Chapters · Water Seven › Enies Lobby

Chapter 390: Accepting the Challenge

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

Summary

At the Enies Lobby courthouse square, the rescue force — the Franky Family on the King Bulls, the giants Oimo & Kashii, and the frog Yokozuna, all rallied and commanded by Sogeking (Sniper King) — smashes through the World Government’s massed guards while the “Eleven Jurymen” tank the assault and keep monotonously rendering verdicts of “Guilty.” The giants and the Franky Family hold the square; Sogeking sends the Straw Hats up toward the rooftop where Robin is held. The crew climbs and fights through the upper-floor courtrooms (Zoro pressing upward, Sanji blasting with “Twister”) and converges on the courthouse roof. There, Spandam — gloating that he wants Luffy to “say whatever you want” only to watch his captain be utterly rejected — has Robin scream “You want to die?!” down at them. Luffy, picking his nose, refuses to negotiate: if Robin truly wants to die, she has to say it to their faces. The chapter ends with Nami, Zoro, Luffy, and Sogeking arrayed across the rooftop edge facing Robin and CP9 — “Just leave the rest to us!!”

New reveals

• The Eleven Jurymen are revealed in action as former pirates sentenced to execution who relentlessly chant “Guilty” — they exist to drag others down with them; Enies Lobby’s “trials” have never once returned a not-guilty verdict.
• Sogeking (Sniper King) is the commander/handler of the giants Oimo & Kashii during the assault — the giants and the soldiers register him as “King of Snipers” and obey him.
• Spandam frames Robin’s captivity as a psychological trap: he wants the rescuers to plead so Robin can publicly reject them (“the captain travels all this way to rescue his crew member… and then she utterly rejects him”).
• The Straw Hat squad (Nami, Zoro, Luffy, Sogeking) reaches the courthouse roof and confronts Robin + the CP9 / Spandam group across the gap.

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy, Nico Robin, Spandam (“the Director”), Usopp (as Sogeking / Sniper King), Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Oimo, Kashii, Yokozuna, Kiwi (Franky Family)
• Mentioned only (not shown): Dragon (Sanji’s “Twister” attack — wording echoes Dragon’s wind power; not the man himself)
• Groups: Franky Family, Giant Warrior Pirates (Oimo & Kashii’s band), Straw Hat Pirates, CP9, the Eleven Jurymen, World Government courthouse guards
• Location: Enies Lobby (courthouse square / courtroom / upper-floor courtrooms / courthouse entrance / rooftop)

Notable panels

• Page 1: Cover — “Ms. Golden Week’s Plan, A Baroque Reunion, Vol. 24: ‘The Destined Showdown!! Mr. 2 vs. Black Cage Hina’” (Bon Clay vs Hina).
• Pages 2-3: Mass assault on the courthouse; Yokozuna (“RIBBIT!!”) rampaging through guards, the Eleven Jurymen chanting “Guilty.”
• Pages 4-5: A juror is launched into the Courthouse Right Tower; the Franky Family steel themselves — “We entrusted Franky’s life to those Straw Hats… we can’t ruin everything by losing here!”
• Page 6: Exposition on the courthouse — no judge, only the Jury (former pirates sentenced to death); “in all of history… not a single soul… has found not guilty.”
• Page 9: Sanji’s “Twister!!” near Chopper; the word “Dragon…” appears as the attack tears the floor up.
• Pages 10-11: Oimo (giant) towers over the soldiers; Kashii named; the giants obey Sogeking, the “King of Snipers.”
• Page 12: Sweeping shot of the floating courthouse towers; Luffy “You want to die?!”
• Page 13: Spandam’s psychological trap monologue; “ROBIN!!” — Luffy picks his nose mid-confrontation.
• Page 17: Robin “I’m begging you, Robin!!” / “You want to die?!”; Luffy “you have to say it… TO OUR FACES!!”
• Page 19: Rooftop lineup — Nami, Zoro, Luffy, Sogeking — “Just leave the rest to us!!”

Open questions raised

• Will Robin voice her true desire to the crew’s faces, or hold to the rejection Spandam is staging?
• How will the squad cross the gap to the captives and break Spandam’s hold on Robin?