Near the waters of Alabasta.
Ace, in his flame form, descended from the sky and landed on the deck.
Seeing Luffy, Nami, Vivi, Carina, and the others look over, he shook his head with a grave expression.
"Luo Chen and Nico Robin were still captured."
"Aokiji is already preparing to take them back to Headquarters."
As his words fell, Nami collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained.
Her pale face was devoid of any color, and her lips, as if frozen for a long time, were both pale and trembling.
Carina squatted down worriedly and gently hugged her.
Right now, she didn't know what to say to comfort Nami. All she could do was be by her side.
Nami couldn't say a word, her body just trembled. On a sunny day, she felt as if she were in an ice cave.
Tears fell drop by drop onto the deck. She buried her head between her knees and began to cry bitterly.
Seeing Nami so heartbroken, the mood of Luffy and the others was also extremely heavy.
The Going Merry was as silent as a graveyard. The usual joyful laughter was gone.
The faces of the usually boisterous Luffy and Usopp were grim.
"Let's go to Marine Headquarters and save Luo Chen," Luffy said with extreme solemnity and seriousness.
Zoro and Sanji glanced at him but did not argue. If Luffy wanted to go, they would agree, because Luo Chen had saved them more than once.
Although Usopp and Carina felt it was terrifying and crazy, at this moment, they also said nothing.
Ace scanned the group and warned, "You've only just entered the Grand Line. You probably don't know what Marine Headquarters means."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, 'Hero' Garp, the three Admirals, over ten Vice Admirals, and tens of thousands of elite Marines."
"Forget you guys, any of the Four Emperors' crews would be wiped out if they charged in there."
The faces of Usopp and Carina turned slightly pale.
'That terrifying?'
They had just encountered several Vice Admirals. If not for Ace and Luo Chen, they would have been captured long ago.
Luffy was unmoved. He pressed down on his straw hat and said resolutely, "We're going anyway! Luo Chen has saved us so many times! We have to save him!"
Ace was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Luffy, Luo Chen is your friend, but you have more crewmates on this ship. If you go to save him, you'll get them all killed. Besides, I don't think you can save Luo Chen. It's impossible to even get to see him."
Hearing this, Luffy's face stiffened, and he fell silent.
Ace shook his head. "Don't try to save people who have been captured by the Marines. It will only lead to more sacrifices."
He looked at Luffy and said, "Think about your crewmates before you decide whether to go or not."
With that, Ace walked to the side of the ship, sat down, closed his eyes, and said no more.
Luffy's gaze passed over everyone. His fists were clenched tightly, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say the words to go save him.
"I'm sorry, Nami," Luffy said in a low voice.
Nami was crying her heart out and could only shake her head. She knew that asking Luffy and the others to go to Marine Headquarters to rescue Luo Chen was asking the impossible. It would be forcing them to go to their deaths.
"Carina, after we leave Alabasta, please let me off the ship," Nami choked out in a low voice.
Carina's expression changed.
'Is Nami going to try and save Luo Chen by herself?'
'How is that possible? She's just throwing her life away...' Carina wanted to refuse. But looking at Nami's tear-streaked yet resolute face, which showed she was ready to face death, she opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
Who could stop Nami? She felt she couldn't.
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and the others felt extremely frustrated.
They couldn't win, couldn't save anyone, couldn't help anyone. This made them furious at their own powerlessness.
Just then, Ace suddenly opened his eyes and said, "It's not that there's no chance of a rescue."
Seeing everyone look over, he explained, "The Marines have captured Luo Chen. There's a chance they'll lock him in Impel Down to be executed later. We can't go to Marine Headquarters, but there's a chance with Impel Down. Nami, don't leave the ship yet. You're not strong enough on your own. We can make a plan and try to go to Impel Down."
With that, Ace signaled for Carina to take Nami back to her room to rest.
After the two women had left, Ace looked at the rekindled hope in the Straw Hat crew and struck them down.
"What I just said was only to calm Nami down and stop her from doing something foolish. Impel Down is also not a place we can go. In history, apart from 'Golden Lion' Shiki, no one has ever been able to escape from the great prison, regardless of whether there was a jailbreak attempt from the outside."
Hearing this, Luffy and the others were stunned.
'So what Ace said before was a lie?'
...
On the deck of a Marine warship.
Aokiji sat leisurely on top of the frozen coffin.
Smoker, Hina, and the four Vice Admirals stood to the side, frequently glancing at the coffin.
'Is Luo Chen really frozen inside?'
Just then, a Marine soldier ran over, holding a Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral Kuzan, a call from Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Aokiji casually took the Den Den Mushi.
"Aokiji, what's the situation?"
Aokiji smiled. "I was just about to report to you. The capture of Luo Chen and Nico Robin is complete."
"Really?!" Sengoku's overjoyed voice came through.
Smoker and Hina exchanged a look. They had also spent a long time at Marine Headquarters. Fleet Admiral Sengoku was always calm and never showed his emotions. For him to be so overjoyed by Luo Chen's capture was strange.
Smoker's eyelid twitched. He recalled the conversation between Luo Chen and Onigumo. A chilling thought couldn't help but rise in his heart.
'The Fleet Admiral's reaction is abnormal. He's been paying close attention to Luo Chen ever since the East Blue. Could it be... that the Fleet Admiral wants to silence Luo Chen as quickly as possible?'
Smoker pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly threw the thought away.
'Impossible. With the Fleet Admiral's status and belief in justice, he would never allow Onigumo to carry out a massacre of civilians in the East Blue.'
Nearby, Aokiji was discussing the follow-up with Sengoku.
"Mr. Sengoku, Luo Chen has a teleportation ability. I have temporarily frozen him in a coffin."
"To prevent him from escaping, please contact the World Government and dispatch a powerhouse who can lock down space to stand guard."
Aokiji told Sengoku that he had chased Luo Chen all over Alabasta. The teleportation ability was very troublesome, and they had to be prepared.
Sengoku immediately agreed.
"Good! I'll report this to the Five Elders right away and request that they send a Devil Fruit user with spatial abilities."
Sengoku added, "Bring Luo Chen back to Marine Headquarters as soon as possible. After the Loguetown base was destroyed, many newspaper reporters wanted to interview the Marines. We can use this opportunity to announce to the world that the major criminal Luo Chen has been captured and is about to face judgment."
Aokiji nodded and added, "Mr. Sengoku, a lot has happened in Alabasta as well. Crocodile and Onigumo were defeated by Luo Chen and are very seriously injured. I have already brought them back to Headquarters."
Sengoku's voice was filled with astonishment. "Crocodile and Onigumo were defeated by Luo Chen?"
"Yes. By the time I arrived, Vice Admiral Onigumo was on the brink of death, and Crocodile was seriously injured and defeated. They were almost killed," Aokiji explained.
Sengoku said in a low voice, "Alright. Bring them back first."
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