Chapters · Water Seven › Enies Lobby

Chapter 423: Mermaid Legend

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

Summary

In the smoke and rubble of the Tower of Law, Luffy — shrunken and immobilized by the after-effects of Gear Third — has to hide and stall until his body returns to normal while Rob Lucci (Neko Neko Leopard hybrid form) hunts him, dismissing the comical mini-Luffy as either a serious foe or a clown but “still alive.” Elsewhere, Spandam gloats over a transponder report that a Buster Call has been unleashed on the Navy escort ship carrying Franky (“Your captain is dead!!”), demanding Nico Robin hand herself over. Franky, having survived, recasts his rage in terms of Tom’s death — “every time that government tool’s stupid face has crossed my mind… I’ve thought of a million ways to make him pay” — and blasts a path so the Straw Hats can escape, declaring “I died once. I don’t mind throwing away my life.” Spandam draws his elephant Funkfreed, which transforms into a living sword (the “elephant sword Funkfreed”), and tries to cut down Robin; she stays unbowed, telling him “This isn’t like that time on Ohara!! …Because I’m not alone!!” Lucci finds Luffy with Finger Pistol and Life Return moves while Luffy’s limbs are still half-shrunk, but Luffy’s rubber body snaps back (“My ability’s working just fine!!”). As the floodwaters of the breached structure rise and several fighters begin to drown (“GLUB GLUB”), Sanji sees a vision in the water — long hair rippling, a graceful tail-fin — the drowning-sailor “mermaid legend” — before a colossal finned figure barrels through the water hauling everyone to safety: it is Granny Kokoro, revealed to be a mermaid. The chapter closes on an SBS “Question Corner” gag drawing CP9 as children.

New reveals

• Funkfreed is a living elephant-sword. Spandam draws Funkfreed; it transforms into a blade that re-animates into an elephant (“He drew the elephant sword Funkfreed!”). The conspicuously-named “pet” elephant from ch. 365 pays off as a Zoan-fed weapon (page 7-9).
• Spandam invoked the Buster Call. The transponder relay reports the Buster Call hit the Navy ship transporting Franky (“That is the power of the Buster Call that Spandam invoked!”). Spandam shot at his own escort/allies in the process (page 6).
• Kokoro is a mermaid. The “Mermaid Legend” of the title — the giant finned figure that saves the drowning fighters is Granny Kokoro in mermaid form (pages 17-20).
• Lucci uses Life Return and Finger Pistol against the shrunken Luffy; Luffy’s rubber ability snaps back fully despite the Gear-Third shrink penalty (pages 13-15).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

Luffy · Rob Lucci · Nico Robin · Franky · Spandam · Funkfreed · Kokoro · Tom (referenced) · Neko Neko no Mi, Model Leopard · CP9 · Buster Call · Enies Lobby · Ohara (referenced)

SBS “Question Corner” panel (page 20) draws the eight CP9 members as children: Lucci (shirt: “PEACE”), Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, Fukuro, Blueno, Kumadori, Spandam (shirt: “K”).

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page / cover-art splash: a ponytailed woman eating watermelon among seals/sea-lions and sea birds (foreshadows the mermaid-legend theme). Decorative; logged here, not a foreshadowing note.
• Page 2-3 — The Buster Call salvo rips through the Navy escort ship; Luffy in his shrunken Gear-Third-aftermath state (“I’m shrinking… ugh!”).
• Page 6 — “That is the power of the Buster Call that Spandam invoked!”; “But you shot your own guys in the process?!”
• Page 7 — “He drew the elephant sword Funkfreed!” — the elephant-sword reveal.
• Page 10 — Franky: “I never thought this day would come… I would’ve taken back Mr. Tom without fail!! Stop, Sea Train!!”
• Page 12 — Robin: “This isn’t like that time on Ohara!! …I have nothing to be afraid of now… because I’m not alone!!”; Franky: “I died once. I don’t mind throwing away my life… so the Straw Hats can leave here alive!!”
• Page 13 — Lucci: “Life Return…” (paper-art / Rokushiki body control).
• Page 15 — Luffy: “My ability’s working just fine!!” (rubber snaps back, grin).
• Pages 17-19 — The mermaid vision in the water; Kokoro’s giant finned silhouette (“A… ju… a JUGON?!”).
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner: CP9 drawn as children.

Open questions raised

• How does Kokoro’s mermaid nature connect to Tom’s circle and the wider Fish-Man Island / mermaid lore?
• Can Luffy land a finishing blow on Lucci now that his body has recovered?