Chapter 72: Enies Lobby!
[Sky Island - Upper Yard - The Ruins of the Shrine]
The dust from the battle had settled, but the political landscape of the sky had been irrevocably altered.
After comforting Wyper and securing the loyalty of the Shandia tribes, Suzaku turned his gaze toward the other figure standing amidst the rubble.
Gan Fall, the former God of Skypiea, stood clutching his dented helmet. His old, weathered face was a canvas of conflicting emotions—relief that Enel was gone, but also a deep, gnawing apprehension about what came next.
He watched Wyper kneel. He watched the "War Demon" pledge eternal loyalty to this young man from the Blue Sea.
Gan Fall swallowed hard.
Since the Shandia people had returned to their homeland and received formal authorization from the new ruler... what fate awaited the Sky Island people? The Angel Island citizens who had fought the Shandia for centuries?
Would they be exiled? Enslaved? Executed?
This new master of Sky Island, who could effortlessly strike down a Logia user and summon mythical beasts... his whim was law.
"As for you, Gan Fall," Suzaku's voice broke the knight's spiraling thoughts. It was steady, calm, but carried the heavy tone of a judge delivering a verdict.
"And the residents of Angel Island you represent..."
Gan Fall's heart leaped into his throat. He instinctively straightened his back, prepared to beg for the lives of his people.
"I am aware of the past grievances between you all here," Suzaku continued, pacing slowly across the cracked stone floor. "The war over Vearth has lasted four hundred years. But since Enel's rule has ended, the old order has been buried with it."
He stopped in front of the old knight.
"The Sky Island people can choose to continue living on Angel Island, adhering to their original customs. I will not force them to move, nor will I allow the Shandia to take revenge on civilians."
Gan Fall let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you... thank you..."
"However," Suzaku paused, his gaze sharpening into a steel point that pinned Gan Fall in place.
"From now on, Angel Island and Skypiea both fall under my jurisdiction. This is my territory. My flag will fly over both islands."
"I do not wish to see any more senseless conflict or bloodshed between your people. Internal strife is bad for business."
Suzaku extended a hand, not to shake, but to offer a mandate.
"I need someone familiar with Sky Island politics. Someone who understands how to balance things, to assist in managing Angel Island and serve as a bridge for communication with the Shandia people."
He looked Gan Fall in the eye.
"Gan Fall. Are you willing to take on this responsibility? Will you serve as the Governor of Angel Island under my banner?"
Gan Fall froze.
This wasn't an execution. This wasn't slavery. This was... an opportunity.
It was a chance for the Sky Island people to continue surviving under the new order, perhaps even thrive. It was a chance to finally build the peace he had failed to achieve six years ago.
A massive sense of relief washed over him, followed immediately by the heavy weight of duty.
He took a deep breath, as if setting down a thousand pounds of armor. He bowed deeply, lower than he had ever bowed to anyone.
"This old man... no, I, Gan Fall, will strictly follow your command!"
His voice trembled with gratitude. "I shall do my utmost to maintain the peace of Sky Island and coordinate relations between the two races! I swear this on my honor as a Knight of the Sky!"
Suzaku nodded in satisfaction.
Conquest by force was only the first step. Any brute could burn a country down. But establishing effective governance, winning the loyalty of different factions, and creating a stable base—that was the true measure of a ruler.
"Good. Pierre will help you."
It seemed the situation on Sky Island had been stabilized.
Albedo, standing nearby with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit clutched to her chest, watched everything silently. Her golden eyes were half-lidded, filled with a intoxicating mixture of lust and reverence.
"As expected of Lord Suzaku," she murmured softly to herself. "He effortlessly achieved what that false god Enel could never do: true conquest. He didn't just break their bodies; he captured their hearts and their future. Ah... how magnificent."
[Grand Line - The Island of Eternal Day - Enies Lobby]
Far below the clouds, on the treacherous waters of the Grand Line, lay an island where the sun never set.
Enies Lobby. The Judicial Island.
It was a place of imposing architecture, massive iron gates, and a waterfall that drained eternally into a bottomless void. It symbolized the absolute, unshakeable authority of the World Government.
At the Main Gate of this island, the salty sea breeze struck the iron bars year after year, eroding the metal like an eternal sigh.
Two massive figures sat guard.
Oimo and Kashi. Warriors of the Giant Race from Elbaf.
They sat in silence, their massive weapons resting against the gate. Such days had quietly slipped by for nearly fifty years.
Fifty years of staring at the horizon. Fifty years of "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" to humans smaller than their thumbs.
Back then, agents of the World Government—CP agents with tongues like snakes—had arrived with "irrefutable" evidence. They claimed that the two Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre, had been captured by the Marines.
"Do you want to save your Captains' lives?" the agents had sneered.
"Guard the gate of Enies Lobby for the Government for one hundred years! Once the term is up, they will naturally be set free!"
One hundred years. Even for the long-lived Giant Race, who could live for three centuries, this was an immense span of time. It was a third of a life spent in servitude.
However, Oimo and Kashi did not hesitate. They did not complain.
For the sake of their legendary bosses, for the honor of the Giant Warrior Pirates, they had rooted themselves here like trees.
Today, just like always, they diligently guarded the massive gate, swatting away sea kings and unauthorized ships.
Suddenly, a shape appeared on the distant sea.
"Hey, Oimo..."
Kashi, who was slightly leaner (for a giant) and wore a Viking helmet, nudged his companion with an elbow the size of a tree trunk. He pointed a thick finger toward the distant horizon.
"Look over there. Isn't the silhouette of that ship... a bit excessively large?"
His tone carried a hint of casual banter, just something to pass the endless time.
"It looks like the kind of ship that could carry us Giants. Not those tiny Marine battleships."
Hearing this, Oimo, the rounder giant with a cow-skull helmet, cupped his large hand over his brow bone. He squinted to peer carefully into the glare of the sun.
Where the sea met the sky, a black dot was slowly growing larger. It wasn't a standard ship. It looked rough, rugged, and massive.
"Ah, Kashi, you're right," Oimo's deep voice rumbled like distant thunder. "It really does look like it... It's been a long time since we've seen a ship of that scale. Reminds me of the old days."
However, as the massive ship continued to approach, plowing through the waves with reckless speed, the relaxed expressions on the faces of the two Giant guards were gradually replaced by confusion.
This was Enies Lobby. A judicial organ directly under the World Government. Only convicted criminals were transported here, and there would always be an escorting Marine fleet.
Yet, on that ship, there was no sign or flag of the Marines. No seagull emblem. No World Government cross.
And who among ordinary people would dare trespass into this forbidden sea area?
"Wait..." Kashi stood up, gripping his club. "That's not a Marine ship. That's... a raft?"
[The Approaching Ship - The Giant Raft]
It was indeed a raft. A colossal vessel roughly lashed together from thick island timbers, large enough to support the weight of titans.
Standing at the prow of this behemoth was a figure that looked deceptively small in comparison.
Ulquiorra Cifer.
The Fourth Espada stood with his hands in his pockets, his white uniform stark against the blue sea. His emerald pupils, framed by the tear-like markings on his face, stared indifferently at the silhouette of the island ahead.
He compared the visual data with the information Suzaku had given him.
"There is no mistake," Ulquiorra's placid voice dispersed in the wind. "That is Enies Lobby ahead."
Behind him, two mountains shifted.
Dorry and Brogy. The legendary Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates. They stood tall, their weapons—the sword Terry Sword and the axe Bruiser Axe—gleaming in the sunlight.
The two giants exchanged a look. A look fifty years in the making.
"Gegyagyagyagya!"
Dorry was the first to let out a booming laugh, yet his laughter contained uncontrollable fury. It shook the timbers of the raft.
"We've finally arrived! After all this time!"
He slammed his fist into his palm.
"Damn the World Government! To dare imprison my crewmates with such a clumsy lie! To think Oimo and Kashi have been guarding a gate for fifty years for nothing!"
"Kababababa!"
Brogy's battle cry followed immediately. He tightened his grip on his massive axe, his voice like muffled thunder.
"That's right! They tricked our boys! They used our honor against us!"
Brogy grinned, a savage, Viking grin.
"Let them witness the true power of an Elbaf warrior! Let's cause a ruckus! We're going to rescue Kashi and Oimo, and smash that gate to pieces!"
"Proceed," Ulquiorra commanded simply.
Following the Giants' roars, the crude yet immense ship slammed through the currents, aiming directly for the single gate of Enies Lobby.
Towering iron bars encircled the entire island like a frigid cage; only the main gate allowed passage. But to a Giant, a gate is just a suggestion.
[Enies Lobby - Main Gate]
With such a conspicuous giant ship approaching at ramming speed, the stationed Marines immediately sounded the alarm.
Woooo—! Woooo—!
Sirens began to wail across the island.
The news was quickly reported via Den Den Mushi to the office of the Chief.
[Tower of Law - Chief's Office]
"WHAT?!"
Spandam, the Chief of CP5 (currently stationed at Enies Lobby for administrative duties), shrieked. His voice rose sharply, cracking in astonishment. He nearly dropped his coffee.
"Someone dares to attack Enies Lobby?!"
He slammed his hands on his desk, his face twisting into a mix of fear and bluster.
"Are they insane?! Do they know where this is?! There are ten thousand Marines stationed on this island! It's the gateway to Hell!"
He grabbed the receiver. "Report! How many ships? Is it a Yonko fleet? Is it the Revolutionaries?"
At the Main Gate, the observing Marine Soldier held the binoculars with trembling hands. He swallowed hard, sweat pouring down his face.
"Ch-Chief!" the soldier stammered. "The enemy... there is only one ship! And... and only three people!"
"Three?!" Spandam yelled. "Are you mocking me?!"
"No, sir! But... one is a strangely dressed man in white... and accompanied by two Giants... Wait... wait, wait, wait!"
The soldier adjusted the focus on his lens. His blood ran cold.
"That helmet... that long beard... that axe..."
"I can't be wrong! The records... the history books!"
"It's Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre!"
The soldier screamed into the microphone.
"It's the Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates! The legends who vanished one hundred years ago! The ones with the 100 million berry bounties from a century ago!"
The other end of the Den Den Mushi fell into a brief, stunned silence.
Then, Spandam's shriek echoed so loud it distorted the speaker.
"O-One hundred years ago's... Giant Captains?!"
Spandam's face went pale. He knew the lie. Everyone in high command knew the lie about Oimo and Kashi.
"How could it possibly be them?! They're supposed to be dead or dueling on Little Garden! Who found them?!"
"Damn it! If those two meet the gatekeepers, the lie is exposed! We'll have four angry Giants destroying the island!"
"Quick!" Spandam yelled, knocking over his chair. "Everyone assume Level One combat readiness! Fire the cannons! Close the main gate! Do not let them speak to Oimo and Kashi! THEY ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO BREAK IN!"
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