RNP Chapter 74 The Trial Spoken by the Smoke Mirror
Chapter 74 The Trial Spoken by the Smoke Mirror
hum! ! !
An indescribable, conceptual shock swept across the entire battlefield.
Time, as if a flying insect had been thrown into sticky amber, suddenly slowed down and stood still.
The burning flames solidified into leaping golden-red sculptures, while splashing lava droplets hovered in mid-air.
The black-bearded man's ferocious smile froze, the raging fire in Akainu's eyes seemed to freeze like magma, and the vengeful flames dancing on the Earl's fingertips also stopped flickering.
Only consciousness continues to flow.
In the center of the battlefield, the figures of Ace and Karna, who were about to be swallowed up, began to become blurry and distorted.
Karna's golden pupils contracted sharply as he sensed the force that forcibly rewrote the rules of space.
This power is vast and profound, carrying the aura of primordial chaos, and is far beyond the reach of ordinary magic or magical artifacts.
He tried to grip the Undying Blade tightly, but found that his arm movements had become incredibly heavy and sluggish.
Ace's struggling will still roared, but the excruciating pain in his body and the feeling of power slipping away were replaced by a strange sense of being stripped away, as if his soul was being gently drawn from his body.
"What...?!" Akainu exclaimed in surprise. He felt his proud lava being suppressed by an invisible force, making even his elemental transformation difficult.
The smile on the black-bearded man's face vanished completely, replaced by incredulous horror.
It felt like an aura very similar to darkness, but the dark vortex in his palm trembled violently as if it had encountered a natural enemy, almost collapsing.
The count behind him, whose eyes had been as cold as ice for millennia, showed a sudden, intense fluctuation, as if he had seen something beyond his revenge script.
Arjuna's hand, which was drawing the bow, came to a complete halt. The strange change in space was reflected in his deep, star-like eyes, and his brows furrowed deeply.
"This is...the realm of the gods?"
In the next instant, the distortion of space reached its peak!
Ace and Karna vanished from their spot in an instant, like a shattered mirror.
Along with the small space they were in, it seemed as if an invisible giant hand had forcibly "dug" it away from the battlefield.
Boom!!!
The frozen torrent of time surges forth once more!
Akainu's "Hound of the Underworld" and the Earl's "Tiger, Blazing Fire!" crashed heavily into the spot where Ace and Karna had been standing!
The earth was torn open by violent energy, creating a huge, scorched crater where lava flowed and resentful flames raged.
The terrifying shockwave flattened everything around it once again.
However, the target is no longer there.
"You bastard!!!"
Akainu's roar echoed through the sky, and magma erupted uncontrollably from his body. The cooked duck flew away! Even with such absolute advantage!
"Gone...gone?!" The black-bearded man's eyes widened, his palms churning with dark resentment.
"Who is it?! A sand crocodile?! No... this power..."
Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he developed a deeper sense of apprehension and suspicion towards his ally, Crocodile, and the heroic spirit he had summoned.
He originally intended to take advantage of the situation when the Navy and Karna were both weakened, then join forces with Crocodile to clean up the mess, and even... if possible... seize Karna and then Arjuna!
But now, the situation is completely out of control.
The count slowly lowered his hand, looking at the scorch marks left by his vengeful fire, his eyes cold and solemn.
"Space... has been forcibly interfered with by a higher level of power. The caster's status is immeasurable."
Arjuna silently gazed at the desolate, scorched earth, then looked up into the depths of the rainforest, his expression complex.
The unfair duel was interrupted, but he felt inexplicably... relieved.
Then I was enveloped by an even deeper sense of destiny.
Meanwhile, deep in the rainforest, in a completely different area.
The air rippled like water as Ace and Karna appeared out of thin air, staggering as they regained their footing.
"Cough! Cough cough!" Ace coughed violently. The double impact of being swallowed by darkness and teleported had left him in excruciating pain, and his hat was soaked with cold sweat.
He immediately looked to his side: "Little Sun? How are you?"
Karna's golden armor still shone brightly, but his breathing was slightly rapid.
He quickly scanned his surroundings, and only after confirming that there were no enemies did he shake his head slightly.
"It's alright, Master. The spatial transfer did not cause any physical damage. It was due to some powerful external intervention."
"External force? Who?" Ace clutched his chest, looking around warily.
This is still a dense rainforest where the sun never shines, but the vegetation seems slightly different from before, and the sweet, cloying scent of pollen in the air seems to have faded a bit.
Just as the two were filled with doubt and uncertainty, a deep voice, as if coming from the depths of the earth, resounded directly in their minds.
"Trials require courage as fuel and justice as the measure."
"This farce of outnumbering the weak is utterly boring."
The voice carried an ancient divinity, leaving no room for doubt.
Ace and Karna looked up abruptly and saw that space was slightly distorted in the shadow of a huge ancient tree in front of them.
A figure slowly coalesced into shape.
It is Tescatlipoca!
He was still draped in that colorful feather cloak symbolizing the sky and the earth, and an obsidian mask covered his face, revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as the universe.
He simply stood there, and the surrounding rainforest seemed to hold its breath; the vines stopped growing, the chirping of insects vanished instantly, and even the wind became cautious.
At this moment, he is not standing on the side of Crocodile's servant, but on the side of maintaining fairness as the God of Struggle.
"Who are you?" Ace had no idea that this was the culprit behind Alabasta's ecosystem, the spirit of the Sand Crocodile!
But he subconsciously clenched his fists, his heart filled with apprehension as he thought of the terrifying spatial power he had just witnessed.
Karna bowed slightly, performing an ancient and solemn gesture.
"The great Tescatlipoca." He recognized the essence of this deity; it was no ordinary servant.
Smoke Mirror's gaze first fell on Karna, with a hint of... appreciation.
"Child of the Sun, Karna." The voice of the Smoke Mirror echoed directly in their consciousness.
"Your courage to sacrifice your own safety to protect your Master is like the flames burning on an altar, pure and intense."
"This is a worthy 'sacrifice,' deserving of a 'fair' trial as a reward."
His gaze shifted to Ace, his eyes seemingly able to penetrate Ace's soul, seeing through all the confusion, anger, and self-doubt in Ace's heart.
"And you, Portgas D. Ace..."
"The gap in power, the helplessness in the face, the doubts about existence... this confusion itself is your testing ground."
"Before the real storm arrives, think, struggle, and prove the 'weight' of your existence."
Smoke Mirror's gaze seemed to pierce through layers of smoke, finally landing in the direction of Akainu, Blackbeard, and the others, his eyes becoming intriguing.
"Their trial is not yet ready."
"I am the mirror of change, the one who tests destiny, not entirely a servant of Shakrodall."
As soon as he finished speaking, the figure in the Smoke Mirror vanished like smoke, leaving only a last meaningful sentence echoing in their minds.
"Remember, life is a continuous process of overcoming trials."
"We look forward to seeing an even more interesting performance from you on the final stage."
As the smoke projection completely disappeared, the "frozen" feeling in the surrounding rainforest dissipated, the chirping of insects returned, and the wind rustled through the leaves. It was as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream.
But Ace knew that it wasn't a dream.
He collapsed to one knee, utterly exhausted, breathing heavily. The relief of surviving the ordeal brought no joy, but rather a profound weariness and a deeper sense of bewilderment.
"Trials...the weight of existence..." Ace murmured to himself.
The words Arjuna had spoken to Karna echoed uncontrollably in his mind: "Your existence is still an error."
These words were like a cold thorn, piercing deep into Ace's heart.
Roger's bloodline... Gol D. Roger... the man the World Government called the "source of evil"...
Was my birth a mistake from the very beginning?
If it weren't for me, my mother wouldn't have died, and perhaps Sabo wouldn't have...
Without me, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't have participated in this incredibly dangerous war, and Whitebeard wouldn't have been dragged into the vortex...
He looked at his hands, which were trembling slightly from exhaustion and intense pain.
Just now, facing Akainu, facing Blackbeard, facing those deadly attacks... he tried his best, but he was still like a small boat in a storm, powerless to control his own destiny, and almost dragged Karna down with him.
Should I really not have been born into this world?