I, Kizaru, only came to the chat group after I became invincible

Chapter 427 Ancient History
“So that means,” Robin understood his meaning, “that there must be a Devil Fruit user controlling all of this?”

“Very likely,” Borsalino continued his analysis. “And this ability user should be hiding somewhere in this space.”

"So if we find him, we can leave here?" Luffy asked excitedly.

“That’s how it is in theory,” Borsalino replied. “For most space-time Devil Fruit abilities, the user is the key.”

"Great!" Luffy immediately perked up. "Then let's go find him!"

“But…” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas was somewhat worried. “What if that ability user is very powerful? An ability user capable of creating such a vast space must be incredibly strong.”

"Who cares how strong he is!" Luffy said nonchalantly. "We have to get out of here, taking all these people with us!"

After discussion, they decided to split into several groups to search this mysterious space in search of any Devil Fruit users who might be hiding there.

“We need to develop a detailed search plan.” Nami took out a pen and paper and began to plan. “This area is vast; searching blindly will waste a lot of time.”

“And we also need to protect these survivors,” Chopper reminded them. “They’re not in good physical condition and can’t participate in the fight.”

“Then let’s gather them on the Thousand Sunny,” Sanji suggested. “It’s the safest place there.”

“Good idea,” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas agreed. “I’ll also leave some soldiers behind to protect them.”

“Everyone, remember, if you spot anyone suspicious, immediately contact the others via Den Den Mushi,” Nami reminded them. “Don’t act alone.”

“If it really is a powerful Devil Fruit user, we need to concentrate all our strength to deal with it,” Borsalino said seriously.

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

After the search began, each team set off in a different direction.

Luffy and Zoro arrived in the eastern part of the space, where some very ancient ships were gathered. Some of these ships even date back hundreds of years.

“These ships are really old,” Sauron observed a huge ancient warship. “The decorations are all in a classical style.”

"Looks amazing!" Luffy excitedly jumped onto the deck of the warship. "Maybe there's some treasure inside!"

"Luffy, we're here to find Devil Fruit users, not to search for treasure," the accompanying naval officer reminded him.

"Finding Devil Fruit users is fun too!" Luffy said nonchalantly. "Maybe he's hiding on one of these old ships!"

They searched each ancient ship meticulously. The ships were all remarkably well-preserved, and the furnishings inside were mostly intact, but they couldn't find a single person.

“Strange.” Zoro frowned. “Logically, to maintain such a large space, the Devil Fruit user should be in a relatively fixed location.”

"Maybe he can turn invisible?" Luffy naively guessed.

“If they were invisible, our Observation Haki should be able to detect them,” Zoro shook his head. “But I didn’t sense anyone’s presence.”

Meanwhile, Nami's team also failed to make any progress in the southern region.

“These ships all look quite ordinary,” Sanji observed the merchant ships and fishing boats around him. “Most of them are from the last few decades.”

"And everything is spotless." Chopper noticed a detail. "There's no sign of anyone having lived here."

“That’s really strange,” Nami said, equally puzzled. “If ability users really exist, they’d need a place to stay, right?”

They searched more than a dozen ships, but found nothing.

In the western region, Robin's team encountered a similar situation.

"These are mainly pirate ships," Robin analyzed the types of vessels. "Judging from their flags, there are several pirate crews from different eras."

“I’ve even heard of some of these pirate crews!” one of the Marines exclaimed in surprise. “That flag belongs to the ‘Steel Pirates,’ they disappeared ten years ago!”

"A pirate crew that disappeared ten years ago." Franky mused. "That means this space has existed for at least ten years."

“Maybe even older.” Brooke looked at an even older ship. “That ship over there looks at least twenty years old.”

Despite discovering these timelines, they still couldn't find any trace of the person with the ability.

In the northern region, the search for Borsalino and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas also encountered difficulties.

“I searched all the ships at the speed of light,” Borsalino reported. “No trace of any living people was found.”

"Could the ability user not be on the ship?" Lieutenant Colonel Thomas asked. "Perhaps somewhere else in space?"

Borsalino carefully observed the structure of the space. It appeared to be a vast circular area, surrounded by a transparent barrier. Apart from the floating ships, there was no land or buildings.

"If he's not on the ship, where could he be?" Borsalino wondered, puzzled.

The search lasted for more than two hours, but none of the teams found any trace of the ability user.

"This doesn't make sense!" Franky expressed his confusion through the Den Den Mushi. "There should be beings with special abilities here!"

"Could our speculation be wrong?" Nami asked. "Perhaps this space wasn't created by Devil Fruit powers?"

"Impossible." Borsalino insisted on his judgment. "There's no other explanation for this level of spatial manipulation except a Devil Fruit."

"Then why can't we find any ability users?" Sanji asked, puzzled.

Just when everyone was puzzled, a survivor provided an important clue.

“Um… excuse me,” a survivor from the merchant ship began timidly. “I just remembered something.”

"What is it?" Chopper asked gently.

“When we were first dragged into this space, we heard a voice,” the survivor recalled. “The voice said, ‘Welcome to my collection room.’”

“A collection room?” Luffy repeated the word.

“Yes. And the sound didn’t seem to be coming from any ship,” the survivor continued, recalling. “It came from…from the air.”

"In the air?" Everyone looked up at the sky above.

The top of the space was a gray sky, with neither sun nor clouds visible. But upon closer inspection, one could see that the "sky" seemed somewhat unnatural.

“Wait a minute.” Borsalino suddenly realized something. “We’ve been searching the ship, but we’ve never really looked closely at this space itself!”

“What do you mean?” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas asked.

"The ability users might not be hiding on a ship, but rather concealed within the structure of space!" Borsalino pointed upwards. "Like behind that fake sky!"

This discovery excited everyone.

"So how do we get up there?" Luffy asked eagerly.

“I can fly up there at the speed of light to scout,” Borsalino suggested.

“Be careful,” Nami said worriedly. “If someone with special abilities is there, it could be dangerous.” “Don’t worry, I’m just going to scout,” Borsalino reassured her.

He transformed into a ray of light and swiftly flew upwards into space. But as he approached that "sky," he encountered an obstacle.

“There’s an invisible barrier!” he reported through the Den Den Mushi. “I can’t penetrate it!”

“A barrier?” Robin pondered. “That certainly proves there’s something up there.”

“I’ll try to see if I can break the barrier.” Borsalino prepared to launch an attack.

"The Eight-Foot Jade Ornament!"

Numerous light projectiles were fired at the barrier, but they were all deflected without causing any damage.

"Attack ineffective." Borsalino returned somewhat disappointed. "That barrier is very strong."

"Then what should we do?" Usopp asked.

Just when everyone was in trouble, the survivor who provided the clue remembered something.

"That's right!" he suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "I remember that voice saying something else!"

"What did you say?" Everyone listened intently.

“He said, ‘Only those who pass the trial can see me,’” the survivor struggled to recall. “The trial is on the oldest ship.”

"The oldest ship?" Luffy immediately became interested. "Where is it?"

Borsalino quickly recalled what he had seen during the search.

“There’s a very old ship in the northeast corner,” he said. “Judging from its style, it’s at least several hundred years old.”

"That's it!" Luffy clapped his hands excitedly. "Let's go take a look!"

“But be careful,” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas cautioned. “Since it’s a trial, there will definitely be dangers.”

"It's okay!" Luffy grinned. "Danger is what makes it fun!"

Everyone regrouped and headed toward the oldest ship.

It was a massive ancient warship, its hull carved with intricate patterns and mysterious symbols. The entire ship exuded an ancient and enigmatic aura.

“What a magnificent ship!” Franky exclaimed. “This craftsmanship has been lost to time!”

“The symbols on it,” Robin examined the carvings on the hull closely. “They’re ancient script!”

"Can you read it?" Nami asked.

“I’ll try,” Robin said, concentrating on deciphering the symbols. “It says here, ‘Welcome to the realm of the eternal collector.’”

"The Eternal Collector?" Everyone repeated this title.

“Looks like we’ve found the right place,” Borsalino said. “Let’s get ready to board.”

Just as they were about to board the ancient warship, the symbols on the hull suddenly began to glow, emitting a soft blue light.

"The symbol is glowing!" Chopper exclaimed, pointing to the ship in surprise.

"It seems the trial is about to begin." Zoro gripped his sword hilt tightly. "Everyone, get ready."

As the light grew brighter, a deep, ancient voice echoed through the space:

"Welcome, brave adventurers! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Although the voice did not reveal age or gender, it carried an unfathomable sense of mystery.

"Are you the owner of this space?" Luffy asked loudly.

“Yes, I am the Eternal Collector,” the voice replied. “This is where I collect precious ships.”

"Collect ships?" Lieutenant Colonel Thomas demanded angrily. "You've trapped innocent people here!"

"Trapped? No, no, no." The voice chuckled softly. "I have merely given them an eternal resting place. In my collection, they will never again face the pain of the outside world."

"This is not rest, this is imprisonment!" Nami said angrily.

"Imprisonment, rest—these are merely different perspectives." The voice remained calm. "However, now that you have come here and defeated my guardians, I believe you are qualified to undergo the trial."

"What trial?" Borsalino asked warily.

"If you pass the trial, I will tell you how to leave this place," the voice stated its condition. "But if you fail, you will remain here forever, becoming part of my collection."

"We accept!" Luffy agreed without hesitation.

"Luffy!" Nami quickly stopped him. "Don't agree so easily! We don't know what the trial will entail yet!"

But the ancient warships had begun to change. The symbols on the hull grew brighter and brighter, and the entire ship began to slowly rise, eventually hovering in mid-air.

"The trial is about to begin," the voice announced. "Step aboard my ship and confront the deepest fears and desires within your hearts. Only truly pure hearts can pass the test."

"That sounds interesting!" Luffy excitedly prepared to jump onto the hovering warship.

"Wait!" Lieutenant Colonel Thomas tried to stop him, but it was too late.

A beam of light enveloped everyone, and the next moment, they found themselves standing on the deck of an ancient warship.

Standing on the deck of the ancient warship, everyone felt a sense of oppressive mystery. The symbols on the hull were still glowing, and ancient, mysterious energy permeated the air.

"The trial is about to begin." The voice that called itself the Eternal Collector rang out again, carrying an air of supreme authority. "You will confront your deepest fears, and only those with pure hearts can pass the test."

As the sound rang out, strange phenomena began to occur on the deck. Complex magic circle patterns appeared on the ground, emitting an eerie purple light.

"What...what is this?" Chopper asked nervously, hiding behind Nami.

“It looks like some kind of ritual,” Robin observed the patterns. “These symbols have a very ancient history.”

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas and his men also appeared quite tense. Such a supernatural phenomenon was indeed difficult for a navy accustomed to conventional combat to handle.

"Be careful, everyone!" Lieutenant Colonel Thomas warned his men. "We don't know what might happen!"

Zoro, though outwardly calm, gripped his sword hilt tightly. Sanji lit a cigarette, trying to hide his inner tension. Franky and Usopp huddled together, their eyes darting anxiously around them.

“Now, let us see what your hearts truly are.” The Eternal Collector’s voice grew deeper. “The first trial—the Mirror of Fear!”

Suddenly, the magic circle on the deck burst forth with intense light, and a huge mirror rose from the ground. The surface of the mirror shimmered and rippled like water.

(End of this chapter)