Based on the star map provided by the " Stargazing Tower Remnant ", the Thousand Sunny Modified made several long-distance, high-precision jumps and finally reached the edge of the target star field.
The scene before me was completely different from the magnificent and vibrant Nascent Nebula. Here was an incredibly vast, almost absolutely dark Void, with only the remnants of some long-dead, no-longer-shining stars floating like cold tombstones in the far distance. Absolute silence was the dominant theme here, and even the cosmic microwave background radiation seemed to be absorbed by some force.
In the center of this desolate Void, a dark matter rift, stretching for countless light-years like a giant scar, is clearly visible. Within the rift, there is not nothing, but rather flows the whispers of the laws—whistles that are imperceptible to the naked eye and can only be "heard" through special energy sensing or direct perception of the laws like Allen's.
It was an eternal background sound, a mixture of countless sounds from the workings of the fundamental laws of the universe. How gravity bends space, how electromagnetism binds atoms, how the weak nuclear force causes decay, how the strong nuclear force condenses the core... and even some more abstract, indescribable fluctuations of underlying laws. They intertwined and echoed here, like the aftershocks of the beginning of the universe, which have not yet dissipated.
"This... is the Slumbering Corridor?" Usopp pulled his coat tighter around himself; despite the constant temperature inside the cabin, he felt a chill that seemed to seep into his very soul. "It feels... like something enormous is asleep, its breath has stopped."
"The activity level of the laws... approaches zero, yet is infinitely profound." Allen closed his eyes to perceive, his expression solemn. "Like a solidified ocean of laws. Those 'whispers' are the 'imprints' left by the laws themselves over endless ages."
Robin looked at the almost flat reading on the detector. "According to the survivors' notes, we need to delve deeper into the rift and find the area where the ' Sound of Law ' is most harmonious and at its core in order to guide the ' World Seed '."
Carefully piloting the Thousand Sunny deeper into the rift, the surrounding darkness grew ever denser, completely swallowing even the starlight. Only the faint silver-purple light emanating from Allen's body and the pure white radiance of the nascent " World Seed " in his palm, gradually brightening, illuminated the path ahead.
As they delved deeper, the whispers of the laws gradually became clearer. No longer a chaotic background noise, they began to differentiate into different "voices." Some, like resounding bells, represented macroscopic gravity and spacetime; others, fine as sand, represented microscopic particles and quantum fluctuations; still others, distant and ethereal, seemed to concern themselves with the essence of consciousness and information...
The light of the " World Seed " flickered with the rhythm of these " Sound of Law," like an innocent infant listening to an ancient song, instinctively adjusting its own frequency, and the stable, orderly, and protective qualities of the laws contained within it were gradually awakened and strengthened.
However, as the Remnant's Notes warned, this corridor was not without danger. The flowing whispers of the laws contained immense power. Occasionally, they would form invisible turbulent currents of law, distorting space and even attempting to assimilate the existence of intruders. The Thousand Sunny was in grave danger several times, only managing to avoid it thanks to Allen's precise manipulation of spacetime.
Even more unsettling, at the deepest part of the rift, Allen sensed an ancient consciousness, vast and indescribable, like a nebula. It was indeed "dormant," but the fragments of thought it unconsciously emitted washed over the area like invisible Tide. Some fragments contained knowledge Transcendence comprehension, while others were filled with madness and distortion, enough to plunge any person of weak mind into eternal insanity.
"We can't go any further." When they were still quite a distance from the ancient consciousness, Allen decisively ordered a halt. "The ' Sound of Law ' here is pure and powerful enough. Getting any closer might truly awaken it."
He hovered outside the cabin, holding the " World Seed " in his palm, completely releasing his connection with it, guiding it to actively absorb and resonate with the vast and harmonious whispers of the laws around it.
The pure white ball of light pulsated like a heart, its radiance growing ever brighter. Its form began to subtly change, evolving from a blurry mass of light into a more complex and stable three-dimensional structure composed of countless subtle runes of law. An indescribable aura of stability, seemingly capable of stabilizing the universe and calming all turmoil, emanated from the ball of light.
The process lasted for several days. When the light of the " World Seed " reached its peak and its form completely stabilized, transforming into a palm-sized, pure white rune with an eternally tranquil luster flowing across its surface, Allen knew that it had matured.
At the same time, his own understanding of the laws, especially his perception of "stability," "order," and "existence," also rose with this guidance process, resonating more deeply with the mature " World Seed."
However, just as they were preparing to quietly leave, that dormant ancient consciousness seemed to stir unconsciously due to the unique law fluctuations emitted when the " World Seed " matured.
It was merely an unconscious "turning over" when an indescribable torrent of thoughts, a mixture of boundless knowledge and ultimate madness, swept in like a tsunami from the deepest part of the rift!
"Go!" Allen's expression changed drastically, and he instantly returned to the ship.
Jinbe pushed the power to its limit, and the Thousand Sunny, like a startled fish, desperately rushed out of the rift!
Behind them, the frozen darkness seemed to come alive, an invisible wave surging and crashing...