The Pluton Battleship sailed steadily through the waters of the New World, heading toward the next coordinates where a Poneglyph might be found. The salty, briny sea breeze brushed over the four people training on deck.
"Observation Haki isn't just about anticipating attacks. You also have to sense subtle changes in the environment." Allen closed his eyes and concentrated, the Power of Zhulong extending his perception to its limit. "For example, right now, a storm is forming thirty nautical miles to the northeast."
Luffy stretched his rubber arms, trying to touch the distant clouds. "You're right! Dark clouds are coming!"
Flames gathered and dispersed in Ace's palm, his control growing increasingly precise. "We have 67% energy left. We need to find an island and replenish our supplies."
Sabo was adjusting Pluton's navigation system. "According to the chart Mr. Rayleigh gave us, there should be an area up ahead called the Ghost Sea. Legends say space and time sometimes become distorted there..."
Before he finished speaking, Pluton's alarm suddenly sounded!
Warning: abnormal spacetime fluctuations detected... Phase anomaly in the waters ahead...
The clear sky abruptly turned gloomy, and thick fog spread across the sea. Visibility plummeted, and the temperature inexplicably dropped.
"What's going on?" Ace ignited his flames to try to disperse the fog, only to find that they had become weak and unstable.
Luffy's rubber body shivered. "So cold! It suddenly got cold!"
Allen activated the Power of Zhulong, his golden slit pupils piercing the thick fog. "Something's wrong... This isn't ordinary fog... There's something in it!"
A hazy silhouette of a ship slowly emerged from the fog. It was an ancient three-masted sailing ship, its hull dilapidated and its sails riddled with holes, giving off an ominous air. Most chilling of all, faint, haunting singing drifted from aboard in some ancient language.
"A ghost ship?!" Sabo quickly pulled up the database. "The records do mention similar legends about these waters..."
Suddenly, the ghost ship accelerated straight toward Pluton! They were about to collide!
"Evasive action!" Allen immediately steered Pluton aside, but the ghost ship followed like a shadow!
Just as the two ships were about to collide, the ghost ship suddenly... passed through Pluton! Like an insubstantial phantom!
"An illusion?" Ace said in surprise. "But that oppressive feeling just now was real!"
After passing through Pluton, the ghost ship solidified again a short distance away. Several hazy figures appeared on its deck and beckoned to them.
Luffy stretched his rubber neck. "They're calling us over!"
Allen frowned. "Careful. It could be a trap." But the Ark Core suddenly vibrated. "Residual temporal energy detected... Matches the 'Time-Time Fruit' recorded in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia..."
The Time-Time Fruit? The legendary Paramecia fruit that could travel through space and time? Could the ghost ship be connected to the Time-Time Fruit?
As he pondered this, the fog suddenly thickened further, completely engulfing Pluton. When it cleared slightly, they were shocked to discover that everything around them had changed!
The once-blue seawater had turned pitch-black. Two blood-red moons hung in the sky, and the distant islands had twisted, bizarre shapes.
"Where... have we ended up?" Sabo's face paled as he looked at the completely unfamiliar arrangement of stars.
Allen checked the navigation system. "The coordinates say we're still in the same place, but..." He looked toward the twisted islands. "This definitely isn't the world we know."
Suddenly, Pluton's energy gauge plunged! "Our energy is being drained rapidly! At this rate, we'll shut down completely in an hour!"
To make matters worse, the black sea began to boil. Countless distorted sea creatures surfaced and surged toward Pluton! Their forms defied all reason, as though different creatures had been forcibly stitched together!
"Prepare for battle!" Allen shouted. "Protect Pluton!"
All four unleashed their abilities! Ace's flames became unstable in the strange environment, fluctuating between strong and weak; Luffy's rubber powers also seemed affected, their elasticity becoming irregular; Sabo's pipe attacks were far less effective; only Allen's Power of Zhulong remained relatively stable, though it was suppressed as well.
"These creatures... won't die!" Ace exclaimed. The creatures he had burned to a crisp quickly reassembled and revived!
Sabo spotted a clue. "They have temporal energy inside them! We have to destroy them completely with Haki!"
Allen immediately ordered, "Attack with Conqueror's Haki coating!"
All four unleashed their Conqueror's Haki, coating their respective attacks! This time, the effect was clear. The monsters they struck turned to ash and no longer reassembled!
But there were too many monsters, and Pluton's energy was still draining rapidly! At this rate, they would eventually be worn down and killed!
"We have to find the source of the energy drain!" Allen pushed his perception to its fullest. "Over there!" He pointed toward the ghost ship!
The ghost ship was floating quietly nearby, its ghostly figures still beckoning as though inviting them aboard.
"We have no choice!" Allen made his decision. "Prepare to board! We're getting on that ship!"
Pluton struggled toward the ghost ship, and the four leaped onto the eerie ancient vessel.
The moment they stepped onto the deck, time seemed to stop. All sound vanished; even the waves could no longer be heard. The ghostly figures aboard grew a little clearer, revealing several people dressed in ancient sailors' uniforms, though their faces remained indistinct.
One ghost raised a hand and pointed toward the captain's cabin.
The four cautiously approached the captain's cabin. When they pushed open the door, the sight inside left them dumbfounded-
Rather than the ruin they had imagined, the captain's cabin was a tidy study. A middle-aged man in a captain's uniform sat at a desk, writing something. Most astonishing of all, he looked completely solid rather than ghostly!
The man looked up with a gentle smile. "Welcome, travelers through space and time. I am James Moriarty, the previous user of the Time-Time Fruit."
The Time-Time Fruit's user?! Everyone instantly went on guard!
Moriarty seemed to notice their wariness. He chuckled and waved a hand. "No need to be nervous. As you can see, I'm already dead. What you're seeing now is only a temporal afterimage-a projection of information I left with my power while I was alive."
He stood and walked to the window. "This is a gap in spacetime, a subspace created by my ability. Those 'monsters' outside are actually aberrations produced by distortions in spacetime."
Allen frowned. "Why did you lure us here?"
Moriarty turned, his expression serious. "Because time is collapsing. My ability is about to go out of control, and this subspace will soon collapse, affecting the real world. Someone needs to inherit the power of the Time-Time Fruit and repair the spacetime rift."
He pointed to a pocket watch on the desk. "There lies the core of the Time-Time Fruit. Touch it and pass the trial, and you can gain the power to control time."
Luffy reached out curiously, but Allen stopped him. "Wait! Why choose us?"
Moriarty looked deeply at Allen. "Because you carry the aura of the 'Torch Dragon.' It is one of the few abilities capable of contending with the power of time. And..." He looked at all four of them. "You are 'D,' destined to set this distorted era right."
Suddenly, the ship shook violently! The aberrations outside began frantically battering the ghost ship!
"There's little time left!" Moriarty's figure began to fade. "Decide quickly! Accept the trial, or be lost forever in the turbulence of spacetime!"
Allen exchanged a glance with the three brothers, and they nodded to one another.
"We accept the trial."
All four touched the pocket watch at once! Time seemed to stop at that moment!
An instant later, they were pulled into different temporal illusions-
Allen returned to the moment Marineford sank, but this time, he had a chance to change history... Ace returned to the fire at Gray Terminal, facing a choice between saving Sabo and saving more people... Sabo returned to an aristocratic banquet in the Goa Kingdom, with a chance to prevent that tragedy in advance... Luffy returned to the Sabaody Archipelago, facing the choice of being sent flying by Kuma again...
Each illusion embodied their regrets and choices, testing their true hearts and wisdom.
In his illusion, Allen nearly changed Marineford's sinking, but at the last moment, he chose to give up-realizing that some prices had to be paid, and some history could not be changed lightly.
Despite the pain, Ace did not save Sabo alone, instead devising a more comprehensive plan to save more people. Sabo chose restraint, avoiding alerting the enemy and gathering evidence of the nobles' crimes to settle accounts later. Unexpectedly, Luffy did not resist, instead asking to be sent flying somewhere better suited for training.
When the four passed their trials and returned to reality, the pocket watch emitted a gentle glow and merged into Allen's body-the Time-Time Fruit had chosen him as its new master.
"A wise choice." Moriarty's afterimage smiled with satisfaction. "Remember, time is not a toy, but a responsibility. Now, go repair spacetime."
His figure disappeared completely, and the entire ghost ship began to disintegrate!
"Back to Pluton, now!" Allen shouted, activating the power of time to temporarily stabilize the collapsing space!
The four rushed back to Pluton, and Allen immediately poured the power of time into the battleship. "Time Rewind: Local Reversal!"
Something miraculous happened! Pluton's energy began to recover! The surrounding aberrations gradually dissipated! The distorted space slowly returned to normal!
When everything settled, they were back in normal waters. The ghost ship had vanished without a trace, as though none of it had ever happened.
But Allen now held a pocket watch, proving it had not been a dream.
Time-Time Fruit ability acquired... Beginning fusion with the Power of Zhulong...
Allen felt the newborn power within him-the fusion of time with light and darkness had produced an unprecedented ability.
He waved a hand gently, and a subtle time bubble appeared on the sea ahead. Within it, the seawater flowed backward for three seconds.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Luffy's eyes shone.
Ace's expression was serious. "This power is too dangerous..."
Sabo looked thoughtful. "The Time-Time Fruit... No wonder the World Government has been searching for it."
Suddenly, the Ark Core sounded an alarm. "World Government fleet detected approaching... Suspected to be tracking the temporal fluctuations..."
Allen's gaze sharpened. "Looks like our adventure is far from over."
The Pluton Battleship adjusted its course and sailed toward its next destination.
And this time, they had new power and new responsibilities.
The journey of the lord of time had only just begun.