Enies Lobby.
An island built on a massive ocean trench, filled with the World Government's signature solid white symmetrical buildings. It was said to have never been breached in 800 years—until the Straw Hat Crew and the Marines "teamed up" and wrecked the place.
And today, it welcomed a new—no, a former visitor.
"Focusing on developing Devil Fruit powers is fine."
A man dressed in a black suit and hat stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the intelligent woman kneeling before him. His voice was flat and emotionless, echoing in front of the Judiciary Tower.
"But the body is the foundation of everything. If your power belonged to a close-combat expert—say, a Marine hero like Garp—imagine how terrifying that would be. You're too weak physically. I could just stand here without fighting back, and you still wouldn't be able to bend my battle-hardened body."
"It's true. I can't imagine how any joint lock could work on you."
Robin stood up, staring at the man in front of her—the one who once drove her to utter despair, making her willing to sacrifice herself for her friends' safety.
"Rob Lucci!"
Facing the former leader of CP9, Nico Robin closed her eyes and pressed her palms together.
"I don't like fighting. I don't like hurting others. And I have no idea why you're attacking me. But more than anything, I want to keep moving forward with my friends—"
"Hundred Flowers Bloom: Hundred-Hand Kannon!"
As countless petals swirled around Robin, they formed into a towering five-meter-tall female statue on the battlefield. The statue had Robin's facial features, flowing robes, and an expression of serene compassion—an unusual mix of Eastern and Western aesthetics. But the most striking feature was its arms: a massive fan of countless hands spread out behind it like a peacock's tail, each one poised in a Fish-Man Karate stance.
That's right!
Over the past two years, Robin had been trained in combat by Koala and Sabo of the Revolutionary Army. While she found Sabo's Dragon Claw Fist impressive, she personally preferred Koala's Fish-Man Karate—though, of course, a modified version suited for humans.
"This is based on a 'sage' statue I saw in the Land of Flowers. I thought it suited my ability."
Maintaining the *Hundred-Hand Kannon* form, Robin spoke calmly.
"It is called 'Kannon'—the goddess of mercy and compassion. But—"
Her eyes snapped open, and the gentleness on her face vanished, replaced by a sharp, unwavering expression.
"I am the 'Devil Child' of Ohara."
"Kannon is merciful. A devil is ruthless. Even so—do you still want to fight?"
"Of course."
Rob Lucci adjusted his tie, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"Let's see if this move of yours is just for show."
*Soru—*
As Lucci suddenly disappeared, Robin's sharp eyes flickered. In an instant, over a dozen of her arms swung toward what seemed like an empty space!
Each palm was coated with a thin layer of water, increasing speed by cutting through the air resistance while also transforming into—
"Water Strike x16!"
Puh puh puh puh—
One palm… no, sixteen palms struck down at once, with water droplets scattering like shotgun blasts! Although this kind of attack was nothing to Lucci, who could simply use "Tekkai" to nullify it, he still chose to dodge.
"Soru Blade!"
After leaving a twisting trail in the air like a blade's edge, Lucci instantly reappeared on Robin's other side. His right leg tensed like a drawn sword, and he unleashed a powerful kick.
"Rankyaku: 'Kaichou'!"
A massive slash, sharp enough to tear through a steel battleship, came slashing toward Robin, who had activated "Hundred-Hand Kannon." Faced with such a fierce attack, Robin didn't dare to take it head-on. Instead, she lightly tapped her foot.
"Shark Palm!"
Boom! A splash of water exploded like a blooming white lotus. This was a technique from Fishman Karate, using powerful footwork to manipulate water and leap into the air! The towering "Hundred-Hand Kannon" rose up, narrowly dodging the Rankyaku. At the same time, the hands behind her all aimed at Rob Lucci.
"Shark Tile Punch ×30!"
Robin's countless hands moved at once. In an instant, a storm of fists burst forth like a blooming field of flowers, forming an impenetrable wall of attacks crashing down with explosive force!
"Heh… interesting—"
"Double Shigan: Yellow Lotus!"
In a flash, Lucci's index fingers moved at blinding speed, tracing dense patterns in the air like Robin's "Hundred-Hand Kannon," striking back against her barrage! His plan was simple—pierce through her attacks at key points and destroy her arms directly! But—pfft! His attacks didn't go through?
The essence of Fishman Karate lay in controlling water. Each of Robin's hands was wrapped in a thin layer of water. Though Lucci's Shigan made deep indentations in her palms, their flexibility allowed them to endure.
"Shark Tile Punch ×100!"
"Let's see how long you can hold out—Double Shigan!"
Puh puh puh puh—
The battle instantly reached its peak! One side overwhelmed with sheer numbers, while the other displayed unmatched technique. Both fought at incredible speed! Their attacks clashed like illusions, a hundred arms colliding violently in midair! Though the water membranes softened the sound, the fierce winds bursting outward spoke of the true intensity of their battle.
But as the exchange continued, despite her overwhelming number of arms, Robin gradually found herself on the defensive. Lucci's Shigan strikes forced her to retreat, her footwork shifting rapidly to dodge. Wherever she landed, white water lotuses bloomed beneath her feet—seemingly calm and composed, yet moving at an extreme pace.
"It's useless. No matter how many arms you have, each one is still weak on its own!"
Amidst the battle, Lucci, a once-in-a-century genius of CP9, saw through a flaw in Robin's defense despite not using Haki. With a burst of Soru, he moved in an instant, launching three razor-sharp flying Shigan attacks—not at Robin, but at a spot behind her.
"Flying Shigan: Triple Shot 'Batsu'!"
Pfft, pfft, pfft—
Three piercing sounds rang out at the same time. Robin's body froze for a split second! Despite her dense wall of hands, three of them were pierced by the Flying Shigan, breaking through her defenses and shattering into pink petals.
With three arms destroyed, Robin took some real damage. That was the downside of the Hana Hana no Mi. Each of her hundred arms was responsible for attacking and defending in different directions, and with three gone, a larger gap in her defense appeared.
"It's over!"
"Rankyaku: 'Leopard Tail'!!"
Lucci spun rapidly, his tightened right leg whipping out in a massive slicing arc, transforming into a giant cutting blade! The vacuum slash only grew fiercer, spinning faster and faster! The roaring wind was deafening, shaking trees within a hundred meters—branches snapping, thinner trees bending and breaking under the force! A nearby towering courthouse was split in half by a stray slash, collapsing with a thunderous crash, showing just how terrifying this attack was.
Faced with the incoming Rankyaku, Robin immediately retracted her remaining ninety-seven hands, twisting them into a circular shape around her body. In the blink of an eye, she enclosed herself in a sphere of arms!
But against the high-speed, relentless Rankyaku "Leopard Tail," the sphere began to warp and deform under the impact. A second later, it couldn't hold on any longer and exploded apart with a loud boom, scattering into countless petals.
Robin was nowhere to be seen.
?! "Fishman Karate Secret Technique—"
Not far from the floating petals, the tall figure of Robin took a stance, her numerous hands now gone. Instead, her own arms were covered in intricate patterns—on closer look, they were the markings of many arms layered together!
"Water Mirror!"
A determined aura surged from Robin's hands, but that wasn't all—another energy wrapped around her. A blood-red light rose, an overwhelming killing intent filled the air. If it was for the 'justice' in her heart, she would not hesitate to spill rivers of blood.
"...This is… my power?"
"That's right," Robin took a deep breath. "This is one of Fishman Karate's secret techniques. It allows me to store a portion of my enemy's power using water membranes and turn it into my own. The limit is one-third of the attack's strength. While each of my hands could only store a tenth of that…"
But when stacked together—
Her opponent would have to face nearly ten times their own attack power, plus Robin's own strength.
"Surrender, Rob Lucci."
"This is your own power. You should know better than anyone how strong it is. And 'Enies Lobby' no longer exists. This is all just an illusion! What are you fighting for?"
··········"Evil will never shine in this world..."
"In the name of 'Dark Justice.'"
Whoosh! In a flash, Rob Lucci channeled all his strength into his fists and launched them toward Robin! The sheer force tore through the air, creating waves of pressure that rippled outward. The air in front of his fists was compressed so tightly that it trembled like water.
"Rokuogan!"
Robin let out a soft sigh and raised both hands.
The force from her slender fingers surged forward with an unstoppable, overwhelming power, pressing down with enough strength to crush everything in its path. The sheer dominance of it threatened to shatter the air around Rob Lucci completely. At its core, Robin's unshakable will pushed this power forward without hesitation!
Boom!!!
A deep explosion echoed across Enies Lobby as shockwaves burst from the point where their attacks met! The ground and buildings around them were torn apart and sent flying like mere toys.
The former CP9 genius was sent hurtling backward, bouncing across the ground like a skipping stone. Every building in his path was instantly pierced through, and deep craters formed wherever he crashed!
Robin stood still, momentarily stunned as the ground behind her cracked apart from the force.
Behind Robin, countless arms had grown out to support her, absorbing most of the impact and redirecting it into the ground using the Fishman Karate technique, "Water Mirror." Even so, the remaining force left her arms completely numb—she couldn't even lift them. But...
She was sure that Lucci hadn't taken that much damage just now.
"You've gotten stronger, Nico Robin."
...?
Hundreds of meters away, the man who had been flung through the air slowly stood up, dusting off his suit. Then, he started stepping backward.
"You—?!"
Behind Rob Lucci was the massive, bottomless pit beneath Enies Lobby.
"You once faced 'death' here..."
"Yes, but now, I've decided to live! Together with my friends!"
I see.
"Then, I will accept 'death' as well."
With a faint smile, Lucci stepped back into the abyss, closing his eyes.
What an irritating 'nightmare.' At a time like this, I should be having a drink with Blueno... Oh well, no point overthinking it. This was just a 'puppet' anyway...
With a soft thud, Rob Lucci vanished into the void, leaving behind nothing but a single leaf.
——————
(End of Chapter)
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