Buster Call Issued, Awakening Fluid

"Ahem, do you think we're people who value our lives?"

There's a limit to underestimating people...

Roman shook his head at the Lion Kanshō, whose wounds were so deep and blood was everywhere that the 'Life Return' technique could no longer heal it.

"I never thought you were cowards who feared death, it's just that—"

Roman lowered his eyes.

"This is my most 'gentle' approach."

?

"Your mother, your colleagues, I can use them to threaten you." Roman dropped the longsword in his hand. With his current state of true 'Kami-e' and his Observation Haki fully activated, ready to 'Elementalization' at any moment, his opponent had no chance of hurting him.

"You should be able to sense it, right?"

Roman walked step by step toward the kneeling Lion Kanshō, whose long hair had been shaved into a buzz cut. His staff was also embedded high into the roof.

"Your colleagues are falling one by one."

Roman's battle has dragged on for quite a while, with several battlefields already decided. After all, the Straw Hat crew, when they stop fooling around and unleash their full power, are no match for the current CP9.

"I know you guys really care about the bonds between your friends, and so do I."

Roman stood in front of the Lion Kanshō, looking down at it.

"So don't force me to use unseemly means to get what I want. There are many people who understand the ability to Life Return, and I don't necessarily have to get it from you."

However, if this drags on, many things will...

"I cultivated myself in the deep mountains for a thousand years, and then honed myself in the vast ocean for another thousand years. Only through this cultivation of living on wind and dew, and transcending worldly concerns, could I acquire this skill—"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Roman frowned and began to consider cutting off the arms of a few other CP9 members to make this guy behave.

"You're only in your early thirties today, right?"

Where did those two thousand years come from? And how could you assassins possibly be involved in cultivation?

"Okay, actually, 'Life Return' involves infusing consciousness into the body's cells, allowing free control of any part of the body. The key lies in this free control of the cells, which requires accumulated training over time. But—"

"Besides cultivation, there is another 'shortcut' that can be taken."

?!

"Damn it, damn it!"

Spandam dragged Robin through the underground passage to Spandam below the Bridge of Hesitation, cursing as he ran.

"Hurry up! Once we reach the Bridge of Hesitation, the escort ship will take you to the Gate of Justice, and I'll earn a merit—"

"That means you are all alone now."

?

Before Spandam could even process the meaning of those words, he tripped over something and fell forward. At the same time, his back was tugged and pulled, and the weapon 'Vanguard Fried' that he was carrying on his back fell into Robin's hands.

Thump,

Before Spandam could even get up after falling flat on his face, a high heel stepped on the back of his hand, the slender heel instantly causing the CP9 officer to scream in pain!

"Aaaaaah!!! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

"Get your foot off! What are you doing? Vanguard Fried! Vanguard Fried!!"

Snap!

"You don't need to shout," Robin said, toying with his longsword, or rather, his saber, as he kicked the despicable man away. "Don't forget I'm wearing Seastone handcuffs; I can't use my powers, and neither can your ' Elephant Sword'— "

Vanguard Fried, the name of Spandam's weapon.

This is a sword that ate the Zou Zou no Mi, and can transform into the shape of an elephant.

The half-beast form transforms the front half of the sword into the front half of an elephant's body, using its immense strength, weight, teeth, and sword-shaped trunk to launch lunging attacks. Since the 'ability user' is a sword, the weight does not change even when in beast form, making it easy for even those with weaker stamina to use.

Why did you—

Spandam, who had his weapon snatched away in an instant and was kicked away, turned around in disbelief to look at Robin who was slowly walking towards him, instantly transforming into a weak girl being approached by a big man.

"Don't come any closer!"

"Are you asking me why I can still fight while wearing Seastone handcuffs?"

Robin pointed her saber at the CP9 officer who was retreating on the ground, his legs too weak to get up. Although the saber's power was sealed, it was still sharp as a 'weapon' and could easily kill.

"This is thanks to Mr. Roman,"

Without those superhuman CP9 members, Spandam's true fighting ability is only that of a thug. —While this thug is quite resilient, he's of no help in the current situation.

"If it weren't for Mr. Roman bringing out Seastone bracer for everyone to practice with every day, I reckon we would all be helpless after putting on Seastone handcuffs, right?"

Otherwise, with Robin's martial arts skills honed over twenty years in the Underworld, wouldn't defeating a simpleton with a combat power of only 9 be a piece of cake?

"Help!!!"

In a panic, Spandam pulled out Den Den Mushi from his pocket, his face covered in snot and tears.

"CP9, come save me! Anyone will do, come save me—"

!

Clang,

The Elephant Sword fell to the ground, and Nicole Robin looked at the Den Den Mushi in Spandam's hand with a look of despair.

"Damn it, what you're holding is—!!"

A golden Den Den Den Mushi).

"Beep beep beep beep~~"

"Report! Signal received from Den Den Mushi!"

Buster Call

Established by the World Government's Marine Headquarters, it conducts indiscriminate and devastating attacks on the areas that emit signals. Its purpose is to completely eliminate anything and anyone in an area that poses a threat to the World Government's rule.

It was equipped with one Golden Den Den Mushi and one silver Den Den Mushi; the gold one transmitted the signal, and the silver one received it. —And now, the silver Den Den Mushi at Marine Headquarters has rung!

"Request to activate the Buster Call! I repeat, request to activate the Buster Call!"

"Place?"

"Enies Lobby!"

"Immediately summon the five Vice Admiral in the vicinity to assemble!"

"In terms of distance... it's faster to leave directly from headquarters; it only takes thirty minutes to get there!"

"Immediately summon five Vice Admiral and deploy ten warships! Destroy all life on the target island— Enies Lobby!"

With the Buster Call issued, Marine Headquarters sprang into action. Warships set sail, soldiers boarded, and officers took to the skies! Their target was Enies Lobby, determined to wipe it off the map!

Is it reasonable to bombard Enies Lobby, one of the three subordinate agencies of the World Government?

What does this have to do with us common soldiers? I'm only responsible for firing cannons and killing people; you go find the person who launched the Buster Call!

That's brilliant.

"Is this the thing you were talking about that can quickly teach 'Life Return'?"

In Spandam's office, Roman opened his drawer and took out a high-tech box.

Don't ask why they casually left such a valuable item in an unlocked drawer—a thief daring to steal from Enies Lobby hasn't appeared in the last eight hundred years. As for now:

Roman insisted that he took it honestly and openly! It wasn't petty theft.

"Cell Will Awakening Fluid?"

Hey, is it really okay for something so 'high-tech' to suddenly appear?

Could this be the legendary "someone brings you a pillow when you're sleepy"? Roman was originally wondering what to do if the skill "Life Return" required several years of training to learn, but he was immediately told that there was a "shortcut" to take.

And--

The box in his hand contained a vial of crystal-clear medicine, which looked quite mysterious. An instruction manual was also included. Roman casually flipped through it; the opening line was a bold, overlaid warning: 'Dangerous medicine, use with caution!!'

"This is a special agent developed by the Marine Science Unit that can enable people to quickly master the ability of 'Life Return,' but the risk is extremely high, and its use is not recommended."

The blood-covered Lion Kanshō the box.

"As you can see, even our superiors don't dare use it themselves; it's been sitting here all this time..."

Spandam, that coward?

This guy, who wouldn't even dare eat Devil Fruit himself, dares to use this potion that's specifically labeled as dangerous? But...

This shouldn't be a trap, because the other side couldn't possibly know in advance that they would come here coveting the 'Life Return' ability. Capturing Rear Admiral with this ability at sea would be much more sensible than storming Enies Lobby.

Moreover, this instruction manual... is filled with phrases like "use with caution," "high willpower required," and "the best way is through training," making it seem anything but a tempting offer.

Moreover, Roman had been using Observation Haki to Lion Kanshō, and there was no sign of him lying.

So now you have two choices in front of you—

To drink or not to drink?

Glug!

Roman tilted his head back and poured the medicine into his mouth in one gulp, unleashing his full power of Haki! He forced himself to spit out the medicine whenever something felt wrong. With Roman's current strength and physique, ordinary poisons really couldn't harm him.

As Roman closed his eyes to carefully experience the effects of the potion, the Lion Kanshō with joy!

It's done!

This is certainly not poison; it is indeed a genuine Life Return Awakening agent developed by the Marine Science Unit.

However, the side effects of this medication are not just 'a little bit' as stated in the instructions.

It's just a tiny fraction!

This thing wasn't for Spandam's own use, but rather intended for CP9 members who met certain standards of willpower.

Its level of danger is evident!

As the medicine went down, Roman's Observation Haki clearly 'saw' a warm current spreading from his stomach. Then, it was as if countless tiny voices began to murmur within his body, growing clearer and louder!

In an instant, trillions of voices surged forth like a tidal wave, assaulting Roman's mind! It allowed him to instinctively 'hear' the content contained within these voices:

It is greed for food;

It is the desire to mate;

It is the pursuit of power;

It is...

This is a resonant vibration emanating from countless cells throughout the body, a unified cry from countless cells. Mastering them means mastering the divine skill of 'Life Return', but conversely—

Open eyes,

A pair of malevolent eyes suddenly opened, their pupils filled with the most primal desires!

"Hahaha, that's great!"

Roman clenched his fist in satisfaction, his face full of arrogance and conceit.

"This feeling of being in control is wonderful, wonderful. —But I'm a little hungry,"

'Roman' licked his lips and looked at the Lion Kanshō beside him.

"You... look delicious."

P. S.: Ahem, taking shortcuts comes at a price, but don't panic. The protagonist can't possibly crash and burn! Not a chance!