Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

At the highest point of Enies Lobby, two groups stood firm, their final confrontation imminent.

"CP9! Listen up! You can kill them, but it has to be in the Tower of Justice!" Spandam barked, his eyes flickering with fear as he glared at the Straw Hats.

'There's no way I'm leaving myself unprotected!' He thought, gripping the golden transponder snail tighter.

"You're about to witness the true power of CP9!" His confidence returned as he sneered. "And the authority to use the Navy's ultimate military force…the Buster Call!!" He raised the snail high, his fingers twitching in anticipation.

"Stop!! Do you have any idea what will happen if you press that!?" Robin's voice was sharp, her eyes wide with fear.

"Robin…" The Straw Hats tensed at her reaction, pain evident in her voice.

"With just one press of this button, I'll reduce your chances of escape to zero! Wahahaha! Does this bring back memories?!" Spandam taunted, reveling in her distress.

"It won't end that easily! Just stop it!!" Robin shouted, desperation creeping into her voice.

"Hm? You're quite bold." Spandam's smirk twitched into a frown.

"You've never seen a Buster Call firsthand. You just hide behind your subordinates, ordering destruction from safety! That's the only reason you can commit such atrocities!" Robin spat, her eyes burning with defiance.

Spandam's face reddened in anger. Just as he stepped forward, ready to strike her, the transponder snail suddenly flew out of his grasp, tumbling across the stone floor before coming to a stop near an 'unconscious' Franky.

"Aaah! What the hell!?" Spandam gawked in shock. CP9 remained still, already sensing the attack's source.

"If it's so important, you should keep it closer." Ryomen said, lowering his hand with a smirk. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to it."

Spandam turned, his fury now directed at him. "You idiot! Don't you get it!? There's no chance of survival for you! You've provoked powers beyond your understanding!!" His breath hitched as he tried to regain control of the situation.

"But why am I even telling you this?" His sneer returned. "You'll die either way! Might as well laugh while you try to fix your dismantled crew!"

Ignoring him, Ryomen turned to Robin, his expression softening.

"Robin, I get why you're scared. But pushing us away won't change anything." His voice was calm but firm. "I don't care what it takes—even if it costs me my life, I will free you from these chains."

His gaze locked onto hers. "Without you, a part of me would be lost forever! So tell me, how do you truly feel!?"

Robin's breath hitched. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"…The Buster Call took away everyone I loved." Her voice trembled. "And now…it's aimed at all of you."

She clenched her fists. "No matter how kind you are, no matter how much you say you care…someday, the burden of my past will be too much. Someday…you'll betray me and cast me aside!"

Her voice cracked. "That's my greatest fear! That's why I didn't want you to come! If I'm going to die here anyway…I want to die alone!!"

Silence hung heavy in the air.

"Robin…" Ryomen's eyes darkened. "You will never be a burden."

"Wahahaha!" Spandam cackled. "That makes perfect sense! Dragging you around—who wouldn't see that as a nuisance!?"

He pointed to the towering flag above them—the proud symbol of the World Government.

"Look at that, pirates! It represents the unity of nearly two hundred nations! A force that governs the entire world!" His voice rang with dramatic authority.

"Do you understand how meaningless your resistance is!?" he thundered. "Do you comprehend the sheer power that's after this one woman!?"

Luffy stepped forward, eyes locked on the flag.

"…Yeah. I get it now." His voice was steady. "Ryomen. Take it down."

A sharp grin spread across Ryomen's face. "On it."

With a flick of his fingers, an invisible slash ripped through the air. The flag shredded into pieces, fluttering like dead leaves.

Spandam paled. "N-No way…"

Then, as if to drive the point home, a fiery bird soared toward the remnants, engulfing them in flames.

"Hope you don't mind!" Usopp's voice trembled slightly as he lowered his slingshot. "I…couldn't just stand back and do nothing!"

Luffy grinned. "You did good, Usopp!"

Spandam staggered back. "You…idiots!! Do you realize what you've just done!? You've declared war on the world!!"

Ryomen's gaze darkened. "I don't care. I'll kill all of them if I have to."

"Robin! This is all to show you how much we care!! Even if the entire world turns against us, as long as we can laugh together, cry together, and live together, nothing else matters!!" Ryomen's voice rang across the buildings.

His eyes locked onto hers. "So tell me, Robin! What do you want!?"

Robin's lips parted. Her body trembled.

And then—

"I…I want to live!!"

Tears streamed down her face as she cried out.

"Take me away from here!! I want to go with you!!"

The weight of her words filled the air, pressing against every heart present.

Behind her, a muffled sniffle broke the moment. Franky discreetly wiped away his tears, barely managing to slip the golden snail into his grasp.

…

"Hey! The main gate's coming down!!" Chopper exclaimed, eyes locked on their allies' progress.

"Seems they're managing fine on their own." Sanji chuckled, exhaling smoke.

"This is insane…but I'm so excited." Usopp muttered, trying to steady himself.

"They need to hurry up." Zoro huffed, a feral grin tugging at his lips.

"Your face is way too scary right now." Nami deadpanned.

"C'mon, no time to waste!" Ryomen called out.

"Yeah, let's go!!" Luffy nodded.

Just as they planned to go toward the bridge–

BOOM!

An explosion rocked the base of the drawbridge, halting its descent.

"Huh!? Someone's interfering!?" Luffy's eyes narrowed.

"The Marines must be overwhelming them." Sanji growled.

Ryomen's gaze flickered toward the Tower of Law, where Franky now stood facing CP9, golden snail in one hand, a set of blueprints in the other.

"Luffy…can you take us over there?"

Luffy frowned. "Only me and you. I can't carry everyone across."

A distorted voice suddenly crackled from Nami's transponder snail.

"Oi, pirates."

Nami's eyes widened. "Kokoro!?"

"I heard everything. What are you waiting around for? The Rocketman's almost there!! Nagagaga!!"

"What are you talking about, old lady?" Luffy asked.

"Just jump off toward the waterfall! The train will be coming shortly!"

"Jump!?" Zoro scowled.

A distant train whistle echoed.

"She's actually coming." Chopper whispered in disbelief.

"You heard her!" Ryomen grinned, glancing down at the endless sea below.

"You know, I'm a sniper. I should—HEY!!" Usopp yelped as Ryomen effortlessly scooped him up.

"There's no turning back now, Usopp. You've made yourself the world's enemy!" Ryomen reminded him with a smirk.

"You're right…why did I do that!?" Usopp clutched his head as the weight of his decision finally sank in.

"This is what you chose. You can't change it now. So the only thing left is to show the world they messed with the wrong sniper!!" Ryomen's voice carried conviction, trying to bolster Usopp's resolve.

"Y-Yeah! They should be afraid of me!!" Usopp raised his arms high—though the effect was undercut as Ryomen was still holding him.

"Good! If anyone else is scared, you can just rely on me!" Ryomen chuckled.

"Alright!" Nami and Chopper immediately clung to him.

"Not literally!" Ryomen sighed in exasperation as Chopper's large frame blocked his vision.

Luffy burst out laughing at the sight, his grin wide.

"Stop messing around! The train's gonna be here any second." Zoro crossed his arms, frowning.

"No shame in admitting you're scared too, moss head." Sanji quipped, lighting a cigarette.

"It's a big drop, after all."

"Why are you butting in, eyebrows!?" Zoro growled.

Their bickering was interrupted by the deep, rhythmic chug of the approaching Sea Train.

"It's here!" Ryomen shouted as the Rocketman roared across the half-lowered bridge, hurtling toward the Tower of Justice.

"Jump!!"

Everyone leapt off the gate toward the train, the terrified trio clutching tightly to Ryomen as their screams echoed through the air.

…

"You idiot!! What are you doing!?" Spandam screeched as Franky spewed flames from his mouth, setting Pluto's blueprints ablaze.

"I'll kill you!!" Spandam seethed, his teeth grinding together.

"Our five-year mission…" Kalifa sighed, shaking her head. Kaku watched the burning pages with regret, while Lucci remained silent, his expression unreadable.

"The moment these blueprints become public is the moment I have to destroy them!" Franky grinned. "Even without them, if Nico Robin falls into your hands, the world is doomed! But if the Straw Hats win, you'll have nothing left, so I'll bet on them!"

"You really wish to die here, don't you?" Spandam's voice trembled with fury.

"Not really. So if I were you, I wouldn't act rashly." Franky smirked, holding the golden transponder snail high above his head. "I still got this, after all."

Spandam's eyes bulged. "Y-You!!"

"Hahaha! Unless you want this tossed into the sea, you better back off." Franky tossed the snail into the air playfully.

"Should we do something about this?" Jabra muttered, unimpressed.

"Not unless we get an order! Chapapa!" Fukurou replied.

"We do not need orders to carry out justice." Lucci said coldly, stepping forward.

"Are you doubting your own strength, Lucci? Surely, with CP9 here, a Buster Call isn't necessary." Robin challenged, her voice firm.

"Don't listen to her nonsense, Lucci! Take back the golden snail!!" Spandam barked, yanking Robin by her cuffs.

Lucci nodded, eyes locked on Franky as he advanced.

"Run!" Robin urged, panic creeping into her voice.

"Run where!?" Franky shot back, looking around for an escape—only to hear the unexpected honk of a sea train.

"Huh? What's it doing here?" Franky's eyes widened as the Rocketman thundered across the half-lowered bridge.

"Cutty Flam, surrender, or your blood will stain this tower." Lucci warned, his voice dripping with menace.

"Sorry, but I'm not one for surrendering!"

With a mighty leap, Franky flung himself off the tower just before Lucci could reach him.

"Whaaa!!" Franky yelped, barely managing to grab onto the train's shark-shaped head.

Lucci watched, unfazed.

But Spandam paled as realization hit him.

"It's—it's coming this way!!" His voice cracked in terror.

"Chief, move!!" Kumadori yanked Spandam aside as the train crashed into the tower wall, bursting through the courtyard in a cloud of dust and debris.

"They're here…" Spandam muttered, his face stricken.

"They're here!!"

He grabbed Robin's cuffs tighter. "Damn it, you're coming with me!"

Robin winced as he dragged her away. 'If only I could take these off…'

Spandam turned to his agents, his voice forced into authority.

"CP9, kill them all! You have my permission!"

"Lucci, stay with me—no matter what happens, you must protect me!! Understand!?"

Lucci grunted in response, already bored.

Kaku cracked his neck. "Looks like it's just the five of us."

A voice from above scoffed.

"Five might not be enough."

The CP9 turned as Yorozu landed before them, dust swirling at her feet.

Kalifa sighed. "Oh, you didn't die?"

"I'm sure you would've liked that." Yorozu said with a scoff.

"But unfortunately…" She then grinned widely, her teeth bared for a challenge. "There's a fight I haven't finished yet."

…

"Hey, you all okay!?" Franky climbed out of the wreckage, dusting himself off.

"Why would you bring something as dangerous as the Rocketman!?"

"Ahh, stop shouting, we're fine." Kokoro waved him off, Chimney and Gonbe nodding beside her.

"We're here!!" Luffy stood tall, throwing his arms up.

Franky eyed him with mixed emotions.

"Thank you, monster lady!" Luffy grinned at Kokoro before turning to a pile of rubble. "Hey guys, snap out of it! We need to go!"

"Yeah!!" The Straw Hats burst from the debris, ready for battle.

"You guys are not normal." Franky muttered with a sigh.

Ryomen then approached him. "You're Franky, right?"

"That's me! Who's askin'?"

"Uh, me." Ryomen replied, silence settling over the two.

He then pulled out a photo, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "Found this in your warehouse when we were searching for our ship. It was the only picture there, so I figured it was important."

Franky's eyes widened as he took the photo of his younger self, Iceberg, and Tom.

"I actually planned to use it to find you and beat you up for what your guys did to Usopp." Ryomen admitted. "But considering how helpful they've been, and the fact that you don't seem so bad…I'll let it go. For now."

"For now?" Franky huffed, then nodded. "Alright, I'll take it like a man—but not the face!"

"Good, but now's not really the time for that." Ryomen chuckled.

Franky nodded, his eyes settling on Usopp. "You're Usopp, aren't you? I'm sorry for what happened. Hope we can leave that in the past." He apologized, his eyes sincere.

"It's okay, I already left that behind me…but how'd you know it was me?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Your nose."

"What's wrong with my nose!?"

"It's pretty…distinct." Franky admitted, the others nodding in agreement.

"Okay, enough of this, we need to move on!" Ryomen clapped his hands getting their attention, Usopp being left to grumble in the background.

"The stairway's close! C'mon!" Luffy exclaimed, moving forward, until the floor started to suddenly shake.

"What's happening?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Something's coming." Ryomen replied, his guard up as a sense of danger intensified.

"We should get out of–" Before Franky could even finish, the wall exploded, dust and debris flying everywhere as we were blown away from the impact.

"Ah!" I grunted as my body hit the ground, my vision blocked by the dust.

"How nice of you to wait for me here." An amused voice could be heard right beside them.

"Who are you!?" Ryomen questioned as the dust dispersed, revealing a figure enclad in some kind of insect armor.

"Oh, don't you recognize me? Well, I guess it makes sense. You did intrerupt me after all." She exclaimed, approaching Franky and pinning him with her foot.

"You're the agent?" Ryomen's eyes widened. 'So she did survive…' He thought, realizing the voice was telling the truth.

"My name's Yorozu. It's only right to know the name of the one who will rip you apart." She chuckled darkly.

"Leave Franky alone!" Luffy intervened. "Gomu-Gomu no…Rifle!!" His arm shot forward, only to be easily caught by Yorozu.

"Is that all?" She asked sarcastically before sending Luffy's body flying.

"Waaah!!" The Straw Hat exclaimed as he was hurled into the air, Chopper hurrying to use his large body to catch his Captain.

"Don't think you can attack our captain and not suffer any consequences for it." Zoro frowned, taking out his swords.

"Oh, I'm sure you have more important matters to attend to." Yorozu replied, her foot pressing on Franky even further.

"Hey, think you can go a little easier?" Franky asked, his voice slightly strained.

Yorozu remained silent, simply crouching down, and forcefully taking the golden transponder snail, before kicking Franky away.

"That woman is already being taken to the gates of justice by Lucci and the director, so you'd better hurry." She exclaimed, her stance uncaring.

"You're gonna let us go?" Nami hopefully asked.

"Hahaha! Of course! Unfortunately, the others won't be as forgiving." She sighed, as if pitying us.

"I say we go, and leave this crazy behind!" Usopp whispered.

"I have to agree, Robin is much more important right now!" Sanji nodded.

The Straw Hats backed away, ready to go after Robin, Ryomen however, stood in place.

"Aren't you coming?" Luffy asked him.

"Don't think she'd let me. Plus, can't let her have access to the Buster Call." Ryomen replied with a sigh.

"I would never use such underhanded tactics." Yorozu scoffed.

"Sorry, but I find it hard to trust you on that." Ryomen's eyes narrowed, the two staring at each other as the others left.

"Be careful!!" Nami's voice could be heard as they began to ascend the stairs.

"Your girlfriend?" Yorozu teased.

"Don't think that matters." He frowned, not letting himself be distracted.

"Well, don't worry, after I'm done with you, I'll make sure to let each one of them join you in the afterlife!" Despite not being able to see her face, Ryomen could feel the grin spreading across Yorozu's face.

Not even a second later, they both acted.

"Disman–" Yorozu flickered from his sight, appearing right in front of him, and flying him through several floors of the Tower, finally reaching the very top, the bright blue sky above them.

"I'll make sure to throw you into the sea after, just so you know what it feels like." Yorozu exclaimed, her tone dark.

"Good luck with that." Ryomen smirked, not showing an ounce of fear at her threat.