The afterglow of the lunar explosion had long been left behind, becoming a tiny, insignificant speck of light against the dark backdrop of the universe. Driven by stellar propulsion, Ark Maxim steadily advanced towards the " Jade Nebula " coordinates marked on the star chart at a speed far exceeding the standards of conventional interstellar travel.
This voyage was no longer as desolate as the journey to the moon. As we approached the Jade Nebula, the cosmic landscape began to unfold in vibrant colors. In the distance, the vast nebula, true to its name and displaying a magnificent emerald green hue, stretched across the entire field of vision like a boundless forest in the universe. Within the nebula, newly formed stars, like diamonds, dotted the landscape, radiating intense light and bursts of energy.
"Wow... so beautiful!" Chopper and Nami leaned against the observation window, gazing at the dreamlike scene, and exclaimed in sincere admiration.
"It is indeed beautiful," Robin smiled, but her eyes held a hint of wariness. "However, according to the information left by Laisesu, the more beautiful a place is, the more conflict and danger it often signifies in today's universe. The Jade Nebula is one of the few known regions with a stable environment and relatively abundant resources, making it highly likely that a civilization exists there, and it is certainly a key area of focus for the ' Purge Protocol.'"
Sure enough, as the spaceship ventured deeper into the outer reaches of the nebula, they began to detect some unnatural signals—sporadic communication waves, energy readings, and even occasionally small, man-made probes or mining vessels of various shapes passing by in the distance, but all of them maintained a wary distance from the Ark Maxim and quickly left.
"Looks like it's really 'lively' here," Sanji said, looking at the flashing dots on the radar.
"Following the star map, the first coordinate marked ' Resistance ' is located within a star system inside this nebula." Nami compared the star map with the navigation data. "That star is called ' Azure Sun,' and it has three planets. The signal source points to the second planet, codenamed ' Qingyang II '."
A few days later, the Ark Maxim arrived at the Azure Sun Star System. A young star emitting a soft bluish-white light was at its center, with two rocky planets and a gas giant orbiting around it.
Their target, Qingyang II, was a yellowish-green planet with a thin atmosphere and obvious traces of liquid water. As the spacecraft drew closer, they were able to detect energy signals and sporadic, fragmented communications on the planet's surface more clearly.
"There are a lot of energy reactions on the planet's surface, and the distribution is very uneven, like... a battle is taking place?" Franky frowned as he looked at the data from the sensors.
"A battle?" Luffy immediately perked up. "Are people fighting?"
Allen's senses extended, and after a moment, he nodded. "Yes, there are indeed several small-scale conflicts on the planet's surface. The two sides in the conflict... one side has a relatively uniform energy reaction, with a kind of... mechanical coldness, although it's not quite the same as the weapons of the ' Purge Protocol,' but the feeling is similar. The other side is more chaotic, like a mixture of various different life forms."
"Are the henchmen of the ' Purge Protocol ' attacking the local civilization?" Usopp asked nervously.
"Uncertain, but highly probable," Allen said in a deep voice. "Let's get closer and take a look, while remaining concealed."
Ark Maxim activated its optical camouflage and energy shielding, quietly entering the orbit of Qingyang II, and selected a region of intense conflict for low-altitude reconnaissance.
From above, the scene below is chilling. What was once a lush jungle is now scorched earth and craters. Some simple but alien-style buildings are burning. On one side of the battle are hundreds of uniformly shaped, upright insect-like silver-gray combat robots, moving swiftly and firing with precision, methodically clearing out the enemy.
Their opponents were a strange "alliance"! It included tall plant life forms with bark-like skin, short and agile subterranean races made of rock, and even some intelligent beings resembling lizardmen riding primitive creatures! They used a variety of weapons, from energy rifles to primitive bows and spears. Although they fought bravely, they were repeatedly defeated and suffered heavy casualties under the efficient slaughter of the combat robots.
"Those robots... are not direct creations of the ' Purge Protocol,' but their technological styles are similar, suggesting they may be vassal civilizations or puppet forces controlled by it," Allen analyzed.
"They're bullying us!" Luffy's anger flared instantly as he looked down at the strangely shaped natives struggling in the battle. "Those weird-looking guys are protecting their home, aren't they? We can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"Agreed." Zoro placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Perfect timing to stretch my muscles, which have been practically rusting from being on the spaceship."
"Wait!" Nami, though reluctant, remained rational. "We don't know the specifics yet. Wouldn't intervening rashly cause even more trouble? Our primary task is to find the ' Resistance ' forces..."
" Nami is right," Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, "But it's not gentlemanly to stand by and watch the weak being bullied. Besides, helping the locals might be a faster way to gain their trust and find the ' Resistance ' organization we're looking for."
Robin nodded. "This is an opportunity. The fact that these different races can unite against a common enemy fits the Definition of ' Resistance.' Helping them is the best way to integrate into their community."
Allen looked at Luffy, Luffy nodded vigorously, his eyes resolute.
"Understood." Allen no longer hesitated. " Franky, prepare for low-altitude support. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, prepare for ground intervention. Remember, our objective is to repel those robots, help the locals, and attempt to make contact with them."
"Oh!!!"
The Ark Maxim shed its disguise and appeared in the sky above the battlefield like a divine warrior descending from the heavens! The secondary cannons on the side of the spaceship fired precise energy beams, instantly blasting several combat robots that were chasing the native warriors into pieces!
The sudden arrival of reinforcements caught both sides off guard.
The besieged native coalition, upon seeing this beautiful spaceship they had never seen before, radiating a soft starlight, and witnessing its precise artillery fire striking the enemy, felt a renewed glimmer of hope in their despairing eyes!
The Straw Hat Pirates's first battle in their space adventure officially begins on this planet at the edge of the Jade Nebula.