Chapter 151: The Demand
"This is the second time we've met, isn't it?"
The Chief Judge tapped the documents in his hand against the table, aligning the edges with slow, careful movements.
He was an old man. His motions were unhurried, his temples marked by age, yet there was an invisible weight to him. Even when he spoke quietly, his voice had a way of guiding the room.
"I hope you've been well, Chief Judge," Axel said.
The Chief Judge looked at him in silence for a moment.
Then he replied flatly, "That phrase is not very suitable for me. I already have one foot in the grave."
Axel paused.
He had only been making polite conversation. He had not expected the man to answer so literally.
And yet the Chief Judge said it without the slightest change in expression.
Axel did not let his guard down. Anyone who could make others wary after spending a lifetime in a place like Enies Lobby was not ordinary.
"So," the Chief Judge said, getting straight to the point, "what do you want to discuss with me this time? I assume it isn't something simple."
From Axel's involvement in the Celestial Dragon incident to his unauthorized departure from the judicial ship, the Chief Judge had already formed a rough impression of him.
A troublemaker.
And when troublemakers came to talk, they rarely brought peaceful news.
Axel gave a small laugh, not at all embarrassed by being seen through.
"I'm here to ask you for someone."
The Chief Judge's brow shifted slightly.
"A prisoner?"
He placed the documents down.
"Prisoners who pass through the Gates of Justice are sent directly to Impel Down through the ocean current. Even I do not have the authority to retrieve someone from there."
"No," Axel said. "This prisoner is still on Enies Lobby."
"You mean Tom?"
The Chief Judge said the name without hesitation.
Most prisoners brought to Enies Lobby were processed and sent away the same day. Considering Axel's current jurisdiction and connections, the only special case was Tom.
The answer was not difficult to guess.
Axel admitted it openly.
"That's right. Tom."
He looked at the old judge.
"Before he was arrested, he had already agreed to become a shipwright at my Marine base. I'm curious how he ended up being arrested by you."
The Chief Judge frowned.
Not because the situation troubled him, but because Axel's statement was obviously false.
The Marine base on San Faldo did not need a shipwright like Tom. It was right next to Water 7, where shipwrights could be summoned at any time. Even its warships were allocated directly from Headquarters.
But although the Chief Judge knew Axel was lying, he did not point it out.
Instead, he followed the conversation.
"Tom was arrested for attacking a judicial ship."
"Attacking a judicial ship?"
Axel looked puzzled.
"Since Tom joined my unit, he should be considered a member of the Marines. How could he do such a thing? Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"The weapons used in the attack were built by Tom's disciples," the Chief Judge said. "Is that not conclusive evidence?"
"But those warships were just purchased by me."
Axel's expression remained innocent.
"No matter how foolish Tom is, he would not use ships I bought as weapons. That would mean the Marines attacked the World Government. Tom would never do something so easy to investigate."
He paused.
"Or are you saying the Marines really intended to attack—"
The Chief Judge's eyes narrowed slightly.
The child was pressuring him.
If he insisted that those ships had been used to attack the judicial ship, there were only two possible conclusions.
Either the Marines had attacked the judicial ship.
Or the Marines had been negligent, allowing the ships they purchased to fall into criminal hands, who then used them to attack the World Government.
Neither outcome was convenient.
More importantly, the Government clearly wanted to keep this matter quiet.
From what the Chief Judge knew, Spandam's mission to obtain the Pluton blueprints came directly from the Five Elders. It had not passed through the Marines. That alone showed they did not want the matter to spread too widely.
The Chief Judge changed the subject.
"Purchased? I have heard no report of that."
"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision," Axel said. "The news hasn't had time to spread."
He continued calmly, "With the birth of the Sea Train, the islands in this region are becoming more prosperous. But prosperity brings pirates. The warships at the base are no longer enough to handle the increasing number of pirate attacks. I heard that the warships built by Tom's disciples could even defeat Sea Kings, so I made the decision in advance."
The explanation was reasonable.
Axel was a Marine officer, and his internal decisions did not need to be reported to Enies Lobby.
The Chief Judge did not continue pressing him.
In truth, he did feel some pity for Tom.
A man like that was rare.
But pity was only pity.
He still had to consider the World Government's interests.
As long as Tom was suspected of possessing the Pluton blueprints, he could not be released.
All for justice.
"Tom is currently in Spandam's hands," the Chief Judge said at last. "If you want to take him away, you will need Spandam's consent."
He did not want to keep arguing over this.
A short while later, Spandam arrived.
His face was covered in medical ointment, making it look as though he had suffered a serious injury.
The Chief Judge glanced at him and could not help asking, "Spandam, what happened to you?"
Spandam could not exactly say that during an interrogation, he had thrown a teapot in anger only for it to bounce back, hit him in the chin, and spill hot water on his face.
So he said stiffly, "I accidentally scalded myself. Why was I called here?"
He had been summoned in a hurry without explanation.
If it had been anyone else, Spandam would have cursed them already. But he could not afford to offend the Chief Judge.
This old man had served the World Government for his entire life. His seniority was far above Spandam's. Even Spandam's father, Spandine, would not casually provoke him.
"It was not me who sent for you this time," the Chief Judge said. "It was Captain Axel."
Spandam paused.
Captain Axel.
The title took a moment to register.
Then he remembered.
It had been a hot topic recently. A child around ten years old becoming a Marine Captain was practically unheard of.
Because of that, Spandam had privately mocked him as someone just like himself, relying on family background to obtain a position.
After all, Spandam himself had relied on his father's status to rise faster than ordinary people could hope to in decades.
To him, leaning on the previous generation was normal.
It was an advantage. One that ordinary people simply did not possess.
Because of that, Axel, who seemed to be the same kind of person, suddenly appeared far more approachable in his eyes.
Spandam looked toward Axel and smiled.
"Captain Axel, what do you need from me?"
Axel said calmly, "I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
Spandam repeated the words softly, then thought for a moment.
"If it's something I can do easily, I'll help."
He deliberately added the word easily, leaving himself room to refuse if the request was troublesome.
Axel nodded.
"Don't worry. It isn't difficult. It's something you can do with a wave of your hand."
Hearing that, Spandam quickly relaxed.
"Then there's no problem. Leave it to me."
He smiled.
"So, what exactly is it?"
Axel looked at him.
"Let me take Tom away."
.....
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