
With new goals and the lessons learned, the Thousand Sunny Modified set sail once more, heading towards that Nascent Nebula that might hold both hope and greater danger. The profound depths of the Xinghai were gradually unveiling their mysteries before them.