Chapters · Water Seven › Enies Lobby

Chapter 389: Response

Arc: Enies Lobby · Saga: Water Seven · Released:

Summary

At the Enies Lobby courthouse, Luffy (atop the courthouse roof) and Franky (down on the balcony, chained beside Robin) have both reached the captive Robin — and the whole judicial complex erupts in alarm at the lone “straw hat man yelling at the top of his lungs.” A starving Luffy is fed snacks by his subordinates while the guards scramble. Cornered and humiliated that Blueno “lost to that brat,” Director Spandam orders CP9 and the guards to annihilate the Straw Hats — then, when Franky’s air-cannon body begins inflating, Spandam announces he’ll blow himself up to take the pirates with him, only to immediately panic and beg not to die (“I’m not ready to die!!”). Franky uses the diversion to snap the chains binding him to Robin and fires Coup de Vent to launch them both off the balcony to the far side, narrowly saved by a fence. Luffy spots Robin still alive (“OHHH! ROBIN!! Thank goodness you’re still there!”), but when he reaches her she screams him off — “Go home!! I don’t even want to see your faces anymore!!” — and, asked why the crew came to save her, breaks down: “I just… WANT TO DIE!!” The watching Robin sweats as the Straw Hat “gang” appears to fight amongst themselves; the assembled CP9 home cell (Lucci, Jabra, Kaku, Kalifa, Kumadori, Fukuro) watch from afar, mocking Blueno’s defeat. Luffy grins through the chaos: “Let’s see how this turns out! This is so much fun!”

New reveals

• Robin’s violent rejection of rescue — reunited at last with Luffy and Franky, Robin refuses to be saved: “I’m not coming back to you and the crew!!” (p. 14), “Go home!!” / “I don’t even want to see your faces anymore!!” (p. 14), and when Luffy demands “Why did you come to save me?!” she answers “I just… WANT TO DIE!!” (p. 15). The concealed-motive defection (seeded since Water Seven) reaches its emotional peak here; the inverse “I want to live” answer is still forward.
• Spandam’s cowardice crystallized — he declares he’ll detonate himself and the munitions (“I’ve decided to end it by blowing myself up… I’m gonna take you hateful jerks with me!!… an explosion that’ll reach almost two miles in diameter”, p. 8) “because I just had an epiphany about my life,” then instantly recants in terror (“Wait! Don’t take me with you!”; “Darnit, I’m not ready to die!!”, pp. 8–9). The “Director” who commands CP9 is, again, the least courageous figure present.
• Franky’s escape with Robin — Franky snaps the sea-prism chains binding him and Robin (“The chains… they’re busted… I’M SUPER!!”, p. 11) and fires Coup de Vent to blast the pair off the balcony across an impassable gap, caught by a fence (“That was a close call. Thank goodness for the fence”, p. 11).
• CP9 home cell assembled and watching — Lucci, Jabra, Kaku, Kalifa, Kumadori, Fukuro are gathered out of the fray (pp. 18–19), commenting on Blueno’s loss: “Blueno got thrashed. The fool.” (Lucci), “I guess running a bar for five years will dull anyone’s skills… Still, how could he lose?” — “Well, he did lose!” The arc’s boss bracket is poised; none has engaged yet.
• Luffy’s glee — through the whole chaotic stand-off Luffy treats it as entertainment: “Let’s see how this turns out! Wah ha ha! This is so much fun!” (p. 17), a tonal counterweight to Robin’s despair.

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy, Nico Robin, Franky, Spandam (commanding from the balcony level), Blueno (referenced — “got thrashed”; not on-page combat this chapter), Rob Lucci, Jabra, Kaku, Kalifa, Kumadori, Fukuro (the assembled CP9 home cell, pp. 18–19), Funkfreed (Spandam’s elephant cane, by association), Baskerville (referenced — “Notify Baskerville too… lower the drawbridge”, p. 6)
• Groups: CP9, Straw Hat Pirates
• Lore/techniques: Six Powers (Rokushiki) (Blueno “knows the Six Powers and he can wield them expertly”, p. 4), Coup de Vent (Franky’s air-cannon escape, p. 11)
• Locations: Enies Lobby (the courthouse, the Tower of Law balcony, the courthouse roof, the drawbridge)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Chapter 389 title page. Cover serial: “Ms. Golden Week’s Plan, A Baroque Reunion, Vol. 23: ‘Explosion!! The Fake Mr. 3’s Oh, Come My Way Karate’” — Ms. Goldenweek and the disguised Baroque Works officers; a “Surrender” flag and the round-bottom Mr. 3-”3” silhouette figure being launched by a karate blow. Cover-story B-plot panel (no standalone color spread this chapter).
• Page 2 — Wide establishing shot of the Enies Lobby towers across the chasm; the alarm ”…!!INN!! ROOOOO ROBII…” / “WAAAAA”; guards realize “There’s a man wearing a straw hat, yelling at the top of his lungs!” on the courthouse roof.
• Page 3 — Comic beat: a starving Luffy (“So hungry…”) is fed “Snacks!” with a “BOOM!” / “CHOMP CHOMP” / “I’m gwad I pud dem in my pogget!!” — the tonal-relief gag amid the siege.
• Page 4 — Blueno’s defeated body on the ground (“…he lost to that brat?”); “He’s CP9!! He knows the Six Powers and he can wield them expertly… Blueno’s power level exceeds 800!!” — confirming the watchers’ shock at Luffy’s win.
• Pages 5–7 — Spandam (on the balcony) rages “Gather every last one of them!! …shall be completely annihilated!! I command the CP9!” and tells Robin she’s been abandoned: “Sitting there quietly in your chains isn’t gonna make someone come and save you… If you keep turning away… they won’t be able to save you!” Robin: ”…” (silent).
• Page 8 — Spandam’s self-destruct bluff: Franky’s “butt… is expanding!!”; “I’ve decided to end it by blowing myself up… an explosion that’ll reach almost two miles in diameter” → immediate panic, “Wait! Don’t take me with you!”
• Pages 9–11 — “Coup de… okay!” / “KAPOW!!!” — Franky launches; the chains snap (“they’re busted… I’M SUPER!!”); he and Robin clear the gap and are caught by a fence (“close call. Thank goodness for the fence”).
• Page 12 — Wide shot of the courthouse (“CITY’S COURT”); “OHHH! ROBIN!! Thank goodness you’re still there!” — Luffy reaching her; Robin: “Luffy…”
• Pages 14–15 — The core confrontation: Robin — “How many times must I tell you?! I’m not coming back to you and the crew!!” / “Go home!!” / “I don’t even want to see your faces anymore!!” → Luffy: “Did I ever ask you to come?!” Robin: “Why did you come to save me?!” → Luffy (huge close-up): “I just… WANT TO DIE!!”
• Page 16 — “What’s wrong with you?! The crew risked their lives to come here!!” — “That was their decision.” A scuffle (“GUFF!” / “WHAD!!!”) with Kaku in frame (“Hey, Kaku, are you that upset?” / ”…I like it.”); “You’re in my way.”
• Page 17 — Luffy grinning: “Let’s see how this turns out! Wah ha ha ha! This is so much fun!” beside a sweating, tearful Robin.
• Pages 18–19 — The CP9 home cell assembled in shadow/silhouette (Lucci, Jabra, Kaku, Kalifa, Kumadori, Fukuro), mocking Blueno’s defeat: “Blueno got thrashed. Bwa ha! The fool.” / “It’s impressive that even one of them made it this far.” / “I guess running a bar for five years will dull anyone’s skills… Still, how could he lose?” / “Well, he did lose! Cha pa pa.” (“DA-DO!!” SFX).
• Page 20 — SBS “Question Corner” (Volume 39 SBS): Oda on translating the column for foreign editions; Q on whether “this guy” can be one of the Seven Warlords (A: “No.”); the Vol. 40 Guard Dog Unit watchdogs gag (“Jabra of CP9 was dumped by the waitress, Catharine” / “No kidding!”). Reader-bonus SBS page, not a chapter beat.

Open questions raised

• Why does Robin truly want to “die” / refuse rescue — what does the coercion hold over her? (The “I want to live” inversion is still forward.)
• Will the assembled CP9 home cell now each engage a Straw Hat, and what are Jabra/Kumadori/Fukuro’s powers? (Still un-demonstrated.)
• Can the Straw Hats break Robin’s resolve before she is taken through the Gates of Justice?

Notes

• Cover-story serial: this chapter carries the “Ms. Golden Week’s Plan, A Baroque Reunion” serial — Vol. 23 (“Explosion!! The Fake Mr. 3’s Oh, Come My Way Karate”, p. 1). The prior chapter’s title page advertised “Vol. 22 / Mr. 3 Surrenders?!”; this is the next installment.
• Firsts discipline: no new named entity debuts this chapter. Blueno is referenced (defeated last chapter), not shown in combat. The CP9 home-cell members (Jabra/Kumadori/Fukuro/Lucci/Kaku/Kalifa) were all introduced Ch. 375; here they only watch and comment — last_appearance advances for those on-page (the silhouetted cell, pp. 18–19). Spandam, Franky, Robin, Luffy all advance last_appearance to 0389. Coup de Vent was first shown Ch. 338 — re-used, not first-named, here.
• Page 20 is the SBS (Question Corner, Vol. 39), not a story page — recorded as a notable panel only; SBS cross-linking is the SBS specialist’s job (the “Jabra dumped by Catharine” gag is an SBS-leak tidbit for Jabra).