"First, I want you to look at this."
With those words, Caterina took out a nautical chart of the area around Enies Lobby.
The center of Enies Lobby was dyed black, and the Gates of Justice were drawn on the chart. An iron fence surrounded the island and the gates, making it difficult to enter from the outside.
"What's this black thing?" Luffy asked.
"That's a hole."
"A hole!? There's a hole in the middle of the island!?"
"You'll see when you get there, but it's not that there's a hole in the middle of the island, but that there's a hole in the middle of the sea, and the island is on top of it."
"Either way, I don't get it..." Usopp muttered.
It would probably be faster to see it in person. The problem lay elsewhere.
Caterina pointed to the building between Enies Lobby and the Gates of Justice, labeled the "Tower of Justice."
Robin was probably there, she said.
"Can't we just break through that fence and board directly?" Zoro asked.
"I'd love to do that, but the current between the Tower of Justice and the Gates of Justice is terrible. If we charge in without a plan, we'll be swallowed by the whirlpool and become seaweed."
"If it's just a regular current, I might be able to find a route through..." Nami mused.
"It's better not to. You'll likely be attacked while you're leisurely doing that," Kaie advised.
"Can't we lie in wait on the other side of the gate?" Sanji suggested.
"The current on the other side of the gate is called the Tarai Current, but like the Calm Belt, it's a nest of Sea Kings. The Navy has a way to cross it, but we don't."
In the end, a frontal assault was the safest method.
It was hard to imagine the government or the Navy not anticipating them breaking the iron fence and entering between the Gates of Justice and the Tower of Justice, thinking they were being clever.
Therefore, Caterina's plan was extremely simple.
Buying time.
"There's still time before Robin is taken beyond the Gates of Justice. We haven't gathered all our forces yet. I'm constantly in contact via Den Den Mushi, but at the very least, we need another 30 minutes."
Travel by ship took time, but some of the latest ships deployed were fast with paddle wheels, and some were heading to Enies Lobby using one of the multiple Sea Trains.
Whether they would realistically make it in time was a gamble. That's why they should prioritize buying time until the reinforcements arrived.
With CP-0 present, and Kaie being the only one who could currently face them, there were no other options.
"Got it?"
"Yeah!! Got it!"
First, break through the "Main Gate" at the front of the island. Second, break through the "Front Gate of the Main Island." Then, cross the "Courthouse."
The enemy force was estimated at approximately 20,000.
They would assault this with their joined allies, advance to the "Courthouse," lower the drawbridge, and charge into the "Tower of Justice." The judgment was that with Kaie and Yuisheeze, they could at least buy the minimum amount of time, even against CP-0.
"Alright, then let's wait──" Caterina began.
"...Huh? Where's Luffy?" Chopper wondered.
"""Eh!!?"""
At Chopper's murmur, noticing that Luffy, who had been right beside them until a moment ago, was gone, the entire Straw Hat crew was stunned.
When they looked for him, he was already on top of the iron fence surrounding Enies Lobby.
Despite having heard the plan, the Twilight members could only stare in stunned silence at Luffy's actions.
"It was pointless..." Caterina sighed.
"He said he understood," Kaie muttered.
"He can't 'wait' for 30 minutes," Zoro said.
"I guess so," Nami agreed.
It was Luffy, so it couldn't be helped.
The members of the Straw Hat crew knew Luffy well, so they were exasperated by his actions but didn't say anything more. They knew it would be useless to do so.
However, it was unlikely that letting Luffy charge in alone would go well.
In fact, as Luffy jumped from the iron fence onto the "Main Gate," someone who had been waiting near the Sea Train kicked off the air and launched a surprise attack.
"Rankyaku!!"
"Whoa!?"
Luffy, who barely dodged it, rolled on the gate and looked at his attacker.
He was a man with sharp, cat-like eyes. He wore a hat on top of a three-pronged mohawk, and combined with his flashy clothes, he didn't look like a government intelligence agent at first glance.
"Didn't think an intruder would actually show up, did ya? Well, can't let you go any further... so die."
"I came to save Robin, don't get in my way!!"
"Shau! You came to save that woman!? Useless, useless!! How many troops do you think are here──"
Just as the intelligence agent—Nero—who had been showing off, crouched low to leap, a hand grabbed his head from above and slammed him into the floor.
It was Kaie, who had followed Luffy.
"Honestly, to think you were listening quietly and then to do this... There's no turning back now, you know?"
"I'll manage somehow, so you guys do something."
"...This recklessness, I feel like I've seen it somewhere..."
Though they looked completely different, she was somehow reminded of a comrade who had died long ago.
Especially the part about not listening to people and causing trouble with selfish actions.
Well, that was irrelevant now. If he wanted to do it, she had no choice but to let him. It was a pain to make this type of person listen, so it was better to let him do as he pleased and have his comrades follow up.
"Can you see? Robin is probably in that tower over there. We'll rendezvous at the 'Courthouse' right before it, build a bridge, and charge in again. Until then, do as you please. We'll catch up soon."
"Got it!!"
"Really?" she wondered, but before she could question further, Luffy took off, heading towards the "Front Gate of the Main Island."
He would stand out on his own. In a bad way, he was a decoy.
Kaie was about to go down to open the "Main Gate" when she noticed that Nero, whom she had just slammed into the floor, was getting up.
He was bleeding from his face, his eyes burning with anger... but at about half Kaie's height, he somehow lacked presence.
"You...!! You'll pay for that!! I won't forgive you!!!"
"You're surprisingly tough. Are you from CP-9?"
"Yeah, I'm the new guy in CP-9...! But I'm a man called a genius of killing! I won't lose to a woman who's just big like you!!"
Nero used Soru for high-speed movement to get behind Kaie and unleashed a Rankyaku at her back.
But just before it hit, Kaie's figure vanished from before his eyes.
"Wha──"
"You're inexperienced. To think you could join CP-9 at this level, the World Government seems to be quite short on talent."
He carried a pistol, which should have been unnecessary if he could use Shigan, and he was covered in blood despite only being slammed down, which shouldn't have happened if he could use Tekkai.
His Soru was extremely slow, and while he could use Rankyaku, its power was low.
If his physical abilities were such that he couldn't keep up with Kaie's speed, he was no opponent for her.
"I have no use for a small man."
Knocking out the astonished Nero with a fist cloaked in Armament Haki, Kaie descended in front of the "Main Gate" without a second glance.
The Marines below were aware of the fight above and aimed their guns at her all at once. Still, Kaie calmly lowered her stance, saying, "First, a cleanup."
Fighting in this state would be a waste of time. There was no point in hiding any longer.
──Kaie's form, her shadow, grew larger with a creaking sound.
***
"W-What the hell is that!!?"
Usopp, who had been watching the "Main Gate" from the train window, was so surprised his eyes nearly popped out of his head, binoculars still in hand.
Kaie was originally about 3 meters tall, taller than anyone else here, but her current size was incomparable.
Her body was enormous, rivaling that of a giant, her lower half was that of a snake, and several strands of her purple hair had transformed into snakes at the tips. Her forearms were covered in snake scales, and she even had wings on her back. Her appearance was, to put it plainly, that of a monster.
"She's a user of the Hebi Hebi no Mi. A Mythical Zoan, said to be rarer than Logia types—Model: Gorgon."
"A Mythical Zoan...!?"
With a single swing of her tail, she swept away the Marines, and lasers shot out from the snakes that had formed from the tips of her hair.
Kaie, who had defeated the Marines in an instant, signaled that she was ready. As an afterthought, the iron fence was also destroyed by lasers.
There was no inconvenience in entering.
"At least the area in front of the Main Gate is safe now. Then let's board right away!" Caterina declared.
"...Hey, wait a minute," Nami said.
"What is it?"
"How does this thing stop?"
The "Rocketman," once its throttle was engaged, would automatically accelerate to top speed, and its speed couldn't be adjusted. In other words, its speed wouldn't decrease.
Nami had intended to ask how they were supposed to slow down, but Caterina shook her head.
As if to say, "What are you talking about at this point?"
"It doesn't stop."
If it could be stopped with a brake, adjusting the speed wouldn't be impossible. But the "Rocketman" was not like that.
It burned coal as fuel and wouldn't stop until all the steam was consumed. So, a brake was nothing more than a placebo.
So how were they supposed to stop? All eyes turned to Caterina, but Caterina was already on Tobi's back, and Tobi had her feet on the window frame.
If it wouldn't stop normally, this was the only way.
"Alright everyone, escape carefully!"
"Wait a minute!!!"
Before everyone could retort, Caterina escaped the "Rocketman," and just a few seconds later, the "Rocketman," which had run aground, continued to run out of control, heading for a collision with the "Main Gate."
If things went badly, it would pass through the gate and plunge straight to the bottom of the hole.
The screams of Usopp, Nami, and Chopper echoed in the violently shaking car, making escape impossible.
Just as someone was about to act, thinking this was really bad, the vibrations suddenly stopped.
"...It stopped...?"
"Honestly, you are all so reckless."
Kaie, who was holding the train up by wrapping her snake-like tail around it, met the eyes of those inside the car.
Relieved to be saved, they somehow crawled out of the overturned car.
Even though it was on its side, the wheels continued to spin, and it looked like it would start running again as soon as it was righted.
"In any case, we've successfully landed. We'll charge straight to the Courthouse and create a path to the Tower of Justice."
Originally, it would have been good if they could buy time until the reinforcements arrived, but Luffy's actions had ruined that.
As a secondary plan, they had to protect the bridge leading from the Courthouse to the Tower of Justice. If the bridge was raised after they crossed to the Tower of Justice, they would be isolated, making escape impossible.
They would have the Straw Hat crew go first, and once the path was secured, Twilight's reinforcements would launch their assault. This would be the most reliable strategy.
However.
"...This strong 'voice'... I have a bad feeling about this."
Kaie wasn't as proficient with Observation Haki as Kanata or Feiyun, so she couldn't scout a very wide area, but... the number of strong "voices" she could feel from the Tower of Justice didn't match the number of CP-0 agents she had seen in Water 7.
Still, since the operation had already begun, they couldn't stop.
"Get on. If you run leisurely, you'll be surrounded in no time."
"O-Okay."
The current Kaie was enormous, rivaling a giant. She could fit about 10 people in the palm of her hand if they squeezed together, so she carried them and charged towards the Front Gate of the Main Island.
The Main Gate was already destroyed, so there was no fear of it being closed.
Nami and Usopp were stunned by the hole in the sea spread out before them, but Zoro, Sanji, Zepo, and Pedro wore grim expressions at the two giants—the gatekeepers—who had appeared in front of the Front Gate of the Main Island.
"Hwaaah... Intruders, huh. Let's chase 'em off quickly and go back to sleep."
"Oimo, too."
Oimo and Kashi, though yawning sleepily, readied their clubs, showing their intention to intercept.
Seeing this, Zoro raised his voice.
"Oi, put me down! We'll fight too!"
"Unnecessary. Stay put and hold on."
"Huh!?"
A single strand of Kaie's hair wrapped around the Straw Hat crew on her left palm to keep them from falling, and with both hands free, she charged straight ahead without slowing down.
Perhaps not expecting her to charge without slowing down, the targeted Kashi, though surprised, slammed his club down.
"Dooryaaaah!!!"
A tremendous sound echoed as the club and Kaie's left arm collided.
But still, Kaie didn't stop, and cloaking her right arm in Armament Haki, she punched.
Another tremendous sound echoed, and Kashi, his cheek struck, was slammed into the gate.
"I'm used to fighting giants, you know! It's insulting to think this would faze me!!"
"Kashi!!"
Oimo, though stunned, raised his club and swung it down at Kaie, who blocked it by crossing both her arms.
With her lower body being that of a snake, it was easier to absorb impact from above. Her tail wrapped around Oimo's right leg to keep him from escaping, and then lasers shot out from the many snakes of her hair.
"Dwaaaaaah!!?"
"Oimo!?"
Unable to block the lasers head-on, Oimo screamed from the impact and the burning sensation on his body.
Kaie, giving him no time to rest, cloaked both her arms in Armament Haki and relentlessly beat Kashi's body, knocking him unconscious.
Oimo, having taken the lasers directly, was on his knees, and Kaie punched him in the jaw before he could recover.
Having swiftly taken down the two giants, Kaie let out a deep breath and readied her fist to destroy the Front Gate of the Main Island.
"We'll handle that much."
Before Kaie could move, Zoro and Pedro ran forward and slashed the gate, which was large enough for even a giant to pass through, creating an opening.
Considering the possibility of it being closed and the reinforcements being unable to follow, it was better to destroy it. It wasn't a place they could occupy anyway.
The Straw Hat crew, once again on Kaie's palm, witnessed Kaie's strength firsthand... and the thought that CP-0 was as strong as this sent a shiver down their spines.
"This is where it really begins. The resistance will be fierce from here on. Be careful not to be thrown off."
Everyone nodded at Kaie's words, and they began to move towards the Courthouse.
***
"What!? Intruders!? What the hell is going on!! Just shoot them already!!"
"R-Right now, Oimo and Kashi are fighting with all their might at the Front Gate of the Main Island! There's no problem at all!"
"I see... What about Straw Hat?"
"Yessir, about that... He seems to be acting as a decoy, just provoking and running away, not fighting..."
"Hah! Just running around, is he! Contact me again when you catch him!"
"Understood!!"
Spandam, though irritated, was in a good mood, reporting to Akainu that there was no problem at all.
From what Akainu could hear from the report in front of him, it didn't seem like there was a problem. If two giants could hold them off, they weren't that strong, and if the intruder, Straw Hat, was just running around, it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
He scoffed, thinking that they probably had no choice but to flee in the face of over 10,000 soldiers.
"He'll be caught soon enough. No need to trouble a Marine Admiral!"
"I see... Well, that's fine then."
Akainu glanced towards the Courthouse.
From here, he couldn't see past the Courthouse to the Front Gate of the Main Island. But he could tell there was a strong "voice" beyond it.
He had his doubts about whether the current report was accurate... but this was the government's island, and the man in front of him was in charge.
Akainu had only come to deliver the Golden Den Den Mushi, and without orders from the government, he had no decision-making power on this island.
But.
(...'Straw Hat' Luffy. For his son, and the grandson of a hero... to invade this far just to run around is hard to believe.)
Akainu, though thinking this, judged that there was nothing he could do at present.
He took a sip of his lukewarm tea.