Chapter 10

The sound was not a scream, but a siren. A low, mournful wail that vibrated through the very stones of Enies Lobby.

Kurumi froze in the middle of the chaotic plaza. The Marines around her stopped firing, their faces draining of color. They knew that sound.

"The Golden Den Den Mushi…" a Captain whispered, dropping his rifle. "Spandam… he pressed it."

On the horizon, the sky darkened. Ten massive battleships, darker than the storm clouds, emerged from the mist like leviathans. The Buster Call had arrived.

"Retreat!" Kurumi’s voice cut through the panic, sharp and authoritative. "All units, abandon the island! Get the prisoners—the giants Oimo and Kashii—onto the prisoner transport ship now! They are the only trophies we have!"

"But Lieutenant Commander! The bridge isn't fully lowered! There are still men on the other side!"

"Move!" Kurumi ordered, her red eye flashing. "If you stay, you die by our own cannons. That is the nature of Absolute Justice."

The Bombardment

Kurumi stood on the deck of the lead prisoner transport vessel, watching the island recede. She had secured the giants in the hold, chained in sea prism stone. Her "victory" was safe.

Now, she watched the world burn.

The five Vice Admirals—Momonga, Onigumo, Doberman, Strawberry, and Yamakaji—stood on the prows of their respective battleships.

"Fire," Vice Admiral Onigumo ordered calmly.

The air ripped apart. Hundreds of cannons fired simultaneously. The Tower of Justice, a symbol of the World Government's power for centuries, disintegrated in seconds. Debris rained down like meteors. Fire consumed the sky.

It was awe-inspiring. It was horrifying.

"So this is the power I serve," Kurumi murmured, gripping the railing. Her knuckles were white. She wasn't afraid, but she was disgusted. This wasn't justice; it was erasure.

Survive, Luffy, she thought, her gaze fixed on the Bridge of Hesitation, now a crumbling ruin amidst the smoke. Survive this, or you are not worth my time.

The Bridge of Hesitation

Through her telescope, she saw them. The Straw Hats.

They were battered, broken, and desperate. They were fighting on the bridge, surrounded by Marine Elites. Rob Lucci had fallen—she felt his Haki vanish moments ago—but now they faced the sheer volume of the Navy.

"Target the bridge," a gunnery officer on Kurumi’s ship shouted. "Wipe them out!"

The cannon turned. The aim was true. It was pointed directly at the cluster of pirates where Nico Robin and Franky were standing.

Kurumi narrowed her eyes. If that hits, they die. The ship is too stable.

She walked casually past the gunner. As she did, her foot "slipped" on the wet deck. She stumbled, her shoulder slamming hard into the gunner's arm just as he pulled the lever.

Boom.

The cannon fired. The shell screamed through the air… and splashed harmlessly into the ocean, missing the bridge by fifty meters.

"You clumsy fool!" Kurumi scolded the gunner, straightening her coat. "The deck is slippery! Pay attention to your footing!"

"S-Sorry, Lieutenant Commander!" the gunner stammered, terrified.

"Reload!" she ordered, wasting precious seconds. "And aim properly this time!"

By the time they reloaded, it was too late.

The Miracle

"Look! In the water!"

A soldier pointed. Below the bridge, amidst the swirling whirlpools, a small, broken caravel ship had appeared.

The Going Merry.

"Jump!" Luffy’s voice, faint but desperate, echoed over the waves.

One by one, the Straw Hats leaped into the ocean, landing on the ship. It was impossible. A ship with a broken keel sailing into a Buster Call? It was a miracle.

"They're escaping!" Onigumo roared from the adjacent ship. "SINK THEM!"

The fleet turned their guns. But the whirlpools, generated by the destruction of the Gates of Justice, were chaotic. The Merry bobbed and weaved, riding the currents like a leaf in a storm.

Kurumi watched them go. She saw the defiant flag fluttering in the wind. She saw the fire in their eyes.

"Let them go," she whispered, too low for anyone to hear. "Go to the New World. Go to the Florian Triangle."

She turned to her men, her face a mask of cold fury. "They have entered the whirlpools! We cannot pursue without risking the prisoner transport! Our priority is securing the giants for Impel Down! Set course for the Great Gaol!"

"But… the pirates…"

"The Vice Admirals will handle the cleanup!" Kurumi snapped. "Do you want to explain to Magellan why his new prisoners drowned because you were chasing a ghost?"

The crew hesitated, then saluted. "No, Ma'am! Setting course for Impel Down!"

Epilogue of the Arc

As Enies Lobby burned behind them, a pillar of black smoke rising to the heavens, Kurumi Tokisaki walked to the bow of the ship.

She pulled a small notebook from her pocket.

* Objective 1: Learn Rokushiki. (Complete)

* Objective 2: Learn Haki basics. (Complete)

* Objective 3: Secure cover identity. (Promoted to Commander anticipated)

* Objective 4: Secure allies for future jailbreak. (Giants secured)

* Objective 5: The Time-Time Fruit. (Pending)

She closed the book.

"Next stop: Thriller Bark," she smiled, the expression sharp and dangerous. "I'm coming for you, Moria. Do keep my fruit warm."