Through the window, the island of endless lights—Enies Lobby—came into view.
Though it was night, the island shone as brightly as day.
%@#---!
Even with the Sea Train's superb soundproofing, strange noises could be heard from the rear car.
Lucci wanted to speak, but under the weight of Rengoku's aura, he kept his mouth shut.
He already knew their sense of justice would never align, but being told not to speak at all…
Right now, this was an opponent they could not overcome. The mission came first.
So, with a glance, he signaled Kalifa to check the disturbance.
Understanding, she rose and opened the door connecting the cars.
Crash!
Thud!
In the next moment, Nero—who had mastered four of the Rokushiki—and the ramen chef Wanze were both hurled into the car, defeated.
"Wanze… Nero…"
The CP9 agents glanced at their fallen comrades.
They were not true combat specialists like themselves, so perhaps their defeat was inevitable.
The real problem was—who had done this?
"Franky the outlaw… and a delinquent cook with a bounty of 53 million berries… Sanji."
Kaku muttered as he looked upon the intruders who had taken down their allies.
"Hmm! To dare assault a Sea Train jointly escorted by the Marines and World Government… a bold courage indeed!"
Rengoku rose to his feet as he spoke.
He lifted the unconscious bodies of Wanze and Nero, setting them carefully aside.
The CP9 agents would not have spared a thought for the weak. But Rengoku was different.
"The rear car should have been guarded by Colonel T-Bone. How did you overcome him?"
To this, Franky, Water Seven's notorious hooligan, puffed out his chest proudly.
"Oi! That's 'cause I cut the connection between the cars!"
"Meaning to say—you've abandoned Marines and Government agents alike in the middle of this storming sea?"
Pressure.
It was an aura like that of a demon.
Even the CP9 agents, used to the stench of blood, found themselves stepping back under its weight.
Rengoku was furious.
This mission had piled far too much upon him.
Robin's stubbornness.
Being forced to cooperate with slaughterers.
The loss of loyal subordinates.
And now, a criminal bragging proudly before him.
"Vice Admiral Rengoku, the prisoner Franky must be captured alive," Lucci reminded him.
"I know."
Step by step, Rengoku advanced toward the intruders.
With every footfall, the pressure grew heavier, crushing Sanji and Franky beneath it.
"W-What is this…!"
"This much… from aura alone?!"
Finally, standing before them, Rengoku spoke.
"I know your kind well—Sanji of the Straw Hats."
His piercing gaze fixed on the cook.
"I understand why you would go so far to rescue Nico Robin. But she is a great criminal designated by the World Government. You cannot take her back by force."
"Like hell I care! We're taking Robin-san with us! Don't you dare stand in our way!"
"She must face justice in trial, and receive the punishment she deserves. I thought even you might understand that."
But Sanji held firm, his eyes blazing.
"To hell with your justice! I'll never let my comrade be abandoned! Move aside!"
Unlike Sanji, Franky immediately drew a weapon from his modified hand and aimed it at Rengoku.
"I don't know what's going on here, but if the path is blocked—then I'll just blow it open! Weapons Left!"
Clang!
With nothing more than a casual strike of his palm, Rengoku swatted Franky's steel arm aside.
The mechanical hand bent and warped under the blow.
"T-This…! This arm is made from the same steel as an icebreaker's armor plating…!"
Even with the toughest steel, the arm he had crafted himself had been deformed by nothing but a simple strike. Franky could only gape in disbelief.
Chiiik.
The door to the forward car opened.
And into Car Two walked Robin—together with Usopp, still in his Sniper King disguise.
"Robin! We have to escape, now!"
Usopp, disguised, tugged at her arm. But she pressed forward firmly into the car.
"Usopp… so in the end, you chose the path of a pirate again?"
The two who had spurned his kindness stood before Rengoku once more.
"E-Eh?! I-I don't know what you mean, Vice Admiral! My name is Sogeking! From the island of sharpshooters—"
Smack!
In an instant, Rengoku appeared before him, his hand gripping the mask.
"The money I gave you to return home… so this is what you spent it on, a disguise?"
"T-This is… well… uh…"
"Enough."
At the breaking point, it was Robin who spoke.
"I have no intention of going back. So leave them out of this."
At her words, Rengoku tossed Usopp toward Sanji as though he were no heavier than a baseball.
"Uwaahhh!"
Usopp crashed into Sanji, both of them tumbling back into the third car.
Without hesitation, Rengoku stomped down on the coupling between Car Two and Car Three—crushing it apart.
"T-This…!!"
Sanji could only stare as Robin and Car Two drifted further and further away.
"Damn it!"
"Prisoner Franky. Great criminal Nico Robin. You will come quietly. Do not resist further."
Though weighed down with frustration and stress, Rengoku had still spared their lives.
The Straw Hats were… special.
And escalating things further would bring complications even he wished to avoid.
But—if they crossed the line again, not even Rengoku would show mercy.
....
At last, the Sea Train arrived safely at Enies Lobby.
Arrayed in double ranks, countless Government agents and Marines awaited them.
Many of the faces were unfamiliar—no doubt the island's stationed garrison.
"T-That's him… the Flame Pillar…"
"They say he's the closest to becoming an Admiral."
"I even heard he's already been designated for the post…"
The whispers spread through the ranks as they beheld Rengoku.
"Open the gates!"
At the cry of the gatekeepers, the colossal doors of Enies Lobby swung open.
Enies Lobby.
The island that never slept, shining like day even at night.
Floating like a fortress amid crashing waterfalls.
Its very existence defying reason.
The Judicial Island of the World Government.
With two criminals in tow, Rengoku stepped onto its soil.
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