The North Star Base was filled with the smell of gunpowder and residual energy after the battle. Soldiers began to clean up the battlefield, retrieve the remains of the Taotie, and treat the wounded. But everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the helipad—there, the core members of the Super Soldier Company stood facing the pirates from another world.
Admiral Du Kao stood in the middle, his gaze sweeping over each member of the Straw Hat Pirates before finally settling on Allen.
"First of all, on behalf of humanity, I thank you all for your assistance." Du Kao's voice was steady and powerful, carrying the sincerity of a soldier. "Without your intervention, the losses today would have been far more severe."
Luffy picked his nose, nonchalantly. "Well, those guys didn't look like good people anyway. Besides, they attacked our ship first."
"That's right! They attacked first!" Usopp chimed in, hiding behind Zoro.
Du Kao disregarded this casual attitude and continued, "Based on the power you have demonstrated, and... your stance on the threats facing our world, I propose that we establish a formal cooperative relationship."
"A cooperative relationship?" Nami keenly grasped the key phrase. "What exactly does it mean?"
"Intelligence sharing, tactical cooperation, and, when necessary, joint efforts to combat Earth's enemies— the Taotie, demons, and other potential alien invasion forces," Du Kao stated bluntly. "In return, Earth will provide you with necessary supplies, technical support, and... assistance in finding a way back to your own world."
Finally, this last point gave the entire Straw Hat Pirates a much-needed boost.
"Can you help us find our way home?" Chopper's eyes lit up.
Lian Feng's voice came through Du Kao's headset at the right moment. "General, although traveling between parallel worlds is theoretically extremely difficult, even impossible, these 'visitors from other worlds' themselves prove the existence of the passage. If we can study their spaceships and analyze the 'incompatibilities' between their powers and this world, we might be able to find a way to deduce it in reverse. Moreover, the Super God Academy database contains some ancient records about 'dimensional theory' and ' Void barriers'... which may be of reference value."
Du Kao relayed Lian Feng's meaning, adding, "This will take time, and it will require your cooperation. But it's the only feasible direction at the moment."
The Straw Hat Pirates members looked at each other. Luffy looked at Allen: " Allen, what do you think?"
Allen pondered for a moment. He knew better than anyone that the "barrier" between the two worlds was probably not so easy to cross. Their arrival here was likely due to the " Ark Maxim " accidentally triggering some kind of "loophole" while traversing some cosmic anomaly region (such as the endpoint indicated by the star map). But returning in reverse would probably be exponentially more difficult.
But... this is indeed hope.
"We can cooperate," Allen said slowly, "But there are a few conditions."
"Please speak." Du Kao nodded.
"First, we are not soldiers and do not accept mandatory military orders. We are fighting as allies and act autonomously." Allen first clarified their position. The free nature of pirates makes it impossible for them to accept strict military discipline.
"Alright. You will operate as a 'Special Tactical Advisory Group,' enjoying a high degree of autonomy. You only need to coordinate with command on major strategic operations." Du Kao had anticipated this and readily agreed. Forcing orders on such a powerful figure would only backfire.
"Second, no form of forced testing or experimentation may be conducted on our partners under the guise of 'research.' Collaborative research must be based on voluntariness."
"I guarantee this with the honor of a soldier," Du Kao solemnly promised. "All research requires the individual's consent and must be conducted in a transparent environment."
"Third, provide us with detailed intelligence about this world, especially regarding the enemies 'beyond the stars,' and any possible 'spatial anomalies' or 'legends' related to our arrival." Allen needed more information to determine the reason for their arrival and whether this world held clues that could help them return.
"This is the foundation of our cooperation, and it should be shared." Du Kao nodded. " Lian Feng will compile a detailed report for you."
"Fourth," Allen looked into Du Kao's eyes, "If it ultimately proves we can't go back, or it takes an extremely long time... we need a 'territory' where we can move freely. It doesn't need to be large, but it must be completely autonomous."
This condition caused Du Kao to fall silent for a few seconds. Granting an autonomous territory to a powerful, mysteriously privy-to-human team was an extremely sensitive matter in Earth politics. But considering their value and potential unpredictability...
"In the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, there is a large island that was recently formed due to geological changes and does not yet have sovereignty. If you need it, it can serve as your temporary 'base.' Of course, this requires diplomatic consultations with other countries, but I will do my best to facilitate it," Du Kao offered a compromise. "Until the consultations are completed, you can remain at the North Star Base temporarily, and we will allocate a special area for you."
Allen looked at his crewmates. Luffy was the first to raise his hand. "I agree! That sounds interesting!"
Zoro crossed his arms. "There's fighting to be had, and a place to stay. It's alright."
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring. "As long as the beautiful ladies don't mind, I have no objection."
Nami was already mentally calculating the prices of goods in this New World and potential ways to make money...
After a brief discussion, the entire Straw Hat Pirates agreed to the conditions proposed by Allen.
"Then, the cooperation is settled." Du Kao extended his hand.
Allen shook his hand. It was a rough but powerful hand that had weathered countless battles.
"To facilitate communication and intelligence sharing, I have appointed Rena and Qiangwei as your liaisons," Du Kao explained. " Rena is the Lieyang Star, possessing a profound understanding of energy and cosmic affairs; Qiangwei is proficient in space technology, which may be helpful in your search for your way home."
Red-Haired goddess Rena and aloof beauty Du Qiangwei stepped forward. Rena curiously examined Allen, while Qiangwei focused more on the Ark Maxim —the space technology on that ship had piqued her interest.
"Oh right," Luffy suddenly remembered something, pointing to the sky, "A lot of debris fell from those warships just now, were there any meat inside? We're starving after that fight!"
Everyone: "..."
Du Kao smiled helplessly, "The cafeteria has prepared meals for everyone. Although they may not be as good as the food in your world, they should be enough to fill your stomachs. Please follow me."
"Let's eat! Let's eat!" Luffy instantly forgot everything and cheered as he followed. Chopper and Usopp also skipped and hopped along.
The soldiers of the Super Soldier Company looked at this group of strangely styled "allies from another world" with somewhat odd expressions. Zhao Xin whispered to Ge Xiaolun, "Lun'er, can I learn a couple of moves from that green-haired swordsman's swordsmanship? That tornado was so cool..."
Ge Xiaolun smiled wryly, "You should practice your marksmanship first... But that Allen... his strength is really incomprehensible."
Liu Chuang, carrying his axe, grinned and said, "Who cares! Anyone who can fight aliens is a true brother! That flash of white light and the enemy was gone, that was fucking satisfying!"
Qilin watched Usopp's retreating figure thoughtfully. "Those plant Seed that can absorb energy shields... if they could be mass-produced..."
Rui Mengmeng whispered, "That reindeer that can grow bigger and talk... is so cute..."
The group headed into the base.
Allen walked at the back, glancing back at the Ark Maxim. Franky was directing the base engineers to build a temporary protective shelter, Brook was playing soothing music on the deck, and Robin stood quietly by the ship's railing, gazing at the distant sky.
"What are you thinking about?" Robin asked softly as Allen walked up to her.
"I'm thinking," Allen said softly, "That our arrival in this world might not have been purely accidental."
"You mean..."
"The final coordinates of that 'star map'," Allen, his eyes deep, "Point to this place. And this world is facing a tremendous crisis. Our arrival has helped this world. It feels... a bit like the arrangement of 'fate'."
Robin smiled slightly, "Archaeologists don't believe in fate, only in cause and effect and clues. However... I also feel that there seems to be a thread running through our lives. We purified the pollution of the Sea of Origins and maintained the balance of the universe. And now, we've arrived in another world facing a threat... Perhaps this is a continuation of 'Guardianship'?"
Allen didn't answer, but simply looked up at the sky. This Earth in the world overlapped with the blue planet from his past life. Protecting it seemed to have become a kind of responsibility.
But deep down, that part of him that belongs to the "pirate" still yearns for freedom and adventure, longing to return to his homeland with the Grand Line and the endless sea.
"Let's eat first," Allen said, turning his gaze away from Robin and smiling. " Luffy has probably already emptied the cafeteria."
The cafeteria was indeed a scene of "great activity." Luffy's rubber arms danced between the tables, Sanji fawned over the ladies serving food while preparing special desserts for Nami and Robin, Zoro tried the world's alcohol (and remarked, "Too weak"), Chopper and Usopp showed great interest in the vending machine, Franky chatted enthusiastically with the base engineer, Brook asked if they had any "underwear" as a greeting gift (and was punched by Nami ), Jinbe politely savored the Chinese dishes.
The soldiers of the Super Soldier Company also entered to eat, and upon seeing this scene, they couldn't help but smile easily. Although these visitors from another world were ridiculously powerful, their personalities... seemed quite interesting.
Rena sat down opposite Allen with a plate of food and asked bluntly, "What's the principle behind your 'light'? I can sense that it's extremely pure, even more so than stellar light... its essence."
Allen thought for a moment and explained, "You can understand it as a manifestation of a 'purification rule.' It can erase 'impurity' and 'distortion.' What you call ' Void energy,' in my view, is a fragment of a rule that has been highly distorted and polluted, so it will be restrained by it."
"Rules... manifested?" Rena chewed on the word. "Not driven by energy, but directly invoking the 'rules' of the world? This... how is this possible? Even gods need to use Gene Engine and Dark Energy to interfere with the material world."
"In our world, the rules are perhaps more... 'loose'," Allen could only say, "Or rather, our power system focuses more on the resonance between 'will' and 'rules'."
At this moment, Du Qiangwei also sat down. She was more concerned about the technical issues. "What is the principle behind your spaceship's Space: Folding engine? I detected an extremely brief abnormal fluctuation in the curvature of space when you landed, but that's not Wormhole technology."
"That was achieved by Dr. Vegapunk combining the Sky Island's ' Jet Wind Dial ' technology, the space matrix of the ancient lunar civilization, and..." Allen paused, "... a special energy core I provided called the ' Star Core Mark.' The principle is to forcibly 'compress' the spatial distance between two points using energy, similar to folding a piece of paper so that the two points directly contact each other."
"Compressed space... Star Core Mark..." Du Qiangwei quickly recorded on her personal terminal, her eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge. "Could I take a tour of your engine room? Of course, if it involves classified information, then forget it."
Allen looked at Franky, who happened to hear Franky, and shouted, "SUPER~ Welcome! Let me show you my masterpiece of modification!"
The meal ended in a lively yet strange atmosphere. The Straw Hat Pirates was settled in a separate guesthouse within the base, fully equipped and with a wide view. The Ark Maxim was parked in a special hangar, guarded by Franky and the base engineers.
Late at night, Allen stood alone on the balcony, gazing at the starry sky of this unfamiliar world. The positions of the stars were subtly different from the star map of the One Piece world, but the vastness and mystery were the same.
There was a gentle knock on the door. It was Luffy.
" Allen, can't you sleep?" Luffy, unusually, didn't shout. He walked to the balcony and looked up at the starry sky.
"Hmm. I'm thinking about something."
"Homesick?"
"... a little."
Luffy was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned and said, "It's okay! No matter where we are, we're all in this together! Besides, there are adventures here, and there are bad guys we'll beat up! Once we find our way home, we'll tell Shanks, Rayleigh, and the others all about our adventures! They'll be so envious!"
Looking at Luffy's ever-optimistic and confident smile, Allen felt much of the gloom in his heart dissipate.
"You're right, Captain."
"Hehe! It's a deal then! A new adventure begins tomorrow!" Luffy patted Allen on the shoulder forcefully. "But now, I need to go check if there's any midnight snack in the kitchen!"
Watching Luffy skip away, Allen shook his head and chuckled.
Yes, no matter where we are, our companions are always by our side, and the adventure never ends.
Their connection with this world called "Earth" has only just begun.
For some reason, Allen recalled the feeling he had when he used " Light of Purification " to wipe out the Taotie Warriors carrying Void Engine during the battle earlier that day. That "distortion" and "contamination"... seemed to have some similarity to the " Shadow of the End " he had faced before.
Could the world's crisis also be related to that kind of "pollution"?
If that's the case, then their arrival might indeed have a deeper meaning.
Allen looked away and turned back into his room.
Tomorrow will be a new beginning. They will learn about this world, adapt to it, and in the process, search for clues to their homeland.
Before that... get a good night's sleep.
Outside the window, the lights of the North Star flickered quietly in the night. After fighting side by side during the day, the guardians of this world and the pirates from another world finally welcomed a relatively peaceful night.
But everyone knew that the calm wouldn't last long.
The threat of the Taotie has not been eliminated, and the shadow of the demon still lingers.
The arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates is like a Boulder thrown into a calm lake, which will surely stir up even more turbulent waves in this world.