Chapter 369

CP9 receives word that the rear two coaches have been cut loose and that the defenders of the fifth went down without trouble. With Robin confined to the lead car, only the agents and Wanze stand between her and her would-be rescuers. Given a description of the attackers, Kaku reasons that the blond man in the suit is another of the crew and that their aim is to take Robin back with Franky's help. Dismissing every other concern, the agents fix on recapturing Franky, and Rob Lucci declares that reclaiming Robin will never succeed.

On the fourth coach, Wanze keeps barring the path until Sanji's attack forces him to dodge, opening a lane for the other two to push past. Wanze notes that Nero waits in the coach beyond, then absorbs twelve kicks from Sanji and answers by raising armor around himself through Ramen Kenpo. Atop the following coach Franky meets Nero, who is barred from killing him because the captive is needed breathing. After baiting his opponent, Franky strikes first, boasting that, being his town's underworld boss, he fights without scruples. Far ahead in the lead car, Robin catches a tap at the glass and is startled to find Sogeking outside.

A marine briefs CP9 on the state of the Puffing Tom, now reduced to five cars after the rest were detached, with Wanze in the fourth, Nero in the third, the agents in the second, and Robin in the first. He sketches the attackers as Franky, Sogeking, and a suited blond man, and Kaku guesses the last is yet another crewman. The agents wave off all other dangers to focus on Franky. Wanze reveals himself as a Ramen Kenpo user and discloses that Nero, who delights in killing, also serves CP9. For the cover, a color spread bears the title Crash! We Can Fight It!, a line lifted from a song by Bryan Adams, a musician Oda counts among his favorites. The art jumbles framed portraits of every crew member, with Usopp drawn in his Sogeking guise and Robin shown behind a chain that marks her captivity. The chapter is part of the Water 7 Arc.