The Sea Train raced through the heart of the stormy sea.
Having narrowly avoided the high waves of Aqua Laguna, the Sea Train was now proceeding at maximum speed towards Enies Lobby.
Of the seven total cars, five were occupied by government intelligence agents, and the remaining two were filled with Navy soldiers.
The person in charge of the Navy was a Captain, but that was only because he was the only one available to move in the vicinity; the situation itself had been reported all the way up to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Currently, in the first car, Tom, Iceburg, and Franky, along with Nico Robin, were restrained with Seastone, surrounded by CP-0 and CP-9. It was a level of high alert that was obvious to anyone who looked.
That said, inside the Sea Train, it was completely peaceful.
"...What should we do?"
"It's impossible to board or disembark the Sea Train midway. If you've confirmed there are no rats, the Navy and the other Cipher Pols have no work to do."
"Understood. The Navy will wait in the rear cars until we arrive at Enies Lobby."
The Navy was a subordinate organization of the World Government. CP-0 issued an order to Captain T-Bone, who was in command on site, and he, in turn, followed CP-0's instructions.
Though their detailed command structures were different, there was no change in the fact that CP-0 held the top authority in this place.
Seeing Captain T-Bone return to the rear car, Guernica quietly took his seat.
"Now, we just have to transport these four to Enies Lobby, and our job is done."
"Do you think they'll follow?" Joseph asked.
"They probably will. There shouldn't have been any other Sea Trains left in Water 7, but we can't be sure they won't come by some other means. Don't let your guard down."
Joseph shrugged at Guernica's words, and Stussy chuckled, "Such a strict person." The Fish-Man, Tom, was kept in a visible location due to the possibility of him swimming away in the stormy sea, but it wasn't an environment a human could withstand. They were only taking minimal precautions.
Robin and the others sat together, and Iceburg looked at Robin, who was sitting opposite him.
Bloodstains were visible here and there on her face and body, a testament to her resistance. She was wearing Seastone cuffs, so she couldn't use her abilities, and escape was impossible.
Tom, who seemed calm despite being captured, looked Robin up and down and spoke.
"I never thought I'd meet you like this... Life is a strange thing."
"...Do you have some business with me?"
"No. But I've always been concerned about you, the survivor of Ohara."
Officially, only two people had survived as relatives of Ohara. Nico Olvia and her daughter, Nico Robin.
The giant, Saul, had also had a wanted poster issued for aiding their escape... but his importance was not as high.
"Where is your mother?"
"I haven't seen her in ten years. I don't know where she is. What's the point of asking that?"
"Hmm... No, I just thought you were surprisingly calm even in this situation."
"Now that it's come to this, it can't be helped. I thought about finding a chance to escape, but in this state, it's not easy to do so."
She raised her arms, the Seastone cuffs rattling.
Seastone was as hard as diamond, so even if she escaped with these on, she couldn't remove them without a key. Some ability users could remove them through various methods, but at least the person wearing the cuffs couldn't do anything about it, and Robin currently had no means to remove them.
Her kind-hearted comrades—Luffy and the others—were surely trying to rescue her, and she had wanted to act so that wouldn't happen, but now that things had come to this, there was nothing more Robin could do.
With regret and apology, and a slight smile at the thought that they would still come to save someone like her, she asked Iceburg and the others, who likely knew more about the situation than she did.
"What's happening now?"
Cipher Pol agents were around. She had to speak only of things that were safe to be overheard... but she couldn't begin without grasping the situation.
Tom and Iceburg exchanged glances, and Iceburg nodded.
"I'll explain."
That being said, he couldn't explain everything with Cipher Pol agents around.
Within a range that was safe to be overheard, he explained the current situation to Robin.
They had time, so only the sound of Iceburg's voice echoed in the quiet car, occasionally punctuated by the sound of the waves crashing in the storm.
"...I see. So that's what happened."
"The government is desperate to get the blueprints from us. If they get both you and the blueprints, they think they can end the Great Pirate Era with the Ancient Weapons."
"That will be difficult," Robin commented.
"What?"
Though she could only guess what kind of thing the Ancient Weapons were, that was Robin's perception.
Those called the Four Emperors boasted overwhelming strength individually. Even if they fought with the Ancient Weapons, they were not beings who could be easily destroyed.
There would be damage, to a greater or lesser extent.
More importantly, no matter how much they wielded a weapon, it was not a fundamental solution.
"This era that Gol D. Roger created will not end until someone finds the One Piece. There's no guarantee it will end even if they find it, but at the very least, as long as it isn't found, those who go out to sea in search of it will never disappear."
Even if they managed to defeat those who sat like emperors in the New World, the new generation of pirates that would be born afterward would likely flow in, seeing it as an opportunity.
People's dreams never end.
The unidentified treasure would continue to stir people's desires until the day it was revealed.
Besides, Robin also had things that concerned her.
(...Whatever the Ancient Weapons may be, if they are things that launch attacks, they must need fuel or a power source. I'm not an expert, so I don't know, but if the Ancient Weapons can really blow away an entire island, the amount of energy required would be enormous.)
At the very least, it would require energy incomparable to that of current cannons or guns. It shouldn't be something that could be used casually.
She didn't know what they planned to burn, but in that respect, the number of times it could be wielded would likely be limited.
...Though, in this world, there were ability users who could generate almost infinite energy or create fuel that produced energy, so she couldn't be optimistic.
"Tahahha!! It's true, countless pirates have increased, dancing to Roger's words!! As long as they continue to seek romance, pirates will continue to be born. That's for sure!!" Tom laughed.
"It's not a laughing matter! Geez... Well, it's refreshing to think things won't go the government's way, though," Franky grumbled.
"Well, things probably aren't that simple, but there's certainly a point to it," Iceburg conceded.
He could see Lucci glaring at him from a distance, but Iceburg deliberately ignored him.
He held a grudge, to some extent, for being betrayed. He had thought they had gotten along well, and he was shocked because he had worked hard. He just wasn't showing it.
However, if this continued, Iceburg, Robin, Tom, and Franky would all be in mortal danger.
Iceburg leaned back in his seat and decided to sleep for a bit.
There was nothing to do anyway. Even if he believed in Caterina and she came to help, it would be tough if he didn't recover his strength to be able to move when the time came.
(...I'm counting on you, Caterina.)
Wishing that the woman he trusted most as a friend and colleague would handle things well, Iceburg slowly let his consciousness fade.
***
Crossing the rough waves, the Sea Train arrived at Enies Lobby without incident.
The four, being escorted as criminals, disembarked at the station, passed through several gates, went through the courthouse, and were taken to a building called the "Tower of Justice."
"To think I'd come here as a criminal."
"It's been since I came to repair the drawbridge, I guess. Tahahha."
"You ungrateful idiots of the government! Treat me with more respect!!"
Iceburg and Tom were quiet, but Franky, perhaps dissatisfied with being wrapped in chains, was rampaging, biting at the Marines.
CP-0 and CP-9 escorted them with exasperation, and eventually, they arrived at a certain room.
They had received a message that the director of CP-9 wanted to meet Robin, so they had brought her to a reception room instead of a detention room.
When they entered, two men were waiting inside.
One was the director of CP-9, Spandam.
The other was──.
"...To think you'd be here. What do you want?"
Robin recognized the man's face.
A tall physique exceeding 3 meters. A buzz cut. A red-themed suit.
The shock and the past memories associated with the man connected, and her breathing became shallow.
Franky and Tom recognized Spandam's face, but not the other man's. But Iceburg knew that face well.
"Sengoku-san told me to hand over the Golden Den Den Mushi because the Five Elders are doing a Buster Call. Unfortunately, Sengoku-san is busy. I came in his stead."
Spandam smiled obsequiously at the man and rubbed his hands together as if to curry favor.
In terms of position and power, Spandam was relatively high up in the government... but the man before him possessed even greater authority.
One of the "Admirals," a position to which only three people in the Navy were appointed.
"Besides, I'm not unrelated to matters concerning Nico Robin."
A participant in the Buster Call issued to destroy Robin's hometown, Ohara, in the past.
Marine Admiral "Akainu"──Sakazuki.
***
Inside the pursuing Sea Train, the "Rocketman."
Once it caught the tracks, the throttle couldn't be controlled, and deceleration was impossible, so Caterina was making calls on a Den Den Mushi in a passenger car instead of the engine room.
Kaie was strong, but considering the number and quality of the enemy, it was impossible for her alone to rescue Robin.
So, she had been contacting nearby islands to request reinforcements.
Seeing this, Usopp raised a question.
"Can they get here right away?"
"It's about a fifty-fifty chance whether they'll make it in time. But it's better than zero possibility. It's a race against time."
She had already requested reinforcements in the morning. Since George had said, "Do as you please," she had intended to gather forces in Water 7 in case anything happened.
The plan had changed, and the destination was now Enies Lobby, so this was a call to inform them of that.
No matter how fast a ship was, it couldn't match the speed of a Sea Train. They would need to buy some time, but if they took too long, they would end up in a head-on collision with the Buster Call.
A conflict with the government and the Navy was likely unavoidable now.
The question was how much they could reduce their own casualties.
"By the way, what are they doing?"
Caterina asked Usopp, looking at Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, who were made to sit in a meditative posture in the car.
The reply came not from Usopp, but from Pedro.
"Training. We don't have time, and it's not like anything will change in this short period... but if they know what it's like firsthand, they won't be surprised when they actually fight."
It was something they had been doing occasionally when they had time.
After being toyed with by Maraptonoka on Skypiea, these three, in particular, had become concerned about the existence of Haki, and that became more pronounced after they were completely defeated on Banaro Island.
The opponent was CP-0. It wasn't something that could be dealt with by half-baked measures, but if they were going to walk the line between life and death, there was no harm in knowing the enemy's hand.
"Caterina, how many people do you think will gather?" Kaie asked.
"Let's see..."
She had received a positive response from the branch chief in Midgard, and the forces stationed there were the largest in Paradise, so even if it took some time, they would be a considerable force.
Buena Festa on Banaro Island had laughed heartily at what they were about to do and promised reinforcements.
And Komurasaki on Skypiea had said she would leave immediately with her private soldiers.
In total, about 1500 people.
When she told them that, Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"1500 people!!? You guys have that many comrades!!?"
"That's just the number that can respond immediately. If we gathered our forces properly, it would swell to about 5000..."
The total number of Twilight members didn't even reach 100,000, and among them, the number of combatants was just under 40,000.
Due to the nature of their business, which involved traveling around the world, their forces were scattered across various seas, so the number of people who could respond immediately was limited.
...Though, this didn't include mobilizing forces from the countries under their control.
"However, in terms of numbers, we will be at a disadvantage. The forces stationed at Enies Lobby are over 10,000. If a Buster Call is added to that, about 8,000 more will be added."
The number of people on one warship was about 800.
A Buster Call was a military action in which five Vice Admirals led ten warships, so by simple calculation, it would mean an increase of 8,000 people.
Even if they didn't fight directly, the threat of numbers remained unchanged.
Since there was only a courthouse there and it was merely a symbol of authority, there was little meaning in concentrating forces at Enies Lobby, so the quality of the soldiers was not that high... but this time was a bit special.
It wouldn't be surprising if they had been reinforced, and besides, if CP-0 was moving on the orders of the Five Elders, there was a possibility that the World Government's army had been deployed.
"We should probably expect enemy forces of over 20,000. Even just the footsoldiers are troublesome, but this time we have four CP-0 agents and five Vice Admirals. I alone will be overwhelmed."
"Yuisheeze and Komurasaki are coming, and Komurasaki said she'd pick up a few people on the way," Caterina said.
"...Well, Komurasaki probably wouldn't lose even if there were 100,000 footsoldiers," Kaie mused, her gaze distant as she recalled her younger sister figure.
Hancock was extremely incompatible with her, but those two could be said to be the highest combat power on this side of the sea. It was questionable whether Komurasaki would make it in time, not to mention leading an army, and Hancock was in Alabasta. She wouldn't make it in time.
It was lucky that Yuisheeze was nearby.
"1500 against 20,000, huh. A bad fight," Zoro commented.
"Only in terms of numbers. But it's okay, they'll want to interrogate Iceburg-kun and the others, so there's still time before the Buster Call is issued."
If they had time, there were measures they could take.
For times like these, Kanata had prepared a hidden force, unknown to the World Government.
"I've already contacted Judge. Germa is coming as reinforcements too."
Sanji made a blatantly disgusted face.