Luffy spoke up anxiously. "No! Ace can't be executed! Even if Ace and I have our own adventures now, I can't just stand by and let him die! Mr. Ikki, I'm going to save Ace!"
Ikki nodded and then addressed the rest of the crew. "Everyone, our captain wants to go rescue his brother. What do you all think?"
"Of course we'll go with you!" everyone shouted in unison.
They all had a good impression of Ace, and since he was Luffy's brother, they were more than willing to help save him.
Tashigi remained silent, still lost in her confusion.
Zoro glanced at her, clenching the hilt of his sword. He thought it might be better to use this opportunity to send Tashigi off the ship for good.
Upon hearing his crew's support, a smile spread across Luffy's face.
"Alright! I'm counting on you all. Ace is my brother, and I have to save him. If the Marines really want to execute him, we'll fight Marine Headquarters if we have to!"
With the Straw Hats' minds made up, the only thing left was to decide on a course of action. While Luffy was determined to save Ace, he had no idea where to even start. Ikki, of course, had already thought everything through, knowing that Luffy only needed to focus on the fighting.
"First, we have to wait for confirmation that the Marines are really going to execute Ace before we act," Ikki said. "For now, we'll stay here in Water Seven.
We'll spend the next couple of days gathering information and preparing for the fight. Then we'll sail to Enies Lobby, pass through the Gates of Justice, and go straight to Impel Down to save him."
Franky frowned. "Mr. Ikki, Enies Lobby is close, but the Gates of Justice are huge. We won't be able to get in if the Marines don't open them for us."
He pulled out a sea chart showing the World Government's three major institutions. "Look at this map. The three main islands—Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marineford—are all located inside a massive whirlpool. To get to the next destination, you have to follow the correct currents through the Gates of Justice. There's no other way around."
Franky had seen the Gates of Justice before and knew they couldn't be opened by hand. The others, however, had no idea what he was talking about.
Nami took the chart from him and studied it carefully, her expression darkening slightly.
"The map shows the whirlpool as a triangle, with the three islands at each corner. Marine Headquarters is near the Red Line, and Impel Down is in the Calm Belt. As Mr. Ikki said, going through Enies Lobby is the most convenient route, but what about the Gates of Justice? Can't we just have Sanji make a giant key?"
Ikki laughed. "Nami, you're a genius, but even if Sanji made a key, we couldn't open them. They really are enormous. The Merry would look like an ant in front of them."
The Merry would look like an ant?! Everyone's eyes widened at his description.
"Yeah, I told you they were super big!" Franky exclaimed.
The crew couldn't help but roll their eyes at him. Who could possibly imagine what 'super big' meant? But with Ikki's vivid description, they understood that the Gates of Justice were truly colossal.
"But how are we going to get through such a huge door?" Nami asked, frustrated.
"That's easy. We'll just fly right over them," Ikki replied, his voice calm. "Don't forget that Sanji and I can fly the ship. No matter how high the Gates of Justice are, they're not as tall as Sky Island. Besides, Law's powers can get us through the gates, or we can use a submarine. There are plenty of ways!"
"Yeah! We have lots of ways!"
Everyone broke into joyful smiles. With the route planned and the issue of the Gates of Justice solved, they decided to follow Ikki's advice and spend the next two days gathering information.
After the meeting ended, Tashigi went to the observation deck and stared blankly at the ocean.
Zoro soon joined her. "Hey, Tashigi," he said in a low voice. "Your cover's blown, so you should leave and go back to being a Marine."
Tashigi trembled, her head bowed as her hands clenched into fists. After a long moment, she took a deep breath. "I like everyone a lot."
"But you're a Marine! You want to go back to the Marines! You have your own brand of justice, and you can't stay on a pirate ship forever! Since your undercover status is officially exposed, this is the perfect time to leave. If you join us to save Ace, you'll be branded as a traitor and you'll never be able to go back!"
"But I just like everyone! What do you want me to do?! What do you want me to do?!"
Tashigi suddenly grabbed Zoro's clothes and sobbed, tears streaming down her face. The confusion and pain in her eyes were obvious.
She really did like everyone now. They had gone on so many adventures together, trained together, eaten together, fought together, and shared their joys and pains. Tashigi truly saw them as reliable partners. But it was so strange—an undercover Marine liking a group of pirates and wanting to stay on their ship.
Her sense of justice was shaken, and she was once again lost and confused. The captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division might be executed, and the Straw Hats, as a new Emperor crew, might take part in his rescue. If she helped them, she would be a real traitor, never trusted by the Marines again, and never able to go back.
But if she didn't report what she knew, she would be betraying the Marines. An undercover agent would become a genuine pirate. She still had Marine justice in her heart, yet she still wanted to stay on the Merry. She wished she could continue being an undercover agent forever.
Zoro watched the crying Tashigi, unsure of what to say.
Below the mast, Sanji lit a cigarette and stayed silent. For the first time, he didn't rush to comfort a crying lady. He knew that this was a moment only Zoro could handle. Tashigi cared for the 'Moss Head' more than anyone else.
Even if neither Zoro nor Tashigi knew it, Sanji could see it clearly. He knew that Zoro was Tashigi's only hope right now, and he was unworthy of the role. So, with a heavy heart, he stood guard silently, finding solace in the smoke and his loneliness.
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