World-shaking turmoil erupted in that very moment!
Endless willpower surged out from the Solar Crystal like a Pandora's blind box that had been opened, spreading misfortune and disaster across the entire Blue Planet.
Without the Solar Crystal's restraint, willpower began returning to its most primitive form. Based on differing desires, it transformed into different kinds of power and affected every corner of the world.
And the vast majority of these chaotic effects brought only malignant consequences to the world.
The humans who were being squeezed dry as slaves naturally had no idea what was happening in the upper world. They only knew that their lives had become even worse, so terrible that survival itself grew difficult.
And so, one after another, they prayed for the "Sun God" they believed in to descend and save them from their suffering.
But these pitiful people still did not know that the "Sun God" of this era had already become utterly disappointed in humanity—and was filled with boundless rage toward them.
After learning that humans had touched the Solar Crystal, the Lunarian race erupted with unprecedented fury.
Countless Lunarian powerhouses returned from all over the world to their divine court.
Fortunately, the humans who had touched the taboo had yet to fully grasp the Solar Crystal's use and power, allowing the Lunarian powerhouses to swiftly kill them with supreme might.
But the Solar Crystal's rampage would not vanish because of that.
The willpower accumulated over countless ages was on the verge of being wasted in one fell swoop. At the same time, it heralded the Solar Crystal's first-ever depletion.
Filled with rage and disappointment toward humanity, the Lunarians followed the momentum and released all of the willpower.
They would punish humanity for its ignorance and reckless audacity.
In an instant, terrifying earthquakes tore the land apart. Continental plates began shifting and splitting, causing countless living beings across the earth to be swallowed by darkness and death.
Taking advantage of the rampaging power within the Solar Crystal, they transformed the very planet they lived on.
Along with that, a towering wall the color of flames rose from the center of the world. From that moment on, it split the world in two, forming a true land where gods dwelled, looking down upon the lower world from on high.
The Lunarians, who could no longer trust humanity, reclaimed their divine authority and decided that humans would never again be allowed to possess high-ranking status in the kingdom of gods.
Humans who had committed unforgivable sins were only fit to become nourishment that supplied willpower.
Because humans were still needed to create willpower and restore the Solar Crystal as quickly as possible, the Lunarians did not truly exterminate humanity after venting their anger.
However, from that point on, their attitude toward humanity had completely changed from equality to contempt.
And they began, in the name of gods, to call humans and certain other races lowly wretches.
One could say that their behavior was not all that different from that of today's Celestial Dragons.
At the same time, in order to rule the world more effectively, the Lunarians also absorbed certain powerful races, allowing them to live together on the Red Line and enjoy status and standing second only to "gods," serving as a safeguard to prevent humans from ever climbing onto the Red Line again.
And so, humanity entered a true dark age. Countless people, because of the Red Line's emergence, were forever separated and would never meet again.
However, what the Lunarians had not expected was…
While they ruled this world and waited for the Solar Crystal to fill with energy once more, another living being on this planet had also grasped the power known as "willpower."
And that living being was none other than the one that had grown upon this planet for no one knew how many years—
The World Tree!!!
Under the modification of the ancient moon people, Elbaf's Heaven World—that is, the position of the World Tree's crown—already possessed a certain ability to absorb willpower and create Sunstones.
And under the impact of intense willpower, perhaps due to some sort of evolution, or perhaps simply because it had eaten too much and needed to vent…
In any case, the World Tree gave birth to the power to absorb willpower and transform it into fruit with miraculous abilities!
Devil Fruits appeared on this planet from that moment on!!!
They fell directly from the sky into the sea through the World Tree's withered interior. Then, through branches and ocean currents that spread across the world, they appeared upon seas everywhere.
Because of the Red Line's emergence, the only thing still able to connect the world at that time was the ocean.
From that point on, humans or members of other races who possessed devilish power would occasionally appear in the world.
Among them, certain powerful individuals, dissatisfied with their treatment, even mustered their courage and began declaring war against the "gods" who ruled this world, attempting to make freedom descend upon the earth once more.
However, even with devilish power, they were still no match for the mighty Lunarians.
Although war constantly burned across the land, those flames never connected to create an even greater blaze.
The world began to cycle between rule, exploitation, resistance, and death.
Under extreme pressure, human society also evolved rapidly.
After era after era passed, even while remaining in an exploited position, humanity still created complete civilizations and societies, and even established contact with other oppressed races.
Just like that, no one knew how much time passed.
As more and more devilish powers spread across the seas, among the vast number of humans, quite a few lucky ones who obtained devilish power were born.
With all the lessons left by history, more and more of those lucky few, after obtaining power, did not loudly proclaim a spirit of rebellion.
Instead, after overthrowing their overseers, they took their families or their clans and secretly hid away in quiet places.
No longer forced to continue being exploited, they gained freedom that belonged to them.
As time passed, more and more humans gained freedom.
And the Lunarians' rage was gradually worn away by the passage of time.
They still maintained vigilance toward humans and other races, but they no longer vented their anger on humanity the way they had before.
Although the gods above still enjoyed their rule and exploitation of all things, everything was no longer as brutal as it had once been.
The world seemed to have returned to stability.
This was a brand-new era.
Although this era was still somewhat twisted and far from beautiful, it gave humanity hope.
After regaining a certain degree of status, some humans united with other races and gave birth to entirely new individuals. Reproduction among these individuals even gave rise to new races.
As time went on, the barriers between humans and other races gradually disappeared because of their similar social status.
Occasionally, there were even bloodlines born from the union of Lunarians—or other moon people—and humans.
Furthermore, humans seemed to possess an extremely strong compatibility with moon-people genes.
The mixed-blood children born from these unions almost no longer had the biological traits of moon people. Their appearances were not much different from ordinary humans; they were simply stronger than normal humans and possessed higher talent.
In the kingdom of gods, there was no phenomenon such as being looked down upon for having children with humans.
These people, who possessed both divine blood and human blood, could likewise live in the kingdom of gods and enjoy the treatment of descendants of "gods."
As more and more of these half-bloods appeared, the world began to produce a group of beings who differed little from humans, yet possessed an entirely different social status.
This also indirectly became the fuse for the next world war!
And the origin of all of this had to begin with a mixed-blood child of a giant and a human who wore a straw hat!
Joy Boy, as an important figure often mentioned at key moments in the One Piece anime, was in truth, throughout the entire history of the pirate world, nothing more than a single wave in the long river of time.
But it was precisely the emergence of this wave that once again brought unprecedented, earth-shattering change to the world.
Time still had to be turned back a little further.
As more and more mixed-blood children were born between moon people and humans, it was inevitable that a few abnormal minds would appear among these mixed-bloods.
For instance, some looked down from above the Red Line and saw humans who looked exactly like themselves, yet suffered endless exploitation, and sympathy arose in their hearts.
As a result, actions similar to those of Doflamingo's father began appearing.
These half-god individuals left the kingdom of gods, bringing vast resources and power with them to the earth below. They began attempting to establish countries where humans and all living beings could live freely.
Some of them failed. From then on, only their half-god bloodlines remained, blending into the masses and becoming ordinary.
And in order to prove their identities, they would often add a half-moon mark to their names, proving that their ancestors were the union of moon people and Blue Planet people.
That's right.
That half-moon mark was none other than the most mysterious clan in the pirate world—the Clan of D!
Some succeeded, establishing great kingdoms, gaining fame for a time, and creating names that belonged to themselves.
And because these countries showed goodwill toward humans, more and more humans began yearning for these lands, calling the most successful among them the "Land of Gold."
Yes. The Kozuki clan of Wano Country were descendants of mixed-bloods who had succeeded.
And just like that, the person who would determine the crucial fate of the pirate world made his dazzling debut!
The young Joy Boy put on the straw hat that would become his symbol and officially set sail, becoming the first pirate in this world.
At first, he merely possessed a heart for adventure and wanted to explore the full face of this world.
During that time, he met all sorts of people and gained companions with whom he could share his heart.
The enormous Netamiye Norida elephant, the giant robot with its own consciousness, the mermaid princess who could command the Sea Kings…
Because Joy Boy himself was massive in size, the companions who sailed with him generally possessed impressive physiques as well.
Of course, that did not mean he had no friends of normal size.
For example, there was the Kozuki clan of Wano Country, the Mink Tribe who had once received favor from the Kozuki clan, the Nefertari clan of the desert kingdom, as well as other human and non-human groups of all sizes.
During his adventure, Joy Boy discovered a Devil Fruit and, as if guided by fate, ate it.
From then on, his body gained the ability to freely stretch and change.
Time flowed onward.
After several years, Joy Boy finally finished exploring the entire sea, becoming the first man in the world to conquer the ocean.
However, in that era, the mystery of the sea was far inferior to that of the land, so no one bestowed upon him a title like "Pirate King."
In people's eyes, he had merely completed something worth recording. It was not considered particularly great.
But during his adventure, Joy Boy witnessed the darkness of this world.
Although compared to the darkest period, the world had already improved greatly.
And even under the influence of the Clan of D, human countries of all sizes had sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain all across the world, allowing people to live relatively stable lives.
But compared to all the humans and living beings in the world, that proportion was still far, far too small!
Moreover, under the stimulation of human desire, even the countries established by humans might not be free from exploitation and oppression. In fact, they might even oppress others more severely than the divine race did.
Joy Boy realized that this world was deformed. This world was wrong.
Just then, a group of people suddenly came to find him and extended an invitation to him, seeking his help in igniting a brand-new revolution in this world!
And these people came from twenty powerful human kingdoms across the world.
They were all rulers of those kingdoms, and among them, Nefertari Lily was even a friend Joy Boy had met during his adventures.
It was precisely through the connection of Nefertari Lily that they contacted Joy Boy.
At that time, Joy Boy, who was likewise troubled by the world's people drowning in suffering, agreed almost without hesitation.
Perhaps just like his fruit ability, he hoped that all people under heaven could obtain their own "freedom."
A war that would spread across the entire world broke out from that moment on!!!
Under Joy Boy's power, the army formed by the Twenty Royal Families could be described as unstoppable.
Even powerful Lunarian warriors were no match for Joy Boy!
In addition, throughout Joy Boy's journey, many friends he had made also joined this battle.
Perhaps the Lunarians had never truly done anything wrong, but their very existence was an error for this world.
This world did not need rulers who stood high above all others, much less a noble divine race known as gods!
This battle ultimately lasted for more than ten years, and in the end, the entire world was dragged into the war.
On the battlefield, Joy Boy's name as the "Sun God" officially resounded!
From then on, his fame echoed across the world, far surpassing even his great feat of circling the planet.
Those belonging to Joy Boy's side called this "Sun God" the god of liberation who brought hope and freedom.
Other races under the command of the Lunarians called this "Sun God" a god of destruction who brought ruin and war.
In the end, under Joy Boy's overwhelming strength, the Lunarian race still lost to devilish power.
Looking at the Blue Planet people gathered before him, already standing before the gates of his city, and realizing that his defeat and death had become inevitable…
The God-King of the Lunarians made a decision that went against the very nature of the Lunarian race!!!
This planet was filled with malice toward their race!!!
From ancient humans stealing the Solar Crystal, to the present day, where human armies could wantonly slaughter Lunarian clansmen…
They were clearly the strongest. They were clearly the divine race that possessed everything.
And yet now, they had fallen to such a miserable state.
The God-King was filled with hatred toward this world!
Endless hatred drove him to conceive the idea of destroying this world!!!
At the end of the battle, the God-King who possessed the Solar Crystal clearly could have defeated Joy Boy and their allied army. Yet because of the fall of the kingdom of gods and the deaths of countless clansmen, he was consumed by shame…
In the end, he activated the Solar Crystal's power and cast a curse of mutual destruction upon this world…
(End of Chapter)