The Going Merry sliced through the waves at a speed none of them had ever seen before—her sails billowing with an almost desperate urgency, her wooden frame creaking as if alive with purpose. There was no doubt now, their ship knew. And right now, she was racing to help Robin just as fiercely as any of them.
At the ship's prow, Nolan sat perched on Merry's figurehead, his usual lazy slouch replaced by something heavier. The wind tugged at his dark blue hair, but his pink eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, unblinking. The crew had never seen him like this—so still, so quiet.
Behind him, the others exchanged uneasy glances.
"Do you think he's okay?" Nami whispered, fingers tightening around the railing. "I've never seen him so…" She trailed off, unable to find the right word.
The boys didn't answer, but their silence said enough. Even Luffy, usually so loud and oblivious, was uncharacteristically tense, his straw hat pulled low over his eyes.
Yachiru, balanced precariously on Zoro's shoulder, piped up with her usual cheer. "Min-chan~! You should go comfort him! This is your chance!"
Zoro adjusted her before she could topple over, his grip firm but gentle—like a father handling an overexcited child. "Quit messing around," he grumbled, but there was no real bite to it.
Nami's cheeks flushed slightly at Yachiru's suggestion, but she shook her head. "I can't just… replace Robin like that." It felt wrong, like taking advantage of the situation. She might be a thief, but she had her pride.
Luffy, sweating bullets under the weight of emotions he didn't know how to handle, blurted out, "How 'bout I give him some meat? That always makes me feel better!"
Usopp facepalmed. "Luffy, I don't think this is a 'meat' kind of problem."
Sanji exhaled a stream of smoke, already turning toward the kitchen. "I'll make something light. He hasn't eaten since we left." With the way Merry was moving, they'd reach Enies Lobby in under an hour. He had to hurry.
The crew's worry hung thick in the air, a silent agreement passing between them. We have to do something.
But the truth?
The man they were so desperately fretting over wasn't drowning in grief or rage.
No, Nolan was just ten times lazier than usual, thoroughly infected by Aokiji's sluggish energy.
As for Robin's capture?
He'd expected it.
The moment he sensed CP9's presence in Water 7, he knew they'd try to take her. He'd even let it happen, assuming Robin would handle it quietly and return to the ship like nothing happened.
But she hadn't.
She'd chosen to sacrifice herself—to walk away to protect them.
And that—that was the one thing Nolan couldn't forgive.
If the word sacrifice weighed so heavily in her heart, then he'd gladly teach her the opposite lesson.
He'd burn the whole world to ash just to bring her back.
And Enies Lobby?
It was as good a place to start as any.
A slow, dangerous smirk curled at the edges of Nolan's lips as the first shadows of the judicial island appeared on the horizon.
Hold on, Robin..
I'm coming.
---
The tension in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office was thick enough to cut with a knife. Four of the Marine's most powerful figures stood in the room, but only one of them looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Aokiji leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, as Sengoku's piercing gaze bore into him. "You're telling me you don't even know the full extent of his power? Are you joking, Kuzan?" Sengoku's voice was sharp, his patience wearing thin.
Tsuru stood calmly beside him, arms crossed, while Gion—who had followed Aokiji the moment she heard Nolan's name—leaned forward with far too much interest.
Aokiji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is it my fault for listening to the instinct that kept me alive this long?" He shrugged. "I've faced legends, but none of them made my body scream 'run' just by standing near them. That guy... he doesn't even feel human."
Sengoku's frown deepened. "Not human?"
Tsuru tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Could it be an awakened Zoan's influence? Perhaps the fruit's will has overtaken the user's mind."
"That's impossible," Sengoku snapped, though his expression was uneasy. "When a Zoan's will takes over, the user loses themselves—becomes nothing but a mindless beast. The guards in Impel Down prove that."
Aokiji just shook his head. "Whatever he is, it's not that simple."
Then, completely derailing the conversation, Gion suddenly asked, "Kuzan-chan, do you think he's interested in anyone right now?"
The room went silent.
Tsuru sighed. Sengoku looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.
Aokiji blinked slowly. "...Huh?"
Gion smiled, undeterred. "Romantically, I mean."
Aokiji stared at her for a long moment before shrugging. "Dunno. Didn't meet his whole crew. We just... hung out on their ship and lazed—" He caught himself too late.
BAM!
Sengoku's fist connected with the top of Aokiji's head. "YOU BRAT! DID YOU REALLY JUST NAP WITH A PIRATE?! ARE YOU FRIENDS NOW?!"
Aokiji rubbed his head, scowling. "It's not like that—"
Before he could finish, the sky above Marineford flickered—a massive projection screen appearing out of nowhere. The image was unmistakable, Nico Robin, bound in seastone cuffs, standing before Spandam on a platform in Enies Lobby. The words "Public Execution" burned beneath her.
Aokiji's blood turned to ice.
Gion's playful demeanor vanished. Tsuru's eyes narrowed. Sengoku's face darkened.
"That idiot..." Aokiji muttered, his voice low and dangerous. He turned to Sengoku, his usual laziness gone. "Fleet Admiral. If Spandam calls for a Buster Call... stop it. Do not let the Marines get involved."
Sengoku studied him carefully. "...You think he'll make a move?"
Aokiji didn't answer. He didn't need to.
The screen flickered again—this time showing the waters around Enies Lobby. A single ship, small and unassuming, cut through the waves at impossible speed.
The Going Merry.
And standing at its prow, his dark blue hair whipping in the wind, was Nolan.
His pink eyes burned with something no one in that office had ever seen before.
Not anger.
Not rage.
But promise.
Sengoku swallowed hard. "...We're about to find out exactly what he's capable of."
Somewhere in Enies Lobby, Spandam laughed, completely unaware that the execution he was so proud of had just signed his death warrant.
----