Divine Judgment / The Enies Lobby Incident: The Straw Hat Pirates

"Oh my... Although it's amusing to see you embarrassed, Captain, I'll stop teasing you." Robin covered her mouth and smiled, reaching out to straighten the collar of Arthur's pajamas. "Be good to Nami. She's a wonderful girl."

"..."

Chapter 60: Divine Judgment

Both loved each other, and everything fell naturally into place, without a hitch.

Arthur and Nami's relationship had been just one step away for a long time.

But because of the ugliness of the small-cabin sailboat, Arthur had never gone any further, aside from enjoying some of the treats Nami deliberately offered him.

Their feelings had gradually grown warmer, but Robin's arrival had made Nami suppress that impulse as well.

All it would take was for one of them to make a move, and the other would readily respond.

Clearly, Nami was the first to lose patience.

From that day on, Arthur and Nami's feelings for each other erupted completely.

Even though Robin had discovered their affair, sex was like a drug: it was easy to get addicted after the first taste. Once Nami recovered, she sneaked into Arthur's room every night, and Arthur, having just gotten his first taste, naturally never turned her away.

A rousing symphony played on repeat every night, cruelly tormenting Robin next door.

The Dong Stallion, originally intended to be the three of them's new home, had instead become a honeymoon paradise for Arthur and Nami.

In the end, Robin had even become immune, watching the shameless couple with a blank stare.

Only under Robin's gaze, which regarded them like "trash" and brimmed with "killing intent," did Arthur and Nami suppress that almost addictive urge and return to normal.

Time flew, and another week passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the Dong Stallion suddenly sailed into a sea shrouded in thick fog.

The sky was a murky darkness, and they could not see the sea ahead. They could only rely on the Log Pose to keep going.

This was the dreaded Florian Triangle, a stretch of sea ruled by one of the Shichibukai, Gecko Moria.

"There's the wreck of a ship a thousand meters ahead. Turn toward two o'clock."

At the bow, Arthur directed Nami, who was at the helm. Seeing how tense she looked, he said calmly, "Don't be afraid. Ghosts and monsters don't exist in this world. Even if there really are ghosts, they're the work of Devil Fruit Users. This entire stretch of sea is within my senses, so there's no danger."

"Mm..." Nami swallowed and nodded, still looking tense.

"Oh... I wonder if there are any moving skeletons in this devil's sea." Beside Arthur, Robin leaned against the railing, resting her chin on one hand as she smiled with interest.

"Heh... You've actually got it right. There really is one here," Arthur said with a light chuckle.

"Eh?! Really?" Nami's face went deathly pale in an instant.

"Then he must be a very interesting Devil Fruit User." Robin understood at once, and, putting it together with what Arthur had just said, her smile grew even wider.

"I told you, there's no need to be so afraid."

Seeing Nami's hands trembling as they gripped the wheel, Arthur reached out and ruffled her hair. "This sea is just putting on a ghostly show," he said gently. "It's really just a place where a loser has holed himself up."

"A loser?"

"Yeah, one of the Shichibukai—Gecko Moria."

Robin's eyes widened in surprise. "It's him?"

"A Shichibukai? Someone on the same level as the Shichibukai you defeated, Arthur?" Nami blinked, the change of subject distracting her from her fear.

"Hmph. They may both be losers, but a guy whose courage has been shattered isn't fit to be compared with Crocodile." Arthur sneered, his words full of contempt for Moria. "One relies on his own strength, while the other thinks of using outside power to grow stronger. If you had to pick the weakest of the Shichibukai, it would be him."

"So he's that weak." Nami believed him, and her fear immediately subsided.

"So he's that weak." Nami believed him, and her fear immediately subsided.

Beside them, Robin bit her index finger and looked at Arthur thoughtfully.

Robin knew very well that Arthur was not an arrogant man.

Yet the contempt for Moria in Arthur's words was genuine.

Crocodile's strength was still vivid in her mind. How could someone on the same level as him be ordinary?

Had their captain grown so strong that he looked down on even the Shichibukai?

What Arthur said next completely shrouded Robin's understanding of her captain's strength in fog once more. She had never seen his true power, but had thought she had some idea of it.

"That disgusting guy's lair is in the sea twenty nautical miles ahead. Keep sailing in the two o'clock direction from before," Arthur said calmly.

"Okay!" Nami, long accustomed to Arthur's many displays of strength, naturally obeyed without hesitation.

Robin's eyes widened, and she recalled how Arthur had found the small-cabin sailboat at once after they came down from Sky Island.

Twenty nautical miles?

If that was true, their captain's perception was truly terrifying.

Arthur did not know that Robin was seriously assessing his strength. After giving Nami her instructions, his gaze gradually turned cold.

Through his Observation Haki (A++), Arthur not only detected Thriller Bark twenty nautical miles ahead, but also took in the entire island ship.

His gaze fell on a long-haired man with a lion's face.

A flash of icy killing intent passed through his eyes.

Crackle...

Arthur raised his right hand, blue-white electricity flashing across his entire palm. Under Nami and Robin's gazes, it detached from his arm and shot into the sky.

Meanwhile—

Twenty nautical miles away, on the gloomy island within Thriller Bark, Absalom was preparing to cross the cemetery to see if there were any unlucky souls outside. He looked like a member of the Mink Tribe, but was actually a genuine human who had eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit.

"Rumble—"

"Hmm? Is there a thunderstorm today?"

Hearing thunder rumble in his ears, Absalom put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky flashing blue and white.

"Whoosh—boom!!"

"Wh-what is th..."

The blue-white light flashing among the clouds rapidly gathered into a pillar of lightning and struck down.

It was immensely thick, and its speed was even more unbelievable.

Relaxed and completely unguarded, Absalom was naturally swallowed up entirely.

The lightning pillar blasted an enormous crater in the cemetery, and seawater quickly surged up. The lightning strike had torn a huge gap straight through the island ship.

—Divine Judgment...

Chapter 61: The Enies Lobby Incident: The Straw Hat Pirates

On a clear day, the scorching sun shone down on the sea, distorting the view of its surface.

The weather on the Grand Line was fickle, but today was exceptionally hot.

It had only just reached noon, and Nami was already in the pool.

Even Robin could not bear the heat. Wearing a bikini, she sat on a beach chair beneath a parasol, generously treating Arthur, who was not far away, to the view.

"Caw!"

Just then, a News Coo carrying a mailbag suddenly descended from the sky.

"It actually came down on its own today. Is there some big news?"

Nami swam to the edge of the pool, took a hundred Beli from her wallet, and handed it to the News Coo as she asked.

"Caw!" The News Coo did not answer. It took the Beli, dropped a newspaper, and soared back into the sky.

The News Coo's hurried, busy manner made Nami even more curious.

With most of her body still immersed in the pool, she reached out with both hands, opened the newspaper, and began to read.

"What?! Is this real?!" After reading for only a few seconds, Nami cried out in astonishment, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Arthur, Arthur... Come take a look!" Nami hurriedly called to Arthur, who was lying on the sofa. "Franky's wanted!"

"Whoosh!"

A gust of wind swept past. In an instant, Arthur went from the sofa to Nami's side and snatched the newspaper from her hands.

"Enies Lobby Destruction Incident—all members of the Straw Hat Pirates have bounties!"

"'Captain' Monkey D. Luffy: dead or alive—bounty of 250 million Beli.

'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro: dead or alive—bounty of 120 million Beli.

'Black Leg' Sanji: dead or alive—bounty of 77 million Beli.

'Navigator' Lila: dead or alive—bounty of 20 million Beli.

Sogeking: dead or alive—bounty of 30 million Beli.

Franky: dead or alive—bounty of 44 million Beli.

'Pet' Chopper: 50 Beli."

"The Straw Hat Pirates? The pirate crew that escorted Princess Vivi? Their captain got a bounty of 250 million Beli on his very first wanted poster. What a sensational debut." Robin had also walked over, and, standing beside Arthur, was tall enough to see the contents of the newspaper. She could not help saying in surprise, "They destroyed Enies Lobby? The highest court known as the Nightless Island? Why would they do that? If it was to become famous, that's far too foolish..."

"A Buster Call?!"

Before she could finish, Robin's eyes contracted. Standing beside her, Arthur clearly noticed her body trembling slightly beyond her control.

"Are you all right?" Arthur hurriedly placed a hand on her shoulder and comforted her.

"I'm fine... I'm just very surprised they managed to escape a Buster Call." Feeling the warmth of the hand on her shoulder and recalling Arthur's strength, the fear in Robin's heart eased a little. Her face was still pale, however, and she forced a smile. "They destroyed Enies Lobby and escaped a Buster Call's assault. No wonder the crew's first bounties are so high."

The Buster Call was a nightmare Robin never wanted to recall, a psychological shadow that had followed her throughout her life.

And so, Robin saw the pirate crew that had escorted Princess Vivi in a whole new light.

And so, Robin saw the pirate crew that had escorted Princess Vivi in a whole new light.

"Pirates destroyed Enies Lobby, and a Buster Call was launched for the sake of justice. Heh..." Arthur glanced at the newspaper in his hand, dismissing its contents with contempt.

Arthur's words made Robin's eyes light up. "Does that mean you think the truth isn't what the newspaper reported, Captain?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Arthur said calmly. "If there were really pirates who attacked Enies Lobby to become famous, people that stupid would have died long ago."

"Newspapers are a vehicle for spreading public opinion. Covering up scandals and the truth is what politicians have always done." Arthur casually tossed the newspaper to Nami, his expression indifferent. "Don't believe everything in the papers."

"Hey... Arthur, why would Mr. Franky join the Straw Hat Pirates?" Nami could not help asking.

"Who knows..." Arthur lay on the sofa and said lazily, "The next island is Fish-Man Island. We'll go to the Sabaody Archipelago first to get the ship coated. Franky has set sail with the Straw Hat Pirates, so it won't be long before they catch up to us. We can ask him then."

Though he was giving Nami a line, Arthur himself had fallen into thought.

· ······· Please send flowers · ········

During those two months in Water 7, Arthur had protected Robin at all times. With Robin's disguise and the perception of Observation Haki, nothing unexpected had happened before they set sail.

Robin had already become his companion, and Franky had built the Dong Stallion for Arthur, fulfilling his own dream.

By all rights, Arthur had already severely disrupted the plot.

Yet, to his surprise, the Enies Lobby incident had still happened, and Franky, whose dream had been fulfilled, had still boarded Luffy's ship.

The pirate world's plot-correcting power was simply terrifying.

Without needing to think much, Arthur had already deduced the truth of the incident.

Without Robin, the trigger for the Enies Lobby incident had to have been Franky.

With the Pluton Blueprints in his possession, if Franky's true identity were discovered, he would surely become a target of CP9, just like Iceburg.

0 ... ...

And Franky, having fulfilled his dream and built the most perfect ship he could imagine, certainly would not have set his sights on the Straw Hat Pirates as he had in the original story.

So, for some reason, a bond must have formed between the Straw Hat Pirates and Franky. They had stormed Enies Lobby for his sake, thoroughly moving the man who looked rough on the outside but was deeply sensitive within.

Otherwise, Arthur really could not imagine why Franky would have boarded Luffy's ship.