"Ah!!!"
"Ah!!!"
From behind the shattered gates, two giant warriors of the Elbaf race suddenly charged forward.
One of them wielded an enormous weapon, its gleaming blade aimed straight at Luffy and the others standing at the gate.
Zoro, his back to the two glinting swords, didn't even flinch, wearing a content smile as if he hadn't heard a thing.
At that moment!
A streak of golden light flashed past Zoro!
Sanji, effortlessly leaping into the air, launched himself onto one of the Elbaf warriors' faces, spinning his body wildly!
THUD!!!
A dull crash and a scream!
The warrior struck by Sanji's kick had his face grotesquely distorted in an instant. Two massive front teeth flew off like shields from a soldier's hands, hurtling into the distant sky.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
The massive body of the Elbaf warrior hovered eerily in midair, as if some tremendous force were dragging him.
The brave warrior of Elbaf, who had appeared for less than five seconds, was sent flying.
His enormous body, under the invisible force, shot through the air like a cannonball, crashing toward the other giant warrior!
BOOM!!!
The two muscle-bound giants slammed into the wall beside the gate.
Their massive bulk, under a fraction of Sanji's strength, slid along the wall like a tumbling boulder.
CRASH… CRASH… CRASH…
The front of Enies Lobby collapsed, more than half of it crumbling instantly.
"Heh heh…"
Sanji, having landed gracefully, lit a cigarette and gave Zoro a provocative glance, as if to say:
"See? My opening is bigger than yours!"
"Tch!"
Zoro turned his head, ignoring the childish teasing, yet silently he made a decision:
Next time, even against weaklings, I'll use my three-sword style!
With a glance at the two goofing around, Luffy quickly led the rest of the crew deeper into Enies Lobby.
…
Deep within Enies Lobby stood the Tower of Justice, the real headquarters of the island.
Between the tower and the main island lay a deep, unfathomable waterfall chasm.
The world of pirates was indeed a strange place.
If one day the seas became truly peaceful, and more scientific resources could be freed from war and weapons, perhaps this world could soon enter the age of interstellar exploration.
The endless stars above might then be more exciting than adventures on the endless ocean!
…
Usually, the tower and the main island were connected by a grand suspension bridge.
The bridge's switch was located at the far end of the island, in the courthouse.
Behind the Tower of Justice lay the Bridge of Hesitation, supported by several pillars.
At the end of the bridge stood the Gate of Justice.
And now…
Spandam, CP9's highest-ranking officer, shouted frantically into a Den Den Mushi.
"A bunch of idiots!"
"Hold them! Hold them!!!"
Finally, this second-generation government official, who had risen due to his father's influence, angrily hung up the phone.
His gaze turned to the CP9 agents in black suits seated on the sofa behind him.
Lucci, seated at the center, glanced at Spandam's sudden change in expression, his face as cold as ever, and asked without any respect:
"What happened?"
After the Pluton incident had ended, they had been enjoying a brief reprieve.
Today, they had planned a small briefing to consolidate intelligence gathered over the past five years, preparing for future operations, before enjoying some downtime.
But…
A perfect break was never meant to last!
Spandam picked up a jeweled sword inlaid with ivory, imbued with the powers of an Elephant Zoan Devil Fruit, and ground his teeth as he peered down from the top of the Tower of Justice, his eyes burning with hatred.
From the main island below, a thick plume of smoke suddenly rose.
Then, the usually bustling island fell eerily silent.
Spandam slowly turned to his subordinates, muttering between clenched teeth, unable to believe what he was seeing:
"The Starry Sky Pirates!?"
"Huh?"
The agents immediately frowned.
Kaku, with his blocky long nose, spoke up:
"Starry Sky Pirates? The former Shichibukai who were dismissed not long ago… What about them?"
Spandam's pupils constricted, and he said grimly:
"They're attacking!!"
"What!?"
Jabra, transformed into his wolf form via Inu Inu Fruit, panicked.
"You mean… that 1.8 billion berries bounty pirate is challenging the World Government!?"
Spandam explained, analyzing the situation:
"Yes. They're likely chasing information about Pluton and came here for it!"
BOOM!!!
As they tried to continue the conversation, a deafening roar erupted nearby.
A blaze of fire illuminated the area once more.
Lucci rose from the sofa and moved toward the balcony of the Tower of Justice.
"Hey! Lucci!?"
Jabra, trained alongside Lucci since childhood, immediately understood his intention. Sweat poured down his forehead as he shouted:
"Lucci! What are you doing!?"
STEP!
Lucci halted mid-step, his cold gaze fearless, staring at the now-silent chaos below, radiating murderous intent:
"With Dark Justice, we eliminate pirates!"
"Wait! Lucci!"
Kaku sprang up to intervene:
"Elderly one thinks we should be careful! The enemy is a former Shichibukai, once called the Pirate Emperor!"
"So what!?"
Lucci cut him off.
"The World Government's authority cannot be violated!"
With that, he stepped resolutely onto the balcony facing the main island.
Kaku hesitated but ultimately followed.
The other agents, seeing this, stopped hesitating as well.
Though their personalities clashed, their thoughts differed, and even mutual dislike lingered…
They had grown up together in the secret training camp, crawling through hardships, and what remained was a bond stronger than that of any pirate crew.
Yet as government agents, they had to abandon all that.
But when danger appeared, they never abandoned their comrades!
CP9 stood ready, silently awaiting the arrival of the Starry Sky Pirates.
The Starry Sky Pirates were indeed renowned—but so what?
They were government agents, tasked to stop any threat to the World Government!
Even if it was just a former Shichibukai.
They understood why the Starry Sky Pirates carried such high bounties: anything involving historical secrets was of utmost importance to the World Government.
Thus, the Starry Sky Pirates' strength was likely exaggerated by rumors.
Of course… that was just their wishful thinking.
…
Spandam, left behind by CP9, ground his teeth viciously.
From his pocket, he pulled out a small golden Den Den Mushi to confirm once more before moving toward the balcony.
Just as he reached the balcony, another violent tremor and buzzing reverberated.
A column of fiery flame erupted from the courthouse at the end of the island!
The rock roof of the courthouse began to melt into lava from the intense heat, dripping downward.
A massive molten hole appeared before the CP9 agents.
Then, a chilling sheet of ice suddenly spread over the molten pit, solidifying the lava.
The ice spread downward from the opening.
A dazzling, rainbow-colored ice staircase appeared.
Zoro, holding his sword with one hand, grinned in admiration and was the first to ascend the icy steps:
"Yo-ho~ This is much easier than climbing stairs…"
"Shut up, Zoro!!!"
Nami stormed out of the hole, furious, almost ready to land a punch on him.
"If you hadn't gotten lost and run back to the Merry, we'd have been here already!!!"
"Angry Nami is so cute~"
"Yo-ho-ho-ho~ A little exercise feels so good! Even though I'm down to just bones, yo-ho-ho-ho~"
"Usopp, Usopp! That projectile just now was amazing! Like fireworks!"
"Yeah! Usopp always comes up with surprising stuff!"
"Ahahaha, child's play, child's play! Back in my day, I could make fireworks a hundred times more beautiful!"
Amidst the laughter, the Starry Sky Pirates made their way to the courthouse rooftop like on a picnic.
Luffy, exasperated, watched the crew goofing around.
Moments ago, they had fought their way to the courthouse entrance effortlessly, only to find Zoro missing again!
Luffy couldn't understand.
Zoro's Observation Haki was top-tier on the seas—but in terms of direction? He had literally broken human limits, defying the laws of the universe!
Thus, their journey to the Tower of Justice was extended as they had to find Zoro first.
…
"Monkey D. Luffy!!!"
Amid the commotion, Spandam bellowed from the Tower of Justice below:
"Do you know where you are!? How dare you trespass on Enies Lobby! Are you declaring war on the World Government!?"
BOOM!!!
A thunderclap exploded in the ears of all CP9 agents.
Luffy had no intention of wasting any more time with them.
In an instant, all CP9 agents except Spandam and Lucci were flung to the ground, unconscious, in a tangled heap.
Silence.
The entire Enies Lobby fell eerily quiet.
Spandam's legs trembled as he looked at the sudden scene, utterly speechless.