The Eternal Council's execution fleet blotted out the sky.
They are not warships in the traditional sense, but rather carriers of rules—each spaceship is a moving "formatted node," emitting a pale light. Wherever the light passes, nebulae solidify, stars dim, and even the light itself becomes viscous and slow.
A million-strong fleet, arranged in a spherical formation, completely surrounded the entire Sea of Balance.
In the center of the fleet, a mothership a thousand times larger than the other ships slowly opened its hatch.
A figure stepped out from within.
It's not humanoid.
It is not even any known life form.
It was a geometric solid—a perfect icosahedron, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting everything around it, yet seemingly reflecting nothing at all. It had no facial features, no limbs, yet it exuded a conceptual pressure far greater than that of the previous three envoys combined.
[Formatter starts.]
[Target Universe: Dual-α-7.]
[Executor: Formatter Zero.]
[Estimated duration: 72 hours (standard time)]
[start.]
The icosahedron begins to rotate.
With each rotation of one degree, it releases a pale halo.
The halo expanded at the speed of light, "formatting" everything it touched.
--A planet, instantly transformed into a perfect geometric sphere, its surface terrain smoothed out, and all life reduced to elementary particles.
--A nebula, forcibly arranged into a regular spiral pattern, with every speck of dust running on a pre-set track.
Even the Void itself was stained a pale color, losing all "randomness" and "possibility".
"This is... formatting..." Nami's voice trembled as she looked at the data on the observation screen, "They're turning the entire universe into... a perfect prison."
Allen stood at the bow of the New Thousand Sunny, his clear eyes reflecting the pale halos.
"The essence of formatting is to force all rules back to their 'preset state,'" he said softly. "To erase all variables, to erase all free will, to erase everything... everything we fought for."
Luffy adjusted his straw Straw Hat: "Then let's stop them."
"But we only have one ship," Usopp's legs trembled. "And on the other side... a million ships?"
"No." A voice came from the communicator.
It's Ge Xiaolun.
Immediately afterwards, countless voices rang out simultaneously--
" Super Soldier Company, all troops, launch an attack!"
From Earth's direction, thousands of interstellar warships leaped out of the Wormhole! Their hulls were painted with the insignia of the Earth United Government, as well as the Straw Hat Pirates ' skull and crossbones flag.
" Revolutionary Army, assembly complete!"
Sabo's voice came, and the Revolutionary Army fleet gathered from all directions, with the flag of freedom flying on every ship.
" Wano Country Knights, please join me!"
Kozuki Hiyori stood atop a massive Japanese-style warship, with the Nine Red Scabbards and tens of thousands of samurai behind her.
" Fish-Man Race, protect the sea!"
Princess Shirahoshi sat atop the head of a giant Sea Kings, while the Deep Sea Ark fleet rose from the seabed.
" The Mink Tribe, fight for freedom!"
Inuarashi and Cat Viper led the Sulong- transformed Mink Tribe warriors aboard a flying thundercloud warship.
"The Ordered Triangle Bodies Fleet has come to repay a debt of gratitude!"
Xinghai —formerly Star Speaker No. 2 —led a silver-white Triangle Bodies fleet out of the spacetime rift.
even--
"Fufufufu... How could we miss out on such an interesting war?"
Doflamingo stood atop a pink warship, with the remnants of the Donquixote Family behind him.
"Hmph, I just don't want the world to fall into the hands of even more boring people."
Crocodile stood alone on the sand ship, sand swirling between his fingertips.
"I... protected the world for that person..."
Hancock led the Kuja Pirates, breaking through the waves.
"To repay a debt of gratitude!"
"For freedom!"
"To avoid being controlled!"
Former Marine, former pirate, former enemy, former friend—
All those who recognize the preciousness of freedom have gathered here.
The quantity changed from one ship to millions of ships.
However, the Eternal Council's fleet still holds an overwhelming advantage.
Because each of their spaceships is an embodiment of rules.
"The quantity is enough, but the quality isn't," Allen analyzed calmly. "Our fleet will be suppressed at the rule level. Someone needs to fight against the formatting program itself."
He looked toward the Chaos Consciousness Side.
The pale, golden light flickered uneasily: [I... am afraid... of those pale lights... they want to hold me in place...]
"You need to learn how to fight," Allen said, "but before that—"
He turned to Luffy:
I need your help with something.
What kind of help?
"Temporarily serving as an ' Anchor of Freedom '."
Allen stretched out his hand, and a transparent light condensed in his palm to form a complex totem:
"The core attack of the formatter is 'free will.' To counter it, a sufficiently strong and pure free will is needed as an anchor point to stabilize the rules of the entire battlefield."
"And your will is the best choice."
Luffy grinned. "How do we do it?"
"Accept this totem." Allen pushed the totem towards Luffy. "It will connect you with all the free will in both universes. You will feel everyone's pain, fear, hope, and determination. And all you have to do is remember who you are."
"Remember that you are Monkey D. Luffy."
"Remember, you must become the Pirate King."
"Remember your promise to your friends."
"The formatting process won't be fully effective unless you remember it."
Luffy accepted the totem without hesitation.
The moment the totem merged into his chest--
"Ah--!!!"
Luffy let out a painful roar!
Countless thoughts flooded his mind:
--A samurai from Wano Country, living in fear of losing his family.
--A soldier from Earth, longing for his homeland.
--A Fish-Man, worried about the future of the ocean.
--Even among the controlled "Formatters" in the Eternal Council fleet, there remains a lingering desire for freedom deep within their hearts.
Billions of emotions and memories crashed into his consciousness like a tsunami.
" Luffy!" Nami tried to rush over, but Zoro stopped her.
"This is his choice." Zoro gripped his sword tightly. "What we need to do is create the conditions for him to persevere."
Luffy knelt on the deck, trembling all over, sweat pouring down his face.
But he gritted his teeth, raised his head, and his eyes burned with fire:
"I... am Monkey D. Luffy..."
"I want to... become the Pirate King..."
"I... will not forget..."
His will transformed into a golden pillar of light, soaring into the sky!
Wherever the beam of light reached, the pale halo was blocked and dispelled!
The formatting process has been delayed for the first time!
[Abnormal free will interference detected.]
[Intensity: Exceeds the preset threshold by 1032 times.]
[Analysis Target: Monkey D. Luffy ]
[Recommendation: Prioritize removal.]
The icosahedron—the formatter Zero—aligned its axis of rotation with the New Thousand Sunny.
[Execute the erasure protocol.]
A pale beam of light pierced through the starry sky and shot towards Luffy!
"Protect the captain--!"
The entire Straw Hat Pirates stood in front of Luffy!
Zoro's Three-Sword Style: One Great Thousand Great Thousand Worlds!
Sanji Diable Jambe: Hell Memories!
Nami's Clima-Tact - Zeus - Thunderbolt of Ten Thousand Bolts!
Usopp's special move: Nebula Bullet!
Chopper's Monster Point: Arm Point: Carved Hoof: Cherry Blossom Bloom!
Franky General Franky SUPER Galactic Cannon!
Brook's Soul Solid - Revolutionary Dance - Thrust!
Jinbe Fishman Karate - Ultimate Technique: Oniwa Straight Fist!
The attacks of the eight people converged into a torrent, colliding with the pale beam of light!
boom--!!!
The explosion's light illuminated half the universe!
The Straw Hat Pirates was blasted away, spitting blood, but the pale beam of light was neutralized!
"Cough cough..." Zoro struggled to his feet, "We're still a long way off..."
The Formatter Zero seemed "surprised".
[Low-dimensional life forms, able to withstand formatting attacks?]
[Reassess the threat level.]
Meanwhile, the reinforcements had already engaged the Eternal Council's fleet.
" Super Soldier Company, full firepower coverage--!"
At Ge Xiaolun's command, thousands of Earth warships opened fire simultaneously! Antimatter missiles, gravitational wave weapons, and sacred code artillery—the most powerful firepower resulting from the fusion of two cosmic technologies—were unleashed upon the enemy lines!
" Revolutionary Army, charge freely!"
Sabo transforms into flames, leading the Revolutionary Army fleet into enemy territory, specifically targeting the connection points of formatted nodes.
" Wano Country samurai, One Sword Style: Thousand-Person Slash!"
Kozuki Hiyori drew Enma, its dragon pattern glowing, and with a single slash, swept across dozens of enemy ships!
" Sea Kings, Deep Sea Impact--!"
Princess Shirahoshi's tears turned into pearls, and the Sea Kings roared deafeningly as they rammed their massive bodies into the enemy ship!
" Sulong Legion, Thunder Raid--!"
The Mink Tribe warriors transformed into silvery Inazuma, weaving through the enemy ranks and tearing apart one spaceship after another.
" Order Purification Array, deploy--!"
Xinghai led the Triangle Bodies Fleet and deployed a massive purification array, forcibly "ordering" some enemy ships into friendly forces.
" String-String Fruit, Birdcage, Modified!"
Doflamingo deployed a net of wires covering the battlefield, restricting the movement of enemy ships.
" Sand-Sand Fruit - Erosion Cycle--!"
Crocodile turned the surface of the enemy ship into sand, causing its structure to disintegrate.
" Love-Love Fruit, Slave Arrow--!"
Hancock's rain of arrows petrified a large number of enemy ships.
War broke out in full force.
But the Eternal Council has too many fleets.
Every second, friendly warships are formatted, turned into pale geometric shapes, and turned against their former comrades.
Every second, soldiers are sacrificing their lives.
Luffy, meanwhile, remained kneeling on the deck, enduring the impact of billions of consciousnesses.
Blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes became bloodshot, but he continued to whisper:
"I am... Monkey D. Luffy..."
"I want to... become the Pirate King..."
Allen watched all this, a resolute glint flashing in his clear eyes.
" Chaos." He looked at the gray-gold light. "Have you learned to 'choose'?"
I... have learned... just a little bit...
I want to help... but I don't know how...
"Then do what you do best," Allen said, "Devour."
[Devour... what?]
"Devour that pale light." Allen pointed at Formatter Zero, "Devour 'fixed,' devour 'preset,' devour everything that tries to erase possibility."
[But I'll be formatted...]
"So I'm going to teach you a second lesson." Allen flew to the Chaos Consciousness Side, "The courage to create."
He placed his hand on the ball of light on the Chaos Consciousness Side:
"The essence of Chaos is not frantic devouring, but infinite possibilities."
"Formatting aims to fix you into a geometric shape."
"But you have the choice—to become whatever you want to be."
"For example..."
Allen closed his eyes and merged part of his consciousness into the Chaos:
"Dragon."
The grayish-gold light began to change drastically!
It was no longer a chaotic mass of light, but began to coalesce and take shape.
It grew scales, sharp claws, wings, and a majestic dragon head!
A colossal gray-gold dragon spanning the starry sky was born!
The Chaos Consciousness Side —now it should be called the " Dragon of Chaos "—let out a deafening dragon roar:
I... I felt it...
[Power... possibility... and... responsibility...]
Allen was pale—the sharing of his consciousness had consumed a large amount of his life essence.
But he smiled and said, "Go ahead."
"Go tell those beings who want to fix everything—"
" Chaos, never yield!"
The Dragon of Chaos charges toward Formatter Zero!
The dragon's mouth opened, not to spew flames, but to unleash a torrent of possibilities!
Countless phantoms of the future, countless possible changes, and countless undefined rules surged toward the pale geometry like a tsunami!
The Formatter Zero was forced to retreat for the first time!
Its pale halo was eroded and dissolved by the torrent of possibilities!
[ Chaos rationalization... possibility attack...]
[Data overflow... Unable to calculate...]
But the fleet of the Eternal Council continues to grow.
Three more icosahedrons—Formatter I, II, and III—flew out from the mothership.
Four formatters simultaneously launch their highest-powered formatting programs!
The pale aura's intensity surged!
The Dragon of Chaos let out a painful roar, and the gray-gold color on its body began to fade, turning into pale geometric patterns in some areas.
" Chaos!" Allen wanted to provide support, but he had to maintain the bridge—the rational state of the Chaos Consciousness Side was still unstable, and once the bridge collapsed, it would fall back into madness.
As for Luffy, he has reached his limit.
"I... am..." His voice grew weaker and weaker, " Monkey..."
Nami knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face. " Luffy! Hang in there!"
Zoro slashed through an enemy ship that was trying to approach, then turned back and roared, "Idiot captain! Didn't you say you were going to become the Pirate King?! What does it mean to fall down now?!"
Sanji kicks another enemy ship to pieces. "Damn it! You still haven't taken me to ALL BLUE!"
As Usopp fired, he cried out, " Luffy! You promised to make me a brave warrior of the sea!"
Chopper transformed into his Monster Point and stood guard beside Luffy: " Luffy! You promised to take me to see the cherry blossoms at the end of the world!"
Franky shielded himself from a beam of light. "SUPER--! Captain! You promised to ride in the best ship I ever built!"
Brook's music became more energetic. "Yohohoho! Luffy! Laboon is still waiting for you!"
Jinbe used Fish-Man Karate to blast away the enemy horde. " Luffy! You said you wanted mermaids and humans to live in peace!"
Robin said softly, "You haven't taken me to find the last piece of the Poneglyph yet."
The words of all his companions merged into Luffy's consciousness.
Those memories that were about to be erased by formatting have become clear again.
Luffy suddenly raised his head!
"I remember now--!!!"
He stood up, and the totem on his chest burst forth with unprecedented golden light!
"I am Monkey D. Luffy --!!!"
"I will become the Pirate King --!!!"
"I want to sail with my companions to the ends of the earth!!!"
The golden pillar of light expanded tenfold!
Throughout the entire battlefield, every free will still fighting felt this power!
They were no longer afraid, no longer hesitant.
Because there is a will that is holding up a sky of freedom for all of them.
"For freedom--!!!"
Ge Xiaolun led the charge, Super Soldier Company Fleet pierced the heart of the enemy formation like a sharp sword!
"For the future--!!!"
Sabo's flames ignited the Revolutionary Army's banner!
"For Wano Country --!!!"
Kozuki Hiyori's slash tore through the heavenly sky!
"For the sea--!!!"
Princess Shirahoshi's tears transformed into a pearl storm!
All forces converge at one point --
Charge at the four formatters!
But the formatter simultaneously rotates, releasing the final, pale halo—
[Formatting Final Protocol: Universe Reset.]
The entire starry sky began to fade.
It doesn't become pale, it becomes blank.
Even the concept of "color" itself is being erased.
"This is bad..." Allen's expression changed drastically, "They're formatting 'existence' itself!"
Once the reset is complete, everything—including memories, concepts, and traces of its existence—will disappear.
It's as if it never existed.
Even the concept of "freedom" will be erased.
despair.
Absolute despair.
But at that moment—
Luffy smiled.
It wasn't a laugh of despair, nor a laugh of madness.
Instead... it was a smile of enlightenment.
" Allen," he said, "You said before that my will is the 'anchor'."
"Um."
"What if I planted this anchor point in everyone's heart?"
Allen was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Luffy looked at all his comrades still fighting, and at all life forms in both universes:
"Formatting is trying to erase us."
"But what if we all remember 'who I am'?"
"If each of us becomes our own 'anchor'."
"Will formatting still be successful?"
Allen's eyes lit up.
"Theoretically... if the density of free will is high enough, formatting will collapse due to logical paradoxes."
"Because formatting itself is also a kind of 'rule'."
"However, rules cannot handle the situation where 'all targets are immune to rules.'"
Luffy nodded. "Let's do it that way."
He took a deep breath, and the totem on his chest began to shatter.
It's not a collapse, it's a spread.
The totem shattered into billions of points of light, flying towards everyone on the battlefield and into every corner of both universes.
Each point of light represents a sentence:
"Remember who you are."
Remember what you are fighting for.
"Remember--"
"You are free."
Light spots blend in.
An Earth soldier, about to be formatted, remembers the cherry blossoms of his hometown and his waiting wife, and roars, "I am Zhang San! A warrior of Earth! I haven't gone home yet--!"
A Fish-Man warship, bathed in a pale halo, saw its captain recall the corals of the seabed and Princess Shirahoshi's tears, and he cried out, "I am the Whale Shark! Guardian of Fish-Man Island! The sea will never yield—!"
A Wano Country samurai, as his blade was about to shatter, remembered Momonosuke's sacrifice and Hiyori's vow, and roared, "I am Kin'emon! A retainer of the Kozuki Family! Wano Country will never admit defeat--!"
Billions of shouts, billions of memories, billions of free wills—
Like Sparks Set the Plains Ablaze, it set the entire universe ablaze!
The formatters' pale aura is beginning to crumble!
It wasn't destroyed by force, but by logic!
Their programs cannot handle this situation:
[The target is completely immune to formatting...]
[Logical error...]
[System overload...]
Cracks appeared simultaneously on four regular icosahedrons.
[impossible...]
[Low-dimensional life... how is that possible...]
The Dragon of Chaos seized the opportunity and bit down on the Formatter Zero!
A torrent of possibilities flows into its core!
Within Zero, countless "unpredictable futures" emerged, causing the program to completely crash!
Bang--!
An icosahedron explodes!
Then it's one, two, three!
All four formatters are wiped out!
The Eternal Council's fleet, having lost its command center, has fallen into chaos.
"Now--!" Allen shouted, "Full-scale counterattack--!!!"
The Freedom Alliance launches its final offensive!
The parliamentary fleet, now devoid of the Formatter's blessing, is still formidable in number, but it is no longer invincible.
The technology of the Super Soldier Company, the determination of the Revolutionary Army, the Bushido of Wano Country, the strength of the Fish-Man Race, the agility of the Mink Tribe, and the purification of order by the Triangle Bodies—
With the Straw Hat Pirates's charge, the Dragon of Chaos's roar, and Allen's support based on the rules—
The scales of war have tipped.
One hour later.
The last Eternal Council warship vanished into Void amidst the overwhelming tide of possibilities emanating from the Dragon of Chaos.
The starry sky regained its color.
No, it's even more dazzling than before.
Because every life that has experienced this war has come to understand the weight of "freedom" even more deeply.
Luffy collapsed on the deck, but was still smiling.
The totem on his chest had completely disappeared, but that feeling of "anchoring" had been planted in everyone's hearts.
Allen flew onto the New Thousand Sunny, his face as pale as paper—maintaining the bridge, guiding the Chaos, and supporting the entire field had consumed almost all of his life force.
But he smiled too.
"We... won."
The Dragon of Chaos shrank, transforming back into a gray-gold orb of light, but it was more solid and clearer than before.
I learned... freedom...
[I also learned... how to protect...]
Kozuki Hiyori, Sabo, Shirahoshi, Ge Xiaolun, Yan... all the leaders gathered together.
Everyone was wounded, but their eyes still shone.
"Is it over?" Nami asked.
"For now," Allen gazed into the depths of the starry sky, " The Eternal Council will not let this go. But in this battle, we have proven—"
He looked at everyone:
Free will is unconquerable.
Luffy got up and adjusted his straw Straw Hat:
"Then let's wait for them to come again."
"One more time, and I'll beat you to a pulp again."
"Ten thousand more times--"
He grinned, and his smile was brighter than any star:
"--Knock him out ten thousand times!"
Everyone laughed.
Amidst the laughter, there were tears and pain, but even more so, there was hope.
Freedom comes at a price.
But for freedom, any price is worth paying.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Eternal Council...
The observation hall was deathly silent.
The aged voice finally revealed its true form—
It was a figure sitting on a throne.
His face bears a striking resemblance to Allen's.
But his eyes held a coldness and control honed over millions of years.
[ Portgas D. Allen...]
[My... descendants...]
[You've chosen... to be my enemy...]
He stood up, and the throne vanished as specks of light.
[So...]
I'll do it myself...
Let's end this farce.
He took a step and disappeared into the observation hall.
destination--
The Sea of Balance.
The real final battle has not yet begun.
But the free people are ready.
No matter who the opponent is.
No matter the cost.
They will all--
The choice is free.