The Ark Maxim has completely broken free from the Jade Nebula's boundaries, even crossing the limits of known star maps, and is heading towards the absolutely unknown region known as the " Sea of Origins," as indicated by the Beacon Crystal.
The cosmic landscape here is completely different from before. The stars have become sparse, and the background radiation presents a strange, faint glow, as if left over from the beginning of creation. The "texture" of space also seems to have changed, and occasionally one can perceive inexplicable gravitational ripples or spatial wrinkles, as if the "fabric" of the universe is thinner and more unstable here.
The voyage became exceptionally difficult. Conventional interstellar navigation was almost completely ineffective, relying solely on the unwavering yet weak pull of the Beacon crystal and Nami's talent and keen perception of spatial anomalies through her instruments to correct the course. Franky had to constantly monitor the ship's status, and the Star Shield needed frequent adjustments to cope with various unknown energy radiations and spatial disturbances.
"The space here... feels alive, constantly breathing and writhing." Usopp looked at the distorted light outside the window and the occasional flashes of indescribably colored energy clusters, feeling his sanity steadily decreasing.
"The records show that the physical constants here exhibit subtle, random fluctuations." Robin frowned slightly as he looked at the data transmitted from the spaceship's sensors. "No wonder the Purge Protocol rarely get involved; the precise calculations and standardization techniques they rely on would be severely disrupted here."
"However, our Star Power and Allen's power seem to be adapting quite well." Franky noticed that the Ark Maxim's reactor was operating exceptionally stably in this environment, and even its efficiency had slightly improved. Allen also felt that the Power of Zhulong and the Star Core Mark within him were creating a strange resonance with the surrounding primitive environment full of "possibilities".
This confirms their conjecture—the " Sea of Origins " is indeed the source of "possibility," closely related to life and Chaos, but incompatible with the " Purge Protocol " that pursues absolute order.
The days of their voyage passed by in tension and uncertainty. They traversed labyrinthine interstellar dust clouds, avoided the event horizons of suddenly appearing miniature black holes, and even witnessed the awe-inspiring process of a dying star collapsing into a neutron star.
However, crises always arrive unexpectedly.
Just as they were about to traverse an exceptionally vast " Chaos Nebula " filled with violent energy Inazuma, guided by the Beacon, the alarm blared again!
Beep! Beep! Beep! -- High-dimensional space warping detected! Unknown giant entity approaching! -- Warning! Energy level Transcendence the upper limit!
"What is that?!" Nami stared in horror at the enormous shadow on the radar screen that was rapidly enlarging at an incredible speed and could not be detected by conventional sensors.
The next second, the space in front of Ark Maxim was suddenly torn apart like a curtain! An "being" whose form was indescribable swam out from it!
It has no fixed shape; its body seems to be composed of pure, ever-changing dark matter and distorted light. Countless nebula-like tentacles dance in the Void, and at its core is a strange, constantly pulsating core that emits a mind-bending light. Its size... is almost comparable to a small planet!
"It's... it's a cosmic behemoth! An ancient life form that is said to roam only in the wild and desolate lands of the universe!" Robin exclaimed in shock. Even she had only seen similar descriptions in the oldest forbidden documents.
This colossal cosmic beast seemed to regard the Ark Maxim as an intruder into its territory, or perhaps... a delicious snack? It let out a silent yet soul-splitting roar, and a breath powerful enough to tear apart an asteroid belt, a mixture of mental shock and matter-decomposing energy, swept towards the Ark Maxim like a cosmic storm!
"Get out of the way!" Franky desperately maneuvered the spaceship to evade, but the area covered by the breath attack was too large!
"Shield energy is dropping rapidly! 67%... 45%... 23%! It can't withstand the next attack!" Nami's voice was filled with despair as she watched the rapidly increasing energy reading.
Faced with an existence on the scale of a cosmic catastrophe, conventional attacks seemed utterly powerless. Zoro's slashes, Sanji's kicks, and even Luffy's attack covered in Conqueror's Haki, all struck the behemoth's ever-changing body, like mud sinking into the sea, only managing to create a few ripples.
"That's the only option I can try!" Franky gritted his teeth, took out a precious " Qingyang Crystal Cluster," and prepared to activate the Ark Maxim's ultimate weapon—the " Supernovas Explosion Cannon." However, this required time to charge, and the energy would be nearly depleted after one shot!
At this critical moment, Allen once again stood at the bow of the ship.
He gazed at the colossal beast that represented the primordial, Chaos power of the universe, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a strange light. He sensed that this beast was not an order destroyer like the " Purge Protocol," but rather a part of Chaos, a guardian of "possibility"... or rather, a manifestation of its wildness.
A head-on confrontation is definitely not the best strategy.
Allen closed his eyes, merging all his spiritual power with the Power of Zhulong and the Star Core Mark within his body. At the same time, he tried to resonate with and understand the environmental fluctuations of the " Sea of Origins " around him.
He no longer saw himself as an adversary, but instead tried to... merge into this Chaos.
"Resonance... harmony..."
He chanted softly, and the light emanating from his body was no longer the sharp Light of Purification, but a hazy, all-encompassing radiance like a nebula. The frequency of this radiance began to synchronize in a wondrous way with the surrounding space and with the Chaos fluctuations emitted by the star beast!
Just as that destructive breath was about to engulf the Ark Maxim, it seemed to encounter an invisible barrier, deflecting and dissipating! The core of the behemoth, filled with chaotic will, also seemed to hesitate and be confused. Its enormous, invisible "gaze" turned to Allen, as if trying to discern something.
Allen opened his eyes, his pupils seemingly reflecting the birth and death of the entire universe. He sent a peaceful yet resolute wave of mental energy towards the behemoth:
We are neither invaders nor the Blade of Order. We seek the truth, to break free of shackles, and to restore freedom to countless possibilities. Please grant us passage.
Silence. It was as if even time had frozen.
After a long while, the colossal star beast emitted a low, enigmatic hum. Its massive body slowly moved aside, clearing the path to the depths of the Chaos Nebula. Its chaotic Light of the Heart flickered a few times before finally settling into stillness. Its enormous body gradually faded, disappearing once more into the higher dimensions and vanishing from sight.
The crisis was resolved in an unexpected way.
Silence reigned within the Ark Maxim, as everyone stared at Allen in awe. They knew Allen was strong, but just now, he had displayed a power of "understanding" and "harmony" that Transcendence mere physical strength and connected with the very essence of the universe.
"Keep moving forward." Allen turned around, his face still somewhat pale, but his eyes incredibly bright. "We're getting closer and closer to the answer."
The Ark Maxim set sail once more, entering that turbulent yet beautiful Chaos Nebula.
At the heart of the nebula, the Beacon crystal's light reached an unprecedented intensity, pointing towards... a spatial rift.
Beyond that fault line, it seems, lies the legendary – the Sea of Origins!