Bearing ancient star charts and heavy warnings, the Ark Maxim, like a silent messenger, burst forth from the Eye of the Storm. The raging thunderclouds behind it now appear more like a natural barrier guarding some great secret.
Based on the star map data in his mind, Franky set up automatic navigation. A steady stream of silvery-blue light shot out from the tail of the spaceship, propelling the massive hull steadfastly toward the silver celestial body hanging high in the sky—the moon.
This is an unprecedented experience.
Having left the planet's embrace, and escaped the clouds and atmosphere, all around them was pitch black and silent. Only the distant twinkling stars and the ever-approaching, crater-covered moon reminded them of their surroundings. The sunlight was dazzling in the vacuum, while the shaded side was bitterly cold and dark.
"We... we're really flying to the moon..." Chopper pressed his little hooves against the porthole, his round eyes filled with wonder and a hint of unease. "It's so quiet, eerily quiet."
"Is this the universe? It's SUPER—spectacular!" Franky excitedly adjusted the ship's various data, ensuring the life support system and energy shield were functioning properly. The ancient technology of the Ark Maxim, combined with stellar propulsion, performed exceptionally stably in this environment.
Nami, meanwhile, was completely focused on monitoring the star map's trajectory and the spaceship's real-time position, not daring to be careless in the slightest. In space travel, even the slightest deviation could lead to irreversible consequences.
At first, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were fascinated by the weightless environment, floating around in the cabin and shouting excitedly. But after a few hours, this sense of novelty was gradually replaced by an invisible sense of oppression. The vastness and desolation of the universe were enough to make any life accustomed to noise and vitality feel its own insignificance and loneliness.
"I feel... a little breathless," Usopp muttered to himself, floating in a corner, clutching his slingshot.
"Because there's no air here, you idiot cook." Sanji elegantly (as elegantly as possible) flipped the frying pan in the weightless environment, preparing food for everyone to adapt to the space environment, and casually made a sarcastic remark about Usopp.
Zoro, holding his sword, closed his eyes to rest in a simulated gravity zone, as if the silence of the outside world had merged with the tranquility of his heart.
Robin, on the other hand, has been studying the star map solidified on the stone slab, trying to decipher more information about lunar civilization and the " Observers."
Allen stood before the massive observation window of the control room, gazing at the enormous planet ahead. His senses seemed to sharpen even more in the vacuum, allowing him to clearly perceive the subtle energy radiation in the cosmic background and the faint, tangible gravitational pull emanating from the direction of the moon, a force shared with the star map.
"At this rate, it will take us some more time to enter the moon's gravitational pull," Allen estimated.
After the initial excitement of the voyage, a long and monotonous silence descended. The concept of time became blurred, with only the faint hum of the instruments inside the spaceship and the occasional conversations of the crew serving as proof of its passage.
However, this silence did not last until the end.
Just as Ark Maxim was about to enter the moon's gravitational field and prepare to adjust its course according to the star map to fly towards the far side of the moon, where the " Endless Vearth " was hidden, a piercing alarm suddenly rang out throughout the entire cabin!
Beep! Beep! Beep! -- Warning! High-energy reaction detected approaching! -- Warning! Unknown object approaching at high speed!
"What's going on?!" Nami immediately looked at the radar screen and saw several red dots approaching from the side and rear at an alarming speed!
Everyone instantly went into battle mode.
Through the observation window, they saw several strangely shaped, jet-black, sharply defined, shuttle-shaped small aircraft that seemed to be made of shadows! They had no visible propulsion lights and glided silently like ghosts, yet their speed was outrageously fast!
"Is it an enemy? Is it that ' Observers '?" Usopp screamed.
"Whatever they are, they're up to no good!" Zoro had already drawn his sword, his sharp eyes fixed on the rapidly enlarging black dots.
Allen's senses instantly locked onto the black aircraft. He frowned. "Not living beings... some kind of... automated weaponry. The energy reaction is peculiar, carrying a... chilling, deathly stillness."
As soon as he finished speaking, the front of those black aircraft simultaneously lit up with a dark red light!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several dark red energy beams, like the hiss of venomous snakes, silently pierced the darkness of the universe, precisely striking the energy shield of the Ark Maxim!
"Boom!!!"
Violent ripples erupted from the shield, and the ship shuddered violently!
"Shield energy reduced by five percent!" Franky roared. "Their attack intensity is very high! Their target is clear: us!"
"Counterattack!" Luffy roared, "Knock them away!"
However, in the weightless environment of space, apart from Allen, Franky with his thrusters, and Zoro (who can move briefly in a vacuum thanks to his powerful physique and slashing skills), the fighting styles of others are greatly limited.
" Three-Sword Style: Azure Flame Goose!" Zoro slammed his foot into the ground, using the recoil to burst through the temporarily opened hatch, unleashing three slashes wreathed in ghostly energy at the nearest black aircraft!
The aircraft nimbly slid to the side, narrowly avoiding most of the slashes, leaving only a deep cut on the edge. Instead of falling immediately, it locked onto Zoro again!
" Diable Jambe - Headbutt!" Sanji used the principle of Geppo to move with difficulty in the vacuum, kicking another aircraft and sending it tumbling away, but obviously it could not cause a fatal injury.
These automated weapons are not only fast, but also have extremely high defensive capabilities and mobility!
More dark red beams of light attacked, and the shield energy of Ark Maxim continued to decrease.
"This can't go on!" Nami cried out anxiously, "Their numbers seem to be increasing!"
Allen's eyes narrowed. He couldn't watch the spaceship be destroyed before it even reached its destination.
"I'll clean them up."
He took a step forward and appeared directly in the vacuum outside the spaceship. The Power of Zhulong operated on its own, forming an invisible force field on his body, isolating him from the effects of the vacuum environment.
He looked at the black aircraft swarming towards him like flies and held up a finger.
"The Law of Time: A Moment of Eternity"
It wasn't a large-scale Time Stasis, as that would be too costly. He simply reduced the flow of time in a region in front of him by a factor of hundreds!
Those black aircraft that were charging at the forefront instantly seemed to sink into an invisible quagmire, their movements slowing down to the speed of snails!
" Space Cutting."
Allen's fingers moved slightly.
Silently, the space where those spacecraft, whose Time Slowdown, were located was like a cake sliced by an invisible blade, neatly cut into several pieces along with the spacecraft inside! Then, they were swallowed up by the chaotic spatial turbulence and disappeared!
With a mere gesture, several troublesome enemy ships were reduced to ashes.
However, there was no joy on Allen's face. He looked in the direction from which the spacecraft had attacked. The deep space there was still dark, but in his perception, it seemed as if more cold "gazes" were being cast upon him.
"We're being watched." Allen returned to the cabin and said in a low voice, "This is probably just... an advance reconnaissance team."
Space travel is not a smooth and romantic journey; the dangers lurking in the Xinghai have already begun to surface!