He had said he'd taken her back, but Robin's hands were still bound by the Seastone cuffs. As long as they remained, she was not a combatant. Usopp took Robin's hand and began to race back the way they had come.
"Long-nose-kun!?"
"We'll talk later! For now, we have to run—"
"You think I'll let you escape!!"
The bridge shook violently. Akainu had moved to stop Robin from escaping, and the impact of Yuisheeze intercepting him was what had rocked the bridge. Akainu was a magma user, an untouchable existence whose mere touch meant the end for any ordinary person. A grimace on his face, Usopp nonetheless pulled Robin along and ran.
"Luffyyyyyy!!!"
"Leave it to me, Usopp!!!"
Steam erupted from Luffy's body as his Gear Second activated, and his attack sent Lucci flying. At the same time, Dilus blocked the incoming attacks from Guernica and Stussy, allowing Usopp and Robin to escape the deadly predicament by the skin of their teeth.
But it wasn't over. Akainu, Guernica, Stussy, and Lucci were all in pursuit, none of them having given up. They had to protect Robin from them and escape this island.
"Go on ahead, Usopp!! I'll catch up later!!"
"Got it!! Don't be late, Luffy!!!"
"I won't!!"
Luffy watched Usopp descend into the underground passage while clashing head-on with Lucci, who had transformed into his human-beast form.
No one present could stop Akainu, who was now in hot pursuit. A giant fist of magma, powerful enough to shatter the bridge, was about to be unleashed. Yuisheeze managed to divert its course at the last second, but in doing so, he left himself open. Akainu delivered a devastating blow.
CRACK! With a sound no human body should make upon impact, Yuisheeze was sent flying into the sea below. Akainu then headed for the bridge's pillar, chasing after Robin.
"I won't let you escape, Nico Robin…!!"
"Pedro!! Zepo!!"
"Hah!!"
At the same time as Luffy's shout, a slash was unleashed towards Akainu. Direct contact would only damage the attacker, so it had to be a flying slash… but even so, it was enough to divert his attention for a moment.
The instant Pedro caught his eye, Zepo leaped down toward the bottom of the pillar, trying to catch up to Robin and the others.
"How annoying, you Haki users…!"
"Our job is to get Robin out of here alive! You intend to kill her, don't you!?"
"Of course I do… If she's going to escape, I'll just erase her here!! We don't need any survivors of Ohara in this world!!!"
"Even if that's what you think, we want her to live!! We won't let her die!!!"
Pedro probably couldn't even buy much time. But even so, that was no reason not to try.
"Then I'll burn you to a crisp right here!!"
Pedro blocked Akainu's incandescent fist, but he was unable to nullify its power. His sword shattered, and he was sent flying to the bottom of the bridge's pillar. He was barely alive, but he had sustained enough damage to render him unable to fight properly.
Normally, Akainu would have killed him and moved on, but he couldn't waste a single second in his pursuit of Robin. He leaped down to the lowest level in a single bound and turned his glare in the direction of the Tower of Justice, where Robin had fled.
"I will not let you escape—!!"
In the Navy, all officers of Vice Admiral rank and above were masters of the Six Powers. No matter how fast they ran, there was no escape in a straight tunnel. It wouldn't take long to catch up.
That was, of course, assuming there were no interruptions.
"—!?"
The pillars of the Bridge of Hesitation were built on the seabed, constructed to be strong enough to withstand the immense water pressure.
That wall was just destroyed from the outside.
The one who had smashed through the wall and kicked at Akainu with the same momentum was none other than Yuisheeze, who should have been knocked into the sea just moments ago.
"You're in the way… again!!"
"I'll get in your way as many times as it takes!! No matter how strong you are, that's no reason for us to give up!!!"
Seawater rushed in from the outside, gaining momentum. Soon, it would flood the underwater tunnel completely. If that happened, not only would Robin, a Devil Fruit user, be helpless, but the non-ability users Usopp and Zepo would also have no escape and suffocate.
It wasn't that Yuisheeze didn't understand this. But even so, this was the plan with the highest probability of survival.
"Even I know I have no chance of winning in a straight fight. In that case, using cunning tactics is the pirate way of battle."
"You bastard…!!"
Akainu, a Devil Fruit user, would be unable to pass through an underwater passage completely filled with seawater. If he could buy time here, it would give Robin and the others time to escape, and perhaps create a chance to defeat Akainu.
That was his judgment—but his assumption was naive.
"Do not underestimate me, you pirate scum!!"
The magma that erupted from Akainu struck the hole Yuisheeze had opened, and the seawater caused it to rapidly cool and solidify. A steam explosion occurred in the process, but Akainu paid it no mind. If he could generate incandescent magma from his entire body, he could also perform emergency repairs on a wall by slightly adjusting its temperature.
Akainu had not climbed to the rank of Marine Admiral through strength alone. The tenacity to chase an enemy to the ends of the earth and finish them. A fighting style that utilized everything at his disposal. Split-second judgment. Above all else, one could not become a Marine Admiral without a thorough understanding of what one could do with one's own abilities.
A small amount of seawater was still leaking through the cracks, but compared to the initial torrent, it was nothing. At this rate, it would take several hours for the underwater tunnel to become submerged.
"I see, a Marine Admiral indeed… so this much can be dealt with."
But if that was the case, so be it.
Even if it became a stalemate, if he opened a hole in the pillar wall, Akainu would have no choice but to deal with it. In this location, Yuisheeze had the overwhelming advantage. There was no reason not to use it.
"Now, let's have some fun, shall we, Marine Admiral!!"
Yuisheeze once again tore a hole in the wall, literally throwing cold water on the incandescent Akainu.
***
"Hey, hey, hey!! Wait a minute, Zepo!! There's seawater flowing at our feet!! And I hear loud noises, are we being flooded or something!?"
"Hah, hah… The one chasing us… is Akainu. I can't imagine… an ability user would willingly… put himself in a dangerous situation… where he could drown in seawater."
Zepo, severely injured from his fight with CP-0, was carrying Robin and running, pushing through the pain. An ability user shackled in Seastone was weakened. If their original physical abilities were high, they could still run even if they were slightly diminished, but Robin was not particularly outstanding in that regard. It was faster for Zepo to endure the pain and carry her.
"Besides, it's just… flowing at our feet! It makes it… hard to run, but if it's just… this much!"
"H-Hey Zepo! Don't push yourself!! You're beat up too!!"
"Hah, hah… My partner stayed behind, prepared to die…! I can't… let that resolve go to waste, can I…!!"
While the Straw Hats' goal was for everyone to return alive, Zepo and Pedro had believed that, in the worst-case scenario, they would have to risk their lives to let them escape. Since Kanata and Komurasaki had asked them to take on this role and go to sea with Robin, this was the time to use their lives.
While Zepo caught his breath, Robin wore a difficult expression on his back. If only she didn't have the Seastone cuffs, she would have been able to move a little better, even if she had to run on her own. The fact that she was holding them back was terribly frustrating.
"…! Wait, someone's coming!"
"D-Damn it, at a time like this…!"
Lowering Robin from his back, Zepo readied himself for battle. He could see someone running towards them from the direction of the Tower of Justice.
It was a woman with black hair tied in a ponytail—Tobi, who had been sent as a messenger.
"! You are safe!! And the one with you is—"
"Yeah, it's Robin. We managed to get her back, but Akainu is chasing us from behind."
"Akainu!? My goodness… then we must move at once!"
"I'd like to, but…"
Zepo was severely exhausted. Usopp could still run, but if they moved at Robin and Zepo's pace, Akainu would catch up to them before long.
Tobi nodded once, and saying, "Then, excuse me," she lifted Robin onto her back and hoisted Zepo over her shoulder. To ensure she wouldn't be dropped, Robin held on tightly from behind, and Zepo, entrusting himself to Tobi, went limp.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I have trained for this. However, I cannot carry Usopp-dono as well. I am sorry, but I must ask you to run on your own."
"I don't mind that, but…"
"Then, excuse me for going on ahead."
"Eh?"
Whoosh. With the sound of cutting wind, Tobi took off at a tremendous speed.
She was even faster than Usopp running at full tilt.
The roar of someone fighting was gradually getting closer from behind, and Usopp, belatedly turning pale, chased after Tobi.
"W-Wait for meeee!!!"
At this rate, he would be caught up in the fight between Akainu and whoever was fighting him. Convinced that he would die if he were caught, Usopp moved his legs as desperately as he ever had and ran.
***
CP-0's Joseph and Maha had been fighting with a consistent advantage in the narrow room.
In terms of pure physical skill, they were on par with, or perhaps even superior to, Kaie. In a situation where she couldn't use her abilities, it was not difficult to corner her.
They had noticed the messenger, Tobi, pass by twice, but they couldn't afford to divert their attention while facing Kaie, lest they be the ones to be taken down. Still, they had gradually cornered her and chipped away at her stamina considerably. The repeated blows and slashes from Rankyaku had wounded Kaie's body, and it was clear she was bleeding from various places. The only reason she hadn't given up was because she knew that if she fell here, their chances of victory would vanish.
"We should be able to finish her soon. My, Zoan-types are so durable, it's a nuisance…"
Kaie was a particularly unique "Mythical Zoan." While she couldn't match an Ancient Zoan in terms of durability and regenerative power, she possessed the toughness of a Zoan-type in addition to an ability reminiscent of a Paramecia-type. It was practically like having two abilities. That was why Joseph and Maha had chosen to wait for her in a small room where she couldn't assume her human-beast form.
Even a Zoan-type's durability had its limits. Without letting their guard down, without being arrogant, their duty was to finish Kaie here and ensure their victory.
However—they hadn't expected Robin to be rescued and brought back.
"Lady Kaie!! We have succeeded in rescuing Lady Robin!! Akainu is in pursuit!!!"
"—Yes, I understand."
Tobi, carrying Robin on her back and Zepo on her right shoulder, ran past the edge of their vision. Joseph, unable to let that pass, stretched out his long-armed arms, only to have them caught by a smirking Kaie.
"Yes, yes. This was a rather stressful fight for me as well. I have trained to endure situations where I cannot use my full strength, but if I hadn't had that experience, my stamina would have been completely drained."
Maha unleashed a Rankyaku at Kaie's exposed back. But Kaie calmly dodged it and, with Joseph's arm still in her grasp, slammed him into the ceiling.
Following the blow that shattered the ceiling, Kaie struck Joseph again, continuing to ascend.
Eventually, she emerged into a spacious room, where the members of the Straw Hat crew, having likely defeated their respective CP-9 opponents, had gathered. They seemed to have sustained their fair share of injuries, but there were no dropouts.
"Kaie!!"
"It seems they've rescued Robin. They'll be up shortly, so prepare for immediate escape. I hear Akainu is in pursuit, so if you dawdle, you could all be annihilated."
"What about you?"
"In any case, someone will have to hold them off, right? Besides—"
CRACK, CRACK. While destroying the room, Kaie smiled and transformed into her human-beast form. Both her hands and feet were covered in snake scales, with sharp claws growing from them. A snake's tail grew from her waist, and her long hair took on the appearance of snake heads.
She had been thoroughly beaten. She wouldn't be satisfied unless she paid them back, at least a little.
"—You see, I happen to be a rather persistent woman."
She sent a powerful punch flying into the face of the now-standing Joseph, sending him flying.