The larger, eerie blue light, like a will-o'-the-wisp, pierced through the damaged entrance to the ruins and hurtled straight toward the Thousand Sunny! It had no physical form; it was more like a condensed mass of alien energy, brimming with longing.
"Defend!" Franky roared, and General Franky's cannon instantly aimed at the target.
However, the energy beam only slightly dimmed the point of light as it passed through, failing to halt its momentum. Zoro's slash and Sanji's kick also had little effect; physical attacks had limited damage against this pure energy entity.
"Let me do it!" Brook's Soul Departure left his body, Soul Solid, imbued with the Chill of the Underworld, slashed at the point of light. This time, the chill seemed to have an effect; the point of light's movement slowed significantly, and tiny ice crystals began to condense on its surface, emitting a painful hissing sound.
But the core of the light spot still stubbornly rushed towards the direction where Allen was.
Allen didn't dodge. He stretched out his hand, and the Definition Domain condensed into a miniature vortex in his palm. " Definition: This energy structure, when analyzed, when bound!"
The point of light crashed into the Definition Domain, and its energy structure quickly became clear to Allen —it was not a complete consciousness, but more like an "energy parasite" that acted on instinct. Its core drive had only two aspects: to find and absorb energy related to the "origin," and... to "assimilate" itself into a more powerful energy source in order to complete its own "completion"!
"They are low-level derivatives attracted by the ' Source Light '!" Allen instantly understood. " The Gray Fleet might be a more advanced form, and these... are 'worker bees' or 'fragments' that depend on them for existence!"
Just as Allen was trying to thoroughly analyze and restrain this "parasite," another mutation occurred!
Perhaps it was the parasite's violent reaction, or perhaps it resonated with some kind of energy it had absorbed from the ruins, but the entire Silent Ruins suddenly trembled! Deep within the ruins, the ancient runes and energy conduits that had been dormant for countless years began to glow faintly, intermittently!
Ugh--!
A deep, ancient hum resounded throughout the ruins! The ruins' defense system, or rather, some kind of final automatic mechanism, had been unexpectedly activated!
Inside the ruins, energy barriers rose without warning, sealing off the main passages! Cracks appeared in the walls, revealing strangely shaped, dust-covered defensive turrets. Their target wasn't the eerie blue lights, but rather the "source" activating them—the parasite bound by Allen, and... the Thousand Sunny and Allen, who were closest to it!
"Damn it! The ruins have mistaken us for intruders!" Nami's face turned pale as she looked at the retreat route that had been instantly blocked and the ancient turrets that were beginning to charge.
On the outer wall, more eerie blue lights seemed to be stimulated by the awakening of the ruins, becoming more active and beginning to try to break through the entrance.
With the ancient automated defense system awakening in front and the energy parasites eyeing them from the outside, the Straw Hat Pirates is instantly plunged into a perilous situation, beset by internal and external troubles!
"This is a huge problem!" Usopp screamed, clutching his head.
Luffy, however, looked at the ancient runes and turrets that were beginning to light up, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. "Oh! This ruin has come to life? Interesting!"
Should they force their way through the ruins' defenses, or deal with the enemies attacking from both inside and outside? Or perhaps... they should find a way to make the awakened ruins recognize them as "allies" again?