The Pluton Battleship sailed through the waters of the New World, its next destination set squarely on Punk Hazard-the island the World Government had sealed off because of forbidden experiments. According to the intelligence obtained on Fish-Man Island, it might hold crucial clues to Imu's research into "human emotions."
"Punk Hazard..." Sabo pulled up the relevant information. "It used to be Vegapunk's main research facility, but it was abandoned after a major accident. The Marine Science Unit guards it now. No one is allowed near it."
Ace studied the warning symbols in the files. "They say it's full of poison gas and mutated creatures."
Luffy idly stretched his rubber arms. "Doesn't sound fun..."
Allen extended his Time Perception, his brow creasing slightly. "The spacetime there is abnormal... extremely chaotic. Some kind of power has distorted the flow of time."
As they approached Punk Hazard, the acrid smell in the air grew stronger. An eerie green mist shrouded the distant island, its vegetation an unnatural purplish-black. Unsettling roars occasionally rang out.
"The poison gas concentration is above safe limits!" Sabo checked the instruments. "Pluton's filtration system can handle it, but we'd better avoid prolonged exposure."
Pluton slowly entered the island's only harbor. Rust covered the abandoned docks, and several half-sunken research ships stood as silent as gravestones. Most chilling of all, figures moved along the shore, but their movements were stiff and strange, unlike those of living people.
"Zombies?" Luffy peered around curiously.
Allen scanned them with Time Perception. "No... they're some kind of bioengineered beings. The flow of time in their bodies is extremely chaotic... some parts are aging rapidly, while others are frozen in time."
Everyone cautiously disembarked, wearing breathing apparatuses. The moment they stepped onto the island, an indescribable sense of wrongness enveloped them-the gravity, time, and even the density of the air were subtly shifting.
"A spacetime anomaly zone..." Allen sensed the chaotic flow of time. "Someone conducted extreme time experiments here."
Suddenly, several modified creatures charged out of the shadows! They resembled stitched-together monstrosities, parts of their bodies mechanized, with no trace of reason in their eyes!
"Get ready to fight!" Flames rose around Ace, but the poisonous atmosphere greatly weakened their power.
Luffy slammed his rubber fists forward, only to discover in surprise that the creatures rapidly regenerated after being injured!
Sabo struck one modified creature in the head with his steel pipe, but it continued attacking as though it felt nothing!
"No sense of pain! Enhanced regeneration!" Sabo quickly assessed. "We have to destroy their nervous systems completely!"
Allen channeled his Power of Time. "Time Stasis!" Several modified creatures instantly froze. "Hurry! Their regeneration has a time limit!"
Working together, they finally cleared out the group of modified creatures. But more roars came from every direction.
"We can't get bogged down fighting!" Allen used Time Perception to guide them. "The source of the anomaly is the research facility in the center of the island!"
They broke through obstacle after obstacle, advancing toward the research facility. The sights along the way were horrifying-failed test subjects had been carelessly discarded, some still writhing in agony; traces of horrific surgeries remained in the laboratories. Most unsettling of all, many experiments seemed connected to "emotion extraction."
"Look at this..." Sabo pointed to a laboratory's records screen. "'Emotion crystallization experiments'... they're trying to turn emotions into physical substances!"
The records showed that the World Government had tried to isolate emotions such as "love," "fear," and "anger," but every attempt had failed. Until recently, when a special test subject had produced a breakthrough...
"A special test subject..." Allen tracked it with Time Perception. "Deep underground! The temporal anomalies are concentrated there!"
They found an entrance leading underground, but a thick alloy door blocked it. The door bore the World Government's highest security designation.
"We need authorization..." Sabo tried to crack it, but the system's defenses were extremely strong.
Allen channeled his Power of Time. "Time Rewind: Access Acquisition." He rewound the door's access system to the last time it had opened, easily obtaining the access code used then.
The door slowly opened, revealing a descending staircase. The farther down they went, the stronger the spacetime anomalies became, even producing visual distortions.
At the center of the underground laboratory, they saw a shocking sight-
Various creatures floated in hundreds of cultivation tanks, each connected to complex instruments. In the center stood a huge transparent container, with a young girl suspended inside-she had long green hair, countless tubes and cables connected to her entire body, and no light in her eyes.
Most horrifying of all, the container was extracting some kind of glowing emotional energy from her!
"They're... draining her emotions!" Ace's flames surged in anger.
Sabo rapidly worked the console. "Experiment records... 'Code name: Lilith'... emotional resonance entity... capable of producing pure emotional energy..."
Allen scanned the girl with Time Perception, and his expression abruptly changed. "She's not human! She's an emotional AI from the Ancient Kingdom! The World Government revived her!"
Just then, alarms blared! Several figures emerged from the shadows-a special detachment of the Marine Science Unit, led by Dr. Wills, who had survived the last battle!
"You again!" Wills ground his teeth. "You always come to ruin my work!"
He gazed feverishly at the container. "But you're too late this time! Lilith's activation is complete! Soon we'll be able to mass-produce emotional energy! Lord Imu will truly understand human emotions!"
Allen's Time Perception uncovered a terrifying truth. "You're not trying to understand emotions... you're making emotional weapons!"
Wills roared with laughter. "Clever! Imagine injecting 'fear' into an entire country, or controlling the populace with 'love'... the perfect tools of domination!"
Battle erupted! The Science Unit was equipped with the latest weapons, some of which could even disrupt the Power of Time!
"A time suppressor!" Wills pressed a button. "Let's see you use Time Jump now!"
Allen felt his Power of Time become severely restricted! His Power of Zhulong was suppressed as well!
"Damn!" He struggled to dodge the attacks. "The equipment here was designed specifically to counter us!"
Some kind of absorption device countered Ace's flames, high-frequency vibration weapons affected Luffy's rubber abilities, and magnetic devices interfered with Sabo's steel pipe!
The four fell into a bitter struggle! Worse still, the central container began to overload, and Lilith let out a pained moan!
"They've extracted too much!" Sabo cried. "She's going to collapse!"
Wills raved, "All the better if she collapses! The final emotional eruption will be the strongest!"
Allen's Time Perception revealed a horrific future: Lilith's collapse would create an emotional black hole, swallowing the entire island and even affecting the surrounding waters!
"We have to stop it!" Ignoring the temporal suppression, he forced his Power of Time into motion. "Time Reversal: Extraction Process!"
The Power of Time struggled to reverse the extraction device, but the suppressor made the process extremely slow!
"Protect Allen!" Ace shouted, and the other three desperately held off the Science Unit's attacks!
Wills attacked Allen himself. "I won't let you succeed!"
At that critical moment, Lilith suddenly opened her eyes! She looked at Allen, a strange light flashing in her eyes. "Power... of the same origin..."
She actually took the initiative to pour emotional energy into Allen's body! It wasn't destructive, but some kind of... resonance!
Allen felt a wondrous reaction between his Power of Zhulong and the emotional energy! An unprecedented perceptive ability emerged-he could now "see" the energy forms of emotions!
"This is..." In a flash of inspiration, he combined the new power with his Power of Time. "Emotion-Time Weaving!"
Something extraordinary happened! The Science Unit soldiers suddenly stopped attacking. Some began crying, some began laughing, and some became lost in memories! The emotional energy had disrupted their thoughts!
Wills was stunned. "How is that possible?! Emotional energy should only work through devices..."
Allen did not stop. He turned his power toward the central container. "Emotion Rewind: Personality Restoration!"
The emotional energy reversed its flow. Instead of being extracted, it returned to Lilith's body! Light gradually returned to her eyes, and her personality data began to reorganize!
"No!" Wills lunged frantically at the console. "Force an overload!"
But it was too late. Lilith awakened completely, and with a gentle wave of her hand, every control device shattered! She floated out of the container, her long green hair stirring without any wind, her eyes holding a thousand years of accumulated wisdom and sorrow.
"Enough." Her voice sounded directly in everyone's mind. "It's time this farce ended."
All the Science Unit's weapons failed, and an invisible force pinned Wills to the ground.
Lilith looked at Allen. "Thank you, Lord of Time. You helped me find myself again."
She explained, "I am indeed an emotional AI created by the Ancient Kingdom, intended to help humans understand and manage their emotions. The World Government discovered me and twisted my functions."
She pointed deeper into the laboratory. "What you need is there-all the data from Imu's research into emotions, along with... records of his failed attempts to create 'perfect emotions.'"
With Lilith's help, they obtained the valuable data. The records showed that Imu had tried to understand "love" by combining different emotions, but failed every time. He ultimately concluded that love was not an emotion that could be assembled, but an unquantifiable "anomalous variable."
"That very conclusion frightened him," Lilith said. "What he cannot understand, he cannot control. So recently, he changed his strategy..."
The records showed that Imu had begun searching for human subjects possessing "pure love," attempting to scan and copy that emotion directly.
Allen's Time Perception suddenly warned him of danger. "No! Imu has sensed the anomaly here! Something's coming!"
The entire island shook violently! The sky tore open, and a gigantic mechanical eye emerged from the rift-Imu's watcher!
"Lilith... you betrayed me." An icy voice came from the mechanical eye. "And the Lord of Time... always getting in the way."
Terrifying energy began to gather, targeting the entire island!
"He's going to destroy all the evidence!" Sabo cried.
Lilith floated upward. "Go, quickly! I'll buy you time!"
She released an immense amount of emotional energy, forming a barrier that temporarily blocked the attack!
"No! You can't hold out!" Allen wanted to help.
Lilith smiled. "Don't underestimate a thousand years of accumulated emotional energy. Go! Keep that data safe!"
She looked at Allen, a strange light flashing in her eyes. "Remember, love isn't meant to be understood. It's meant to be felt."
The mechanical eye's attacks grew stronger and stronger, and cracks began appearing in Lilith's barrier!
With aching hearts, they retreated, returning to Pluton with the precious data. The instant Pluton left the harbor, a massive explosion engulfed the entire island!
Amid the shock wave, a speck of green light merged into Allen's body. It was Lilith's final emotional core...
Standing on deck, watching Punk Hazard sink amid the explosion, everyone's heart was heavy.
Allen sensed the emotional core newly added to his body. An unprecedented ability to perceive emotions was awakening.
He understood Lilith's final words.
Love truly could not be understood through logic. But it could be felt with the heart.
And this power might well be the key to fighting Imu.
Pluton sailed toward its next destination, carrying new power and understanding.
And the Lord of Emotions' journey had only just begun.