Like a cautious pilgrim, the Undercurrent slowly entered the relatively stable region shrouded by the massive crystal cluster celestial body. The turbulent spacetime currents outside transformed into a slowly flowing mist of energy here, hazy in color and silent, with only the low hum of the spaceship's engines and a faint, ancient sigh echoing through the air.
The closer you get, the more you can feel the grandeur and strangeness of that crystal cluster celestial body. It is not a naturally formed mineral crystal, but more like a solidified creation of energy and information. Countless huge crystal prisms aggregate and grow in a way that violates the laws of physics. Inside, it seems that liquid light is flowing, outlining an incomparably complex network, like a huge, sleeping brain or heart.
"No obvious hostile energy response was detected... but there is an extremely strong... information field barrier," Jinbe reported, his brow furrowed. "Our detectors cannot penetrate it, and forced scanning will be interfered with or even assimilated."
"A sanctuary... or rather, a tomb?" Robin stared at the crystal cluster, sensing the vast, ancient information contained within it, but also a profound sense of deathly stillness.
"The guidance from the animal hide scroll ends here." Sabo looked at Allen. "Can you sense anything?"
Allen's Torch Dragon flickered with light and darkness as he slowly said, "Time here... is almost frozen, but not death; it's more like... 'preservation.' Within it lies an extremely faint, yet highly rank, remnant consciousness... waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Tesoro asked.
"... The answer? Or... the end?" Allen wasn't sure either.
The Undercurrent slowly navigated around the massive crystal cluster, searching for a possible entrance. Finally, on a relatively flat, platform-like surface of the crystal, they discovered an interface structure that was not naturally formed—a recessed ring covered with intricate patterns, just the right size for a small spaceship to dock.
"Attempt docking. All personnel, maintain maximum alert," Sabo ordered.
The Undercurrent slowly descended, docking perfectly with the interface. With a soft click, a gentle beam of light shot out from the interface, enveloping the spaceship and performing some kind of scan.
"Unauthorized access detected... Ark Mark detected... Fluctuations outside of time detected... Conditions met... Temporary access permitted..." A fragmented, emotionless, and cold thought wave entered everyone's minds, not as language, but as a direct transmission of meaning.
The docking passage opened, revealing not outer space, but a strange passage constructed of crystal and filled with soft light.
The five people donned simple protective gear (mainly to deal with potential information shocks) and stepped onto this ancient land. Beneath their feet was a smooth, mirror-like crystal floor, reflecting the energy light flowing above. They were surrounded by corridors made of huge crystal walls, covered with symbols and murals even older than the Poneglyph.
The content of the murals is breathtaking:
It depicts a highly developed ancient civilization that lived in harmony with nature (cosmic energy).
They constructed a massive facility (possibly this Crystal Sanctuary ) to balance the spacetime structure of the universe and guard a secret known as the " Primordial Light " or the " World Axis " (the symbols in the murals are difficult to fully decipher).
Later, an "extraterrestrial enemy" descended (the image in the mural is blurry, but the destruction it brought is clearly visible), and the civilization rose up to Resistance, but suffered repeated defeats.
The final mural reveals that the survivors of the civilization initiated some kind of ultimate protocol, sealing the sanctuary and their self-awareness within this distorted spacetime, plunging them into eternal silence to protect the secret from being obtained by the enemy. Their former creations and protective structures, however, gradually went out of control or mutated over the long years (perhaps pointing to the Children of the Abyss and those black warships in the Lethe Stream?).
"They... sacrificed themselves to protect something..." Robin stroked the mural, his tone filled with respect and sorrow.
As they ventured deeper into the corridor, they arrived at a vast central hall. In the center of the hall floated a complex, ever-changing three-dimensional star map composed of countless rays of light, the very center of which lay this Eternal Mist. And beneath the star map sat a humanoid figure clad in tattered crystal armor.
Most of his (or her) body had crystallized, merging with the entire sanctuary. Only his (or her) face still retained some biological features, his (or her) eyes were closed, devoid of any life, with only a crystal on his (or her) forehead shimmering with an extremely faint light. The sigh seemed to have originated from there.
"The last guardian..." Sabo said softly.
Seemingly sensing their arrival, the crystal on the guardian's forehead glowed slightly. Instantly, the lights in the entire hall brightened, and the star map in the center rapidly shifted, finally settling on a familiar star field—the precise structural map of the Holy Land Mary Geoise! And at the core of the structural map, deep within Pangaea Castle, a huge, constantly flashing danger symbol was marked!
At the same time, that cold thought wave resounded again, clearer than ever, yet carrying with it endless weariness and a warning:
"The successor..." "...' The Primordial Light ' has been stolen... altered..." "... The thief proclaimed himself 'God'... establishing a distorted order upon False Throne..." "... His power originates from this, yet it is utterly corrupt... and will ultimately backfire..." "...' The Final Dogma ' is the key to reconstruction... and also the key to destruction..." "... Stop him... or... Return of All Things to the Void..."
The message ended abruptly, and the crystal on the guardian's forehead dimmed completely, as if its last strength had been exhausted.
The hall was deathly silent.
The five of them were processing this astonishing information.
" Imu's power... originates from the so-called ' Primordial Light ' here?" Tesoro spoke first, his tone shocked. "He stole and tampered with this power, establishing the World Government?" Jinbe voice. " The Final Dogma... is the key to reconstructing everything, but it could also bring destruction?" Robin pondered. "So that's why Imu is so obsessed with eliminating all uncertainty and pursuing absolute order? Is he afraid of the backlash? Or does he want to use the ' Final Dogma ' to complete some kind of... purification?" Sabo analyzed. " The Holy Land Mary Geoise... deep within Pangaea Castle..." Allen looked at the glaring danger symbol on the star map, "That's the key node of everything."
Just as they were trying to gather more information, the entire Crystal Sanctuary suddenly trembled slightly! The stable energy mist outside began to surge violently!
"Warning! High-intensity space jump signal detected! Right outside the Sanctuary!" Jinbe's voice came through the communicator, filled with urgency. "It's World Government warship! Its type... is the highest level, the ' Tribunal ' class! They've locked onto us directly!"
Imu's pursuers found this place so quickly! Clearly, their understanding of the Eternal Mist far exceeds the Allied forces' expectations; there might even be a backdoor or Beacon they left behind here!
"Evacuate immediately!" Sabo decisively ordered.
The five quickly retreated to the Undercurrent. The docking had barely ended when they saw three massive, menacing " Tribunal "-class warships, radiating a chilling aura of order, appear from the space jump. Their main cannons began charging, aimed at the Crystal Sanctuary and the Undercurrent!
"They want to destroy the Sanctuary along with it!" Robin exclaimed.
"Not so easy!" A fierce glint flashed in Allen's eyes as he slammed his hands on the control panel, unleashing the full Power of Zhulong! "Space-Time Anchor - Fixed!"
He wasn't attacking the warship, but rather forcibly stabilizing and reinforcing the extremely unstable spacetime structure around the Crystal Sanctuary! The main cannon energy of the Tribunal- class warship, striking the suddenly "hardened" Space-Time Barrier, was significantly deflected and refracted, failing to directly hit the sanctuary!
"Now's the time! Let's go!" Sabo roared.
The Undercurrent's engine overloaded, transforming it into a Black Shadow as it plunged back into the raging spacetime turbulence behind it without hesitation!
The Tribunal -class warships attempted to give chase, but their massive hulls were far less maneuverable than the Undercurrent in the turbulent currents. They were quickly hampered by the chaotic energy and the spacetime traps secretly laid by Allen, and their speed was greatly reduced.
The Undercurrent once again embarked on their desperate journey through the Eternal Mist, but this time, they carried away a shocking secret: the source of Imu's power and the stage for the final battle—the deepest part of the Holy Land Mary Geoise!
They must reunite with Luffy and the others as soon as possible and bring this information back. The direction of the final battle is now clear.