~ As Usual. Bonus Chapter Every 300 Powerstones!
~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon
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"The Fifth Emperor! The man with a 3 Billion Beri bounty who defeated Marine Admiral Aokiji—IS ATTACKING!!!"
Terrified screams echoed throughout Enies Lobby.
"Why?? Why would an Emperor attack Enies Lobby??" Soldiers despaired, clutching their heads, looking up at the terrifying flying ship amidst the thunderclouds.
This was the man who defeated a Marine Admiral!
And look—
That man... he was Lightning! An Incarnation of Thunder—even the ship he commanded sailed through thunderclouds...
How could they be a match for this Godlike man??
Against other pirates daring to attack Enies Lobby, they, as the island's defenders, would naturally enforce Absolute Justice—
But facing this man—they felt all their courage draining away. Facing an opponent with no hope of victory... fear was humanity's primal instinct.
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"Pervert? AWOOO! You really know how to compliment a guy, little bro!" Franky roared with laughter upon hearing Rowen call him a pervert.
But then, he quickly noticed something amiss...
"Sky Sovereign Rowen?? Y-You're that legendary Sky Sovereign Rowen? Why are you here saving me?" Hearing the terrified screams echoing from below, Franky stared incredulously at Rowen on the flying ship above.
The Fifth Emperor! Why would he come to save him??
"Iceburg said you're the best shipwright in the world. The pirate ship that carried us to Water 7, the Going Merry—needs repairs from the best," Rowen replied, smiling at Franky.
"F-For a pirate ship—you came all the way to Enies Lobby to save me?" Franky felt his eyes moisten.
"AWOOO! I'M SUPER MOVED, YOU BASTARDS! TO CARE SO MUCH ABOUT A SHIP!" Franky wailed, tears streaming down his face.
"Of course, it's not just to save you—"
Rowen added, his gaze shifting towards the other CP9 members emerging grimly from the Commander's office.
"CP9... Knowing I was in Water 7—yet daring to complete their mission under my nose... Quite bold of you!"
RUMBLE!!!
As someone who had mastered the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to its extreme, Rowen's words were thunder!
Rowen's wrath—was divine punishment!
The lightning within the thunderclouds above let out a series of horrifying roars! These thunderclaps made the Marine soldiers and World Government personnel below clutch their heads in agony, drenched in sweat!
In this moment, the majesty of an Emperor was made terrifyingly real in the hearts of Enies Lobby's garrison!
His words possessed supreme Divine might!
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'Is this the power of the Fifth Emperor, the man with the 3 Billion Beri bounty?!' Countless soldiers stared, their eyes filled with terror.
"D-DAMN IT! He let me go on purpose!" Blueno, though not the brightest, wasn't a complete idiot. He finally understood... his escape from Water 7 back to Enies Lobby wasn't luck at all!
It was the Emperor's deliberate act. Letting him return to Enies Lobby—then wiping him out, along with Enies Lobby itself, from the map!
What a terrifying majesty!
Was this—an Emperor of the Sea?? Blueno felt his limbs turn to ice. Even Lucci and the others were instantly defeated by this man—he stood absolutely no chance!
....
"Sky Sovereign Rowen! Are You Insane?? This Is Enies Lobby! Attacking Here Means Declaring War Directly On The World Government!" Spandam, though weak, possessed the typical resilience of One Piece world inhabitants.
Having survived Usopp's explosive shot, he managed to scramble up, hiding behind Jabra and the others, pointing towards the World Government flag flying at the highest point of the Tower of Justice.
"Chapapa! So, the Chief's brain really is quite slow. He already trampled the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois—he declared war on the World Government long ago," Fukurou commented, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Hey, hey! This pressure is no joke! Is this the oppressive aura of the World's Most Dangerous Man?" Jabra also sweated nervously.
"Yoyoi~ D-Don't tell me... today I'm going to meet my mother in heaven?" Kumadori wailed theatrically, sweating profusely, uttering words of filial piety. In reality, his mother was still alive, though old, and still working as an assassin.
Robin, seeing the flag, flinched, her beautiful eyes narrowing uncontrollably.
Robin was intelligent. Though Rowen claimed he wanted to display an Emperor's might by razing Enies Lobby, Robin sensed a large part of his reason was for her—To help her eradicate the shadow the World Government cast over her heart.
'Even though I've resolved myself... seeing the World Government's flag here... I still feel an uncontrollable fear?? Rowen has done so much for me... I can't let him down!' Robin fought to overcome her trauma.
"Hm? That flag... It really is an eyesore," Rowen commented, sensing Robin's internal struggle. He then looked towards the World Government flag.
"Usopp," Rowen stated calmly.
Robin's psychological trauma spanned twenty years. Simply coming to Enies Lobby wouldn't be enough to completely erase such deep-seated scars. She needed—a baptism.
"Understood!" Usopp replied gravely. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro—all three having awakened Observation Haki—could sense Robin's emotional turmoil.
Though Usopp hadn't awakened it yet, his naturally keen five senses allowed him to perceive others' emotions with greater subtlety than most. He could feel Robin's internal struggle.
Though he didn't know what happened to Robin, Usopp knew one thing... The World Government was the cause of her current state—
The World Government was their enemy. Rowen was ordering him to attack! At this critical moment—Usopp would not falter!
"SPECIAL ATTACK——! FIRE BIRD STAR——!!!" Usopp's slingshot, enhanced with Dials, launched a projectile infused with the power of a Flame Dial!
Flame Dials could store and release fire.
The one Usopp possessed stored flames from Rowen's Flare-Flare Fruit! Its power was far greater than in the original story!
WHOOSH!
The projectile, transforming into a soaring firebird, slammed into the World Government flag!
FWOOM!
Flames instantly consumed the flag symbolizing the World Government. The terrifying heat from Rowen's Flare-Flare Fruit even blasted a huge hole in the top of the Tower of Justice!
"!!!"
Spandam and the others stared blankly at the utterly incinerated World Government flag and the flaming hole in the Tower of Justice.
"D-Declared War! The Straw Hat Pirates—and Sky Sovereign Rowen Have Officially Declared War On The World Government!"
Terrified screams echoed throughout Enies Lobby.
If the Mariejois incident could be dismissed as Sky Sovereign Rowen's individual act—then this—was the entire Straw Hat crew formally declaring war on the World Government!
"Shishishi! Been wanting to formally declare war for a while now! Stupid World Government!" Luffy grinned, adjusting his straw hat.
His Observation Haki clearly perceived Robin's current struggle.
Luffy, though seemingly carefree, was incredibly perceptive at critical moments. Robin, with Rowen by her side, had become so much more confident, yet seeing the World Government's flag still made her uncontrollably afraid.
One could only imagine the horrific things the World Government had done to Robin.
Luffy didn't want to know the details. He wouldn't tear open his comrade's old wounds. He only needed to know one thing—Defeating the World Government was necessary...
And—
Whether for his own dream, or for Rowen's dream! The World Government was an enemy he had to defeat!
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"Hmph. Destroy this place! Then turn the whole world upside down, right? The No. 1 spot in Rowen's arsenal is mine!" Zoro declared with a feral grin.
Besides his dream of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman, Zoro had long since adopted a new dream.
Just as he had unhesitatingly roared and attacked Aokiji on that now-vanished Thunder-Ice Island—Rowen was the guide for his dream!
Rowen's dream—he would help Rowen achieve it, even if it cost him his life! Declaring war on the World Government??
Zoro had been wanting to do this for a while!
Right here, right now... he would declare his resolve to the world—and of course, he would also prove here that he was Rowen's No. 1!
"HA?! Don't be stupid! No. 1 is obviously MINE!" Sanji instantly flared up.
FWOOSH!
But before Sanji and Zoro could settle their argument—a miniature sandstorm appeared at the heart of Enies Lobby!
"DESERT SPADA——!" The sandstorm slowly coalesced into a slender figure—Vivi! With a sharp thrust of her right hand, a terrifying sandstorm rapidly formed, then swelled into a colossal vortex—
—Accompanied by screams of agony, countless Marine soldiers and World Government agents were swept up. Surrounding buildings collapsed violently within the increasingly massive sandstorm!
"It's 'Desert Princess' Vivi—bounty 110 million Beri!"
"The ability stolen from the former Warlord Crocodile—user of the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit!"
Seeing Vivi unleash such a terrifying sandstorm with a casual wave of her hand, cries of terror erupted everywhere!
Vivi's lips curved into a faint smile. 'Rowen's No. 1! I'm aiming for that too!'
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"SUGEEE! Logia abilities are no joke!"
"Big Sis Vivi is taking action!"
The Franky Family, having jumped down from the gradually descending Ark Maxim, cheered excitedly upon seeing Vivi's overwhelming power.
"FORWARD! FOLLOW BIG SIS VIVI'S LEAD! RESCUE BIG BRO FRANKY!" The Franky Family roared, charging towards the Tower of Justice.
"Vivi's moving fast. Logia abilities—their speed is astonishing," Zoro commented, seeing Vivi's power, now transformed, a spark of fighting spirit igniting in his own eyes. He couldn't fall behind!
WHOOSH!
Zoro leaped, landing on a nearby rooftop.
"Three-Sword Style——! 1080 Pound Phoenix——!!!" Zoro roared.
Three terrifying flying slashes shot out instantly.
Coated in Armament Haki, the buildings before him shattered like paper, reduced to rubble!
"Diable Jambe——! Party Table Kick Course——!!!" Sanji, not to be outdone, charged into the cluster of Enies Lobby buildings!
His right leg, wreathed in flames and Armament Haki, transformed into a fiery whirlwind.
Countless buildings shattered violently under Sanji's kicks!
They hadn't come here just to save Franky...
More importantly, Enies Lobby had to pay the price for angering Rowen!
By being completely—Erased From the Map!
"PIRATE HUNTER!"
"BLACK LEG!"
The Franky Family cheered wildly, watching Zoro and Sanji rampage through Enies Lobby as if it were an undefended playground, leaving a trail of destruction!
"S-So strong!" Franky stared dumbfounded as Vivi and the others, completely unstoppable even against a garrison of ten thousand, tore through the island.
He certainly recognized these three—
Black Leg Sanji, 50 million Beri.
Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, 100 million Beri.
Desert Princess Vivi, 110 million Beri.
These three... who seemed almost insignificant under Sky Sovereign Rowen's dazzling brilliance possessed such terrifying combat power!
They truly intended to wipe Enies Lobby from the map! If even these three, whose bounties were a mere fraction of Rowen's, were such monsters—then that man with the 3 Billion Beri bounty—what kind of colossal power did HE possess?! Franky was utterly stunned.
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"A-Are you kidding me?? They're trying to destroy Enies Lobby?!" Spandam clutched his head, snot and tears streaming down his face in terror.
"Chapapa! Not just destroy Enies Lobby. They'll also eliminate all of CP9 who angered him. That includes you, Chief," Fukurou commented, cold sweat pouring down his own forehead.
He knew with one glance he was no match for the three currently rampaging below. Let alone—the most scary one who hadn't even made his move yet!
"KILL ME TOO?? WHY?? Wasn't this all Rob Lucci and Blueno's fault? Just kill them, isn't that enough?" Spandam shrieked, completely devoid of directorial dignity, clutching his head.
"Because we angered an Emperor, Chief," Blueno sneered, looking at Spandam with contempt.
The Fifth Emperor is using Enies Lobby to display his majesty. Using Enies Lobby's destruction to tell the entire world—anyone who angers him will be obliterated!
Any faction that angers this man will be wiped from the map!
Even CP9, directly subordinate to the World Government! Even Enies Lobby, unbreached for 800 years—It's all the same!
"You dragged us into this terrifying whirlpool! Bastards!" Jabra felt a chill run down his spine.
"Yo-yoi~ Don't say such foolish things! Even without Blueno, th-this man wouldn't have spared us! Th-Th-This is—the unfathomable wrath of an Emperor!" Kumadori stammered, drenched in cold sweat.
"D-Don't be ridiculous! How can I die here!"
Watching Vivi and the other two tear through Enies Lobby's ten thousand strong garrison as if it were nothing, Spandam truly felt death approaching.
In his terror—Spandam fumbled in his coat and pulled out a Golden Transponder Snail!
"SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN! STOP! OR I'LL ACTIVATE THE BUSTER CALL!" Spandam shrieked, clutching the Golden Transponder Snail like a lifeline.
"Buster Call?!" The moment she saw the Golden Transponder Snail, Robin's pupils constricted sharply. Her body swayed; she almost couldn't stand.
"Buster Call?" Nami, seeing Robin's extreme reaction, also tensed, her eyes narrowing.
"A military force composed of ten warships and five Marine HQ Vice Admirals—its sole purpose is to completely annihilate the designated target location—without emotion, knowing only destruction—that is a Buster Call," Robin murmured, her voice trembling.
"That's right! Once activated—under the endless barrage of cannon fire—even you won't escape unscathed, Sky Sovereign Rowen!" Spandam cackled neurotically.
Spandam had no real concept of how powerful a Marine Admiral truly was. He only knew that under the indiscriminate bombardment of ten warships, anything would be annihilated.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Accompanied by a terrifying thunderclap, a figure instantly appeared before Spandam!
"C-Can't move!" Blueno, Jabra, and the others screamed internally in terror.
"Interesting—" Rowen commented, effortlessly taking the Golden Transponder Snail from Spandam's hand, who was completely immobilized under Rowen's Haōshoku Coating.
Under Spandam's horrified gaze—Rowen pressed the button.
BEEP!
At Marine Headquarters, the Silver Transponder Snail, receiver for the Golden Snail's signal, began to shriek piercingly.
Buster Call—ACTIVATED!
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