As the last mber of the Straw Hat Pirates, Chopper, awakened from the dream space, he wiped away his tears and showed not the slightest trace of lingering attachnt to it.
With that, every mber of the Straw Hats had passed the dream space's test.
This also proved that even if all of them entered Elbaf's Heaven World, they absolutely would not be affected by that peculiar space.
The only thing Red found sowhat unexpected was that the last one to wake up was not Uta or Usopp, whom he had assud to be weaker-willed, but little Chopper, who had always shown himself to be strong and brave.
But thinking about it, that made sense.
By the ti Chopper joined the Straw Hat Pirates, the crew, under Red's guidance, had already beco a powerful pirate crew capable of handling most dangers.
After little Chopper joined, their journey had been smooth sailing in all kinds of ways. On top of that, although his childhood had been tragic, he had still had Doctorine's companionship and teaching.
By comparison, although Uta had nearly destroyed the world in the original storyline due to the problems with her thinking, the fact that she could continue living for years among the ruins of the Kingdom of Elegia after experiencing the Red Hair Pirates' "betrayal" ant that her willpower had never been simple to begin with.
Usopp's performance was also far from simple. Although his cowardly personality ant he had not awakened especially early, that did not an his willpower ranked low among the Straw Hats.
"All right, your test results are out."
A few minutes after all the Straw Hats had awakened, Vegapunk, having finished compiling everyone's willpower data, walked over with an astonished expression on his face.
"This really is unexpected. Every single one of you possesses quite impressive willpower."
"However, just to be safe, I still recomnd selecting only those with the most outstanding willpower to participate in the operation to enter Heaven World."
"In any case, with your strength, that should be more than enough!"
"No problem." Red nodded. "We'll follow your arrangents, Doctor."
"Very well~"
Vegapunk sorted through the data in his hands, then swept his gaze across the Straw Hats. At last, he said,
"Based on your resistance to the dream space, I recomnd that the next operation be carried out by Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Robin, Franky, and Redfield!"
"Got it."
Those whose nas had been called imdiately nodded and stepped out from the crowd.
Strictly speaking, they were not necessarily the ones with the highest willpower, but entering Heaven World required more than willpower alone. They also needed resistance against desire-based dreams.
Sanji, for example, clearly did not rank low in willpower, yet he had no resistance whatsoever against dreams.
By contrast, Franky and Redfield's willpower data was not particularly impressive, but because their desires were comparatively light, they likewise would not be affected by Heaven World's conditions.
As for Nami, her situation was sowhat similar to Luffy's.
Although in her dream she had already obtained all the wealth in the world and was living happily in Cocoyasi Village with Bell-mère and Nojiko, because she was far too intelligent, and because she possessed considerable willpower, she realized that when all wealth was concentrated in the hands of one person, that wealth was no longer wealth. It was simply a pile of useless things. And with that, the logic of the dream world collapsed on its own.
It could only be said that compared with the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the dream world created by the Sunstone still fell far short. It could rely reflect desire and could not fix bugs to make the dream world complete.
Soon, under Vegapunk's guidance, those selected put on their protective suits one after another.
Red also ca before them and gave his instructions.
"According to the information previously provided by the giants, that Road Poneglyph should be stored in the central region of Heaven World."
"In other words, you'll have to cross more than half of Elbaf. But since Heaven World's current situation is unclear, you absolutely must not act rashly!"
"Luffy! This matter is extrely important. You are not allowed to ss around!!!"
"Aw, co on~" Luffy, who had been specifically called out by Red, looked helpless and spread his hands. "People grow up, Red!"
"Just put a hundred hearts at ease!!!"
"You'd better have~" Red lightly rolled his eyes at him, having no idea which NPC in the Pokémon World Luffy had learned that phrase from this ti.
Then he continued,
"The magnetic signals in Heaven World will affect signal transmission, so once you're inside, you won't be able to keep in contact with the outside. The ropes wrapped around you were specially made by Dr. Vegapunk. If you encounter any sudden situation, you can quickly shake the rope on your body. It will let us know that you need help."
"No matter what… do not let those ropes break!"
"Don't worry! Leave it to us!!!"
Luffy slapped his chest repeatedly. Because he was wearing a protective suit, the blows imdiately produced a series of loud impacts.
Vegapunk beside him was so startled that he hurriedly stopped him. "Gently, gently! That's the cara area you're hitting! I'm still planning to observe the situation in Heaven World after you return!"
"Ah… uh… heehee…"
Luffy played dumb and laughed foolishly. Then, with a wave of his large hand and shining eyes, he shouted in a booming voice,
"All right, ti's tight! Let's hurry up and see what's going on up there!"
At Luffy's command, the six chosen mbers imdiately displayed their own abilities. They flew directly up from the Island Cloud, heading toward Heaven World high above.
"I hope nothing unexpected happens~"
Standing on the Island Cloud, Red murmured to himself.
…
…
Boom… boom… boom…
Waves of air swirled through the sky like ripples across the surface of water.
Luffy and Zoro, stepping on the air, arrived in Heaven World one step ahead at a speed no slower than Nami and the others, who possessed the ability to fly.
Tap!
Luffy's figure landed lightly on the strange ground ford from the branches of the World Tree and Island Clouds.
Imdiately afterward, a rainbow-colored brilliance flashed through Luffy's eyes.
He raised his head in astonishnt, and in the next instant, the scene before him left his mouth hanging wide open in amazent.
"Whoa~ So this is Heaven World?! It's so pretty!!!"
Luffy placed his palm over his brows to block the scorching sunlight from above and cried out loudly at the sight before him.
Zoro and the others, who arrived in Heaven World right after him, were likewise shocked speechless by the scenery.
Beneath the clear sky, it was as though the world had been enveloped by an enormous rainbow-colored painting. Golden sunlight ford a delicate canvas, bearing this colossal rainbow masterpiece whose main tone was dreamlike fantasy.
In the air, rainbow light was divided by strand after strand of pale-gold threads, yet those lights also wove together and collided with each other, as if coating all of Elbaf in a layer of dazzling radiance.
"No wonder it is called Heaven World! The scenery here truly lives up to that na."
"To think this old man, after living so many years, would still have the chance to witness such a magnificent sight. It truly stirs the heart."
Franky and Redfield imdiately praised the scene from the bottom of their hearts.
Zoro, however, quickly recovered from the magnificent view before him. He imdiately spoke into the communication device on his shoulder.
"Hey, hey, hey!? Red, can you hear !?"
Bzz… bzzz…
"So we really can't contact them?"
Zoro frowned slightly and spoke to the others.
Under his serious expression, everyone else soon gathered their focus as well.
"It seems to be exactly as Dr. Vegapunk said. We can only slowly walk toward the center of Heaven World."
Even the thick protective suit could not hide Robin's proud figure.
She turned to Nami beside her and asked, "Nami, can you confirm our direction here?"
"I'm not sure~" Nami looked around. "If it's just here, I don't have any problem."
"But I don't know whether anything will change after we go deeper in."
Just like the principle behind the communication device's failure, due to Heaven World's special environnt, no positioning device could be used here either.
Everything had to rely on the judgnt of Nami, their outstanding navigator.
"Speaking of which, this protective suit really is just as the Doctor said. It can't block everything one hundred percent." Looking at the protective suit, which had already been faintly stained with a layer of rainbow light, Franky also gave a reminder.
Although all of them had completed the test and were confird not to be affected by Heaven World's environnt, the dream energy here was so dense that no one knew whether any special situation might occur inside.
At Nami's suggestion, the group checked each other's equipnt and safety ropes. Then the six of them slowly began walking deeper into Heaven World.
Fortunately, the process went surprisingly smoothly.
Even after nearly an hour of walking, not a single problem appeared.
It was just that no matter how magnificent a view was, one would eventually grow tired of it after staring at it for too long.
Surrounded by rainbow light, everything they could see in all directions was exactly the sa scenery. This made it completely impossible for them to know where they had gone, or whether they had taken a wrong route.
Fortunately, Nami, who had long since grown used to keeping company with natural disasters and could be considered half a master of nature, did not seem to be affected by the environnt here. She confidently guided everyone forward.
Luffy and the others naturally trusted Nami's judgnt completely. But because they did not dare make any large movents, they could only proceed deeper into Heaven World at their fastest walking speed.
And this walk lasted an entire week!!!
…
…
"Ah… We're still not there yet?! This place is way too huge, right!?"
After seven straight days without a proper al, Luffy's patience was almost at its limit.
Although Vegapunk had considered this point when making the protective suits and had specially prepared nutrient paste and nutrient fluid that could be consud inside the suits, those could only maintain the body's basic nutrition. They could not satisfy Luffy and the others' taste buds.
"Nami, how much longer do we have to walk?!"
Luffy, whose entire upper body drooped weakly, turned his head toward Nami like a walking corpse.
Nami raised her head and observed the bright sun above, which looked like a glowing disk, before answering,
"According to the sun's position, we shouldn't be too far from the Road Poneglyph now."
"It's just a little strange…"
Nami's brows furrowed slightly, and she pursed her lips before asking everyone,
"Have any of you felt that starting from yesterday, the rainbow energy released from the Sunstone has beco much thinner?"
"Now that you ntion it, it does seem that way~" Zoro surveyed their surroundings and agreed with Nami's view.
A thoughtful look also flashed through Robin's eyes.
"Co to think of it, the Sunstone mineral source in this region clearly hasn't declined at all. In fact, it's even richer than before. But the rainbow light here is actually not as dense as it was on the outer edge…"
"It feels as though…"
At that mont, the deeply experienced Redfield continued her thought.
"As though sothing is absorbing the energy released from the Sunstone!"
"Exactly!"
Robin nodded. "It's like sothing is absorbing the Sunstone's energy!"
"Be careful, Luffy. There may be so danger ahead!"
Seeing that Luffy was still continuing forward like a walking corpse, with no intention of stopping to discuss things with everyone, Zoro finally could not help but reach out and grab the safety rope on Luffy's body, preventing him from getting too far from the group.
"Ah… I know…"
A sudden force ca from his waist, but Luffy seed like a machine that felt nothing at all. His steps wobbled as he began walking in place.
But in the next second, Luffy's movents abruptly stopped. Then he suddenly raised his head, startling the companions behind him.
"What's wrong, Luffy!?"
"Is sothing happening?"
The Straw Hats were taken aback, but they quickly assud battle-ready stances and looked around vigilantly.
But at that mont, Luffy suddenly broke into a delighted smile. Then he pointed forward with one hand and waved with the other.
"Hey! Co look, everyone!!!"
"There's a fruit tree up ahead!!! A huge fruit tree!!!"
"What kind of fruit is that? Can the fruit up there be eaten!?"
After seven days of boring travel, Luffy had finally seen sothing different. He imdiately ran forward excitedly, charging straight ahead.
"Hey, Luffy!"
Zoro instinctively wanted to pull the safety rope, but in the end, he stopped. His brows furrowed in confusion as he muttered,
"A fruit tree?! What kind of fruit?"
"Don't tell Luffy's protective suit failed and he's hallucinating or sothing!?"
As he spoke, he also hurriedly chased after Luffy.
At that mont, Robin, who had withdrawn the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit from Luffy's body, answered Zoro's question with a slightly shocked expression.
"No! Luffy probably didn't see wrong. There really is a fruit tree up ahead."
"It's just…"
"It's just what?" everyone asked curiously.
But after lightly biting her lip, Robin still said to them,
"Let's get closer and take a look together!"
"Right!"
Although they had always maintained a sense of reverence toward this mysterious Heaven World, as powerful people themselves, they were not so timid as to fear everything.
After making sure there would be no problem with the safety ropes, the group quickened their pace.
Soon, they saw the enormous "fruit tree" Luffy had spoken of.
But as they drew closer, the expressions of Zoro and the others changed!
Because the "fruit tree" before them was actually bearing nearly a hundred fruits, each with a completely different appearance.
And more importantly…
Above every single fruit, there was a strange and eerie pattern!!!
(End of Chapter)
User Comments
0 comments from readers