Komurasaki's attack shook the island, the impact and Haki spreading outwards.
Sensing it, Izo and Kawamatsu looked at each other and nodded.
"Izo!"
"I know! That's the Princess's signal, we need to hurry too!"
The signal meant that preparations for their escape were complete. If they were late, they would lose their only way off the island. They were still worried about Kaie and Yuisheeze, who were supposed to be fighting near the Courthouse in the island's interior and had not been told about the signal, but Haoshoku Haki also had the power to forcibly impose the user's will upon others. While broadcasting it indiscriminately would alert the enemy, it was also useful as a signal to allies.
"You've grown quite timid. After going so far as to issue a Buster Call, we cannot let them escape."
"I'll tell them to bring the warships around. I don't know if they'll board their own ships or use the Sea Train… but we have to have them buy time, no matter what."
To come this far and fail to recapture Robin was beyond a mere blunder. For an operation involving CP-0, a Marine Admiral, and even a Buster Call to be thwarted was a situation that could not be dismissed as a joke.
Determined to recapture Robin at all costs, Guernica pursued Izo and Kawamatsu as they retreated, remaining wary of CP-0. Meanwhile, Stussy took out a baby Den Den Mushi from her cleavage and contacted the Vice Admirals on the warships. They were busy dealing with the Twilight and Germa ships, but she had to remind them that the top priority was, and always had been, Nico Robin.
As for Yosef and Maha, who were out of contact, they would have to be dealt with later. Stussy's face hardened as she forced herself to plan for the worst, whether they had been defeated or were simply too focused on their battle to communicate.
"Tch!?"
The island shook again. Stussy was well aware of Akainu's strength, but Komurasaki's power, to be able to fight him head-on, was also extraordinary. In particular, the lightning ability was one the government had long deemed dangerous. For it to have been passed down to one of Kanata's kin was a nightmare scenario. Considering her current strength, she thought it was unlikely, but she could only pray that the face beneath that mask did not resemble Kanata's.
***
Violently discharging lightning clashed with magma, gouging out a large chunk of a nearby building. With every flicker of lightning, Akainu's body seemed to be chipped away, but he was skillfully evading the attacks, so it didn't appear to be doing any real damage. On the other hand, Komurasaki had to either completely dodge or block Akainu's attacks, lest the aftershock hit Luffy, and she was having a very difficult time.
Luffy, tied to her back with his arms crossed in front of her chest, was just getting dizzy from being swung around.
"M-My eyes… my eyes are spinning…"
"I'm sorry! Please just bear with it for a little longer!"
Her speed was her clear advantage against Akainu. If she were to slow down carelessly, there was no telling from where he would exploit an opening. With the first blow she had landed, she had conveyed her intention to retreat to her comrades remaining on the island. Haoshoku Haki, no matter how delicately controlled, could not distinguish between friend and foe, so the enemy had been alerted as well… but she didn't have the time to hesitate.
The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Twilight. This was Enies Lobby—the gateway to the government. Through the Gates of Justice, endless reinforcements could pour in from Marine Headquarters. With Twilight's main forces in the New World, starting an all-out war here would mean fighting in an extremely unfavorable situation. She had no intention of losing, but it would also interfere with Kanata's plans. That, she wanted to avoid.
"They're here!"
In the distance, she could see Izo and Kawamatsu retreating, pursued by Guernica. Shifting her direction slightly, she could also see Kaie and Yuisheeze running down the road between the Courthouse and the main gate. She knew that these four were the only ones left, so all that remained was to cover them so they could escape safely.
"Focus, converge, coalesce… Severance!!"
She slammed Enma, wreathed in Haki, down on Akainu with enough force to shatter the island. Akainu pushed back with his own Haki-clad fist, not to be outdone, but as long as she could pin him down, that was enough for Komurasaki.
"Princess! That man on your back is…!"
"Take him with you! I'll handle things here!"
She threw Luffy, who had been on her back, toward Izo with one hand, as if tossing aside a bag. She knew that even if he were dropped, a rubber man wouldn't die, but more than that, she couldn't afford to do something as dangerous as looking away while facing Akainu.
With the shackle that had somewhat restricted her use of her lightning ability now gone, Komurasaki no longer needed to hold back.
An unnaturally dark cloud had gathered in the sky. Its source was the ship floating in the air—the Ark Maxim.
"You all escape immediately. I will catch up later."
"…May fortune be with you in battle!"
Though Kawamatsu and Izo looked as if they wanted to say more, they left with only those words and started running. In truth, Komurasaki was the only one who could fight Akainu on even terms at the moment. Considering that she could also travel through the air, it was only natural that she would serve as the rear guard.
And so.
"You little brat… getting in my way at every turn…!!"
"I cannot allow you to achieve your objective. I will protect Robin-san, no matter what."
"Then try it!!"
The magma that burned the very earth was swung at Komurasaki. It was a torrent that, if dodged, would burn a straight path to the main gate. She could not dodge it, and so she held it back with Enma.
He probably couldn't use Haoshoku Haki. And yet, the sense of pressure she felt on her skin was so intense it was as if it could rob the weak of their consciousness, just like a conqueror's.
The tenacity to achieve his goal.
The sense of responsibility for his mission.
These were the sources of Akainu's strength, which had allowed him to cut down countless enemies who had stood in his way and carry out his duties.
If she could not stop him, death was the only outcome.
At this moment, Komurasaki held Enma in one hand and, with her free hand, drew Muramasa.
"I had not intended to use this."
Enma absorbed and released the user's Haki, increasing their Haki output on its own, but it was also incredibly draining. Muramasa, while possessing no such mysterious power, granted its wielder a sense of omnipotence. This sense of omnipotence could easily make one delude themselves into thinking they had become stronger, and a weak-willed person would become drunk on it, wanting to test its power on anyone and everyone. That was why it was called a cursed sword.
To continuously suppress one's own surging spirit was difficult even for a first-class warrior. Drunk on blood, even a gentle person could turn into a demon.
But if there was someone who could not be cut otherwise—or if there was someone she wanted to cut, even if it meant resorting to this—Komurasaki would not hesitate.
"You're getting serious now? What an insult!!"
"I was not underestimating you, nor was I looking down on you."
It was simply because she understood that it was not a blade to be drawn lightly, considering the collateral damage.
"Witness the sharpness of my two blades."
***
"—They're here!!"
Luffy, who had been slung over Izo's shoulder, had been dizzy from being swung around by Komurasaki, but after a few slaps to the cheek, his consciousness had finally cleared. His waiting comrades smiled with joy and relief, while others, knowing they couldn't let their guard down yet, boarded the engine room.
Izo and Kawamatsu, followed shortly by Kaie and Yuisheeze, rendezvoused and boarded the Sea Train after confirming each other's safety. Luffy's injuries were also quite severe. Chopper was still unable to move his body, and Caterina was both a doctor and an engineer. With every second counting, there was no time for her to administer treatment, so Robin, carrying Chopper, tended to Luffy's wounds.
"Everyone… I know this isn't the time, but… thank you."
At Robin's words of gratitude, they each offered a small smile.
Having come this far, their objective was as good as accomplished.
However—the four Twilight combatants knew that the moment of victory was when one should be most vigilant.
And that proved to be true.
'—All hands, hold on to the hull!! It's going to shake!!!'
The moment after Caterina's warning came, the Sea Train was violently thrown from side to side.
The first lurch was from an evasive maneuver.
The second was likely from a cannonball that had exploded at close range.
'A message to all passengers! The situation is getting worse!! I'm sorry, but if anyone has any strength left and can help, I could really use it!!'
"What happened!?"
'The tracks are being destroyed by cannonfire! There are warships approaching in our path, so if we try to get on the tracks carelessly, we'll be hit with a concentrated volley! We can't get close!!'
The Sea Train's strength lay in its speed. It was a special kind of ship that ran on rails that floated just below the surface of the sea, bobbing with the waves, and it achieved its maximum speed by gripping those rails. Just as the Rocketman had on its way to the island. Therefore, a Sea Train that couldn't grip the tracks was faster than a normal ship, but it couldn't reach its designed top speed.
The engine room was equipped with an Eternal Pose, so they wouldn't get lost even if they went off the rails… but their opponents were warships that were faster than normal ships.
Though they had managed to sink a few, the Navy still had the numerical advantage. On top of that, with the ships positioned to block their path, they wouldn't be able to escape, no matter how fast the Sea Train was.
"You want us to fight the warships!? That's impossible with this many people!!"
"Impossible or not, we have to do it. Or do you think they'll spare us if we beg for our lives?"
"As long as Robin is with us, it's unlikely they'll fire directly on the Sea Train, but…"
Even so, it was by no means a certainty. If it was judged that it was better to kill her than to let her escape, they would be showered with cannonfire at that very moment. With the warships positioned to separate them from the Twilight and Germa ships, and the tracks being destroyed ahead of time to block their path, with warships forming a wall, there was a rather clever officer among them. Their chances of escape were being systematically eliminated.
"W-What are we going to do in this situation!! Is there anything we can do!?"
"The Sea Train itself has no weapons or anything. It's designed to emit a sound that Sea Kings and other sea monsters dislike when it runs on the rails, so it's not really meant to be used against anything other than pirates."
Even against pirates, the Sea Train was usually overwhelmingly faster, so escaping was not a problem. Loading it with weapons would only slow it down, which was a bigger disadvantage, so the standard was not to equip it with any. That was precisely why the current situation was so dire.
'Can you at least deflect the cannonballs? There's a limit to how much I can dodge!!'
It seemed they were avoiding direct hits because of Robin, but they were still firing cannonballs relatively close to them to try and capsize the Sea Train or impede its movement. A sharp turn would inevitably cause it to nearly tip over.
Izo and Kawamatsu, who had some strength to spare, climbed from the cabin to the roof and began to deal with the cannonfire, but it was not a move that would fundamentally change the situation.
As they were racking their brains over what to do, the members of the Straw Hat crew began to look around restlessly.
"Is something wrong?"
"No… I can hear a voice."
"A voice? …I don't hear anything."
"I definitely hear it. What is it… outside?"
"Look outside?"
At someone's words, they all looked outside at once—but all they could see was the intensifying clash between Komurasaki and Akainu in the sky. Akainu's tenacity was fearsome. Seeing that he could no longer avoid taking damage from Komurasaki, he was beginning to pour all his strength into not letting Robin escape.
"If I say… I will not let you escape!! Then I absolutely will not!!!"
The magma fist evaporated the seawater. Komurasaki's slash boasted enough power to send Akainu flying, but even that could not stop him. It was a strength of will that could be called astounding. It was hard to imagine Komurasaki, who had held back Akainu on her own until now, making a blunder at this stage—but if the two CP-0 agents, Guernica and Stussy, were to provide support, it would be possible. They, too, were prepared to use any means necessary to achieve their mission.
Fighting on the sea was the worst possible condition for a Devil Fruit user. A single misstep could lead to falling into the sea and drowning, yet Akainu attacked without a moment's hesitation, inspiring a sense of awe.
"These guys…! If we don't escape soon, the whole Sea Train will be done for!!?"
'I'm trying! But the speed of the wheels without gripping the rails is only so much!'
It should still have been faster than a normal ship, but the weight of the connected cabins was also a factor. In this situation, they couldn't escape.
"What is this voice I've been hearing!?"
"I don't know! They said to look outside…"
"Not that side! The other way!"
Not the side where Komurasaki, Akainu, and CP-0 were fighting.
Looking out the window on the opposite side, they could see a single ship approaching from the distance.
A ship that shouldn't be here.
The other nakama they were supposed to have left behind, the one they were about to say goodbye to.
"Me—Merry!!?"
—I've come to pick you all up.
They had definitely heard that voice.