Faced with a world that is "wounded" rather than purely "evil," the Straw Hat Pirates quickly reached a consensus: passive defense is only a temporary solution; they must delve into the " Emerald Dream," uncover the root of its suffering, and attempt to resolve the problem.
"But how are we supposed to get in?" Usopp looked at the Island Cloud that had just closed off, its color slightly darker, with lingering fear. "Wasn't that hole shut down?"
"The cloud cave is merely a naturally formed weak point," Kulike explained, pointing towards the Shrine of God. "To reliably enter a specific ' Sky Road,' especially a path like the ' Emerald Dream ' that has spiraled out of control, we need to rely on the power of the ' Stele of Heaven's Rhythm ' to guide and stabilize the passage."
The group immediately returned to the Shrine of God. Upon hearing their decision, the Grand Elder pondered for a moment, then finally nodded. "Brave Blue Sea People, the safety of Sky Island is entrusted to you. We will do our utmost to assist you in activating the Rhythm Stele."
Guided by the chanting of the Sky Island elders and some ancient ritual, the " Stele of Heaven's Rhythm " deep within the Shrine of God once again shone with a soft light. Allen immersed his mind in the World Seed, using its inherent order as an "anchor point," while Robin, with her understanding of ancient symbols, helped locate the violently fluctuating emerald green path that represented the " Emerald Dream."
"Found it!" Allen opened his eyes and pointed to a patch of empty space in Rhythm Stele. With his guidance and the gathering of energy from the Rhythm Stele, the space there began to ripple like water, and an oval passage, more stable than the previous cloud cave but still radiating an ominous emerald green light, slowly took shape. Inside the passage, the overly bright and distorted emerald green world was vaguely visible.
"This time I've deliberately jumped into the fire..." Usopp's legs were trembling, but Chopper and Luffy him up on either side.
"Let's go!" Luffy grinned and was the first to rush into the passage. "Let's see what's going on with that green world!"
The Straw Hat Pirates stepped into the passage one by one, and Kulike followed without hesitation. As the last person entered, the passage remained stable under the light of the Rhythm Stele, serving as their coordinates for return.
The moment they passed through the passage, an overwhelming, pungent aura of life mixed with a cloying, putrid smell assaulted their senses, making everyone feel suffocated.
They stood on a boundless "field" composed of countless wildly writhing, emerald-green vines and enormous, strangely colored flowers. The sky was an unsettling, ever-changing purplish-red; there was no sun, and the light seemed to come from the plants themselves. A low, buzzing sound filled the air—the rapid growth and decay of the plants, and the omnipresent, painful whispers of consciousness.
"The power of life here is too violent..." As a doctor, Chopper was most sensitive to life energy, and he felt both shocked and uncomfortable.
"Look at those plants!" Nami pointed to a spot not far away where several huge, pitcher plant-like flowers were frantically tearing and devouring each other, splashing out viscous green sap.
Just then, the surrounding vines seemed to come alive and suddenly wrapped around them! Unlike the previous Emerald Minions, these vines didn't seem to have any clear malice; they were simply following the instinct of this world to "grow and devour wildly."
" Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy's retractable legs shattered the attacking vines.
Zoro's sword flashed, slicing the nearby vines into several pieces.
Sanji's flames temporarily repelled them.
But more vines and twisted plants surged in from all directions, as if the entire earth were at odds with them.
"This will never end!" Franky used artillery fire to clear a space, but it was quickly filled with new plants again.
Allen attempted to expand his Definition Domain to stabilize the surrounding environment. However, he discovered that the rules of this world were inherently violent and chaotic. Forcibly Definition order was extremely costly, and the effect was like throwing ice cubes into a boiling pot of oil—it could only maintain a small, brief period of peace.
"This world... its very rules of 'life' are on the verge of collapse!" Allen gasped, feeling the pain of the world's primordial consciousness crashing against his senses like a tidal wave. It was a despair born of unbalanced growth and mutual crushing.
Suddenly, a faint but clear "weeping" sound, different from the screech of the raging plants, reached the ears of several perceptive individuals. The sound was filled with helplessness and sorrow, as if it came from the depths of the earth.
"Over there!" Robin pointed in a direction where there was a relatively "peaceful" area, with only a huge, seemingly withered, grayish-white ancient tree standing out starkly from the surrounding frenzied environment. The crying sound seemed to be coming from the direction of the ancient tree.
"Let's go take a look!" Luffy made a quick decision and took the lead in breaking through towards the ancient tree.
Perhaps, this unique ancient tree holds the key to understanding the world's suffering and finding solutions.