The purple trails of the Triangle Bodies fleet's violent advance resembled three ever-spreading cancerous wounds, extending menacingly across the beautiful yet fragile Beacon Zone's light curtain. Wherever they passed, the regular structure was forcibly torn apart and contaminated, the stability zone collapsed, turbulence intensified, and even small-scale Spacetime Fault and energy annihilation phenomena were triggered. The entire Beacon Zone's "breathing" seemed to become disordered and painful.
The Ark Maxim are like silver specks of light desperately fleeing in a collapsing maze. Although the "hidden turbulent zone" planned by W7 temporarily avoids the direct attack of the Triangle Bodies's main force, the environment itself becomes increasingly dangerous due to the Triangle Bodies's destructive behavior.
"Port shield energy down to 67%! Encountering a 'logic inversion' ahead, navigation system intermittently malfunctioning!" Franky roared in the cockpit, his hands moving like phantoms, constantly correcting the system errors caused by the rule disturbances.
"A ' Time Fold ' has appeared to the right front! Entering its range may cause different parts of the ship to experience different time flow rates!" Nami stared intently at the wildly fluctuating parameters on the screen. "Emergency evasion! Descent, cut into that dark blue 'energy sedimentation river'!"
The spaceship plunged downwards, narrowly missing a seemingly calm but actually chaotic area of time flow, before crashing into a relatively thick, slow-flowing dark blue energy stream. The ship sank instantly, as if sinking into viscous swamp, its speed plummeting, but the surrounding disturbances also noticeably lessened.
"It's safe for now... but it's too slow!" Sanji looked at the monitoring screen behind him, where the three purple "wounds" were still relentlessly spreading towards Laugh Tale, the distance slowly but steadily decreasing.
"We can't take the usual route anymore." Allen's eyes sharpened. " The Triangle Bodies is 'destroying our homes.' If we follow the conventional detours, we'll never catch up with them. We have to take a risk and find a 'shortcut.'"
"A shortcut?" Usopp's voice trembled. "In a place like this?"
"W7, Robin," Allen, looking at the two knowledge cores, "Combining the rule map synchronized to us by the ' Beacon ' and the environmental changes caused by the destruction of the Triangle Bodies, can we find a path... extremely risky, but the shortest distance, perhaps even one that can utilize the 'rule gaps' created by the destruction of the Triangle Bodies for jumping? We need to take a gamble."
The V-shaped light band on the W7 flashed rapidly, interacting and analyzing at high speed with the complex star map and data stream unfolding in front of Robin. Robin's fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, overlaying real-time environmental monitoring data, ancient map markers, and predictive models of the Triangle Bodies's destruction trajectory.
"There is... a theoretically existing 'path'." After a moment, Robin's voice carried a hint of uncertainty and gravity. "It's not an original map marker, but rather a calculation based on the current trend of the collapsing rule structure, combined with several 'nodes' where ' Beacon ' energy naturally converges and the possible existence of 'fragile spatial membranes.' We call it... the ' Collapse Rift Jump Route '."
She brought up an extremely distorted, discontinuous virtual route marked with numerous red warning signs. "Along this route, we need to traverse three 'rule- Chaos zones' that are being severely affected by the Triangle Bodies's destruction, using brief 'spatial rifts' that occasionally form within the Chaos to perform ultra-short-distance jumps, skipping the long distances that would otherwise require detours. The final segment even requires us to actively enter a 'spacetime bubble zone' that has become extremely unstable due to the Triangle Bodies's mothership's Psionic Energy impact, using its distorted spacetime curvature to perform a high-risk, high-intensity 'catapult jump,' directly 'slamming' into the outer area of Laugh Tale."
"Success rate?" Zoro asked bluntly.
"... Based on the existing data model, the theoretical success rate is less than 35%." W7 calmly stated the figure, "Failures may include: being torn apart by the rules of the Chaos zone, jumping into an inescapable spatial rift, time flow distortion in the spacetime bubble zone leading to ship disintegration or crew consciousness collapse... and being affected by subsequent detection or scattered attacks from the Triangle Bodies fleet."
"35%..." Nami's face turned pale.
"But if we proceed methodically, the probability of arriving before the Triangle Bodies destroy Laugh Tale or seize control of the ' Beacon ' is... less than 10%," Robin added, his voice heavy. "And as the environment continues to deteriorate, that probability is decreasing."
" Luffy, you're the captain." Allen looked at Luffy. This kind of decision, which concerns the life and death of the entire crew, must be made by the captain.
Luffy adjusted his straw Straw Hat, unusually refraining from immediately shouting. He glanced at the magnificent mist outside the porthole, constantly eroded by purple pollution, then at the three unwavering purple lines on the monitoring screen, and finally his gaze swept over the faces of each of his crewmates.
"We've come this far, gone through so many adventures, not to stop here, nor to watch that ' Beacon ' be destroyed by those purple bumps." Laugh Tale Luffy just ahead, the road home is just ahead, and that responsibility of 'Watching Over'... is also ahead."
He grinned, his eyes burning with the familiar flame of the Pirate King: "A 35% chance is enough! Compared to Reverse Mountain, Sky Island, Enies Lobby, Paramount War... our chances have never been higher! But we've won now!"
"So—" he raised his fist high, "Full speed ahead! Take the 'Collapse Rift' route! Leave those purple lumps behind!"
"Yes, Captain!" the crew responded in unison, their fear replaced by determination. They were the Straw Hat Pirates, and surviving desperate situations was their norm!
" Franky! Maximum readiness! Power all non-essential systems to shields and engines! Nami, you, me, and W7 together, calibrate the course in real time to deal with any sudden rule changes! Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, prepare to deal with anything that might emerge from the Chaos Zone or Rift! Usopp, Chopper, Brook, assist in defense and emergencies!" Allen quickly issued specific instructions.
"SUPER~ Go for it! Ark Maxim, unleash full power!" Franky roared as he pushed down all the power levers.
The silver spaceship burst forth with unprecedented light, and like an arrow released from a bow, resolutely rushed out of the relatively safe "Energy Sedimentation River" and plunged headlong into the first blood-red mark on the route map - " Chaos Zone-1: Valley of Shattered Echoes".
Upon entering this area, everyone seemed to instantly become deaf and blind! Not because sound and light disappeared, but because countless "sounds" and "light and shadow" simultaneously, chaotically, and with an intensity Transcendence the limits of endurance flooded into their senses! It was a "mental noise storm" composed of fragments of rules, information remnants, and energy Echo shattered by the Triangle Bodies! The spaceship's shields could withstand physical and energy impacts, but they could hardly completely filter out this pollution that directly affected consciousness.
"Ugh!" Usopp and Chopper clutched their heads again, and this time even Zoro and Sanji frowned. Brook immediately played some soothing music, but it had little effect.
"Activate the residual rule stabilization field of ' Order Calibration '! Focus your will!" Allen shouted, spreading Power of the Stars mixed with soothing intentions to help his companions calm their minds. W7 also released a pure Psionic Energy barrier to help filter out the most harmful noise.
The spaceship struggled through the Chaos filled with invisible "fragments," its hull constantly emitting eerie sounds as it was scraped and struck by these "fragments of rules." Navigation relied entirely on W7's Psionic Energy perception and Allen's vague sense of the " Beacon " core through the Star Core Mark.
"Ahead! A spatial rift! It's unstable and contracting! You only have one chance!" Nami shouted, enduring her headache.
In the Chaos light and shadow ahead, a narrow crack, constantly twisting and with purplish-black energy flowing along its edges, flashed by!
"Now! Jump!" Allen and Franky shouted at the same time.
The Ark Maxim gambled its remaining power, transforming into a silver Inazuma that precisely pierced the closing rift!
The world spun around me! It felt like I'd been thrown into a high-speed washing machine! A violent sense of spatial tearing washed over me, and my shield energy gushed out!
Just a moment later, the spaceship was "spit out" and appeared in a relatively "quiet" area—the edge of another Chaos zone, but they had successfully skipped a long and dangerous stretch of the journey.
"First jump... Success!" Nami looked at the updated coordinates, panting heavily.
There was no time to celebrate; the second blood-red marker—" Chaos Zone-2: Anti-Entropy Torrent"—was already in sight. This area was filled with chaotic and incredibly intense energy flows; the spaceship was like a small boat in a raging sea, on the verge of being torn apart at any moment. Relying on Franky's masterful control and W7's anticipation of the energy flow, they navigated the deadly torrent like skilled surfers, seizing another fleeting opening to complete their second perilous jump.
After completing their third and most dangerous rift jump through " Chaos Zone 3: Mirror Maze," Ark Maxim was badly damaged, its shield energy was depleted, and multiple systems were alarming. But they finally reached the last and most dangerous section—"Time-Space Bubble Belt."
Before them lay a bizarre region that seemed to consist of countless "soap bubbles" of varying sizes, slowly expanding and contracting. The light and shadow within each "bubble" were completely different, and the flow of time also varied greatly. This region was violently fluctuating due to the continuous Psionic Energy impacts from the distant Triangle Bodies " Deep Dive Practitioners " mothership, with bubbles constantly being generated, bursting, and merging, forming an extremely unstable spacetime structure.
"This is it... the 'catapult jump' point." Robin's voice trembled slightly. "We need to find a 'bubble' that's expanding rapidly, with the difference between its internal time flow and the external time flow reaching a specific peak. We need to rush into it just as it's about to burst at its limit, and use the spacetime distortion force released when it bursts to 'catapult' us out... The direction and landing point are not entirely controllable; we can only roughly point towards Laugh Tale."
"Find it!" Allen said in a deep voice.
W7 and Nami scanned with full force. A few seconds later, W7 locked onto a target. "To the left front, that giant bubble about 300 kilometers in diameter, with flashing light and shadow inside! It's expanding rapidly, and the internal time flow rate is about 1200 times that of the outside! It meets the 'ejection' conditions! But... it's extremely unstable and may burst prematurely!"
"Charge in!" Luffy without hesitation.
The Ark Maxim turned its bow around and crashed headlong into the enormous "time bubble" with its swirling light and shadow!
Just as the bow was about to touch the foam wall membrane—
Inside the bubble, amidst the fast-forwarded light and shadow, something suddenly "moved"! It wasn't a physical entity, but rather an... extremely ancient, weathered, yet still sharp " Echo of will"! It seemed to have slumbered for countless years, awakened by the violent disturbances from the outside world and the approach of the " Star Core Mark "!
A message that directly impacted the soul and Transcendence language resounded like thunder in everyone's hearts:
["Detected... ' Key ' approaching... 'Order' side reinforcement marker detected... ' Chaos Corruptors ' ( Triangle Bodies ) violent intrusion detected..."]
["Activating... ' Beacon Noah ' Final Defense Protocol - ' Legacy Watch ' Mode..."]
["Assess... Key holder status... assess... current threat level..."]
["WARNING: External ' Chaos Erosion ' has triggered the ' Beacon ' security threshold. ' Legacy Watch ' mode permissions... partially open..."]
[" Key holder, please prove... you are worthy of being entrusted with the 'inheritance'..."]
As this message rang out, the enormous time bubble suddenly contracted inward! It didn't burst, but rather seemed to transform into an "entrance"! The Ark Maxim rushed in without any hindrance!
In an instant, the raging Beacon Zone outside vanished.
The spaceship seemed to have entered a boundless "passage" composed of pure, milky-white light. Countless extremely complex runes and star maps flowed on the walls of the passage, exuding a vast, ancient, yet incredibly familiar aura—a power that was in line with the Star Core Mark and the Spirit Source Civilization of W7, yet even more primal and magnificent.
Ahead in the passage, at the end of the light, an indescribably vast, faintly visible "outline" was slowly emerging.
The shape of that outline... vaguely resembles an "island".
An irresistible force pulled the Ark Maxim towards the outline of the "island" at the end of the light, causing it to fly rapidly.
"This is..." Allen was shocked as he felt the pure and powerful " Beacon " source power within the passage.
"We've been pulled in by the ' Beacon '..." W7's voice was filled with unprecedented excitement and solemnity. "' Legacy Watch ' mode... This is the ' Beacon's' core defense mechanism's proactive response to the threat! It's trying to guide us directly to the core of Laugh Tale! But at the same time... it's also 'testing' us!"
test?
Before anyone could think further, the runes flowing along both sides of the passage suddenly shone brightly! Countless lights and shadows were projected from the runes, weaving together to create realistic "illusions" throughout the passage!
Those illusions were none other than—the key adventure scenes that the Straw Hat Pirates had experienced! Their first encounter and vow at Reverse Mountain, the protection of the kingdom of Alabasta, the Sky Island, the declaration of Enies Lobby and salvation at Enies Lobby, the shadows and moonlight of Thriller Bark, the loss and growth at Paramount War, the racial grudges and hopes for peace on Fish-Man Island, the truth and liberation of Punk Hazard, the fierce battle and the tears of toys at Dressrosa, the history and alliance of Zou, the escape from Whole Cake Island and Sanji's choice, the isolation of Wano Country and the Dawn of War...
Each scene of the illusion is incredibly lifelike, allowing you to almost feel the emotions and pressures of that moment. At its core, each illusion points to the choices they made—protection, adventure, friendship, rebellion, sacrifice, trust, and the pursuit of dreams...
"It wants us... to confront the choices we made in the past again?" Robin suddenly realized.
"No," Allen stared at the fleeting phantoms, feeling the scrutinizing and expectant will in the passageway, "It wants to witness... whether the 'heart' we've upheld along the way aligns with the ' Spark ' ideals embodied in the ' Beacon' —protecting existence, pursuing freedom, resisting injustice, and passing on hope."
"This is... the ' Beacon's' final check on our 'qualifications'!"
Before the words were finished, all the illusions suddenly shrank, converging into a pure light that shone on everyone.
A warm yet heavy force began to scan their souls, touch their memories, and feel their bonds and will...
The Ark Maxim raced through the channel of light, heading towards the final outline of the island.
Behind them, the Triangle Bodies Fleet, temporarily blocked outside the "spacetime bubble zone" by the " Beacon's " suddenly activated defense mechanism, let out a silent but furious roar. The Psionic Energy attacks of the three " Deep Dive Practitioners " motherships became even more violent, attempting to forcefully break through the " Beacon's" barrier.
Facing pressure from both internal and external forces, the final review was conducted.
Laugh Tale, this mysterious island that holds the destiny of two universes, has finally opened its final gates to this group of pirates from another world...
The gate to the " Trial of the Heart ".