The Straw Hat Pirates remained immersed in the carnival frenzy, accumulating medals and seemingly without end. Luffy had even secured a spot in the " Summit Championship " ahead of time thanks to his overwhelming performance in multiple eating contests.
However, Allen's brow furrowed even more deeply.
The overwhelming joy that permeated the entire island, like a surging tide, was becoming increasingly "viscous" and "directional" in his perception, which far surpassed that of ordinary people. It was no longer just a naturally emanating emotion, but rather something that was guided and gathered by some invisible force, like rivers flowing into the sea, flowing towards the huge carousel building in the center of the island— the Hall of Laughter.
What caught his attention even more was that some people who were in a state of high spirits for a long time, or who were particularly excited in certain competitions, would suddenly experience a momentary mental blank after a brief period of extreme excitement. Their eyes would become slightly vacant. Although they would quickly be "infected" with the joy of the surrounding environment again, Allen could not escape the perception of that momentary weakness and sense of detachment.
"It's like being exploited..." Allen understood. This island was indeed a giant emotional farm. And that " Lord of Laughter," Doma, was the Reapers.
He couldn't wait any longer. His crewmates were so engrossed in their own world that they hadn't yet noticed anything amiss, but if this continued, their spirits might suffer irreversible damage, especially those of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, whose emotions were the most outgoing and pure.
Allen didn't disturb Usopp and Chopper, who were playing a shooting game, nor did he bother Luffy, who was eating and drinking. With a slight movement, as if blending into the shadows under the sunlight, he silently left the noisy crowd and headed towards the Hall of Laughter.
The closer one gets to the temple, the more pronounced the force field that extracts "emotions" becomes. Ordinary people would only feel more excited and happy, but in Allen's perception, it's like an invisible net, constantly capturing and filtering every positive emotion, extracting its essence.
He arrived at the entrance to the hall, where the guards were heavy, but not physically; rather, they were a powerful mental barrier. This barrier subconsciously guided ordinary people to avoid it, or to generate the thought, "This is the work area; entry is prohibited."
Allen stood before the barrier, his gaze calm. He did not force his way through, but instead subtly adjusted his own state of being. Within the Power of Zhulong, the laws governing "light" and "existence" flowed slightly, not for the sake of shining, but for the sake of "merging".
He perfectly "simulated" and "integrated" all his aura—life fluctuations, energy reactions, and even thought processes—into the surrounding tide of frantically extracted joyful emotions. At this moment, within the barrier's perception, he was no longer an independent individual, but an inconspicuous droplet in this wave of joy.
With one step, he seemed to pass through a warm curtain of water, entering the heavily guarded Hall of Laughter without any hindrance.
The interior of the hall was eerily quiet and desolate, a stark contrast to the revelry outside. Intricate pipes and crystal installations covered the walls and ceiling, shimmering with multicolored light, channeling a continuous flow of Emotional Energy upwards. Following the flow of energy, Allen, like an invisible ghost, ascended to the upper levels.
Meanwhile, in the top-floor control room.
"Warning! Abnormal fluctuations in high-purity emotional flow detected! Unknown penetration of the entrance barrier!" A cold, mechanical voice announced.
Doma, who was admiring the progress of energy collection, suddenly turned around and looked at the monitoring screen. On the screen, in the graph representing the flow of Emotional Energy, an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible "blank" trajectory appeared, moving upward at a steady speed.
"What?!" Doma's smile froze instantly, replaced by shock and anger. "Someone broke in? How could they possibly bypass the Emotional Resonance Barrier?!"
He immediately activated the hall's defense system—not physical guards, but a " Emotional Labyrinth " that could directly affect the intruder's mind, amplifying their inner fears, doubts, and other negative emotions, plunging them into chaos and even collapse.
As soon as Allen stepped into the upper area, the surrounding scenery instantly distorted. The cheerful music turned into ear-piercing noise, the colorful light transformed into hideous ghosts, and some insignificant failures and regrets in his memory were magnified infinitely, trying to drag him into Abyss of self-blame and doubt.
However, Allen did not falter in the slightest. His eyes remained calm and serene.
These mental attacks were like a gentle breeze to him, who had been tempered by the " Seven Flavors of Desperation," witnessed the birth and death of the world, and whose will was already as firm as a rock. The Power of Zhulong flowed slightly, and the laws governing "darkness" and "stillness" built an absolute barrier deep in his mind, so that no distracting thoughts could invade.
He was like a giant ship sailing through turbulent waves, steadily moving towards the core of energy convergence—the top-level control room.
Doma watched the "blank" trajectory representing the intruder pierce through layer after layer of the " Emotional Labyrinth " without any hindrance on the screen, his expression finally changed. For the first time, disbelief and a hint of... fear appeared in his cold eyes.
"Impossible... The ' Emotional Labyrinth ' is completely ineffective?! Who exactly is he?!"
Allen's figure, like a judgment revealing the answer, slowly appeared at the door of the control room. His gaze passed over the panicked Doma and landed directly on the huge, pulsating Emotional Energy collector deep in the room, and the ancient and eerie stone platform below it.
" Harvest others' laughter, weaving a false feast..." Allen's calm voice broke the deathly silence of the control room, "Your 'laughter' is nauseating."