Chapter 15: The Siege of Justice and the Breath of the SunThe Going Merry didn't need the Sea Train.
As we approached the massive, bottomless chasm that surrounded Enies Lobby, the "Island of No Night," the sky was a bruised purple. I stood at the prow, my white hair glowing with a faint, predatory silver light.
My dark circular sunglasses tracked the thousands of Marine signatures on the battlements."They have ten thousand men, a dozen giants, and the CP9," Vivi whispered, her hand on her chest.
"They have a wall," I said, my voice as calm as a frozen lake. "We have a family."I looked at the crew. It was time for the final "Awakening." I called Zoro and Sanji to the center of the deck."Zoro," I said, looking at the swordsman. "You seek the peak of the blade. But a blade is just an extension of the breath."I reached out and touched his forehead.
"Concept: The Breath of All Things—Total Concentration."I didn't give him a new sword; I gave him the Ancestral Memory of the Demon Slayers. "I have encoded every Breathing Technique—from the roaring Water to the devastating Sun—into your muscle memory. You are no longer just a swordsman; you are the Breath of the World. Your blades will no longer just cut steel; they will cut the very concepts of distance and heat."Zoro's eyes snapped open, a sharp, white aura erupting from his body. He felt the oxygen in his lungs turn into liquid fire.
"I... I can see the world breathing," he muttered, his hand tightening on the Wado.I turned to Sanji. The cook was currently trying to "woo" Nami, who was busy practicing her new Wind-Palm technique."Sanji," I said. "Your legs are your life. But your heart is your distraction."I tapped his chest, right over his heart."Concept: The Stoic Ember," I whispered. "I have placed a seal on your spirit. For every minute you maintain your focus—every minute you do not fall into your 'simping' habits—your kicking strength will increase by a compounded margin.
If you can hold your focus for a single battle, your leg will hit with the thermal energy of a supernova."Sanji froze. He looked at Nami, then back at me. He felt the "Ember" in his chest glowing. "You're asking me to give up my ladies, Silver? That's... that's torture!""It's not giving them up," I smiled.
"It's protecting them better. How can you cook for a Queen if you're too busy staring at her feet?"Sanji lit a cigarette, his eyes suddenly turning serious. "Fine. But I want a gold-class kitchen when this is over."We hit the gates of Enies Lobby like a meteor.Usopp, clad in his Vibranium Armor, was the first one off the boat. He didn't hide. He sprinted toward the giants at the gate, his armor absorbing their massive clubs with a dull thud. "I AM USOPP! THE BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!" he roared. With every step of courage, his muscles bulked up, his slingshot firing pellets that hit with the force of cannonballs.
Nami followed, her orange hair whipping. A CP9 agent tried to use Soru to get behind her, but she didn't turn around. She simply raised her left hand. "Water Style: Crashing Tide!" A massive wave of high-pressure seawater erupted from the dry ground, slamming the agent into a wall.Chopper transformed into his Guardian Aegisform—a thirty-foot towering reindeer with fur that shimmered like white steel.
He swiped his massive paw, sending a squad of Marines flying into the sea. "I'm not a monster! I'm a DOCTOR!"Zoro was a whirlwind of light. He moved through a battalion of ten thousand men using "Sun Breathing: Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance." His blades left trails of solar fire that cauterized everything they touched. He wasn't just cutting; he was erasing.Sanji was a blur of black and orange. He had been "focused" for exactly ten minutes since my gift. His right leg was now glowing with a terrifying, white-hot heat. He delivered a single kick to Jabura, the wolf-man of CP9. "Diable Jambe: Solar Flare!" The impact didn't just break Jabura's ribs; it vaporized the air around him, sending the wolf-man through three stone buildings.I stood in the center of the battlefield, my hands in my pockets. Rob Lucci, the strongest of the CP9, stood before me in his Leopard form. He was fast, his Rokuogan powerful."You're the 3-billion-berry ghost," Lucci growled, his claws dripping with blood. "I'll show you the true power of Justice.""Justice is just a word people use to justify their chains, Lucci," I said.Lucci lunged with a Rankyaku—a vacuum blade that could cut a ship in half.
I didn't move. I didn't use a shield. I simply took a deep breath."Concept: The Still World."I exhaled. The vacuum blade didn't just stop; it became solid. I reached out and grabbed the "Blade of Air" with my bare hand, shattering it like a piece of glass."Your speed is a joke," I said.I moved. I didn't use a Space-Fold. I used Raw Strength. I appeared in front of Lucci and delivered a single, straight punch to his chest.[Primordial Art: The Star-Crush.]Lucci didn't fly back. The kinetic energy was so concentrated that it passed through his body and exploded out of his back, leveling the entire Judicial Tower behind him. Lucci fell to his knees, his Leopard form melting away as his internal organs were molecularly rearranged.
Suddenly, the sky darkened. Five massive Marine warships appeared on the horizon. The Buster Call had arrived."THE BUSTER CALL! EVERYONE RUN!" the Marines screamed."Stay where you are," I said, my voice echoing through the entire island.I looked at the five warships. I raised my hand, pointing at the sea."Concept: The Horizon's End."I didn't fire a blast. I used the Silver Superman's power to manipulate the Curvature of the Earth.
I "folded" the space in front of the warships, causing the ocean to drop into a massive, artificial waterfall that carried the ships five miles away from the island in a single second. The cannons fired, but the shells hit the "Infinity" I had placed over the island, detonating harmlessly in the sky like fireworks.The Buster Call was erased.We stood on the bridge of hesitation. Nico Robin was in my arms, her face clean of tears, her black hair flowing in the wind. She looked at the destroyed tower, then at the crew—at Usopp in his armor, at Zoro breathing fire, and at the "focused" Sanji."I... I want to live!" Robin shouted at the top of her lungs. "TAKE ME TO THE SEA WITH YOU!""WE'RE COMING, ROBIN!" Luffy roared, his 100-million-berry grin wider than the sun.I looked at the bounty board that had survived the blast.
A News Coo dropped a fresh leaf.MONKEY D. SILVER: 3,100,000,000 BERRIES
(Increased for the total neutralization of the Buster Call.)RORONOA ZORO: 170,000,000 BERRIES
(Increased for the Sun-Breathing Massacre.)SANJI: 120,000,000 BERRIES
(Increased for the Solar-Flare Kick.)USOPP: 80,000,000 BERRIES
(Increased for the Giant-Slayer feat.)"Three billion, one hundred million," I mused, sliding my sunglasses back on. "Sengoku, you're going to need a bigger budget."I looked at the crew. "Merry is waiting. Let's go home."