In the South Blue of Wano Country, the sky is crystal clear, and the sunlight shines unhindered onto the azure sea. This sea, once shrouded in the shadow of Kaido and the invisible shackles of the World Government, now exudes an unprecedented, primal, and wild vitality. The ocean currents are more turbulent, and the climate changes seem more "free" and intense.
The Ark Maxim, a colossal silver ship that blends two world-leading technologies and carries a mission spanning the universe, glides silently into this familiar yet unfamiliar sea, like a silent traveler returning home. The ship's smooth lines reflect a cold luster in the sunlight, and the energy patterns from the " Beacon " civilization shimmer faintly like breathing, creating a subtle and harmonious resonance with the rules of this world.
On the deck, the Straw Hat Pirates crew gathered, greedily breathing in the sea breeze of their homeland and feeling the real waves beneath their feet.
"The air... it feels so refreshing!" Luffy took a deep breath, a childlike smile of satisfaction spreading across his face. "Before, I always felt like something was weighing me down, but now it's all gone!"
Nami quickly compared the navigation data with the sea charts she remembered, her face filled with amazement. "The world's magnetic field... has completely returned to its natural chaos and vitality! That 'trimmed' sense of stability is gone. The intensity of the ocean climate has increased by at least 30%, but... this is what the Grand Line should look like!"
Robin closed his eyes, sensing the "aura" of this world through the faint yet clear connection of the " Sparks Brand ": " Imu's 'shackles of order' have completely dissipated. Not only have the ' National Treasure ' and direct ruling institutions that we dealt with before leaving been eliminated, but a deeper level of 'oppression' that permeated the world's rules has also been lifted. This should be related to what you mentioned earlier about resolving the global 'alien invasion' crisis?"
Allen nodded, his gaze lingering on the distant horizon. "Yes. The source of that invasion was later confirmed to be related to a fragment of a higher-dimensional being that attempted to 'drag' this world toward the ' Shadow of the End.' We united the Revolutionary Army, part of the Marine Headquarters, and all the forces we could contact, paying a heavy price to expel and seal its core. During the battle, we also destroyed Imu and the World Government's hidden final fortresses and many forbidden facilities that were in cahoots with that fragment. The world's 'burden,' both physically and in terms of rules, has been greatly reduced."
Jinbe spoke up, his tone steady yet tinged with emotion. "After this battle, the old order has completely collapsed. The World Government exists in name only, the Celestial Dragons' privileged system has been uprooted, and the Marine Headquarters, after experiencing division, reorganization, and cooperation with us, is struggling to transform towards 'truly upholding justice and peace,' but internal divisions remain. The Great Pirate Era has entered an unprecedented ' Chaos Era'—without the absolute rule of the Four Emperors, without the coercive jurisdiction of the World Government, countless new forces, revolutionary organizations, independent kingdoms, and even ambitious individuals who have gained power from the remnants of otherworldly invasions have sprung up like mushrooms after rain."
"In other words," Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes sharp, "The seas are now freer, but also more dangerous than when we left. Our name, the ' Straw Hat Pirates,' is both the 'heroes' who ended the old era and the 'legend' and 'easy prey' that countless people in the new era want to challenge, Transcendence, or plunder."
As if to confirm his words, the radar screen in front of Franky suddenly lit up with a dense barrage of red dots!
"SUPER~ Detected high-speed approaching target! Number... fifteen! Encircling from three dimensions: seabed, sea surface, and air! Energy readings are mixed, showing signs of Seastone reaction, residual alien energy modification, and... some kind of unrecorded biological signal!" Franky's voice carried the excitement of an engineer discovering a new toy, but also a hint of vigilance.
"Are they flies that came attracted by the smell?" Zoro sneered, his hand already on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
Usopp, holding up his modified super telescope, exclaimed in a trembling voice, "I can see clearly! It's... it's a modified airship from the remnants of the ' Flying Pirates '! And several ships are flying the ' Demon ' Barbarossa's insignia! What's surfacing from the seabed is... an armed submarine from the ' Abyss Hunters '! How did they end up together? And the ships look different, like they've been fitted with something strange!"
In the distance, five manta ray-shaped "airships" with irregularly shaped dark purple hulls broke through the clouds, their cannons gleaming with ominous green light hanging from their wings. On the sea, three large sailing ships, their prows carved into ferocious demon heads, their hulls clearly crudely reinforced, and viscous energy flowing from their welds, cleaved through the waves. Beneath the surface, several enormous Black Shadow were rapidly rising—three submarines with hulls covered in barbs and suction cups, resembling deep-sea monsters.
These ships, of vastly different styles and originally belonging to different factions, even harboring hatred towards each other, have now strangely formed a loose encirclement, their target clearly locked on the Ark Maxim.
"Public channel access requests... a lot, all jumbled up." Brook fiddled with the communicator.
"Let's hear it," Allen said calmly.
In an instant, a cacophony of sounds—arrogant, greedy, and frantic—mingled with electrical noise, filled the air above the deck.
" Straw Hat Kid! Your era is over! Hand over the ' Pluton ' blueprints and the otherworldly treasure!"
" Allen Portgas! Your head is worth more on the black market than Four Emperors! Prepare to die!"
"That ship! That silver ship! It must be the culmination of otherworldly technology! We must take it!"
"For Lord Barbarossa's conquest! For the 'pure power' of the new era! Annihilate these remnants of the old era!"
" Abyss Hunters, we come here only to hunt the most elite 'prey' and collect the rarest 'materials'... You have qualified."
The voice was filled with a naked desire for wealth, fame, and power, as well as a kind of fanaticism... stirred up by some distorted ideology.
"It seems that while we were away, some people picked up things they shouldn't have from the 'legacy' of the otherworldly invasion, and also developed unwarranted ambitions." Robin calmly analyzed the information revealed in the other person's words.
"What 'pure power'? And what kind of new organization is ' Abyss Hunters '?" Chopper hid behind Jinbe, both afraid and curious.
"'Pure Power' might refer to those otherworldly energy fragments or biological tissues that haven't been completely corrupted by the ' Shadow of the End,' but remain dangerous, and are revered by some extremists as tools for 'evolution' or 'purification of the world.'" Allen speculated based on the knowledge gained from the " Beacon." "' Abyss Hunters '... might be groups of mercenaries or mad scientists who specialize in hunting, researching, and utilizing remnants of otherworldly creatures or technologies. These are all 'malignant tumors' that have sprung up under the new rules after the collapse of the old world."
Luffy picked at his ear, looking impatient. "Shut up! If you want to fight, then fight! What's with all the fuss?" He looked at Allen. " Allen, what do you say? Just knock him away?"
Allen scanned the tightening encirclement, sensing the energy fluctuations on the enemy ships—a mixture of indigenous pirate technology, crude modifications, and traces of otherworldly contamination. These enemies might not be individually top-tier in strength, but their numbers were vast, their methods unknown, and more importantly—they represented the chaotic and dangerous side of the sea in this " Imu era."
"Perfect." A cold smile curved Allen's lips. "Let's use them to test the gains of this 'journey,' and... to tell this sea."
He slowly raised his right hand, palm up. There was no violent energy fluctuation, but the " Sparks Brand " deep in his soul was slightly warm, and the distant resonance with Laugh Tale brought an invisible pressure. The subtle regular patterns on the hull of the Ark Maxim suddenly lit up with a soft, seven-colored light.
" The Sparks has returned, the villains have retreated."
His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess a strange penetrating power, clearly echoing on the decks of every incoming ship, drowning out all the noise.
Immediately afterwards, to the astonishment of all the enemy, the massive silver hull of Ark Maxim, along with the surrounding sea space of several hundred meters, seemed to be shrouded in an invisible, flowing crystal film! The film was covered with star trails and mysterious runes, exuding a heart-palpitating aura of "order" and "inviolability".
"What is that?!" "A shield? I've never seen anything like it before!" "Fire! Whatever it is, blast it to pieces!"
The green light cannons of the airship, the enhanced cannons of the Demon sailboat, and the acid torpedoes and bio-plasma rays of the Abyss Hunters submarine poured down from all directions like a storm!
Boom boom boom boom--!!!
The deafening explosions and the colorful energy beams illuminated the sea, turning it into a hellish scene. The seawater evaporated, creating towering waves.
However, when the light and smoke dissipated, a scene that left all the attackers speechless appeared—
The Ark Maxim, along with the sea area shrouded in the seven-colored membrane, remained completely unharmed!
All attacks, whether physical projectiles, energy beams, or bizarre bio-plasma, vanished silently the moment they touched that membrane, like ice melting away, or were easily deflected and refracted, without even causing a ripple. That membrane seemed to isolate the rules of another dimension, keeping all "chaos" and "malice" at bay.
"Impossible!" "What kind of defense is this?!" "Otherworldly technology? Or... a new ability Devil Fruit Awakening?!"
The attackers were thrown into a brief moment of confusion and disbelief.
Just then, Allen's voice rang out again, this time carrying an undeniable air of judgment:
"The probing is over."
"Now, it's our turn."
He looked at his eager crew. " Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, you handle the small fry in the air and on the sea. Jinbe, Robin, you take care of the underwater troubles. Nami, Franky, control the situation and provide support. Usopp, Chopper, Brook, provide assistance and healing (if there are any prisoners). Let's finish this quickly; we have more important things to do."
"Hehe! Got it!" Luffy stretched out his rubber arm and shot towards the nearest airship like a cannonball!
" Three-Sword Style: Pound Phoenix!" Zoro's figure disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was at the top of the mast of another Demon ship, and the light of his sword swept across the deck like a tornado.
" Diable Jambe - Collier Shoot!" Sanji transformed into a fiery meteor, kicking towards the command room of the third sailboat.
Jinbe leaped into the sea, his Fish-Man Karate creating a massive whirlpool as he met the rising submarine. Robin's " Mil Fleur " bloomed on the ship's side, countless arms precisely destroying key parts of the enemy vessel's hull.
Nami wields her Clima-Tact, summoning localized thunderstorms to disrupt the enemy formation. Franky controls the ship's onboard weapons (simplified and modified using " Beacon " technology) to conduct precise bursts and deterrence.
Usopp's plant Seed and Chopper's Rumble Ball smoke bombs created chaos, while Brook's soul music began to distract the weaker enemies...
The battle, against the backdrop of Ark Maxim's "absolute defense," quickly turned into a one-sided and overwhelming victory.
These ambitious individuals, who rose to power amidst global upheaval and boasted of possessing "new power," were horrified to discover that their prized otherworldly weapons and fanatical beliefs were as laughable as children's toys in the face of these "legends of the old era" who had returned from the stars. Each Straw Hat Pirates was far stronger than their intelligence reports suggested, their fighting style was more sophisticated, and their teamwork was more seamless.
In less than ten minutes.
On the sea, floating were the burning wreckage of an airship, a skeletal ship cut into pieces, and a submarine slowly sinking, bubbling as it went. Most of the attackers chose to surrender or jump into the sea to escape, while a few die-hards were easily subdued.
Calm returned to the area around the Ark Maxim. The colorful membrane of rules slowly dissipated.
Allen stood at the bow of the ship, his clothes fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. He didn't even take action himself; he merely activated the " Order Barrier " granted by the " Beacon " and optimized based on the rules of this world through the deep link between the " Sparks Brand " and the Ark Maxim, thus dismantling the opponent's first and most intense wave of attacks.
He gazed at the vast and unknown sea in the distance, his voice carrying clearly all around, as if proclaiming to the entire New World:
The shadows of the past have faded, but new reefs are beginning to emerge.
We're back.
"Carrying a story that traverses the Xinghai, and also... the determination to purify this sea of 'new filth'."
" The Straw Hat Pirates ' adventure is far from over."
"Next goal--"
His gaze fell on the direction the Log Pose firmly pointed, and also on the depths of his soul, on several distant coordinates where the " Sparks Brand " vaguely sensed discordant fluctuations of "otherworldly pollution" or "distorted ambition."
"Clean up the trash, and then... continue our feast and dream journey!"
The giant silver ship adjusted its course once more, crushing the wreckage of the enemy vessel, and proudly sailed into the depths of the sea.
Leaving behind a devastated sea, and countless spies from various factions who witnessed it all through covert observation, their emotions filled with shock, fear, and a need for reassessment...
The sound of a rapid heartbeat.
The new era has begun with a powerful and overwhelming "disinfection" campaign.
But the real storm may have only just begun to brew.