Chapter 83: CP9 and the Straw Hat Crew
Suddenly, riding the sea train that had leapt onto the drawbridge, Franky and the Straw Hat crew stormed into the Tower of Justice.
"CP9 agents! By order of the Director—annihilate the Straw Hats!"
Spandam, no longer caring about Franky—rendered "useless" thanks to Rengoku—dragged Nico Robin away.
"Rengoku Vice Admiral, Lucci! You will protect me! Now—toward the Gates of Justice!"
In truth, with the combined might of Rengoku and Lucci, it would have made more sense for them to fight the pirates directly while the other agents escorted Spandam.
But Spandam chose the opposite.
Either way, reclaiming Robin from the Straw Hats would not be easy.
And so, Rengoku, Rob Lucci, Spandam, and Nico Robin began their march toward the Gates of Justice.
....
Thanks to the ever-talkative Fukurou, the Straw Hats and Franky learned how to remove Robin's seastone cuffs.
Thus, Luffy charged off alone toward Robin, while the rest of the crew split up to snatch the keys from CP9's agents.
"Chappa-pa! Don't you dare underestimate me, chappa-pa~!"
"Don't show up uninvited when I haven't even restocked on cola!"
Franky clashed with Fukurou.
"Yoyoi~~! I've waited so long for you to arrive~~soi da!!"
"What the hell is this guy… huge and loud…"
Nami encountered Kumadori.
"Oh my, how about the two of us share some tea and a little chat?"
"Y-Yes, my lady~♥"
Sanji crossed paths with Kalifa.
"Hand over Robin's key."
"Hmph! In CP9, none surpass me in swordsmanship. Do not take me lightly."
Zoro confronted Kaku.
"Eek! That guy's asleep!!"
Usopp stumbled onto Jabra.
"Damn it, where the hell are that pigeon guy and the lion-head guy?!"
And Luffy—guided only by instinct—rushed toward the place where Robin was being held.
....
Back to Fukurou versus Franky.
"Franky Boxing!"
"Tekkai!"
Franky's steel fists slammed head-on into Fukurou's Iron Body.
The weighty, mechanical fists were strong enough to hurt even a master of Rokushiki.
"Kh… you're no ordinary man, are you?"
"Heh! I'm a cyborg! You think your fake steel body can stand up to real iron fists like mine?"
They clashed again and again.
Franky's Weapons Left unleashed firepower, which Fukurou dodged with Soru and Geppo—but in close quarters, when it came to raw strength, Franky's true steel overwhelmed him.
So Fukurou changed tactics. Using Geppo to leap back and Rankyaku to slash from range, he turned the battle into a war of mobility—where he might stand a chance.
"What's this? All you do is run! What are you, a coward? Looks to me like a complete loser!"
"…What was that?! You're making me angry, damn it!!"
However, Fukurou was weak to trash talk.
Falling right into Franky's low-grade provocation, he abandoned his evasive tactics and opted for a straight-up brawl.
"Dugong!"
A powerful punch shot forward at the speed of a bullet.
"Strong Right!"
A crushing, heavy blow from Franky's iron fist.
Neither man yielded an inch as they traded punches in place, each strike ringing out with brutal force.
...
Meanwhile, Nami managed to escape from Kumadori's bizarre hair techniques and regrouped with Chopper.
Chopper quickly explained that the keys to Robin's cuffs were all numbered, and since they didn't know which key matched hers, they had to gather as many as possible.
Not long after, the two spotted Sanji plummeting down from the sky in a strange state.
"Sanji-kun?"
His body glistened as if covered in soap, slippery and shining like bubbles—but his face was battered and bruised, the complete opposite.
"Sanji… isn't the kind of man to go down this easily…"
Chopper thought it over carefully before reaching a grim conclusion.
"Sanji! Don't tell me you fought that CP9 woman?!"
At Chopper's words, Sanji stayed silent. The answer was plain to see.
Nami sighed at Sanji's stubbornness and switched roles without hesitation.
"Chopper! I'll take care of the woman. You treat Sanji!"
"Even if I try, in this state…"
The slick, slippery body was clearly the effect of a Devil Fruit power. Nothing could be done about that. For now, Chopper just focused on stemming the bleeding where he could.
....
At the same time, Zoro and Usopp were locked in battle against two Zoan users.
Though technically a two-on-two fight, thanks to Usopp's antics, Zoro was effectively forced into a three-on-one situation—one arm occupied by his crewmate.
"Waaaah!! Zoro! Just hold out a little longer! I'm sure the others will find the key soon!!"
Usopp screamed in panic as Zoro hoisted him up like a weapon.
"There's no time or leisure for that. Just grab on tight—my treasured blade, Kosopp."
"WHAT do you mean Kosopp?!"
"Fine then, my treasured blade—Kofu?"
"Don't treat me like a sword! And why do all the names start with 'Ko' anyway?!"
Watching the two bicker mid-battle, Jabra and Kaku were dumbfounded.
Were they being mocked? Or were the Straw Hats seriously this careless?
"Whether they're joking or serious—we'll know when steel meets steel! Rankyaku!"
Kaku unleashed a slicing Rankyaku toward the quarreling pair. Zoro immediately swung his "blade," blocking with:
"My treasured blade—Kottōge!"
"Eeeeeek!! I almost died!!"
"But you didn't, did you? My treasured blade—Kottōge."
"STOP giving me these ridiculous names!!"
"Tch! Enough of this nonsense!"
Jabra lunged forward to attack as well.
"Rankyaku: Lone Wolf!"
"Nose Storm—36 Pound Phoenix!!"
Zoro swung Usopp in a massive arc, unleashing his technique to intercept Jabra's attack.
"Hey Jabra! Don't steal my prey!"
"I'm just hunting mine, same as you!"
The two Zoan agents attacked Zoro together. Though they didn't coordinate like true partners, their combined strikes were more than enough to pressure him.
Zoro clashed with them for dozens of exchanges, fending off both beasts at once while Usopp squealed in terror.
....
Then—over the Den Den Mushi broadcast throughout Enies Lobby—came a scream from Spandam, followed by a thunderous voice.
"Attention! All personnel in Enies Lobby—immediately cease combat and evacuate the island at once!"
It was Vice Admiral Rengoku's voice. Urgent, more than ever before.
"The Buster Call has been activated!!"
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