After leaving the Sea of Mists, the atmosphere inside the Pluton subtly shifted. On the bridge, the newly emerging pale blue ancient patterns flickered like breaths, and a very subtle, non-audible whisper seemed to linger in the air, like countless voices gently telling ancient stories. This was not a disturbance, but rather made it easier to calm the mind and create a strange resonance with the ship.
Robin spends almost all her time in the core control room, her knowledge corroborating the ancient historical fragments absorbed by Pluton, and her deciphering progresses by leaps and bounds. She discovers that those spiritual imprints from the Sea of Mists civilization are not merely carriers of memories, but rather a unique kind of "encoding," which is slowly undergoing a deep fusion with the energy from the Temporal Resonance Crystal Ore and Pluton ' own ancient system.
" Pluton... it seems to be 'learning'." Robin shared her discovery with everyone, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "These imprints of ancient civilizations are like Key, unlocking its deeper functions. Not just combat and navigation... it seems to have been originally designed as a mobile 'ark of civilization,' a vessel for preserving Spark and maintaining balance."
Sabo's Omniscient Domain, combined with the " Whispers of All Spirits " permeating the entire ship, produced unexpected results. His deductions were no longer merely calculations based on existing data, but could also vaguely capture a "current of possibilities" based on historical patterns. He began to be able to make some vague, short-term predictions about the future, or more accurately, "High-probability event speculations."
"There's a high probability of Imu patrol fleet appearing three navigation units ahead. I suggest turning 15 degrees to the left and using the nebula belt to avoid it." Sabo gave the precise instruction after closing his eyes for a moment. Pluton quietly adjusted its course, and sure enough, a small fleet soon passed by the edge of the original route without being noticed.
Allen found his connection with Pluton to be even stronger. He could sense the subtle fluctuations in spacetime around the ship without having to consciously concentrate. He could even guide the faint natural energy of the Sea of Mists civilization contained in the " Whispers of All Spirits " to assist his time manipulation abilities. A small-scale Time Acceleration consumed less energy, yet the effect was more subtle.
While Luffy and Ace didn't experience the same obvious power changes as the others, they also sensed that Pluton had become more "friendly." Luffy could even vaguely perceive Pluton's "emotions"—such as the "sadness" when passing through a desolate star field, or the "joy" when approaching a planet teeming with life.
"It seems to have come back to life!" Luffy patted the deck railing and grinned.
Ace discovered that in this environment filled with historical depth and natural spirituality, his Flame of World Purification burned more purely, less violently, and more with an inexhaustible resilience.
However, this integration and enhancement comes at a price. Pluton's characteristics as the "Ark" are awakening, and it is instinctively beginning to more sensitively probe the forgotten and damaged civilizations and inhabited planets in the surrounding star systems. This often deviates them from their most direct course, drawing them into new conflicts and protection struggles.
This time, Pluton's whispers became urgent and sorrowful, guiding them off course to a remote star system. According to the star map, this should be a life-rich planet called " Emerald Star." But what they saw before them was utter desolation.
A massive hole tore through the atmosphere of the Emerald Star, leaving the surface scarred, the oceans dried up, and the forests scorched. Clearly, this place had also undergone "purification."
Pluton slowly descended onto the scorched earth, his sorrowful whispers almost tangible. The group silently disembarked from the ship, their feet sinking into cold ashes.
Allen's Time Perception swept across the land, his brow furrowing. "Time... fractures here. The Echo of life have been forcibly severed."
Sabo crouched down, grabbed a handful of soil, and analyzed it deeply using his Omniscient Domain: "It's some kind of powerful weapon that targets the genetic chain of life... Imu doesn't even want to reshape it; he just wants to completely erase it."
In the midst of utter despair and silence, Robin suddenly felt an extremely faint yet remarkably persistent pulse beneath her feet. Following her senses, she walked to a massive, scorched lava crust.
"There's something down there... still alive!"
Luffy and Ace immediately took action, carefully breaking through the charred shell. Below, a tiny ecological dome was revealed, inside which huddled the last few dozen natives of the " Emerald Star "—small creatures with emerald-like skin and transparent wings. They surrounded a withered, strange plant that emitted a faint glow, seemingly using their life energy to sustain its last vestige of life.
Upon seeing the allied forces, these small creatures' eyes filled with fear, yet they remained steadfast in their protection of the withered plant.
The whispers of Pluton softened, and the ancient patterns on the ship's hull lit up, radiating a soothing aura. Robin attempted to communicate with them using the universal spiritual imagery of peace and empathy that she had learned from the Whispers of All Spirits.
Gradually, the fear dissipated. The leading little creature trembled as it flew up, passing a glimmer of memory—the essence of their civilization's last history and knowledge—to Robin, and also sharing it with Pluton.
They are the " Guardian Spirit Tribe " of this planet, and the withered plant is their " Mother Tree," connected to the core of life on the planet. When Imu's fleet arrived, demanding their submission to the "Absolute Order," they were exterminated after being refused. They fought with their last strength to preserve this last Spark.
"We... cannot... continue..." A faint spiritual message arrived, filled with sorrow and reluctance, "But knowledge... memory... please... take it... don't let... us... be forgotten..."
The Pluton Core shone brightly, resonating with the Temporal Resonance Crystal Ore and the imprint of the Sea of Mists. An unprecedented function was activated—" Ark Covenant ".
Pluton did not simply record it, but instead extended gentle energy tendrils, softly enveloping the withered Mother Tree and the surviving Guardian Spirit Tribe. After obtaining their consent, he transformed them into a special energy form, just like the previous Sea of Mists spirit entity, and integrated them into the ship's hull.
On one side of the deck, a small, newly formed Emerald Mother Tree phantom, woven from energy and metal, slowly grew from the originally cold metal. Dozens of tiny points of light danced around it like sprites. The knowledge and culture of Emerald Star had also become part of the whispers of Pluton 'Whispers of All Spirits.
Although they failed to save the physical body of Emerald Star, they protected the soul of its civilization.
As it departed the ruins of Emerald Star, the coral patterns representing the Sea of Mists on the Pluton' hull gained more subtle, emerald-leaf-like veins. Its "Ark" heart was more complete, and a gentle, sorrowful voice joined its whispers.
The allied forces were heavy-hearted, yet their resolve only grew stronger.
Imu is destroying, while they are protecting; Imu is erasing, while they are remembering.
This weighty covenant is both a driving force and a responsibility. Pluton is no longer merely a weapon, but also the last resting place and Ark of Hope for countless destroyed civilizations. The more it carries, the deeper its power becomes, and the closer it gets to the true mission given to it by its ancient designers—to protect the Spark of civilization and maintain the diversity of the world amidst the torrent of destruction.
"The next coordinates," Sabo's voice broke the silence, firm and powerful, "According to clues provided by the fragments of Emerald Star's memory, one of Imu's important 'gene banks' and 'civilization sample archives' is located in the nearby star system. He has plundered the genes and cultural samples of countless civilizations for research, modification, and even replication. We must stop him, and perhaps... we can even reclaim some of the stolen Spark."
Pluton emitted a deep hum, as if in response, and the old and new patterns on the ship's hull lit up simultaneously. It changed direction and headed towards its new target— Imu's " Noah's Ark) " project facility. A surprise attack aimed at seizing the Spark of civilization was about to begin.