[Note:
" * " : Indicates abilities that can be upgraded with practice, experience, or unique opportunities.]
> System inner voice ["speaking"] <
> Ash inner speech "speaking" <
{}
The sun still hung lazily in the sky, casting golden rays across the crumbling stone steps as Ash and the girls stepped out of the temple. A soft breeze whispered through the trees, rustling the canopy above in a gentle rhythm.
Ash led the group along a moss-covered trail that branched off to the right.
"Come on, let's go. This way — follow me," he called over his shoulder, a mysterious smile tugging at his lips.
Uta skipped up beside him, eyes gleaming. "Ash, where are we going?" He chuckled. "If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"
Uta huffed but smiled, slipping her hand into his as she walked beside him. "Fine. But it better be good."
Behind them, laughter broke out when Lucy started teasing Ace for something. She suddenly darted ahead, dodging side to side, calling back with a playful grin as Ace gave chase after getting irritated.
"Too slow, Ace! You'll never catch me at this pace!" she laughed, sticking out her tongue and slapping her butt teasingly in Ace's direction.
Ace narrowed her eyes, grinning. "Oh, you're asking for it now." And with that, she sprinted after her.
Their game of chase lasted a few minutes—Lucy weaving through the overgrowth, Ace close behind. The group continued along the path, the sound of giggles, teasing, and mock taunts echoing through the jungle.
Ash laughed along with the rest, soaking in the brief moment of carefree joy. But then, his smile dropped. His voice sharpened.
"Lucy! Ace! Wait, There's—!"
Too late.
Lucy charged ahead one last time with a loud laugh—just before she slammed face-first into something invisible with a loud thud. Her body froze mid-sprint before crumpling dramatically, sticking awkwardly against the unseen surface like a lizard.
"U-Urrmph!"
Ace skidded to a halt behind her, eyes wide. "What the—?!"
A sudden shimmer flickered across the air as the impact revealed a faint, glowing blue barrier where Lucy had hit. It spread upward like a ripple, outlining a wall that hadn't been visible just moments ago.
The rest of the group stopped in shock, watching Lucy slide down the forcefield and flop onto her butt with a groan.
Ash sighed, walking toward her. "— a forcefield up ahead…" he muttered.
Lucy grumbled, rubbing her nose. Ash offered her a hand, trying not to laugh. "You, okay?"
Lucy pouted as she took it. "Why is there a stupid invisible wall?! It came out of nowhere!"
Ash snorted. "It was already there, you idiot. Just… no one noticed it. You'd have to really check carefully to see it."
He stepped forward, placing his hand against the now-visible wall. The space beyond it was shrouded in thick fog, completely obscuring whatever lay on the other side.
The girls stepped forward, gathering around Ash as they stared at the invisible wall now faintly shimmering in the sunlight. One by one, they reached out and touched it, their hands meeting the unseen barrier.
Nojiko turned to Ash, brows raised. "You said… forcefield?"
Ash nodded, then tilted his head. "Yeah. But before that—did any of you notice how much of this island was covered in fog while we were falling down?"
Nami stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You idiot—you had time to observe that while we were falling?!"
Ash burst out laughing, and the others chuckled along with him. Selena crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Actually… yeah. I did notice."
Nami sputtered. "What?! Really?! You too?!"
Ash grinned, shrugging. "Well, at least someone was paying attention."
He walked closer to the shimmering surface and continued, "Anyway… we found the temple, cleared the trials, after getting the key. You all saw how that thing dumped a lot of info straight into my brain, right?"
The group nodded, still curious.
"Well, just now—it happened again. Another bloody info dump without warning again," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "This time, it showed me this—something beyond this invisible wall. It called it a forcefield… apparently, it's some kind of lost technology from void century."
In his mind, Ash added silently: "Though, it didn't say forcefield. Just said 'invisible energy barrier' or something… I just called it that cause of all those sci-fi shows back home called it. It seems similar so I went with it."
Just as he was about to speak further, the key hanging from his neck suddenly began to glow. It floated up from his neck, shimmering in the air, and slowly moved toward the wall.
The forcefield shimmered again—this time revealing a small key-shaped slot carved directly into the glowing barrier.
With a quiet hum, the key aligned perfectly and inserted itself.
The forcefield pulsed. Then, with a sound like air being released and glass rippling, the barrier shimmered and parted, forming a door-like opening.
Everyone froze in surprise—even Ash.
A sudden gust of wind blasted outward from within, ruffling their hair and clothes. The thick mist began to clear from inside the hidden space.
And then… a building emerged.
It looked nothing like the ruins around them. No vines, no moss. Smooth, sleek, and made of strange materials—almost futuristic in design.
Ash stared, wide-eyed. "Well… that's new."
The key, now done with its work, ricocheted back from the slot like a bullet.
Ash caught it mid-air with his sharp reflexes—but the moment his fingers closed around it, he winced, clutching his head.
"Ghh—damn it... again?!" he grunted, staggering slightly.
"Ash! You, okay?!" Ace called out, stepping forward with the others.
Ash growled at the key, holding it up in front of him. "Oyy, you bloody thing! Stop force-dumping into my head every damn time!"
Ace blinked. "Wait… another info dump?"
Ash shook his head as the headache began to fade. "Yeah. Bloody thing did it again."
Selena tilted her head, arms crossed. "So? What did you get this time?"
Ash sighed, still rubbing his temples. "Well… other than the temple, turns out this island has four labs—called Nexus Laboratories. But… I only got the data for this one."
He stepped forward into the newly unsealed gap in the force field. The girls followed closely—and the moment they all passed through, the gap sealed behind them.
Ash turned his head slightly as he took in the large compound ahead. The building was massive, and if what the key had shown him was real… it could be a game-changer for them.
Without looking back, he continued to walk toward the door of the building. Inserting the key again into the keyhole, he gave it a push with a grunt as the door creaked open.
Then, stepping inside the compound, Ash turned and walked backward with his hands wide, facing the girls—just as the lights came alive with an echoing hum from deep inside the building, illuminating the dark interior behind him.
"…Girls. Welcome to the Echo Nexus."
Ash turned back and walked inside, a grin tugging at his lips. "Come on. Let me show you girls around. And Lucy—don't go wandering off. We don't want to have to come searching for you," he added with a smirk.
Selena gave a light chuckle. "Don't worry. I won't let her out of my sight," she said, holding Lucy by the arm.
Lucy pouted. "Hey, don't mock me, you guys. I'm not that bad." All of them just gave her a look— "As if we'd believe you."
Ash turned ahead, and the girls followed as he began walking deeper into the lab.
The inside of the lab was like something out of another world.
The walls were made entirely of sleek metal, with panels of glass in between—not a single screw or bolt visible. Every few seconds, a colorful line of light pulsed through them—like energy flowing, mimicking the rhythm of blood running through veins.
Crystals of different shapes floated near the top corners of the walls, casting soft illumination across the corridor. Glass tubes stood in neat rows along the hallway, each filled with glowing, swirling liquid.
After a couple of minutes of walking, Ash suddenly stopped, making the girls halt as well. Before they could ask anything, he tapped the side walls to his right and left. With a silent whoosh, doors slid open—revealing hovering boards, floating scooter-like vehicles, and even sleek hovering chairs.
"Come on, pick whatever you like," Ash said casually.
Nojiko tilted her head, reaching for one of the scooters and inspecting. "What are these?"
"It's a mode of transportation for us to use inside the lab to move around," Ash explained. "There are no wheels because they float. Once you get on, you just have to think about where you want to go—it'll respond on its own."
The girls looked amazed.
Lucy, her eyes sparkling with excitement, said, "Sugoi! I want to try it!" and grabbed a hoverboard first, trying to stand on it—only to fall. "Ow… I don't like this!"
She quickly switched to a scooter, but fell again. "Why can't I get on it?!"
Ash chuckled. "Lucy, just come ride with me."
He brought two hoverboards together—within seconds, they automatically attached together as one unit.
Lucy grumbled, "Tch, but Ash, I wanted to ride one myself…" but still clung to Ash's waist as she stood behind him on the board, pouting.
The others smiled at the sight. Nami and Uta each took a scooter, Selena picked a hoverboard like Ash, while Nojiko and Ace chose the hoverchairs. It took some time to get the hang of it, but eventually everyone managed—except Lucy, who stayed latched onto Ash.
Ash glanced back, laughing. "Don't worry, Lucy. I'll teach you later."
Lucy's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Ash nodded. "You're the best, Ash!" she beamed, hugging him tighter. The girls, now all floating behind him, laughed at the sight while Ash simply shook his head.
Uta let out a breath of disbelief. "Wow... Ash, when you used to say the Ancient Kingdom might've been more advanced, I didn't know you meant this advanced. Looking at this… I can't help but believe you now. And it's shocking... how such a rich history just vanished."
Ash hovered forward, "Well, even I didn't expect it to be this advanced. But yeah. You're right. Just think—how much has been buried... or erased. The dark times of the Void Century. And this," he gestured to the glowing halls around them, "is only part of it."
Nami hovered a bit closer, her voice curious. "So, Ash… where are we going?"
Ash looked over his shoulder at the girls trailing behind, grinning slightly. "Well, just a few more minutes. I'll let you see it for yourselves."
Finally, after gliding down the corridor for a few more minutes, they came to a stop in front of a wide sliding door. Above it, glowing text shimmered on a screen—written in a strange, ancient-looking language none of the girls could recognize.
Ash stared at it for a moment. He couldn't read it either… but something about the script felt oddly familiar.
"These symbols… they look a lot like the characters etched on the Poneglyphs," he thought, furrowing his brow. "Is this the ancient language? Kodai Moji... from the Void Century?"
Before he could dwell on it further, the door slid open with a silent swish.
They hovered into a large chamber that immediately made them pause in awe.
The walls gleamed like polished glass and silver metal, softly humming with energy. In the center of the room stood a massive glowing crystal orb—its surface pulsing faintly, as if alive, stretching up toward the ceiling.
From it, cables extended like nerves, connecting to two sleek, enclosed beds—transparent chambers just large enough to hold a person in each.
On the other side of the chamber, facing both pods, was a raised platform accessible by stairs. It was sealed behind another layer of glass, resembling an observation deck.
"…Whoa," they all muttered at once.
Everyone stepped off their hover devices, which floated away on their own and smoothly docked themselves into the chamber walls—as if they knew that they were no longer needed for now.
For the next few minutes, the group silently explored, eyes wide with wonder. Ash remained near the center, waiting for them to finish looking around.
Finally, Ace broke the silence—the question on everyone's mind, except for Lucy, who was too busy gawking to care about the details.
"Ash… what is this place?"
Ash stepped forward. "This… is the Memory Transfer and Storage Chamber. One of the sectors inside Echo Nexus."
The girls turned to him, listening closely. "It's basically kind of a neural-link system," he began.
Seeing their puzzled faces, he chuckled. "Alright, in simpler terms—those two beds?" He pointed toward the pods. "They can transfer memories from one person to another. Or store them inside that crystal core." He gestured to the massive glowing orb.
"Combat skills, languages, medical knowledge… even personal experiences and memories. Anything and everything in your mind. All of it can be shared, received, or stored using this chamber."
He nodded toward the platform behind the glass. "That's the observation deck. From there, one can manage and oversee the process—monitor memory transfers, select which memories to extract, receive, or store."
Selena raised an eyebrow. "Wait... so if you mastered something—say, a skill—you could just pass that knowledge to us?"
"To a degree, yeah," Ash said. "It won't make someone a master overnight—but it drastically cuts down the time needed to learn. You still have to train to truly master the skill. But you'll feel the emotions behind the memory, understand how the person thought… You get insight from their perspective."
Ace folded her arms. "Sounds too good. There must be some restrictions."
Ash nodded. "There are. Each person can only send memories three times a month, and receive them twice. After receiving, your mind needs a few days to adjust—you can't send anything right after."
He continued, "Also, the one giving the memory keeps everything—they don't lose what they shared. The receiver gets an emotional echo of the experience. But it won't overwrite your personality or change who you are. It just expands your view, in the sender's perspective."
After the explanation, they made their way to the observation room. The glass wall slid open automatically, allowing them inside. More glowing keys and interfaces greeted them—again, all in that same unknown language.
Selena frowned. "How can we operate this if we can't even read it?"
"Don't worry," Ash replied. "I'll ask Celeste if she has something to help us understand."
Then, to himself, he thought, "Or maybe the shop has something… a translator, or a skill—something that can help us read and understand the ancient language."
They continued exploring the chamber for a while longer.
Eventually, Nami turned to Ash. "So? What else is in this lab? You clearly said this is one of the sectors. So, there must be other sectors."
Ash shook his head. "You're right. There's more. Come on—it's nearby."
They exited the chamber and continued on foot. After a few turns and a couple of minutes, they arrived at another sliding door. This one also had a glowing screen above it, with a similar type of text—but this time, there was a second screen beside the door.
It displayed a timer: 00:00:00 — not counting down or up, just… there.
The door slid open as they approached, and they stepped inside.
As the group stepped inside, they noticed chamber was circular, with smooth metal walls curving up into a high domed ceiling. Faint blue-white lines pulsed gently overhead, casting a cool glow across the room.
In the center stood a tall, clear glass tube rising from a circular platform—completely empty. Above it, a metallic ring held two mechanical arms, each ending in a sharp, three-pronged claw. The arms were mounted directly to the structure as if designed to rotate around it.
A separate glass cylinder was held beside the main structure, supported by a holder from below and connected at the top by a thin pipe to the glass chamber.
A sliding glass box was built into the lower metal section of the structure, its surface partially exposed as if it could slide in and out.
At the base, a small glass vial was fixed to the end of a short pipe coming from the apparatus—hanging slightly, but locked in place like it was waiting to be filled.
In front stood a sleek pedestal. On top of it was a screen, and beside it, a keyhole just beside it.
Ash said, "Well girls, this chamber is the solution we've been searching for—a way to have more than one Devil Fruit. The one Celeste clued us about. This chamber is called the Soul Catalyst Chamber, and it's used to create an elixir called the Soul Elixir."
Uta's eyes sparkled. "Does that mean I can eat the Devil Fruit I got soon?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. You're really in luck, Uta. I thought we'd have to wait a long time to find a way to take on more than one Devil Fruit—until I got to know about this. But before we can use it, we need a few things. To activate the chamber, we already have the key," he said, holding it up.
"And to create the elixir, the apparatus needs three ingredients: about a liter of any Sea King's blood, any type of Devil Fruit, and a pint of blood from the person who's going to drink the elixir. That last part links the elixir to that person—so no one else can use it."
He pointed to the glass tube at the side. "The Sea King's blood goes into that glass cylinder. It's removable, so we can carry it easily. The Devil Fruit is placed inside that sliding glass box near the base."
Then he tapped the pedestal. "Once activated, a small pin comes out of here to collect the user's blood. That's the final step before the elixir begins synthesizing."
"Another benefit of the Soul Elixir," Ash added, "is that it strengthens the user's soul. That indirectly boosts all three types of Haki—especially Conqueror's Haki—making it develop faster and become more refined than rest."
Selena stepped closer to the glass structure, her voice quiet with wonder. "Wow… that's more than we could've hoped for. And to think the Ancient Kingdom already discovered something like this… a Soul Elixir. It's hard to believe, Ash. Do you think we'll find more lost knowledge on this island?"
Ash shrugged. "Well, I don't know about that yet. But I can tell you this—once a specific number of people complete the trial, other parts of the island—just like this Echo Nexus lab—should unlock too. Maybe what you're hoping for will be in one of them. Who knows?"
He turned and waved. "Come on. There's still one more chamber. Nothing else important here apart from this."
He started walking in another direction after coming out of the chamber, following the memories he'd received earlier.
After a few more minutes of walking through the winding corridors of the lab, Ash came to a stop with the rest in front of another large circular door.
This time, the entrance remained shut—but above it stretched a wide horizontal screen built into the wall. Glowing softly, it displayed a list of empty slots, names, and stat categories—each marked with '--', waiting to be filled.
Ash raised a hand, motioning the others to stop. "Alright, this one's the last sector of the Echo Nexus lab—and it's a bit different from the other two," he said, stepping aside so everyone could see clearly.
"This is the Assessment Chamber. It's designed to test every physical and combat attribute of a person and push them to their absolute limits."
The girls leaned in, examining the screen as its faint light pulsed—lines for strength, endurance, speed, reflex, and more scrolled across the display.
Ash continued, "Once the door opens, the assessment begins automatically. The person who enters is sealed inside until the entire test ends. No one can leave or enter during that time."
Ace crossed her arms, raising a brow. "So, it measures how strong we are?"
Ash nodded. "And a lot more. It doesn't just test strength—it evaluates speed, endurance, reflexes, gravity resistance, senses, and even combat instinct. The system creates intense simulations for each trait. You'll be running, dodging, fighting… the whole room becomes your opponent."
Selena tilted her head thoughtfully. "So, it's kind of like the Devil Fruit trial… except this one gives a proper assessment of our strength."
"Exactly," Ash confirmed. "It pushes you to the edge, but it's completely safe. When it's over, you get a full breakdown—your scores, your potential, and what you need to work on."
He pointed to the glowing screen. "The total score is out of 100,000. Based on that, it even ranks you."
Ace's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can we try it now?"
Ash shook his head slightly. "Not now, Ace. We just finished the Devil Fruit trial—we need rest. Besides this chamber isn't going anywhere. Plus, it has no usage limit, so we can come back whenever we want. And hey—once we all try it, we'll get to see who's the strongest."
Ace grinned with competitive spirit. "Fine, but I'm definitely gonna top that board."
Lucy smirked. "Tch, please. You couldn't even catch me back there. Obviously, my score's gonna blow yours away."
A metaphorical emotional damage arrow struck Ace square in the chest. She twitched.
"You little brat!" she roared, lunging at Lucy.
"Wha—?! What did I say?!" Lucy yelped, trying to run—but Ace had already caught her in a headlock.
"Take this! And that! You rubber gremlin!"
"Aah! Ace, you meathead! Aah! My eyes! Let gooo!"
Within seconds, a full-blown shuffle broke out—arms flailing, legs kicking, a puff of smoke rising as the two girls spun into a chaotic tangle.
Ash sighed and stepped in to break it up. "Alright, alright, that's enough, you tw—!"
A rogue elbow slammed into his side, and he was instantly pulled into the fray.
"—Wait, hey—! I'm not part of—!" THUMP.
More struggling. More yelling. Another puff of smoke.
The others stood there, deadpan, as the dust cloud bounced a few feet down the corridor.
Nami groaned. "Sigh... Can't they behave for one second?"
She stormed up to them and, with three swift punches, bonked both Ace and Lucy on the head and even Ash.
"Get it together, you idiots."
"OW!"
Ash groaned, holding his head. "Nami! What did I do? I was trying to stop those two!"
Nami shrugged. "Just felt like it."
Ash twitched. "You witch..." he muttered.
"What was that?" Nami narrowed her eyes.
"N-Nothing, my dear Nami! I was saying you look good when you're angry!"
Nami turned slightly pink. "Tch... Sleek-tongued bastard."
Selena, trying to steer the conversation away, asked, "Ash, is there anything else left to see?"
Ash, rubbing the bump on his head, shook his head. "No. For the rest of the island to become accessible, more people need to complete the trial and earn their Devil Fruits."
Selena crossed her arms. "So... how exactly do we get out of here? We are under the sea, remember? We can't just keep coming and going the same way, right?"
The group paused, suddenly realizing the problem.
Ash raised a brow. "Oh, come on. Did you all forget? We do have the portable suitcase. But there's another option." He held up the key. "This key seems to have another function. If I twist it in the air and think of a place I've been to before, it opens a portal. So yeah—I can get us out anytime and bring us back too."
Everyone sighed in relief.
Ash grinned. "So... shall we go now? I don't even know how long we've been down here."
"Nojiko," he asked, "is the mimic still active?"
Nojiko closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. Right now, it's tending the orange garden. The Fishmen haven't noticed anything. But from what I can tell, it has about ten days left before it deactivates."
Ash nodded. "Alright then. First, we'll go back to Foosha Village and rest for a couple of days. We'll eat our Devil Fruits, and Lucy will take her elixir."
He turned to Uta. "Not you though. You'll have to wait until we make the Soul Elixir first."
Uta pouted but nodded.
"Nami, Nojiko," Ash said, "you two need to focus on mastering your Devil Fruits to some extent at least while we're at the village."
Both nodded firmly.
Ash clapped his hands cheerily. "Okay then! Shall we head back?"
Lucy beamed. "Yosh! I can't wait to go!"
Ash raised the key, twisting it in the air. A black, swirling crack opened in space, forming a dark portal before them.
"Shall we?" he grinned and stepped through.
One by one, the others followed him—and just like that, all seven disappeared into the portal, which sealed shut behind them.
Silence returned to the lab and the island once more.
To be continued...
Hey everyone! I'm always looking for ways to make this story even better, and I'd love to hear your ideas. What powers do you think should be available in Ash's store? Maybe you have some cool concepts for abilities, weapons, or items that could make the adventure even more exciting!
Feel free to drop your suggestions in the comments, and if there's anything specific, you'd love to see in future chapters, let me know! I might even integrate your ideas into the story.
Also, don't forget to give some Power Stones if you're enjoying the journey! Your support means the world. 😊