Chapters · Water Seven › Enies Lobby

Chapter 420: Buster Call

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

Summary

Sogeking (Usopp), perched on the Tower of Law, shoots the keys off Nico Robin’s Sea-Prism-Stone handcuffs — the No. 4 key turns out to be the real one — and Franky completes the unlocking, freeing Robin at last and reuniting her with Zoro, Sanji and the rest. As the Straw Hats cheer and plan to commandeer the escort ship to escape, the first salvo lands: Marine warships beyond the island’s defensive perimeter open fire, smashing the Tower of Law and the bridges. Kokoro names it — “Buster Call!! Buster Call!!” — and explains the protective whirlpool around Enies Lobby has vanished now that the Gates of Justice are open, letting the fleet close in. Below, in a support under the Bridge of Hesitation, Luffy battles Lucci in his leopard-Zoan form; Lucci spells out the self-harming mechanics of Luffy’s Gear Second (rubber organs let him pump his blood to superhuman pressure at the cost of “chipping away at his life”) and taunts that flooding seawater through the undersea passage will drown everyone — there is “no happy ending for you, Straw Hat.” Out at sea, a full fleet of Marine warships rises into view: “THE BUSTER CALL HAS STARTED!!”

New reveals

• The Buster Call is DEPICTED for the first time — a fleet of Marine warships arrives and bombards Enies Lobby (“THE BUSTER CALL HAS STARTED!!”, pp. 18–19). Until now it had only ever been named/described (@0359 definition; @0365/0374/0382/0386 references and the golden Den Den Mushi prop).
• Sogeking (Usopp) frees Robin: he snipes the keys off her Sea-Prism-Stone cuffs from afar; the No. 4 key is the real one (“I got the handcuffs… off Nico Robin!!”, pp. 2–3). Franky finishes the unlock; Robin is reunited with the crew (p. 4).
• Gates of Justice ↔ whirlpool link: opening the Gates cancels the seething whirlpool (created by the Gates’ currents) that “kept ships from coming in” — it “has all but disappeared,” clearing the fleet’s approach (p. 7).
• Gear Second cost stated on-page (Lucci, pp. 14–16): Luffy “pumps his legs to speed up his blood flow,” raising blood pressure that would “rupture” a normal person’s organs and vessels; it only works because he is a rubber man, and it is “chipping away at his life.”

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Luffy — fights Rob Lucci in a support under the Bridge of Hesitation; Gear Second mechanics dissected by Lucci.
• Rob Lucci — leopard-Zoan form (“RAZOR.” attack, p. 12); explains Gear Second’s cost and threatens the flood-trap.
• Nico Robin — freed from her Sea-Prism-Stone cuffs; reunited with the crew; sets the plan to seize the escort ship.
• Usopp / Sogeking — snipes the cuff keys; called “Sniper King” / “Usopp.”
• Franky — completes the unlock and frees Robin (“I got the handcuffs…”); reunites with the crew.
• Sanji, Zoro, Nami — present in the reunion; cover/cake comic features Sanji.
• Kokoro — names the “Buster Call!!” and explains the whirlpool’s disappearance.
• Spandam — referenced (“Director!!”) amid the freeing scuffle.
• CP9, Straw Hat Pirates, Marines (the Buster Call fleet).
• Buster Call — depicted on-page (the order that erased Ohara — see True History Ohara Was Killed For). Gates of Justice — whirlpool mechanic. Sea-Prism Stone — Robin’s cuffs. Six Powers (Rokushiki) — Lucci’s combat.
• Gomu Gomu no Mi (Luffy/Gear Second), Neko Neko no Mi, Model Leopard (Lucci).

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Chapter title splash “Chapter 420: BUSTER CALL,” paired with a standalone decorative title-page (NOT a recurring cover serial): a fancy cake shop where Sanji ices a multi-tiered cake reading “I LOVE [NAMI] / ROBIN,” with a horse’s head locked in a glass-fronted stocks/case at left and piglets at the cake’s base. Logged in the Enies-Lobby register-bin Enies-Lobby-Title-Page-One-Offs — no serial caption, no “Vol. N” counter.
• Page 2 — “KLINK… KLINK!!” “Key Number 1… Number 3… Number 4…” then “BAMM!!” “THE CUFFS ARE OFF!!” — Robin’s Sea-Prism cuffs released.
• Page 3–4 — “This is Franky!” “I got the handcuffs… off Nico Robin!!”; the crew (Zoro/Sanji/Lucci-watchers) react “YES!!”; Robin thanks the “long nose.”
• Page 5 — Robin’s “Seis Fleurs,” slapping the agents; captions “Sniper King!” / “Roger!” / “Hurry down, Sniper King!” — Sogeking’s role acknowledged.
• Page 6–7 — “KABOOM!!!” first warship salvo; “Bombs from the warships!!”; “the defensive perimeter!”; the whirlpool created by the Gates’ currents has all but disappeared now the gates are open (p. 7).
• Page 8–9 — “USOPP!!” / “The Tower of Law…!!” hit; the Tower bombed.
• Page 12 — Kokoro: “Buster Call!! Buster Call!!”; caption “LUFFY vs. LUCCI”; Lucci’s leopard “WHOOSH!!… RAZOR.” attack.
• Page 14–16 — Lucci dissects Gear Second: pumping blood, “blood pressure would rupture,” works “because you’re a rubber man,” “you’re chipping away at your life.”
• Page 16–17 — Lucci: “There’s no happy ending for you, Straw Hat… seawater will flood the tunnel… and drown everyone in it.”
• Page 18–19 — Full-width splash: a fleet of Marine warships rises into view — “A FLEET OF WARSHIPS!!” / “THE BUSTER CALL HAS STARTED!!”
• Page 20 — SBS “Question Corner” page (Vol-44-range SBS): rock-paper-scissors intro gag; Q on CP9 outfits stretching (“About 50 Gum-Gums”).

Open questions raised

• Can the Straw Hats seize the escort ship and run the undersea passage before the Buster Call bombardment floods it (Lucci’s drowning threat)?
• How long can Luffy sustain Gear Second against Lucci given the explicitly stated lifespan/body cost?
• How will the crew survive a full Buster Call (5 Vice Admirals + 10 warships) now that it is live — the order the World Government used to erase Ohara (True History Ohara Was Killed For)?