Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

"Alright, do you all understand?" Paulie looked at everyone in the car, his hand resting on a map of Enies Lobby.

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned, his fist clenched in excitement.

"Really? Then what's the plan?" Ryomen raised an eyebrow, his tone skeptical.

"We rush in and take Robin away!" Luffy shouted, determined.

"No!!" Everyone yelled in unison.

Ryomen sighed, placing a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Listen carefully, alright?" His narrowed gaze locked on Luffy.

Luffy nodded silently, a rare moment of focus.

"We wait five minutes at the beach." Ryomen explained, holding up five fingers. "Then we charge the train straight into the island. Before that, everyone else goes in to open the main and front gates to clear the way for the Rocketman."

As Ryomen finished, he exhaled deeply, glancing at Luffy. "Got it?"

"Alright, I got it!" Luffy said resolutely.

"I do hope so…" Ryomen muttered, echoed by the other Straw Hats.

"Hey, guys, come take a look, at the sky behind Enies Lobby!" Kokoro's voice cut through the moment, crackling through the speakers.

"Huh? At the sky?" Chopper asked, his voice curious.

"Let's just go see." Usopp said with a shrug.

Everyone crowded near the window, their eyes widening at the sight of a colossal gate towering into the heavens behind Enies Lobby.

"That's the Gate of Justice!" Kokoro's laughter filtered through the speakers. "It never opens completely—just enough to let criminals through."

"Behind it, giant sea kings roam. It's impossible to sail past it with a normal ship." She continued, her tone both amused and ominous.

"If you wanna rescue the folks who've been arrested, you've gotta do it before they pass through that gate!" Her words brought a somber edge to the urgency of the situation.

"Stick to the plan! We'll go in first!" Paulie barked, rallying the group.

"Um…where's Luffy and Ryomen?" Chopper suddenly asked, looking around.

"Huh? They were here a second ago." Nami said, her brow furrowing.

"There they are!" One of the henchmen shouted, pointing toward the towering gates.

Luffy, with Ryomen barely hanging onto his leg, was already vaulting over Enies Lobby's massive fence.

"The hell?! What's gotten into them!?" Paulie yelled, his disbelief echoed by the others.

"What was all that previous talk for!?" A henchman complained.

"I expected this." Usopp muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"These idiots…" Nami fell to her knees in despair.

"Waiting five minutes clearly wasn't an option." Sanji observed, crossing his arms.

"I'm surprised Ryomen joined him." Chopper sighed.

"Looks like he got dragged more than anything." Zoro added as he noticed Ryomen barely hanging on.

"Ngagaga! Kids these days got no patience!" Kokoro laughed heartily.

"Charge, pirate friends!" Chimney cheered, raising her arms in the air.

"Don't fall behind! Sodom, Gomorrah!" The Franky Family shouted, urging their massive King Bulls forward.

"Climb over the fences! Open the main gate!"

…

"Gomu-Gomu no…Rocket!!" Luffy launched himself from the fence, soaring to the top of the massive main gate. His hand latched onto a marine flagpole, halting his momentum with ease.

"Damn it, Luffy! Why didn't you stick to the plan?!" Ryomen growled, finally landing beside him, his extra arms folding in frustration.

"You heard Granny!" Luffy replied, his tone resolute as he gazed at the front gate ahead. "We don't have much time! Robin needs us!"

Ryomen let out a slow breath, knowing Luffy's sense of urgency wasn't misplaced. "Fine." He muttered, his sharp eyes scanning the area. "But next time, you—"

Before he could finish, the sharp crack of a gunshot rang out. The bullet whizzed past, narrowly missing them.

"Intruders spotted! Kill them!!" A marine's voice bellowed from below.

"Ahh! They found us!" Luffy exclaimed, twisting to look down.

"Dismantle." Ryomen's voice was calm as he flicked his fingers, and the marines' weapons suddenly fell apart mid-hold, the barrels cleaving neatly in two.

"W-What the…?!" A marine stared in horror at the useless remnants of his rifle.

"No time to waste—move!" Ryomen grabbed Luffy by the arm, leaping from the gate with precision.

"They've breached the inner gates! Contact the front gate officers!" A voice shouted frantically from above as they fell into formation.

"Robin! We're coming for you!" Luffy shouted, pumping his fist into the air, his grin stretching ear to ear as he fell to the ground.

"Gomu-Gomu no…Balloon!" His body then inflated like a massive cushion, catching Ryomen mid-air with a soft bounce.

Ryomen nodded as he slid off. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Luffy deflated back to his usual form, already back to sprinting.

"So…" Luffy said between breaths, his tone eager, "Who're you taking on? I've got dibs on the pigeon guy!"

Ryomen groaned. "I'd rather avoid fighting and just get Robin out of here." His eyes flicked ahead, noting the incoming marine battalion. "But I already know, that's not an option."

"You two, halt!" Barked a marine officer as the soldiers lined up in a defensive wall.

"Do you even know where you are?!" Another one shouted, their weapons raised.

The two pirates remained silent, their expressions unreadable as they picked up speed.

In a blur of motion, they broke through the marines' defensive line, boots and fists sending soldiers flying. Luffy bulldozed ahead, laughter in his voice, while Ryomen's additional arms delivered precise, punishing blows that left the troops crumpled.

"Where's Robin?!" Luffy demanded, his tone sharper now.

"Tell us!" Ryomen added, his four arms grabbing marines like ragdolls and slamming them together with bone-jarring force.

The remaining marines cowered, their responses lost in the chaos.

"These guys are useless!" Luffy huffed, flinging another unfortunate marine into a group.

Ryomen nodded, dusting off his hands as the last of the soldiers fell. "The CP9…they'll have her." His red eyes narrowed. "Let's focus on them."

As the two moved forward, the sound of heavy explosions rocked the air all the way from the main gate.

…

Inside the tower of justice, a man with a black mask covering nearly half of his face held a transponder snail, his teeth clenching in anger.

Through the snail transponder, a frantic voice rang out. "Two monsters are pulling a giant cart over the fence! A large group of intruders just broke through the perimeter! Requesting backup—"

The call ended abruptly with a deafening boom, leaving only static.

"What is your status!? Guards, report!! What's is your status!?" Spandam shouted, receiving no reply.

"Dammit! Those pirates are nothing but cockroaches!" He slammed the snail down, the creature wincing as it hit the table.

Spandam seethed, pacing back and forth. His eyes darted to the transponder snail. "How can they break through so easily!?"

Further away from him, four agents stood seated on a couch.

One of the agents, a tall, lean woman with sharp features, smirked slightly. "If you're so worried, Spandam, why don't you go down there and take care of it yourself?"

Spandam froze mid-step, his face turning pale. "W-What did you just say, Yorozu!?" He stammered, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Yorozu shrugged, leaning against the wall with a relaxed demeanor. "Just pointing out that you're making a lot of noise, but not doing much to help. The CP9 agents below can handle it. Especially since Lucci hasn't even joined the fight yet."

"You dare—!" Spandam began, but another agent interrupted.

"Yorozu, how could you speak so cruelly? Spandam-sama, I'll commit seppuku to atone for her insolence!" The pink-haired man fell to his knees dramatically, drawing a blade from it's strap.

"Feel free." A scarred man sitting beside him muttered dryly, not even glancing up.

"Relax, boss." Fukurou, a large man with a zipper for a mouth, chimed in. "You're gonna give yourself even more wrinkles! Chapapa!"

"Zip it, Fukurou!" Spandam snapped, his hand flying to his forehead as if to check for wrinkles.

…

Back at the front gate, a marine let out a terrified yelp as Ryomen hoisted him effortlessly into the air, his grip ironclad.

"L-Let me go, intruder!" The officer stammered, his voice quaking with fear.

"If you insist." Ryomen shrugged casually, a smirk curling his lips.

"W-Wait! Not like—Aaaahhh!!" The marine's protests were cut short as he was hurled through the air with incredible force, his arms flailing helplessly.

He flew straight toward Luffy, who stood grinning, his chest expanding, and pulling back like a slingshot as the marine crashed into him.

"Gomu-Gomu no…Strike!!" Luffy exclaimed gleefully as his body snapped forward, sending the marine rocketing back into a group of his comrades.

The unlucky officer slammed into the others with a resounding crash, toppling them like bowling pins as groans of pain filled the air.

"Let's keep moving!" Ryomen called out, grabbing hold of Luffy's back.

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted, grinning as he stretched his arms toward the top of the massive front gate.

"Wahooo!!" Luffy's laugh echoed as the two flew high above the gate, landing on the other side with ease.

Back at the gate, a battered marine shakily reached for his transponder snail, his breathing labored.

"T-They've entered the main island! The intruders have passed the front gate!" He rasped into the snail, panic evident in his voice.

…

Within the Tower of Justice, Spandam's enraged voice boomed.

"They got through the front gate!?" He screeched, slamming his fist onto the desk.

"You don't need to worry so much." Jabra said lazily, reclining on a couch. "We're here after all."

"You mean I'm here." Yorozu corrected smugly, earning an annoyed glare from Jabra.

"Fools! This island is the symbol of the World Government's authority! Do you idiots even understand what it means to let these vermin invade it!?" Spandam roared, his face red with frustration.

"They came all this way for one crewmate. How utterly pathetic!" He sneered. "Being bested by such insignificant trash!"

"I'll go deal with them myself, if needed." Yorozu offered, her tone righteous and firm. "The World Government's reputation cannot suffer because of this."

"Of course." Jabra scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes. "Totally not about you wanting to finally see that bastard again."

…

Near the Tower of Justice, Ryomen and Luffy stood boldly, surrounded on all sides by a sea of marines.

"Straw Hats! Where's the rest of your army?" One officer mocked, his confidence bolstered by the overwhelming numbers. "Hahahaha! Enies Lobby's forces number in the tens of thousands!"

"Yeah, and we're just two." Luffy said nonchalantly, cracking his knuckles.

"Which means you should all step aside while you still can." Ryomen added, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he cracked his neck.

The marines stiffened, the air growing heavy as the two prepared for battle.