Inside the mayor's office, the tension was palpable.
Iceburg looked at the group of pirates standing guard around him and felt a wave of gratitude.
He naturally understood what Nami, Usopp, and the others were implying with their silence.
They were ready to fight for him.
Iceburg was well aware that his life was once again being targeted by the World Government. He knew that tonight could very well be his last.
But the most urgent matter now was the evacuation efforts.
He couldn't stop working, so he could only bow his head slightly and apologize to everyone.
"Sorry to trouble you all," he said sincerely. "You should be preparing your own ship, but you're stuck here protecting me."
Robin nodded reassuringly, her small smile letting him know it was alright.
Iceburg gazed at the woman whose existence was forbidden by the world, his heart stirring with complex emotions.
Before meeting Nico Robin, whenever he thought of her, he worried she might become the spark that would destroy the world.
After all, her ability to decipher Poneglyphs was the key to activating the Ancient Weapons.
She was the "Devil Child."
But now? Now, this woman he had considered a potential destroyer of worlds was standing between him and his assassins, protecting him for the sake of Water 7's innocent citizens.
Thinking this, Iceburg smiled, a heavy knot in his heart finally loosening.
'Master Tom, you were right,' Iceburg thought, closing his eyes for a moment.
'The weapon itself isn't the problem—it all comes down to the character of the one who wields it.'
Watching Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates, and looking at Franky who was furiously designing a new ship for them in the corner, Iceburg had a strange feeling.
Perhaps Pluton was about to be revived.
But maybe, just maybe, after its revival, under the guidance of this Straw Hat crew, it wouldn't be a tool for destruction.
Maybe it would fulfill its true purpose.
Iceburg shook his head to clear his thoughts and threw himself back into the evacuation work, shouting orders into the Den Den Mushi.
But almost simultaneously—
BOOM!
The sound of several walls shattering reached everyone's ears.
The building shook violently.
Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Chouchou, and Franky exchanged knowing smiles.
They had been waiting for this.
They shifted their formation smoothly, placing Iceburg and the working Den Den Mushi in the center of a protective circle.
Then, the remaining walls of the mayor's office completely collapsed inward.
Amid the swirling dust and debris, seven figures in black suits emerged, their eyes cold and predatory.
It was CP9.
All seven of them.
Seeing the people protecting Iceburg, Lucci and the others smiled with relief, though their smiles carried a hint of displeasure.
"That Ray doesn't seem to be here," Lucci observed, his eyes scanning the room.
"And the other three with high bounties—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji—aren't present either."
Kaku chuckled, adjusting his cap. "Knowing we would return, they calmly stayed in the office arranging work. They must be confident."
Jabra, the wolf-man, sneered, cracking his knuckles.
"Do you really think just you few can stop us? Are you looking down on CP9?"
The CP9 members casually exchanged pre-battle taunts, their postures relaxed.
They were relieved Ray wasn't there.
However, Nami, Robin, and the others sensed something beneath the agents' words. They sensed forced confidence masking actual unease.
They smiled contemptuously.
Franky, however, couldn't hold back.
He flew into a rage, his metal arms clanking.
"Shut the hell up!" Franky roared. "Enough talk! Let's take you out first for what you did to me and Iceburg!"
Thus, the battle began.
WHOOSH!
The agents moved instantly using Soru, blurring toward the pirates.
But the Straw Hats were ready.
While fighting defensively, Robin calmly assigned tasks to everyone, her voice cutting through the noise.
"Chouchou, Lucci is yours!"
"Nami, you take that woman! Kalifa!"
"Chopper, deal with the long-haired one quickly and then provide support!"
"Usopp, you handle the ugly looking man!"
"Franky, you deal with that fat ball!"
"As for Kaku and Blueno," Robin crossed her arms, blooming giant hands from the floor to intercept them.
"Leave them to me."
Everyone nodded.
No one doubted Robin's ability to handle two opponents at once.
After several violent clashes in the office, the combatants naturally split up to avoid hitting each other.
They moved to different battlefields—some fought on the rooftop, some rushed to the outdoor plaza, and some battled in the backyard garden.
...
While everyone was fighting for their lives, five figures appeared on a rooftop about one kilometer away from the government office.
They had a perfect vantage point.
Naturally, it was Ray, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Buggy.
Buggy, currently sporting several comical lumps on his head from the explosion earlier, glared fiercely at Ray a few times.
He rubbed a bruise and grumbled, "I'm only here to properly assess the Straw Hat Pirates' current strength. Don't think I've forgiven you for blowing me up!"
After being beaten by Ray, Buggy had sparred briefly with Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
The result had been shocking.
After being ganged up on by the three monsters, Buggy simply couldn't understand—how had these guys improved so quickly? It defied logic.
Now, he was quite curious about how much the other had improved.
As for Ray and Luffy's group of four, they were naturally there as insurance.
If things went south, they would step in.
What about Zephyr? The former Admiral couldn't attack CP9 directly due to his status, so he stayed inside to help Iceburg deal with the aftermath of the battle, ensuring the evacuation efforts continued uninterrupted regardless of the noise outside.
As for Admiral Aokiji, he hadn't even set foot on the island.
He was probably holed up on a nearby cliff, sleeping with his eye mask on.
Thus, the current battle appeared rather peculiar.
The second-string fighters were engaged in life-and-death struggles, while the top-tier powerhouses of the world were all either spectating or slacking off.
...
Currently fighting on the rooftop were Chopper and Kumadori.
Kumadori, a bizarre man with kabuki makeup and long pink hair, was the most skilled among the seven members of CP9 in one of the Rokushiki techniques: Seimei Kikan (Life Return).
By imbuing consciousness into various parts of his body, he could perform movements that ordinary people simply couldn't achieve.
His strongest skill was imbuing his hair with consciousness, causing it to grow wildly and change shape like tentacles.
"Yooooo~! Yubisaki Hari!"
Kumadori shouted in a sing-song voice.
He condensed his long hair into hundreds of finger-like shapes, each hardened like steel.
He unleashed a barrage of attacks toward Chopper's position.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
Every time Chopper dodged an attack, the hair struck the concrete, leaving deep, finger-sized holes in the ground.
"Heavy Point!" Chopper transformed into his muscular human form to block a strike, then quickly shrunk to "Brain Point" to dodge another.
Though Chopper seemed to be on the defensive, the little reindeer was merely testing the enemy's strength.
His eyes were focused.
He was probing for any other skills. Once he confirmed the enemy's full capabilities, Chopper would unleash his Monster Point or Arm Point to end it.
...
The Backyard Garden
On the manicured lawn in the backyard, one person was doing the same as Chopper.
Nami was also testing Kalifa's strength.
As a Rokushiki expert, Kalifa was no slouch in speed or power. She moved like a blur, her high heels acting as deadly weapons.
"Rankyaku!" Kalifa kicked the air, sending a scythe of wind at Nami.
Nami spin her Perfect Clima-Tact, creating a heat mirage to mislead the aim.
The wind blade sliced through a tree next to her.
Every one of Kalifa's physical attacks was deflected or dodged by Nami.
Even Kalifa's proud Shigan couldn't land a clean hit on Nami.
Nami continued fighting while her mind racing like a calculator.
'In terms of raw speed, she's faster than me,' Nami analyzed.
'But in terms of physical strength... I'm actually stronger than her.'
'Now, it's just a matter of whether this woman has any special Devil Fruit abilities I need to watch out for.'
...
Aside from Franky, who was simply slugging it out with Fukuro, everyone was being tactical.
The demonized Chouchou was locked in combat with Rob Lucci.
Lucci had already activated his Devil Fruit ability, transforming into his massive leopard-human hybrid form.
One giant demon dog, one fierce spotted leopard man.
Neither could stand the sight of the other. Their fight was truly intense, wrecking the hallway with every clash.
Clang!
Chouchou's claws met Lucci's claws, creating sparks.
Chouchou mentally assessed the situation.
'So far, our strength is about equal,' the dog thought calmly.
'My defense is stronger than his due to my exoskeleton, and our speed is similar. I'll ramp up the attacks a bit more to see what this leopard's ultimate move is.'
With that, Chouchou roared.
He closed in and unleashed a powerful shockwave from his mouth aimed point-blank at Lucci.
The speed was too fast, and the distance too close for Lucci to dodge.
Forced into a corner, Lucci crossed his arms.
"Rokushiki Ogi: Rokuougan!"
Lucci unleashed his ultimate shockwave technique.
The two blasts collided.
BOOM!
The shockwave from their clash blew out all the windows on the floor and sent both beasts flying back dozens of meters, sliding across the polished floor.
...
As for Robin, she was battling Blueno and Kaku in the outdoor plaza.
She stood still, her arms crossed.
"Tres Mano: Clutch!"
Giant hands sprouted from Kaku's back, trying to snap his spine.
Kaku used his flexibility to twist out of it.
After dodging a couple of their attacks, Robin had already gauged their strength.
Their speed and attack power are mediocre, Robin thought, disappointed.
'If they have no special abilities or Haki... I can finish them off instantly! I might even be able to finish early and provide support to Chopper.'
...
As for Usopp and Jabra, their situation was rather amusing.
Usopp was running for his life through the empty streets, screaming, while the wolf-transformed Jabra chased him relentlessly, drool dripping from his jaws.
"Why do I have to fight an opponent I can't even get close to?!" Usopp wailed, tears streaming down his face.
Usopp was filled with resentment.
Although his close-combat abilities had improved significantly, facing a Zoan Devil Fruit user who was also a Rokushiki expert meant he stood no chance in a fistfight.
His only option was to stall for time, hoping for backup from his teammates.
However, Usopp wasn't just running blindly.
His escape route was circular, leading Jabra on a specific path. Strange green seeds occasionally fell from his pocket to the ground along the way.
"Chopper! Robin! If you guys don't come help me soon, I'll have to take him down myself!" Usopp yelled over his shoulder.
"I really wanted to keep my true strength hidden, though!"
Usopp, that guy, always loved playing the weakling to catch the tiger off guard.
He was setting a trap.
...
Ray and the others watched silently from a distance, observing the battles through Haki or binoculars.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji began commenting with laughter, relaxed as if they were watching a sport.
Sanji lit a cigarette and explained to Buggy, "This is a combat habit they developed during their training with Ray. When facing an enemy with similar strength but unknown abilities, the priority is to gauge the opponent's power first. Don't reveal your trump cards until you know theirs."
Sanji exhaled smoke. "After all, we suffered quite a few setbacks back then. We'd think we could win, charge in recklessly, and end up getting taken down by some weird special ability."
Hearing Sanji's explanation, Zoro smirked.
He pointed a thumb at Luffy.
"Only this guy never learns his lesson. He still loves charging in headfirst."
Luffy picked his nose and retorted disdainfully, "I may charging in, but I still use Haki to protect myself, you know. I'm not stupid."
Ray nodded, approving of their combat approach.
There was plenty of time left in this battle. It was best to test the waters first before going all out to avoid any mishaps. It showed maturity.
Nearby, Buggy observed the situation across the various battlefields a kilometer away.
He watched Nami deflect attacks, Chopper analyze patterns, and Usopp lay traps.
He couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Damn," Buggy muttered. "You've all grown incredibly fast. CP9 is in for a rough time."
---------
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