Deafening cannon fire shook all of Enies Lobby. Ten warships had gathered offshore and begun bombarding the island.
On Middle Island, only Luffy and Lucci were still fighting. Their battle had caused such havoc that Justice Tower had collapsed in the distance. Smoke filled the air, hiding what was happening there.
Rubick said, "You go on ahead. I'll wait here for Luffy."
Sanji took out the key he had stolen and unlocked Robin's Seastone Handcuffs. Usopp and Chopper limped over too, covered in wounds.
After hearing Rubick, Robin and the others were about to leave. But just then, over a thousand Marines rushed in through the gate.
Every one of them was injured, and many carried wounded comrades on their shoulders. They gripped their weapons tightly, at a loss amid the thunder of cannon fire.
The Marines had abandoned them. With the Buster Call underway, they had no time left to escape. Their fate was sealed.
They would become nothing more than a number in a newspaper report about heroic sacrifices.
Rubick glanced at them and slowly sighed.
He opened another Portal, this one leading to Jaya Island.
"Stop staring. Get moving while I'm in a good mood."
The Marines had mixed feelings. But faced with indiscriminate cannon fire and the prospect of being used as cannon fodder, they bowed their heads to Rubick.
Ashamed and dispirited, they shuffled through the Portal to Jaya Island.
A Colonel could not help asking through his tears, "You're pirates, aren't you? Why save us?"
The Colonel looked bewildered. Rubick and the others acted as though the answer were obvious, and they were even smiling. Rubick said, "We're pirates. What we do with our enemies depends entirely on our mood. Trying to arrest us is your duty. Letting you go is our choice."
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