Chapter 141: Tower of Justice – Reunion, Buster Call, and the Great Escape
"Damn it, don't even think about escaping!" Luffy saw several Navy officers in the distance showing signs of retreat and immediately leaped after them. He delivered a powerful "Rubber Jet Stamp" kick, but it missed. Doberman, who had been prepared, drew his sword in a backhand motion and slashed a fierce crescent-shaped blade straight toward Luffy's abdomen! Luffy, reacting in time, hardened his defense with Armament Haki. Had he been even a moment slower, that slash would have cut him in half.
Seeing Luffy nearly taken out in one move, Sol couldn't help but press his forehead and complain: "Those are all veteran Vice Admirals with decades of battle experience. Where did you get the confidence to charge in so recklessly? They were already expecting that from you!"
Sure enough, it wasn't just Doberman—Onigumo and the others had also been ready. Seeing that Sol wasn't continuing his attack, they quickly retreated using Moon Step and returned to the warships.
"Luffy! Sol! Are you two okay?" Vivi and Robin, who had just had their Sea Prism Stone cuffs removed, ran over quickly, their voices full of worry.
"I'm fine. Only one idiot got hit," Sol said, glancing at the wound on Luffy's abdomen. Fortunately the defense had been timely—it looked scary, but it would heal on its own soon enough.
"Nonsense! If you gave me a little more time, I definitely could have beaten that guy! I just let him get away by accident!" Luffy protested loudly, refusing to accept it.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Robin replied. She shook the cuffs that had just been unlocked with the key Luffy brought, her tone gentle but carrying a cold edge. "But before that… let me vent a little first." Her gaze turned toward the still-stunned Spandam in the distance. She slowly crossed her arms.
"Six Flower Bloom – Slap!"
Spandam was still lost in shock over Joser's sudden death and hadn't even noticed the Navy's retreat. The moment six extra arms suddenly appeared on his body, he realized it was Nico Robin's ability! Before he could even beg for mercy, a series of loud slaps landed hard on his face, quickly leaving him bruised, swollen, and unrecognizable.
The more Robin hit, the angrier she became. The tragedy of Ohara, the cannon fire of the Buster Call, the fear of nearly losing her companions—all her pent-up resentment exploded at this moment. "I will never allow something like this to happen again!" Her eyes sharpened, and her technique changed:
"Six Flower Bloom – Finger Pistol!"
The moment the slaps stopped and Spandam tried to call for help, six Finger Pistols mercilessly pierced his body—one of them striking straight through his heart.
"Then you… can disappear with me… under this Buster Call…" With a twisted look of unwillingness, he drew his final breath.
"Hey, Sol… Robin looks really scary right now, black aura all over… did you make her angry?" Luffy, who had been bickering with Sol, suddenly sensed the oppressive pressure behind him. He leaned close to Sol and whispered "quietly": "You didn't do something to upset her, did you?"
Sol knew exactly what was happening—Robin was taking revenge for the fallen Ohara and for the humiliation she had just endured—but that didn't stop him from teasing Luffy. "Yeah, who told you to keep stealing the ship's food supplies? She's really mad this time."
Their "whispering" was basically no different from a public broadcast—every word reached Robin's ears loud and clear. She had just finished her final strike and smoothly picked up Sol's improvised excuse. With an expressionless face, she slowly turned her head and gave Luffy an ice-cold glance.
"I-I-I swear I will never steal food from the ship's pantry again! I promise!" Luffy's hair stood on end from that single look. He immediately raised both hands and shouted his guarantee.
Beside him, Vivi was biting her lips hard, her shoulders shaking slightly—she was trying her best not to laugh out loud. After all, she was still wearing cuffs and couldn't even cover her mouth. "Pfft—" Granny Kokoro suddenly leaped out of the water in her mermaid form, bringing the shocked Nami and the others safely onto the bridge. This sudden scene made Luffy scream in fright: "W-What an ugly monster!"
"What did you say, you brat?! I'm a genuine mermaid from Fish-Man Island!" Granny Kokoro wrung out her clothes and draped them back over her shoulders, then jerked her chin toward Sol. "Yo, Cool. Have you figured out how we're going to break through? The whole area is surrounded by Navy warships."
Sol rubbed his eyes, unable to look directly: "Could you please put your clothes on first before talking? I still want to live a few more years!"
"Exactly! You old hag, hurry up and put your clothes back on!" Franky had known since he was a child that Kokoro was a mermaid, so he wasn't too shocked, but he really couldn't stand her casual way of dressing.
"But… she has webbed feet? Granny Kokoro, are you really a mermaid?" Vivi couldn't help asking.
At that moment, Sanji and the others gradually woke up, coughing up water. Sanji's first words were: "Nami-san! Are you okay?!" As for everyone else, as long as they could breathe, it was fine.
"You pervert cook… cough, cough!" Usopp removed his mask, nearly having drowned from the seawater.
"Hm? What were you trying to say?" Sanji turned his head, only to hear Granny Kokoro cheerfully say: "Not bad, not bad. Looks like everyone's still alive."
The group, who had been pretending not to know and forcing themselves to stay calm, stiffly turned their heads. Seeing Kokoro's "outfit" again, Usopp immediately broke down and screamed: "Aaaaaah! It's real! Mermaids really don't exist!!"
"The legend where people thought it was a mermaid but it turned out to be a sea cow… it was true!!" Even Zoro rarely showed such a shocked expression.
"Shut up, you idiot! She never said she was a mermaid! Don't just destroy my dream of mermaids like that!!" Sanji pounded the ground in despair. In his heart, a mermaid should be sexy, young, and breathtakingly beautiful…
"Female mermaids, once they turn thirty, naturally split their fish tails into legs and can then live on land. You kids should go to Fish-Man Island and see for yourselves when you get the chance!"
"Sol, help us dry our clothes." Nami snapped out of her shock. Feeling uncomfortable in her soaked clothes, she called out to Sol.
Hearing her, Sol raised his arm. The surrounding temperature rose sharply. A warm breeze gently wrapped around Nami and the others, quickly drying their clothes. Nami then took out the keys she had collected earlier and carefully unlocked Vivi's cuffs.
The moment the cuffs fell to the ground, Nami pulled Vivi into a tight hug. Chopper also jumped over and clung tightly to Robin. Tears streamed down their faces as Nami said through sobs: "You're safe… I'm so glad…"
"Mm," Robin gently patted Chopper's fluffy little head and said softly, "I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for not giving up on me."
"Yeah," Vivi wiped the corners of her eyes, speaking with deep emotion. "You didn't have any information, yet you still found us and came to rescue us…"
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