The situation was urgent, and the Straw Hat Pirates, along with Kulike and a squad of Sky Island warriors, immediately headed to " Cloud-Hidden Gorge." It was a gorge formed by huge, distorted Island Cloud, shrouded in mist year-round, and at this moment it was shrouded in an ominous, chaotic cloud formation flashing with emerald green arcs of electricity.
Deep within the canyon, an unstable cloud cave, about ten meters in diameter, was slowly rotating. The edges of the cloud cave churned as if boiling, and the interior was not pure darkness, but rather emitted an eerie, overly vivid emerald green light. At the same time, there were rustling sounds like plants growing wildly and then withering instantly, mixed with some sharp, inhuman whispers.
"That's it!" The Sky Island warrior pointed nervously at the cloud cave.
Just as everyone arrived, the cloud cave shook violently, and several Black Shadow suddenly darted out from within!
It wasn't the monsters they expected, but several strangely shaped creatures. They were roughly canine in form, but their bodies seemed to be made of translucent jade, with green energy flowing within them like liquid. Their eyes were empty white, their claws sharp, and the moment they landed, the Island Cloud beneath their feet were quickly stained with an unnatural emerald green, as if "infected." They let out silent roars and pounced straight at the nearest living beings— the Straw Hat Pirates and the Sky Island warriors!
"It's the ' Emerald Minions '!" Kulike's expression changed. She drew her bow and released an arrow imbued with the power of the Impact Dial, repelling an attacking Emerald Hounds. However, the hound's emerald body only cracked, not shattered. "Be careful! They can corrode the Island Cloud!"
" Gum-Gum -- Stamp!" Luffy reacted extremely quickly, his huge foot covered in Armament Haki, directly stomping a Emerald Hounds into the clouds. The Haki blocked the erosion and crushed it into specks of green light that dissipated.
Zoro's Three-Sword Style slash swept across, carrying a sharpness capable of Steel Breaker, yet it only left a deep gash on another Emerald Hounds, failing to sever it in one strike. "Tsk, pretty tough!"
Sanji's Ifrit Jambe struck the Emerald Hounds, unleashing a burst of scorching flames. The World-Purifying Flame seemed to have an extra restraint on this twisted existence brimming with life energy; the part struck quickly charred and melted.
"Super- Franky Iron Fist!" Franky's mechanical fist slammed out, sending an Emerald Hounds flying, but a trace of emerald green stained the surface of his fist, slowly corroding the metal. "Damn it! This thing can even corrode iron!"
When Usopp's plant Seed came into contact with the Emerald Hounds, they either withered rapidly or were absorbed by it, making the dog more aggressive. "Oh no! My plants are useless against them!"
Chopper analyzed, "They seem to be composed of highly condensed and twisted life energy! Conventional attacks are ineffective!"
Luo attempted to use ROOM to destroy the interior, but the feedback was extremely chaotic. "Their internal structure... is constantly reorganizing, like living, wildly growing crystals!"
Allen stared at the Emerald Minions and the eroded Island Cloud beneath their feet, his Power of Definition fluctuating slightly. "They are forcibly 'assimil' the surrounding matter and energy into disordered life forms similar to themselves. This is not an attack, it is... pollution."
More Emerald Minions are attempting to emerge from the cloud cave. The situation is critical; if the cloud cave isn't closed, the entire Sky Island could be covered in this emerald pollution!
"We have to plug that hole first!" Nami shouted, and began to activate the Clima-Tact, attempting to use thunderclouds to disrupt the stability of the cloud hole.
Brook's Soul King Form appeared, Chill of the Underworld surged into the cloud cave. Green ice crystals began to condense at the edge of the cave entrance, and the expansion speed seemed to slow down slightly.
Robin used her ability to generate an arm, attempting to physically pull and seal the cave entrance, but the generated rock arm was quickly eroded and disintegrated by the emerald green.
"Let me try!" Allen stepped forward, Definition Domain and enveloping the unstable cloud cave. He tried to forcibly Definition the cloud cave's "closed" state, but the chaotic power from the " Emerald Dream " was extremely tenacious, like a raging flood impacting his will, causing the cloud cave to sway violently between closing and expanding.
" Luffy! Zoro! Sanji! Take care of these guys and buy me some time!" Allen shouted, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Leave it to us!" Luffy laughed loudly, activated his Nika Form, and the release drumbeat sounded again as he and his crew faced the endless stream of Emerald Minions.
A fierce battle to protect the Sky Island and seal off the out-of-control passage unfolds above the sea of clouds! And beyond the cloud cave, deep within the emerald light, an even larger shadow seems to be lurking...