Bab 78: One End and the Next End
Fate can be ironic and intriguing, perhaps. Originally, due to the effects of my interference in the Enies Lobby arc, there shouldn't have been any reason for Robin to have traumatic Buster Call memories, and she shouldn't have had a reason to leave the Straw Hat Pirates.
Although the information comes from Robin herself, during her encounter with Kuzan, unlike in the original story, Kuzan didn't freeze Robin in ice. Robin remained conscious.
As a result, despite being faced with formidable opponents like admirals, she saw Luffy and his crew stand up to protect her and began to develop a stronger sense of camaraderie with them compared to the original storyline.
In essence, by the time they arrived at Water 7, Robin began to recognize Luffy and the others as the future comrades that Saul had spoken about. Slowly, her heart began to open up, to the point where she even contemplated changing how she addressed them.
However, it was there that Robin coincidentally encountered Pochi. Pochi was merely passing by and held no animosity towards Robin or the Straw Hat Pirates.
However, the current Pochi possessed abilities on par with mine when I had just become a CP9 Vice Admiral. His immense power frightened Robin.
Encounters with individuals who could singlehandedly devastate the crew, following Kuzan, seemed to cause significant stress, causing her thoughts to lean towards negativity.
Furthermore, the Pirate Alliance's intervention added to her distress. As a result, Robin's desire not to put her comrades in danger due to her own actions took root in her heart. Despite the differences in events, she seemed to adopt a similar mental state as in the original story, where she was willing to accept death. This led her to initially reject the help of Luffy and the others when they came to rescue her.
However, of course, the Straw Hat Pirates were not the type to back down in such situations. Without hesitation, they confronted the Pirate Alliance, even though the Alliance had a significant advantage in scale and strength.
Even with the addition of the Franky Family to the Straw Hat Pirates, the numerical difference between them and the Pirate Alliance was over tenfold. While the captains and executives of the three pirate crews were indeed stronger than Luffy and his crew, making it sound impressive, as an observer, it wasn't as formidable as it seemed.
Certainly, the former Vice Admiral who could be considered the core of the Pirate Alliance with the nickname "Red Marine" was indeed stronger than Luffy. Intense battles unfolded on an improvised fortress-like structure created by the Alliance's members.
However, compared to the original Lucci, he seemed to be slightly inferior in terms of strength. He was undoubtedly superior to Luffy in normal circumstances, but when faced with Gear Second, he was completely outmatched. It was only by relying on his subordinates for support that he could put up an even fight.
At this point, Luffy hadn't fully mastered Gear Second, so the battle was relatively balanced.
Furthermore, this former Vice Admiral had participated in the Buster Call on Ohara as a subordinate of Akainu. He was aware of Robin's situation and even taunted her similarly to how Spandam did in the original story. As someone familiar with the original story, I thought of him as a "convenient supporting character."
Zoro and Sanji each faced off against captains from different pirate crews, achieving victory after fierce battles. Robin, who had found new resolve through her bonds with her crewmates, joined the fight. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Straw Hat Pirates were gaining the upper hand.
However, an irregular situation emerged. A fleet dispatched by the Marine Headquarters arrived, turning the battle into a three-sided conflict. While the Straw Hat Pirates managed to nearly annihilate the Pirate Alliance's executives after intense fighting, they were heavily battered and had no strength left to face the Marine fleet.
In this dire situation, the Going Merry, as expected, arrived to the rescue. Thanks to the makeshift repairs done by Iceburg or perhaps Tom, the unmanned Going Merry provided an escape route for the Straw Hat Pirates.
The Marines naturally wanted to pursue the Straw Hat Pirates, but they couldn't ignore the Pirate Alliance. Dividing their fleet became the only option, and the weather started to deteriorate as if responding to their actions.
With navigator Nami onboard, the agile Going Merry proved elusive, making it impossible for the Marines to capture. The Straw Hat Pirates successfully escaped, taking advantage of the chaos. The Franky Family also managed to escape using the sea train.
Subsequently, despite suffering significant losses, the Pirate Alliance evaded the pursuing Marines. As for Luffy and his crew, they likely experienced a tearful farewell with the Going Merry, similar to the original story.
In the end, things seemed to have settled relatively smoothly. Robin's bond with the crew deepened, and her alliance with Franky solidified the conditions for his joining. The Going Merry had likely reached its limits.
With this outcome, it's likely they will progress smoothly through arcs like Thriller Bark, just as in the original story. I have high expectations for it, and I hope they'll make it to One Piece.
With these thoughts in mind, I shift my gaze to the pirate ship below. Unlike the Straw Hat Pirates, who risked their lives to protect their comrades, the remnants of the Pirate Alliance had abandoned many of their subordinates to escape the Marines. While some of the main figures like captains survived, they are no longer necessary.
"The communication to the Marines is complete. They failed to capture them in the first place, so there shouldn't be any complaints."
"I see... And now?"
"Yes... You have permission to proceed."
"Understood."
After ending the communication with the Five Elders, I put away the communication device and call out to Pochi, who is hovering nearby using Moonwalk.
"Pochi, permission has been granted... commence."
"Yes!"
After Pochi nods in response to my words, he tightly clenches his hands and begins to infuse them with Haki. What he's doing is part of his training. Given the scale of our operations, we can't conduct this training at Enies Lobby's training ground, so opportunities like this are valuable.
After a while, I confirm that a vast amount of Haki has converged in Pochi's hands and give the order.
"... Fire."
"Understood! Twelve Realms Shattering Strike!"
An impact imbued with Haki is released from Pochi's swinging arm. The collision causes a massive surge, and the expanding black shockwave engulfs and obliterates the Pirate Alliance.
Tama, who is observing the scene, mutters with an impressed expression.
"Wow, Chelsea-chan. You've become able to use the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike."
"Only recently... but it consumes a considerable amount of Haki and takes time to charge... I can't match Captain's level yet."
Yes, Pochi has also reached a level where he can reasonably wield Rokuougan, so I decided to teach him the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike as well. However, since we can't practice it at the training ground, finding the right opportunity to let him actually use it has been a challenge. This time, it turned out to be a perfect opportunity.
"The power is satisfactory. However, the charging time is still a bit too long. If you were to use it in combat, aim to reduce the charging time to within one minute."
"Understood! I'll do my best."
"Well, even though it might seem like almost no charging at around five minutes, being able to unleash this level of power with practically no charge is already more than sufficient for combat. By the way, Spandam-san, can you fire it without any charging?"
"Well, no, Twelve Realms Shattering Strike does require some charging. If I were to fire it without adjusting the power and range, it would take about 0.5 seconds of charging."
While Rokuougan can be used without charging, some charging is necessary for the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike.
"Seems like almost no charging at all... Can you fire it consecutively?"
"Yes, without a problem."
"And how about the Haki consumption?"
"Even if I were to fire it a hundred times, it wouldn't deplete even 10% of my Haki."
"Oh wow, it's still incredibly overpowered and cool."
Tama's response carries a wry smile, yet there's a hint of enjoyment in her expression. I might eventually teach her as well, but the drawback is that she can't casually practice it due to its enormous Haki consumption.
This time, we got lucky. Pochi probably got a good feel for it, and I expect his charging time will decrease with further practice.
Now then, shall I return to Enies Lobby?
I turn my gaze back to the pirate ship below me. Unlike the Straw Hat Pirates who were united to protect each other at all costs, the remnants of the Pirate Alliance had abandoned many of their own to escape the Marines. While key figures like captains had survived, they were no longer necessary.
"The communication with the Marines is complete. They likely won't complain, considering their failure to capture them."
"I see... So, what's next?"
"Yes... Permission granted to proceed."
"Understood."
After concluding the communication with the Five Elders and stowing away the communication device, I call out to Pochi, who's hovering nearby using Geppou.
"Pochi, you have permission... begin."
"Yes, sir!"
After Pochi acknowledges my words with a nod, he clenches both hands tightly and begins infusing them with Haki. What he's doing is part of his training. Due to the scale of our operations, we can't conduct such training at Enies Lobby's training facility, so opportunities like this are valuable.
After a while, I confirm that a massive amount of Haki has gathered in Pochi's hands and then give the order.
"... Fire."
"Understood! Twelve Realms Shattering Strike!"
An impact imbued with Haki is released from Pochi's swung arm. The collision sends out a massive shockwave, and the expanding black impact engulfs and obliterates the remnants of the Pirate Alliance.
Seeing this scene, Tama mutters with an impressed expression.
"Wow, Chelsea-chan. You've become able to use the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike."
"Only recently... but it consumes a lot of Haki and takes quite some time to charge... I'm not at Captain's level yet."
Yes, Pochi has also reached a point where he can reasonably use Rokushiki, so I decided to teach him the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike as well. However, since we can't practice it at Enies Lobby's training facility, finding the right opportunity for him to actually use it has been a challenge. This time, it turned out to be a perfect opportunity.
"The power is acceptable. However, the charging time is still a bit too long. If you were to use it in combat, aim to reduce the charging time to less than one minute."
"Understood! I'll do my best."
"Well, even though it might seem like almost no charging at around five minutes, being able to unleash this level of power with practically no charge is already more than sufficient for combat. By the way, does Spandam-san have the ability to fire it without charging?"
"Well, no, Twelve Realms Shattering Strike does require some charging. If I were to fire it without adjusting the power and range, it would take about 0.5 seconds of charging."
While Rokushiki can be used without charging, some charging is necessary for the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike.
"Seems like almost no charging at all... Can you fire it consecutively?"
"Yes, without any issues."
"And what about the Haki consumption?"
"Even if I were to fire it a hundred times, it wouldn't deplete even 10% of my Haki."
"Oh wow, it's still incredibly overpowered and cool."
Tama's response carries a wry smile, yet there's a hint of enjoyment in her expression. I might eventually teach her as well, but the drawback is that she can't casually practice it due to its enormous Haki consumption.
This time, we got lucky. Pochi probably got a good feel for it, and I expect his charging time will decrease with further practice.
Now then, shall I return to Enies Lobby?
***
After returning from observing the battle between the Pirate Alliance and the Straw Hat Pirates, I continued gathering information. As expected, after this incident, Franky, who had grown to genuinely like Luffy and his crew, made the firm decision to build a new ship to entrust them with their dreams.
I informed Luffy and the others about this decision, and they entrusted me with 200 million Berries to purchase the material, the precious Adam Wood. Conveniently, the timing of the auction for Adam Wood was also favorable, and we were able to purchase it without any issues. It seems they have already started working on building the ship.
Regarding this matter, I decided to intervene a bit to ensure things go as planned. Well, it depends on their motivation, but I believe they won't decline assistance in building the ship.
Furthermore, although this is not yet confirmed, Tama managed to gather information about the bounties on Luffy and his crew. Upon verification, the bounties are the same as in the original story. All crew members have bounties on their heads, but... there's a subtle sense of discomfort.
In the original story, Luffy's bounty increase and the bounties on others were largely due to their involvement in taking down Enies Lobby, one of the three main institutions of the World Government. It should have been a result of the danger they posed.
While the Pirate Alliance did gain recognition, including the captains with bounties exceeding a billion, is it really plausible for them to rise this much just from defeating them?
As I ponder these thoughts while reading the report... there was a line that caught my attention: "Considering the danger posed by the Straw Hat Pirates and their ally, who defeated the Pirate Alliance with only seven members and one collaborator and eliminated key members along with their ship's core."
I see... So, the incident with Pochi obliterating the Pirate Alliance with the Twelve Realms Shattering Strike was also processed as an act of the Straw Hat Pirates... There might also be a diplomatic aspect in their stance towards the Marines.
In terms of minor details, Usopp is wanted under his real name rather than "Sogeking," so there are differences. However, Sanji's poster still has a sketch, and Chopper's bounty of 50 Berries remains unchanged.
As pitiful as these sketches are, they do delay the recognition of Germa, which is a positive factor. It's quite a delicate situation.
While I'm contemplating such matters, a sudden communication comes in. The caller is... one of the Five Elders.
"... They have defeated the fleet we dispatched recently and the direct contact between Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard has become highly probable."
"So?"
"Although the possibility of an alliance is low, we want to know their intentions. Dealing with two Emperors directly would be a difficult task even for CP0. I would like you to investigate... if you don't mind."
"Understood. I will look into it immediately."
"Very well, we appreciate it."
In the original story... Was this about the warning regarding Blackbeard? Considering my knowledge of the original story, I know the content, so reporting would be straightforward, but there's a possibility they might be discussing something else... Just to be safe, I should head there personally... Also, this timing aligns with Ace's battle against Blackbeard, so I'll take care of Blackbeard on my way back.
***
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