The awakening of the " Shadow of the End " seemed to silence the entire Sea of Origins. The flowing, vibrant bands of light became dim and stagnant, as if frozen. A deep-seated fear, originating from existence itself, gripped everyone's throat, and even their souls trembled.
That enormous shadow had no concrete form; it was the embodiment of "negation," the concept of "end." It simply existed there, as if constantly proclaiming: all efforts are in vain, all existence ultimately leads to Void.
"What... what a joke..." Usopp's teeth chattered, and he felt as if all the strength to lift his slingshot had been drained away.
Chopper collapsed to the ground, his immense fear preventing him from even transforming.
Even Zoro and Sanji felt that their will and strength were like candles flickering in the wind in the face of this absolute " End ".
"This is... the final enemy...?" Nami's face turned pale as she gripped the armrest tightly.
However, even under such extreme despair and oppression, there are always those who can unleash a brilliance that Transcendence limits.
"I don't care what you are, shadow or anything!" Luffy suddenly looked up, his eyes burning with an indomitable flame beneath his Straw Hat. His Conqueror's Haki, mingled with his irrational fighting spirit, surged skyward like a storm, briefly tearing a gash in the shadow of death! "You want to end everything? I won't allow it! Gum-Gum - Gigant Elephant Gun!!"
A gigantic fist, covered in top-tier Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki Coating, powerful enough to shatter mountains, hurtled towards " The Shadow of the End " like a meteor shooting against the current!
There was no sound, no explosion. The moment the giant fist touched the shadow, it seemed to plunge into the deepest quagmire. All power, Haki, and will were swallowed and dissolved by that pure "nothingness." Luffy's all-out attack didn't even create a ripple!
The difference in strength is like heaven and earth!
"It's useless... All attacks are meaningless before ' The End '." Robin's voice carried a hint of bitterness; what she sensed through her ability was absolute "nothingness."
The enormous Eye of the Void, " Shadow of the End," indifferently "looked" at Ark Maxim. There was no anger, no contempt, only the cold indifference of executing a program.
It raised a blurry "hand" made of shadows and gently shook hands with the Ark Maxim.
Click--!
The star shield, strong enough to withstand a planetary explosion, was instantly riddled with cracks like glass! The ship's structure emitted a teeth-grinding groan, as if it were about to be crushed by an invisible force at any moment!
"Shield overload! Hull integrity is rapidly decreasing!!" Franky roared in despair.
The difference is too great! This isn't even a battle on the same level!
At this critical moment, Allen made a move.
Instead of attacking, he placed his hands on the deck. The brilliant Light of Purification merged with the vast Power of the Stars, like the veins of life, instantly spreading to every corner of the Ark Maxim, forcibly stabilizing the ship that was about to collapse.
" Franky! Connect all the Qingyang Crystal Cluster to the reactor! Nami, temporarily hand over control of the ship to me!" Allen's voice was more urgent and solemn than ever before.
"What are you doing, Allen!" Nami exclaimed.
"I want to... 'talk' to it!" A resolute light flashed in Allen's eyes. "With the will of all of us, with the power of this ' Sea of Origins '!"
He sat cross-legged, forcibly connecting his consciousness with the Ark Maxim, the Star Reactor, the high-purity energy crystal he had just connected to, and even with the suppressed ocean of light around him!
"With the stars as our guide, and the wishes of all beings as our fuel... Resonate, bound sea of possibilities!"
Allen's body became a bridge of light! The Ark Maxim became a giant amplifier! The indomitable will, the yearning for freedom, the protection of their comrades, the pursuit of their dreams... all these intense emotions and "possibilities" were Straw Hat Pirates Allen, transforming into streams of brilliant light that flowed into the Sea of Origin beneath their feet!
At the same time, the power of the Torch Dragon within him, which controls light and darkness and touches the origin of time and space, was pushed to its limit, Star Core Mark flickered violently, communicating with the oldest memories of this ocean!
Buzz--!!!
The previously stagnant ocean of light, as if injected with a stimulant, began to boil and roar violently! The "possibilities" that had been absorbed and suppressed by the black threads began to struggle and resist!
The cold will of the " Shadow of the End " finally showed a slight fluctuation. It seemed unable to understand why these insignificant "variables" could trigger the "Primordial" power that it thought it had completely controlled.
It increased its power, and more black threads shot towards the Ark Maxim like tentacles, attempting to stifle this "anomaly."
"Don't even think about succeeding!"
" Three-Sword Style: Ultimate Technique: Death - Starfall Calamity!" Zoro unleashed all his demonic energy and Haki, slashing out three interwoven death star patterns with his sword. He didn't attack the shadow itself, but rather the incoming black threads! He actually managed to temporarily sever several of them!
" Diable Jambe - Ifrit Jambe - Feast!" Sanji burned his life to the extreme, his legs transforming into a raging storm that tore through space, intercepting the black tentacles as well!
Usopp overcame his fear and fired "Ultimate Kill: Hope Star." Though the green light was faint, it miraculously revitalized a small patch of light nearby. Chopper swallowed all the Rumble Ball, transforming into a giant " Arm Point: Holy Form," using his body to withstand the attack and heal the corrupted light band. Brook's " Soul Elegy " directly affected the consciousness level, interfering with the absolute will of " The Shadow of the End." Nami summoned " Weather Storm," Franky unleashed a barrage of fire from all his weapons...
Everyone is fighting desperately! For their comrades, for their dreams, for the countless destroyed civilizations, for the future of life!
Their will, guided by Allen, resonated with the Sea of Origins like never before!
The resistance from the Ocean of Light grew increasingly fierce, beginning to impact and erode the black island and altar!
The " Shadow of the End " let out a silent roar, its form beginning to fluctuate erratically. It sensed a threat, a threat emanating from the very "possibility" it was trying to deny!
Allen suddenly opened his eyes, his seven orifices oozing blood of light, yet his gaze was incredibly bright. With the help of all his companions and the resonance of the Sea of Origins, he finally captured—the most minute connection crack between the core of the " Shadow of the End," that black cube, and the corrupted node of the " Baseline Consciousness "!
The opportunity is fleeting!
" Luffy!!!" With his last ounce of strength, Allen condensed all his resonance and hope into a single, powerful beam of light—a beacon of enlightenment imbued with the will of "understanding," "purification," and "liberation"—and shone it upon Luffy! "That's it!! Use your fists! Smash our will! Smash freedom!! In!!!"
Luffy had a sudden inspiration; he sensed everything about his crewmates, the location of the rift that Allen had conveyed, and the hopes of countless lost civilizations!
He tossed the Straw Hat to Nami, and his entire body erupted with an unprecedented, almost incinerating aura! His fist was no longer made of rubber; it seemed to have transformed into a fist of hope that embodied all "possibilities"!
"Lend me all your power!!"
" Gum-Gum-- "
" The Drums of Liberation!!!!!"
The fist, transcending space and ignoring the " End's " defenses, slammed precisely and solidly into the connecting crack!
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.