Enies Lobby is the judicial island established by the World Government. Because the island knows no night, experiencing only perpetual daylight, it is also known as the Island of No Night.
Anyone brought to Enies Lobby is already a convicted criminal. After a simple proceeding, they are sent through a cold, massive steel gate behind the island—the Gates of Justice. Prisoners who pass through these gates generally never return, a symbol of the World Government's absolute justice.
From the Gates of Justice, there are only two possible destinations: one is Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the main fighting force of the World Government; the other is the Marines' most heavily fortified great undersea prison—Impel Down.
Criminals sentenced on Enies Lobby are sent through the Gates of Justice to Impel Down.
Historically, no prisoner taken to Enies Lobby has ever returned alive. Of course, the future Straw Hat Luffy would be the first pirate to successfully conquer it.
Because Enies Lobby is directly connected to the central hub of the World Government, the island's defensive forces are incredibly strong, with a permanent garrison of ten thousand soldiers.
Furthermore, CP9, a secret intelligence organization of the World Government, is permanently stationed on Enies Lobby, providing it with high-level combat power.
On this day, at the very top of the Tower of Justice on Enies Lobby, a middle-aged man with black hair, dressed in a crisp suit, lounged in a reclining chair. He held a newspaper, leisurely sipping tea as he read.
This man was Spandine, the current supreme commander of CP9 and the mastermind behind the destruction of Robin's homeland, Ohara.
His son was Spandam, the future commander of CP9, the weakling who would later be beaten senseless by Luffy.
As the supreme commander of CP9, his work was quite relaxed. Like any other day, he spent his work hours reading the paper, drinking tea, or perhaps finding a few women to amuse himself with.
He was leisurely reading the newspaper—or rather, a banned book with salacious content hidden inside it. The story was making his blood boil with desire, and he was just thinking about heading to the prison to find a few attractive female inmates to play with.
Suddenly, a clap of thunder echoed from the sky. It was so abrupt that it nearly knocked him out of his chair.
He quickly looked outside. A thick bolt of lightning was striking down from the sky. Immediately, the urgent sound of alarms blared across Enies Lobby.
"Highest alert! We have an intruder!" Spandine's face paled. In all of history, no one had ever trespassed on Enies Lobby.
The entire island was thrown into a state of alarm, and all soldiers assembled rapidly.
Spandine rushed to the balcony and saw a massive warship flying in the sky above the island. Bolts of lightning rained down from the ship, striking the bridges and pathways of Enies Lobby.
"That's... the flag of the Fire Tank Pirates! That ship is the Sky God, Demon Dragon's personal vessel!" The Fire Tank Pirates were already famous throughout the world, and their flag was instantly recognizable to everyone. The design of the Sky God was also well-known.
As the chief of CP9, Spandine naturally had detailed information on the Fire Tank Pirates and recognized the Sky God at a glance.
"If the Sky God is here, then Demon Dragon must be here too. What do we do?" Spandine's face filled with terror. Although Enies Lobby had a large number of soldiers and was guarded by CP9, they were absolutely no match for an Emperor-level super-pirate.
"You should be notifying Marineford right now," a cold voice suddenly said from behind Spandine. Six figures stood behind him.
"Right, right! Notify Marineford immediately! Have Fleet Admiral Sengoku send reinforcements!" Spandine was jolted back to his senses. He rushed into his office and grabbed a Den Den Mushi to call Marineford.
"Lucci! You all go and intercept Demon Dragon! Don't let him destroy Enies Lobby!" Spandine shouted at the six figures while waiting for the call to connect.
The leader of the six was a very young man, only about fifteen or sixteen years old. He wore a suit, stood ramrod straight, and had a cold, detached expression.
This was the future strongest agent in CP9's history, Rob Lucci.
Even now, his strength was second to none within CP9.
"That's Demon Dragon. Can we really stop him?" a young man dressed like a comedian behind Lucci grumbled.
"I don't care if you can stop him or not! Enies Lobby must not be breached!" Spandine roared.
"Understood," Lucci replied coolly. He turned and left the room, the others following him.
"Hey, hey, Lucci, are you really going to try and stop Demon Dragon?" another young man with a long braid asked.
"Do we have a choice?" Lucci said, his face impassive, showing no concern for his own life. "Enies Lobby is a place of justice. It will not be defiled by evil pirates. Even if we die, we must hold them off until the Marines arrive."
He was a practitioner of Dark Justice, an extreme form of justice similar to Akainu's Absolute Justice. The common thread was the willingness to use any means necessary to destroy those deemed evil.
The others said nothing, silently following Lucci out of the Tower of Justice.
The Sky God hovered in the air. On its deck, Bege looked down at the Tower of Justice, with Enel, Wiper, and a contingent of his men standing behind him.
He was the first to jump, plummeting toward the top floor of the tower. Enel and Wiper then transformed into two bolts of lightning, splitting off in different directions, while the other men followed on their Wavers.
Bege kicked open the balcony doors and entered the top floor, just in time to see Spandine on the phone with Marineford.
Spandine's face was filled with terror, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.
"Lucci! Demon Dragon is here! Come back and protect me!" Spandine shrieked, now regretting his decision to send Lucci away.
Bege walked in, his face impassive. Spandine's body suddenly went rigid. The space around him compressed, as if an invisible hand had seized him by the neck, lifting him into the air and bringing him before Bege.
An enraged voice was still shouting from the Den Den Mushi on the desk.
From the sound of it, it was Fleet Admiral "the Buddha" Sengoku.
Bege walked over and picked up the receiver.
"Spandine! Is it Demon Dragon invading Enies Lobby?! Answer me!" Sengoku's voice was urgent.
"That's right, it's me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Bege said calmly.
"Demon Dragon! Capone Bege! Are you looking to die?!" Sengoku's voice was filled with a rage that seemed on the verge of exploding.
A mocking sneer appeared on Bege's lips. "If you have what it takes, then come and kill me. You ambushed us on Fear Island, causing me to lose three of my captains and dozens of my officers. I will settle that score with you sooner or later. Enies Lobby is just the interest. You just wait, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Before Sengoku could reply, Bege hung up.
He looked coldly at Spandine, who was floating in the air, pale and terrified, sweat pouring down his face.
Bege took out a photograph. It was of a cute little girl who looked very similar to Taylor. It was her sister, Jessica.
To fulfill Taylor's final wish, Bege had mobilized all his connections, even owing a favor to Dragon, to finally find Jessica's whereabouts.
"Tell me where the girl in this photo is," Bege said. "Tell me, and you might be able to keep your life."
"I'll talk! I'll talk! She's being held in the prison!" Spandine recognized the girl in the photo at a glance. He remembered her well. A few days ago, the World Government had issued an order to deal with the little girl. Spandine, seeing that she was attractive, had decided to send her to the Holy Land as a slave to curry favor with the Celestial Dragons. "Don't kill me! I'll tell you everything!"