A flash of holy light streaked across the air as Koby activated the special ability of his Den Den Mushi.
Black specks appeared suddenly on Lucci's surface, tracing the path of Starry Sky, gradually converging back toward Koby.
"Hm?"
Koby hummed in confusion.
He realized that he wasn't absorbing much dark energy from Lucci at all.
This proved one thing: the darkness in Lucci's heart was minimal.
Even…
less than that of an ordinary pirate.
Lucci, a true executor of Dark Justice, sincerely devoted to the World Government!
Every act of killing he carried out, in his mind, was for justice!
Hence, his heart shone with light, making him the shadow beneath the radiance.
Fortunately, thanks to Lucci's own strength, Koby's abilities still received a significant boost.
Not a total loss.
"Cough!…"
After purging the darkness from his heart, Lucci behaved completely differently from the pirates Koby had faced before.
His expression didn't change at all. He glared at Koby with unabated anger, hatred seething from every pore, gasping through clenched teeth:
"Evil… cough!…"
"Evil has no place in this world!!!"
Lucci's body trembled violently.
His fingers quivered slightly, as if trying to muster the last bit of strength he had.
But Koby gave him no chance to resist!
Raising his Den Den Mushi mop, Koby swung the cloth end across Lucci's face once again.
Pinned down by the immense force, Lucci could only manage to mutter:
"The World Government… will not forgive you…"
Eventually, Lucci succumbed to unconsciousness, his head gravely injured and deprived of oxygen for too long.
Koby adjusted his stance, hoisting the restored human-form Lucci onto his shoulder, and sighed with a small smile:
"Evil or justice… we are merely being ourselves!"
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past, and Koby's figure shot skyward.
His steps struck the air with successive sonic booms, ascending toward the level they had just descended from.
…
At the upper levels of the Tower of Justice, Luffy and his crew had arrived, surrounding Spandam completely.
This usually boastful second-generation official was now utterly terrified.
He felt the life in his hands being gripped by others.
Even with the Golden Den Den Mushi in his grasp—capable of unleashing devastating power with a single touch—he dared not think of using it.
Who knew if pressing it now wouldn't split his head clean from his body?
This was a gamble he wouldn't risk.
Step…
From the massive hole below, Koby leapt gracefully to the ground, throwing the unconscious Lucci down and reporting to Luffy:
"All clear, Luffy-sama!"
"Mm…"
Luffy nodded softly, then turned his gaze toward Spandam.
A domineering aura gathered around him, pressing down like the blade of a guillotine, aiming straight at Spandam!
"Where's Franky!?"
Luffy demanded, scanning for the missing crewmate.
Spandam shuddered at Luffy's words.
For a long moment, his instincts as a sycophant overrode his fear.
He immediately bowed and scraped, assuming a grotesque, obsequious tone:
"Ah… so it's the Starry Sky Pirates, honored sirs!!!"
"My apologies, I… I did not recognize you earlier!!!"
"That…"
"Enough talk!!"
Luffy barked, his gaze cold as if regarding a corpse, locking on Spandam's masked face.
"Uh…"
At that instant, Spandam felt his throat constricted, his breathing nearly stopped.
His body now lay inside an ice coffin.
A chilling silence filled his mind as the lid slowly closed.
Darkness covered his eyes.
The world shrank to a single pair of godlike eyes, staring at him from every direction…
"Where is Franky, whom you captured a few days ago!?"
The icy question issued from Luffy's mouth again.
Overcome by fear, Spandam stumbled backward!
Yet his sightless eyes ignored the pain, and in a trembling, puppet-like voice, he answered:
"B… brought to Impel Down…"
"What!?"
Even the normally composed Luffy showed a hint of surprise.
Spandam, hypnotized by Luffy's overwhelming aura, continued like a machine:
"Because after three days of CP9 interrogation, they still could not extract the Pluton blueprints, the Five Elders directly ordered the prisoner Franky be sent to Impel Down, to face a more ruthless interrogation agency…"
Tch! One step too slow!
Upon hearing this, Luffy's gaze snapped toward the Gate of Justice at the far end of the Bridge of Hesitation behind the Tower of Justice, a symbol of the World Government's authority.
"Koby, he's your responsibility."
"Sanji, Zoro, take Merry and the others here!"
"Looks like today, we're really going all out!"
Enies Lobby, though important to the World Government, was merely ceremonial.
Prisoners passed through here before moving to the next stage, a show of bureaucracy.
But compared to Impel Down, Enies Lobby was insignificant.
Impel Down's strongest, Magellan, could easily defeat ten Luccis.
The power of a Yami Yami user ranked at Admiral level was no joke.
But…
Since Luffy's crew had been taken to Impel Down, they had to make a proper scene at this ancient deep-sea prison!
Luffy's determined gaze settled on the Gate of Justice.
A mischievous smile crept across his lips.
This… is actually perfect.
Koby obeyed orders, approaching the still-stunned Spandam and gently touching the mop to his head.
Spandam, weaker than most Marine personnel, instantly fell unconscious.
A dazzling white light bloomed around Koby.
The dark energy surging from Spandam—hundreds of times stronger than what had been in Lucci—flowed into Koby's body.
The Starry Sky Pirates paused, watching Koby enveloped in darkness.
Usopp couldn't help exclaiming:
"This!!! Koby just got even stronger!!!"
Koby's mop absorbed the dark energy like a vacuum, purifying it into pure power that reinforced both his body and soul.
Luffy quietly checked Koby's stats:
[Koby]
Stamina: 2054
Strength: 1328
Agility: 1595
Mental Power: 1746
And these numbers were still climbing as the dark energy surged.
Truly… Spandam was quite the "helpful" official.
If he had risen higher, the World Government itself would have been full of cracks and chaos.
…
After a while, the dark marks on Spandam disappeared.
From today, this parasitic second-generation official would be brainwashed into a true servant of justice.
But then—
Suddenly!
While the Starry Sky Pirates marveled at Koby's powers, Spandam, fallen on the ground, rolled sideways.
Koby, still absorbing the new strength, hadn't reacted in time.
Spandam flung the sword at his waist toward the crew.
The blade shimmered and transformed!
A plump pink elephant appeared, completely shielding Spandam.
"Oh!!!"
The elephant trumpeted, lifting its front legs and stomping heavily!
BOOM!!!
The entire Tower of Justice trembled.
Behind the elephant, Spandam drew the golden Den Den Mushi.
Without hesitation, he pressed the button.
The snail immediately awakened, opening its mouth to emit a sound inaudible to humans.
…
At Marine Headquarters, a silver Den Den Mushi simultaneously blared a piercing alarm.
"The silver Den Den Mushi has received a signal!"
A Marine officer shouted in panic.
A senior officer in a justice cloak immediately demanded:
"Location!?"
"Enies Lobby!!!"
"Alert the nearby Vice Admirals immediately!"
"But sir, at this critical moment—"
"The Buster Call supersedes all!!! Execute immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Beep! Beep! Beep!…
The silver Den Den Mushi's alarms continued.
Marineford came alive.
"Requesting activation of the Buster Call! Admiral Aokiji requests immediate execution!!!"
Special fast battleships of the Marine were dispatched.
At the port, an officer saluted a passing superior:
"We'll arrive in thirty minutes!"
"Good."
"Set sail at full speed for Enies Lobby!!! Move quickly!!!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
…
Back at the Tower of Justice, the giant pink elephant retracted and shrank, transforming back into a sword perfectly landing in Spandam's hand.
Ignoring the pain, Spandam stood, radiating righteousness.
He swung the sword, and a tiny elephant circled him, trunk swinging.
Bow slightly bent, Spandam assumed a battle stance, face beaming with pride.
All for justice!
"I am the No. 9 of the World Government…"
"How dare you filthy pirates trample the authority of the government!!!"
"Prepare to die!!! Starry Sky Pirates!!!"
Spandam charged, stomping and swinging the elephant sword toward Luffy and his crew.
BANG…
Zoro reached out a hand.
One snap, and the world fell silent again.
"Maybe next time, you should grow stronger before enforcing justice…"
Zoro smiled.
"Let's go, Zoro!"
Sanji called, urging Zoro to help guide Merry and the others to the island.
…
…
Across the sea between Enies Lobby and Marine Headquarters, an icy path formed a bridge between the two points.
Aokiji, riding his bike on the ice, stopped and planted a foot.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi, frowning:
"Oh? What now? I just finished a mission, shouldn't it be time for a nice vacation?"
He picked up the receiver, and instantly, Admiral Sengoku's furious voice blared through:
"Aokiji! Why did you activate the Buster Call on Enies Lobby!?"