RNP Page 138
Page 138
Suddenly, Goku pointed to the base of the statue and shouted, "Look! There are words there!" Everyone crowded around and saw that the metal base was covered with ancient runes. The moment Piccolo reached out to touch it, the runes suddenly lit up and turned into clear Universal Language: "To repair the rift in creation, I and Zalama forged the Super Dragon Balls, but..." The writing at the end suddenly became messy, as if the person who carved the words had encountered a great change.
"What?!" Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks in frustration, his tail swishing impatiently behind him. "Stopping halfway through is just too suspenseful!"
"Because they regretted it." An aged voice suddenly echoed in the temple, and the eyes of the two statues simultaneously lit up red. The phantom of the Order Keeper slowly emerged from the light. This time it was no longer a cold, armored warrior, but an old man in a coarse robe, his face etched with weary wrinkles. "The Super Dragon Balls can both repair cracks and monitor the trajectory of all universes. Over time... they have become shackles."
Frieza suddenly burst out laughing: "I never thought a high and mighty Lawful One would say something like that. Do you think you can't beat us and are trying to play the victim and beg for mercy?"
The old man slowly shook his head, his gaze falling on Lin Ye: "I have been waiting for this day since the beginning of my life. Every system host in every universe is a fragment of my consciousness that I have split off to find an opportunity to break the covenant." He raised his hand and pointed to the sky, and the dome at the top of the temple suddenly became transparent, revealing twelve super dragon balls floating in the starry sky, "including the hourglass on your chest, Lin Ye, that is the last key."
Lin Ye instinctively pressed his hand to his chest, the hourglass shards suddenly becoming scalding hot: "So the system... those people controlled by the system..."
“They were all experimental subjects.” The old man’s voice was filled with an indescribable bitterness. “Initially, we just wanted to test the tolerance of different universes, but once the covenant was formed, we could never stop. Like Enel, he could have become an excellent guardian of the Sky Island, but his mind was warped by the fragments of the system.”
The ground suddenly trembled violently, and three enormous buttons rose from the center of the temple. The red button exuded an aura of destruction, the blue button was surrounded by a steady halo, and only the gold button had lively points of light dancing on it. The old man's hand, pointing at the buttons, trembled slightly: "This is the final choice. Red resets all universes, returning everything to its origin; blue maintains the status quo, and the system continues to operate; gold releases all system fragments, allowing each universe to evolve freely."
"Is there even a choice?" Goku suddenly punched the red button, the golden Kaioken energy exploding and shattering the button to pieces. "An option that can arbitrarily eliminate others shouldn't even exist!" He shook his fist, fragments of the button still clinging to his fingers. "Whether it's a god or anything else, no one has the right to decide someone else's life or death!"
The fragments of the red button turned into sparks in the air. A hint of satisfaction flashed in the old man's eyes as he looked at Goku: "Saiyan intuition is always so direct."
“Maintaining the status quo won’t work either.” Piccolo suddenly spoke, green energy condensing into a ball in his palm. “The system is like a malignant tumor; as long as it exists, it will continue to breed new Enel.” He glanced at the blue button. “This seemingly peaceful option is actually the most cruel slow poison.”
Frieza's tail tip hooked onto the edge of the golden button, and the detector flashed rapidly before his eyes: "Free evolution? That sounds interesting. I'd like to see how chaotic these universes become without system control." He suddenly swung the button forcefully, and it made a crisp sound. "Let's choose this one; at least it's more interesting than the previous two options."
The moment the golden button was pressed, the entire temple suddenly lit up with white light. Lin Ye saw the twelve Super Dragon Balls explode simultaneously, turning into billions of points of light that flew towards various universes; he saw the statues of the Law Keepers and the Dragon God gradually become transparent, turning into bands of light that merged into the starry sky; most miraculously, countless phantoms resembling him emerged from the bands of light—some wearing Taoist robes, some clad in armor, and others wearing glasses like scholars—all waving and smiling at him before gradually dissipating.
“It’s over…” Lin Ye’s silvery aura slowly subsided, his short black hair fell to his forehead, and the hourglass fragments on his chest transformed into ordinary silver pendants. “We can go home now.”
Suddenly, Goku pointed to a corner of the temple and cheered, "Look! It's a portal!" Through the portal, which was flashing with blue light, the scene of Earth was clearly reflected. Bulma was setting up a table in the courtyard of Capsule Corporation, Gohan was standing to the side holding a basketball, and even Oolong was excitedly circling around the table.
"Bulma must have made a lot of food!" Goku was already running towards the portal, but then he stopped and scratched his head. "By the way, where's that old Lawkeeper?"
Everyone turned to look, and the old man's illusory figure had become very faint. He waved to Lin Ye: "True freedom is not the absence of constraints, but the right to choose." His voice gradually dissipated in the wind, "The rest of the road is for you to walk yourselves."
As everyone passed through the portal, Lin Ye took one last look at the lunar ruins. The enormous gears had stopped turning, and tender green vines were sprouting from the silvery-white metallic surface, slowly climbing up the base of the statues. He suddenly remembered Enel's last request, and a smile crept onto his lips. Whether on the Sky Island or the Moon, life would always find its own way.
The moment the portal closed, Lin Ye's bracelet suddenly lit up, and an unfamiliar coordinate flashed on the screen, next to which was a line of small text: "The Last Observer." He looked up at the starry sky, and in the direction where the Super Dragon Ball had exploded, a new star seemed to be slowly lighting up.
"What's wrong, Lin Ye?" Wukong's voice came from afar. He was already eating a huge meat bun. "Come and eat! If you don't come soon, Frieza will eat the whole roasted lamb!"
Lin Ye gripped the bracelet tightly, a flash of silvery-white energy disappearing from his fingertips. Perhaps the journey wasn't over yet, but at least for now, he could temporarily set aside his burdens and enjoy this belated dinner with his companions. As for that new coordinate... he could think about it tomorrow.
Chapter 320: A New Beginning
The Capsule Corporation's rooftop party had been going on for three hours, the sizzling sounds of barbecue mingling with laughter drifting into the night sky. Lin Ye leaned against the metal railing, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold bars, his gaze fixed on the boisterous crowd below.
Goku and Vegeta were wrestling over the last piece of grilled meat, their fierce fighting sending the grill flying. Bulma, hands on her hips, roared angrily, throwing a wrench faster than a bullet. Piccolo, forced to the autograph board by Gohan, his green face filled with helplessness, still diligently signed his name on Gohan's school uniform. Krillin held his daughter high above his head, the little one's giggles sweeter than the juice in Android 18's hands.
"Hiding here alone, stargazing?" Number 18's voice suddenly came from behind, two glasses of chilled juice steaming in her hands. As Lin Ye took the glasses, his fingertips accidentally brushed against her wrist; the place that had once been covered in mechanical patterns now only bore faint, light-colored marks.
"I'm thinking about what the Order Keeper said last." Lin Ye tilted his head back and took a sip of juice, the cold liquid sliding down his throat. "He said the system fragments didn't disappear, they just transformed into new possibilities."
Android 18 raised an eyebrow, gazing at the starry sky. The twelve stars shone brightly against the night backdrop. "Possibility? Sounds like the name of Bulma's new dessert." She chuckled softly. "But more than those random fragments, I'm more interested in when Krillin will confiscate his daughter's energy gun."
Lin Ye followed her gaze and saw the little boy aiming a toy gun at balloons, clapping and cheering every time he hit one. Klin stood beside him, nervously wringing his hands. "At least they're happy now," he said, his fingertips brushing against the silver pendant on his chest. "That's enough."
"Hey! You two, sneaking around here eating alone?!" Goku suddenly appeared on the railing, half a piece of grilled meat stuffed in his mouth, oil dripping from his chin onto his martial arts uniform. "Vegeta's too much of a cheater! He used an energy wave to heat the grilled meat, that's foul!"
Vegeta's voice followed immediately: "That's called strength! Unlike some Saiyans who only use brute force!" He stood a few steps away, arms crossed, a smear of barbecue sauce secretly on his lips. "Besides, the faster it cooks, the more precise my control over energy is."
"That's clearly cheating!" Wukong suddenly jumped up, golden flames flashing around him. "Let's have another match! This time, no roasting meat, let's settle this with a real battle!"
"I'll fight you to the end!" Vegeta's deep blue aura exploded instantly, startling Piccolo who quickly shielded Gohan behind him.
"You two want to destroy my Capsule Corp.?" Bulma stomped over in her high heels, her detector nearly poking Vegeta in the face. "If you dare release energy here again, I'll throw you onto Jupiter to feed the bugs!"
Both of them simultaneously calmed down. Goku scratched the back of his head and chuckled, while Vegeta turned his face away, pretending to look at the stars. Lin Ye, watching this familiar scene, suddenly remembered when he first met them. Back then, Goku was still worrying about food, and Vegeta was obsessed with conquering the Earth.
"By the way, Lin Ye, look at this!" Bulma suddenly shoved a detector in front of him, the screen displaying eerie purple ripples. "A spacetime rift has appeared at the edge of the Northern Galaxy. The energy reaction is similar to the Super Dragon Ball explosion, but the fluctuation frequency is much more active."
Lin Ye's pendant suddenly heated up, and a familiar system notification projected into the air, only this time with a playful smiley face next to the text: [New adventure coordinates detected. A vast, unknown universe awaits exploration. Proceed immediately? (?????)]
"What's this?" Gohan curiously leaned closer, cautiously poking at the projection with his finger. "It looks like a mission prompt from Dad's game console."
Piccolo's green skin gleamed coldly in the moonlight. "A spatial rift? Sounds like nothing good." His hand subtly rested on the scabbard at his waist. "Should we go check it out?"
"Of course we're going!" Goku was the first to raise his hand, his eyes shining like stars. "Maybe there'll be something even better than barbecue inside! The fruit we found on Namek last time was pretty good..."
“I knew you’d say that.” Bulma rolled her eyes, and a holographic map suddenly popped up on the detector in her hand. “The coordinates of the rift have been locked. My new ship has just finished testing, and its endurance is enough for three round trips to the North Galaxy.”
"A new spaceship?" Wukong's ears perked up immediately. "Is it faster than the last one? Can we grill meat on it?"
"It's so feature-rich it'll surprise you!" Bulma proudly raised her chin. "Not only does it have an automatic barbecue grill, but also a gravity training room and..." She suddenly lowered her voice, "...the latest Saiyan energy suppressor, specifically designed to deal with certain troublemakers."
Vegeta's face instantly darkened: "Woman, you'd better pray that thing doesn't appear in front of me."
"Don't worry, the quality of anything this genius invented is absolutely guaranteed." Bulma made a face at him, then turned and shouted to the crowd, "Those who want to participate in interstellar travel, sign up now! Limited spots available, first come, first served!"
"Me! Me! Me!" Klin was the first to raise his hand, and his daughter immediately hugged his leg, shouting, "Daddy, take me with you!" Number 18 shook his head helplessly, but a smile lingered on his lips.
Piccolo, watching the eager Gohan, sighed softly, "Gohan must finish his homework before we set off."
"Yay! That's great!" Gohan jumped up excitedly, then suddenly remembered something and tugged at Piccolo's sleeve, "Uncle Piccolo is coming too, right?"
The green alien turned his face away: "...I was just afraid you'd hold us back."
Frieza appeared at the edge of the rooftop, a glass of red wine twirled at the tip of his tail, a detector slowly rotating in front of him. "Northern Galaxy? Sounds more interesting than staying on this blue planet." He glanced at Goku. "Perfect for showing some Saiyans what true cosmic-level power is."
"Stop bragging!" Wukong slammed his fist into the palm of the grill, the golden flames nearly overturning it. "We'll see who beats whom then!"
Looking at the noisy crowd, Lin Ye suddenly recalled the look in the eyes of the Order Keeper before he vanished. At that time, he didn't understand why the old man smiled so contentedly when mentioning "new possibilities." Now he understood; those possibilities were these noisy yet mutually supportive companions before him, their courage to face any danger together.
"Is there any time to prepare before we leave?" Number 18 suddenly asked, her fingertips lightly tracing her daughter's hair. "I need to pack her some changes of clothes, and I also need to bring Klin's stomach medicine."
"Meet on the helipad in three hours!" Bulma had already begun inputting commands into the probe. "I'll fine-tune the ship to its optimal state, guaranteeing you an unprecedented experience of speed!"
The crowd gradually dispersed. Goku was still arguing with Vegeta about who should be in the pilot's seat, Krillin was being pestered by his daughter for a model spaceship, and Piccolo was patiently explaining the basics of spacetime rifts to Gohan. Lin Ye leaned against the railing, looking at the city lights in the distance, and suddenly felt that this scene was more dazzling than any starry sky.
"What are you thinking about?" Number 18's voice rang out again, this time holding a roasted sweet potato. "Bulma said this is the best dessert on Earth, even better than the energy bars she developed."
Lin Ye took the roasted sweet potato, the warmth spreading from his palm to his chest. "I was thinking about the first time we met." He looked at the fading lines on Number 18's wrist. "Back then, you were worried the robotic arm would malfunction."
“People always change.” Number 18 gazed towards the helipad, where the outline of the spaceship had already lit up. “Like these cracks, they might not just hold danger, but also surprises.”
Three hours later, a massive, silver-white spaceship hovered above the helipad, its hull emblazoned with a cartoon logo designed by Bulma... a rabbit holding a wrench. Goku was the first to rush inside, rummaging through the cockpit and nearly turning the navigation system into a barbecue mode.
"Everyone, sit down!" Bulma's voice blared over the loudspeaker, and the spaceship suddenly shook. "You might feel a little dizzy from your first space jump. If you feel nauseous, quickly use the vomit bags Krillin prepared!"
Lin Ye sat by the window, watching the Earth gradually shrink in his field of vision, transforming into a beautiful blue planet. The pendant on his chest warmed up again; this time, there was no system notification, only a warm stream of light spreading along his veins, as if responding to his anticipation.
"Ready?" Goku suddenly leaned in, his eyes sparkling. "They say there are flying whales in the Northern Galaxy, and also fruits that can turn you into a giant!"
"That's just something out of a fairy tale," Vegeta scoffed, but quietly tightened his seatbelt. "But you never know, you might encounter a formidable opponent."
The spaceship suddenly accelerated, and the starry sky outside the porthole transformed into a flowing ribbon of light. Lin Ye looked at his companions and suddenly understood the meaning of this adventure: what matters is never the destination, but the people who set off together.
The moment the spacecraft burst out of the solar system, the probe suddenly emitted a piercing alarm. The spacetime rift on the screen was widening, and within it, swirling nebulae and... a spaceship flying a black flag could be vaguely seen?
"What's that?" Gohan pointed at the screen, his eyes wide.
Frieza's detector suddenly jolted violently: "Interesting, the energy response of this ship...it's very similar to the fragments of the Order Keeper."
Lin Ye's silvery-white aura subtly ignited in his palm, a smile playing on his lips. It seemed a new adventure had begun ahead of schedule.
Chapter 321: The Boundary of Chaos
At the edge of the universe, a purple nebula flowed slowly like spilled ink, wisps of energy weaving into a net in the void. Lin Ye hovered in this desolate space, clutching half a fragment of creation tightly in his hand. The golden patterns flowing on the surface of the fragment resonated strangely with the spacetime rift in the distance, each resonance causing his arm to tingle slightly.
The scene from three days ago was still vivid in his mind. When he was pulled into this void by a mysterious force from the gunfire of the One Piece universe, the last image that lingered in his mind was the golden mark on Shanks' forehead when he took off his straw hat, a mark identical to the system emblem. That mark shimmered with an eerie light under the reflection of the gunfire, and it remains clearly imprinted in the depths of Lin Ye's memory to this day.
Fluctuations in the spacetime anchor point were detected, and the coordinates locked onto the chaotic boundary. Alice's holographic projection suddenly unfolded before Lin Ye, blue data streams leaping from her hair, forming beautiful arcs. According to the system logs left behind by the mirrored Lin Ye, this was a node where twelve cosmic energies converged, and also the final aggregation point of the fragments of creation.
Lin Ye's fingertips traced the edge of the fragment, where the dark purple energy from Blackbeard's fusion of the two Devil Fruits still lingered, cool and viscous to the touch. So, Shanks is also a system host? The brand on his forehead...
More accurately, the former host. Alice pulled up a fragmented video, in which a young Shanks was placing a straw hat on Luffy's head. In the shadow of the hat's brim, the blue light of the system panel flashed briefly. The log showed that he had actively detached himself from the system twenty years ago, but the imprint of the Genesis fragment remained forever within him.
The void suddenly trembled violently, as if the entire universe was shaking. Countless translucent shadows surged from the distant spacetime rifts—the remains of warriors from various universes, each with the same system interface inserted into their chest, the interface still bearing the marks of burns. Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply. One of the remains, clad in Saiyan armor, caught his attention. The scar on that remains's neck was identical to Vegeta's, making his heart tighten.
These are… Lin Ye’s voice trembled slightly; the scene before him was too horrifying.
A failed experiment swallowed by the system. Alice's projection flickered a few times, as if the signal was unstable. The gravity at the boundary of chaos will forcibly extract the energy of living beings; we have at most forty minutes left.
Lin Ye gripped the fragment tightly, his golden aura surging and forming a dazzling halo in the void. That was enough. He recalled the warning from the Mirror Lin Ye before he disappeared: trust was more deadly than a Devil Fruit... It seemed that in this dimension, even the dead could not rest in peace.
Before the words were even finished, the foremost wreckage suddenly opened its eyes, data flowing from its empty sockets with a hissing sound. Immediately afterward, all the shadows simultaneously raised their arms, unleashing a torrent of energy beams. Lin Ye dodged to the side, only to discover that these attacks automatically tracked him, their energy fluctuations strangely resonating with his own aura.
"It's because of the fragments of creation!" Alice shouted, her voice tinged with anxiety. The fragments were attracting the debris like a magnet attracting iron filings!
Lin Ye suddenly rushed into the depths of the rift, slamming the fragments hard against a protruding crystal. Golden patterns spread out like a spiderweb, deflecting the attacks of the debris upon contact with the crystal, instead shattering even more shadows behind them. Just as expected, a smile played on his lips as he looked at the ancient characters emerging from the crystal's surface. The rules here were different from any other universe; energy followed the law of attraction.
Just then, the crystal suddenly burst forth with a blinding red light, staining the entire void with an eerie hue. Lin Ye felt a familiar sense of oppression coming from behind, and as he turned around, his pupils suddenly contracted—Shanks' figure slowly emerged from the rift, his sword wreathed in energy of the same origin as the crystal, drawing dazzling streaks of light in the void.
Long time no see, outsider. Shanks' straw hat was pulled low, only his signature smile could be seen. It seems you're more at ease in the realm of chaos than I thought.
Lin Ye assumed a fighting stance, his muscles tense: You're here to steal the fragments too?
"Rob me?" Shanks chuckled, slicing through the incoming debris with a fluid, effortless movement. "I've come to give you a gift." He tossed a metal box, which spun through the air and flew towards Lin Ye. This was left behind by Captain Roger, said to be able to unlock the secrets of the fragments of creation.
The box unfurled in mid-air, revealing an ancient parchment scroll inside. As Lin Ye's fingertips touched the scroll, the fragments suddenly erupted with intense light, enveloping the two of them. Countless images flooded Lin Ye's mind like a tidal wave:
As Roger smiled on the execution platform, the system emblem that flashed across his sleeve was exactly the same as the one on his wrist.
During the final battle between Shanks and Blackbeard, the golden ripples created by the collision of their energies contained faint traces of system code.
The final shot focuses on a crowned figure embedding twelve fragments into a control panel, with countless collapsing universes in the background, each destruction accompanied by a piercing scream.
That's... Zeno? Lin Ye suddenly woke up, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He realized that Shanks' figure was gradually becoming transparent, as if it would disappear at any moment.
Strictly speaking, he was the first Zeno. Shanks' voice was heavier than ever before. His initial intention in creating the system was to repair the rifts in the multiverse. But later...
His words were abruptly cut short by a violent tremor, shaking the entire boundary of chaos. Crystals in the distance began to shatter, emitting a piercing sound. Blackbeard's maniacal laughter echoed from the depths of the rift, chillingly mad: Shanks, you really are here! Hand over the fragment, and we can cooperate like we did back then!
Shanks gave Lin Ye one last look, his gaze complex. His sword suddenly transformed into a data stream, merging with the fragments: Remember, the system is never the enemy; uncontrolled desire is. As his figure vanished completely, the parchment automatically opened, revealing the final line: When the twelve fragments unite, the chooser will decide the fate of all universes—reset, or rebirth.
Lin Ye gripped the fragment, now gleaming with new light, feeling the immense power it contained. He watched Blackbeard approach with countless pieces of debris, the eyes of those debris gleaming with greed. The gravity of the chaotic boundary grew stronger, and he could feel his energy being rapidly drained, yet his mind was clearer than ever before.
It seems the real game is just beginning. He gathered the fragments into his palm, and for the first time, a faint blue light mingled with the golden aura around him—the residual energy of Shanks' sword. The two energies intertwined, forming a new power. Let me see if the secret left behind by Captain Roger is truly worth risking my life for.
Blackbeard's dark purple energy had already enveloped the sky, like a giant net threatening to devour the entire boundary of chaos. Lin Ye, however, suddenly smiled, a smile filled with relief and determination. He recalled his experiences in various universes, his comrades-in-arms, and those unforgettable battles.
Blackbeard, do you think you can stop me with these remnants? Lin Ye's voice echoed in the void, carrying an undeniable power: You underestimate the power of the fragments of creation, and you underestimate me too much!
He abruptly raised his right hand, the power of the fragments surging within him. The surrounding void began to distort, and the debris that had been attacking him suddenly changed direction, charging towards Blackbeard. Their eyes were no longer empty streams of data, but burning with the flames of vengeance.
What?! Blackbeard's maniacal laughter abruptly stopped, his face contorted with disbelief. This couldn't be! How could these trash...?