The Thousand Sunny Modified was making short jumps continuously across the Xinghai, heading at full speed toward the coordinates of the " Green Shade " civilization. The atmosphere inside the cabin was completely different from when they were returning home, filled with the grimness and urgency of the impending battle.
Nami stared intently at the star map and the real-time information relayed by the " Will Lighthouse " network, her brow furrowing slightly. "The spacetime structure near the K-77 Star Sector is somewhat chaotic, as if a large-scale battle has just taken place. The beacon signal is also experiencing strong interference there."
"Was it the ' Predator ' fleet's doing?" Usopp swallowed nervously, clutching his new invention tightly in his hand—" Beyond-Visual-Range Sniping Seed: Energy Suppression Type."
"Most likely." Robin nodded, a limited amount of information about the " Predator " downloaded from the council's network projected in front of her. "They feed on the life energy and essence of planets, and the fleet itself seems to be a kind of semi-biological, semi-mechanical symbiote, extremely troublesome."
Allen closed his eyes, sensing the connection between the " World Seed " within his chest and his distant homeland, which gave him a sense of composure. He spoke, "I can feel an intense sense of 'hunger' and 'withering' emanating from that direction. Everyone, prepare yourselves; we may be heading straight into the battlefield."
Infiltrate the battlefield: The withered planet
As the Thousand Sunny completed its final jump and burst out of the jump tunnel, the sight before them made everyone gasp.
A once vibrant, verdant planet is now covered in unsettling dark green patches, like a spreading plague. Near the planet's orbit, numerous warship wrecks float, including elegantly designed " Green Shade " civilization warships with vein-like patterns, as well as more grotesque " Predator " warships that look like a mixture of twisted metal and flesh.
Dozens of massive " Predator " motherships, like floating cancerous tumors, are constantly projecting dark green energy beams onto the planet's surface, accelerating its withering. Meanwhile, the surviving " Green Shade " fleet is putting up a desperate Resistance, relying on some huge defensive fortresses in the planet's orbit that resemble living trees intertwined.
"Those are the ' Predator '... They're draining the planet's life!" Chopper cried out, his voice trembling with emotion. As a doctor, he could clearly feel the pain emanating from that planet.
"That dark green energy is eroding the very essence of the world." Allen's eyes sharpened; his perception was now clearer. "We must stop them!"
" Jinbe! Charge!" Luffy, his eyes burning with rage beneath his Straw Hat.
"Understood!" Jinbe slammed the helm, and the Thousand Sunny shot straight toward the most intense battle zone like a silver arrow.
First Battle: Iron Vines and the World-Purifying Flame
Their intrusion immediately attracted the attention of the Predator. Several fast attack ships, shaped like giant bone spikes, turned around and sprayed thick, dark green spores with strong corrosive and energy-draining effects toward the Thousand Sunny.
" General Franky - SUPER! Barrier!" Franky controlled his giant robot form, deploying an energy shield to block the spore cluster, the shield emitting a "sizzling" corrosive sound.
"Leave the long-range cleanup to me!" Usopp stood at his sniping position, took a deep breath, unleashed his Observation Haki, and fired a series of Beyond-Visual-Range Sniping Seed. The green Seed exploded silently in the vacuum, forming huge energy suppression nets that enveloped the approaching spore clusters along with their launchers, instantly paralyzing their energy systems.
" Brook! Reconnoiter the enemy mothership's structural weaknesses!"
"Leave it to me~ Yohohoho!" Brook's soul left his body, transforming into a cold light invisible to the naked eye, instantly traversing the battlefield and entering a rampaging " Predator " mothership.
At the same time, a Predator mothership seemed to have sensed the threat from the Thousand Sunny. Its massive bow split open, revealing a cannon muzzle resembling an intestine, from which dark green, destructive energy began to gather.
"We can't let it fire!" Zoro drew his sword three times, Enma hummed, and his terrifying intent to strike locked onto the target.
"Wait, Zoro!" Allen suddenly called out, his gaze fixed on the mothership. "Its energy core is linked to the planetary erosion device. Forcibly destroying it could trigger an energy backlash, accelerating the planet's decay."
At that very moment, something unexpected happened!
On the surface of the planet below, several enormous vines, shimmering with emerald light, suddenly tore through the atmosphere, like giant, living pythons, and coiled around the " Predator " mothership that was preparing to launch at an astonishing speed! These vines were incredibly tough, and their surfaces flowed with runic light, temporarily suppressing the mothership's energy gathering.
[Thank you for your assistance! We are the Green Shade Civilization Guards!] A faint but clear mental message entered everyone's minds, filled with determination and pleading: [Please attack its energy conduit, located at the third skeletal segment of the ship's midsection! We can't hold out much longer!]
They are the planet's Resistance force!
"Understood!" Sanji leaped into the air with Geppo, his toes igniting with blazing white World-Purifying Flame. "Then burn it through! Diable Jambe: Purifying Flame BBQ Set!" He transformed into a white streak of fire, precisely kicking towards the joint in the middle of the mothership.
"Boom--!"
The moment the World-Purifying Flame touched the mothership's dark green armor, it was like cold water dripping into hot oil, unleashing a violent energy reaction. The armor, filled with an aura of withering and death, rapidly melted and disintegrated before the platinum-gold flames that contained purification and affirmation of life! Sanji's kick pierced directly through the hull, destroying a crucial energy conduit.
The mothership trembled violently, and dark green energy escaped out of control. Taking advantage of the situation, the enormous vines exerted their strength, forcefully snapping and tearing the behemoth apart!
"Well done! Curly Brow!" Zoro sheathed his sword and grinned.
"Hmph, Moss Head, be quicker next time!" Sanji landed back on the deck and casually lit a cigarette.
Convergence and Grim Situation
With the mothership destroyed, the pressure on the battlefield eased slightly. A guiding beam shot out from a massive tree fortress on the planet below, directing the Thousand Sunny to land.
In the Tree Fortress command room, filled with the fragrance of plants but with a solemn atmosphere, the Straw Hat Pirates met the Supreme Councilor of the " Green Shade " civilization—a tall, elderly man with skin like tree bark and eyes like emeralds, as well as an observer from the " Council of Stars " wearing a star robe.
"Thank you, Watcher from afar." The speaker's voice was low and weary. "I am Speaker Qingteng. This is Parliament Observer Xingtong."
"The situation is critical, so I'll get straight to the point." The Observer Xingtong spoke quickly, pointing to the holographic sand table in the center. "The main force of the ' Predator ' fleet is besieging our ' Heart of the Mother Tree,' the core of the planet's life source. They've deployed the ' Origin-Draining Array.' If we can't destroy the array's core within a standard day, the Heart of the Mother Tree will wither, the entire K-77 Star Sector will die completely, and its death ripples might even impact multiple nearby worlds, including your home planet."
The sand table clearly shows that at the planet's equator, a huge triangular array consisting of three super motherships is in operation, with dark green energy forming a massive vortex that frantically draws out the brilliant stream of light representing the planet's origin, surging from the depths of the earth.
"One standard day..." Nami's expression turned serious, "Time is too tight!"
"Their defenses are extremely tight," Chairperson Qingteng said bitterly, "Our troops cannot get close."
Luffy adjusted his straw Straw Hat, flashing his signature smile, "It's alright, we're here, we'll definitely stop them!"
Allen stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the sand table before finally settling on the dark green vortex core. "Tell us the weakest point of the array's core, and how to breach its defenses. We'll tear a path and destroy it."
His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination. The " World Seed " in his chest was slightly warm, resonating faintly with the suffering planet, as if urging him to act quickly.
The first major battle in the Xinghai Rescue mission has a clear objective: strike at the heart of the enemy, destroy the Origin-Draining Array, and save the Green Shade Civilization!