Based on fragments of grief-stricken memories obtained from the Emerald Star Guardian Spirit Tribe, Sabo's Omniscient Domain resonated with Pluton's Heart of the Ark, precisely pinpointing a region of space disguised as an asteroid belt. Imu's "Gene Bank" and "Civilization Sample Archive"—codenamed " Noah "—were hidden inside a massive, completely mutated rocky planet within it.
Pluton glided silently through the debris field, its hull patterns mimicking the energy characteristics of the surrounding asteroids, blending perfectly into its environment. The closer one got, the more agitated and furious the " Whispers of All Spirits " permeating Pluton became, as if countless stolen and imprisoned fragments of civilization were emitting silent screams.
"I sensed a powerful energy shield and spatial lock," Sabo said, closing his eyes and rapidly tapping his fingers across the virtual star map. "The internal structure is complex and heavily guarded. Life signals... are numerous, but all are... very weak and unusually uniform, like clones or nurtured organisms."
"That bastard Imu..." Flames flickered across Ace's body, revealing the rage within him, "What does he take life for?!"
"We must infiltrate; forcing our way in might cause him to destroy the samples," Robin calmly analyzed. " Pluton, can we find an access point?"
Pluton trembled slightly, and the light in the core control room focused, projecting an extremely fine, almost undetectable energy filament onto a hidden interface of the target asteroid—an ancient channel used to receive external sample inputs, seemingly sharing some design elements with Pluton itself, but modified by Imu.
"The channel is available, but it will take time to crack the security protocol and maintain its stability." Sabo immediately began working, combining the Omniscient Domain with Pluton ' computing core, probing into the opponent's system like invisible tentacles.
" Allen and I will infiltrate first," Luffy, pulling his Straw Hat down low. "Go and release those guys who're locked up!"
"Be careful, the guards inside might not be just machines," Allen warned, his Time Perception detecting an unsettling, eerie fluctuation within the facility, a mixture of living and non-living energy.
Using the brief passage opened by Sabo, Luffy and Allen, like two ghosts, silently infiltrated the interior of " Noah ".
The scene inside sent chills down their spines. The vast space was filled with countless cylindrical nutrient tanks, each containing bizarre biological samples, some complete individuals, others reduced to fragments of organs or tissues. Further in, a massive database stored a vast amount of cultural, artistic, and historical information, all coldly labeled "archived" or "awaiting analysis."
The patrolling guards are bio-mechanical sentries, a fusion of biological tissue and machinery. They move stiffly, have vacant eyes, and exude an aura of death.
"This is infuriating!" Luffy's rubber arm swelled up, ready to smash those nutrient tanks.
"Wait, Luffy!" Allen grabbed him. "If we force it open, these samples might die instantly. We need to find the main control system."
With their extraordinary skills and Allen's ability to predict the flow of time, the two evaded the guards and continued to penetrate deeper into the core of the facility. The further they went, the stronger the sense of despair they felt.
Finally, they arrived at a massive central control room. At its center wasn't a console, but a gigantic, grotesque "tree" (The Genesis Tree) composed of metal, crystals, and wriggling biological tissue. Countless energy pipes extended from it, connecting the entire facility. It was the control core, the energy source, and constantly producing the " Seed " of those biomechanical guardians!
"Intruder. High-value unknown genetic sample and temporal anomaly detected." A cold, synthetic voice announced, "Execute capture procedure. Remove low-value redundant samples."
Instantly, a piercing alarm sounded! The central " Tree of Life " writhed violently, and more biomechanical guards emerged from the walls and floor! At the same time, the nutrient tanks storing samples began to be injected with decomposition fluid!
"Damn it!" Luffy roared, instantly activating Gear Fourth Boundman, frantically smashing the approaching guards and preventing them from getting close to the sample chamber that was being destroyed.
Allen unleashed his full Power of Time: " Time Stasis - Local!" He attempted to slow down the decomposition process within the sample chamber, but the area was too large and there were too many individuals. He immediately felt immense strain, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth again.
" Sabo! Ace! The situation is critical!" Allen urgently called out through Pluton.
"The passage is stable! Pluton, force the connection!" Sabo's voice rang out.
Outside, the bow of the Pluton ship shone brightly, and a gentle yet incredibly resilient beam of energy struck the entrance of " Noah " precisely, forcibly widening the passage! Ace took the lead, transforming into a fiery meteor and rushing into the interior. Wherever he passed, the frozen guardians were reduced to ashes by the Flame of World Purification!
" Sabo, you maintain the passage and the anti-system! I'm going to help them!" Ace's voice echoed in the passage.
With Ace's arrival, the process of clearing the guards was greatly accelerated. However, the sample destruction procedure continued!
"That 'tree' must be destroyed!" Luffy shouted as he slammed a giant guard into a metal wall with a punch.
"No!" Robin's voice came through the communicator; she was analyzing the situation on Pluton with all her might. "That tree is also the core of the life support system for all the samples! Destroy it, and all the samples will die instantly!"
At that moment, all the patterns on the Pluton ship's hull—the coral of the Sea of Mists, the veins of the Emerald Star's leaves, and the original ancient runes—simultaneously erupted with unprecedented light! The entire ship seemed to transform into a transparent ark composed of countless lights and shadows of civilizations!
"Ark Protocol: Life Echo!"
The core of Pluton seemed to have transformed into a gigantic heart, its powerful pulsation even penetrating the ship's hull and echoing throughout the " Noah " facility! It was no longer the roar of engines, but the life-pulsating rhythm of countless commemorated civilizations!
This powerful and warm " Life Echo " energy surged into the " Noah " facility along the connection established by Pluton, washing over every corner like a flood!
An astonishing scene unfolded:
• In the sample chambers injected with the decomposition fluid, the decomposition process was forcibly stopped, or even reversed!
When the cold biomechanical guards came into contact with this energy, their biological tissues began to go out of control and wither, and their mechanical parts also malfunctioned!
The ugly " Tree of Life " in the center trembled violently as it tried to Resistance, but its nature of plunder and control was completely contrary to the inclusive, protective, and diverse will contained in the " Life Echo "! Cracks began to appear on its surface, and the energy it emitted became extremely unstable!
"Now!" Sabo roared, " Allen, channel the Echo energy! Luffy, Ace, attack the energy node of that tree and force out its core!"
Despite his discomfort, Allen used the Power of Time as a conduit to precisely guide the immense energy of Life Echo, impacting each key node of the " Tree of Life "!
Luffy and Ace seized the opportunity, unleashing attacks imbued with Haki and flames, slamming them down into the nodes along the path of the energy impact!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Amidst the continuous explosions, the outer shell of the " Tree of Life " peeled away, eventually revealing a massive biological core inside that pulsated violently and emitted an ominous red light!
"One last blow!" Ace compressed all the flames into his fist. " Gum-Gum - Bajrang Gun!" Luffy unleashed his giant fist!
The two attacks merged into one, transforming into a blazing white light that instantly pierced through the creature's core!
Pfft! Like a mournful cry, the core exploded, splattering viscous liquid everywhere. The entire " Noah " facility shook violently, and the lights flickered.
However, the anticipated explosion did not occur. The sample chamber remained stable thanks to Pluton's " Life Echo ".
Without its core, Imu's control system completely collapsed. All the biomechanical guards ceased functioning and fell like real corpses.
Silence descended.
Immediately afterwards, countless faint but real emotional fluctuations—gratitude, relief, hope—flowed like trickles into the whispers of Pluton ' Whispers of All Spirits within those sample chambers.
Pluton slowly sailed into the breached facility, like a gentle mother, extending its energy tentacles, and began carefully and in batches transferring those precious genetic samples and cultural databases to the specially opened "Ark Chamber" inside the ship for preservation.
This time, they not only stopped Imu's evil deeds, but also reclaimed countless stolen Spark of life.
Standing amidst the gradually empty ruins of " Noah," the allied forces knew that their war with Imu had entered a new phase. They were no longer simply rebels, but guardians and inheritors of civilization.
Pluton, laden with the hope of life, quietly sailed away from this shadowy sky. The patterns on its hull became even more complex and weighty, and its whispers grew richer and more vibrant.
Imu will certainly not let this go unpunished.