Allen returned from the " Temporal Interstice," and the restrained yet profound aura emanating from him made it clear to everyone that he had undergone a tremendous improvement. Almost the instant he emerged, a resonance once again occurred within Pluton.
This time, the stream of thoughts formed by the Whispers of All Spirits did not point downwards, but surged towards Luffy, who was rubbing his stomach and complaining of hunger. At the same time, on the Pluton Deck, a strange portal suddenly rose from a previously flat area. It was made of huge, ancient golden gears and twisted rubber pipes, and a warm, elastic white light shimmered within the portal.
" Luffy?" Nami looked at him in surprise. "Huh? Are you calling me?" Luffy tilted his head and pointed to his nose. He could clearly feel a strong, cheerful call coming from the portal.
"It seems Pluton has recognized your potential, Luffy." Robin looked at the peculiar structure thoughtfully. " The Gum-Gum Fruit... perhaps holds secrets unknown to us all."
"Go, Luffy," Allen said softly, vaguely sensing that the aura emanating from behind the portal shared the same origin as Luffy's Devil Fruit power. "That is your trial."
"Trials? Is there anything good to eat?" Luffy's eyes lit up. "Maybe... more interesting than food." Sabo smiled and gave him a nudge.
Without further hesitation, Luffy stretched out his rubber arm, grabbed the edge of the door, and excitedly jumped inside. "I'm off!"
The door slowly closed behind him.
Luffy finds himself in a strange space made entirely of various elastic substances. The ground is bouncy and jelly-like, the walls are constantly stretched and rebounding rubber, and transparent bubbles that can be squeezed and rolled into balls float in the air. The entire space is filled with a free, joyful, and unrestrained atmosphere.
"Wow! What a fun place!" Luffy immediately became playful, bouncing around on the ground and stretching the walls into various shapes.
But soon, the trial began.
First Trial: The Limits of Rubber
The elasticity of space began to change drastically! At times it became as hard as steel, slamming the bouncing Luffy back hard; at other times it became extremely loose, leaving him with nowhere to hold on, as if he were sinking into a viscous swamp; at still other times it generated high-frequency vibrations, trying to shake his rubber body apart!
"Ouch! It hurts so much!" Luffy grimaced, his proud rubber properties turning into a source of torment. He tried to fight it off with Gear Second, Gear Third, and even Gear Fourth, but found that the effects were limited and the energy expenditure was enormous.
Just when he felt helpless, many faint but firm voices suddenly rang out in the space. They were fragments of will yearning for "freedom" and resisting "oppression" from the whispers of Pluton 'Whispers of All Spirits. They merged into this space.
Luffy suddenly stopped. He stopped trying to fight the changes with his power and closed his eyes. He remembered Shanks ' straw Straw Hat, his promise to his crew, his dream of becoming the Pirate King, and his wish to let everyone laugh freely.
"Rubber... is a symbol of freedom!" He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze no longer filled with confusion and pain, but with an unprecedented brightness and determination. "Not bound by its characteristics, but using its characteristics to achieve freedom!"
He no longer resisted the changes in his environment, but began to try to adapt to, understand, and control the essence of this "elasticity"! His body changed with the environment, becoming condensed when stiff, relaxed when soft, and resonating when vibrating! He was no longer a passive recipient, but became an active adaptor and guide to the environment!
The Awakening of the Gum-Gum Fruit has revealed a glimmer of hope—no longer about influencing the environment, but about bestowing upon it its own "free" will, allowing the environment to change at will, just like its own body!
Second Trial: The Posture of the Sun God
Once he began to grasp the elasticity of "freedom," the space shifted once more. All the elastic matter began to radiate high temperatures, and the entire space became as scorching as a furnace! At the same time, a heavy, oppressive will of "order," attempting to bind Definition everything, descended, like the oppressive aura of Imu, trying to completely obliterate his "irregular" existence.
"It's so hot... so heavy..." Luffy felt short of breath, his rubber body feeling like it was melting. This sense of oppression was even more intense and terrifying than when he faced Akainu.
At that moment, a long-suppressed, joyful, and liberating will within him was ignited! It was as if in response to the oppression of external "order," and as if in response to the countless souls in Pluton yearning for freedom!
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! A strange, rhythmic heartbeat, like the drums of liberation, emanated from Luffy's body, growing louder and louder until it filled the entire space!
His body began to change spontaneously! His skin became whiter, his hair flowed like flames, and his clothes transformed into a pure white, flowing form. His smile became more radiant and liberated, and his eyes sparkled with a light like the sun and a childlike, pure joy.
Nika Form – Awakening initially through the resonance of one's own will and the trial environment!
"Hahaha! This feels... so amazing!" Luffy looked at his transformation, feeling the seemingly endless power and joy surging within him. "My body... can move however I want! So free!"
He no longer felt the heat and heaviness, but instead felt incredibly comfortable. The oppressive will of "order" seemed out of place in the face of his joyful jumping and twisting, and even began to crumble!
The Third Trial: The Drums of Liberation Resounds Through Our Hearts
The final trial has begun. Countless chains made of Dark Energy appear in the space, representing restraint, oppression, and despair, like the shackles of CP0, the cage of Impel Down, and the order of Imu, shooting towards Luffy from all directions, trying to bind him again.
Luffy —or rather, Luffy in his Nika Form —let out a liberated laugh, "Hehehehe!"
Instead of dodging, he began to dance a comical, casual yet powerful dance to the heartbeat of the " Drums of Liberation "! His body twisted and stretched in incredible ways, perfectly avoiding all the chains. His fists, no longer wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, but in a dazzling white light like sunlight (a fusion of advanced Armament Haki and Nika's power), were swung out casually!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The dark chains shattered and vanished under his "white meteor"-like fists, like ice and snow meeting the sun!
His attacks are no longer limited to physical destruction, but also carry a spiritual power that breaks free from constraints and liberates the mind!
"Everyone! Let's have a feast!" He laughed heartily, his cheerful voice blending with the heartbeat of the " Drums of Liberation " to form the Nika Song, echoing throughout the space and even reaching beyond the trial space, faintly reverberating within Pluton!
Everyone who heard this song, whether sailors or those bearing the marks of civilization, felt a heartfelt joy and a longing for freedom, as if the invisible shackles on their bodies had loosened a bit!
The chains shattered, the light in the trial space reached its peak, and then slowly subsided.
Luffy returned to normal, landing back on the ground, panting, but his face radiated an unprecedented sense of exhilaration and confidence. He could feel that his body had become more resilient, his resistance had greatly increased, and his control over the Gum-Gum Fruit had reached a whole new level. More importantly, he had touched that power form that "liberated" everything. Although he couldn't fully enter it at will yet, he could already see the path ahead.
The portal opened again, Luffy leaped out with a bright smile and even more exhilarating momentum.
"I'm back! I'm so hungry! Is there any meat?" Everyone looked at him. Although his appearance hadn't changed much, they could all clearly feel that the Straw Hat Kid had become... more "free" and stronger.
The trials of Pluton are transforming every core member.