Chapter 453: Breakthrough at Enies Lobby

As the Thousand Sunny pushed forward, everyone felt goosebumps rise on their skin. A looming sense of danger pressed closer with each moment.

“Why is it suddenly so cold?” Nami rubbed her arms up and down, shivering as chills crept through her shoulders.

“Get ready. A battle’s coming.”

The threat was unmistakable—they could feel waves of peril radiating from the open first gate ahead.

The rest of the crew quickly got into battle formation. This overwhelming sense of menace could only be the Navy’s Buster Call.

Right at this spot, right at this time, only the Navy could threaten them with such force. Even when facing the CP9, it never felt like this. This had to be a major deployment for the Buster Call.

“Is that… the Navy ahead?”

The moment the Sunny burst through the outermost gate, what awaited outside was a ring of Navy warships, completely encircling Enies Lobby.

A quick count—around forty to fifty ships. Out in front, five ships led the fleet, each one with a Navy Vice Admiral standing at its bow.

It was clear to everyone—this battle was going to be on a scale they’d never seen.

“Fire!!!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A single barrage sent hundreds of cannonballs hurtling straight at the Thousand Sunny.

Clang!

“Santoryu—Three Thousand Worlds!”

A dense web of sword aura wove together, slashing down every incoming cannonball. The resulting thunderous explosions cloaked the space between the Sunny and the Navy fleet in thick smoke.

“Gin, turn the ship starboard! Ninety degrees!”

Nami’s instincts as a top navigator kicked in. In seconds, she spotted the Navy’s weak point—starboard, ninety degrees, where only three or five ships lingered, well away from the main fleet.

Those ships must have been stationed just to cover Enies Lobby with cannonfire. They never expected the pirates to burst out from the middle.

“All ships, open fire! Don’t hold back—use all the ammo!” Vice Admiral Dalmatian bellowed from his ship’s bow.

The Navy operated swiftly and precisely.

Within seconds they reloaded. Another barrage—hundreds more shells vanished into the smoky haze.

“Gum-Gum!”

Luffy leapt into action, puffing up like a giant balloon and bouncing every cannonball right back at the Navy.

“What the—Dodge!”

“Why are the cannonballs coming back?!”

The five Vice Admirals spotted the cannonballs streaking out of the smoke toward their own ships. Their faces hardened. “All leaders who can use Moonwalk, follow me!”

From each ship, several officers shot into the air, using Moonwalk to intercept the returning cannonballs midair.

On deck, master swordsmen unleashed wave after wave of sword aura. Despite their efforts, dozens of cannonballs still crashed into the leading Navy ships.

As the smoke cleared, Vice Admiral Dalmatian realized Luffy and the others were almost out of the encirclement.

“You all keep executing the Buster Call. I’ll bring them back myself!”

Vice Admiral Dalmatian was the most seasoned officer in this operation; the other four were new-generation Vice Admirals along to gain experience.

The other four nodded and began directing their fleets to mercilessly bombard Enies Lobby, determined to erase it from the sea.

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Dalmatian boarded his own vessel to pursue Luffy and the Straw Hats.

At this point, he still had no idea of Luffy’s true power.

“Gum-Gum Battle Axe!”

Four Navy ships blocked Luffy’s path. With a single leg strike from above, he shattered one, ripping through steel as water flooded the hull. The sailors had to abandon ship.

“Alright, let’s bust out of here all in one go!”

While the crew fended off attacks from every direction, Luffy kept swinging his Battle Axe, destroying the last three warships one after another.

“Straw Hat Pirates—where do you think you’re going?!”

Seeing them about to escape, Vice Admiral Dalmatian shot into the sky with Moonwalk, sword in hand, slamming down with a brutal slash toward the Thousand Sunny.

If he could cut the Sunny in two, there’d be nowhere for Luffy and the crew to run.

CLANG!

Zoro was already in the air, swinging Shusui to block Dalmatian’s blade.

The moment their weapons met, Zoro felt an immense force surging through Dalmatian’s grip. His expression shifted—this was the second time he’d ever fought a swordsman with raw strength surpassing his own.

“Hm? Your strength is above what your bounties suggest.”

Even from a single exchange, Dalmatian could tell this would be a tough fight. Zoro might only be the Straw Hats’ second or third strongest, and there were three others at this level.

Still, with his experience, running wasn’t in Dalmatian’s vocabulary.

Forced back to the deck, Zoro’s face showed a wild excitement. “Now this is a real fight!”

Zoro sprang up again and they clashed in midair, unleashing colossal force. The aftershocks sent ripples and plumes of water exploding across the sea below.

“Franky! Is the Coup de Vent Cannon ready?” Ye Fan was preparing for both outcomes. They had to face the Buster Call head-on, but also needed a clear escape route.

“Super! Leave it to me, I’ve got this covered one hundred percent!”

“Alright, Luffy—it’s all on us now.”

Their plan was set. The Sunny stayed poised at the edge of escape. The crew would meet the Buster Call head-on; as long as they crushed it, Robin’s fear could finally be erased.

“Let’s go!”

“Buster Call!”

…

“Take aim!”

“Round twenty-one—Fire!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

While Vice Admiral Dalmatian chased after Luffy’s group, the other four Vice Admirals fired more than twenty relentless cannon salvos, nearly blanketing Enies Lobby with fire.

“Vice Admiral Bastille! Those pirates are heading this way!”

A lookout shouted down from the watchtower to alert Vice Admiral Bastille.

“Oh?”

“They had a shot at escape, but turned back instead. Are these pirates insane?” Bastille was baffled. With fifty Navy ships behind this Buster Call, their assault could challenge even the Four Emperors.

A lineup like this could launch a crusade against the Yonko. Was Luffy really coming back just to die?

“Doesn’t matter why they’re coming.”

“Sink them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The lookout sprinted back up and used signal flags to direct ten ships to turn and target Luffy’s group. The rest kept pounding Enies Lobby with constant bombardment.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Luffy’s team rode Dock Two, a mini-ship with just Luffy, Sanji, Ye Fan, and Usopp aboard.