Luffy, Ace, Sabo, Allen emerged from their respective trial spaces one after another. Although their appearances hadn't changed much, each of them exuded a completely different aura—more reserved, yet also more dangerous, as if a volcano was about to erupt within them.
Pluton seemed to sense the transformation of the four, and the light in the core control room shone brightly once more. This time, instead of opening a single portal, a massive composite rune array illuminated the entire floor of the control room, enveloping the four. The illusory image of the Emerald Mother Tree, the patterns of Temporal Resonance Crystal Ore, the patterns of Sea of Mists Coral, the patterns of Emerald Star Leaf Veins, the golden veins, and even some newly appeared dragon scale patterns all shone simultaneously!
The Whispers of All Spirits are no longer scattered fragments, but have coalesced into a clear, grand, and expectant thought:
"Demonstrate... coordination... resonance..."
"It seems the final test is prepared for us." Sabo adjusted his glasses, analyzing the runes beneath his feet. " Pluton is testing whether we can coordinate and utilize our newly acquired power, even... resonate with it."
"Hehe, sounds interesting! Shall we fight?" Luffy rubbed his hands together, eager to try.
"Perfect, I need a target to test the temperature of the new flame." A wisp of platinum liquid flame flickered at Ace's fingertip.
Allen nodded slightly, his deep purple vertical pupils shifting between light and shadow. "The space here has been temporarily reinforced and isolated; you can proceed with your actions freely."
The words had barely left his mouth when the assessment began!
Act One: The Chaotic Torrent
In the center of the control room, energy converged wildly, simulating various extreme and chaotic attacks:
• Spacetime Fragments: Residual effects from Allen's Trial, distorted time flow and random spatial rifts.
• Elemental Storm: Originating from Ace's World Purification Furnace, it unleashes a chaotic barrage of scorching flames, biting ice, and raging lightning.
• Physical Impact: A massive, hard energy fist and a high-speed barrage of energy projectiles, simulating the high-intensity attacks in Sabo's Trials.
• Mental interference: Chaotic whispers and hallucinations attempt to disrupt the four's will and coordination.
These attacks are completely unpredictable, cover the entire field, and severely test individual adaptability and teamwork.
" Gum-Gum Giant Barrier!" Luffy laughed, his arms growing gigantic and covered with an even tougher, more advanced Armament Haki, like two giant, elastic shields that blocked a large amount of physical impact and some elemental storms. His resistance was greatly enhanced, and even if he was hit by sporadic attacks, he could quickly bounce off and recover.
" World Purification Fire Ring!" Ace waved his hands, and a ring of fire composed purely of liquid Flame of World Purification spread out, not for attack, but for purification! The chaotic elemental energies that came into contact with the fire ring were purified, neutralized, and even transformed into harmless basic energy. Mental interference was also burned away by the blazing will of the flames.
" Omniscient Domain - Trajectory Prediction!" Data streams flashed in Sabo's eyes as he rapidly analyzed the trajectory and weaknesses of the disordered attacks. "A spatial fold will appear in the upper left in three seconds! Ice Luffy half a step to the left! Ace, purify the energy accumulation point at the three o'clock position!" His commands were precise and timely, greatly increasing the defensive efficiency of Luffy and Ace.
"Spacetime is stable." Allen was relatively relaxed. He didn't need to change spacetime on a large scale. He only needed to subtly smooth out the most dangerous spatial rifts and temporal turbulence to create a relatively stable output environment for his teammates, while occasionally using Time Acceleration to make his teammates' actions smoother.
The four of them each performed their duties, and their tacit understanding began to show. They steadily held back the chaotic and disorderly torrent.
Act Two: The Core of the Fortified Wall
The chaotic attacks ceased, and energy converged once more, this time forming an extremely thick, multi-layered, shimmering composite shield core at its center, simulating the world's most impregnable fortress. The challenge: Destroy it together within the allotted time!
"I'll go first! Gum-Gum - Bajrang Gun!" Luffy took the lead, his huge black fist wrapped in Conqueror's Haki Inazuma slamming into the shield. The shield trembled violently and dented a large section, but quickly recovered, showing its extreme resilience.
"Liquid Fire Drill!" Ace followed closely behind, compressing and condensing the Flame of World Purification into a rapidly spinning platinum-gold flame drill, aiming it at the point Luffy was attacking, continuously burning and penetrating it! The shield was burned red-hot, and its recovery speed was significantly reduced, but it remained sturdy.
"No, its energy cycle is too fast, and its structure has multiple redundancies!" Sabo analyzed quickly. "We need a more extreme breakthrough to disrupt its energy nodes! Allen, can you temporarily freeze the flow of time on its surface? Even if it's just 0.1 seconds!"
"Okay!" A glint of silver flashed in Allen's eyes, and he pointed at the shield. "Time Lock - Moment!" The boiling energy flow on the surface of the shield paused for an extremely brief moment!
"Now!" Sabo took a deep breath, concentrating all his power and calculations into his index finger, " Dragon's Breath - Piercing Star!"
A beam of black light, condensed to its absolute limit, like the sharpest needle in the universe, instantly pierced the point that had been frozen in time and weakened by Luffy and Ace! It precisely struck the most critical energy node inside the shield!
• Crack--Boom!!! Perfect coordination! The seemingly indestructible shield was detonated from the inside, instantly shattering into countless fragments!
Act III: Trial of Resonance
The final test has arrived. The energy of the shattered shield did not dissipate, but instead merged with the energy of the entire Heart of the Pluton Ark, forming a huge, blurry, and oppressive energy phantom, as if it were the embodiment of an ancient will.
Instead of launching an attack, it emitted an assimilating force field, attempting to decompose and absorb the power of the four people and integrate it into Pluton himself.
The four of them immediately felt their own power leaking out uncontrollably and becoming disordered!
"It wants to devour us!" Ace struggled to control the raging flames. "The power is being stretched..." Luffy felt his rubber body deforming. "The calculations are being interfered with..." Sabo's domain became unstable. "Space-time is also being assimilated..." Allen felt the Power of Zhulong being suppressed.
In that critical moment, the four exchanged a glance and instantly understood each other's thoughts.
We cannot fight alone; we must truly integrate our forces!
Luffy into laughter, his liberating will infecting everyone present. "Hehehe! Let's do it together!" Ace nodded, the Flame of World Purification no longer resisting, but becoming all-encompassing. Sabo fully activated his domain, calculating the optimal formula for power fusion. Allen guided spacetime, serving as the foundation and catalyst for power fusion.
The four of them simultaneously placed their hands on the rune array on the ground, pouring their power into it without reservation!
Luffy's "freedom" rubber will ( the Nika Form Prototype ) serves as a medium and amplifier for fusion, allowing forces of different natures to coexist harmoniously and amplify their effects.
Ace's "purification" flame serves as both the energy source and purifier for fusion, providing immense power and ensuring the purity of the fused energy.
Sabo's "omniscient" computing power serves as the control center and optimizer for fusion, precisely regulating the flow and proportion of every bit of energy.
Allen's "spacetime" Power of Zhulong serves as a stable foundation and dimensional support for the fusion, ensuring that the fusion process proceeds stably in spacetime and endowing it with higher dimensional characteristics.
The four forces were not simply superimposed, but rather, under the witness of the Heart of the Pluton Ark, they underwent a wondrous chemical reaction!
A torrent of four-colored energy, indescribable in its color and containing boundless vitality, pure energy, absolute rationality, and spacetime fluctuations, surged into the sky. It did not attack the energy phantom, but rather contained, transformed, and absorbed it!
The phantoms that attempted to assimilate them were instead assimilated and absorbed by this higher-level energy that combined the will and power of the four, becoming part of their own power!
Finally, all the energy stabilized and slowly flowed back into the four people's bodies. The test was passed!
The four exchanged a smile. Although exhausted, they could all feel a deeper connection between them and a greater understanding of their own and their companions' power. Their power had begun to take shape, even showing the initial signs of coordinated combat and fusion.
The lights in Pluton' control room gradually returned to normal, and the Whispers of All Spirits were filled with relief and satisfaction. The Heart of the Ark acknowledged these four new Guardians and the new possibilities they brought. They were ready to face any challenges that lay ahead.