The banquet on the Thousand Sunny was in full swing along the orbit of Green Shade Star, the aroma of food and the laughter of the crew filling the cabins. However, as the banquet drew to a close, Nami clapped her hands, her expression turning serious. "Alright, the celebration ends here. Now that we represent an 'alliance,' we can no longer act as freely as before. We have a few options: one, accept the invitation from the ' Star Forgers ' civilization; two, accept the council's invitation to the Seat of All Knowledge; three, let's go back home first."
"Of course we're going to see that Star Forgers!" Luffy shouted without hesitation, his mouth full of meat. "That sounds amazing! And aren't they interested in Allen? Let's go see what they're up to!"
Luffy's intuition and curiosity once again determined the course. After informing Chairperson Qingteng and Xingtong of the decision, the Thousand Sunny adjusted its course and began a new leap towards the coordinates provided by the " Star Forgers " civilization.
The Star Forgers ' homeworld is located within a spectacular binary star system. When the Thousand Sunny escaped its jump, the sight before them astonished even the well-traveled Straw Hat Pirates —not a green planet, but a colossal ring-shaped structure made of metal and crystals, encircling one of the stars like a creation of a god! Countless small engineering vessels, like worker bees, shuttled in and out of the ring world, drawing upon the star's immense energy.
"This... this is too SUPER~ Amazing!" Franky looked at the breathtaking RimWorld, his eyes welling up with tears of excitement. Usopp and Chopper hugged each other, trembling with fear at the unimaginable scale of technology.
A guiding signal arrived, Thousand Sunny was connected to a port in the Ringworld. The port was even more bizarre and fantastical, with everything seemingly composed of flowing metal and solidified beams of light. Automated machinery operated efficiently, but few people were in sight.
The Star Forgers who called himself " Guide 07 ". Most of his body had been mechanically modified and gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster. Only his face still retained some biological features, but his eyes were like sophisticated sensors, completely devoid of emotion.
"Welcome, sirs of the Watcher Alliance." Guide 07's voice was flat and clear. "We have learned of your outstanding performance in the Void Rift. In particular, the ' Rule Definition ' ability displayed by Lord Portgas D. Allen is highly relevant to our civilization's pursuit of the ' Ultimate Forging ' ideal."
Without any pleasantries, he cut straight to the point. "We wish to engage in a 'technical exchange' with Your Excellency Allen. We will showcase the pinnacle of the Star Forgers civilization's control over matter and energy—the ' Stellar Forge.' In exchange, we would like to observe and record the specific interference parameters that Your Excellency generates on local rules when wielding your abilities."
This straightforward request instantly created a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
"Observation? Recording?" Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes hostile. "Do you intend to use Allen as a guinea pig?"
"Not at all," Guide 07 explained. "This helps us verify the feasibility of the ultimate proposition of 'reconstructing reality with will.' For you, observing the ' Stellar Forge ' will also deepen your understanding of the nature of energy, making it a win-win situation."
Allen remained silent. He could sense that these Star Forgers were not malicious; they were more like a group of extremely rational scientists pursuing specific knowledge. Their "interests" were pure and direct, but because of this, they might overlook the risks involved and the feelings of others.
"Okay." Allen finally nodded, "But I need to make sure my partners can observe as well, and this is just an 'exchange,' not a 'test.'"
"A reasonable request." Guide 07 readily agreed.
Led by Guide 07, they traveled on a high-speed orbit, venturing deep into the interior of the ring world. Finally, they arrived at an enormous spherical space. At the center of this space was not a physical furnace, but a miniature star, violently "burning" under the constraint of a powerful force field! Countless beams of energy, like forging hammers, precisely bombarded the stellar matter, each strike causing ripples at the level of laws, as if forging some kind of "concept" Transcendence ordinary matter!
"This is... Stellar Forge..." Nami was utterly awestruck by the immense energy and exquisite control. Robin, on the other hand, was frantically recording everything she saw, trying to understand the principles behind it.
"Then, Lord Allen," Guide 07 turned to Allen, data streams flashing rapidly in his eyes, "Please begin your presentation. We eagerly anticipate whether the will of an individual can reach, or even Transcendence, the realm that requires the combined power of our entire civilization."
All eyes were on Allen. He knew this was not just a simple demonstration of ability, but also a matter of the " Watcher Alliance's" weight and influence in the eyes of highly advanced civilizations like the Star Forgers. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and prepared to display his personal "forging" power, born from protection and freedom, before this wonder of civilization.