The streets of Water 7 felt different.
Not lively.
Not bustling.
Hostile.
What had once been filled with laughter, splashing canals, and the creak of gondolas now felt tense—compressed, as if the city itself were holding its breath.
Conversations cut off when the Straw Hats passed. Eyes followed them. Whispers slithered through the air like cold mist.
The Straw Hats moved together through the narrow stone walkways, instinctively forming a loose circle as they searched for a familiar figure who should have been walking among them.
Robin.
The sound of water sloshing against stone echoed too loudly in the tight alleys, each splash bouncing off the walls and settling uneasily in their ears. Somewhere far off, bells rang—but they didn't sound welcoming anymore.
"…Robin wouldn't just disappear," Chopper said nervously, clutching the brim of his hat as he trotted close to Nami. His small hooves clicked anxiously against the stone.
"She'd tell us… right?"
Nami nodded, though her fingers tightened around her staff.
"She would," she said. "She's not the type to wander off without saying anything."
Even as she spoke, doubt crept into her voice.
Sanji scanned the rooftops, cigarette hanging forgotten between his lips.
"Still," he muttered, "this city's got a bad vibe all of a sudden."
Zoro frowned, one hand resting near his swords. "Something's wrong."
Luffy walked ahead of them, hands stuffed in his pockets, gaze drifting from street to street. He didn't say anything—but his jaw was tight, his grin completely gone.
They didn't have to walk much farther to find out why.
The street ahead suddenly widened into a small plaza—and it was packed.
A crowd surged into view—dozens of civilians filling the space, faces twisted with anger, fear, and suspicion. Some carried metal pipes, others heavy tools from nearby workshops. A few just clenched their fists, knuckles white.
The moment the Straw Hats stepped into view—
"There they are!"
A shout cut through the air like a blade.
The crowd shifted.
Turned.
Straight at them.
Usopp stiffened so suddenly he nearly tripped.
"…Uh," he said weakly, raising a finger, "why are they all looking at us like that?"
Before anyone could answer, the plaza erupted.
"Pirates!"
"Criminals!"
"You think you can get away with it?!"
"Murderers!"
The words crashed into the crew like waves.
Nami stepped forward quickly, palms raised in a calming gesture.
"Wait! Hold on!" she called. "What's going on?!"
An older man shoved his way to the front of the crowd, face red with fury. His hands trembled—not with fear, but with rage.
"Don't play dumb!" he yelled. "One of your crew attacked Mayor Iceburg!"
The world seemed to tilt.
"…What?" Luffy said blankly.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then voices exploded again.
"A woman!" someone screamed.
"Black hair! With Blue Eyes!"
"She shot him!"
The street went dead silent.
Even the water seemed to still.
Nami's breath caught painfully in her throat.
"…Robin?"
The name barely made it past her lips.
"That's impossible," Sanji snapped instantly, stepping forward with fire in his eyes. "She'd never do that."
The older man jabbed a finger at them, shaking with fury. "Nico Robin. That's her name, isn't it?!"
Shock rippled through the Straw Hats like an electric current.
Usopp shook his head violently, backing away a step. "No—no way! You're lying! She wouldn't—!"
Robin wouldn't.
She couldn't.
Chopper's eyes welled with tears. "Robin is kind! She helps people! She reads stories to me!"
Zoro's gaze hardened, sharp and focused.
"Where is Iceburg now?"
The man sneered. "Inside his mansion. Bleeding. Thanks to her."
Nami clenched her teeth. "This doesn't make sense…"
Luffy stood still at the center of it all, fists slowly curling at his sides.
"Robin didn't do this," he said quietly.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried.
The crowd hesitated for a fraction of a second—then erupted again.
"You're protecting her?!"
"Of course pirates would lie!"
"Get out of our city!"
Zoro turned sharply toward Luffy. "We're going to Iceburg."
Luffy didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
He took a step forward—and the rest of the crew followed instantly, forming a tight line behind him.
They pushed through the crowd, shouldering past angry civilians, ignoring the curses hurled at their backs.
"Don't come back!"
"You're not welcome here!"
"Murderers!"
Usopp flinched at every shout, but he kept moving.
"…This is bad," he whispered. "This is really bad."
Nami's mind raced. Why would Robin do something like that? Unless—
Sanji glanced at Luffy.
"Oi," he said quietly. "You don't think she—"
"No," Luffy said immediately. "She didn't."
The certainty in his voice stopped Sanji cold.
They ran.
Across bridges slick with canal water.
Through narrow alleys where laundry fluttered overhead.
Past workshops where shipwrights paused mid-hammer to stare.
The closer they got to Iceburg's mansion, the heavier the air became.
Guards stood outside, weapons drawn.
Blood stained the stone steps.
Chopper gasped. "…That's—"
Zoro grabbed his collar gently, pulling him back. "Don't look."
Luffy pushed past the guards before anyone could stop him.
Inside, the mansion was chaos.
Broken glass littered the floor. Bullet holes scarred the walls. The scent of iron hung thick in the air.
"Iceburg!" Nami shouted.
A weak voice answered. "…Straw Hats…"
They rushed forward.
Iceburg lay on a bed, pale and bandaged, chest rising shallowly. His glasses sat crooked on his face, one lens cracked.
"Mayor!" Nami said urgently. "What happened?!"
Iceburg swallowed, wincing. "…She came with them."
Luffy stiffened. "…Them?"
Iceburg's gaze shifted toward the corner of the room.
The shadows moved.
A figure stepped forward—cloaked, hood pulled low.
The Straw Hats froze.
"…Robin?" Chopper whispered.
The hooded woman stopped just short of the light.
"Yes," Robin said calmly.
Her voice was steady.
Too steady.
"Robin!" Usopp cried. "Why didn't you come back?!"
She didn't look at him.
Behind her, more figures emerged from the darkness.
Men and women dressed in black. Masks gleaming dully. Movements precise. Controlled.
Iceburg's eyes widened in horror.
"…CP9?" he whispered. "Government agents… what are you doing here?"
The masked figures said nothing.
Robin finally turned toward the Straw Hats.
Her eyes were distant.
"…I'm leaving the crew," she said.
The words fell like stones into water.
"What?" Nami whispered.
"I'm done," Robin continued. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore."
The room felt like it was collapsing.
Luffy took a step forward.
"Robin," he said. "What are you talking about?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, the masked figures began removing their disguises.
Iceburg stared at them as if the world itself had cracked.
"…Lucci?"
"Kaku?"
"Kalifa…?"
His voice shook, raw disbelief bleeding through every syllable.
"You were my employees," he said hoarsely. "My shipwrights. I trusted you."
Lucci stepped forward, his footsteps calm, measured. His expression never changed—cold, almost bored.
"You think we came here to work as shipwrights?" he asked flatly.
The words landed like a slap.
Iceburg's eyes widened.
"No…" he whispered. "That can't be—"
Lucci's lips curved faintly. Not a smile. More like confirmation.
"We were sent," he continued, "to investigate Pluton."
The name hit the room like a cannon blast.
"…Pluton?" Usopp echoed weakly, his voice barely audible.
"What… what is that?" Chopper asked, eyes darting between faces.
Iceburg's face drained of all color. His hands trembled as he pushed himself upright slightly, the bandages on his chest pulling tight.
"That's impossible," he said quickly. Too quickly. "I don't know anything about it."
Kalifa adjusted her glasses, unimpressed.
"You're the mayor of Water 7," she said coolly. "And the head of the shipwrights. Don't insult us."
Kaku tilted his head, studying Iceburg like a puzzle.
"If anyone in this city knows something about Pluton," he said lightly, "it would be you."
Lucci took another step closer, his shadow stretching across the floor.
"Now tell me," he said. "Where is it?"
The room felt suffocating.
Iceburg clenched his jaw.
"I already told you," he snapped. "I don't have it."
Lucci watched him in silence for a moment.
Then—
"Hm."
A soft sound. Thoughtful.
"If that's true," Lucci said, "then someone else close to you must."
Iceburg stiffened.
"No," he said sharply. "There's no one—"
Lucci's gaze sharpened.
"…Cutty Flam."
The name echoed.
Iceburg's breath hitched.
For just a fraction of a second—too small for most to notice—his eyes widened.
And that was enough.
Kaku's eyes lit up. "Oh?"
Kalifa smiled faintly. "So we were right."
Iceburg shook his head violently.
"No!" he shouted. "You're wrong! He has nothing to do with this!"
Lucci turned slightly, looking back at him.
"You denied knowing about Pluton," he said calmly. "And yet you react to that name."
His eyes narrowed. "You've just confirmed our suspicions."
Iceburg went silent.
The Straw Hats stood frozen, the weight of the name hanging in the air like a curse.
"What… what is Pluton?" Nami demanded, stepping forward despite herself. "Why are you doing this?!"
Lucci didn't answer her right away.
His gaze slid past the crew—cold, deliberate—and settled on Robin.
"She knows," he said simply.
Robin stood very still.
Too still.
Her fingers trembled faintly at her sides, but her face remained composed, eyes lowered.
Usopp swallowed hard. "R-Robin…?"
Iceburg sucked in a sharp breath, as if the word itself hurt to say.
"…Pluton," he murmured.
Everyone turned to him.
"It's not just some weapon," Iceburg continued, voice strained. "It's one of the Ancient Weapons."
"Ancient… weapons?" Chopper repeated, wide-eyed.
The moment the words left his mouth—
Lucci's eyes sharpened.
A faint, dangerous smile curved his lips.
"So," he said quietly, "you do know about it."
Iceburg froze.
Kaku let out a low whistle. "Well, well. That didn't take long."
Kalifa adjusted her glasses, eyes glinting.
"Interesting. You denied knowing anything… yet you recognize it immediately."
Iceburg clenched his teeth. "That doesn't mean I know where it is!"
Lucci took a slow step forward.
"You didn't deny its existence," he said evenly. "You didn't ask what it was."
His gaze bored into Iceburg. "You confirmed exactly what we needed."
Iceburg's shoulders tensed. "…Damn it."
Nami shot him a confused look. "Wait—what do you mean?"
Lucci didn't even glance at her.
"The moment he called it an Ancient Weapon," Lucci continued, "he proved he was more than just a mayor."
Kaku nodded. "He's the head of the shipwrights of Water 7. The men who once held Pluton's blueprints."
Kalifa smiled thinly. "So the knowledge never truly disappeared… it was just hidden."
Robin then spoke quietly then, her voice cutting through the tension.
"There are three," she said. "Pluton. Poseidon. Uranus."
The Straw Hats stiffened.
"Each one," Robin continued, "is said to possess power capable of destroying the world."
Silence crashed down.
"…Destroy the world?" Usopp echoed weakly.
Nami's breath hitched. "That's… that's insane."
Lucci finally turned his attention back to them.
"Pluton," he said calmly, "is a warship. One built in the Void Century."
He gestured faintly with one hand, as if describing something mundane. "A single ship capable of wiping entire islands off the map with overwhelming firepower. Nations reduced to rubble. Seas reshaped."
Zoro's jaw tightened. "…A ship?"
"Yes," Kaku added casually. "And the blueprints to build it were passed down through generations of shipwrights… right here in Water 7."
All eyes snapped back to Iceburg.
Iceburg clenched his fists.
"That weapon was never meant to be used," he said harshly. "The blueprints existed for only one reason—to counter Pluton if it ever resurfaced."
Kalifa smiled thinly. "And that's exactly why the World Government wants it."
Nami's voice shook. "…Why?"
Lucci's eyes were empty.
"Control," he said. "Absolute power. A deterrent so overwhelming that no one would ever dare oppose us again."
Luffy's fists trembled.
"So you'd kill people," he said slowly, anger bleeding into every word, "just to stay on top?"
Lucci didn't deny it.
Robin closed her eyes.
"The Poneglyphs," she said softly, "record the truth of the Void Century… and the locations, histories, and purposes of the Ancient Weapons."
She opened her eyes again. "That is why they hunt anyone who can read them."
Nami turned to her sharply. "Robin… that's why they—?"
"Yes," Robin answered. "That is why they will never stop."
Lucci stepped forward one last time.
"And that," he said, "is why Nico Robin must cooperate."
The room felt smaller. Heavier.
Luffy took a step toward Robin.
"We don't care about some stupid weapon," he said fiercely. "We just want our friend back."
Robin's lips parted slightly.
For a moment—just a moment—it looked like she might break.
But then she turned away.
"…I'm sorry," she whispered.
And with that, the truth settled in.
The ancient weapons weren't just weapons.
It was the reason the world had decided Robin could never be free.
Her fingers trembled at her sides.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, there was resolve there—but also pain.
"I'm going with them," she said quietly.
The words tore through the room.
"What?!" Usopp shouted. "Robin, what are you saying?!"
Nami rushed forward. "No—you don't mean that!"
Robin didn't look at them.
"I don't want anything to do with you anymore," she said. Her voice was steady—but brittle, like glass stretched too thin.
"Don't follow me."
Luffy stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Robin," he said, confused, angry, hurt. "That's not funny."
She finally met his eyes. "…I'm sorry."
Before anyone could say another word—
The CP9 agents moved.
Zoro's swords were halfway out of their sheaths—
—and Kaku was already there.
A brutal kick sent Zoro crashing through a wall, stone exploding outward.
"ZORO!" Chopper screamed.
Sanji lunged instinctively—
Kalifa's heel met his jaw in a blur. He hit the ground hard, skidding across broken glass.
"SANJI!"
Chopper charged forward, terror and fury mixing in his eyes—
Lucci appeared in front of him.
One strike.
Chopper was sent flying, slamming into the far wall with a cry of pain.
"STOP IT!" Usopp shouted, raising his slingshot with shaking hands.
He didn't even finish aiming.
A shockwave knocked him off his feet.
"USOPP!"
Luffy roared and rushed forward—
Lucci met him head-on.
Their fists collided—
—or rather, Lucci's fist hit first.
Just one blow.
The air exploded.
Luffy was hurled backward, smashing into the floor, the breath ripped from his lungs.
He gasped, pain searing through his body.
Lucci looked down at him, expression unchanged.
"Know your place," he said coldly. "You're not ready."
Robin watched.
Her hands were shaking now.
She turned her face away.
"…I'm sorry," she whispered. "This is the only way."
And then—
She walked away with them.
The doors slammed shut behind her.
The sound echoed far too loudly.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Broken.
The Straw Hats lay scattered across the ruined room—bruised, bleeding, stunned.
Nami pushed herself up, eyes fixed on the closed doors. Tears streamed freely down her face.
"…Robin wouldn't betray us," she whispered, her voice cracking.
Luffy forced himself to his knees. His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw ached.
"No," he growled.
His fists shook.
"She didn't."
He stared at the door, rage and helplessness burning together in his chest.
"They took her."
Outside, Water 7's bells rang—clear and indifferent.
And in that moment, the Straw Hats understood.
This wasn't just another enemy.
This was the World Government.
And the war had already begun.