"Waaah! You pirates are truly righteous!"
Franky, lying on the ground and witnessing the scene, was already in tears.
"I hate you guys for making me cry! You must rescue Big Sister Robin!"
Creak!
The drawbridge connecting the courthouse to Enies Lobby slowly lowered.
"Oh no!!!"
Spandam clutched his head in disbelief, panicking:
"What are those idiots doing? They can't even guard a drawbridge? Admiral Aokiji! Why don't you forget about your bet and freeze them directly?"
He turned back to Aokiji, only to find the Admiral lazily lying nearby, an eye mask covering his face.
"Hey! As an Admiral, are you just going to stand there and watch a bunch of pirates run wild on Enies Lobby?" Spandam's eyes nearly bulged.
"No choice. I really can't beat him," Aokiji muttered lazily, rolling over.
"If I could defeat Shirogai, I would have done it long ago. How about you go defeat Shirogai, and I'll handle the rest of the pirates?"
"Me?" Spandam stared blankly. If he had that ability, he'd have been a Celestial Dragon long ago!
"Hmph! Let them come!"
Lucci of CP-9 watched the drawbridge lower, a sinister grin spreading across his face, eyes glinting with bloodlust.
In Water 7, that green-haired swordsman had nearly killed him. And that Straw Hat had even punched him in the chin, which had infuriated Lucci immensely. How could such reckless pirates compare to him—the strongest, most ruthless killing machine, trained since childhood in CP-9?
"Damn it! Don't come over!" Spandam panicked, watching the pirates on the other side who, despite appearing like ordinary grunts, radiated a deadly aura.
"If we lose, wouldn't we…?" he faltered.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Lucci snarled, turning a ferocious glare on Spandam.
"We will not lose! They are the ones who will die! Since the Fifth Emperor wouldn't intervene, we might as well kill all his companions right in front of him!"
Kaku, donning his black cap, added indifferently:
"If it weren't for the Fifth Emperor, we would have finished them back in Water 7."
Jabra, stroking his thin mustache, hissed cunningly:
"Watch me devour them in one bite!"
"Yo yo yi!!" Kumadori waved his metal staff, shouting:
"I will send them to meet their mothers!!"
"Idiot, your mother is still alive," Kalifa remarked expressionlessly, pushing her glasses up.
Owl muttered softly, chains loosening at his mouth:
"Still, many of us wouldn't be able to beat him… for example, Ka…"
Kalifa kicked Owl away.
"The rest is up to you, CP-9!"
Spandam spun around in panic, desperately shouting at the Admiral:
"Admiral Aokiji! If the bet ends and we win, you must protect me! I am the highest-ranking officer in CP-9 and the beloved subordinate of the Gorosei!"
"Arara, we'll see about that," Aokiji replied lazily, making Spandam doubt his own safety.
"This is your mess, pirates! I will not allow Nico Robin, the Ohara survivor who can awaken the Ancient Weapons, to escape! As long as I have her…"
Spandam rushed to chain Robin with Sea Stone restraints, then turned toward Franky.
"Huh? When did your chains break free?" Spandam's eyes widened as he stared at Franky, whose hands were unbound.
"Hmph, this is what you wanted, right?" Franky sneered, opening his torso to reveal a thick stack of historical blueprints from his internal refrigerator.
"The blueprints for Pluton?" Spandam's greed flared.
"Hand them over, and maybe I'll let you live!"
"Whoosh…"
Flames erupted, consuming the blueprints. Under the shocked gazes of CP-9, the ancient designs turned to ash.
"No! No! No!" Spandam shouted, staring in disbelief, then angrily ordered:
"CP-9, kill this foolish man!"
Whoosh!
Lucci vanished, coldly kicking Franky off the Judicial Tower.
"Die!"
---
"They really are full of energy!" Shirogai stood atop the courthouse, smiling as he watched his companions, aided by Luffy's reckless flight and the Rocket Man, cross the abyss and rescue Franky.
"The rest is up to you."
Shirogai descended the courthouse roof steps leisurely.
"Here! A lone enemy!" A group of Marines charged, swords raised, slashing at Shirogai.
"Die! Pirate!"
"Huh? Why does my sword swing off course? Why can't I hit him?"
"Ah! Damn it, be careful! You almost hit me!"
"Damn it! My fists can't even touch him! He's so slippery!"
The Marines cautiously retreated as Shirogai smiled, approaching effortlessly.
"A Devil Fruit user? Quick! Shoot him!" yelled a nervous Petty Officer.
Dozens of Marines raised their guns, aiming at Shirogai.
"Heh heh, I suggest you don't shoot," Shirogai smiled, calmly advising.
"Fire!" the officer ordered.
Bang bang bang!
Screams erupted. But shockingly, the bullets struck the Marines themselves, fired from their own guns.
"Ow! Ow! I've been shot! Help me!"
"Cough… it hurts so much! The bullet hit my arm…"
Dozens of Marines fell, clutching their injuries.
"What kind of bizarre ability is this?!" The officer screamed, watching Shirogai stroll past unharmed.
"I didn't attack, nor obstruct," Shirogai muttered with a smirk.
---
"There's a troublesome pirate here! Everyone, deal with him!"
"Here! Let's all catch him!"
"Ah! I can't even touch him! It hurts!"
"Bring Sea Stone weapons quickly!"
More Marines poured in, focusing on Shirogai as he walked calmly toward the drawbridge.
"Thank you for your hard work," he said politely, never retaliating.
Every Marine who tried to capture Shirogai fell helpless under the passive defense of his Slippery-Slippery Fruit.
Sea Stone bullets were easily dodged. Sea Stone weapons couldn't even touch him.
"This guy is too strong!"
"All our attacks are useless!"
"We can't even force him to strike back!"
The Marines' morale crumbled as Shirogai's actions invisibly shielded the Franky Family, the shipwrights, and the giants from harm.
---