The moment Allen and Robin stepped into the runes of light, they felt as if they had fallen into a turbulent river of pure information and light. The surrounding scenery was no longer the material world, but a torrent of countless fragmented, shimmering images, sounds, and thoughts, washing over their consciousness at a speed Transcendence comprehension.
"Guard your mind!" Allen shouted, and a brilliant Light of Purification surged from his body, forming a soft yet resilient light shield that enveloped him and Robin, protecting them from the most direct impact of the information deluge.
Robin closed her eyes and focused her mind. Her "Hana Hana no Mi" ( Flower-Flower Fruit ) ability unfolded at the level of consciousness. Countless tiny "eyes" and "ears" made of mental energy bloomed around her, like sophisticated filters and decoders, trying to capture and sort out those chaotic fragments of information.
They trudged through the corridors of memory, like travelers going against the current.
Initially, there were silhouettes of countless civilizations—some as brilliant as stars, some as strange as the deep sea, some as vast as nebulae... They were born, grew, and shone with the light of wisdom and civilization, creating art, technology, philosophy... The possibilities of life are vividly displayed in these images.
However, all these glorious silhouettes ultimately met the same fate.
A cold, invisible "gaze" descended. There was no warning, no communication. Then came the signature, emotionless torrent of mechanical creations of the " Purge Protocol," like a cosmic plague, engulfing planet after planet, breaking down life, civilization, and even the planets themselves into the most basic matter and energy.
Destroy. Harvest. Purify.
The same process, in different forms, has been repeated countless times in different galaxies. Desperate cries, unyielding struggles, and eventual silence... These negative emotions, like poisonous sludge, attempt to penetrate the light shield and erode their will.
"This is... the 'job' of the Observers..." Robin's voice echoed in Allen's mind, trembling slightly. Even with her composure, facing this systematic massacre on a cosmic scale, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Allen didn't speak, but his Light of Purification shone even brighter, dispelling the desperate thoughts that tried to cling to him. His eyes were sharp as he continued forward, searching for more crucial information.
Finally, after shattering yet another wave of consciousness impact formed by the final curse of a dying civilization, they arrived at the depths of the Memory Corridor. Here, the scene was no longer fragmented pieces of civilization, but rather... absolute "nothingness."
It wasn't darkness, but Void where even the concept of "existence" had almost vanished. At the center of this Void floated some more ancient and essential "clusters of information."
They "heard" the whispers of origin:
[... In the beginning of the universe, order and Chaos coexisted... Life and intelligent civilizations were 'abnormal fruits' conceived from Chaos within the cradle of order...]
The development of civilization and the leaps in wisdom are constantly exacerbating the contradiction between local 'entropy reduction' and overall 'entropy increase'... The 'possibility' of this cohesion will disturb the stability of the universe's baseline parameters...
[... To ensure the permanence and stability of the macroscopic structure of the universe, eliminating uncontrollable ' Chaos variables' becomes necessary... The ' Observers ' is authorized by the ' Baseline Consciousness ' (which can be understood as a collection of underlying rules of the universe itself) to perform 'purification'...]
[...'Purification' is not destruction, but rather...'recycling' and 'formatting'...returning the 'possibilities' that have gone astray to the 'baseline'...life and civilization are merely...redundant information generated...in the process of the universe's self-regulation...]
The truth, like ice water, poured over their consciousness.
The Observers are not some evil alien invaders. They are more like... the universe's "immune system"!
Countless glorious civilizations, including the possible and former lunar civilizations, and even the countless life forms struggling now... are merely "redundant information" or " Chaos variables" that need to be eliminated on the grand scale of the universe!
This is a truth more despairing than mere "evil." Because the enemy is not someone to be hated or negotiated with, but rather part of the very laws governing the universe!
"How could this be...?" Robin's consciousness fluctuated violently. This truth overturned too many of her perceptions. The meaning of life and the value of resistance seemed pale and powerless in the face of this cold "benchmark".
Even Allen felt a tremendous weight pressing down on his heart. To defy the laws of the universe?
However, amidst this extreme despair, Allen's perception, tempered by the Power of Zhulong and fused with the Star Core Mark, detected a very subtle and discordant "noise."
Deep within that stream of information about " Baseline Consciousness " and "authorization," he seemed to sense a trace of... human manipulation! An extremely sophisticated shackle, almost integrated with the underlying rules!
It's as if... the universe's "immune system" itself has been artificially programmed with overly aggressive, even distorted, "cleansing" instructions!
"No..." Allen suddenly concentrated all his mental energy and perception, like the most precise Scalpel, piercing towards that discordant "noise." "This ' Baseline Consciousness '... is incomplete! Or rather, it's been... corrupted!"
Just the instant he touched that wisp of "noise"—
[WARNING! Forbidden information level triggered! Memory seal activated! Expulsion procedure initiated!]
A cold, emotionless alarm blared through the corridor! An information overload and mental shock far more violent than before swept towards Allen and Robin like a tsunami! The entire Memory Corridor began to shake violently and collapse!
" Robin! We should go!" Allen shouted, straining to raise the purification shield while simultaneously using spatial power to try and create an escape route.
Robin also forced himself to come back to his senses from the great shock, and countless arms made of mental energy grabbed the most crucial pieces of information, especially the clues about "contamination" and "shackles" that Allen pointed out.
"Got me!" Allen grabbed Robin, and his starlight and spatial power erupted simultaneously, tearing a gap in the collapsing torrent of memories and speeding back the way they came!
A tremendous impact followed, as if the very will of the entire corridor was about to annihilate them completely.
Just when they were about to be swallowed up, a portal made of light runes appeared in front of them!
With their last bit of strength, the two burst out of the Memory Corridor and crashed heavily back onto the floor of the council hall.
The runes of light flickered violently behind them a few times before collapsing and dissipating completely.
Allen and Robin were pale and drenched in sweat, clearly having suffered a tremendous shock and exhaustion.
" Allen! Robin! Are you alright?" Luffy and the others immediately surrounded them.
The two, panting, exchanged a glance and saw in each other's eyes the shock, the heaviness, and... a trace of relief at surviving a disaster, and an even more determined light.
They brought back not only the cold, hard truth about the origins of Observers, but also a startling discovery that could overturn everything—
The Observers may not be an insurmountable natural disaster; behind it, there may be a deeper, more man-made force at play!