"So that's how it is…"
Franky frowned, watching Robin, who looked dispirited and fearful.
"That guy is reckless. He knew you were afraid, yet he still forced you to confront this alone."
Robin lowered her head, a bitter smile barely forming. Yes, in the end, she had to face these horrors by herself.
"Hehehehe…"
A cold, mocking voice rang from a distance.
"Wahahahahaha, Nico Robin, seeing that dejected expression brings me joy!"
"Spandam!!"
Franky's eyes flared with rage as he glared at the source of his deep-seated hatred, gritting his teeth.
"You'll die by my hands sooner or later! I'll avenge Tom!"
"Get lost, you dead shipwright!"
Spandam sneered and kicked Franky, but pain immediately crossed his face. He clutched his foot and hopped around, grimacing.
"Bastard! Why are you so hard? Are you made of iron?"
"Hmph, you scumbag, you got it right! I'm a super, super hard man!"
Spandam's lips curved into a gloating smile.
"You annoying, pathetic shipwright, I have no time for you!"
Spandam angrily flung his bizarre long sword, Funkfreed, shaped like a giant elephant tusk.
"Just lie down obediently!"
Under Robin and Franky's astonished gazes, the sword transformed into a massive elephant, stomping heavily on the chained Franky.
"A Devil Fruit sword?"
Franky's eyes widened in apprehension. Fortunately, Spandam, in his arrogance, revealed his trump card too soon. Had Franky approached carelessly, he could have been ambushed.
"How about it! Can you still be arrogant? Your master died by my hand, and a foolish apprentice like you will never overturn this!"
Spandam sneered as the elephant stomped Franky. Then he turned to Robin, leering.
"Nico Robin, your companions have already broken into Enies Lobby to save you!"
"They…"
Robin's eyes widened, a mix of joy and worry crossing her face.
"Really? Did they really come for me?"
"Save you? Foolish! They came to die!"
Spandam retracted Funkfreed and mocked Robin.
"They are so foolish as to break into Enies Lobby, the symbol of World Government authority, for you, a cursed woman! They will die miserably under the Marines' siege!"
"No! There's still Shirogai! With him here, you can't touch them!"
Robin shouted, hope rekindling in her eyes.
"The Arrogant Emperor Shirogai, that damn Fifth Emperor…"
Spandam gritted his teeth, unable to ignore Shirogai's presence. He had wanted despair, yet hope had risen instead.
"Damn it! You're asking for death!!!"
Spandam raised his ivory sword high, aiming to punish Robin.
Most Celestial Dragon young masters enjoyed tormenting women, using knives to carve their whims into delicate faces. Spandam, inspired by these nobles, saw this as a step toward becoming one himself.
"It's over, it's over…"
Shirogai watched from above, a bitter smile on his face.
"Aokiji, if he strikes, the show might end before it even begins…"
"What do you mean?"
Aokiji calmly observed Spandam, yet he did not intervene. He knew if Shirogai acted, their truce would end, returning them to adversaries. As an Admiral, he could not simply allow Marines to be attacked in Enies Lobby, though Shirogai's presence complicated matters.
"Wuwuwu…"
Cold wisps condensed around Aokiji, prepared to act at a moment's notice.
Meanwhile, below, chaos escalated. A panicked intelligence agent rushed in, clutching a Den Den Mushi. His frantic words interrupted Spandam's downward strike.
"Lord Spandam! There's a mess outside, please take the Den Den Mushi!"
Spandam paused, retracting his sword.
"What? Didn't they just defeat five Marines after great effort?"
He listened, taking the Den Den Mushi.
"What!!! Straw Hat has broken into the courthouse plaza???"
Spandam froze, nearly disbelieving. Unbeknownst to him, the spy had inadvertently saved him from triggering a bomb that could have destroyed all of Enies Lobby.
"Phew, that's good…"
Shirogai exhaled lazily on Yun, a small smile on his face.
"That strike almost lit the fuse."
Aokiji observed quietly, the cold air around him gradually dissipating.
"You left contingencies for Robin?"
"Of course."
Shirogai smiled freely.
"I can't allow my companion to be captured by CP0 without insurance. Those idiots, psychopaths, and senile Gorosei won't hesitate to exploit weakness."
"Arararara, seems my ears are clogged," Aokiji muttered, shrugging.
"As expected of the master of lazy justice," Shirogai teased, giving a thumbs-up.
He gazed toward the courthouse plaza.
"Which genius decided to make Marines and Cipher Pol cooperate? Brilliant. It's like having wolves and cats hunt together—brains clearly weren't involved."
Aokiji sighed, watching the chaos below.
Indeed, Marines and Cipher Pol members were ill-suited to operate together. Their habits clashed, bullets struck allies, and confusion reigned.
"Bastard! Can't you shoot properly?!"
"Idiot Marines, you blocked the shot! Whose fault is that?"
Aokiji watched quietly as Shirogai commented from above, a wry smile playing on his lips.
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