Chapter 125: Declaration of War – The Flag Falls & Bonds of Nakama
"Phew! Good thing I ran fast, otherwise I'd have been done for in there." Usopp wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, still shaken as he complained, "How does Nami's move not distinguish friend from foe? Scared me to death!"
"Sniper King, was it you who saved me? So cool! As expected of a hero!" Chopper—tucked under Usopp's arm—looked up with sparkling eyes, full of admiration.
"Ahahahaha! It's nothing—this is just a hero's duty!" The masked and cloaked Usopp immediately puffed up with pride, laughing heartily while striking a few poses he clearly thought were cool for Chopper to admire.
"Pfft—Zoro, Sanji, what's with those looks? I'm dying!" Luffy—who had also been in range of Nami's attack but luckily escaped—pointed at his two companions' explosive afros and charred appearances, clutching his stomach in laughter.
Zoro and Sanji exchanged a glance—both clearly sharing the same thought: they wanted to beat up their captain.
Thwack thwack thwack! After a flurry of punches and kicks, Luffy—now sporting a fresh set of lumps and a bruised face—finally behaved himself.
"Alright, enough messing around—we need to move forward." Sol looked toward the still-closed courthouse gate in the distance and led the group over.
With a few swift slashes, Zoro effortlessly carved several gaps into the heavy door. Just as he prepared to step through first, Sol stopped him.
"What?" Zoro asked irritably, turning back.
"I just thought of a faster way." Sol had a sudden idea and immediately told everyone to get ready.
"Heavenly Dragon's Gale!"
A massive tornado rose out of nowhere, precisely scooping up the entire group. Amid a chaotic chorus of surprised yelps and flailing limbs, they all landed steadily on the courthouse rooftop.
From this high vantage point, they had a clear view of the Tower of Justice in the distance—and they knew Vivi and Robin were waiting there.
At that moment, a rumbling mechanical sound came from below. The teams led by Pauly and Zanbay—who had split off earlier—had successfully pulled the switches for the left and right drawbridges! The enormous bridges slowly lowered, connecting the path to the Tower of Justice.
This massive commotion finally caught Spandam's attention inside the Tower of Justice. He immediately turned and snapped at the subordinate behind him: "What the hell is going on outside? Why did the drawbridges suddenly drop?!"
The messenger agent wiped cold sweat from his forehead and answered cautiously: "Sir… it was on your earlier orders… not to disturb you no matter what happened. Don't you remember?"
Spandam froze for a second, then recalled it was true. He had been busy "explaining" to Princess Vivi—trying every possible way to convince her it was all a "misunderstanding"—but the Alabasta princess had been stubbornly insistent that she was wrongly captured and threatened to file a serious complaint against him at the next World Conference.
"I got it." Spandam waved impatiently. "Then summarize what happened now."
"Yes sir!" The agent immediately reported: "The Straw Hat Pirates have invaded Enies Lobby. Currently, all defensive forces on the island—except those inside the Tower of Justice—have been defeated."
"Oh, just a few invaders—have the guards arrest them… Wait?! All the island's guards have been defeated?!" Spandam started casually, then suddenly realized and shouted in shock, nearly jumping out of his skin. "Quick! Notify Lucci and the others right now! You idiot—why are you only telling me this now?! When this is over, you're going to clean toilets for the rest of your life!" Spandam's face turned green with rage; he nearly fainted from anger at his incompetent subordinate.
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Meanwhile, Robin and Vivi—still cuffed—exchanged a glance.
"Robin, did you hear that just now?" Vivi leaned close to Robin and whispered, "It sounds like Luffy and the others came to rescue us."
Not long ago, Spandam had come over pretending to be kind, saying it was all a "misunderstanding" and telling Vivi "not to take it to heart." He even made a show of preparing to remove her cuffs—while simultaneously kicking Robin several times and cursing the Straw Hat Pirates for "kidnapping a princess." But shortly afterward, a panicked agent rushed in to report.
Vivi immediately understood the situation and decided to play along—deliberately dragging things out with Spandam to buy time and cause trouble for the enemy. Now it seemed this unintentional move had actually helped Luffy and the others!
"Yeah, I heard it too. But how did Luffy and the others know we're here?" Robin murmured thoughtfully, her sharp intuition telling her something wasn't simple.
"I guess Iceburg figured it out," Franky interjected. "After all, this big bro got dragged here too."
"It seems you know—or possess—something extremely important to the World Government," Robin instantly deduced the key point. Given the World Government's nature of never acting without profit, they would never go to such lengths to arrest an ordinary ship dismantler.
"Sharp intuition, Nico Robin," Franky couldn't help praising. He hadn't expected Robin to piece it together so quickly.
At that moment, Luffy's loud voice boomed from the distance like a horn of hope cutting through the oppressive air: "Robin! Vivi! I came to get you!"
Almost simultaneously, Lucci and the others swiftly assembled using Blueno's Door-Door Fruit ability. The full CP9 appeared on the balcony of the Tower of Justice, looking down imposingly at the Straw Hats below. The bound Vivi, Robin, and Franky were brought to the edge of the balcony—made the most visible hostages.
"Luffy! Sol! We're up here!" Vivi shouted desperately downward, but was immediately forced to the ground by Kalifa.
"You reckless pirates!" Spandam stepped to the front of the balcony, laughing viciously. "You actually dare break into Enies Lobby to break prisoners out? Look carefully at the flag above my head! This is the guardian of 'justice' representing over 170 allied nations! If you dare act, you are declaring war on the World Government!"
"Sniper King," Luffy said in a calm yet commanding tone, filled with undeniable dominance, "shoot down that flag."
"Understood! Firebird Star!"
Usopp drew his slingshot to full power. A specially prepared projectile whistled through the air, igniting into a brilliant firebird mid-flight. It pierced straight through the World Government flag! The banner burned and fell in flames—like a symbol of an era being openly challenged.
"You… you bastards! Do you know what this means?!" Spandam trembled with rage, roaring hoarsely: "You are declaring war on the World Government! You're making enemies of the entire world!"
"Exactly what I want!" Luffy's furious roar answered like thunder—giving the most direct reply possible!
That roar instantly brought tears streaming down Franky's face: "Your nakama… they're willing to go to war with the World Government just to save you… I really super love you guys!!"
Tears welled in Vivi and Robin's eyes as well. They understood better than anyone what declaring war on the World Government meant. But in this moment, their nakama's unwavering choice turned that heavy price into the warmest redemption.
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