Akainu replied coldly, "It's for the sake of justice. If we don't strike them down here and now, think about how many lives will be lost when we try to arrest them later. For justice, I'd rather risk killing the wrong person than let the guilty walk free."
Sengoku took a deep breath, forcing down his anger. "Enough!" He slammed his palm on the desk. "This is not the time for infighting!"
He turned to the intelligence officer. "Issue an immediate increase to Nico Robin's bounty. And…" He paused, realizing something Rett had always been a thorn in the side of the World Government.
Sengoku almost laughed out of frustration. Rett was like a piece of tough meat send too few people after him and you'd never catch him, send too many and you'd throw the whole world into chaos.
He wasn't like Big Mom, claiming territory in the New World. He just wandered wherever he pleased, impossible to pin down.
At least he didn't kill without reason.
And right now, the New World was in a delicate three-emperor balance (with Shanks not yet a major force).
Sengoku turned to Garp. "Garp! You've been taking too many vacations lately. Once you're done in the East Blue, get back here immediately!"
Garp laughed loudly. "Alright, alright! But I still have to go back and see my grandson!"
Sengoku: "…"
After Garp had dealt with the Pirate King's orphan, he'd suddenly told Sengoku and Tsuru that he wanted to take in Makino's family as his own. That had shocked Sengoku more than a little especially after Garp had killed a pregnant woman.
Sengoku and Tsuru were both too sharp to be fooled. They could turn a blind eye as long as the child's identity wasn't exposed and the matter didn't fall into their hands.
Paper can't cover fire forever… but the three of them could, for now.
(Still, Sengoku really wanted to punch that old fool across the room.)
Back aboard the Bruma Jackson, it was time for Rett's usual training drills.
"The Flower-Flower Fruit isn't for you to play lookout with," Rett said, slicing through Robin's distant surveillance eyes with one clean stroke. "At sea, Observation Haki is your true vision. Aim for the heart and the throat."
At this rate, Rett felt like he was becoming the Zephyr of pirates.
Without warning, Moria's shadows burst from the deck, hundreds of shadow arms lunging toward Robin.
She hastily bloomed arms around herself in defense only to be struck precisely at each joint by Enel's lightning.
"Too slow," Rett's voice came from behind her, the flat of his massive black tide blade tapping her neck. "Even against three opponents, the pressure's still too much for you. Enel's yours."
Enel trembled with excitement. "Hahahahaha! Finally my turn! New girl, are you ready to greet hell?"
Perona's negative ghosts swooped in for a sneak attack only to be caught by an arm sprouting from Robin's shoulder. "Perona, that's the third time."
"Ugh… Robin's getting less and less cute!" Perona pouted.
Robin glanced at the increasingly unhinged Enel, wondering what he had gone through to become like this.
"Try attaching your arms to someone else's body," Rett said, dragging over a battered Enel (freshly beaten). "See if it works on a Logia user."
By the fifth time Enel was on his knees begging, "I'm just a salted fish," Robin finally succeeded her flower-hand grew directly from Enel's body.
(Perona: MVP. Enel: freeloading loser.)
Floating nearby, Perona practiced her writing, then noticed her ghosts dancing in Robin's palm.
"They really seem to like you! We are best friends."
Under the moonlight, Robin's pen suddenly halted over a page of her research. "Captain Rett, here's something about 'Joy Boy's promise'…"
"We'll talk tomorrow," Rett said, snapping the book shut and handing her a cup of hot milk. "Tonight's mission was early to bed, healthy growth. But… I've prepared a big surprise."
"Enel."
"Here, Captain."
"Remember how I trained your Observation Haki?"
"Oh, I remember perfectly, Captain."
Enel tapped his finger, sending jolts into ten zombies Moria had carelessly left near the door, reanimating them.
"Zombies capture Robin!"
"In your sleep, you must stay on guard," Rett's body blurred into mist. "If you're caught, that's thirty more minutes of training. If you keep getting caught, you're not sleeping tonight."
Perona, asleep hugging her teddy bear, was suddenly yanked into the air by one of Robin's blooming arms. Below, the zombies just missed tearing her nightdress.
"…Rett."
"Hm?"
"We're not friends for five minutes."
Rett burst out laughing. "That won't help you now. Don't worry about Perona, the zombies won't hurt her. You know Moria's zombies don't sleep. Good luck, Robin I believe in you."
Just then brr-brr Makino's Den Den Mushi rang.
"…Mhm. Yes. Alright."
After hanging up, Rett's mood visibly brightened.
"All crew—" His voice was tight with barely contained joy. "Set course for the East Blue. Now."
Robin recalled her arms, asking softly, "What happened?"
Perona floated over, unusually serious. "It's Rouge…"
Enel dropped his playful expression; judging by the captain's face, it was good news. "I'll start lightning propulsion."
The Bruma Jackson slipped quietly into Windmill Village's harbor under the cover of night.
Rett stood at the bow, a silent blood mist wrapping the ship in a hazy veil, hiding it from Navy patrols.
"We're here," he murmured, voice tinged with rare tension.
Perona floated beside him, rubbing sleepy eyes. "Why are we sneaking back in the middle of the night, Captain?"
Moria's shadow oozed from the deck cracks, chuckling darkly. "Heh-heh-heh… because certain people don't want to alert the Navy."
Robin stood quietly at the rail. Rett had saved her from destruction his family was her family now. She held a notebook in her hands, a gift prepared for the "new family" she was about to meet.
Makino's tavern was still lit, warm yellow light spilling onto the cobblestone street. As Rett pushed open the door, the wind chimes gave a crisp ring.
"Welcome—" Makino froze mid-greeting, the tray in her hand clattering to the floor. Her eyes filled instantly with tears. "Rett! You… all of you…"
"I heard I've become an uncle. Of course I had to come see for myself." Rett grinned, but his eyes drifted past her to the closed door in the back. "How's Rouge?"
Makino wiped at her eyes. "Mother and children are safe! Twins a boy named Ace, and a girl named Ann…" She lowered her voice. "Garp's inside too. He insists on being their grandpa."
A vein pulsed on Rett's forehead. "That old fool—"
"Waaah—!"
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