After dealing with Spandam's group, Eli Winters turned to Iceburg and Tom with clear concern.
"Are you two all right? Do you need me to call a doctor?"
Tom had taken a heavy, full-powered punch from Lucci earlier, but thanks to the naturally robust physique of a fishman, he recovered surprisingly quickly and was already back on his feet.
Iceburg, however, was far less fortunate. Kaku's sword had left deep, vicious wounds across his body, and he was now soaked in blood from head to toe.
From excessive blood loss, Iceburg's once healthy complexion had turned pale. Even so, sheer willpower allowed him to endure the pain as he looked at Eli and Dotai with gratitude.
"It is just some blood. I will survive. If not for the two of you stepping in, the consequences would have been unimaginable. From now on, if there is ever anything you need, just say the word. I will do everything in my power."
Eli waved it off, not particularly concerned with formal thanks.
What mattered more to him was whether Iceburg, in his current condition, could still work. After a brief pause, Eli reached into his system space and took out a healing pill.
Of course, it was not one of those extremely rare pills worth a thousand Prosperity Points. Using something that precious on Iceburg would have been excessive. Instead, this was a standard healing pill, one that cost only ten points.
Eli handed it over.
"This is my own special healing medicine. It will stop the bleeding quickly and help you recover."
Iceburg thanked him again and swallowed the pill without hesitation. Almost immediately, a gentle warmth spread through his body, flowing toward his wounds.
Before long, the bleeding stopped, and color returned to his face. Even a pill that cost only ten points was still incredibly effective.
Seeing that Iceburg was no longer in danger, Eli decided not to stay any longer. There were still prisoners to deal with.
"Focus on recovering," Eli said to Tom and Iceburg. "My ship needs to be built as soon as possible. I will bring the equipment over tomorrow. I still have other matters to take care of today."
"No problem," Iceburg replied with a nod. "We still need to wait for the Adam wood to arrive before construction can truly begin, but we can start on the preparations. Your requirements are extremely high, so this will take time."
"Time is not an issue," Eli said calmly. "Quality is."
As he spoke, a storage ring appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Iceburg.
"This is a storage ring. Just use a drop of blood to activate it. There are one billion Beli inside as a deposit. If it is not enough later, come find me."
Iceburg stared at the ring in astonishment. He had just opened his mouth to ask something when Eli and Dotai vanished from sight along with the four prisoners.
"Where did they go?" Iceburg exclaimed in shock.
"They left," Tom said calmly.
"Left? How?" Iceburg was completely confused.
"How are you the mayor of this city?" Tom snorted. "Have you really never heard of the Sky Sovereign, Eli Winters?"
"Is he that famous?" Iceburg asked blankly. He had only recently taken office and had spent the past two years buried in Water Seven's affairs, paying little attention to the outside world.
"Go look it up yourself," Tom said impatiently. "You are not dying, so get out of here. I still have work to do."
Iceburg stared at his teacher in disbelief. Was this how a mentor treated a heavily injured disciple?
In the end, one of the workshop's employees escorted Iceburg to the hospital. Although the bleeding had stopped, some of the deeper wounds still needed stitches.
While at the hospital, Iceburg requested information on Eli Winters. When he read that Eli had publicly executed a Celestial Dragon, his face froze in disbelief. In his understanding, those people were untouchable. Even offending them meant catastrophe, yet Eli had killed one and survived the retaliation of the World Government.
When he read further and saw that Eli had even slain a Marine admiral, Iceburg was left speechless. The only thought in his mind was how terrifyingly powerful that man must be.
After sensing the locations of Felina and the others, Eli used his spatial ability to bring Dotai and the four captives directly to the library.
What he saw surprised him slightly. CP9 had attacked here as well.
Fortunately, Felina, Robin, and Kori were more than capable. By the time Eli arrived, most of the attackers were already lying on the ground, defeated. Only two were still barely holding on.
"Huh?" Eli's gaze paused on the man fighting Felina. "That is the Door-Door Fruit."
Felina was visibly frustrated.
"You coward, stop hiding in that door and fight me properly," she shouted angrily. "This is unbearable."
Blueno, hiding within his door space, was just as anxious. While his Devil Fruit allowed him to avoid most of Felina's attacks, he was clearly outmatched. His subordinates had all been defeated, and even Kumadori had fallen. If Jabra went down as well, his only option would be to escape.
When Felina noticed Eli and Dotai, her eyes lit up.
"Eli, you are here. Hurry and pull him out. His power is similar to yours. He keeps opening doors out of nowhere and hiding. It is so annoying."
Eli laughed.
"That is the Door-Door Fruit. It counts as a form of spatial ability, so it is normal that you cannot hit him easily."
Eli sensed Blueno's position, then frowned slightly. Blueno was not hiding behind Felina, attempting a sneak attack as expected. Instead, he was keeping his distance.
When Eli noticed Blueno's scorched, blackened face, everything made sense.
Blueno had tried to ambush Felina earlier, only to be caught by her Observation Haki. The moment he stepped out of his door, she had struck him with lightning, leaving him badly burned.
Eli chuckled softly. This ability might trouble others, but it meant nothing to him.
With a thought, the hidden space shattered. Blueno fell out, charred and stunned, landing heavily on the ground.
"Now where are you going to hide?" Felina cheered. Dark clouds gathered instantly above Blueno's head.
Blueno's face turned pale. He desperately tried to open another door, only to realize his power was no longer responding.
Before he could understand why, lightning crashed down.
His scream was cut short as he collapsed, foam spilling from his mouth, completely unconscious.
Eli walked over and frowned slightly.
"You did not kill him, did you?"
Felina hugged his arm and laughed.
"Of course not. I only knocked him out. But if you want his Devil Fruit, you should hurry. He is badly injured and might not last long."
Eli did not act immediately. Instead, he turned to Lucci, who was still bound.
"Your name is Lucci, right? This man is your companion. I will give you and your partners a chance to live. Serve me from now on. What do you say?"
Before Lucci could answer, Spandam shouted desperately,
"Lord Eli, I can serve you too. Please spare my life."
Smack.
Dotai slapped him across the face.
"No one asked you. Speak again and I will break your legs."
Ignoring Spandam's humiliation, Eli looked back at Lucci.
"Well? Will you serve me?"
Lucci was not purely evil, nor was he good. He was an extremely effective subordinate, utterly loyal to orders and highly capable. Eli wanted him.
Lucci hesitated. His loyalty to the World Government clashed with the lives of his companions, which were now entirely in Eli's hands.
Seeing his hesitation, Spandam began shouting insults, demanding that Lucci accept.
Another slap silenced him.
Lucci felt a strange sense of satisfaction watching Spandam get hit.
Eli pressed on.
"Even if I let you go, do you really think his father would spare you when you return?"
Lucci's expression changed. He knew exactly what kind of man Spandam's father was.
Finally, he gritted his teeth.
"I will work for you, but you must spare my companions."
Eli laughed.
"Deal. I never planned to kill them anyway. Except for that one."
He pointed at Jabra, who was fighting Kori. The mark of heavy sin over Jabra's head was impossible to ignore.
Lucci nodded. He did not particularly care about Jabra, nor about Spandam.
"Where is Robin?" Eli asked.
"He tried to grab her when he could not beat me," Felina said proudly. "So I told her to hide with the mist stone."
"Well done," Eli said, patting her head.
Eli had Dotai untie Lucci and the others, then gave Lucci a healing pill and told him to feed it to Blueno.
By then, Kori's battle had also ended. Jabra was more skilled in the Six Powers, but Kori's Bubble-Bubble Fruit overwhelmed him. One of Jabra's legs was blown apart.
"Kori, finish him," Eli said calmly.
"Yes, Captain," Kori replied.
Countless bubble needles shot forward. Jabra could not dodge with his injured leg. The bubbles pierced him and exploded, tearing him apart. He fell, lifeless and furious to the end.
Kori breathed heavily. This was the first time he had fought someone of this level, and the tension had been immense.
As the battle ended, Robin stepped out from nearby. She had been watching closely the entire time, ready to intervene if something went wrong.
Eli had Lucci and the others clean up, while he walked toward Robin with Felina and Dotai, Spandam dangling helplessly from Dotai's grip.
Robin stared at Spandam, sensing something familiar.
Eli stopped in front of her.
"His name is Spandam. He is Spandine's son."
Robin trembled. Tears streamed down her face. That name was burned into her soul. The man who ordered the destruction of her home. The one responsible for her mother's death.
Felina hugged her tightly.
"You are not alone anymore. We are here. One day, we will deal with that man too."
"If you want," Eli said seriously, "we can capture Spandine right now and let you decide his fate."
Robin shook her head slowly.
"Thank you. If I need that, I will tell you. But today, I want to kill his son myself, so he can feel the pain of losing family."
She crossed her arms. Hands bloomed around Spandam's neck.
Before he could beg, his neck snapped.
When it was over, Robin collapsed against Felina's shoulder, crying softly.
Eli let out a quiet sigh. Revenge could be taken, but the dead would never return.
For a girl who had been forced to run since the age of eight, the world had been unbearably cruel.