Gear

A silent, almost blank page centers on Spandam's shocked face. After the reports of chaos across Enies Lobby, he can only stare and murmur, "Huh?" There is no action here, but the pause matters: the man who held the Golden Den-Den Mushi and treated the island's order as absolute is beginning to understand that the situation is no longer following any script he controls. The rescue force has reached the courthouse, the giants have turned, Luffy has vanished into battle on the roof, and even the supposedly unshakeable island of justice is now producing reports that make Spandam's confidence crack.

Inside the courthouse, the three-headed judge Baskerville demands attention. One head shouts, "Baskerville!!! Presiding Judge, Baskerville!!! Answer the call, it's me!!!" and the three heads identify their sides: "This is 'Left Baskerville' on the left!!" "And I am 'Right Baskerville' on the right!!" "And I, in the middle of the three, am the 'Solitary Journey at Central Main Line'!!!" The explanation is absurd enough that Spandam cries, "What the heck is that!?" while the judge insists on formality. Spandam demands a full report on the situation, and Baskerville announces, "The situation is... not so much about the plaza, but inside..." The courthouse itself is now under pressure, and the judicial farce is forced to speak like a battlefield command post.

Baskerville tries to begin a grand trial, but the invasion has already broken the courthouse's dignity. Zoro looks ahead and says, "It seems like there aren't that many people here. I guess we can proceed at once, but..." Then the scene erupts: the giant stone doors have been cut open, pirates pour in, and a Government guard screams, "Your honor! Here's my report!! The giant stone doors of the courthouse has been cut open... and pirates are pouring in!!" Baskerville panics, "I can see that, you idiot!!!" yet still bellows, "Silence!!! This is the holy building of judgement!! We will now announce a verdict that will seal your fates!!!" Outside the words, the visual truth is already clear: the supposed court has been invaded before it can even pretend to judge anyone.

The rescue force charges through the courthouse interior. Nami sees the opportunity and says, "Hey, look at that!! It seems like the trial has begun!!" Pauly calls out, "Yokozuna and a few others will stop the pursuers at the door." Another ally adds, "We've got your backs, so you guys just charge on through!!!" and Yokozuna answers with "Gero!!" The group understands the next route: "Right!! Guys, just run towards the roof, where Straw Hat-san is!!!" Looking up at the stairs, they decide, "There's a staircase on each side!! We can go upstairs using those." Someone warns, "Ignore it, too much trouble!! Which way is it!?" and the answer becomes action: "First!! Stepping into Enies Lobby, a property of the World Government, is..." The invaders are no longer stalled outside; they are inside, splitting routes through the courthouse.

Baskerville attempts to render judgment, naming charges with theatrical outrage. The heads cry, "Whoooa!! How rude! They ignored the holy trial!!" and "Unforgivable! They're making a mockery of the judicial island." One head names the left sword "Yonezu" and another the right sword "Enbima," while a note explains that Yonezu means "nocturnal" and Enbima means "Alluring Beauty Devil." As the swords flex and bend, someone shouts, "What!? His swords seem to be bending." Then Baskerville brings them down with "Giri!!!" and "Oni..." The attack smashes into the crowd, scattering people and rubble. The judge is ridiculous in shape, but the threat is real: the courthouse's presiding judge is also a combatant blocking the rescue route.

The attack sends bodies flying, and the crew realizes what opened the doors earlier. Someone says, "I guess he was the one who cut the door open earlier." But there is no time to stop. Zoro and the others shout, "Let's move, the path's clear now." Nami answers, "Okay!" and Zoro still wonders, "...And why isn't he the captain?" Then Sanji kicks into action. When an enemy tries to block them, he greets him, "Ah, Soup-Bro," and the man shouts, "Wait, wait, waaaait!!! Get outta the way, reindeer and idiot swords-man!!" Sanji answers that this is a dangerous enemy territory and says, "I will clear the path..." While others yell, "Why're you guys starting a fight there!?" and "Whoa!! Watch out!" Sanji's strike blasts the obstacle aside as the group keeps moving.

Sanji bolts up the stairs with Nami close behind and calls, "Nami-san, this way please!!! Just follow me, only me!!!" Chopper, meanwhile, thinks about the true purpose: "You know, we came here to rescue Robin, right?" He adds, "Waiting for my rescue!!! I wonder if she's now crying from the loneliness." Sanji imagines Robin and says, "Oooh... yeah, Robin-chan is...!!" The moment collapses into comedy when Zoro runs off elsewhere. Nami screams, "Aaaah!! Zoro wandered off somewhere while we weren't looking!!!" and "Wait up, Zoro, that's not the way!!!" Zoro answers from below, "Robin-chan, I'm coming!!!" and Nami yells, "I said the staircase!! How could you possibly go the wrong way!?" The crew's urgency is real, but so is their chaos.

Elsewhere in the courthouse, three judge figures declare the intrusion a moral outrage. They say, "This is a great sin...!!!" and "This is a serious crime." One announces, "Then!! We'll make a decision down the middle, the death penalty," while the others agree. Chopper looks up in confusion and says, "Huh?" The three-headed Baskerville crashes down, shouting, "Don't ignore me, the presiding judge--!!!" as rubble and broken stone fly. Nami and the others scream "Kyah!!!" and "Oo-waah!" while the attack tears across the stairs. The comic judge routine becomes a real obstacle again, forcing the rescue team to survive the courthouse's absurd but deadly guardians.

Baskerville continues hounding the invaders. He says, "What an impertinent pirate. I'll show you how frightening I can be..." and promises, "I'll follow after I finish this up." Nami orders, "Chopper, Nami! Go on ahead!!" while the judge pulls at something with "Pull--!!!" and asks, "Hrm!?" Then a new threat enters. Nami spots the Franky Family and shouts, "Franky Family!!!" The scene resolves into a confrontation: "We'll be your opponents, Cerberus!!" The Franky Family blocks the judge while Nami and Chopper move on. Someone says, "Let's go!!!" and Nami answers, "Ah... okay." The path stays open because allies keep choosing to stay behind and buy time.

On the courthouse rooftop, the duel narrows again to silence. The map labels the place: "Courthouse Rooftop - Luffy vs Blueno." Blueno stares across the smoke at Luffy, saying only "..." as the rubble settles. Luffy, scratched and breathing hard, rises with a small "Hup!" and "Hop!" while a chunk of stone falls away with "Clatter." The absence of dialogue makes the scene heavier. Below, the whole island is tearing itself apart, but up here the fight is quiet for a moment. Blueno watches a boy he thought he understood stand up again, and Luffy prepares to answer not with another reckless charge, but with something he has been saving.

Luffy checks the effect of Blueno's Door Door ability. "It's closed now... the door on my face," he says. Blueno calmly answers, "Of course. If a door opens, it'll surely close. Good job on avoiding my Rankyaku." Luffy replies, "Yeah, well, it's not that big of a deal." Blueno admits, "It was unexpected," and immediately attacks again. His long leg whips across the rooftop with a crushing strike, forcing Luffy to react with a sharp "!" The exchange shows a new balance: Blueno still has strange abilities and CP9 technique, but Luffy is no longer overwhelmed by surprise. He is reading the pattern, recovering, and preparing to move beyond the limits Blueno expects.

Blueno presses the attack. He curses, "Shit!!!" as Luffy slips past and dodges, the impact sounds tearing across the page. Blueno strikes with "Shigan!!" but Luffy jumps clear, and Blueno notices, "He jumped!!" The finger thrust spears into empty stone instead of Luffy's body. The sequence is fast and close: Luffy crouches, twists, and launches himself away while Blueno's arm drives into the ground with the force of a spear. The page is not about a clean hit, but about how the old CP9 certainty is failing. Luffy is reacting to techniques that once would have ended the fight immediately, and Blueno has to keep increasing pressure to catch him.

Blueno uses "Soru" and flashes across the rooftop, but Luffy follows the movement. Blueno lands a "Sai" strike, with the note that Sai means smash, and hardens with "Tekkai." The blow cracks stone and sends debris flying, yet Luffy keeps his eyes on him and begins winding up: "Gomu Gomu..." Blueno watches, increasingly wary. The fight has become a contest of adaptation. Blueno still uses Six Powers with precision, but every time he moves, Luffy gathers more information. The rooftop is crumbling around them, and the panels show Luffy shifting from pure endurance into calculated response.

Luffy's attack lands: "Gomu Gomu... Bullet!!!" Blueno answers with "Tekkai," but the impact still drives hard enough to force a cry of "Nwah!!!" The fight erupts into a blur of close-range movement as Blueno throws "Rankyaku" and Luffy keeps pace. Blueno realizes Luffy can match his speed and even alter the path of his Rankyaku. His expression shifts from control to concern. The old gap between CP9 and the Straw Hats has narrowed sharply. Luffy is not just surviving, not just dodging; he is pushing Blueno into exchanges where the Government agent must keep recalculating what the rubber man can do.

The clash separates them. Blueno thinks, "He can keep up to my speed perfectly. He even altered the path of my Rankyaku... He has unbelievable physical ability..." Luffy stands across from him, battered but smiling, and admits, "I'm no good." Then his smile fades into resolve: "...If I stay the way I am now... I won't be any good..." Blueno reacts with "!?" because he realizes Luffy is not talking about this single exchange. Luffy is judging himself by the enemies still ahead and by the friends he must protect. He has measured the current version of himself and found it insufficient. The page turns the battle into the threshold before a transformation.

Luffy explains the decision that has been forming since his defeat by Aokiji. "After I was defeated by Aokiji, I started thinking about it... If there are more strong guys like him in the ocean ahead of us, then I have to be stronger... because otherwise I can't protect my nakama...!!" He says, "I have nakama who're not strong... but I still want them to be with me...!! So, I have to be stronger than anybody else... or I'll lose them all!!!" When Blueno asks what he will do, Luffy answers, "I've thought of a way to fight with all my might... so I won't lose anybody...!! So I won't ever have to lose anybody..." The page makes the power-up emotional before it is physical: it is born from fear of losing his crew.

Luffy's body begins to change. Steam rises around him with repeated "Shu" sounds as Blueno watches in confusion: "What is he doing? Something's happening in his body." Luffy tells him, "You won't be... able to follow me anymore..." Blueno asks, "What!?" and Luffy says, "All of my techniques... will evolve one step." He crouches low, one hand planted against the ground, steam rolling from his body as the page opens into a full declaration: "Gear... Second." The chapter ends with Luffy entering Gear Second for the first time, not as a showy trick, but as the answer to the fear he just named: he will become fast enough and strong enough not to lose anyone.

No description for this page.