One Piece 43
I have been waiting SO long to be able to use this icon.
Volume 43: Hero Legend (or, Legendary Hero?)
410
(Ahaha, I love the title of this chapter: "Nami's Giant Transformation.")
Luffy is holding his own against Lucci.
The government agents are fleeing the doomed island of Enies Lobby.
The tied-up prisoners (Franky Family and Galley-La) realize they've been left behind.
Zambai: "Whoa, this is bad!" (やべー)
Paulie: "It's BEEN bad since we set foot in this place."
Kaku and Jabura are discussing the fact that they need to wrap up their fight with Zoro and head for the gates of justice.
Zoro is busy thinking up a name for his Usopp-sword: "OK, you're 'Famous Sword Nose-Storm'" (名刀鼻嵐) - hana-arashi would normally be "storm of flower petals" (花嵐), LOL.
Usopp: "This is no time to be thinking up names! CHOPPER!!"
Chopper (in monster form) is climbing the building.
Back to Luffy and Lucci fighting for (counts) 8 pages. (Ah, shounen fighting, so much easier to summarize.) Still no progress.
Kalifa again attacks Nami, transforming her entire body into a slippery doll-like form. She needs to hurry up and escape, although she would have liked to stay and play a little longer.
Nami uses her Clima-Tact to summon a mirage effect. Kalifa keeps attacking something that looks like Nami but dissolves into air when touched.
While Nami is still hiding, the wall cracks and breaks. Chopper comes in roaring.
Kalifa thinks Chopper is some kind of giant-monster-transformation devil fruit ability that Nami was hiding up her sleeve.
Nami: "Is she a COMPLETE idiot?" (天然!!?)
411
[Cover Arc: The BW agents seem to be settling into their new identities as they prepare to open the new Spider's Cafe. Did Miss Valentine make a Crocodile Hook Cake?]
Nami realizes that the monster must be Chopper, but she can hardly believe it.
Kalifa has a hard time fighting monster Chopper. When Nami tries to stop her, Chopper attacks her instead.
At first she thinks he doesn't recognize her because of what Kalifa did to her body.
Kalifa: "Just so you know, I totally did NOT ever think that was you."
(Nami is too busy worrying over Chopper to pay any attention. Kalifa is very offended by her rudeness.)
Chopper picks up Kalifa's entire bath-island and throws it over the stairwell into the lobby below, where Sanji is still passed out.
When Kalifa complains about "that monster" interfering, Nami gets mad.
"You keep your hands off him! That's my nakama!" (Aw!)
Chopper smashes more stuff.
Nami wants to go after him and stop him somehow (she's still ignoring Kalifa, who is again offended by the rudeness).
Kalifa now concludes (from the "nakama" remark) that "you pirates sure keep weird pets."
She says that Nami can go after Chopper if she wants, but she'll have to deal with Kalifa first.
Nami finally realizes that the "slippery" effect can be removed by washing the soap off with water. Kalifa blocks her path, but it turns out that being thrown through the air tends to wipe the foam away, as well.
Nami manages to summon an indoor rainstorm, protecting her from the effects of the bubble attack.
Kalifa: "Not cute at all. And after I went to all that trouble to give you such beautiful skin."
Nami: "If being cute means being helpless and not fighting back, I'll pass."
Nami uses her mirage effect again to create an entire mirror-army of Namis.
She attacks Kalifa with lightning.
412
[Cover arc: Mr 2 and Mr 3 are tossed into prison with Crocodile and Mr. 1. "Mr. 0.1.2.3."]
Nami tells Kalifa the next attack will finish her.
Kalifa: "What kind of a prediction is that? Impudence!"
Nami: "It's not a prediction… it's a forecast. In this room, I control the weather."
Nami delivers the "weather forecast" of Kalifa's impending doom.
(LOL, the weather forecast of the daily Japanese news broadcasts is one of the few parts I almost understand. She's using the standard delivery format here. "In the end, you'll most likely get struck by lightning. Do take care to avoid heart attacks." The regular weather forecast seems to think that it's necessary to regularly warn people about avalanches when it snows.)
Kalifa tries to hit the many Namis with a "tidal wave" of bubbles, figuring that way it won't matter which one is the real her. Nami makes a hole and breaks through, but in doing so, inadvertently reveals her real self.
Kalifa attacks ("I'm going to turn you into a pincushion!"), but Nami says she's forgotten one thing - you should never ignore what the navigator tells you about the weather.
Nami destroys Kalifa with her "Thunder-Lance Tempo."
"No matter how strong you may be - my forecasts never fail!"
Franky finally shows up ("Deer-Gorilla, where are you!?").
Nami wants to know what on earth happened to Chopper, but Franky says that's what he wanted to know. He hoped they would recognize Chopper's power and know how to handle it.
Franky starts to say that in that case he'll just have to strangle him, but Nami bashes him over the head. "I'll never say it again! I swear!"
He says they need Kalifa's key, and Nami says she was about to take care of that.
She starts ripping the unconscious Kalifa's clothing off. "Where did she hide it!?"
Franky approves (like the thumbs-up gesture).
Chopper is now pursuing Zoro and Usopp (they don't know why he doesn't recognize them).
Zoro is worried - as monstrous as Chopper is, he looks like he's at death's door. He deduces that that form must be using up too much of Chopper's life energy. If they leave him alone, he'll collapse on his own.
Kaku and Jabura, annoyed by the interruption to their fight, prepare to attack Chopper. Usopp gets very upset ("They're gonna hurt Chopper!!"); Zoro attacks with his Usopp-sword.
Franky interrupts them, saying he has a plan to deal with Chopper. He uses one of his attacks to knock Chopper through the wall and into the ocean.
Nami (suddenly appearing): "Don't worry. It's all part of the plan."
Franky dives in after Chopper.
Kaku and Jabura are irritated ("They're fighting amongst themselves AGAIN?") but then realize that Zoro is finally free of the handcuffs (because Kalifa had key #2).
Zoro: "You should be crying. You just missed your LAST chance to defeat me… world government."
413
[Cover Arc (last): Crocodile, Mr. 1, Bon Kurei and Mr. 3 are all shipped off to Impel Down.]
Robin is trying to run away from Spandam, using the last of her strength, but he gets her back under control easily with his elephant sword.
Franky manages to drag a now unconscious and back-to-normal Chopper out of the water.
He's shocked that even Chopper's nakama didn't know how to handle him in that form. He's impressed that Chopper took out one of the CP9 agents (not to mention the fact that Chopper's nakama would still stand up for him when he turned into THAT), so he grumpily decides to forgive him "this time." (He's not entirely gentle as he goes about pumping water out of poor Chopper's lungs.)
Chimney and Gonbe show up and tell Franky that they know how to get to the gates of justice.
Franky remembers Nami telling him what they need to do - after Chopper is under control, Franky has to get the remaining keys to Robin so they can open her handcuffs. She gave him the baby den-den mushi Kalifa was carrying.
She says she'll stay and free "Hana-Kingu" (hee, Nami keeps mutilating poor Usopp's name) and Zoro.
Franky points out that even if they can save Robin, they're in a fix - the bridge back to Enies Lobby is broken, and even if they could get back to it, they'd be wiped out by the Buster Call.
Nami: "Well then, we've got death behind and the unknown ahead of us. Which do we choose?"
[Badass Nami is kind of awesome!]
She says they'll do what they need to do in the Tower of Law and follow as soon as they can.
"Leave the rest… to luck!" "LUCK!?"
[The same exchange Zoro and Usopp had on the train, of course.]
Mini-flashback over, Franky tells Chimney, Gonbe and Kokoro to bring "the deer" and follow him through the tunnel.
Zoro, Usopp and Nami are facing Kaku and Jabura.
Nami is yelling at Zoro and Usopp for wasting time fooling around. Zoro/Usopp, in unison: "It was his stupid fault." Nami: "You're BOTH big fat idiots! Get those keys!"
Zoro fights Kaku while Usopp and Nami look on in horror.
Nami: "He just blasted a square hole through a rock! That nose is even more amazing than Sogeppu's!"
Usopp: "Who the hell is Sogeppu!? And quit with the useless comparisons!"
Belatedly, they realize Jabura is standing right next to them.
He offers them the key he's carrying, saying he really doesn't enjoy taking human life. But when Usopp reaches for it, Jabura attacks. He slams his claws into Usopp's chest and throws him into a wall.
He laughs at Usopp, calling him a "masked fool" (まぬけ覆面), and asks why he doesn't resort to running around in circles again. His legs are good for RUNNING, at least.
Usopp fights back with his new Kabuto weapon, but Jabura easily defeats him and prepares to tear his throat out.
[Poor Usopp. T__T]
"Little lamb wandered away from the shepherd, and now he's gonna get eaten by the big bad wolf."
(Aw, Zoro's reaction when he realizes what's going on, but he can't stop fighting Kaku to help.)
Just in time, Sanji shows up to kick Jabura's ass.
[Love Zoro's satisfied "Hmph!" when he sees Sanji.]
Jabura: "Who are YOU?"
Sanji: "I'm the hunter."
414
When Nami asks how he escaped from the state he was in, Sanji says a bathtub fell out of the sky and saved him by pouring water all over him.
When he then starts his usual hearts and flowers routine ("Do you love me even more now?"), Nami says she wishes the tub had hit him.
Usopp is crawling to his feet.
Nami: "Hanappu!"
Usopp: "Sob… there's not a single syllable of Sogeking left…"
He starts to apologize to Sanji for not being able to get the key, but Sanji gruffly cuts him off.
"Not everyone can do everything."
He points out at the gates of justice across the water, which are starting to swing open. Robin is about to be taken out of their reach.
Spandam is dragging Robin along by the hair (T__T).
Luffy is still fighting Lucci.
Franky is racing down the tunnel, with Kokoro and the kids behind him (Chimney is insisting on painting a trail for the others to follow). Kokoro has Chopper slung over one shoulder (poor Chopper).
Zoro and Kaku are still fighting.
Sanji: "This situation is just about as bad as it can possibly get…"
The sea-train is overloaded with evacuating government agents and soldiers.
The Franky Family and Galley-La got free of their ropes because Paulie was only pretending to be tied up (yay!). They know they can't help Franky or the Strawhats, so they decide that their best bet is to get themselves off the island any way they can.
The attacking warships are on their way.
Sanji: "… But when things look their worst, there's always a way out."
"Leave this guy to me. I'll do what you couldn't do, and you do what I can't do."
[Definitely one of Sanji's best lines ever.]
Sanji tells Usopp that if he thinks hard enough, he'll realize that they have a way to save Robin, as long as Usopp is with them.
Nami and Usopp make a run for it while Sanji challenges Jabura.
Usopp starts yelling that he's figured it out - he knows what to do.
Sanji and Jabura fight for a while.
Jabura again tries to use deceit, this time claiming that he wants to give Sanji the key because Robin is his long-lost sister.
[Ahaha, these are the outrageous lies that lego_joker was talking about, I see.]
Sanji pretends to fall for it, but isn't taken in. "Oh, come ON." (ってそんなわけ)
His kick sends Jabura flying.
415
"Robin, your sister? Do-aho. Try coming up with a better lie than that!"
But, he thanks Jabura for the key (which is now in his hand).
Jabura tries to stop Sanji from escaping, and their fight shifts into the central stairway area.
When Jabura taunts Sanji about Robin ("If you got time to pity that stupid broad and her bad luck…"), Sanji gets angry.
"Watch your mouth. I tend to heat up when I lose my temper."
Sanji spins until one of his legs is red-hot, and takes Jabura out with his Diablo Jambe.
[I guess this is the first time he's used this attack?]
They continue fighting in mid-air (physics? who cares?) until Sanji finally defeats Jabura.
416
Sanji is standing over Jabura's smoking body in the lobby below.
"God made food, and the devil made spices. Guess I used a bit too much spice."
Seeing the ceiling shifting, he mutters "Damn giraffe and marimo. Are they trying to destroy the building?"
He figures Nami and Usopp must already be on their way to Robin. He should get going, too. He's holding key #1.
Spandam drags Robin up onto the Bridge of Hesitation.
He can't stop gloating. Once they pass through those gates, he'll be a hero to the world!
The warships are reporting that they're ten minutes away.
Franky runs into Luffy and Lucci, who are still fighting at the base of the stairs to the bridge.
Luffy is distracted from his fight long enough to get cranky with Franky again. Franky: "Will you please get it through your head that I'm ON YOUR SIDE!"
He offers to give Luffy a hand with Lucci, but Luffy says the main thing is to get to Robin. He says he'll hold Lucci back long enough to give Franky a chance to get past them.
"SUPER leave it to me, bakayarou!" (I don't know how to translate that when it's not really meant to be an insult.)
Back in the tower, Kaku and Zoro are still fighting. Zoro ties his black headscarf on.
Kaku: "What, you get stronger with that on?"
Zoro: "Saa, na."
Zoro attacks. Kaku says that when he's in mid-air, he's got a blind spot. (shikaku)
Kaku uses his devil fruit ability to transform himself into a compact cube. "I'm shikaku (四角 = square), but I've got no shikaku (死角 = blind spot)!"
Zoro is furious. "Shut up! What are you DOING!?"
[Oh god, this entire fight is one long bad pun. I lost count after a while. It's the battle of the oyaji gag!]
When square-giraffe uses a truncated form of rankyaku on him, Zoro thinks he's just joking around, but he's not. It creates a hail of cutting blows, bouncing off the ceiling and striking from all directions.
Kaku uses his "bigan" (the nose-gun version of "shigan"; bi = nose) on Zoro. He's grudgingly impressed when Zoro bounces back from the blow.
Zoro says it's just training. "Kirin-ja."
They get into a fight because Kaku keeps insisting that HE'S the giraffe here. (In old-man speak, "kirin ja." I understand what Kaku is saying; what I don't get is why Zoro keeps taunting him with it. "Kirin ja ja ja ja!" Is he just mocking how Kaku talks?)
Zoro says he needs to break through that "iron barrier" (tekkai) of Kaku's.
Kaku: "What, if it's iron you can cut it? That depends on whether I let you reach my barrier or not."
Zoro decides he needs to power up.
"Ichi go-ri-ra! Ni go-ri-ra!"
[This is so BAD, omg. 剛力 (here go-ri, though usually gouriki) is "herculean strength." Not sure what the ra (羅) part is supposed to refer to - possibly a battle technique thing? - but the whole kanji phrase 剛力羅 (go-ri-ra) seems to mean "bulging muscles" but sounds like "gorilla."]
"NIGORI-ZAKE!" (Spelled 二剛力斬, two-herculean-strength-cut, but it sounds like a type of sake.)
Kaku is down but not out.
Zoro accuses Kaku of being the proud type, the kind that thinks he can't be beat.
["Zu ga takai" literally means "your head is high" (because he's a giraffe, yuk yuk).]
Kaku: "Same goes for you!" (貴様もじゃ!)
417
[Cover picture - these have just been a series of silly sketches, but I love that Usopp-gardener's shirt says OTOKO on the back, and that he has a duck's head cover on the clipper on his belt. Usopp <3 <3]
Kaku once again threatens to reveal the "fathomless destructive power of the giraffe." This time, he transforms his neck into an telescoping cannon.
"Kirin houdai!" (houdai: 砲台 = cannon; 放題 = "all-you-want", as in "all you can eat").
Zoro: "That doesn't even look like a giraffe." (Kaku's neck is contracted all the way, so he looks more like a cow.)
Kaku's attack: "Extreme nose gun… KILIMANJARO!" (麒麟マン射櫓: the kanji read giraffe-man-arrow-turret. Someone PLEASE make the puns stop.)
Zoro says his long neck (which extended again for the Kilimanjaro attack) is a weakness, but Kaku says it's not. He twists his neck into a combination of sword and corkscrew, knocking Zoro off his feet.
Kaku tries to use his Kirin Houdai attack again, but accidentally projects the length into his legs instead (so now he has a short neck and long legs).
He explains it's like when you force dough through the nozzle of a pasta maker. He dubs his new form "Pasta Machine!"
Zoro: "This is no time to be thinking up attack names!!"
[This is VERY close, though not identical, to what Usopp said to Zoro about the "Nose-Storm" thing. I love the repeated implication that Kaku and Zoro have very similar personalities.]
Kaku is trying to declare a new attack, but in the end he just uses "KILIMANJARO" again.
Zoro: "You just couldn't think of anything better!"
They continue fighting. Kaku comes up with more attack names (including two that end in "bamboo forest," chiKI-RIN).
[I think it was at this point that I stopped looking up unfamiliar kanji because I couldn't take any more awful puns.]
Zoro finally summons the technique that invokes the demon Ashura (because he moves so fast that he appears to have three heads and six hands, thus wielding nine swords instead of three).
Zoro strikes the killing blow.
418
Kaku collapses, reverting to his human form.
Zoro: "I have a message from the young boss (waka-gashira) of Galley-La. 'You're all fired.'"
[LOL, I just noticed that Zoro puts "kubi" in extra quotation marks, presumably because the idiom for "fired" uses the word for neck. Couldn't go out without one last pun, eh, Zoro?]
Kaku: "Paulie, huh? Hm, that's a problem. Not too much work out there for ex-assassins."
Zoro: "Have you considered a zoo?"
Kaku laughs. "Good one!"
He tosses his key to Zoro (or starts to, before he passes out).
[I think this little exchange is pretty much the entire reason I love Kaku, well, apart from all the giraffe jokes.]
Back on Enies Lobby, the Franky Family are all screaming "RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
It turns out the ones who are actually running are the giants (carrying Sodom and Gomorrah too, omg, I love giants).
"GO, in the name of Elbaf!"
"Oh, shut up!"
Sanji shows up to meet Zoro (aw, he just couldn't leave him behind).
Zoro says they've got all the keys now; they need to get to Robin.
Kokoro and the children are still running through the corridor. "Hey, don't rush an old lady, ngagaga!"
Spandam continues to drag Robin toward the gates of justice. He points out the arch at the end of the bridge - that's the point of no return.
For Robin, it's the boundary between heaven and hell. For himself, the moment when he carves his name in history.
Robin makes one last break for it. He tries to drag her away, but she's fastened her teeth in the edge of the stone bridge. (Yikes.)
Spandam is hurling abuse at her, but all Robin can think about is how afraid she is of dying. She never thought the prospect of death could be so terrifying. She's determined to hang on until they come for her.
Spandam: "How many times do I have to tell you, no one is coming for you!"
Cut to Luffy still fighting Lucci.
Franky tries to fight Lucci when Lucci blocks his path to the door, and is shocked to realize how strong he is, much stronger than Fukurou. Lucci points out that his "douriki" is five times that of Fukurou. ("And you did pretty well, to have defeated him. You're not far from superhuman yourself.")
Luffy interrupts, knocking Lucci flying. His body is giving off steam - he's entering Gear Two again.
Lucci assumes his leopard form.
Spandam is laughing over Robin's body (she now appears to have passed out). He starts dragging her limp body toward the gate.
Luffy: "Franky! Take care of Robin!"
Franky: "SUPER leave it to me!"
419 ("Hero Legend")
On Enies Lobby, the marines are stunned to see the gates of justice opened all the way. They normally don't open more than a crack, but this time they are open all the way to let the ten warships from Marine HQ get through.
The Franky Family and Galley-La are terrified by the sight, too. This is what it means to pick a fight with the "World."
Franky Family: "Don't die, aniki!"
Galley-La: "Come back alive, Mugiwara!"
Lucci appears no more than mildly annoyed by the fact that Franky got past him. He notices that Luffy's breathing is too fast - Gear Two is taking a severe toll on his body.
Franky is racing up the stairs to the bridge.
On the other end of the Bridge of Hesitation, the ship is waiting to take Robin away, and the marines have lined up in an honor guard formation to salute their new "hero," Spandam.
Spandam is dragging Robin's half-conscious body by a rope.
He gloatingly informs her that even if one of her friends manages to get past Lucci, he planted a land mine under the stairs at the top of the tower. Not that anyone will get that far.
Robin insists that she's still not going through that gate. "They said… they'd save me."
Spandam says they're not coming. The Buster Call will burn them to ashes, avenging the humiliation of the burning of the government flag.
"Just like that giant sailor on Ohara twenty years ago."
Spandam says that she thought he didn't know anything about Ohara, but he knows everything. About Saul, about her mother, everything that happened on Ohara. The man who gave the order for the Buster Call on Ohara was his father, Spandain.
[This wasn't supposed to be a surprise, was it? I thought it was completely obvious from the moment we met Spandain, but oh well.]
Robin remembers the man who passed death sentence on the archaeologists, who shot Professor Clover, who blocked her from escaping.
Spandam mocks Robin, "pitying" the wretchedness of her twenty years on the run.
Robin is crying now, as he gloats that his father was the one who put that bounty on her head, and now the son will be the one to take her in.
He's ringing down the curtain on the last survivor of Ohara. Ohara has lost.
Robin: "I'm still alive!"
Spandam: "And you're about to be DEAD!"
They both hear an explosion coming from the tower at the end of the bridge. Franky's smoking body is thrown into the air, and falls into the water below.
Spandam is shocked to see Cutty Flam, but delighted that he fell into his trap.
Robin: "He came… to save me…?"
Spandam starts dragging her toward the gate again. Robin is past words; the tears won't stop coming.
"With this next step, I will be engraved on history as the greatest hero of…"
An explosion sends Spandam flying. He lands in a heap in the midst of the soldiers who were standing at attention.
The marines come rushing onto the bridge, and start getting blown up right and left. No one can see where the attack is coming from.
Robin sees the silhouette just a little bit before they do. (Aw, Robin's crying face.)
Usopp is standing on the very top of the Tower of Law, firing across the water at the bridge. He strikes a pose.
They can't believe anyone could be shooting at this distance, into the wind, no less, and hitting with such deadly precision.
(Usopp is now singing his theme song.)
Tears are streaming down Robin's face. "Long-nose-kun!"
Sanji (standing underneath the Tower of Law) is torn between gloating ("That's right, that's our sniper!") and worrying about Robin.
Zoro: "Does he have to SING?" (Yes, Zoro. Yes, he does.)
Spandam, now on his feet, gets another bomb in the face. He keeps screaming at the marines to shoot him, but they say they can't even shoot that far, let alone aim to hit anything. "That sniper is amazing!"
Robin makes a break for it.
Spandam: "Don't let her get away! Shoot to kill, just don't kill her!" "HUH?"
The marines fire, but Franky blocks the bullets. "I'm strong, I'm made of iron. Your land mine was nothing, Spanda."
"Sogeking" raises Franky on the den-den mushi. He tells him he's just sent over a little red bag with two more keys in it. He should have all the keys now.
Usopp: "They got the message."
Sanji: "Mission accomplished."
Zoro: "Can we hurry it up? This is looking bad (やべー)."
TBC
Volume 43: Hero Legend (or, Legendary Hero?)
410
(Ahaha, I love the title of this chapter: "Nami's Giant Transformation.")
Luffy is holding his own against Lucci.
The government agents are fleeing the doomed island of Enies Lobby.
The tied-up prisoners (Franky Family and Galley-La) realize they've been left behind.
Zambai: "Whoa, this is bad!" (やべー)
Paulie: "It's BEEN bad since we set foot in this place."
Kaku and Jabura are discussing the fact that they need to wrap up their fight with Zoro and head for the gates of justice.
Zoro is busy thinking up a name for his Usopp-sword: "OK, you're 'Famous Sword Nose-Storm'" (名刀鼻嵐) - hana-arashi would normally be "storm of flower petals" (花嵐), LOL.
Usopp: "This is no time to be thinking up names! CHOPPER!!"
Chopper (in monster form) is climbing the building.
Back to Luffy and Lucci fighting for (counts) 8 pages. (Ah, shounen fighting, so much easier to summarize.) Still no progress.
Kalifa again attacks Nami, transforming her entire body into a slippery doll-like form. She needs to hurry up and escape, although she would have liked to stay and play a little longer.
Nami uses her Clima-Tact to summon a mirage effect. Kalifa keeps attacking something that looks like Nami but dissolves into air when touched.
While Nami is still hiding, the wall cracks and breaks. Chopper comes in roaring.
Kalifa thinks Chopper is some kind of giant-monster-transformation devil fruit ability that Nami was hiding up her sleeve.
Nami: "Is she a COMPLETE idiot?" (天然!!?)
411
[Cover Arc: The BW agents seem to be settling into their new identities as they prepare to open the new Spider's Cafe. Did Miss Valentine make a Crocodile Hook Cake?]
Nami realizes that the monster must be Chopper, but she can hardly believe it.
Kalifa has a hard time fighting monster Chopper. When Nami tries to stop her, Chopper attacks her instead.
At first she thinks he doesn't recognize her because of what Kalifa did to her body.
Kalifa: "Just so you know, I totally did NOT ever think that was you."
(Nami is too busy worrying over Chopper to pay any attention. Kalifa is very offended by her rudeness.)
Chopper picks up Kalifa's entire bath-island and throws it over the stairwell into the lobby below, where Sanji is still passed out.
When Kalifa complains about "that monster" interfering, Nami gets mad.
"You keep your hands off him! That's my nakama!" (Aw!)
Chopper smashes more stuff.
Nami wants to go after him and stop him somehow (she's still ignoring Kalifa, who is again offended by the rudeness).
Kalifa now concludes (from the "nakama" remark) that "you pirates sure keep weird pets."
She says that Nami can go after Chopper if she wants, but she'll have to deal with Kalifa first.
Nami finally realizes that the "slippery" effect can be removed by washing the soap off with water. Kalifa blocks her path, but it turns out that being thrown through the air tends to wipe the foam away, as well.
Nami manages to summon an indoor rainstorm, protecting her from the effects of the bubble attack.
Kalifa: "Not cute at all. And after I went to all that trouble to give you such beautiful skin."
Nami: "If being cute means being helpless and not fighting back, I'll pass."
Nami uses her mirage effect again to create an entire mirror-army of Namis.
She attacks Kalifa with lightning.
412
[Cover arc: Mr 2 and Mr 3 are tossed into prison with Crocodile and Mr. 1. "Mr. 0.1.2.3."]
Nami tells Kalifa the next attack will finish her.
Kalifa: "What kind of a prediction is that? Impudence!"
Nami: "It's not a prediction… it's a forecast. In this room, I control the weather."
Nami delivers the "weather forecast" of Kalifa's impending doom.
(LOL, the weather forecast of the daily Japanese news broadcasts is one of the few parts I almost understand. She's using the standard delivery format here. "In the end, you'll most likely get struck by lightning. Do take care to avoid heart attacks." The regular weather forecast seems to think that it's necessary to regularly warn people about avalanches when it snows.)
Kalifa tries to hit the many Namis with a "tidal wave" of bubbles, figuring that way it won't matter which one is the real her. Nami makes a hole and breaks through, but in doing so, inadvertently reveals her real self.
Kalifa attacks ("I'm going to turn you into a pincushion!"), but Nami says she's forgotten one thing - you should never ignore what the navigator tells you about the weather.
Nami destroys Kalifa with her "Thunder-Lance Tempo."
"No matter how strong you may be - my forecasts never fail!"
Franky finally shows up ("Deer-Gorilla, where are you!?").
Nami wants to know what on earth happened to Chopper, but Franky says that's what he wanted to know. He hoped they would recognize Chopper's power and know how to handle it.
Franky starts to say that in that case he'll just have to strangle him, but Nami bashes him over the head. "I'll never say it again! I swear!"
He says they need Kalifa's key, and Nami says she was about to take care of that.
She starts ripping the unconscious Kalifa's clothing off. "Where did she hide it!?"
Franky approves (like the thumbs-up gesture).
Chopper is now pursuing Zoro and Usopp (they don't know why he doesn't recognize them).
Zoro is worried - as monstrous as Chopper is, he looks like he's at death's door. He deduces that that form must be using up too much of Chopper's life energy. If they leave him alone, he'll collapse on his own.
Kaku and Jabura, annoyed by the interruption to their fight, prepare to attack Chopper. Usopp gets very upset ("They're gonna hurt Chopper!!"); Zoro attacks with his Usopp-sword.
Franky interrupts them, saying he has a plan to deal with Chopper. He uses one of his attacks to knock Chopper through the wall and into the ocean.
Nami (suddenly appearing): "Don't worry. It's all part of the plan."
Franky dives in after Chopper.
Kaku and Jabura are irritated ("They're fighting amongst themselves AGAIN?") but then realize that Zoro is finally free of the handcuffs (because Kalifa had key #2).
Zoro: "You should be crying. You just missed your LAST chance to defeat me… world government."
413
[Cover Arc (last): Crocodile, Mr. 1, Bon Kurei and Mr. 3 are all shipped off to Impel Down.]
Robin is trying to run away from Spandam, using the last of her strength, but he gets her back under control easily with his elephant sword.
Franky manages to drag a now unconscious and back-to-normal Chopper out of the water.
He's shocked that even Chopper's nakama didn't know how to handle him in that form. He's impressed that Chopper took out one of the CP9 agents (not to mention the fact that Chopper's nakama would still stand up for him when he turned into THAT), so he grumpily decides to forgive him "this time." (He's not entirely gentle as he goes about pumping water out of poor Chopper's lungs.)
Chimney and Gonbe show up and tell Franky that they know how to get to the gates of justice.
Franky remembers Nami telling him what they need to do - after Chopper is under control, Franky has to get the remaining keys to Robin so they can open her handcuffs. She gave him the baby den-den mushi Kalifa was carrying.
She says she'll stay and free "Hana-Kingu" (hee, Nami keeps mutilating poor Usopp's name) and Zoro.
Franky points out that even if they can save Robin, they're in a fix - the bridge back to Enies Lobby is broken, and even if they could get back to it, they'd be wiped out by the Buster Call.
Nami: "Well then, we've got death behind and the unknown ahead of us. Which do we choose?"
[Badass Nami is kind of awesome!]
She says they'll do what they need to do in the Tower of Law and follow as soon as they can.
"Leave the rest… to luck!" "LUCK!?"
[The same exchange Zoro and Usopp had on the train, of course.]
Mini-flashback over, Franky tells Chimney, Gonbe and Kokoro to bring "the deer" and follow him through the tunnel.
Zoro, Usopp and Nami are facing Kaku and Jabura.
Nami is yelling at Zoro and Usopp for wasting time fooling around. Zoro/Usopp, in unison: "It was his stupid fault." Nami: "You're BOTH big fat idiots! Get those keys!"
Zoro fights Kaku while Usopp and Nami look on in horror.
Nami: "He just blasted a square hole through a rock! That nose is even more amazing than Sogeppu's!"
Usopp: "Who the hell is Sogeppu!? And quit with the useless comparisons!"
Belatedly, they realize Jabura is standing right next to them.
He offers them the key he's carrying, saying he really doesn't enjoy taking human life. But when Usopp reaches for it, Jabura attacks. He slams his claws into Usopp's chest and throws him into a wall.
He laughs at Usopp, calling him a "masked fool" (まぬけ覆面), and asks why he doesn't resort to running around in circles again. His legs are good for RUNNING, at least.
Usopp fights back with his new Kabuto weapon, but Jabura easily defeats him and prepares to tear his throat out.
[Poor Usopp. T__T]
"Little lamb wandered away from the shepherd, and now he's gonna get eaten by the big bad wolf."
(Aw, Zoro's reaction when he realizes what's going on, but he can't stop fighting Kaku to help.)
Just in time, Sanji shows up to kick Jabura's ass.
[Love Zoro's satisfied "Hmph!" when he sees Sanji.]
Jabura: "Who are YOU?"
Sanji: "I'm the hunter."
414
When Nami asks how he escaped from the state he was in, Sanji says a bathtub fell out of the sky and saved him by pouring water all over him.
When he then starts his usual hearts and flowers routine ("Do you love me even more now?"), Nami says she wishes the tub had hit him.
Usopp is crawling to his feet.
Nami: "Hanappu!"
Usopp: "Sob… there's not a single syllable of Sogeking left…"
He starts to apologize to Sanji for not being able to get the key, but Sanji gruffly cuts him off.
"Not everyone can do everything."
He points out at the gates of justice across the water, which are starting to swing open. Robin is about to be taken out of their reach.
Spandam is dragging Robin along by the hair (T__T).
Luffy is still fighting Lucci.
Franky is racing down the tunnel, with Kokoro and the kids behind him (Chimney is insisting on painting a trail for the others to follow). Kokoro has Chopper slung over one shoulder (poor Chopper).
Zoro and Kaku are still fighting.
Sanji: "This situation is just about as bad as it can possibly get…"
The sea-train is overloaded with evacuating government agents and soldiers.
The Franky Family and Galley-La got free of their ropes because Paulie was only pretending to be tied up (yay!). They know they can't help Franky or the Strawhats, so they decide that their best bet is to get themselves off the island any way they can.
The attacking warships are on their way.
Sanji: "… But when things look their worst, there's always a way out."
"Leave this guy to me. I'll do what you couldn't do, and you do what I can't do."
[Definitely one of Sanji's best lines ever.]
Sanji tells Usopp that if he thinks hard enough, he'll realize that they have a way to save Robin, as long as Usopp is with them.
Nami and Usopp make a run for it while Sanji challenges Jabura.
Usopp starts yelling that he's figured it out - he knows what to do.
Sanji and Jabura fight for a while.
Jabura again tries to use deceit, this time claiming that he wants to give Sanji the key because Robin is his long-lost sister.
[Ahaha, these are the outrageous lies that lego_joker was talking about, I see.]
Sanji pretends to fall for it, but isn't taken in. "Oh, come ON." (ってそんなわけ)
His kick sends Jabura flying.
415
"Robin, your sister? Do-aho. Try coming up with a better lie than that!"
But, he thanks Jabura for the key (which is now in his hand).
Jabura tries to stop Sanji from escaping, and their fight shifts into the central stairway area.
When Jabura taunts Sanji about Robin ("If you got time to pity that stupid broad and her bad luck…"), Sanji gets angry.
"Watch your mouth. I tend to heat up when I lose my temper."
Sanji spins until one of his legs is red-hot, and takes Jabura out with his Diablo Jambe.
[I guess this is the first time he's used this attack?]
They continue fighting in mid-air (physics? who cares?) until Sanji finally defeats Jabura.
416
Sanji is standing over Jabura's smoking body in the lobby below.
"God made food, and the devil made spices. Guess I used a bit too much spice."
Seeing the ceiling shifting, he mutters "Damn giraffe and marimo. Are they trying to destroy the building?"
He figures Nami and Usopp must already be on their way to Robin. He should get going, too. He's holding key #1.
Spandam drags Robin up onto the Bridge of Hesitation.
He can't stop gloating. Once they pass through those gates, he'll be a hero to the world!
The warships are reporting that they're ten minutes away.
Franky runs into Luffy and Lucci, who are still fighting at the base of the stairs to the bridge.
Luffy is distracted from his fight long enough to get cranky with Franky again. Franky: "Will you please get it through your head that I'm ON YOUR SIDE!"
He offers to give Luffy a hand with Lucci, but Luffy says the main thing is to get to Robin. He says he'll hold Lucci back long enough to give Franky a chance to get past them.
"SUPER leave it to me, bakayarou!" (I don't know how to translate that when it's not really meant to be an insult.)
Back in the tower, Kaku and Zoro are still fighting. Zoro ties his black headscarf on.
Kaku: "What, you get stronger with that on?"
Zoro: "Saa, na."
Zoro attacks. Kaku says that when he's in mid-air, he's got a blind spot. (shikaku)
Kaku uses his devil fruit ability to transform himself into a compact cube. "I'm shikaku (四角 = square), but I've got no shikaku (死角 = blind spot)!"
Zoro is furious. "Shut up! What are you DOING!?"
[Oh god, this entire fight is one long bad pun. I lost count after a while. It's the battle of the oyaji gag!]
When square-giraffe uses a truncated form of rankyaku on him, Zoro thinks he's just joking around, but he's not. It creates a hail of cutting blows, bouncing off the ceiling and striking from all directions.
Kaku uses his "bigan" (the nose-gun version of "shigan"; bi = nose) on Zoro. He's grudgingly impressed when Zoro bounces back from the blow.
Zoro says it's just training. "Kirin-ja."
They get into a fight because Kaku keeps insisting that HE'S the giraffe here. (In old-man speak, "kirin ja." I understand what Kaku is saying; what I don't get is why Zoro keeps taunting him with it. "Kirin ja ja ja ja!" Is he just mocking how Kaku talks?)
Zoro says he needs to break through that "iron barrier" (tekkai) of Kaku's.
Kaku: "What, if it's iron you can cut it? That depends on whether I let you reach my barrier or not."
Zoro decides he needs to power up.
"Ichi go-ri-ra! Ni go-ri-ra!"
[This is so BAD, omg. 剛力 (here go-ri, though usually gouriki) is "herculean strength." Not sure what the ra (羅) part is supposed to refer to - possibly a battle technique thing? - but the whole kanji phrase 剛力羅 (go-ri-ra) seems to mean "bulging muscles" but sounds like "gorilla."]
"NIGORI-ZAKE!" (Spelled 二剛力斬, two-herculean-strength-cut, but it sounds like a type of sake.)
Kaku is down but not out.
Zoro accuses Kaku of being the proud type, the kind that thinks he can't be beat.
["Zu ga takai" literally means "your head is high" (because he's a giraffe, yuk yuk).]
Kaku: "Same goes for you!" (貴様もじゃ!)
417
[Cover picture - these have just been a series of silly sketches, but I love that Usopp-gardener's shirt says OTOKO on the back, and that he has a duck's head cover on the clipper on his belt. Usopp <3 <3]
Kaku once again threatens to reveal the "fathomless destructive power of the giraffe." This time, he transforms his neck into an telescoping cannon.
"Kirin houdai!" (houdai: 砲台 = cannon; 放題 = "all-you-want", as in "all you can eat").
Zoro: "That doesn't even look like a giraffe." (Kaku's neck is contracted all the way, so he looks more like a cow.)
Kaku's attack: "Extreme nose gun… KILIMANJARO!" (麒麟マン射櫓: the kanji read giraffe-man-arrow-turret. Someone PLEASE make the puns stop.)
Zoro says his long neck (which extended again for the Kilimanjaro attack) is a weakness, but Kaku says it's not. He twists his neck into a combination of sword and corkscrew, knocking Zoro off his feet.
Kaku tries to use his Kirin Houdai attack again, but accidentally projects the length into his legs instead (so now he has a short neck and long legs).
He explains it's like when you force dough through the nozzle of a pasta maker. He dubs his new form "Pasta Machine!"
Zoro: "This is no time to be thinking up attack names!!"
[This is VERY close, though not identical, to what Usopp said to Zoro about the "Nose-Storm" thing. I love the repeated implication that Kaku and Zoro have very similar personalities.]
Kaku is trying to declare a new attack, but in the end he just uses "KILIMANJARO" again.
Zoro: "You just couldn't think of anything better!"
They continue fighting. Kaku comes up with more attack names (including two that end in "bamboo forest," chiKI-RIN).
[I think it was at this point that I stopped looking up unfamiliar kanji because I couldn't take any more awful puns.]
Zoro finally summons the technique that invokes the demon Ashura (because he moves so fast that he appears to have three heads and six hands, thus wielding nine swords instead of three).
Zoro strikes the killing blow.
418
Kaku collapses, reverting to his human form.
Zoro: "I have a message from the young boss (waka-gashira) of Galley-La. 'You're all fired.'"
[LOL, I just noticed that Zoro puts "kubi" in extra quotation marks, presumably because the idiom for "fired" uses the word for neck. Couldn't go out without one last pun, eh, Zoro?]
Kaku: "Paulie, huh? Hm, that's a problem. Not too much work out there for ex-assassins."
Zoro: "Have you considered a zoo?"
Kaku laughs. "Good one!"
He tosses his key to Zoro (or starts to, before he passes out).
[I think this little exchange is pretty much the entire reason I love Kaku, well, apart from all the giraffe jokes.]
Back on Enies Lobby, the Franky Family are all screaming "RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
It turns out the ones who are actually running are the giants (carrying Sodom and Gomorrah too, omg, I love giants).
"GO, in the name of Elbaf!"
"Oh, shut up!"
Sanji shows up to meet Zoro (aw, he just couldn't leave him behind).
Zoro says they've got all the keys now; they need to get to Robin.
Kokoro and the children are still running through the corridor. "Hey, don't rush an old lady, ngagaga!"
Spandam continues to drag Robin toward the gates of justice. He points out the arch at the end of the bridge - that's the point of no return.
For Robin, it's the boundary between heaven and hell. For himself, the moment when he carves his name in history.
Robin makes one last break for it. He tries to drag her away, but she's fastened her teeth in the edge of the stone bridge. (Yikes.)
Spandam is hurling abuse at her, but all Robin can think about is how afraid she is of dying. She never thought the prospect of death could be so terrifying. She's determined to hang on until they come for her.
Spandam: "How many times do I have to tell you, no one is coming for you!"
Cut to Luffy still fighting Lucci.
Franky tries to fight Lucci when Lucci blocks his path to the door, and is shocked to realize how strong he is, much stronger than Fukurou. Lucci points out that his "douriki" is five times that of Fukurou. ("And you did pretty well, to have defeated him. You're not far from superhuman yourself.")
Luffy interrupts, knocking Lucci flying. His body is giving off steam - he's entering Gear Two again.
Lucci assumes his leopard form.
Spandam is laughing over Robin's body (she now appears to have passed out). He starts dragging her limp body toward the gate.
Luffy: "Franky! Take care of Robin!"
Franky: "SUPER leave it to me!"
419 ("Hero Legend")
On Enies Lobby, the marines are stunned to see the gates of justice opened all the way. They normally don't open more than a crack, but this time they are open all the way to let the ten warships from Marine HQ get through.
The Franky Family and Galley-La are terrified by the sight, too. This is what it means to pick a fight with the "World."
Franky Family: "Don't die, aniki!"
Galley-La: "Come back alive, Mugiwara!"
Lucci appears no more than mildly annoyed by the fact that Franky got past him. He notices that Luffy's breathing is too fast - Gear Two is taking a severe toll on his body.
Franky is racing up the stairs to the bridge.
On the other end of the Bridge of Hesitation, the ship is waiting to take Robin away, and the marines have lined up in an honor guard formation to salute their new "hero," Spandam.
Spandam is dragging Robin's half-conscious body by a rope.
He gloatingly informs her that even if one of her friends manages to get past Lucci, he planted a land mine under the stairs at the top of the tower. Not that anyone will get that far.
Robin insists that she's still not going through that gate. "They said… they'd save me."
Spandam says they're not coming. The Buster Call will burn them to ashes, avenging the humiliation of the burning of the government flag.
"Just like that giant sailor on Ohara twenty years ago."
Spandam says that she thought he didn't know anything about Ohara, but he knows everything. About Saul, about her mother, everything that happened on Ohara. The man who gave the order for the Buster Call on Ohara was his father, Spandain.
[This wasn't supposed to be a surprise, was it? I thought it was completely obvious from the moment we met Spandain, but oh well.]
Robin remembers the man who passed death sentence on the archaeologists, who shot Professor Clover, who blocked her from escaping.
Spandam mocks Robin, "pitying" the wretchedness of her twenty years on the run.
Robin is crying now, as he gloats that his father was the one who put that bounty on her head, and now the son will be the one to take her in.
He's ringing down the curtain on the last survivor of Ohara. Ohara has lost.
Robin: "I'm still alive!"
Spandam: "And you're about to be DEAD!"
They both hear an explosion coming from the tower at the end of the bridge. Franky's smoking body is thrown into the air, and falls into the water below.
Spandam is shocked to see Cutty Flam, but delighted that he fell into his trap.
Robin: "He came… to save me…?"
Spandam starts dragging her toward the gate again. Robin is past words; the tears won't stop coming.
"With this next step, I will be engraved on history as the greatest hero of…"
An explosion sends Spandam flying. He lands in a heap in the midst of the soldiers who were standing at attention.
The marines come rushing onto the bridge, and start getting blown up right and left. No one can see where the attack is coming from.
Robin sees the silhouette just a little bit before they do. (Aw, Robin's crying face.)
Usopp is standing on the very top of the Tower of Law, firing across the water at the bridge. He strikes a pose.
They can't believe anyone could be shooting at this distance, into the wind, no less, and hitting with such deadly precision.
(Usopp is now singing his theme song.)
Tears are streaming down Robin's face. "Long-nose-kun!"
Sanji (standing underneath the Tower of Law) is torn between gloating ("That's right, that's our sniper!") and worrying about Robin.
Zoro: "Does he have to SING?" (Yes, Zoro. Yes, he does.)
Spandam, now on his feet, gets another bomb in the face. He keeps screaming at the marines to shoot him, but they say they can't even shoot that far, let alone aim to hit anything. "That sniper is amazing!"
Robin makes a break for it.
Spandam: "Don't let her get away! Shoot to kill, just don't kill her!" "HUH?"
The marines fire, but Franky blocks the bullets. "I'm strong, I'm made of iron. Your land mine was nothing, Spanda."
"Sogeking" raises Franky on the den-den mushi. He tells him he's just sent over a little red bag with two more keys in it. He should have all the keys now.
Usopp: "They got the message."
Sanji: "Mission accomplished."
Zoro: "Can we hurry it up? This is looking bad (やべー)."
TBC