The strange crystal, its light constantly shifting, lay quietly in Robin's hand, perfectly matching the groove on the control panel. A sense of historical weight and tension, a tension that preceded the unveiling of the truth, filled the air.
"Should we... put it in?" Usopp swallowed hard, feeling both anticipation and fear.
Luffy reached out and picked up the crystal. "Of course I want it! Let's see what's hidden inside!"
"Wait, Luffy!" Nami quickly stopped him, "What if there's a trap?"
Allen sensed the energy flow around the groove. "No offensive runes or trap energy. This device is designed for 'verification' and 'activation,' not 'defense' or 'destruction.'"
Luffy grinned and pressed the crystal into the groove without hesitation.
Click.
With a soft click, the crystal was perfectly embedded. In an instant, the previously dim control panel seemed to come alive, streams of light rapidly spreading along the patterns on its surface, and a deep humming sound emanated from the depths of the underground. A soft, steady white light illuminated the interior of the hemispherical building, dispelling some of the darkness and deathly silence.
The ground in the very center silently slid open, raising a cylindrical platform. Floating on the platform was a fist-sized sphere emitting a warm white light. Inside the sphere, countless tiny points of light seemed to flow, like a miniature galaxy.
At the same time, complex symbols and images began to scroll across the main screen. This time, it was accompanied by a stream of information that directly affected consciousness and could be understood, rather than the blurry images that required mental perception as before.
[Authentication successful... Civilization Spark Database activated... Welcome, the last inheritor, or rather... an outsider.]
A calm but undeniably weary AI voice echoed in everyone's minds.
[As you can see, our world, ' Ionia,' is dead. Dead from greed, dead from despair, dead from... the bitter fruit of our own making.]
An intelligent voice begins to narrate the end of Ionia:
The Ionian Civilization was once highly advanced, exploring the mysteries of rules and energy. In pursuit of eternity and Transcendence, their ancestors attempted to create a device—the " Well of All Sources "—that could draw energy from the multiverse and ensure the civilization's perpetual existence. However, the experiment went awry. Instead of connecting to the vibrant energy source, they tore apart the dimensional barrier and connected to the remnants of a long-dead super-universe filled with the concepts of pure " Void " and "end."
Instead of providing energy, the " Well of All Sources " became a massive drain, frantically sucking away the very essence of all the rules of Ionia. Even more terrifying, the unconscious aggregates of rules left over from that desolate super-universe, driven by the instincts of "plunder" and " Return to Nothingness," surged in through the connection, transforming into what you call " Otherworldly Demons." They are not living beings, but catastrophic manifestations of the rules.
Ionia's Resistance was futile. The loss of the fundamental rules caused their power to decline continuously, while the Otherworldly Demons were able to adapt and grow stronger through devouring. In the end, civilization collapsed, and the world entered its death.
[Our last leader, at the cost of his own will and that of all the survivors, activated the ' Silent Barrier '. It cannot stop the destruction, but it can minimize Ionia's 'presence' in the multiverse, like a hidden, dying ember, slowing its complete demise and... preserving this last ' Spark '.]
The intelligent voice pointed towards the sphere of light.
[Here lies all of Ionia's knowledge, history, art, and... all the data about the Well of All Sources and the Otherworldly Demons. We hope that future generations, whether survivors of our own race or outsiders like you, will find it, understand our mistakes, and... find a way to close the Well of All Sources and end this catastrophe.]
[ The Otherworldly Demons did not intentionally invade; they merely followed the instinctive rules of their origin—to devour all 'existence' and return to ' Void.' As long as the ' Well of All Sources ' continues to operate, they will endlessly generate new ones and seek out new, rule-rich worlds to devour. Your world is merely one of those targets.]
The truth has come out.
The root cause of the interdimensional invasion was not the active invasion of some evil will, but a catastrophic chain reaction triggered by the failure of an experiment by a dying civilization, which affected the multiverse!
"Shut down the ' Well of All Sources '..." Allen repeated this crucial task, "Where is it?"
The core of the ' Well of All Sources ' lies deep within the Earth's core, guarded by the most powerful Otherworldly Demons and the most chaotic currents of order. The path to it is severed, making outside access virtually impossible. Moreover, even if one were to reach the core, shutting down a device connected to Death Superuniverse remains an unknown challenge. We... have not found a way.
The intelligent voice carries a deep sense of powerlessness.
[Outsiders, you possess immense power and a unique essence (referring to Allen's Power of Definition, etc.). Perhaps you can complete what we have failed to do. Please take the ' Spark,' which contains all the information you need. Then... make your choice.]
Should they try to shut down the nearly impossible-to-close " Well of All Sources " to solve the problem at its root? Or should they leave with the " Spark " and the truth, try to strengthen the defenses of their homeland, and pray to evade the subsequent search by the Otherworldly Demons?
A weighty choice concerning the fate of two (or even more) worlds is placed before the Straw Hat Pirates.
Luffy looked at the " Spark " that carried the last hope of a civilization, then glanced at his determined companions beside him, and adjusted his straw Straw Hat:
"Is there even a need to choose?"