The morning sun rose over Water 7, but instead of the usual bustle of shipwrights and tourists, the air was thick with tension and the sound of angry shouting.
At the Scrap Coast, the Going Merry rocked gently in the cove. The crew was awake, gathered on the deck, finishing a breakfast that tasted like anxiety. Chopper was pacing back and forth, clutching his medical bag.
"Robin didn't come back," Chopper sniffled. "It's been all night. What if she's hurt?"
"She's strong," Zoro grunted, leaning against the mast. "She can handle herself."
"But where is she?" Nami bit her lip.
"Papa!" Mini Merry suddenly stood up, her sunglasses reflecting the morning light. "Sensors detecting high-density hostility! Multiple bogeys approaching from the east! Estimated crowd size: Two hundred. Weapons: Hammers, saws, and pitchforks."
"A mob?" Ben stood up, putting down his coffee. "Already?"
"They are 500 meters out," Merry reported. "They haven't crested the ridge yet. Visual contact in 30 seconds."
"We don't need a fight right now," Ben said quickly. "If we fight the city, we lose our chance to clear our names later. Merry."
"Activate Protocol: Ghost Ship," Ben commanded. "Optical Camouflage. Maximum output. Audio dampeners on."
"Yes, Papa!" Merry grinned. Her eyes flashed silver.
VZZZT.
The air around the ship shimmered.
In the blink of an eye, the Going Merry vanished. Not moved. Not teleported. It simply ceased to be visible. The light bent around the hull perfectly, rendering the ship completely transparent against the water and rocks. Even the sound of their breathing was muffled from the outside world.
Ten seconds later, the mob crested the hill.
Hundreds of Galley-La shipwrights, wearing their work uniforms and wielding massive tools, lined the cliff edge. Leading them were the foremen—Paulie with his ropes, Lulu, and Tilestone.
They looked down at the cove.
It was empty. Just waves crashing against rocks.
"THEY'RE GONE!" Paulie screamed, his face red with rage. "THE COVE IS EMPTY!"
On the deck of the invisible Merry, the Straw Hats watched the angry men just fifty meters away.
"What are they saying?" Luffy whispered.
"Merry," Ben commanded softly. "Amplify their audio through the internal speakers."
"Patching it through," Merry chirped.
Static crackled from the ship's speakers, then Paulie's voice came through crystal clear.
"Damn it! Those pirates must have fled the island!" Paulie yelled. "They knew we were coming!"
"Search the caves!" Tilestone roared. "We have to find them! They tried to kill Mr. Iceburg!"
The deck of the Merry went silent. The crew froze.
"Kill... Iceburg?" Nami whispered, horror dawning on her face.
"I can't believe it," another shipwright shouted. "Mr. Iceburg saw the attacker! He named the culprit! Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Robin..." Chopper gasped.
"She... shot the mayor?" Usopp trembled.
"So that's the leverage," Ben murmured, his eyes hardening. "They framed her. Or forced her."
The mob searched the coastline for twenty minutes, throwing rocks into the water and checking caves, but finding nothing. Eventually, cursing the pirates' cowardice, they retreated back to the city.
The cove was quiet again.
"They're gone," Sanji exhaled smoke. "But now we know. Robin is being blamed for an assassination attempt."
"Wait," Merry whispered. "One more signal approaching. Heavy footsteps. Lots of metal."
A few minutes later, a massive figure marched onto the cliff edge. He had blue hair, huge forearms, and was wearing an open Aloha shirt.
It was Franky the Cyborg.
He looked around the empty cove, confused. He scratched his metal chin.
"Super... weird," Franky muttered. "My boys said the Straw Hats were docked here. I came to beat them up for wrecking my house... but there's nobody home."
He kicked a rock into the water.
"Did they run away?" Franky scoffed. "Cowards. And here I thought they had guts."
He turned and moonwalked away. "Ow! Super disappointed!"
"That was close," Nami sighed.
"You guys stay here," Ben adjusted his collar. "I'm going out."
"Alone?" Nami asked. "Ben, there are assassins out there."
"I'll be fine," Ben smirked. "I'm invisible, remember? I'm going to find out the truth. Monitor your beads. I'll keep you updated."
He tapped his wand on his head. "Disillusionment."
Ben's body took on the texture and color of the background behind him, blending in perfectly like a chameleon. He jumped off the ship and walked silently toward the city.
For the rest of the day, Ben did absolutely nothing productive.
He knew the plot. He knew CP9 wouldn't make their move on Iceburg until the night, during the Aqua Laguna warning. There was no point rushing.
He wandered the streets of Water 7 as a shimmering ghost. He walked past the Galley-La headquarters, observing Lucci and Kaku acting like loyal employees. He saw Kalifa taking notes. He saw Blueno wiping glasses in his bar.
He was bored.
Buzz.
Back on the Merry, Nami checked her Kimoyo Bead.
$$Message from Ben: Found a really good sandwich shop in Sector 4. The ham is smoked with Yagara wood. 8/10.$$
" IS HE EATING?!" Nami screamed. "WE ARE WORRIED SICK AND HE'S REVIEWING SANDWICHES?!"
An hour later.
Buzz.
$$Message from Ben: Saw a dog wearing a hat. It looked like a gentleman. Took a picture. Sending attachment.$$
"HE'S SIGHTSEEING!" Usopp pulled his hair.
$$Message from Ben: Aqua Laguna warning is in effect. The tide is receding. Big wave coming tonight. Stay on the ship. Don't worry about the water level, we are safe.$$
"Finally, useful information," Vivi sighed.
---
Night fell. The wind picked up, howling through the canals. The residents of Water 7 boarded up their windows and moved to higher ground. The Aqua Laguna—the annual high tide storm—was approaching.
Ben stood on the roof of the Galley-La headquarters, invisible against the dark sky. The rain began to fall.
"Showtime," Ben whispered.
Below him, in Iceburg's office, the drama unfolded exactly as he knew it would.
He watched through a skylight. He saw Robin appear. He saw the masked CP9 agents reveal themselves. He saw the heartbreak on Iceburg's face as he realized his trusted workers—Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa—were government spies.
He watched Lucci transform into his Leopard form and drive a finger-pistol (Shigan) into Paulie. He watched the mansion burn.
Ben didn't intervene. Not yet. If he stopped them here, Robin wouldn't get on the train. She wouldn't go to Enies Lobby. And the Straw Hats wouldn't get the chance to declare war on the world.
Some plays had to be acted out.
Finally, CP9 told iceberg about Cutty Flam or Franky (who had the blueprints). They left with Robin, heading for the Blue Station to catch the last Sea Train before the storm.
The office was quiet. Flames licked at the curtains. Iceburg lay on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound and multiple blunt force traumas. He was dying.
"Time to be the hero," Ben muttered.
He phased through the skylight, dropping silently into the burning room.
He walked over to the Mayor. Iceburg groaned, clutching his chest.
"Who... who's there?" Iceburg rasped, his vision blurring.
Ben cancelled the Disillusionment Charm. He appeared out of thin air, standing over the fallen shipwright.
"A friend," Ben said softly.
"You..." Iceburg coughed blood. "Straw Hat... crew..."
"Don't talk," Ben knelt down. He pulled a vial of golden liquid from his pouch.
"Drink this."
He tipped the vial into Iceburg's mouth.
The effect was instantaneous. The color returned to Iceburg's pale face. The bleeding stopped. The bullet wound in his chest knit itself together with a hiss of steam.
Iceburg gasped, sitting up. He touched his chest. No pain.
"What... what did you do?" Iceburg stared at Ben. "Your crew... that woman... she attacked me. And you... you saved me?"
"We're a complicated bunch," Ben smiled sadly. "What kind of crew are we? The kind that breaks things so we can fix them better."
"Nico Robin..." Iceburg whispered. "Why?"
"Fear," Ben said, standing up. "She's terrified, Iceburg. She thinks that if she helps us, the Government will destroy everything she loves. So she made a deal with the devil to save us. She attacked you to protect us."
Iceburg looked at the fire consuming his office. He remembered Robin's cold eyes, but also the hesitation.
"She is a fool," Iceburg muttered. "Does she think Spandam will keep a promise?"
"No," Ben said. "She knows he won't. But she has no other hope. That's why we're going to get her back."
Ben looked toward the window, toward the raging storm outside.
"I'm sorry for what she did to you. And for the mess."
"Go," Iceburg said, leaning against his desk. "If you can save her from CP9... then do it. But wait."
Iceburg grabbed Ben's sleeve, his grip desperate.
"They took... another man. Franky."
Ben nodded. "I saw."
"He... he is my brother," Iceburg admitted, the secret spilling out with his gratitude. "His real name is Cutty Flam. He has the blueprints they want. Please... save him too. He is an idiot, but he is family."
Ben looked at the Mayor. He saw the bond that mirrored his own crew.
"Robin and Franky," Ben promised. "I'll bring them both back. Consider it done."
"Thank you," Iceburg slumped back. "But the Aqua Laguna is hitting. The Sea Train is the only way out."
"We don't need a train," Ben smirked. "We have a Merry."
CRACK.
With the sound of a whip crack, Ben apparated away, leaving Iceburg alone in the burning room, healed and confused.
Ben reappeared on the deck of the Going Merry in a swirl of space.
The wind was howling now. The waves in the rocky cove were choppy, slamming against the hull. The sky was pitch black, lit only by flashes of lightning.
"BEN!" The crew rushed to him.
"What happened?!" Luffy demanded. "Where's Robin?"
"She's on the Sea Train," Ben said, his voice cutting through the wind. "With CP9. They're taking her to Enies Lobby. The Judicial Island."
"Enies Lobby?!" Nami screamed over the thunder. "That's a Government stronghold! It's a one-way ticket to Impel Down! We have to catch the train!"
"No," Ben said, his voice calm amidst the chaos. "We aren't chasing the train."
"What?!" Chopper cried. "But Robin is on it!"
"We let them go," Ben stated firmly. "We let them take her all the way to Enies Lobby."
"Are you crazy?!" Usopp yelled. "That's the enemy's main base! It has ten thousand soldiers!"
"Exactly," Ben looked at Luffy. A fierce grin spread across his face. "If we catch the train now, we just fight a few assassins in a narrow hallway. That's not enough. Robin thinks the World Government is an unstoppable monster. She thinks we can't handle it."
Ben spread his arms.
"So we're going to prove her wrong. We're going to let them take her to their safest, strongest fortress. And then? We're going to kick down the front door. We're going to rescue her pirate style—with a bang so loud the whole world hears it."
He looked Luffy in the eye.
"After all, we have the future Pirate King here. And we are his crew. What can a mere stronghold of the World Government do to us?"
Luffy adjusted his straw hat. The shadow over his eyes lifted, replaced by a burning, reckless excitement. He cracked his knuckles.
"Yosha!" Luffy grinned, his teeth shining in the lightning flash. "Let's go to Enies Lobby!"
"Yeah!" The crew shouted, their fear replaced by adrenaline.
"But first," Nami pointed at the massive wall of water building on the horizon. "We have to survive the Aqua Laguna. We can't sail in this!"
"We aren't sailing," Ben turned to the ship. "We're taking the tracks. Merry?"
"Yo Papa!" Mini Merry appeared, wearing a yellow raincoat and rainboots. "Ship status: Locked down. Indestructible enchantments holding against the tide."
"Good. Listen up," Ben addressed the crew. "We have about an hour before the big wave hits and recedes. In that time, we are going to modify the Merry to ride the rails."
For the next hour, while the storm raged around them, the Straw Hats worked like demons under Ben's direction.
"Merry! Deploy the Iron Man Armors!" Ben commanded.
"Deploying Mark IV units!"
The hatches opened. The empty Iron Man suits flew out. They welded steel beams Ben created with his Creation quirk. They acted as super-strength construction workers.
As Ben was busy calibrating the magnetic wheels, he glanced over his shoulder.
"Merry?" Ben asked.
"Yes, Papa?"
"Why are the suits... dancing?"
In the background, the three Iron Man suits—empty shells controlled by Merry—were welding a support beam. But they weren't just welding. They were doing the Robot.
Zzt-click. Zzt-click.
The Red suit did a perfect moonwalk across the deck while holding a blowtorch. The Green suit was popping and locking while hammering a rivet. The Blue suit did a spin move before securing a bolt.
"It improves calibration efficiency!" Merry chirped, mimicking the dance moves in her raincoat. "Rhythmic welding increases structural integrity by 5%! And it looks super fresh!"
Ben sighed, suppressing a smile. "Fine. Just don't weld the dance floor to the hull."
"You got it, Papa! Keep it funky!"
By the time the massive tsunami of the Aqua Laguna crashed against the outer walls of Water 7—missing their cove thanks to the geography—the modifications were complete.
The Going Merry looked different. She had retractable steel wheels along her hull. Her figurehead wore goggles. And on the back, Ben had installed two massive jets, powered by an Arc Reactor.
"The storm is passing," Nami checked the barometer. "The wind is dying down, but the waves are still huge."
"Doesn't matter," Ben wiped grease from his face. "We aren't touching the waves."
"Merry," Ben ordered. "Move us to the tracks."
"Aye aye!"
The Merry sailed out of the cove. The sea was still rough, tossing them around. They reached the location of the underwater tracks leading out of the city.
"We need to get on the rails," Nami shouted.
Ben walked to the bow. He raised his hand. His eyes glowed purple.
$$Skill: Ruler's Authority$$
An invisible, god-like force gripped the entire ship.
CREAAAAK.
The Going Merry, tons of wood and steel, lifted out of the water. It hovered in the air, water dripping from its keel.
Ben guided the ship through the air, aligning it perfectly with the Sea Train tracks that skimmed the surface of the turbulent ocean.
CLANG.
The steel wheels Ben had installed locked onto the rails with a magnetic snap. The ship settled, secure and stable, perched above the chaotic waves.
"Connection confirmed!" Mini Merry shouted. "Magnetic locks engaged! We are on the rails!"
Ben lowered his hand, exhaling a breath. "We're locked in."
He turned to Luffy. The Captain stood at the bow, looking down the long, dark track that disappeared into the stormy horizon.
"Next stop: Enies Lobby," Ben announced.
Luffy pumped his fist. "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"
Ben grinned. He slammed his hand on the throttle of the new engine.
"BOOSTERS: MAX OUTPUT!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Blue fire erupted from the back of the ship.
The Going Merry didn't just accelerate; it vanished. It tore down the tracks, breaking the sound barrier, leaving a trail of sonic booms and displaced water in its wake.
They were coming for CP9. And they were bringing hell with them.