Episode 202: Breaking Through Enemy Lines! The Rescue of the Going Merry!
The episode starts off with Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji (The Four) running towards the location of the Going Merry, Dock 88. They arrive to find a massive ambush led by Drake. As the Marines fire, Luffy counters with a Gomu Gomu no Fuusen (Balloon) and harmlessly deflects the bullets back at them. The Marines then fire tear gas flash bombs. They then engage The Four in melee. Sanji handles his foes without problem, but when one sneaks up from behind, Usopp covers him and tosses Sanji some goggles to protect his eyes. Zoro slashes his foes away with his eyes closed, making fun of Sanji as he does so. Luffy fights back with Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun and Muchi (Whip), but he nails Sanji and Zoro in the process. Sanji and Zoro have a little spat, but the Marines fire a net on Luffy. Drake then mentions how although G8 takes their prisoners alive, they will do otherwise if needed. When asked, Luffy says he can't escape and he's getting weaker. Drake reveals it's a kairouseki net.
Mekao climbs a ladder as Usopp inches towards Luffy and the sharpshooters close in on Sanji and Zoro. Drake demands surrender and orders an attack when Kobato, Nami, and Chopper burst into the room, leveling Usopp. Upon seeing Usopp injured, Chopper gets mad and transforms. After some yelling, Kobato screams out deafeningly and sells out Chopper, claiming Chopper took her and Nami hostage. Nami wisely plays along. Realizing this is now a hostage situation, Drake hesitates, and Chopper seizes the opportunity. He plays along as well, acting like a giant, senselessly violent madman and threatening to snap the women's necks unless the Marines stand down. Sanji and Zoro play as long as well, and everyone but Luffy has Drake fooled.
The scene shifts to the Mess Hall, where Jessica yells at and beats the chefs. Two chefs guess why Jessica's being so mean, and she yells at them too. They start talking about how the food doesn't taste as good as Sanji's food. One of the chefs finds a recipe Sanji left behind, and when he asks Jessica if they can use it, she snatches it and yells at them some more. The real Marley Brothers appear with their potatoes, as they can't peel them. When Jessica starts lecturing them about not wasting food, it reminds her of Sanji, and she's upset about it. She makes the two do dishes.
Back at Dock 88, the hostage situation ensues, and Drake cracks, ordering everyone to drop their weapons, fall back, and let them through. As they stand down, Zoro frees Luffy, and a path is cleared. Mekao meets up with the shipworkers and informs them that his daughter, Kobato, is faking, and he's more worried about the pirates. Drake demands the hostages' release, but Chopper won't do so until they have escaped. Meanwhile, a Marine signaled another unit, Unit 17, to come and back them up, so Drake plays along with them. They all head to the ship, and Mekao sneaks off, when Zoro notices a Marine following them. He tells Nami, Chopper, and Sanji to run to the ship on his signal. He then tells Luffy to get everyone aboard the ship. As Sanji spots the Marine, Mekao pulls a chain and Drake gives the signal. The trailing Marine drops his gun, and one Marine rescues Kobato. Another tries to rescue Nami, but she instinctively slugs him. Drake yells at her, and Zoro orders everyone to run. The Marines then attack, and just as Zoro and Luffy get ready to fight, Mekao frees the Going Merry. Everyone stops for a second, and Luffy forces everyone onto the ship as it leaves Dock 88. Drake orders them to fire, but as the pirates still have a hostage (Nami), Drake calls for warning shots. Luffy celebrates, and Nami and Sanji beat him for maiming them.
The alarm is sounded, and the Marines at the cannons wait for orders to fire, noting that they have a hostage, but as they look closer, they see her ordering around the pirates. angrily orders immediate pursuit. Kobata meets up with Mekao and when Drake goes to yell at him for freeing the ship, Mekao yells at him for devaluing the other hostage's life. A Marine then reports to him that the other hostage was in fact a pirate.
Meanwhile, Robin walks out of the library with the escape plans, when a petty officer points a gun at her and demands explanation. When Robin denies him, three more show up and take aim. At that, Robin imparts a message to Jonathan, incapacitates them, ditches the disguise, and leaves. Back at the ship, they discuss sailing and Usopp wakes up. They fill him in on how they escaped. Jonathan watches them get away and he gets a call. Sanji fawns over Nami some more as she worries about how to escape without and information about the base. At that point, Robin swings over to the ship, and Jonathan is informed that Robin was a fake and has escaped. Jonathan blames himself, and when asked about the seventh pirate, he says, "we know where she is," stating that the infirmary reported no missing nurses. Robin shows Nami the map, and they open fire on the ship. Drake chases them on sea. Nami directs the ship toward the main gate and gives orders to Usopp and Chopper. A Marine reports to Jonathan that the pirates have reached the main gate, and Jonathan declares checkmate on Luffy. At the main gate, they find that the Marines took the ammo. Luffy gets an idea, and as the Marines fire the cannons, Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Fuusen to redirect the cannonballs towards the gate. It seems to work, but Nami has a horrible realization: the Marines also took the treasure.