Balo was repelled by the combined force, but instead of showing fear, he let out an even more maniacal laugh. His fat writhed like a living thing, and his dark red aura grew thicker and thicker, as if it would devour the surrounding light.
"Excellent! That's it! The more you struggle, the richer your 'flavor' becomes!" Balo roared, and his body began to undergo bizarre changes. Twisted, mouth-like patterns appeared on his skin, and a powerful suction force erupted again, but this time it was no longer aimed at the attack, but at the entire battlefield—the defeated " Glutton Gang " members, the withered plants, and even the life energy dissipating in the air all transformed into streams of gray-black energy, surging wildly into his body!
His injuries were visibly healing, his body seemed to have swelled up again, and his aura became even more terrifying and chaotic.
"He's devouring the power of his own people?!" Usopp exclaimed in horror.
"What a complete monster!" Nami's face turned pale.
"It's not just about absorbing power," Allen's voice carried a chill, his gaze piercing through Balo's distorted appearance to see something deeper, "He's using himself as a sacrifice to forcibly draw in the will of 'that being.' He himself is the final 'catalyst' of the ritual!"
As if to confirm Allen's words, Balo let out a superhuman roar, and the sky suddenly darkened. It wasn't dark clouds, but a dark curtain that seemed to absorb light that gathered above the forest. An oppressive force, far more powerful and ancient than Balo's, filled with endless greed and hunger, enveloped the entire Delicacy Forest as if it were a tangible entity!
Everyone still fighting, whether it was the Straw Hat Pirates or the remaining members of the " Glutton Gang," felt a chill run down their spines, as if they were being watched by some incomprehensible behemoth, and their souls trembled.
"It's... it's the ' Lord of Gluttony '!" A minor leader of the " Glutton Gang " knelt on the ground in terror, tears streaming down his face. "Lord Balo summoned our lord!"
Balo's body began to twist and swell irregularly, his consciousness seemingly being assimilated and overwhelmed by the descending will. His voice became overlapping and distorted, filled with blasphemous Echo: "Tiny life... sweet world... hunger... need... to devour..."
"I can't let him finish!" Luffy felt an unprecedented threat and instantly activated Gear Fourth: Snakeman, reaching extreme speed. His fists, wrapped in top-level Armament Haki, rained down on the mutating Balo.
However, the attack landed on Balo's twisting and writhing body as if it had vanished into thin air; most of the power was absorbed and devoured by the dark force field and the ever-growing mass of flesh.
Ace's flames were also significantly weakened, making it difficult for him to deal effective damage.
Zoro's slashes cut open huge wounds, but the wounds were instantly filled with surging Dark Energy and flesh buds.
Sanji's kicking skills, Franky's cannon fire, Jinbe's Fish-Man Karate... it seemed that none of their attacks could stop his transformation.
"Both physical and energy attacks are ineffective!" Robin analyzed anxiously, "His nature of existence is changing!"
Just when everyone was at a loss, Allen made a move. He didn't attack Balo, but instead raised his hand, palm facing the dark curtain that shrouded the sky.
"This world is not your dining table." Allen's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, as if stating a fundamental law of the universe.
In his palm, a point of ultimate "light" was born. It was no ordinary light, but the "first ray of light" that separated light and darkness at the beginning of Creation of Heaven and Earth, containing the purest power of the laws of "existence" and "order"! At the same time, a " Time Stasis " force field that reversed cause and effect and froze all things spread out from him, instantly enveloping the mutating Balo and the dark curtain!
"Roar--!" Balo (or rather, the entity within him) let out a painful roar, and the dark curtain churned violently as if it were being scorched. The pure laws of light and the Time Stasis severely interfered with this descent ritual based on the rules of "devouring" and "chaos"!
"Now!" Allen roared, "Attack his core! That forcibly implanted ' Seed of Greed '! On the inside of his left chest!"
With Allen's guidance and powerful assistance, Luffy, Ace, Zoro, Sanji, and all the main attackers did not hesitate at all. They concentrated all their power on one point and aimed at the core in Balo's left chest, which was faintly flashing with an ominous black and red light, and launched a powerful attack!
" Gum-Gum - Blazing Fire Fist and Gun!"
" Fire Fist - Flame Emperor!"
" Three-Sword Style - Ultimate Technique - One Great Thousand Great Thousand Worlds!"
" Diable Jambe - Supreme Meat Grinder!"
The combined attack of the Straw Hat Pirates's top fighters, aided by Allen's Power of Time, struck Balo's core with pinpoint accuracy!
"No--!!!" Accompanied by Balo's (and the descending will's) final roar, a mixture of despair and resentment, the black and red core emitted a blinding light and then suddenly exploded!
The terrifying Dark Energy receded like a tide, and the sky returned to clarity. Balo's enormous body rapidly withered and decayed as if emptied out, eventually turning into a pool of foul-smelling black sludge.
The distorted ritual site deep in the forest, along with the destruction of the core and the retreat of the dark will, completely collapsed. The extracted life energy slowly returned, and the withered plants began to revive.
Allen stood there, his brows slightly furrowed. He sensed that the will of the so-called " Lord of Gluttony " had decisively abandoned Balo and most of its power at the last moment, retreating into the depths of space like a gecko shedding its tail.
"Just a projection... or rather, a vanguard?" Allen gazed at the starry sky, his eyes deep. "The true 'hunger' awaits in the far more distant darkness."
The Gourmet Festival came to an end in a way no one expected. The Straw Hat Pirates once again protected peace, but also encountered a threat from deeper within the stars.