Luffy's gaze swept over the Sea Train below, which had already begun to move slowly. He suddenly asked, "Hey, Horn-head, with your door-opening ability, can you get us directly inside that train?"
"Of course. I'm a Paramecia-type Doa Doa no Mi user. I can open doors anywhere, no matter how solid the place is."
Blueno's face twisted into a mocking sneer: "What, you want to use my ability? Don't be ridiculous."
Luffy looked at him.
Blueno froze. The sneer on his face instantly stiffened as a terrifying aura enveloped him.
Killing intent so tangible it felt like being stared down by a prehistoric beast. Even the surrounding air grew thick and heavy.
Danger. Danger. Danger...
He instantly went on alert, every muscle tensed, ready to use Tekkai or Soru at any moment.
"As long as you can open doors, that's fine."
Luffy grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. To Blueno, that smile looked like a demon's.
His gaze sharpened. His right arm shot back, instantly stretching dozens of meters. Muscles bulged as Busoshoku Haki silently covered it.
Seeing this—
"Shit!"
Blueno's mental alarm bells screamed.
Instinctively, he tried to use Soru to dodge, or open a door to escape.
Use the ability! Use the ability!
But as he moved to open a door, Luffy's attack was already upon him.
Too late. The intimidation of that Haki had slowed him by half a beat!
"Gomu Gomu no... Jet Pistol!"
Bam!
A thunderous impact, like a war drum.
Luffy's fist, compressed to its limit, shot out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, slamming precisely into Blueno's abdomen.
"Tekkai!"
Blueno only had time to grit his teeth and roar. His muscles instantly hardened like steel.
BOOM.
The collision of fist and abdomen produced a muffled thunder.
Blueno's eyes bulged instantly, bloodshot. He felt as if he'd been rammed head-on by a Marine battleship at full speed. The defense of Tekkai, before that brutishly powerful force, seemed pathetically fragile.
The sheer impact tore through his body, shifting his internal organs. Blood rushed to his throat.
His massive frame was lifted off the ground, curling from the blow. Consciousness nearly scattered under that single punch.
As he reluctantly lifted his head, his vision was still blurred and swimming, the figure in the straw hat had already appeared before him like a demon.
"Nice ability. Take me over there."
Luffy grinned, reaching out to grab Blueno. Despite the height difference, Blueno now felt like a ragdoll in Luffy's grasp.
Paralyzed by agony, he couldn't move.
"You!"
Blueno's eyes widened in terror. He tried to struggle, but Luffy, without explanation, dragged him and jumped off the cliff!
AAAAH?!
Paulie, reluctantly propping himself up, screamed at the sight—because he was being dragged too.
Luffy's rubber arm stretched out, grabbing onto a pillar on the platform below. Like swinging on a trapeze, he carried Blueno and Paulie, swinging precisely toward the tail of the already-accelerating Sea Train.
"Open a door. To the first car!"
Luffy commanded Blueno in his grip, amidst the howling wind.
Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Blueno's heart filled with humiliation and terror. But under Luffy's undisguised killing intent, he raised his hand and twisted it in the air.
A door materialized on the outer wall of the speeding train car.
Without hesitation, Luffy grabbed Blueno and Paulie and plunged through that door.
While Luffy fought Blueno—
The Sea Train Puffing Tom hissed, expelling massive steam. Its wheels began slowly turning, departing Water 7's platform.
Meanwhile, inside the Sea Train.
In the second car, a World Government official nervously reported to the three within:
"The combat forces are arranged in order. Leading the forty Marine soldiers in the fifth car is Marine Headquarters Captain, former kingdom knight, T-Bone.
Next, in the fourth car, responsible for this voyage's logistics, is CP7 fighter Mozu.
The third car holds the CP9 trainee Nero, on standby. The escort formation for this delivery of Nico Robin and Franky is practically foolproof."
Beyond the various World Government organizations, the Marines had also joined.
The lineup was indeed impressive. Both Pluton's blueprints and Robin were treated with considerable importance.
Inside the car, the atmosphere was heavy.
Seated in the main position was a stern man wearing a tall black hat and black uniform, with a sexy goatee.
CP9's de facto strongest: Rob Lucci.
His eyes were closed, as if resting.
Beside him, the long-nosed Kaku wiped his sword, while Kalifa with her short blonde hair pushed up her glasses, expressionless.
"Maintain your vigilance properly,"
Lucci said without opening his eyes, his voice icy. "Our mission objectives must not fail."
"Y-yes sir!"
The reporting official broke out in cold sweat, hurriedly bowing in acknowledgment.
The man before him was CP9's strongest in 800 years—a truly terrifying existence.
If he were blamed for mission failure... people died.
Rumors abounded that Rob Lucci was a mission-absolutist. If blamed for failure, people died.
"Ho ho ho, we've come as reinforcements too!"
Suddenly, the car door slid open and a flippant voice rang out.
Lucci's brow furrowed slightly. He opened his eyes, a flicker of surprise crossing them.
"Oh?"
Kaku looked up in surprise too: "What are you all doing here?"
At the door stood three figures:
Jabra in werewolf form, the dramatically-inclined Kumadori, and Fukuro with his zippered mouth.
Before anyone inside could speak, Jabra suddenly grinned mischievously and kicked a round object toward Kaku: "A welcome gift!"
Kaku instinctively rose, delivering a clean flying kick that sent the round object toward Kalifa nearby: "Ladies first."
Kalifa pushed up her glasses, raised her long, shapely legs, and precisely redirected the round object toward Kumadori, who had just walked in.
"Yoyoi! Such a grave responsibility!"
Kumadori exclaimed dramatically, punching the object toward the grinning Jabra.
Bam!
Jabra shot out a straight kick, launching the round object toward the center of the car—aiming straight at Lucci!
Lucci, expressionless, casually punched the round thing to the floor.
The object rolled a few times, then suddenly sprouted limbs and stood up. It was Fukuro!
***
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