"Reporting, Vice Admiral Doberman!" A Marine Soldier ran over. "Straw Hat Luffy has been spotted at the first pillar of the Bridge of Hesitation."
"Order the fleet to form a perimeter around the Bridge of Hesitation! Destroy the connection between the bridge deck and the first pillar!"
"Yes, sir!"
After a burst of cannon fire, the connection between the Bridge of Hesitation and Enies Lobby was severed. The first pillar tower where Taro was located became a complete isolation island.
The Straw Hat Pirates and the others on the Bridge of Hesitation also found themselves surrounded by warships.
"Luffy, we're over here!"
A shout came from the bridge, drawing the attention of the three people inside the first pillar tower.
Taro's eye twitched slightly as he leaned against the inner wall. The warships had closed in; if he were discovered, it would be troublesome.
"Those below the rank of Major need not deploy. Form teams of Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels to swiftly subdue the enemy!"
An order blared from the fleet's loudspeaker broadcast.
Taro breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared that the guys on his ship would be used as cannon fodder. Hearing this order, he finally didn't have to worry about them anymore.
[Successfully learned Gum-Gum Jet Tomahawk]
[Successfully learned Gum-Gum Jet Stamp]
Taro resumed observing the battle. Both Luffy and Lucci had given it their all, their bodies covered in wounds.
"Six King Gun!"
After another flicker of movement, Lucci slammed both fists forward with immense force.
"Cough!" Luffy coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and was sent flying. He stood up staggeringly, took a few wobbly steps, and finally collapsed face-down on the ground.
Lucci panted heavily, staring at the fallen Luffy for a moment before looking at Taro. "Do you understand now?"
The corners of Taro's mouth curled up slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
"Luffy, what are you doing! Get up, Luffy!" From the Bridge of Hesitation, Usopp's shout rang out.
"..."
"Defeat him, and let's go back together, Luffy!"
Under the influence of Usopp's 'buff' encouragement, Luffy climbed up from the ground once again!
But soon, Lucci seized another opportunity. Clenching both fists, he struck Luffy again with the Six Powers Profound Truth.
"Maximum Ring: Six King Pistol!"
Lucci roared as a powerful force erupted from his fists, hitting Luffy squarely in the chest. The force even passed through his body, causing a massive crater to crack open on the wall beside Taro.
[Successfully learned Maximum Ring: Six King Pistol]
Could someone still be alive after an attack like that?
Luffy, coughing up a large amount of blood, stumbled for a few steps but surprisingly did not fall. Taro's eyebrows twitched wildly at the sight.
Damn, this physical constitution is just ridiculous.
"Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!"
Having steadied himself, Luffy suddenly crouched down, his hands blurring as he unleashed a storm of punches that instantly slammed into Lucci.
"Iron Body!"
Lucci only had time to activate "Iron Body" before being struck by countless fists.
"Ugh!"
Lucci let out a muffled scream of pain as he was smashed into the wall by Luffy's continuous assault.
The attack continued, and the wall behind him slowly cracked until it finally exploded. Lucci flew backward with a scream and eventually collapsed, unconscious, on the ground.
Luffy had defeated CP9's strongest combatant, Rob Lucci!
[Successfully learned Gum-Gum Jet Gatling]
Taro looked at Lucci, who had fainted at his feet, shook his head gently, and sighed:
"Iron Body really does more harm than good, Lucci!"
"In the end, you were careless and didn't dodge!"
Meanwhile, the surrounding Marines recovered from the shock of Lucci's defeat.
Vice Admiral Doberman had already ordered all cannons in the fleet to aim at the first pillar where Luffy was and commence bombardment.
Just as countless cannonballs roared toward the first pillar, a row of arms appeared beneath Luffy, acting like a conveyor belt to relay and toss him toward the sea.
Taro also timely activated his Armament Haki to protect the fallen Lucci at his feet and block the cannon fire.
Creak
The air in front of him suddenly distorted, and a door appeared out of thin air. Then, the door opened, and a burly man with a hairstyle resembling bull horns stepped out.
It was another CP9 member defeated by Luffy, the Door-Door Devil Fruit Ability user.
The bull-horned man was also covered in wounds. He looked at Taro, who was enveloped in blue-black energy, and was clearly startled, reflexively making a combat move.
However, a second later, he noticed Taro was wearing a Marine officer's cape, and that Taro seemed to be protecting Lucci.
Taro looked at the bull-horned man and tilted his head toward the door. "You don't mind taking one more person, do you?"
It wasn't until Taro slung Lucci over his shoulder and stepped into the door that the bull-horned man snapped out of it, hurried in after him, and closed the door.
The inside of the door wasn't pitch black; instead, it was filled with light like the outside world. However, there was no scenery, just a corridor connecting two doors.
"Ah, Blueno, who is this guy?"
A guy with grass-green hair, a round body, and a zipper on his mouth squawked twice and asked.
The other CP9 members also looked over warily.
Taro scanned the group. Fukurou, Jabra, Kaku, and Kumadori were all there. Oh, and Kalifa too!
You couldn't blame Taro; he truly only remembered the name of the girl whose catchphrase was "That's sexual harassment." He only had a vague memory of what the others looked like.
He tossed Lucci from his shoulder to Jabra, who seemed to have the lightest injuries. "I'm Taro, a Marine. Don't be nervous. I just came in to avoid the bombardment, right, Blueno?"
Taro turned back to Blueno, who nodded. "You must leave immediately!"
"I'll leave, of course. Staying with you guys right now would be way too dangerous!" Taro shrugged.
"What do you mean by that!" Kalifa, who was wrapped in only a piece of cloth, demanded.
Taro looked Kalifa up and down, revealing a wicked smile. "Oh? You really want to know? I don't mind telling you, if you're willing... hehe!"
"You're looking for death!"
The Giraffe Devil Fruit user struggled to stand up and barked angrily.
The other members of CP9, except for the unconscious Lucci, also glared at him. If they weren't heavily injured, they would have certainly attacked Taro.
"Haha!" Taro laughed aloud and waved his hand. "Alright, I'm done teasing you."
"Now, Enies Lobby is destroyed, and Nico Robin has been rescued by the Straw Hat crew."
"Your superior—what was his name again? Forget it, it's not important. Who do you think he'll pin the responsibility for this mission's failure on?"
The faces of the group darkened upon hearing Taro's words. Then, they heard Taro speak again.
"Alright, Blueno, hurry up and open the door. I have to go, and you guys better run for your lives too!"
At Taro's urging, Blueno opened the door on the other side.
This door led to the main island of Enies Lobby, which had already been destroyed. Taro stepped out of the door.
"Thanks, Blueno!"
After taking two steps, he turned back to the CP9 group and said:
"By the way, that 'Dark Justice' you guys practice... I'm actually pretty annoyed by it!"
"I'm giving you a chance this time. There won't be a next time."
"You can take this as a piece of advice or a threat! It's up to you!"
"Well then, farewell!"
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