Chapter 272: Robin: Don't Panic, Being Wanted is My Specialty!
Bang!
Usopp shielded his head with both arms.
An iron fist smashed into his forearms, causing excruciating pain.
Bang!
A second blow.
His arms felt like they were about to snap.
Bang!
A third strike.
Usopp's face was covered in blood, his nose twisted to one side, his eyes swollen shut.
"Give up!"
Franky shouted.
Usopp remained silent.
Bang!
"Give up!"
"...."
Usopp's voice squeezed through gritted teeth.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
When Franky finally stopped and looked down at the long-nosed man pinned beneath him—his face bloody, nose crooked, eyes swollen—the look in his eyes remained unchanged.
A glint flashed in Franky's eyes.
"You… are interesting."
He raised his right arm.
The synthetic skin on his right arm peeled away, revealing the steel structure beneath.
"Ultimate Hammer."
He stared at Usopp.
"You're the toughest sniper I've ever seen. I'll give you the treatment a warrior deserves."
The iron fist rose high.
Usopp lay on the ground, watching the fist through a haze of crimson.
Thud—
A dull sound.
But not the sound of a fist hitting flesh.
Franky froze.
His steel fist had been caught!
To be precise, it had been caught by the shell in the long-nosed man's hand.
The force of the Ultimate Hammer was completely absorbed by the Impact Dial.
The Impact Dial absorbed the impact, then Usopp raised it toward Franky—and released.
Bang!
An invisible shockwave erupted from the shell, striking Franky squarely in the face.
Franky was sent flying backward, crashing through a pile of lumber, smashing through a wall, and finally buried in the rubble.
Silence fell over the scene.
Usopp still lay on the ground, the hand holding the Impact Dial slowly lowering.
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
"..."
Ralph had told him to learn to observe his opponent in battle.
The enemy clearly had long-range abilities but chose not to continue fighting from a distance.
That meant he preferred close combat over ranged attacks, so he likely had a powerful finishing move, just like Lufia!
Usopp had gambled right!
Lufia was the first to jump up.
"Usopp won!"
Zoro's lips curved into a smirk.
Sanji exhaled a ring of smoke.
The onlookers were stunned for a moment before erupting into cheers.
"He won!"
"That long-nosed guy won!"
"What long-nosed guy? That's Captain Usopp!"
Just then, two figures emerged from the crowd.
One wore a baseball cap and had a long nose.
The other stood expressionless, a pigeon perched on his shoulder.
Kaku and Lucci.
They walked up to the Straw Hat Crew and stopped.
"Straw Hat Pirates."
Lucci spoke, his voice quiet but audible to everyone.
"Last night, Mr. Iceburg was attacked. The culprits are you."
The crowd erupted in uproar.
Lufia's eyes widened. "What?"
Sanji and Zoro were also stunned.
Kaku stepped forward.
"Miss Kalifa identified the attackers as members of the Straw Hat Pirates. Mr. Iceburg is now unconscious. Do you have anything to explain?"
"We didn't do it!"
Lufia's voice was drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.
"Pirates attacked the mayor?"
"Mr. Iceburg is in trouble?"
"No wonder the shipyard didn't open today…"
Despite their words, Lucci and Kaku gave no chance for explanation.
Kaku drew his sword and charged at Zoro.
Zoro unsheathed his blade to meet him, their swords clashing with a shower of sparks.
Lucci rushed toward Sanji, launching a kick.
Sanji raised his leg to block, and the two exchanged kicks, each retreating two steps.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
Lufia stood guard beside Usopp, unsure whether she should step in to help.
Just then, an explosion sounded in the distance.
Boom!
Flames shot into the sky.
Someone shouted:
"Mr. Iceburg's mansion has exploded! It must be the work of the Straw Hat Crew!"
The crowd erupted into complete pandemonium.
"Grab them!"
"Don't let them escape!"
The people began to close in.
Some were genuinely furious, some were just joining the commotion, and others harbored unknown motives.
Lufia wanted to explain, but no one listened.
She could only hold Usopp and retreat.
Sanji and Zoro were entangled with Lucci and Kaku, unable to break free for the moment.
Amid the chaos, no one noticed Franky.
He crawled out of the rubble, staggering to his feet.
Before he could speak, a door suddenly opened behind him.
A transparent door appeared out of thin air.
Tentacle-like strands of hair reached out from within, covering Franky's mouth and dragging him inside.
The door closed.
Franky vanished.
By the time his underlings reacted, their boss was already gone.
"Where's the boss?"
"The boss is gone!"
No one saw what happened.
Meanwhile, at Iceburg's mansion.
Three minutes before the explosion.
Nami, Robin, and Chopper had just been brought to Mr. Iceburg's mansion by Foreman Paulie and were about to confront the secretary who had framed them.
Ralph suddenly smashed through the window.
He landed in the center of the living room and, without a word, grabbed Paulie, who was standing there, and flung him with all his might.
Paulie flew out through the window and crashed into the canal outside.
In the room, Nami, Robin, and Chopper stood frozen in place.
Without time to explain, Ralph rushed to Iceburg's side.
At that moment, Iceburg lay unconscious on the bed, wrapped in bandages.
"There's a bomb! Run!"
Leaving only those words, he picked up Iceburg and leaped out the window.
Nami and the others were stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality and rushing toward the window.
Chopper was the last to run.
Just as he reached the window, the room behind him exploded.
Boom!
Flames and shockwaves burst from the room.
Chopper had no time to think and activated Guard Point.
His body instantly swelled, his fur becoming thick and dense.
He wrapped Nami and Robin in his fur, using himself as a shield.
The shockwave slammed into his back, blasting him out through the window.
The three tumbled through the air before finally crashing into an alley.
Chopper reverted to his normal form and asked worriedly:
"A-Are you okay?"
Nami and Robin crawled out from his fur, shaken but unharmed.
Chopper's fur was partially singed, and his body had absorbed the brunt of the explosion, but he was otherwise fine.
The three looked back at Iceburg's mansion.
Half the building had already collapsed.
Flames rose from the rubble, thick smoke billowing.
Nami's face turned pale.
"What... just happened?"
Robin remained silent.
A question lingered in her mind.
Why had CP9's plan changed?
Originally, they had intended to use the Straw Hat Crew to pressure her into cooperating.
Now, they were directly bombing the mansion...
It seemed even her life no longer mattered!
Framing them wasn't the goal.
Framing them was meant to turn the Straw Hat Crew into enemies of the entire city.
To make everyone hunt them down.
...
"Robin?"
Nami called out to her.
Robin snapped back to attention.
"We need to find Lufia and the others," she emphasized. "Now."
At that moment, shouts came from all directions.
"The Straw Hat crew blew up Mr. Iceburg's house!"
"Citywide warrant for the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Capture them!"
Footsteps and shouts echoed from every street.
Nami's face turned pale.
"A warrant... for us?"
Chopper curled into a ball.
But Robin remained calm.
"Don't panic, I have experience with being wanted!"