Holding the nascent " World Seed," which contained a gentle yet immense primordial power, Allen could sense a mysterious connection between it and himself, and between it and the Nascent Nebula beneath his feet. It was not an inanimate object, but rather a sleeping infant, needing suitable "soil" and "guidance" to fully grow and exert its power to stabilize and strengthen the World Barrier.
"We did it!" Chopper cheered.
"That's great! Allen, are you alright?" Nami asked with concern, looking at Allen's tired yet even more profound eyes.
"I'm fine, and... I've gained a lot." Allen nodded, feeling the power within him becoming more solid, as if rooted in "existence" itself.
Without lingering, they had to bring this seed of hope back to their world as quickly as possible. The Thousand Sunny changed course and carefully sailed away from this beautiful yet dangerous Nascent Nebula, following the path it had come from.
The return journey seemed to be smoother than the way there, perhaps because Allen had a deeper understanding of the laws and could more accurately avoid risks. However, as they were about to leave the nebula's influence and prepare for a long-distance jump, the nascent " World Seed " that Allen had integrated into his body, along with his own tempered spacetime perception, simultaneously detected an extremely faint yet ominous spacetime fluctuation!
This fluctuation did not originate from the Nascent Nebula they had just left, nor from the " Abyss Will " they had previously encountered, but rather from... the direction of their home world! Moreover, the fluctuation contained a familiar, unique ripple, the kind that appeared when their " Will Lighthouse " was violently struck!
"Oh no!" Allen's expression changed drastically. "The lighthouse has been attacked! Something's happened at home!"
This news struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone's hearts!
"What?! Are those monsters back again?" Luffy instantly switched into battle mode, his rubber fists clenching so tightly they cracked.
"Can you confirm the specifics?" Sabo's voice (through the communication system) was unusually grave.
Allen closed his eyes and focused his mind, tracing the source of the fluctuations with all his senses, while simultaneously activating the nascent " World Seed's " connection to the world of the same origin. Blurred fragments of images flashed through his mind—not the large-scale rift invasion of before, but several extremely powerful, dark red individuals with energy responses far exceeding ordinary monsters, appearing like precisely targeted bombs at different key nodes within the world! Their targets were clear; they were frantically attacking the energy nodes of the " Will Lighthouse," attempting to paralyze this newly established defense system!
One of the most intense attack waves came from the site of the Iron Shield Fortress, the core location of the first " Will Lighthouse "!
"It's a decapitation strike!" Robin immediately deduced. "They've realized the threat posed by 'The Lighthouse' and have dispatched elite units for a targeted elimination!"
"We must go back immediately!" Ace's voice (via the communicator) was filled with anger.
"Warp drive at maximum power! Target: Iron Shield Fortress!" Nami set the coordinates without hesitation.
Franky pushed the power system to its limit. "SUPER! Full speed ahead!"
The Thousand Sunny transformed into a streak of light, rushing into the warp drive and leaving the magnificent sight of the Nascent Nebula behind. The atmosphere inside the ship was heavy; the joy of having just obtained the Seed of hope was replaced by anxiety and anger over the attack on their home.
Allen stood at the bow of the ship, feeling the pulse of the pure white light in his palm, a pulse that connected him to the world, his eyes cold and resolute.
"This time, we won't let them succeed again."
His newly acquired understanding of "existence," the even more powerful Power of Zhulong within him, and the " Seed " containing the hope of an entire world will all become powerful weapons to protect his home and repel enemies.
The journey home is also a new battlefield. The defenses of the Xinghai and the homeland are now closely intertwined.