One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

As the sun set, on a lush green island—

A tall man wearing a light-green sleep mask and dressed in blue-and-white clothing lay on the grass, snoring loudly.

"Grrr… snore…"

Buru Buru!

The Den Den Mushi beside him suddenly rang.

The man lifted his sleep mask.

It was Admiral Aokiji — Kuzan, who had clashed with Luffy only days ago.

He picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"Hello? Kuzan?"

An elderly man's voice came from the other end.

"It's me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

Kuzan answered lazily.

"Yes, Sengoku-san."

"You need to head to Enies Lobby immediately," Sengoku said seriously.

"The World Government somehow learned about the Pluton blueprints. The Five Elders have ordered the Navy to dispatch an Admiral."

"Pluton?" Kuzan raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't expected the matter to involve an Ancient Weapon.

Then he recalled something—Spandam requesting the Golden Den Den Mushi from him.

In that instant, Kuzan understood everything.

"Understood, Fleet Admiral. Regarding Pluton… should I intervene?"

Sengoku sighed.

"Let things unfold naturally."

"But if possible…"

His words trailed off.

At Marineford, Sengoku slowly put down the Den Den Mushi.

He rubbed his temples and gazed out the window.

Outside stood the elite recruits from the Four Seas, the Navy's pillars and future.

But…

Where exactly is the Navy's future heading?

Night fell over the ocean.

Moonlight bathed Water 7, a city destined not to remain peaceful tonight.

On the Going Merry

Zoro lifted a dumbbell ten times his size.

Chopper was busy mixing ingredients for Rumble Balls.

Sanji stood at the bow, smoking a cigarette, his brow furrowed.

Suddenly—

A figure appeared in the distance.

Covered in blood, his nose bent crooked, he staggered forward while carrying two heavy suitcases.

His body was small, his steps unsteady—

But his will pushed him forward.

Sanji's eyes widened.

"Usopp!"

He sprinted toward him.

Usopp saw Sanji and finally relaxed.

The burden in his heart lifted.

His body went limp as he collapsed.

Sanji caught him.

"Chopper! Hurry! Usopp's dying!!"

Chopper and Zoro arrived almost instantly.

"His injuries are terrible!" Chopper cried in alarm.

"Usopp… who did this?" Zoro's voice sounded like grinding steel, like a demon from hell.

Usopp barely clung to consciousness.

Looking at his crewmates, tears streamed down his face.

"I… did it…"

"I protected the Merry…"

"USOPP!!"

Usopp lay in bed receiving treatment.

"His injuries are serious," Chopper said gravely to Zoro and Sanji.

"He can't do any strenuous activity for at least a week."

"Don't worry," Zoro replied solemnly.

"We won't give him a chance to."

Just then—

A familiar figure appeared beside the Going Merry.

Robin.

Her face was filled with urgency.

"Robin-chwaaaan!!" Sanji rushed forward with hearts in his eyes.

"Where's Luffy?" Robin asked immediately upon entering.

"He went to the Sabaody Archipelago," Nami replied.

"To buy some wood called Treasure Tree Adam."

Nami had just returned to the ship.

Seeing Robin's anxious expression—and recalling Luffy's words before leaving—she asked seriously:

"What happened, Robin?"

Robin hesitated.

Silence filled the air.

Finally, she spoke.

She explained everything—

Her encounter with CP9, and the matter of Pluton.

"So basically… that CP9 group threatened you?" Zoro summarized.

"That's not the main issue," Robin said.

"The issue is the Buster Call."

Fear filled her eyes.

Her homeland…

Her family…

Everything had been destroyed by a Buster Call.

To Robin, it was the most terrifying thing in the world.

"Buster Call?" the others repeated blankly.

Robin explained quietly:

"A Buster Call consists of five Navy Vice Admirals and ten warships bombarding an island indiscriminately."

"No distinction between enemy or ally."

"Once a Buster Call is activated… the entire island is annihilated."

"What?! The Navy would do that?!" Nami was stunned.

Even after encountering corrupt Marines like Nezumi, she had still believed in the Navy due to Bell-mère's teachings.

But this—

The destruction of an entire island—

It was horrifying.

"Yes," Robin said softly.

"That is the darkness of the World Government."

"A darkness I will never escape."

Zoro stood up, gripping his swords.

"Then let's go."

"Let's see this darkness of the world for ourselves."

"No!" Robin shouted in panic.

"We should leave this place!"

"Luffy would never allow you to do this!"

She was afraid.

Truly afraid.

"Robin-swan," Sanji said calmly while smoking.

"Do you really think Luffy is the kind of man who would ignore his crewmate being threatened?"

"If the World Government is your enemy—"

"Then as your crewmates, how could we ever abandon you?"

Robin was speechless.

Nami smiled.

"Besides… you don't want the World Government to obtain Pluton, right?"

"But… Luffy isn't here!"

"What does that matter?" Zoro shrugged.

"That idiot would definitely agree."

Robin's tears finally fell.

But they weren't tears of sorrow—

They were tears of happiness.

Saul…

I found them.

Friends who would risk their lives for me.

Moonlight bathed the Going Merry, as if witnessing the deepening of their bond.

Chopper stayed behind to care for Usopp.

The remaining four—

Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Robin—

stood side by side.

Then they stepped into the dark night of Water 7.

Meanwhile—

Iceburg's mansion was surrounded by people.

Why?

Because earlier that evening, a rumor had spread across Water 7:

Someone would assassinate Iceburg tonight.

Naturally—

This rumor had been Robin's doing.

"You think the assassin will actually show up?" a shipwright asked.

"With so many of us guarding the place—and all the foremen here?"

"True," another replied.

"But we still can't let our guard down."

Outside Iceburg's room, the foremen sat in a row.

Inside—

Kalifa leaned against the window while Iceburg sat on the bed in thought.

Suddenly Iceburg spoke.

"Kalifa, could you step outside for a moment?"

"And please call Paulie in."

"Of course, Mr. Iceburg."

Kalifa adjusted her glasses, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.

Soon, Paulie entered.

The two spoke quietly.

Several minutes later, Paulie's expression hardened with determination.

"Understood."

"I'll go now."

He left the room.

Soon he arrived at the president's office.

Moving the desk aside, he lifted the carpet and revealed a safe.

"So this is it…"

He began entering the combination.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

Flames erupted somewhere in the mansion grounds.

"Fire!!"

The shipwrights outside fell into chaos.

Then they saw a man wearing a bear mask rushing into the villa.

"Damn it! Everyone, move! We can't let him reach Iceburg!"

The shipwrights chased after him.

Inside—

Two foremen guarding Iceburg heard the noise and rushed out as well.

Now only Lucci and Kaku remained guarding the room.

Chaos spread throughout the mansion.

Although this was supposed to be an assassination, CP9 made no effort to hide themselves.

Instead, they slaughtered shipwrights openly.

Inside the office—

Paulie retrieved the blueprints from the safe.

But suddenly—

Two figures appeared.

"We come from the shadows," one said coldly.

"But we are also executors of justice."

"We are the secret agents of CP9."

Outside the door, shipwrights lay collapsed.

The man wearing a bull mask still had blood dripping from his hand.

"This is no longer just an assassination," Paulie said.

"I never said it was," the agent replied indifferently.

He extended his hand.

"Hand over what you're holding."

"And then, in the name of justice, I will execute you."

Moments later—

Paulie collapsed on the floor, covered in blood.

The CP9 agent picked up the blueprints and glanced at them.

His expression froze.

"…Fake!"

He quickly pinned Paulie down with iron rings.

"Situation's urgent. Let's move."

Outside Iceburg's room, the CP9 members gathered.

"Did you get it?"

"It's fake."

Without hesitation—

BANG!

They kicked the door open.

Iceburg stared at them in disbelief.

"Lucci… Kaku… Kalifa… and even Blueno, the bartender…"

"You're all agents of the World Government?!"

"Yes," Lucci replied calmly, hands in his pockets.

"Infiltration is effortless for us."

"So tell me—"

"Where are the Pluton blueprints?"

"Before more people die, please cooperate."

"Impossible," Iceburg said firmly.

"If Pluton appears in this world, everyone will fight to control its power. That would only bring greater disaster."

"So you don't trust the World Government, Mr. Iceburg?"

"I simply don't trust human nature."

The next second—

BAM!

Lucci kicked Iceburg violently into the wall.

"You think you're still my employer?"

"We are CP9."

"We have the authority to execute civilians who refuse to cooperate with the government."

"This is all… in the name of justice."

"Kaku, check his pulse."

Kaku grabbed Iceburg's wrist.

"Let me propose a hypothesis."

"Your apprentice Cutty Flam is still alive."

"And he changed his name to Franky."

"The blueprints are with him, aren't they?"

Iceburg's heart pounded violently.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Kaku smiled.

"It seems our deduction was correct."

Kalifa adjusted her glasses.

"Then our next stop should be Franky."

Suddenly—

Slash!

BOOM!

Two walls shattered at the same time.

One wall was sliced cleanly like tofu.

The other was blown apart with a powerful kick.

"What a show," Zoro said calmly as he sheathed his sword.

"I never expected the Galley-La Company's foremen to be agents of the World Government."

Sanji lit a cigarette, hands in his pockets.

Nearby, the rescued Paulie stared in shock.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

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