Chapters · Water Seven › Enies Lobby

Chapter 398: Declaration of War

Arc: Enies Lobby · Saga: Water Seven · Released: 2006-02-13

Summary

The chapter opens still inside Robin’s flashback: in the burned ruins of Ohara — a lakebed filled with books — Marines confirm there was a survivor and resolve to hunt the eight-year-old girl with the impossible 79,000,000-berry bounty. A CP agent reports that “Saul helped her escape at the moment of his death,” and that the ship she fled on “suddenly stopped working — like it was frozen,” letting her slip away (the first oblique hint that Aokiji spared her). The years that follow are a montage of betrayal: every household, traveling troupe, and town that shelters young Robin eventually recognizes “Nico Robin, the demon child,” denounces her for the bounty, and turns her over to the Navy. “Your sin is being alive!!” The flashback closes on her resolve to find an organization that would use her power — and the lesson that no one ever truly stays with her. Cut to the present, atop the Tower of Justice at Enies Lobby: Robin tells the Straw Hats she has summoned the Buster Call on Enies Lobby and on herself, because the more she wishes to stay with them, the greater the danger she brings — her unshakeable foe is “simply the world, and its darkness.” She insists they will someday betray her, so she would rather die now. Luffy answers by ordering Sogeking to shoot down the World Government flag flying over Enies Lobby; Sogeking fires “Firebird Star” from his new giant pachinko, “Kabuto,” and the flag of the 170+ nations burns — a formal declaration of war against the World Government. Then Luffy demands Robin say what she actually wants. Cornered and weeping, Robin finally screams “I WANT TO LIVE!! …Take me with you to sea!!” The crew, sobbing, charges across the lowering drawbridge — “LET’S GO!!”

New reveals

• The Ohara aftermath is dramatized: child Robin, alone with a 79M bounty, is denounced and handed to the Marines by every refuge she finds (pp. 4–8). “The demon child cannot be allowed to live!” / “Your sin is being alive!!” (pp. 4, 7).
• Saul is named again on-page (printed only as “Saul”, p. 3) as the figure who “helped her escape at the moment of his death” during Ohara’s destruction. (A re-mention of the already-introduced Saul — first mentioned @0391, shown @0392; he does not appear on-page in this chapter, and the full name “Jaguar D. Saul” is NOT printed here.)
• The escape ship’s rudder “suddenly stopped working… like it was frozen” (p. 3) — the first on-page hint that Aokiji deliberately let child Robin escape, corroborating his later “we go way back” recognition (@0318/0319).
• Present-day: Robin has summoned the Buster Call on all of Enies Lobby and on herself (pp. 8–10), reasoning that staying with the crew only increases the danger her “darkness” brings them.
• Robin names her enemy as “simply the world… and its darkness” (pp. 9–10) and recounts having endangered the crew twice (Aokiji at Long Ring, and now) — “someday you’ll betray me… so I want to die.”
• Luffy declares war on the World Government by ordering the WG flag burned (pp. 11–14). The flag is framed as representing “the unity of more than 170 nations… the world!!” (p. 11) before it is destroyed.
• Usopp/Sogeking debuts a new weapon — the giant pachinko slingshot “Kabuto” — and a new attack, “Firebird Star” (p. 12).
• Robin’s “I want to live” reversal lands on-page (pp. 17–18): “If I’m going to die someday… I want to die now” inverts into “I WANT TO LIVE!! …Take me with you to sea!!”

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Luffy orders Sogeking to “shoot down that flag,” the WG flag is explicitly framed as “the unity of more than 170 nations… the world,” and its destruction is captioned “the pirates have made a declaration of war against the World Government!!” (p. 14). The chapter is the structural pivot from “rescue Robin” to “the Straw Hats vs. the whole world” — the thesis the entire post-Enies-Lobby series builds on. Links True History Ohara Was Killed For, Straw Hat Pirates.

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Re-mentioned (not shown): Saul (printed as “Saul”, p. 3) — credited with Robin’s Ohara escape; does not appear on-page in this chapter (already introduced @0391/0392 — NOT a new first).
• Present-day appearances: Nico Robin, Luffy, Usopp (as Sogeking), Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky, Spandam (atop the tower with Robin), CP9 / Marines (Enies Lobby garrison reacting to the flag burning).
• Flashback appearances: young Nico Robin; unnamed CP agents and Marines tracking her; the townsfolk who betray her.
• Mentioned: Aokiji (the frozen rudder, and Robin’s “first with Aokiji” line, p. 10), the Buster Call, the Poneglyph.
• Threads touched: True History Ohara Was Killed For, Void Century and Ancient Kingdom, Ancient Weapons.

Notable panels

• Title page (p. 1): Cover story — “Ms. Golden Week’s Plan, A Baroque Reunion, Vol. 30: ‘The Strongest Suspects.’” The captured Baroque Works officers (Mr. 3, Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, et al.) sit bound in prison stripes.
• p. 2: The ruins of Ohara — a lakebed “filled with books.” “Survivors?” / “There’s no way.”
• p. 3: “Saul helped her escape at the moment of his death” + “the rudder suddenly stopped working… like it was frozen.” Robin’s young WANTED poster (NICO ROBIN, 79,000,000).
• pp. 4–8: The betrayal montage — every refuge turns child Robin over to the Navy. “Your sin is being alive!!” (p. 7).
• p. 8 (transition): Cut from flashback to present-day Enies Lobby; Robin atop the Tower of Justice declares the Buster Call has been summoned “right here and now.”
• p. 10: “First with Aokiji… and now — I’ve already involved you twice!! Someday you’ll betray me…” — Robin’s death-wish rationale.
• pp. 11–12: “Shoot down that flag.” — Luffy’s order; Sogeking unveils “Kabuto, my new weapon, a giant pachinko shooter” and fires “Firebird Star!!”
• pp. 13–14: “BWOOF” — the WG flag burns. Caption: “The pirates have made a declaration of war against the World Government!!” Luffy: “BRING IT ON!!”
• p. 16: “SAY THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE!” — Luffy’s demand across the gap.
• p. 18: “I WANT TO LIVE!! …Take me with you to sea!!” — Robin’s reversal (the literal splash lands on p. 18; the build-up “I just… want to die!!” is p. 17); the crew sobs and resolves to come get her.
• p. 19: “LET’S GO!!” — the drawbridge lowers; Luffy charges.
• p. 20: SBS “Question Corner” page (Vol. 42, p. 206) — Wanze’s “pop-up goggles”; how Devil-Fruit users (and Crocodile) bathe given the sea/water weakness.

Open questions raised

• Whose ice froze the rudder of Robin’s escape ship — and is it the same Admiral (Aokiji) who later “personally recognizes” her? (The on-page Ohara flashback @0397 already showed Kuzan/Aokiji freezing the sea for child Robin; this re-mention frames it from the CP/Marine side as an inexplicable “frozen rudder.”)
• The CP agent says “Saul helped her escape at the moment of his death” — but the @0397 flashback showed Saul frozen solid by Kuzan, not unambiguously killed. Is the Marines’ “death” report accurate, or is Saul’s true fate left open?
• Now that the Straw Hats have formally declared war on the World Government, what is the world’s response — and can a single crew actually survive “the entire world as your enemy”?

Threads

• True History Ohara Was Killed For — the Ohara aftermath + Saul/Aokiji escape mechanics, and Robin’s reason-to-live reversal that completes the arc’s emotional thesis.
• Void Century and Ancient Kingdom — the suppressed history Robin survives to carry.
• Ancient Weapons — the poneglyph-reading ability that makes Robin the WG’s target.