## One Piece Chapter 423: The Mermaid Legend - Chapter: 423 - Pages: 0-17 - Characters: Nami, Monkey D. Luffy, Rob Lucci, Tom, Franky, Nico Robin, Spandam, Funkfreed, Tony Tony Chopper, Kokoro, Chimney, Gonbe, Sanji ### Summary Page 0: Chapter 423 opens with the title page, "THE MERMAID LEGEND." The cover illustration shows Nami relaxing among birds and small animals in a gentle outdoor scene, holding fruit while oversized watermelons and playful creatures surround her. It is useful as the chapter title and cover image, but it does not take place in the Enies Lobby battle. Page 2: The warship struck by Luffy and Lucci burns on the sea, its deck split and its crew thrown into panic. Smoke rises from the wreckage while Luffy crashes through debris and shouts as he is hurled back. His huge attack has torn the battlefield open, but the danger around him has not stopped. He pants, shaken by Gear Third's aftermath, and admits, "I... I AM SHRINKING." The power that let him blast Lucci away now starts taking its price. Even after the massive impact, Luffy is not in control; he is caught between the collapsing ship, the Buster Call, and the weakness that follows his new technique. Page 3: Luffy lands amid rubble, now reduced by the cost of Gear Third. He says through exhausted breaths, "HAA... I USED GEAR THIRD FOR ABOUT A MINUTE...!! SO I'LL PROBABLY BE LIKE THIS FOR ANOTHER MINUTE...!!" He tries to steady himself, thinking, "I SHOULD GO HIDE UNTIL I GET BACK TO NORMAL OR HE'LL KILL ME!!" Then he sees that Lucci is still moving. "EITHER HE'S BEING SERIOUS... OR JUST JOKING AROUND... THE FACT IS HE'S STILL ALIVE..." he thinks. Lucci, thrown from the bombardment and the impact, reflects bitterly, "IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BORING, THOUGH, IF HE DIED FROM SUCH A BOMBARDMENT. JUST LIKE TOM-SAN WAS." The past and present overlap: Franky's old wound over Tom and Lucci's survival both sharpen the stakes. Page 4: From the Bridge of Hesitation, Franky and the others see the main island ahead and push toward it. Someone shouts, "HURRY LUUP!!" and another cries, "WE'RE ALMOST THERE!!" Franky spots the route: "I SEE THE MAIN ISLAND'S FRONT GATE!!!" But the battlefield is still collapsing around them, and he calls out, "YOUR BUDDY FRANKY... WAN TAKEN AWAY," while the chaos of smoke, cannon fire, and broken buildings surrounds the bridge. Lucci's voice cuts through from elsewhere, cold and taunting: "WAN' COME WITH US!?" The gap between the fleeing group and Luffy's duel is still dangerous, and the Buster Call keeps closing behind them. Page 5: On the bridge, Spandam tries to turn the exploding warship into proof that the pirates are finished. He laughs, "WAHAHAHA-HAHAHA!! HEY!! DID YOU SEE THAT!?" and declares, "THE STRAWHAT WHO WENT BERSERK ON THE WARSHIP HAS BEEN BLOWN UP INTO PIECES!! WAHAHA, TAKE THAT!! YOUR CAPTAIN IS DEAD!!!" Then he turns on Franky and Robin: "NOW!! HAND NICO ROBIN OVER!! THIS IS THE POWER OF THE BUSTER CALL I TRIGGERED!!" He boasts, "THIS IS JUSTICE, CUTTY FLAM!!! THEN MAYBE I CAN PARDON YOU FOR YOUR CRIME!!" Robin kneels, still shaken, while Spandam attacks her existence again: "BESIDES, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PROTECT THAT WOMAN? YOU'RE NOT A PIRATE!! WOULD YOU TRUST A DANGEROUS WOMAN WITH OHARA BLOOD RUNNING IN HER VEINS OVER THE WORLD GOVERNMENT THAT PROTECTS YOU DAY AND NIGHT!?" Page 6: Franky answers Spandam with a fist to the face. The punch smashes Spandam backward as the soldiers shout, "CHIEF!!!" and one notes in disbelief, "HIS FACE CAN'T POSSIBLY SWELL ANY MORE THAN THAT!" Spandam refuses to stop. He draws his elephant sword, and the Marines panic, "HE DREW THE ZOUKEN 'FUNKFREED'!!" They warn, "THAT'S A STRONG ONE!!" Spandam commands the weapon to attack Robin: "LISTEN!! FUNKFREED, GIVE NICO ROBIN A FATAL WOUND WHILE SHE'S OFF-GUARD SO THAT SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO RESIST LATER...!!" The blade-elephant charges as he screams, "TAKE THIS!!!" Franky has knocked Spandam down, but Robin is still under immediate threat. Page 7: Funkfreed swings down with "ELEPHANT CHOOOP!!!" and a huge "PAOO!!!" Robin stares in shock, "EH?" as the elephant blade bears down on her. Franky throws himself in front of it and catches the strike with his own body. The impact grinds against him while the Marines cry, "HE STOPPED IT!!" Spandam can only scream, "BASTARD!!!" Franky, bleeding and straining, is called "TRULY A HOPELESS GUY..." but the meaning is clear: even after the Buster Call, even after the bridge, Franky still chooses to stand between Robin and the weapon meant to cut her down. Page 8: Franky holds Funkfreed back and scolds the living sword like a misbehaving animal. "FUNKFREED!! YOU'RE AN ELEPHANT, BUT HE STILL STOPPED YOU!!" Spandam yells. Franky snaps, "TURN YOUR NOSE BACK TO NORMAL... ELEPHANT!! OTHERWISE, I'LL SHOOT YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FOREHEAD!!!" Funkfreed obeys with a meek "PAO," and Franky tells him, "OKAY, THAT'S GOOD, YOU'RE A GOOD BOY." Then he turns to Robin. "NICO ROBIN. WILL THE STRAWHATS COME HE...