The rainy season had arrived on Mount Colubo.
The relentless rain lasted an entire week, soaking the mountain forest into varying shades of green. Training had to move indoors, and the four boys practiced martial arts and sparred in the mountain bandits' cramped hut.
The enclosed environment left Allen uneasy. Rain and confined spaces interfered with his Observation Haki, making it difficult to monitor all of Mount Colubo as he usually did. And ever since CP0 appeared, the feeling of being watched had never truly gone away.
What concerned him even more was the underground energy source. As rainwater seeped into the ground, its energy fluctuations seemed to grow more active, as though a slumbering beast were awakening.
"Allen, your turn!" Ace's shout roused him from his thoughts.
Reaction training was underway inside: one person stood in the middle, dodging soft balls thrown from every direction. Allen had designed the exercise to train their Observation Haki and reaction speed.
Allen stepped into the center and closed his eyes, relying entirely on Observation Haki. Soft balls flew at him from different angles, but he dodged with the ease of a dancer. Not one touched him.
"That's amazing!" Luffy watched with shining eyes. "We can't hit you at all!"
Ace snorted, unconvinced. He secretly gathered a small flame in his hand and slightly heated the next soft ball-he wanted to test whether Allen could sense subtle changes in temperature.
The instant the ball flew, Allen's brows drew together slightly. In his perception, that ball traced a path of abnormal heat. The Power of Zhulong stirred on its own, subtly bending the surrounding light. As the ball approached him, it changed direction strangely and skimmed past his body.
"Huh?" Ace exclaimed in surprise. He was certain Allen had not seen the change in the ball's trajectory with his eyes.
Allen opened his eyes and looked at Ace. "Tricks won't help. In a real fight, your enemy won't play by the rules."
Sabo looked thoughtful. "That ball's path just now... did it suddenly veer off?"
Something stirred in Allen's mind. In that instant, he seemed to have accidentally discovered a new application of the Power of Zhulong-bending light within a small area to alter the trajectories of flying objects. This went a step beyond simply distorting vision, almost amounting to a weakened form of vector manipulation.
The rain continued. Late that night, after everyone else had fallen asleep, Allen suddenly jolted awake-the underground energy fluctuations had become unusually active!
He quietly got up and extended his Observation Haki to its fullest. The energy source seemed to be... moving? No, it was more as though some kind of barrier were weakening, making the energy leakage more obvious.
After a moment's hesitation, Allen decided to risk investigating. He left a note and silently disappeared into the rainy night.
Following the direction he remembered, he arrived near the hidden cave. The closer he came, the clearer the energy fluctuations became. The rainwater seemed to resonate with the energy somehow, filling the air with a strange sensation of static electricity.
Deep inside the cave, a stone wall was glowing faintly! Strange patterns had appeared on what had once been an ordinary rock face, and an almost invisible seam ran down its center-it was a hidden door!
Allen was shaken. He tried pushing the stone wall, but it did not budge. He channeled the Power of Zhulong, his hands glowing faintly as he pushed again, to no avail.
After studying it for a moment, he realized the lines seemed to form a pattern: a giant serpent encircling the world, holding its own tail in its mouth-the Ring of Ouroboros, a symbol of eternity.
In a flash of inspiration, Allen slowly fed the Power of Zhulong into the serpent's eye. The pattern immediately lit up, and the hidden door slid inward without a sound, revealing a stairway descending underground!
An ancient aura wafted up from deep within the passage, mingled with the smell of metal and dust. Soft light automatically illuminated the walls on either side of the stairs, lighting the way ahead.
Allen took a deep breath and stepped inside. The passage was long and led steadily downward, clearly reaching deep into the mountain. The air was dry and clean, a stark contrast to the dampness outside.
At last, the stairway opened into a vast space. Allen stared, dumbfounded, at the sight before him-
It was an enormous underground chamber, clearly not naturally formed. The domed ceiling rose dozens of meters overhead, emitting light that simulated natural daylight. The entire space was filled with futuristic technological equipment, but its style differed from Vegapunk's technology. It was more... ancient and mysterious.
An enormous control console stood in the center, surrounded by holographic interfaces displaying complex data and star charts. Densely packed shelves lined the walls, holding countless ancient books and scrolls.
Most striking of all was a transparent cylindrical container in the center of the hall. A strange cube floated inside, emitting a soft blue glow. Those powerful energy fluctuations were coming from that very cube!
"An Ancient Weapon..." Allen murmured. He was almost certain this cube was connected to one of the Three Ancient Weapons.
Approaching the console cautiously, Allen discovered that the writing on its interfaces was in an ancient language. Yet, strangely enough, he could read it-the Power of Zhulong seemed to have granted him the ability to understand this script.
"Firmament System activating... Bloodline of D. identified... authorization verified... welcome back, inheritor."
A mechanical female voice suddenly rang through the chamber, startling Allen. The console's main screen lit up, displaying a complex interface.
"Multiple damaged areas detected. Energy level: 17.8%. Ecological maintenance systems partially inoperative... prioritizing repairs to the life-support unit is recommended."
Allen cautiously touched the console, and the interface changed. He found that he could operate the system intuitively, as though he were already familiar with it.
Reading through the system logs, he gradually learned the facility's origins: it was an outpost of the Ancient Kingdom, built nine hundred years ago to monitor and maintain the balance of the world. The cube was called the "Ark Core," and it was one of the control units for the Ancient Weapon Uranus!
Allen's heart pounded. He had actually stumbled upon the secret of an Ancient Weapon! No wonder the World Government had been so active around the Goa Kingdom. They had very likely detected the energy signal here long ago!
Just as he was absorbed in this astonishing discovery, an alarm suddenly sounded!
"Warning: unauthorized access attempt detected... defense systems activating... intruders located in Sector B7..."
Someone had found the entrance! Allen immediately thought of CP0. They must have detected the abnormal energy fluctuations and seized the opportunity to infiltrate!
The console displayed images of the intruders-it was Jerome "Razor" and his squad! They had already breached the first defensive line and were advancing toward the main control room!
Allen swiftly worked the console, activating the defense systems. Machinery whirred in the passageways, protective doors dropped one after another, and laser grids activated...
But CP0's strength far exceeded expectations. Jerome blasted straight through the protective doors with Rokuogan, while his squad members easily avoided the laser grids with Kami-e and Tekkai. They were advancing extremely quickly!
I can't let them reach the main control room! Allen's thoughts raced as he swiftly formed a plan. Working the console, he opened the entrance to another passage-an emergency exit leading toward the bandits' hut.
Then he made a bold decision: remove the Ark Core!
The instant his hand touched the cube, an immense flood of information poured into his mind! Knowledge of the Ancient Weapons, the history of the Ancient Kingdom, the mission of the D. Clan... the sheer volume of information nearly overwhelmed his consciousness!
The Power of Zhulong activated automatically, helping stabilize his mind and organize the stream of information. Several minutes later, Allen opened his eyes with a glimmer of understanding in his gaze.
He now understood many things: the true history of this world, the truth of the Void Century, the meaning of the D. Clan... and why the World Government so feared the reappearance of the Ancient Weapons.
"Intruders approaching the main control room... 10... 9... 8..."
There was no time! Allen tucked the Ark Core securely against his body and swiftly operated the console to initiate the self-destruct sequence-not a true self-destruct, but the appearance of an energy overload to conceal the fact that he had taken the core.
"Warning: core energy unstable... immediate evacuation recommended..."
Allen rushed into the emergency passage and sprinted toward the exit at full speed. Behind him came the sound of the main control room's door being blasted open, followed by Jerome's furious roar.
The passage began to shake, and rocks fell from the ceiling-the effects of the self-destruct sequence were starting to show. Allen poured the Power of Zhulong into his legs, pushing his speed to the limit!
At last, light appeared ahead! The exit was right before him!
But just as he was about to burst out of the passage, a sharp gust struck from behind! Jerome had actually caught up!
"Leave the core!" Jerome's roar accompanied the cutting force of Rankyaku, slashing straight toward him!
Allen hastily turned to block, unleashing the full Power of Zhulong! Dragon-scale patterns surfaced on his skin as he crossed his hands and took the blow head-on!
Boom! The tremendous impact sent Allen flying, slamming him hard into the rock wall at the cave entrance! Blood rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful, but he used the force of the blow to propel himself out of the passage even faster!
The rain was still falling. Allen staggered into the forest as the cave collapsed completely behind him with a thunderous roar. Jerome and his squad were probably trapped for the moment, but not for long.
I have to get back to the hut as soon as possible! Enduring the pain of his injuries, Allen ran through the rain at full speed. The Ark Core radiated warm energy against his chest, seemingly treating his wounds.
As he approached the bandits' hut, Allen suddenly sensed something wrong-several unfamiliar presences stood outside! They were not CP0, but another group!
He approached silently and saw through the curtain of rain that several men in the uniforms of a noble's private soldiers were confronting Dadan outside the hut.
"...Just a routine inspection, madam," the squad leader said arrogantly. "Dangerous individuals have been active in this area recently. We have orders to search every suspicious location."
Dadan stood blocking the doorway, looking fierce. "There's nobody here but me and a few little brats! There's nothing to search!"
"Oh? Then all the more reason to take a look." The squad leader motioned his men forward.
Anxiety gripped Allen. Ace and the others were surely inside. If they were discovered...
Just then, the hut's door was suddenly pushed open. Ace stood in the doorway, his gaze cold. "What's all the noise?"
The private soldiers froze. The squad leader narrowed his eyes. "This kid... looks a little familiar." He stepped forward, seemingly trying to get a clearer look.
Allen hesitated no longer and charged out of hiding! Channeling the Power of Zhulong, he pushed his speed to its utmost, leaving an afterimage in the rain!
"Who's there?!" The soldiers cried out and turned, but it was already too late.
Allen tore through them like a tiger among sheep, striking with fists and feet and dropping three men in an instant! Ordinary private soldiers had no hope of withstanding attacks empowered by the Power of Zhulong.
The squad leader hurriedly drew his sword, but the instant it left its sheath, Allen snapped it with a knife-hand strike! An elbow struck his abdomen immediately afterward, and the squad leader grunted and crumpled to the ground.
The whole thing took only seconds. Dadan and Ace stared dumbfounded at Allen's sudden appearance.
"Pack up. Get ready to move," Allen said urgently. "Our pursuers will be here soon."
He briefly explained that mysterious people were chasing him, leaving out the Ark Core and saying only that he had accidentally discovered an important ruin and been targeted because of it.
Dadan cursed, but she moved quickly. "I knew you brats would bring big trouble!" She directed the bandits to start packing necessities.
Ace looked at Allen with a complicated gaze. "You were protecting us again..."
"Save it. Go wake Luffy and Sabo," Allen interrupted. "We need to get to the emergency shelter as soon as possible."
The rain grew heavier. By the time the CP0 squad struggled out of the collapsed cave, Allen had already led everyone away into the curtain of rain.
Inside the shelter cave, Allen examined the Ark Core. Stimulated by the Power of Zhulong, the core projected a holographic map showing the locations of ancient ruins around the world. One point shone particularly brightly-on the seabed near the Goa Kingdom!
"This is..." Allen seemed to grasp something. A clue to another Ancient Weapon?
Suddenly, the core projected a message: "Poseidon resonance detected... coordinates marked... prioritizing contact recommended."
Poseidon! The mermaid princess Shirahoshi! Had the connections between the Ancient Weapons already begun activating at this point?
Allen sank into thought. The appearance of the Ark Core was both an enormous opportunity and a deadly threat. The World Government would never let the matter rest, and the pursuit to come would only grow fiercer.
Watching Ace, Luffy, and Sabo organizing the shelter, he made a decision.
No matter how dangerous the road ahead, he had to protect this family. And the secrets of the Ark Core and the Ancient Weapons might become his greatest bargaining chip.
The sound of rain gradually faded, and dawn was approaching. But the true storm had only just begun.