Enies Lobby — The Island That Never Sleeps.
It stood tall as one of the three great pillars of the World Government, alongside Impel Down and Marineford. A symbol of justice. A gateway of law.
And yet, every man and woman across the sea knew the truth.
There were no trials here.
Only sentences.
Anyone who stepped onto this island—never returned.
The entire structure was designed for one purpose: to crush any trace of resistance beneath the weight of "justice."
The island was divided into four great sections:
The Front Island and its immense main gates.
The central city island.
The Tower of Justice.
And finally—the Bridge of Hesitation, leading to the enormous Gates of Justice that opened into the endless whirlpools of the sea.
Inside the Tower of Justice, tension filled the air.
In the chief's office, Spandam slammed his hands against the desk, his mask-like face twisting into panic.
"Chababa—! What do you mean, no contact with Lucci and the others?!"
Kumadori bowed stiffly. "Chief… we've lost all communication. There's been no response since the Water Seven report."
"Those idiots!" Spandam roared, pacing wildly. "At the most crucial moment, they vanish?! If they ruin my promotion—I'll skin them alive!"
He was sweating, pacing in circles like a trapped animal.
Gabra leaned against the wall, grinning lazily.
"Ya-ha-ha, relax, Chief. Maybe they're just running late. Even I'll admit—Lucci's reliable. He wouldn't fail that easily."
Fukuro twirled his sword and shouted dramatically, "Yo-yo-yoi! Maybe I should cut myself in half to lighten the mood!"
"Fukuro, shut up!" Spandam barked. "We spent four years preparing this operation! If something goes wrong now, we'll all be dragged down!"
Originally, CP9 had no right to touch matters related to the Ancient Weapons. But Spandam—greedy for power—used his father's influence to force their involvement.
He even received a Golden Den Den Mushi, the authority to summon a Buster Call—one of the Government's ultimate weapons.
And if he failed… that power, his position, and his life would vanish together.
"Chababa… two days ago, Lucci mentioned locating Nico Robin," Kumadori said nervously. "Maybe they're still… in pursuit?"
Even he didn't sound convinced.
Spandam ground his teeth. "Gabra, Nero—go. Now. Check Water Seven. I want eyes there immediately!"
Gabra groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Chief, you're overreacting. It's Water Seven, not hell. What could possibly happen there?"
Nero puffed his chest out. "Yeah, yeah! Lucci's the strongest CP9 agent in eight hundred years!"
Spandam's hand slammed onto the desk again. "I'm the chief! You'll obey me. Go—NOW!"
Gabra's jaw tightened. He hated being ordered by a man who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag.
"…Fine," he muttered. "We'll go."
As they turned to leave, Spandam couldn't resist one last jab.
"And Gabra!"
The wolf Zoan paused, glaring back.
"Remember—you're just a dog under my command!"
Gabra's fist twitched, but he didn't turn around.
"Yeah," he muttered, walking off. "Keep telling yourself that."
Nero sighed. "Chief is so violent… not cute at all~~"
The door slammed behind them.
Spandam sat heavily in his chair, rubbing his temples. "Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots…"
…
Water Seven.
Inside the mayor's office, the city's top shipwright, Iceburg, was having the strangest day of his life.
Across from him sat a man in a black kimono, lounging lazily on his sofa—Lucian Vale, the pirate who broke Impel Down, defeated an Admiral, and turned the world upside down.
Standing beside him was Kalifa.
Except she wasn't the Kalifa Iceburg knew.
Her once-cold, confident demeanor was gone. She stood silently, head bowed, eyes lowered in calm submission.
If Iceburg hadn't seen it himself, he would've called it madness.
Lin Yan broke the silence first.
"Iceburg," he said calmly, "I've already dealt with the problem you mentioned. Now—how long will it take to build my ship?"
His tone was even, but the weight behind it made Iceburg's heart race.
Lucian Vale wasn't the kind of man you kept waiting.
He was the kind of man whose patience could destroy nations.
Iceburg took a steady breath. "Because you requested Adam Wood… it'll take around two months to finish construction."
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
"Two months?"
"That's too long."
The air in the room dropped several degrees.
Iceburg rubbed his temples. "Lucian, you don't understand. Water Seven's suffered losses recently. We lost two of our best foremen."
He didn't need to say their names.
Lucci. Kaku.
Gone.
"With the remaining craftsmen," he said quietly, "two months is already fast."
Lucian's expression didn't change.
"One month," he said flatly. "I'll give you one month."
"I want you and Franky to build it together."
Iceburg froze.
"…Franky?"
The name came out like a whisper.
He looked down, jaw tightening. "I can work myself, yes. But Franky…"
He hesitated.
"After Tom-sensei's death, we stopped speaking. The bridge between us broke a long time ago."
Even if he wanted to fix it… he didn't know how.
Lucian stood, his presence filling the office like a storm.
"Iceburg, that's your problem."
"I've already kept my end of the deal. My bottom line is one month."
He turned his gaze toward the window, eyes fixed on the endless sea.
Raftel.
The One Piece.
The Blank Century.
The evolution of the Hōgyoku.
Too many pieces. Too little time.
Iceburg closed his eyes. Then nodded slowly.
"…Fine. I'll meet with Franky."
"If I fail, I'll still do everything I can."
Lucian smiled faintly.
"That's all I needed to hear."
He started for the door, his voice calm and cold.
"I'll be waiting for your good news, Iceburg."
He paused briefly before stepping out.
"I hope you don't disappoint me."
When the door closed behind him, Iceburg slumped into his chair, drenched in sweat.
The strongest shipwright in the world had just been given an impossible order—by the most dangerous man alive.
And for the first time in years… he was afraid the sea itself might not survive the storm that was coming.
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