The interior of the " Lost Beacon Zone " is a bizarre world that cannot be explained by conventional cosmology.
Following the updated navigation, Ark Maxim passed through the seemingly Void boundary of the " Terminal Navigation Beacon," as if passing through a thick but intangible curtain of water. In an instant, the scenery outside the porthole underwent a dramatic transformation.
The darkness receded, replaced by an omnipresent "light mist," seemingly a mixture of billions of colors yet strangely separated. This light mist was not static, but rather flowed and swirled slowly as if it possessed a life of its own, forming enormous, indescribable vortices, rivers, and nebula-like structures. There were no clear ups, downs, lefts, or rights; the sense of spatial orientation completely failed here, and one could only rely on the gravity simulation and navigation system inside the spaceship for directional guidance.
Even more peculiar is the "matter." There are no planets or dust in the traditional sense, only countless "islands" or "fragments" of various shapes suspended in the light mist. Some resemble translucent clusters of mineral crystals magnified countless times, with liquid light flowing inside; some look like solidified architectural ruins built of geometric shapes, their style resembling, yet not quite, the Kunlun Ruins and W7's home civilization; and some are simply aggregates of energy that constantly change shape and color, seemingly possessing their own consciousness.
"The rules have become distorted..." Robin, mesmerized, recorded everything she saw through the viewing window. "The physical constants here are 'fluid,' the spacetime structure is like silk that has been repeatedly folded and unfolded, full of 'folds' and 'holes.' Look there—" She pointed to a slowly rotating, seven-colored vortex in the distance, "The color at the center of the vortex represents the 'time flow coefficient' of a local area, and the wavy light patterns at the edge are a visualization of 'spatial curvature'... It's incredible, this place itself is a living 'textbook of rules'!"
"Energy readings are extremely active, but very... 'tamed'?" Franky checked the gauges. "The resonant response of the Star Core Reactor is very strong, as if the free energy here is very willing to be 'borrowed' and 'guided' by us. However, be careful of those unstable 'rule-of-rule folds'. If you crash into them, you might be randomly teleported to some corner of this area, or... worse."
"Where are the signs of life?" Jinbe asked, as Fish-Man he was acutely aware of the "vitality" in his environment.
"Very sparse, but... exists." W7's Psionic Energy perception expanded to its maximum, "Detecting several faint fluctuations of consciousness, unknown in form, seemingly highly integrated with the surrounding environmental energy, more like 'pseudo-life forms' formed from 'rule derivatives' or 'conceptual echoes'. The threat level is generally low, but do not provoke them."
Nami navigated this bizarre and wondrous world with extreme focus and caution, even with detailed maps and warnings. Nami constantly fine-tuned the course, avoiding one potential trap after another—a sudden increase in gravitational anomalies, a turbulent logic zone that could disrupt electronic devices, or even a region where the wear and tear on all the ship's mechanical parts increased a hundredfold upon entry. Fortunately, she managed to exit in time.
Following the map's guidance, they need to traverse three main "regular stability zones" (relatively speaking) and perform two short "dimensional glide" maneuvers (using the inherent spatial folds of the Beacon Zone for rapid movement) before finally reaching the coordinates of Laugh Tale.
The voyage was tedious and stressful, but also full of novel discoveries. They once observed a "mountain" composed entirely of "frozen Inazuma " from afar, with new " Inazuma branches" constantly growing from its summit and striking into Void; they also encountered an area where all colors lost their meaning, leaving only black, white, and gray, even the spaceship's lights turned into a monotonous grayscale; and they received an undecipherable "rule broadcast" filled with sadness and nostalgia, as if the area itself was "remembering" something.
As they ventured deeper, the energy aura of the " Beacon " in the surrounding environment grew increasingly intense. Allen could clearly feel a continuous, warm resonance between the Star Core Mark within his body and this space, like a wanderer returning home, or Key approaching a lock. Occasionally, the spaceship would pass through special "energy-rich zones," and the hull would unconsciously absorb some of the pure energy originating from the Star Core Mark, making the spaceship's condition better and better, and even the crew members felt more energetic.
"We are approaching the core radiation zone of the ' Beacon '," W7 analyzed the data. "The energy purity index continues to rise, and the degree of rule distortion is also deepening, but the 'direction' of distortion seems to be converging... as if it is 'calibrating' towards a 'template' of a certain 'center'."
"That must be the effect of Laugh Tale," Robin deduced. "As the master node of the ' Beacon,' its own rule field radiates outwards, assimilating the surrounding area."
Just as they were about to enter the exit of the first "stable zone" and prepare for their first "dimensional glide," Nami, who had been monitoring external energy and spatial fluctuations, suddenly issued an urgent alarm!
"Large-scale, high-intensity spatial disturbance detected! Behind us! Very close! And not a natural phenomenon! Regular, powerful spatial jump characteristics! Energy spectrum... Triangle Bodies?! It's a large fleet of Triangle Bodies!"
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock. How could the Triangle Bodies be here? How could they possibly have crossed the " Terminal Navigation Beacon "?
"The number... is enormous! It exceeds the scale we encountered on Newborn Island! They... they directly tore through the spatial structure at the edge of the Beacon Zone and forced their way in!" Nami's voice was filled with disbelief. "Their jump point... is near that 'rule of rules' we just passed! They seem to have used some kind of technology unknown to us, bypassing some of the 'beacon's' defenses or identification mechanisms!"
Outside the porthole, the previously calmly flowing light mist suddenly turned violent! In the distant area behind, space appeared like shattered glass, with dozens of huge and unstable purple cracks appearing! Countless ferocious Triangle Bodies warships with multifaceted crystalline shapes surged out of the cracks like swarms of bees! They were much larger than those encountered before, and the eerie purple light on their surfaces was even deeper. They were connected to each other through a more powerful mental network, forming a massive array that covered half of the "sky".
Even more chilling was that, amidst the protective array of these warships, three "mothership"-class units, each the size of a small planet and composed entirely of what appeared to be living amethyst, with even more complex and bizarre forms, slowly emerged from the rift. The spiritual pressure emanating from them, even from a distance, instilled a strong sense of oppression and... a chilling "gaze" emanating from the depths of their souls in everyone within the Ark Maxim.
" The Triangle Bodies... the ' Deep Dive Practitioners ' fleet..." W7's voice was grave. "They are one of the highest symbols of their mother civilization's military might. Their target... is very clear: the core of the ' Beacon '! Their mental scanning network is scanning the entire area at full speed and will soon discover us!"
"How did they get in?!" Usopp was terrified. "Wasn't the ' Beacon Zone ' supposed to be difficult to enter?"
"They exploited the long-term influence of the ' Beacon ' energy on the spatial structure, along with their unique Psionic Energy -spatial technology, to find a 'weak point' and violently breach it," W7 quickly analyzed. "This behavior is extremely dangerous, severely disrupting the balance of rules within the Beacon Zone and potentially triggering a chain reaction of collapses... but they clearly don't care. Their desire for the ' Beacon '... has reached a point where they're willing to pay any price."
"What do we do now?" Sanji lit a cigarette, his eyes sharp. "Fight or run?"
Fight? Faced with such a massive Triangle Bodies main fleet, especially those three " Deep Dive Practitioners " motherships exuding a terrifying aura, even with its enhancements, Ark Maxim has absolutely no chance of winning.
Run? Their target is Laugh Tale, right ahead. Besides, in this chaotic Beacon Zone, running blindly might just get them killed faster.
"Their target is the ' Beacon ' core, so they might not specifically target small targets like us for now," Robin calmly analyzed. "But their mental scans cover everything indiscriminately, and we'll be discovered soon. At that time, as beings that also carry the ' Beacon ' aura ( Star Core Mark ) and are clearly not Triangle Bodies, we'll likely be seen as 'competitors' or 'obstacles' and eliminated."
Allen's mind raced. A direct confrontation was certain death, but blindly fleeing could also lead to his demise. So...
"Utilize the environment!" Allen decisively ordered. " Nami, immediately analyze the structure of the rules near the 'dimensional glide' entrance ahead! Is it possible to create a localized, controllable 'rule turbulence' or 'spatial illusion' to temporarily interfere with or even trap the Triangle Bodies ' scanning and pursuit? W7, can your ' Phase Adaptability ' and Psionic Energy scanning help us find a 'hidden path' that the Triangle Bodies' fleet cannot easily track for the time being?"
"Near the gliding entrance ahead, there's a natural 'information refraction corridor'!" Nami immediately pulled up the map. "If we can inject some of the Star Core's energy at a specific frequency, it might trigger a short-term 'full-band information interference' and 'spatial mirror refraction,' similar to advanced stealth combined with illusion! But we need to precisely calculate the energy injection point and timing, and the duration might be very short!"
"My Psionic Energy scan can map the 'detection blind spots' and 'regular turbulence zones' of the Triangle Bodies psychic network." (W7 interface) "Combined with the map, a circuitous but relatively concealed route can be planned, but it requires frequent small-amplitude space jumps, posing a huge challenge to the ship's stability and energy consumption."
"No time to hesitate! Let's do it!" Luffy. " Franky, prepare for maximum power! Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, prepare to deal with any enemies that might break through the barriers and get close! Usopp, Chopper, Brook, assist with disruption and defense! Robin, provide updates on any rule changes!"
"SUPER~ Energy reactor overload preparation! Jet Wind Dial system full activation! Let's go!" Franky roared in the cockpit.
Like an enraged silver whale, the Ark Maxim accelerated suddenly in the mist of light, rushing towards the "dimensional gliding" entrance ahead! At the same time, the special energy conduits at the stern lit up, beginning to gather highly concentrated energy with the unique frequency of the Star Core Mark.
Behind them, the massive fleet of the Triangle Bodies seemed to have completed its initial formation deployment. The suffocating collective mental scan, like an invisible giant net, rapidly enveloped the direction of the Ark Maxim!
Just as the scanning wave was about to touch the spacecraft--
"Now! Inject interference energy!" Nami pressed the button.
A thin but incredibly pure beam of silvery-white energy shot out from the stern of the Ark Maxim and precisely disappeared into a seemingly ordinary patch of light mist at the edge of the gliding entrance ahead.
Buzz--!!!
It was as if a drop of water had been poured into a boiling oil pan. The light and mist in that area instantly boiled, twisted, and burst forth with blindingly bright, seven-colored light! Within the light, the spatial structure fluctuated violently, forming countless overlapping, indistinguishable images and chaotic information turbulence! The Triangle Bodies's invisible mental scanning network crashed into this area, as if it had sunk into the thickest swamp and a chaotic mirror room, instantly losing the clear signal of the Ark Maxim, only able to capture countless scattered, contradictory "echoes"!
"Interference successful! The Triangle Bodies scanning has been severely interfered with! But they are adjusting their frequency; the interference will last a maximum of thirty seconds!" Nami reported urgently.
"Thirty seconds, that's enough! Follow the route planned by W7, full speed ahead! Enter the first 'hidden turbulent zone'!" Allen ordered.
The Ark Maxim suddenly made a sharp turn, bypassing the designated glide entrance and instead diving into a "turbulent zone" marked by W7, filled with a violent yet relatively simple flow of dark red energy. Like surfers, the ship sped along the turbulent current, its hull groaning under the onslaught of the violent energy, but thanks to its enhanced shields and the rule-adaptive properties granted by " Order Calibration," it managed to withstand the onslaught!
Thirty seconds later, the blinding interference light behind them gradually subsided. The Triangle Bodies Fleet's mental scan regained some clarity, but they had lost direct trace of the Ark Maxim and could only re-scan and locate it across a vast and complex Beacon Zone. This bought the Straw Hat Pirates precious breathing room and time to maneuver.
However, the crisis is far from over.
On the Triangle Bodies " Deep Dive Practitioners " mothership, the cold and vast collective will seemed to be enraged by this small "interference," or perhaps the desire for the " Beacon " core overwhelmed everything. They didn't waste time on a meticulous search; instead... they began a violent advance directly towards the approximate coordinates of Laugh Tale!
The three " Deep Dive Practitioners " motherships resembled three enormous purple plowshares, their bows condensing terrifying Psionic Energy shockwaves that forcefully tore through the turbulent currents and energy barriers that blocked their path, carving out a brutal "channel" within the Beacon Zone! A large number of small and medium-sized Triangle Bodies warships followed closely behind, like a school of fish providing escort.
Their propulsion methods severely damaged the already fragile structure of the Beacon Zone! Wherever they passed, the light mist was stained dark purple, stable structures collapsed, unstable areas became even more violent, and even triggered small-scale "rule avalanches"!
"They... they're advancing straight towards Laugh Tale in the most savage way possible!" Robin's face paled as he stared at the three striking purple streaks on the monitoring screen, constantly causing environmental destruction. "At this rate, they'll reach the outskirts of Laugh Tale before we do!"
"Moreover, their actions will severely disrupt the stability of the ' Beacon Zone,' and may even endanger Laugh Tale itself!" W7 warned. "We must stop them, or... reach Laugh Tale before they cause irreversible damage and gain partial control of the ' Beacon '!"
With a final goal ahead and powerful pursuers behind, the environment continues to deteriorate.
The Straw Hat Pirates's journey home, just before reaching its destination, is met with its most severe and chaotic challenges...
A race against time!