Chapter 75: Inner Thoughts
The silence between Rengoku and Robin stretched on.
After the Sea Train had departed and some time passed, it was Rengoku who finally spoke first.
"Do you have nothing to say?"
"At this point… what more could I possibly say, Vice Admiral Rengoku?"
"Do not call me that."
At his words, Robin's eyes trembled slightly. She had expected this might come, but facing him directly still sent a tinge of fear through her.
"Do you regret it?"
Robin did not know what his 'regret' referred to.
Did he mean her pursuit of the true history?
Her years spent drifting among countless crime syndicates?
Or the lies she had once told, even to him?
There were so many sins on her shoulders that she could not know which one he meant.
So she answered simply:
"I don't know."
Her indifferent reply made Rengoku's pupils flinch, almost imperceptibly—even to himself.
"…Then, do you at least repent?"
"Repentance? With the countless things I've done, do you think I could repent for them all?"
It might sound defiant, but Rengoku understood her position.
Ever since she was a child of eight, she had been hunted, accused, and driven into the shadows.
Her life had been steeped in greed and betrayal.
Rengoku knew all of this. Which was why, even now, he was willing to grant leniency—if she would show even a trace of repentance.
But just as she had done five years before, Robin rejected it outright once more.
"Will you truly not repent? Do you have any idea how many have died because of you?"
"…"
"…"
Counting them would be meaningless.
And perhaps even monstrous.
Her silence told him everything.
Whether through miscommunication or deliberate obstinance, it no longer mattered.
If she intended to hold to her position until the very end, Rengoku could do nothing more.
"Five years ago… do you remember what I promised you? That I would speak on your behalf?"
Of course she remembered.
Though years had passed since their parting, she could never forget.
He had been the only Marine who ever believed her innocence.
That was Rengoku.
"I remember."
"Then let me ask one last time. Do you feel any regret or repentance for what you have done?"
His voice was calm, yet heavy with finality.
But Robin's reply was unchanged.
"I only follow my dream. And on that path… there have been too many enemies standing in my way."
Her words remained evasive.
To Rengoku, that was the end.
"I am greatly disappointed. That you are so steeped in self-justification that you cannot offer even the slightest reflection or repentance."
Robin was shaken by his words, but it was too late—the moment had already passed.
Nothing could be undone.
Rengoku finally rose to his feet and moved back toward the previous carriage.
There was nothing more to say to her.
When he returned, Lucci wanted to speak, but the memory of Rengoku's overwhelming aura silenced him.
If anything, the atmosphere grew more suffocating than when Rengoku had been with Robin.
But he paid it no mind.
He simply took a seat and gazed out the window—at the midnight sea, at the path leading toward Enies Lobby.
...
The Sea Train Puffing Tom was a marvel of engineering.
Its design was so refined that neither sound nor vibration carried between its cars.
Originally, this feature had been included so the revelry of nobles in the rear cars would not disturb the ordinary passengers in front.
But for T-Bone, this was now a curse.
The rear cars had been severed.
Over fifty agents of the World Government and his fellow Marines were now adrift with him, in the midst of the raging ocean waves.
It was his mistake.
He should have ordered stricter vigilance.
Even with the storming waves, he should have ensured regular checks outside the cars.
What have you learned until now… T-Bone…
A train car without propulsion.
It was, in the truest sense, a dead end.
"Colonel T-Bone! A Sea King has appeared ahead!"
Drifting along the rails and currents, the detached car now faced the monstrous form of a massive yellow Sea King.
"Tch… there's no helping it. Agents of the Government, proud soldiers of the Navy! You will follow the rails and return to Water Seven at once!"
"C-Colonel! What about you? Are you telling us to abandon you here?!"
Drawing his beloved blade, Bamboo, T-Bone answered with steel in his voice.
"As long as the train runs along the rails, you will not stray. Once the storm passes, send for reinforcements. Until then, defend this car with your lives!"
"As for that Sea King… it is mine to face!"
With that, he leapt from the carriage, planting his feet and heaving the massive steel car forward toward Water Seven.
The tonnage groaned as it lurched ahead.
It was slow, but still moving—powered by the strength forged in Rengoku's three months of hellish training.
Then, gripping his sword tightly, he faced the beast.
If the foe is too great, then retreat! Our first duty is to protect! Unless you are truly trapped in a dead end, your life comes first!
The words of Vice Admiral Rengoku echoed through T-Bone's mind.
"Vice Admiral… to me, this is that dead end!"
Before nature's fury, the agents and Marines had faltered.
As their commanding officer, it was T-Bone's duty to protect them.
"Haaah…"
Drawing a breath, his eyes sharpened as he swung.
"Right-Angle Swordsmanship is the best!"
"Right-Angle Flash — Straight-Line Slash!!"
The double-edged sword roared, releasing a cutting wave of pure killing intent that cleaved the massive Sea King clean in two.
As its corpse vanished beneath the waves, T-Bone steadied his steps on the rail, eyes fixed on the path ahead.
My men are waiting for me.
That is all that matters.
But then—
"What… what is that?!"
His eyes widened.
Instead of the green Sea Train cars, what now hurtled down the tracks was a crude, ramshackle machine that looked more fit for a scrapyard.
And standing on its prow—
"A bounty of 100 million berries… the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro!"
T-Bone's mind raced.
That pirate must have attacked the government and Navy cars and cast them from the tracks!
That wreck of a train carried criminals.
It had to be destroyed.
"Aside from Vice Admiral Rengoku, there is nothing I despise more than bent blades!"
"Right-Angle Flash — Bone Cutter!!"
Slashing a massive square arc into the air, T-Bone's blade carved toward the oncoming enemy.
"Three-Sword Style—108 Calamities Phoenix!!"
Zoro's counterstrike clashed with T-Bone's slash, the two forces exploding in midair and scattering their energy.
Clang!
Their blades collided as T-Bone leapt high, his sword locking with Zoro's in midair.
"Pirate! This Sea Train carries condemned criminals. Do you think I'll allow their rescue?!"
"Sorry, but we're in just as much of a hurry!"
"If these prisoners are unleashed upon the world once more, how many civilians will bleed?! How many tears will be shed?! Even in this unjust world, justice must extend a hand! Even if these raging waves tear my arms and legs apart—so long as I breathe, I will protect the tomorrow of innocent people!"
T-Bone bore down with even greater force, his sheer size—taller by nearly twenty centimeters—giving him a slight edge in raw power over Zoro.
But power alone was not enough.
What decided the fight was skill.
And Zoro's skill was overwhelming.
Zoro's arms bulged with power, swatting aside T-Bone's blade.
"What—!"
T-Bone staggered, his balance broken.
Zoro did not hesitate.
"Three-Sword Style—Dragon Twister!!"
The spinning strike caught T-Bone head-on, hurling him down into the churning sea below.
"Puha!"
Gasping, T-Bone clung to the rails, lifting his head to watch the enemy train speed away.
"Pirates…! Even if you reach your goal, you will never free those criminals. Because waiting ahead… is Vice Admiral Rengoku! Your defeat is already sealed!"
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