With the obstacle removed, the Thousand Sunny was able to approach the most magnificent pyramid-shaped building in the city center. Upon closer inspection, its immense size and antiquity became even more apparent. Its surface was not covered by ordinary rock, but by an unknown, dark blue, crystal-like material that still emitted a faint glow of energy even after countless years in the deep sea.
The base of the pyramid has a huge, dark entrance, as if violently torn open, like the mouth of a giant beast, from which the unsettling " Echo " emanate most intensely.
"Should we go in?" Nami asked hesitantly, looking at the dark entrance.
"Of course we have to go in!" Luffy exclaimed impatiently. "There's definitely treasure inside!"
Robin's gaze was resolute. "The history of this city may very well be hidden within it."
Under Jinbe's control, the Thousand Sunny carefully entered the entrance of the pyramid. Inside was a wide, sloping passageway large enough for a ship to pass through. The walls were inlaid with fragments of glowing crystals that had long since lost their power, and the beams of searchlights traced lonely trails in the darkness.
At the end of the passage lay an unimaginably vast space. This seemed to be the core of the pyramid, an incredibly expansive circular hall. At the center of the hall, instead of the expected throne or altar, stood a colossal spherical device composed of countless intricate crystal pipes and complex mechanical structures. It hovered silently in mid-air (its interior appeared to be hollow), slowly rotating, and the unsettling " Echo " emanated continuously from within this device.
Even more shockingly, the surface of the spherical device flashed countless images and words at lightning speed, like a carousel—the city's former glory, the lives of its residents, and... the moment of its final destruction!
"This is... a massive memory storage and playback device?" Robin made the judgment instantly, his eyes filled with shock. "It records everything about this civilization!"
Franky was stunned by this unimaginable technological creation. "Super~ ancient technology! The energy conduction and structural design!"
Usopp and Chopper hid behind Sanji, watching the flickering images with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
Allen's perception penetrated deep into the device. What he "saw" was not just images, but countless vivid emotions, unwavering beliefs, and the despair and resentment in the face of destruction. These intense emotional energies mixed with memory information to form that substantial form of mental pollution—" Echo."
"It's not just recording," Allen said slowly, "It's more like... a tombstone of civilization, or rather, an 'ark' trying to prolong its existence. But the information it carries is too vast and filled with negative emotions, and the device itself seems to have malfunctioned, causing these fragments of memory to leak out uncontrollably, forming ' Echo ' that even affect the creatures outside."
As if to confirm his words, the spherical device suddenly flickered violently, and a clearer, more desperate image was forcibly projected into the air of the entire hall:
The city sky was suddenly torn apart, and countless meteorites burning with green evil flames fell like raindrops!
The building collapsed in flames, and people turned to ashes amidst their cries of agony!
The city's leaders activated this final device in an attempt to preserve the Seed of civilization, but the destructive energy still swept everything away...
The final image is a huge, eye-like evil symbol that flashes by in the burning sky!
The despair and fear of that moment of destruction struck everyone's hearts as if it were a tangible reality! Even Luffy's smile vanished, and he clenched his fists tightly.
"They... were destroyed..." Nami's voice trembled.
"That symbol..." Robin stared intently at the last symbol, the evil eye, "I seem to have seen a similar record in some extremely ancient, forbidden text, supposedly related to a long-forgotten, ancient civilization that worshipped destruction..."
Just as everyone was immersed in this tragic and terrifying history, the spherical device, due to the intense emotional fluctuations and its inherent instability, suddenly emitted an ominous red light at its core, and the energy flow became violent!
"Oh no! It's going to overload and crash!" Franky shouted, looking at the wildly fluctuating data on the instrument.
"If it explodes here, all the energy and all memories will be completely annihilated!" Robin said anxiously.
Should we let this "ark," which carries countless memories and pain, self-destruct, or... try to save these " Echo " that are about to disappear completely?
Allen stepped forward and gently placed his hand on the violently vibrating outer shell of the device.
"Rest in peace," he said softly, a hint of pity in his voice. "Your history should not be silently forgotten."
The Power of Zhulong —the power that governs time and existence—began to gently envelop the collapsing device.