The wind howled across the rooftop.
Below them, Enies Lobby roared with chaos—but here, at the edge of the Tower of Justice, everything felt unnaturally still. The vast waterfall thundered endlessly in the distance, as if the island itself were watching.
The Straw Hats stood shoulder to shoulder.
Luffy at the center, feet planted firmly against the stone.
Zoro, arms crossed, hand resting near his swords.
Sanji, cigarette glowing faintly in the wind.
Nami tense but unflinching, eyes sharp.
Usopp swallowing hard, forcing his legs not to shake.
Chopper clutching his hat, heart pounding.
Across the long bridge—
Footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
Spandam emerged first, his polished shoes clicking against the stone, a smug, self-satisfied grin stretched across his face.
Behind him stood CP9.
Lucci—silent, cold, eyes devoid of emotion.
Kaku, calm but alert.
Jabra grinning with barely restrained bloodlust.
Kalifa composed, gaze sharp.
Kumadori swaying theatrically.
Fukurou muttering numbers under his breath.
And between them—
Robin.
Hands bound behind her back.
Head lowered.
Beside her stood Franky—bruised, shackled, teeth clenched in frustration.
The two sides stopped.
Stared.
For several long seconds, the only sound was the wind and the distant roar of falling water.
Then—
Robin lifted her head.
Her voice shattered the silence. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!"
Everyone froze.
Her words came out raw, desperate.
"I told you!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I JUST WANT TO DIE!"
The pain in her voice cut deeper than any blade.
Nami's breath caught.
Chopper trembled, eyes wide with horror.
Usopp clenched his fists so hard his palms hurt.
Luffy stepped forward.
No anger.
No hesitation.
His voice was calm.
Unshakable.
"Whether you want to die or not," he said, eyes locked on Robin, "I don't care about whatever you say."
Robin froze, stunned.
Luffy took another step.
"Say that kind of thing," he continued, "while you're by our sides."
The wind seemed to still.
Robin's breath hitched.
Her shoulders trembled. "…Luffy…"
Spandam suddenly burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
He doubled over, slapping his knee.
"You pirates are unbelievable!" he sneered. "Truly unbelievable!"
He straightened and jabbed a finger upward.
"Take a good look at that flag!"
High above them, the World Government flag waved proudly in the wind.
"That symbol represents the unity of more than 170 nations across the Grand Line and the Four Seas!"
Spandam spread his arms wide, face twisted with superiority. "That is the WORLD itself!"
He leaned forward, eyes bulging. "Do you have any idea how insignificant you are in comparison?!"
He turned sharply toward Robin. "Can you even begin to imagine how many powerful organizations are hunting this woman?!"
Luffy didn't look at the flag.
He didn't look away from Robin.
"I'm well aware of who Robin's enemies are."
His voice didn't waver.
Then—
He turned his head slightly.
"Usopp."
Usopp stiffened.
"…Y–Yeah?"
"Shoot that flag."
The world stopped.
Spandam's grin vanished instantly.
"…What?"
The CP9 agents stiffened.
The marines below gasped.
Usopp swallowed hard.
His hands shook.
His legs threatened to give out.
But he remembered Robin crying.
He remembered Luffy's voice.
He raised his slingshot.
"Roger that."
"FIREBIRD STAR!."
The projectile streaked through the air—
WHOOSH!
It struck the flag.
Flames erupted instantly.
The symbol of the World Government burned violently, curling inward as it collapsed into blazing fragments.
Robin's eyes widened in disbelief. "…It can't be—"
The marines screamed in unison.
"THE FLAG—!!"
"THEY BURNED IT?!"
"ARE THEY INSANE?!"
Spandam stumbled backward, face drained of color.
"ARE YOU PIRATES STUPID?!" he shrieked, voice cracking.
He shook violently, pointing at them with trembling hands. "Do you really think you can oppose the ENTIRE WORLD and survive?!"
Luffy stepped forward, fists clenched, eyes blazing with absolute resolve.
"BRING IT ON!"
The words echoed across Enies Lobby.
Spandam stared at them in pure disbelief.
They weren't scared.
They weren't hesitating.
They weren't bluffing.
For the first time in his life—
Spandam realized something terrifying.
These pirates weren't foolish.
They were serious.
And the world had just been challenged.
———————-
The wind tore across the rooftop, howling like a living thing, whipping cloaks and coats as if Enies Lobby itself were screaming in protest.
Ash from the burning World Government flag drifted through the air, glowing faintly before breaking apart, scattering like fallen snow across the stone.
Robin stood frozen.
Her eyes were fixed on the flames.
Her chest felt tight—too tight to breathe—like invisible hands were squeezing her heart, threatening to crush it. Every breath burned.
Then—
"ROBIN!"
Luffy's voice cut through the chaos.
Clear. Unyielding.
It reached her in a way nothing else ever had. "We still haven't heard you say it!"
The world seemed to stop.
Robin flinched, chains rattling softly as her fingers trembled against the cuffs binding her wrists. For a moment, she couldn't even look at him.
"…Say what?" she whispered.
Her voice shook—fragile, almost childlike.
Then it broke.
Years of fear, loneliness, and buried pain surged to the surface all at once, pouring out of her like a dam finally giving way.
"Someday… someday you'll see me as a burden," she cried, her voice cracking.
"Someday you'll be forced to betray me—"
"—and throw me away!"
The words ripped from her throat, raw and unfiltered.
"That's what I'm most afraid of!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.
"Do you understand?!"
The Straw Hats stood frozen.
Nami's breath hitched as her hands trembled at her sides.
Chopper's eyes brimmed with tears, his small body shaking.
Usopp's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Sanji clenched his teeth, cigarette forgotten.
Even Zoro's jaw tightened.
Robin squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing openly now.
"That's why I didn't want you to rescue me!" she shouted, voice breaking again and again.
"If that's the only future waiting for me—"
"If I'm just going to be abandoned again—"
Her knees nearly buckled.
"I'd rather die now," she cried, "and save myself the pain!"
Silence crashed down like a tidal wave.
Even the wind seemed to falter.
Luffy stared at her, eyes wide—not in anger, not in confusion—but in understanding.
"…Robin," he said softly.
He stepped forward, slippers scraping against the stone.
"I didn't know," he admitted. "I didn't know it was that deep."
Robin shook her head violently, tears flying.
Luffy's hands curled into fists at his sides.
"But listen to me," he said, his voice rising, shaking with emotion. "Robin—please believe in us!"
He leaned forward, shouting with everything he had, as if his voice alone could reach the parts of her heart no one ever had.
"SAY THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
The words struck her like lightning.
Robin's breath caught.
Her vision blurred as memories surged forward uncontrollably.
Running through burning streets.
Hiding in shadows.
Hands shoving her away.
Faces filled with fear and hatred.
Voices calling her a demon.
Betrayal after betrayal.
Ally after ally turning their backs on her.
Then—
A warm, gentle voice cut through the darkness.
"The sea is vast. Someday, you'll find friends. Friends who will love you. Who won't ever abandon you."
Saul.
Her chest tightened painfully, like her heart was being torn open.
"…I'm allowed… to live?" she thought. "Nobody ever told me that."
Her lips trembled.
"If… if I'm allowed to wish for it," she thought desperately, "just this once…"
Tears streamed freely as she lifted her head.
She looked at them.
At Luffy, standing there without hesitation.
At Nami, eyes full of worry and care.
At the crew who had fought the world for her.
Her voice broke.
But this time—
It didn't falter.
"I WANT TO LIVE!!!"
The words rang out across Enies Lobby, echoing off stone and steel, louder than cannons.
"TAKE ME WITH YOU!"
"TAKE ME AWAY FROM HERE!"
Her scream carried everything she had buried her entire life.
Hope.
Fear.
A desperate wish to be loved.
The Straw Hats smiled.
Not one of them hesitated.
Not one looked away.
Nami covered her mouth, tears spilling freely.
Chopper sobbed openly.
Usopp laughed weakly through tears.
Sanji turned his face aside, shoulders shaking.
Zoro smirked—but his eyes burned with resolve.
Luffy grinned wide, that familiar fearless smile. "Leave the rest to us."
For the first time in her life—
Robin believed she was allowed to live.
———————
Behind her, Franky let out a low, rough laugh.
"Heh… how emotional."
The sound was almost gentle, completely at odds with the chains biting into his wrists and the bruises darkening his skin.
He turned his head slightly, looking at Robin—not as a prisoner, not as a weapon the world feared, but as a person.
"I had my doubts about you, Nico Robin," he said honestly, voice steady despite the pain in his ribs. "You were quiet. Distant. Always lookin' like you were ready to disappear."
Robin flinched.
Franky's eyes softened.
"But hearing what you went through your whole life…" he continued, jaw tightening, "…running, hiding, bein' used, bein' thrown away…"
He let out a breath.
"…I feel sorry for you."
For a split second, Robin looked stunned. No one had ever said that to her before—not with pity, not with understanding. Not without strings attached.
Lucci stepped forward.
The air changed.
"Enough talk."
His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, but the killing intent behind it pressed down like a physical weight. His eyes locked onto Franky with predatory focus.
"Shut up," Lucci said coldly, "and tell us where Pluton is."
Franky scoffed, spitting blood to the side.
"I don't know."
The answer was simple. Almost casual.
BAM!
Lucci moved faster than anyone could react.
His foot slammed into Franky's ribs with brutal precision. A sickening crack echoed across the rooftop as Franky's body jerked violently, chains rattling as he staggered back.
Robin gasped.
Franky coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth—but he didn't fall.
He straightened slowly, teeth clenched, breath ragged.
Lucci didn't blink.
"I know you know," he said evenly. "Now tell me."
Franky lifted his head inch by inch, eyes burning with defiance despite the pain screaming through his body.
"You really wanna know where it is?" he asked hoarsely.
Then—
He laughed.
Not a chuckle.
Not a smirk.
A loud, unrestrained, almost hysterical laugh that echoed across the bridge and vanished into the roar of the waterfalls below.
Spandam recoiled as if struck.
"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" he shrieked, face contorting with fury and fear. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"
Franky grinned wide, teeth bared, blood streaking his face. "Because you're all idiots."
The CP9 agents stiffened.
Kaku frowned.
Kalifa's eyes widened.
Jabra growled under his breath.
Lucci's gaze sharpened.
"You spent almost ten years infiltrating Water Seven," Franky continued, voice sharp despite the damage to his body. "Lyin'. Pretendin'. Smilin' like good little shipwrights."
He leaned forward as much as his chains allowed. "All that time… all that effort… just to find Pluton."
Spandam swallowed.
"But the truth is—" Franky said, eyes gleaming, "it's gone."
The words slammed into them harder than any punch.
The air went dead.
"…What?" Spandam croaked, his voice suddenly small.
Lucci's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What do you mean," he said slowly, "gone?"
Franky laughed harder, shoulders shaking.
"You CP9 got played."
He tapped his chest with his bound fist.
"My master," he said, voice lowering, "Tom… gave the Pluton blueprints to a pirate."
Shock rippled through the group.
"…A pirate?" Kalifa whispered, disbelief etched across her face.
Even Kaku stiffened.
Spandam's knees wobbled.
"…That's impossible…" he muttered. "That—THAT CAN'T BE POSSIBLE!"
Franky shrugged, chains clinking.
"He never told us who," he added casually. "Didn't say a name. Didn't leave a clue."
Spandam staggered backward, clutching his head.
"No… no, no, no…" he muttered. "We spent years—YEARS—!"
Franky leaned closer, grin sharp as a blade, eyes locked on Lucci.
"How does it feel?" he taunted. "Wasting your lives chasing somethin' that was never here?"
For the first time—
Lucci's expression changed.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Pure, lethal intent.
The air around him seemed to vibrate.
Spandam snapped, veins bulging.
"KILL HIM!" he screamed. "KILL HIM NOW!"
The CP9 agents moved instantly.
Like predators unleashed.
Not as individuals—
But as a pack.
Their bodies blurred, muscles coiling, intent sharpened to a single point. Robin and Franky.
Lucci stepped forward first, his presence alone crushing the air.
Kaku shifted his stance, joints cracking.
Jabra grinned like a wolf finally let off its
chain.
Kalifa raised her staff slightly.
Kumadori whispered something under his breath.
Fukurou's zipper-mouth rattled.
Spandam shrieked triumphantly. "YES—TAKE THEM! END THIS NOW!"
Robin's breath hitched.
Franky braced himself despite the chains digging deeper into his wrists.
And then—
Luffy looked up.
Not angry.
Not shouting.
Just focused.
His eyes darkened.
The world seemed to pause.
A pressure—sudden, invisible, overwhelming—exploded outward from Luffy's body.
BOOM.
The air shattered.
A shockwave ripped across the rooftop like a cannon blast without sound, cracking stone beneath their feet. Loose debris lifted off the ground and hung suspended for a heartbeat before crashing back down.
Red lightning snapped violently through the air, arcing around Luffy's body like a living thing.
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK.
The CP9 agents stopped dead.
Mid-step.
Mid-strike.
Lucci's eyes widened—just barely.
Kaku staggered back half a step, teeth clenched.
Jabra's grin vanished.
Kalifa's hand trembled.
Kumadori's chant cut off sharply.
Even Spandam fell flat on his back, screaming. "W—WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Marines watching from afar collapsed where they stood, eyes rolled back, bodies limp.
The Straw Hats froze.
"…Huh?" Usopp squeaked.
Nami stared, heart pounding. "L-Luffy…?"
Chopper's jaw dropped. "What… what just happened?"
Zoro narrowed his eye, instinct screaming at him. "…That pressure…"
Sanji's cigarette fell from his lips. "…Oi. Captain?"
The air felt heavy—as if the world itself was pressing down.
Lucci straightened slowly, muscles tense, eyes locked on Luffy with something new.
Not contempt.
Not boredom.
Interest.
"…That wasn't strength," Lucci said quietly.
"…What was that?"
Luffy didn't answer right away.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
The red lightning flickered again—fainter now, but still there, crawling across his shoulders and arms like fading embers.
He looked at Robin.
At Franky.
At his crew.
Then back at CP9.
"This ends," Luffy said.
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
"Now."
The CP9 agents tensed.
Spandam scrambled backward, shrieking.
"W-WAIT—DON'T JUST STAND THERE! KILL HIM! KILL THEM ALL!"
Luffy rolled his shoulders once.
Steam hissed softly from his skin.
"You're not taking anyone," he continued, eyes burning.
"Not Robin."
"Not Franky."
Robin watched.
Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs.
They're… really doing this.
For me.
The realization hit harder than fear ever had.
Luffy then clenched his fists.
"You want a fight?" he said simply.
The red lightning flashed one last time.
"Then fight me."
The rooftop trembled.
The waterfalls roared louder.
And for the first time since Enies Lobby was built—
The World Government felt it.
Fear.