Two hours earlier.
Guided by Nami, Luffy and the others sailed on the Thousand Sunny to the location specified in Shiki's invitation.
When they arrived, they discovered that the central floating island, capable of lifting people into the sky, was already surrounded by a massive fleet of pirate ships.
Most were notable names on the seas, eager to ally with a legend.
"Wow, that pirate captain has a bounty of 50 million berries? Zoro, what did you say his name was again?" Luffy asked, pointing rudely.
Zoro had long grown accustomed to Luffy's habit of only listening to the parts of information he found interesting.
But he still made his own mental notes and plans.
The entire Straw Hat Pirates were about to engage in a fight soon—who knew if these pirates was planning to acknowledge Shiki as their boss and would attack them on sight?
Not just Zoro, but Sanji, Robin, and Nami were also keenly observing the appearances of the people around them, searching for any identity information they could use.
Since their captain was an idiot who would likely punch first and ask questions later, they had to devise contingency measures.
Gathering intel about enemy identities and the surrounding terrain was the most appropriate approach.
...
Later, the entire Straw Hat crew dressed up in sharp black suits, adopting the appearance of well-dressed thugs as they headed to the meeting hall.
As they walked through the floating islands, they continued observing their surroundings.
Whenever they encountered a lone pirate guard, Sanji would swiftly knock them out with a kick, then have Chopper verify their identity using a stack of bounty posters to gauge the enemy's strength.
Time passed minute by minute, and they were just one island away from reaching Golden Lion's main palace.
At that moment, the flower-clone ears Robin had sprouted on a nearby tree to eavesdrop picked up a familiar voice from another sky island about 3 kilometers away.
"Mr 2, Mr 3, Gem—you three come with me to Shiki's reception hall first."
"Since we're here to pay respects, we should show proper manners to our new boss, especially since we only arrived yesterday."
"As for you, Marianne, since you said you're interested in these flying islands, you can go explore on your own. Be careful though~"
While speaking, Mikita patted the little girl's hand and discreetly slipped a folded note into her palm.
...
When Robin heard this voice, she immediately recalled the woman called Miss Valentine from their time in Alabasta.
She sprouted an eye next to the eavesdropping ear using her Hana Hana no Mi ability, just in time to witness Mikita handing the note to the little painter girl, Marianne.
After some quick deduction, Robin concluded that this pirate crew, composed of her former colleagues from Baroque Works, probably wasn't here to sincerely join the Golden Lion.
Marianne's so-called "island exploration" was their true objective—a secret mission.
Thus, Robin used her ability to tail Marianne the entire way.
Twenty minutes later, she watched as the girl ran into a forest.
Using her Colors Trap paintbrushes, Marianne controlled Shiki subordinate one by one, eventually sneaking her way into a hidden prison area.
Seeing this, Robin finally understood the purpose of these "Baroque Pirates" and revealed a knowing smile on her gentle face.
This confused Nami and Chopper, who were walking beside her.
But when they asked, Robin didn't explain, simply saying it was "nothing important."
This left the others quite puzzled.
However, after a while, Sanji, Zoro, and Nami each guessed the possible reason.
It was probably some secret that couldn't be spoken aloud in enemy territory.
All they needed to do was trust Robin.
...
The subsequent developments were easy to predict.
Luffy and the others entered the grand banquet hall and had a tense conversation with the Golden Lion Shiki.
Shiki sat on his throne, arrogantly declaring.
"Jihahahha! As famous pirates from the East Blue, you will help me destroy the East Blue together!"
"If you dare to refuse, I'll tie you to the prow of my ship and make you watch your hometown get destroyed with your own eyes."
"I want everyone in this world to know that aside from Roger, no one can stop me from destroying the East Blue!"
He gestured violently behind him.
"That Buggy the Clown who dared challenge me is a prime example!"
"Straw Hat Pirates, do you wish to meet the same fate?"
Before Luffy and the others had fully entered the hall, they had already seen the horrific sight.
Buggy's body had been split into five distinct parts, each pierced and nailed to a wooden board behind Shiki by swords.
The blades deliberately avoided Buggy's brain and heart.
Combined with the medical expertise of Shiki's subordinate, Dr. Indigo, this ensured Buggy's survival while rendering him completely powerless to resist or escape.
Even Buggy's notoriously sharp tongue was silenced—a dagger had been driven through his mouth, straight down his throat, and pinned into the board behind him, leaving him unable to utter a single curse.
Luffy nearly lost control and lunged forward immediately.
But Zoro and Sanji held him back, fearing reckless action would get Buggy killed instantly.
Having matured through countless battles, Luffy was no longer as impulsive as he once was.
He heeded their advice, and the group calmly entered the banquet hall to begin their dialogue with Shiki.
As the conversation started, Sanji, out of courtesy, asked Shiki what it would take to spare Buggy.
Not only did Shiki refuse, but he also launched into a lengthy, sadistic monologue about his methods.
For instance, why use this dismemberment instead of Seastone chains to restrain Buggy?
Shiki explained he wanted the ordinary people of the East Blue to witness the defeat of the so called 'Clown Emperor' with their own eyes.
The Bara Bara no Mi is impressive? So what? I'll let you keep your Devil Fruit ability but drain you of all strength to use it.
All Buggy could feel was despair.
And the pirates invited to witness this—when they saw Buggy split apart and bound at the ship's prow, who would doubt Shiki's power?
This visceral visual impact was the most effective way to demonstrate strength to his underlings and, in the days to come, to thoroughly intimidate the "insects" of the East Blue.
Finally, Shiki declared:
"If you Straw Hat Pirates also refuse to cooperate with me, I will treat you the same way."
"For example, I'll stretch your captain, Luffy, into a giant rubber canvas and nail him beneath my pirate ship to drag through the sea."
"Or force Nico Robin to continuously use her ability by threatening her comrades' lives—for every arm she creates, we'll cut one off, savoring her screams of agony."
"Or place that pet on a grill, carving off a piece of its meat to eat every day, and so on…"
Hearing this bastard's vile ramblings, Zoro and Sanji no longer restrained Luffy.
Because the stalling had served its purpose.
Instantly, Luffy leaped into the air, biting his thumb.
His arm inflated into a giant hand, coated in shiny black Armament Haki, and he slammed it toward Shiki.
"GOMU GOMU NO... ELEPHANT GUN!"
…
At the exact same moment, Robin, who had been sitting calmly with Luffy and the others, suddenly dissolved into hundreds of petals and vanished from the hall.
Then, she reappeared instantly at the prow of Shiki's ship, right next to the tortured Buggy.
Surrounding her were a dozen pirates preparing to continue tormenting the captive clown.
Upon seeing Robin appear in her black suit, stockings, and high boots, their lust overwhelmed them, and they moved to harass her with leering grins.
But then, they felt nearly ten arms sprout from their own backs and necks.
"Cien Fleur... Clutch!"
CRACK!
In an instant, Robin activated her ability.
Over a dozen pirates had their lumbar vertebrae, cervical vertebrae, and necks completely fractured simultaneously.
At a glance, they were dead beyond any doubt.
Though Robin looked calm, she still had a temper.
That damn Shiki, saying right in front of her that he wanted to torture her, and describing it so blatantly—how could she tolerate that?
Most importantly, this bastard Golden Lion even wanted to turn all the companions she had worked so hard to find into "art pieces" to display for the outside world.
Glancing at Shiki's reception hall a kilometer away, Robin's eyes turned cold, and killing intent radiated from her.
Then, she spoke to someone hiding below the ship.
"I'll leave Buggy to you for now. I'm going to help kill Shiki."
A green-haired man with sharp teeth and a nose ring popped up from below, looking incredibly excited to hear Robin's voice.
"Don't worry, Robin-senpai! With me here, protecting this clown is a piece of cake!"
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