At a street level slightly higher than the port of Water 7—
Nero, wearing his golden earrings, lay sprawled on the ground, soaked through in the torrential rain, motionless.
Nearby, Spandam sat on his knees, his face swollen and bruised. His "Elephant Sword" was stuck between the cracks of the stone pavement. The so-called "CP9 commander" wore an utterly defeated expression.
A group of pirates had suddenly set their eyes on the two of them. Nero was beaten down in half a minute, and Spandam—without a chance of defeating such ruthless, vicious men—was left utterly helpless.
Regret.
The only thing in his heart now was regret—why had he let his pride drag him to such a place?
Perhaps the confidence Admiral Aokiji had given him was too much for him to bear.
Sanji's curled eyebrow twitched upward as he seized Spandam by the collar and demanded:
"Talk. Where's Robin?"
So they were Nico Robin's comrades. Maybe he could…
But before Spandam's schemes even took shape, Sanji—too impatient—slapped him across the face, threw him to the ground, and crushed his head beneath his heel.
"Talk!"
Spandam looked up in terror to see Zoro's blade angled threateningly toward him, and the other pirates itching for a fight. His soul nearly flew from his body; no longer daring to hide anything, he confessed everything.
His cowardice surprised the Straw Hats—they had expected a long interrogation. But if things were this easy, it saved them plenty of trouble.
From Spandam, they learned Robin's true past. At last, they understood why she had grown into the person she was, why she had resolutely left them behind, and why she refused their help.
They all understood Robin's burden.
"Knowing Robin-chan's tragic past… I can't just sit idly by anymore." Sanji crossed his arms, making his stance clear.
Zoro nodded—no objections.
"Then let's go save Robin!" Luffy raised both arms and shouted. Nami and Chopper echoed him at once.
Only Usopp remained unusually silent.
"What's wrong, Usopp?" Zoro turned around, the scar on his chest—left long ago by "Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk—visible beneath his tattered shirt.
"You guys… look. The 'Aqua Gods' are here."
The Straw Hats turned their heads.
Sure enough, a towering wall of water loomed on the horizon—waves three or four stories high—about to crash down upon the port, ready to swallow both the Going Merry and the Terror Ghost.
"That's only the first wave of the Aqua Gods!" Spandam's face went deathly pale with a single glance. "Take me with you! If we don't reach Water 7's inner city now, it'll be too late!"
Before, with Nero's protection, he was safe. As long as Nero carried him to higher ground, he'd be fine.
But with Nero now unconscious and barely clinging to life, Spandam had no choice but to nearly beg the Straw Hats.
The crew made their decision quickly. They would withdraw at once, then head for the place where Robin was imprisoned, and rescue her.
"But the Merry…" Usopp was on the verge of tears.
"The Merry's done more than enough already." Zoro placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let her have a dignified farewell."
Luffy came over too, wrapping Usopp in an embrace. "We'll never forget the Merry!"
The Going Merry…
At last, Usopp let himself be persuaded, following the others as they fled.
Spandam and Nero were dragged along as well.
By the time they left the port and reached the streets of Water 7's outer district, the first wave of the Aqua Gods crashed down.
BOOOOM—
It swallowed the port with ease, dragging both the Going Merry and the Terror Ghost into the sea.
But the two ships met very different fates.
The Merry, as the first wave receded, bobbed on the swells, slowly drifting away from shore, sailing out toward the deep sea.
The Terror Ghost, however, was hurled inland by the waves, smashed into the buildings near the port, and wedged between two tall structures.
The Straw Hats kept running up the long stairway toward the shipyards at higher ground, glancing back from time to time, until the Merry became no more than a black dot, disappearing from sight altogether.
As the black ship shuddered violently, Kumadori lost his footing on the steps. His towering body tumbled down like a rolling wheel, until he crashed onto the flat surface of the ship's bottom.
"Yooooiiii—!"
Kumadori scrambled upright, rubbing at his face caked with thick white makeup, resembling a Noh actor from Wano. His mane-like pink hair spilled over his shoulders.
He darted his eyes about. Unlike the pitch-black darkness above, this place was dotted with the warm glow of oil lamps.
Soon, he spotted a crouched figure on the ground.
It was a towering man, his whole body pink, with six arms lined with suction cups. His back was turned as he dropped something into the depths beneath the ship's floor.
"Octopus" Hachi turned at the sound, facing Kumadori.
He froze a moment before blurting out:
"Nyu—! Captain said there'd be intruders… You're one of them!"
"Yooooiiii!" Kumadori struck a pose, his left hand extended straight, his right pressed to his ear. "So you must be one of Davy Jones' crew—Hachi!"
"Uh…" Hachi blinked in confusion, then bowed politely. "Hello. I'm Hachi. And you are?"
Kumadori blinked too, then bowed back. "I am Kumadori of CP9. Pleased to meet you."
Lowering his gaze, he noticed at Hachi's feet a wide pool of water. In its depths, a black shadow stirred. Kumadori frowned.
He thought back to when he boarded the black ship and inspected its exterior. No matter how he recalled it, this pool made no sense. Could it really connect directly to the sea below?
If he had known that the Terror Ghost was wedged inland at this moment, he might have been even more baffled—unable to make sense of the space's construction.
In truth, even as a crew member, Hachi didn't fully understand why the ship's bottom was like this. But as long as he could feed MoMoo here, that was enough.
Kumadori dropped the thought.
"In the name of the World Government and Marine Headquarters, I hereby declare your arrest. Resist, and you will be slain without mercy!"
Hachi drew his blades—Kumabira, Hanazō, and four others. Of course he wouldn't surrender quietly.
Kumadori's mane of pink hair rose as though alive, swaying at his command.
"So, you mean to resist to the death… then allow me to oblige you!"
Under Life Return, Kumadori manipulated his hair as if it were his own limbs. It struck like fists, like finger-guns, like ropes—lashing out at Hachi.
Hachi countered with his six swords, one after another.
After months of training, his Six-Sword Style had grown sharper and fiercer. Kumadori's hair failed to gain the upper hand—in fact, strands were being chopped off, falling to the floor one after another.
"Yooooiiii!" Kumadori drew the golden staff strapped to his back, roaring: "If I don't get serious, I'll go bald, be forced to commit seppuku, and never face my mother in the afterlife!"
With Soru and Geppō, he bounded across the cabin like a springing ball, faster and deadlier.
Hachi could barely hold on beneath the relentless assault.
Soon, his body was crisscrossed with wounds, most from the crushing blows of the golden staff.
"You are a worthy opponent—stronger than the Revolutionary sub-commander we assassinated before. But this is where it ends!" Kumadori bellowed in singsong tones. "With the highest honor of death, I shall send you to the next world!"
With Soru, Kumadori appeared at Hachi's back. Hachi hadn't even realized before the golden staff thrust toward the back of his skull.
ROOOAR—
Just as his head was about to be smashed in, a strange roar rumbled from below.
Kumadori glanced down in alarm. Beneath him was the water pool—where a massive shadow stirred.
The waters split open.
From below surged a sea beast with horns like a bull's!
Its gaping jaws clamped around Kumadori's lower body and yanked him down into the depths.
He didn't even have time to scream—only bubbles and muffled cries as the icy seawater swallowed him whole.
All around, the waters bloomed red. Opening his eyes, he saw the sea cow tearing his lower half apart, thrashing its head from side to side in a frenzy.
His strength drained away in an instant.
Through the crimson haze, he saw Hachi dive into the water after him, six blades whirling, piercing straight through his upper body.
Pain tore a silent scream from him as blood and bubbles streamed upward.
He himself only sank deeper, down into the seabed littered with countless bones.
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