"Truly a terrifying spirit."
Rob Lucci gave Rengoku only a single-line evaluation.
"So this… is the spirit of the Navy's next admiral…"
The entire CP9 silently agreed—it was fortunate they had never clashed directly with Rengoku until now.
Had they, Lucci or Kumadori might well have died on the spot.
"Even that reading of 9,000… perhaps Fukurou misspoke, and it should have been 90,000."
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats were struck into silence by Rengoku's wrath.
They had fought side by side in Alabasta, aiding King Nefertari Cobra and Prince Nefertari Mamba against the rebel army, with Luffy himself defeating Crocodile.
The bond of comradeship they shared was undeniable. But perhaps it had been too careless to accept Nico Robin into their crew so readily.
Yet the Robin they had seen with their own eyes was not inherently evil. She was thoughtful, even gentle.
For a moment, doubt rippled through the minds of the five crewmates—everyone except Luffy.
He, alone, seemed unfazed.
"It's fine. The King and Uncle Mamba will forgive you if you just tell them the truth."
His reasoning? Pure gut feeling.
"Hey, Robin! Next time we see Uncle Mamba, just apologize then! So don't worry about it!!!"
It might have sounded reckless—but the crew accepted it.
Whatever doubts they'd had at the start, now the bond tying them together could not be cut so easily.
They all silently resolved: when they returned to Alabasta, they would apologize together.
And if forgiveness didn't come, then they would bow and beg until it did.
"You said you regret it, didn't you? Just be honest with us!!"
With every word from Luffy, Robin's defenses crumbled further.
"No! Everything I've done is a crime! That's why I deserve to die! I don't want to drag you into this any further! I'm ready to die!"
"You all heard that, didn't you?" Spandam sneered.
"Look up there! See that flag? That banner represents the four seas and the Grand Line, the unity of 170 allied nations—the very symbol of the World Government! If you try to rescue Nico Robin, you're declaring war against the world itself!"
Spandam's taunts echoed as Luffy looked up at the flag of the World Government.
Then, after a moment's silence, he turned to the masked Usopp at his side.
"Sogeking. Shoot down that flag."
"…Got it."
Usopp raised his slingshot—towering as tall as himself—took aim at the symbol of the World Government, and loosed a blazing shot.
"Special Attack: Firebird Star!!"
The flaming bullet soared like a blazing phoenix toward the flag of the World Government.
It struck dead center—igniting the banner.
It was nothing less than a declaration of war against the World Government.
But before other Marines could even witness this act, a second pillar of fire erupted above the Tower of Justice.
The flag, first ignited by Firebird Star, was now engulfed once more in the flames of Rengoku's blade, the Enrin Kitetsu.
Even Spandam and the CP9 agents were horrified by the sight.
"The World Government exists to maintain peace and stability in this world! How could you allow a band of pirates to burn it, Spandam?"
Spandam was struck speechless.
The only fortunate thing was this: the "declaration of war" by the Straw Hats had been seen only by them and CP9.
To the outside world, it would be understood as Admiral-to-be Rengoku himself burning the flag in battle against the invading pirates.
Phew… at least my promotion won't be jeopardized, Spandam thought.
"Tch! As long as you got the message, that's enough for me!" Luffy barked back without hesitation.
"Robin! Even if it means turning the whole world into our enemy—we'll carry that burden! All you have to do is say you want to live!!"
At Luffy's call, tears welled up in Robin's eyes.
The storm of emotions that had been choking her finally broke loose, and through trembling lips she cried out:
"I want to live!!"
The words escaped.
She had only wanted to say goodbye…
"Take me with you! Out to sea!!"
Annoyance.
For the first time in his life, Rengoku felt the bitter taste of that emotion.
If not for the authority of the Gorosei and the Admirals, he would have ended this himself—cutting Robin down to close the chapter he had opened years ago.
But Nico Robin's knowledge was too valuable.
Because of the power she carried within her mind, she could not simply be executed.
A woman who dared say, "Let the world perish if it saves my crew."
Monkey D. Luffy…
If you truly unleash the power of an Ancient Weapon…
Even as Vice Admiral Garp's grandson, I will cut you down without hesitation.
Robin's crimes were weighty enough on their own.
And the Ancient Weapons she pursued carried power great enough to plunge the world into chaos.
Stifled by the chains of authority, Rengoku forced himself to steady his heart.
He would fulfill the mission given to him:
[Assist CP9's operation.]
Escort Nico Robin beyond the Gates of Justice and deliver her to Navy Headquarters.
If he could do that, perhaps this knot of anger in his chest would loosen—if only slightly.
The great drawbridge began to lower. Evidently, the soldiers below had been defeated, and the levers pulled.
But soon the bridge stopped halfway.
Clearly, a fierce struggle was unfolding below as well.
"…Hn?"
Down below, Franky—until now lying unconscious—had stirred.
And in his hands, he clutched a bundle of papers.
"That…!"
Spandam and CP9 immediately recognized it.
On the front page, in faded ink, were written the words "PULUTON."
A glance was enough to know: these were the blueprints of the Ancient Weapon Pluton.
"The genuine blueprints of Pluton," Franky declared, flipping open the first few pages and sliding them toward Lucci and Kaku, who had once shared the same shipwright's trade.
Even with just a glance, Lucci and Kaku broke into a cold sweat.
It was real. The blueprints were genuine.
"What was passed down for generations in Water Seven was never simply the Ancient Weapon itself. It was a hope—a countermeasure to resist tyrants like you, should you ever seize those weapons and throw the world into chaos."
FWIP!
In an instant, the blueprints were snatched from Franky's hands—into Rengoku's.
And without sparing a thought for the stunned eyes fixed upon him, he began to read.
From the first page to the last, his eyes scanned at impossible speed.
Before anyone could even react, Rengoku had finished the blueprints in their entirety.
"Hm! Even for a layman who only knows the bare minimum about ships, I can tell this is dangerous!"
"Hand it over! Vice Admiral Rengoku! By the authority of the Gorosei and the Admirals, I command you!"
Spandam shouted, his greedy eyes glinting in a way that was downright sickening.
"The authority of the Gorosei and the Admirals extends only to the mission of escorting Nico Robin. This is separate—therefore you have no right to command me."
Leaving the pitiful vessel of greed behind, Rengoku turned his gaze on Franky.
At first, Franky had been furious that Rengoku had snatched the blueprints out of his hand.
But now, meeting him directly, he felt something different.
Before, the man had been like a raging inferno.
Now, he seemed more like a warm sun.
"Why did you bring this out, Franky?"
"Hmph. Through all my contact with Nico Robin, I've come to believe without a doubt—she's not someone who would ever revive the Ancient Weapon. That's why I was going to trust the Straw Hats, and burn the blueprints myself. But I guess that chance is gone now."
Franky's answer was unexpectedly simple.
Hearing his words, Rengoku smiled for the first time that day.
After all the stress he had endured, here was something he truly approved of.
"You intended to burn it?"
"Yeah. Burn it to ashes."
"A fine idea! That thought—I'll see it done for you!"
With that, Rengoku drew Enrin Kitetsu. Flames burst forth, consuming the Pluton blueprints.
In the face of that searing blaze, the ancient documents disintegrated into nothing but ash.
The turn of events had been so swift that Spandam couldn't even react.
"Vice Admiral Rengoku! You bastard, what are you doing?!"
He seized Rengoku by the collar, raging. But Rengoku answered him calmly.
"What the World Government desires is the eradication of the Ancient Weapons. Only one has been confirmed to exist. As long as the blueprints that allow it to be mass-produced are destroyed, then only that one weapon must be eliminated. That is enough."
"What?! You'd destroy an Ancient Weapon?!"
"Correct. Ancient Weapons are asymmetric forces that must not exist in this age. Now, the only one remaining is lost to history, and its blueprints are gone. Once it is found and destroyed, one of the fabled Three Ancient Weapons—Pluton—will vanish from this world. There is no surer way to preserve peace."
The possibility of Nico Robin rampaging with an Ancient Weapon?
Not impossible. But Rengoku judged the destruction of the blueprints—the means of mass production—to be the highest priority.
And Ancient Weapons were no mere toys. Even ordinary warships required specialists from every field working in unison to operate. A vessel like Pluton would be far more complex—there was no way it could be handled so easily.
"Hahahahaha!! Looks like the Navy saved my skin this time!"
Franky couldn't help but laugh with relief. Rengoku had done what he himself had intended all along.
Such a monstrous design must never be allowed to see the light of day.
"Our five years of infiltration… all for nothing…"
The three CP9 agents who had infiltrated Water Seven were left speechless at Rengoku's "outrage."
But it was already done. There was no undoing it.
"The World Government's goal is peace above all. Ancient Weapons are not necessary for that."
Rengoku was right—at least, outwardly.
Even if the highest authorities later claimed:
"The World Government sought Pluton to enforce absolute rule over the world, and you destroyed it—therefore you are guilty!"
—such a statement would come too late.
Would the Government abandon the honor and legitimacy it had upheld for centuries, or the blueprints of Pluton?
If asked, even the Gorosei would choose the latter.
From below, the sound of the Sea Train echoed upward.
Hearing it, the Straw Hats and Franky leapt down toward the halted drawbridge at once.
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