"Wait! Rengoku! I won't run away—just let them go!"
Robin shook off Luffy's hand and desperately ran toward where Rengoku stood.
"Oi, Robin!!"
"Robin, wait!"
Her sudden dash away from them made the Straw Hats chase after her.
But with seastone cuffs on her wrists, Robin couldn't move quickly. Inevitably, she was caught again with ease.
"Nico Robin!"
Though dozens of meters away, Rengoku's voice rang out, sharp and unmistakable.
"I told you, time and again—do not run!"
"I didn't run! I didn't break, I swear!" Robin cried back in a pleading voice.
But it seemed too late.
"I gave you chance after chance—and you ignored them all!"
The location of the Ancient Weapons… if Nico Robin died, no one else would know.
Now that the blueprints were burned, there was no longer any reason to keep her alive.
This woman who once said she didn't care if the entire world perished because she hated the World Government…
Compared to Hancock, who despised the Government too but still clawed for life… Robin was far too wretched.
She had to die.
She must die.
From Rengoku's body burst forth a furious aura, golden and crimson flames of sheer willpower.
It was no longer mere "spirit." His rage exerted physical force on the world around him.
The Bridge of Hesitation cracked under the pressure.
The Straw Hats, too, felt the crushing weight of that aura.
Nami, Usopp, and the cola-drained Franky collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unable to endure the strain.
"Nami! Usopp! Franky!!" Luffy shouted in horror.
"L-Luffy…"
Chopper's trembling body quaked violently as he struggled to speak.
"What's wrong, Chopper?"
Chopper took one deep breath and pulled out another Rumble Ball.
"Listen, everyone… this is the third Rumble Ball. If I take three within six hours… I'll lose control. I'll go berserk."
"Oi, Chopper—you're not…" Sanji's eyes widened. He already knew what his crewmate intended.
"No! Our goal is for everyone to make it back alive! I won't let you throw yourself away!"
"I'm sorry… but we've come this far, we can't just run away now. Please… save Robin, Luffy."
Crunch.
Before anyone could stop him, Chopper swallowed the third Rumble Ball. His body swelled and twisted grotesquely, transforming into a towering monster over ten meters tall.
He charged Rengoku—only to be instantly blasted back, flung aside before he could even stabilize.
Even transformed, Chopper didn't last a second against the tangible force of Rengoku's aura. He collapsed unconscious.
"Nico Robin! You are beyond redemption!!"
Rengoku's voice thundered across the bridge.
"I warned you not to run!!"
He unsheathed Enrin Kitetsu, unleashing its flames at full force.
In an instant, fire consumed the sky—roaring high enough to incinerate all of Enies Lobby if he willed it.
"Damn it…"
"We'll have to face him head-on…"
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stood before Robin, each unleashing their full power.
Zoro invoked his asura form—three heads, six arms, nine blades.
Sanji's right leg blazed, blackened steel turning crimson as fire danced.
Luffy's right arm swelled to giant proportions, pumping with blood and steam.
"Demonic Aura—Asura!!"
"Diable Jambe!!!"
"Gear Third!!!"
"…And what exactly do you think you're doing?"
Rengoku already knew, but he asked anyway.
"What do you think?! We're going to knock you down!!"
Rengoku exhaled once, then shifted. With deliberate grace, he drew Enrin Kitetsu back behind him. His stance was calm, yet overwhelming.
"Divine Manifestation—Vishnu!!"
Behind him, within the blazing inferno, a colossal guardian king—a fearsome Nio—took shape above Rengoku's head.
Vishnu.
The legendary sun god, the god of peace, the war deity who shakes the earth, and the destroyer of sin.
Clutched in Rengoku's hands, Enrin Kitetsu glowed crimson, its blade engulfed in black Armament Haki. The flames themselves darkened, transforming into a blazing inferno of jet-black fire.
In that moment, Rengoku's body warped, his form towering into a seven-meter lion-man.
"What the hell is that…?"
"Is he… a Devil Fruit user?!"
"A giraffe, a wolf, a leopard—and now a lion?!"
While the Straw Hats muttered in disbelief, Rengoku's form shrank again.
This time, he stood three meters tall—not beastly, but a towering human cloaked in fire. Upon his head rested a spectral lion's mask, as if worn by some ancient war god.
"Life Return—Peerless Warrior's Body!!!"
It was the form of the great hero of Elbaf's legends—the one who had slain even the ancient giant race.
"Nico Robin! Here and now, I will end you! I will correct my past sins and fulfill my duty as a Marine!"
"Breath of Flame, Ninth Form—Purgatory!!!"
The Bridge of Hesitation shattered beneath his feet as Rengoku dashed forward at terrifying speed, his flames consuming everything.
"Diable Jambe—Finishing Blow Shot!!!"
"Demonic Aura, Nine-Sword Style—Asura: Demonic Nine Flashes!!!"
"Hah! Do you insects think you can stand before a god?!"
Before Rengoku's overwhelming presence, Zoro's demonic aura flickered and collapsed, his Asura form snuffed out in an instant. Sanji's blazing leg, too, sputtered and died beneath the suffocating pressure.
Both men felt it—the raw terror of death gnawing at their very bones. Their feet moved without thought, stumbling backward.
Crash!
He didn't even cut them. He merely grazed them.
And yet, even that was enough to send Zoro and Sanji crashing to the ground, grievously wounded.
"Zoro! Sanji! You bastard!!"
"Gomu Gomu no… Gigant Pistol!!!"
BOOM!
Luffy's massive giant fist slammed against Rengoku—only to be hurled back, swatted away like a child.
What was a giant's fist compared to the war god who once felled the ancient giants themselves?
And yet, Luffy still stood firm, still shielded Robin with his battered body.
For a fleeting instant, Rengoku saw another man's shadow.
....
"Rengoku, did I ever tell you? I've got a grandson, just a bit younger than you. He's a troublemaker, and a fool who dreams of becoming a pirate… but still, he's my beloved grandkid. One day, I'll introduce you—ha ha ha!"
....
Clench.
Grinding his teeth, Rengoku stomped forward, his lion's paw crashing down to pin Luffy beneath it.
The crushing force knocked the boy unconscious instantly.
Using Luffy's body as a springboard, Rengoku leapt high—and brought Enrin Kitetsu down with full force, aiming to cleave Nico Robin in two.
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