The Hunter

The Buster Call alarm spreads over Enies Lobby. From the island comes the warning, "Warships are coming to attack us--!!!" and "The bombardment will start--!!!" Another voice orders, "Everyone, retreat from the island--!!!" On the bridge-side route, Spandam drags Robin forward while she pants, "HAA HAA." Sogeking shouts after her, "Wait, Nico Robin!!" Spandam mocks the rescue attempt: "Even if you head back to where you came from, all you'll see are pirate corpses!! So cut it out already!!!" He then raises his pistol and shouts, "Show her, Funk Freed!!" Shots ring out with "PAOO!!!" and Robin, exhausted and wounded, is forced onward while Spandam even warns his weapon, "Don't hit a vital spot, though!"

Funk Freed transforms into an elephant-sword and attacks Robin with "Ivory Dart"!!! Robin sees the huge ivory points coming and gasps "!!!" as the attack drives her back with "ACK!!!" Spandam, sweating and grinning, laughs at her: "Wah ha ha...!! You think you can get away...? Stupid woman... Don't underestimate me...!!" Then he declares the cruel goal again: "Now let us go through together...!!! The doors of dreams!!!" For Spandam, the Gates of Justice are not a prison door but the doorway to his promotion and the Ancient Weapon.

Outside the tower, the sea foams from the impact of Franky's plan. Chopper splashes down, and Franky stands nearby breathing hard. Chopper's huge form collapses back toward normal, and Franky says, "... He's back to normal...!!" He adds, "... I hope he's not dead... It surprises me that his nakama didn't know how to handle him." Then he remembers the larger purpose. Sogeking, in the background memory, asks, "Don't you want to save Nico Robin!?" and Franky answers inwardly, "I want to...!!" He tells himself, "Well, either way, he did defeat one of the 'CP9'... So for the sake of your nakama, who protected you even though you were on a rampage in that form, I'll forgive you for attacking me..."

Franky turns back toward the mission and says, "We should hurry." He hesitates, "... But... wait, even if we want to hurry, how do we get to the 'Gates of Justice'...?" From nearby, the Franky Family and Galley-La allies call, "Heeey Franky--!!" "Nyaa nyaah!!" and "Brats!!!" Franky is startled: "What!? You know how to get to the Gates of Justice!?" They answer proudly, "Eh hee hee, we know!! We're here to guide you!!" Franky tells them, "Tell me, quick!!!" and they say, "I'll direct Kokoro hag and you guys move there!!" Nami, seeing the route problem solved, decides, "Then it's decided that we have to stop Chopper that way, and..." She hands over the keys: "You, carry these number 3 and number 4 keys... and hurry to Robin!! Either one of them might be able to open Robin's handcuffs!! If you manage to open the cuffs, please contact me with the Baby Denden-mushi that the secretary had!!"

Nami entrusts the releases for Zoro and Sogeking to Franky: "Leave the releases of Zoro and 'Hana-King' to me!!" Franky asks, "Roger that, but what will you do after that!? Even if we've gone that far..." He knows the return path is gone: "And rescued Nico Robin successfully, we can't use the bridge between this tower and Enies Lobby main island to go back, either!!" Nami accepts it. "I know... but now that 'Buster Call' has been triggered, we don't have time to go back where we came from!! Then... so asking what we should do is useless!" She points toward the impossible future: "Behind us is the 'Sea of Death,' up ahead is the 'Road of Mystery.' Which one would you choose?" Franky understands: "Up ahead, of course, but..." Nami finishes the decision for everyone: "Then, once we're done with whatever we have to do in this tower, everyone should just go straight ahead to the 'Gates of Justice'!!! Leave everything else... to fate!!"

Franky accepts the plan. "Either way!! I have to deliver the keys to Nico Robin as soon as possible. So just bring that deer with you later!!" Nami answers, "Okay." The Franky Family and allies call after him, "Okay!! Good luck, Franky!!" and "Nyaa nyaa." Then the chapter cuts back to the broken CP9 battlefield, where Kaku and Jyabura stand before Zoro, Sogeking, and Nami. Kaku says, "We've wasted... too much time..." and Jyabura's body language says the same. The small pause for planning is over; the assassins are ready to end the fight quickly.

Nami, furious at the absurdity of Zoro and Sogeking being stuck together, shouts, "For real!!! I can't believe you guys are fooling around during this serious time!!" Zoro answers with the blunt truth: "'Cause he's being an idiot." Sogeking insists, "Both of you are big idiots!!! Just hurry and get the keys!!!" Then Kaku attacks with "Rankyaku" and the note that "sen means line." He sends "Sen"!!! slicing across the battlefield, and Zoro reacts with "!!?" while Sogeking screams, "GYAAH!!!" Zoro has his swords back, but the fight has barely restarted before CP9's long-range cutting techniques force everyone to move.

Kaku extends the danger with his giraffe body. Zoro watches, silent, as Kaku says, "I hope your long neck... won't be your weakness...!" Zoro says, "You don't have to worry about that!!!" Kaku demonstrates why: "I have the muscles necessary to control my neck at will!! Same goes for the bullet." His neck snaps and bends like a living cannon, and his face hardens with a "CLING!!" impact. The ridiculous shape turns serious because Kaku has learned how to weaponize every part of it.

Kaku launches "Bigan"!!!, with the note that it means nose gun. His square giraffe nose fires like a battering ram at Zoro, smashing through the air and stone. Zoro blocks and is driven back by the raw force while Sogeking and Nami are thrown off balance. Sogeking yells, "Whoa!!!" and "Wah!!" as the blast shakes the area. Nami stares at the destructive nose and asks, "What's with this shock we get by just being around him!?" Kaku's giraffe form still looks absurd, but the pressure it creates is real.

Kaku keeps firing, and Zoro counters. Someone shouts, "Take this!!!" as another blast tears into the rock with "KRACKRA...!!" Sogeking notices the shape of the damage: "It made a square hole in the rock!!!" Nami adds, "That nose is better than Sogeking's!!!" Sogeking snaps, "Who the heck is Sogep!? And... don't make unnecessary comparisons!!!" Jyabura watches the exchange and says, "Interesting, Kaku's controlling his ability pretty well." The battlefield has become strange, but none of the strange attacks are harmless.

Jyabura steps in to claim his opponent. "W-wolf!! I told you I am your opponent!!!" he growls at Zoro, barking "BAK!" Zoro stands between enemies, while Jyabura warns, "... Don't get too worked up. You want to rescue your nakama, right?" Sogeking sees the key and shouts, "That's right!! So I'll take your key!!!" The key spins away with a bright "CHARIN...!!" and Sogeking runs for it. Jyabura lowers his voice and tries to stop him with a confession: "To tell you the truth, I don't really want to... kill anybody... I hate blood..." Sogeking freezes, confused: "... Eh? Wh-what... what do you mean...?"

Jyabura continues the act. "In... in that case, I'll take the key..." Sogeking listens, unsure, and then Jyabura suddenly opens his handcuff with "OPENS." Nami realizes the trap too late and screams, "No!! Usopp, watch out!!!" Sogeking cries, "GYA HAHA!!!" as Jyabura strikes him with "Jus-Shigan"!!! The note explains that Jusshigan means ten Shigan. Ten finger-piercing blows slam into Sogeking at once, and the wolf's gentle confession is revealed as bait.

Jyabura drops the mask completely. "Don't let your guard down. I'm a 'wolf'!!! If I catch you off-guard... I'll eat you alive." Sogeking is thrown violently through the rubble with a huge "GRRRRR!!!" Nami yells, "USOPP--!!!" while Sogeking tumbles and cries, "GYAHaha." Jyabura's laugh becomes a howl: "VUOOOH!!!" The deception has worked because Sogeking wanted to believe even a little in the chance of avoiding bloodshed, and Jyabura used that mercy against him.

Sogeking lies battered in the smoke, breathing "HAA..." and groaning "ARGH..." while Jyabura mocks him: "GYAAAH HAHAHA!! What a dorky mask!!! Why don't you run around like you did earlier? You run pretty fast!!!" Sogeking, shaken, asks himself, "What am I doing...!? Sh-shit." Zoro shouts, "Cut it out...!!! I don't have time for that...!!!" but Sogeking tries to fight anyway, unveiling "New Weapon 'Kabuto' Ultimate!!!" and "Himawari-Boshi"!!!, noted as sunflower stars. He then uses "Soru" to move, trying to regain distance before Jyabura can finish him.

Sogeking fires burning ammunition from Kabuto. Jyabura is surprised: "Huh? Fire works?" and the shot erupts into flame and smoke around him. Sogeking gets knocked around in the same chaos, and Nami calls out, "Usopp!!" as he hits the ground with "UGH!!!" Still, the attack forces Jyabura to react and gives Sogeking a moment of resistance. The page shows both sides taking damage: Sogeking is clearly outmatched in close combat, but his new weapon can still hurt and disorient a CP9 wolf.

Jyabura advances again, promising, "As I have promised... I'll kill you in an instant. Die peacefully." Sogeking lies hurt, and Jyabura adds, "If you were still connected to that 'shepherd' and being protected, you would have been safe... but when a 'lamb' wanders around on his own, look... it'll be eaten by a fearsome 'wolf'... Gyahahaha." Nami begs, "Don't kill him!! Please!!!" and Zoro shouts, "Hey, stop it!! Wolf bastard!!!" Sogeking realizes, "Now, this is the end of it...!!" and then Sanji appears. A foot crashes into Jyabura's face with "BOHEH!!!" Nami gasps, and Sogeking looks up as Sanji lands with the title's answer: "The 'Hunter.'"

No description for this page.