On Enies Lobby, Kokoro hid inside the Judicial Tower. She looked up at the tens of thousands of cannonballs frozen in mid‑air as though time itself had stopped. She took a steady sip of sake to calm her racing heart and whispered, "This is truly surprising."
Nearby, Timney darted around Kokoro, her twin pigtails bouncing excitedly. "Wow, so cool! So cool! The smiling big brother in the sky is amazing! He can even freeze cannonballs!" she exclaimed.
Chopper, weak and shaken, slowly raised his head toward the sky, eyes wide in disbelief. "Did… Shirogai stop the bombardment?" he asked faintly.
"Yes, Chopper, don't worry," Nami said firmly, gripping her Weather Wand, staring into the chaos around them. "He's more than capable. But this place is clearly a target of the World Government." She glanced around anxiously. "Where should we go? And where is Luffy? Where did he run off to?"
Chopper sniffed, trembling, and pointed toward a narrow passage leading underground. Nami looked in that direction. "We should go find him. Hey, Zoro! Sanji! Usopp!" she shouted, poking her head out of the tower and waving frantically at the three below.
They ignored her at first. Sanji, eyes dreamy, stared up at Nami and drawled, "Nami-swaaan~~~~" while swaying like a noodle.
Zoro sneered at him. "Perverted kappa," he muttered.
Sanji snapped back indignantly, "What? You idiot who almost bled to death fighting!" He struck a dramatic pose, hands gesturing.
Zoro placed his hands on his sword hilts and growled, "Wanna test my new move?"
Sanji lifted a leg theatrically, ready to strike back.
Usopp, wearing his Sniper King mask, rolled his eyes. "Hey! You two aren't going to fight right now, are you?" he asked, exasperated.
Then a thunderous explosion rocked the area, interrupting their petty bickering. "Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Usopp's head snapped upward in alarm. "Ah! Did those Marine warships fire again?" he yelled toward the sky.
Sanji's expression went grim as he stared at black‑red magma bursting and burning against the translucent ice shield above Enies Lobby. "This is bad," he muttered, his voice low, "an Admiral's here." The shock of recognition hit them as they realized what was melting the ice — the fiery arrival of Admiral Akainu Sakazuki.
Sanji grabbed Usopp roughly and with an explosive leap shoved him upward. "Nami, look out!" he shouted.
Usopp screamed in panic as he hurtled toward Nami's level. "Ah… ah… ah… Nami! Catch me!"
Nami reacted too late. Usopp crashed heavily into a wall, sliding down with a thud. "Damn it! That hurt so much!! Nami, why didn't you catch me!" he moaned, blood sketched in faux‑drama.
Nami glared down at him angrily. "How could I possibly catch you?!" she snapped.
Before Usopp could recover, another figure crashed through the window and landed squarely on his stomach. "Ow!!!"
Usopp cried out in agony, nearly losing his supper.
As he writhed, Zoro climbed over and kicked out violently. "You damn swirly‑brows cook! You actually dared to kick me!" Zoro hissed through gritted teeth.
Sanji leapt in to dodge the kick, brushing off the chaos as if nothing happened. Then he looked at Nami, voice calm and collected: "Nami-swaan, where should we run?"
Nami didn't hesitate. She sprinted toward the passage leading underground. "Shirogai is holding all the enemy firepower in the sky right now," she called back urgently, "Marine reinforcements pouring in from the Gates of Justice will be distracted by him. We must use this chance to flee quickly!"
Zoro didn't need more convincing. At the word of escape, he dropped his grudge and followed.
Usopp groaned and whimpered, dropped on the ground, pitifully ignored. Sanji shook his head in annoyance and called back to Usopp, just loud enough for him to hear: "Hey, Sniper King, why don't you tell everyone up there about your heroic deed delivering the key?"
Usopp sat up slowly, back aching, legs trembling — suddenly full of newfound energy. He began exaggerating his contribution, puffing out his chest as he sprinted after the others, brimming with self‑importance.
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Above Enies Lobby, Shirogai floated high in the sky. He watched the gigantic magma fist strike the ice shield below. A sharp smile curved his lips as he hovered, unperturbed by the chaos or the destruction beneath.
"Hot‑tempered guys really can't keep their cool," he mused softly. Then with swift motion, he transformed into a strange purple light and flashed upward toward the warship where Admiral Sakazuki commanded his fleet.
Moments later, Shirogai hovered above the vessel, looking down coolly at Admiral Sakazuki releasing his Magma‑Magma Fruit power against it.
"Did you not have a good time playing with my clone last time, and now you want to personally exchange a few blows with me?" Shirogai asked, calm and taunting.
Immediately the surrounding Marine warships swiveled their cannons, hundreds of dark muzzles snapping into alignment and pointing directly at him in the air.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" shouted the Marines as they loaded special Sea‑Stone bullets and aimed.
Shirogai studied the disciplined lines of Marines below, their posture and readiness sharper than any garrison — a testament to Marineford's warning standards. He nodded slightly in approval. "As expected of Marines from Marineford, their physical and mental discipline is top‑notch," he remarked coolly.
Below, Admiral Sakazuki retracted his magma fist before it could crush the ice barrier, glaring up at Shirogai with cold contempt. "Shirogai, are you here to surrender?" he demanded.
"Surrender? Yes, I'm here to surrender," Shirogai answered with a light chuckle, descending and landing before him. "So tell me, who's going to catch me?" he added with a mocking grin.
"You're asking for death!" Sakazuki snarled, his lips twisting with rage. His right arm burst into roaring magma as he lunged, launching a fist of molten destruction toward Shirogai's head. "How dare you show such arrogance in front of an Admiral!"
"Hell Hound!" he bellowed. The magma punch slammed into the space where Shirogai had just been, the searing lava scorching the deck of the warship. Red magma seeped across the wood, beginning to corrode and burn the structure.
On deck, Marines shouted in shock and awe. "The pirate was hit by Admiral Akainu!" cried one. "Sakazuki is mighty!" another proclaimed, raising their voice in loyal fervor. "Justice will prevail!"
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