At the second door of Enies Lobby, Ace and his companions encountered two towering giants standing guard.
"Giants? There are giants here?"
Kaya observed the giants and thought of Dorry and Brogy, who had sworn loyalty to Ace, murmuring to herself.
"Some giants choose to join the Marines and become Vice Admirals at Headquarters," Robin remarked, nostalgia coloring her eyes as she remembered Saul from her past.
"But giants like these, dedicated to serving the World Government, guarding the gate... It's unusual," Robin frowned.
"Serve the World Government? You insult us, Oyimo!" one of the giants, Oyimo, bellowed.
"Yeah! If the World Government hadn't imprisoned our captains and kept them here for a hundred years before releasing Captain Dorry and Captain Brogy, how could I, Cassie, work for them?" the other giant, Cassie, added fiercely.
"Dorry? Brogy?" Kaya blinked in surprise upon hearing the names.
"Are you talking about the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, 'Blue Ogre' Dorry and 'Red Ogre' Brogy?" she asked, raising her voice.
"Oh? You know of our captains' reputation?" Oyimo and Cassie looked pleased.
"How could Dorry and Brogy be imprisoned by the World Government? They swore to Ace on Little Garden that they would fight for him if he ever needed them," Kaya said proudly.
"What?! Don't joke with us! They're our Giant Warrior Pirates' captains!"
Before Oyimo and Cassie could respond, Ace activated an electric transmitter concealed in his voice.
"Click!"
"Gah ka ka ka! Ace, is that you? Your phone bug actually reached us here," Dorry's distinctive laughter echoed through the transmitter.
"Move aside and let me talk to Ace. Ace, do you need our strength? Wherever you are, we're with you! Click, click, click!" Brogy's voice joined in.
"Captain Dorry! Captain Brogy!" Oyimo and Cassie cried out in tears upon hearing the familiar voices.
"Oyimo? Cassie? Is that really you?" Dorry and Brogy sounded incredulous.
"It's us, Captain!" Oyimo and Cassie confirmed tearfully, recounting their experiences.
"Damn the World Government! They deceived us!" Oyimo and Cassie's anger blazed as they spoke.
"Ace, once again you've helped us. We don't know how to thank you," Dorry's voice conveyed gratitude through the phone bug.
"Ace! After everything that's happened with Oyimo and Cassie these days, Dorry and I have made a decision," Brogy added seriously.
"Huh? What decision?" Ace inquired, listening attentively.
"Ace! Can we, Dorry and Brogy, captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, have the honor of drinking the 'Adopted Son's Sake' and joining your crew?" Dorry and Brogy asked in unison.
Franky and his crew stared at the phone bug in disbelief. In pirate terms, drinking the 'Adopted Son's Sake' meant one crew joining another.
Ace smiled faintly as he held the phone bug in his hand.
"Absolutely."
And so, the Giant Warrior Pirates became the first fleet of the Entei Pirates under Ace's command.
Ace held the phone bug in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips. His plan to establish the Entei Pirates Grand Fleet had been long in the making.
"Why are the Four Emperors called such in the New World? Besides their own immense power, they command numerous pirate groups and vast territories," Ace mused to himself.
"The backbone combat forces are crucial for maintaining their influence. If they can't rely on their deputies, can they still be called emperors who reign over the sea?" Ace pondered, considering his own ambitions to challenge the throne and become the King of the Pirates.
"The Entei Pirates need a formidable Grand Fleet, with the Giant Pirates as a core component," Ace thought, nodding to himself.
"Click, click, click!"
"Gahgahgahgah!"
Dorry and Brogy burst into laughter upon hearing Ace's acceptance.
"Ace! Brogy and I will return to Elbaf from Little Garden and take to the seas once more. The Giant Pirates have been silent in these waters for too long," Dorry declared.
"Do you mind if we stir up some trouble on the ocean, Ace?" Brogy asked enthusiastically.
"Carry our name and turn the seas upside down. It's a new era—named after the Flame Emperor!" Ace declared passionately, his eyes flashing with black and purple hues.
Under his Conqueror's Haki, Enies Lobby and Little Garden trembled simultaneously, enveloped in his overwhelming presence.
"The era of the Flame Emperor? This man truly commands Haki. He's the one I want to follow, Gaga Kaka Kaka," Dorry laughed heartily as Little Garden quaked.
"Let's go, Dorry. Carry the name of the Flame Emperor, Portgas D. Ace, and make waves across the seas!"
"Click, click, click!" Brogy joined in, laughing.
"Hey, Oyimo, Cassie," Dorry called out.
"Captain Dorry!" Oyimo and Cassie responded eagerly.
"After helping Ace take Enies Lobby, we'll return to Elbaf. As part of the Entei Pirates, the new Giant Soldier Pirates will set sail again. Gaga gah gah gah!" Dorry announced.
"You two are lucky to fight alongside Ace before us. Truly enviable!" Brogy added with a chuckle.
"Yes, Captain Dorry, Captain Brogy!" Oyimo and Cassie exclaimed tearfully, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Goodbye, Ace! We'll stir up the seas in your name!"
"Click, click, click!" Brogy signed off with laughter.
"I look forward to it," Ace said softly, ending the call.
"Brother Ace! Let us clear the path to the Tower of Justice," Oyimo called out.
"We'll show Ace our strength," Cassie grinned.
Witnessing two respected captains like Dorry and Brogy pledging allegiance to Ace was a thrilling moment for Oyimo and Cassie. Their giant blood surged with fighting spirit, and they were also driven by a desire to settle scores with the World Government for deceiving their captains.
"Even giants are now Ace's comrades," the boys from Franky's crew watched in awe.
"A giant powerful enough to shake warships, calling Ace 'brother'? Incredible!" Franky exclaimed with admiration.
"Hahaha, then let's move on."
Granny Cocoluo took a long sip of wine, her slightly cloudy eyes betraying her excitement. She gripped the wheel of the Smoking Tom, guiding it with a steady hand. Enies Lobby, the place where Tom had lost his life, was now before her. She had never imagined she would return here to pay her respects to Tom in her lifetime.
Enies Lobby, one of the three major institutions under the World Government, alongside the Naval Headquarters and the underwater prison Impel Down, was heavily fortified with over 10,000 elite naval soldiers and World Government troops stationed year-round. The idea of honoring a condemned man in such a place had once seemed utterly unimaginable.
But now, Granny Cocoluo stood on the land of Enies Lobby, fulfilling her long-held wish to honor Tom and make amends for the past. The ironclad defenses of Enies Lobby seemed as fragile as paper in the face of Ace's might. Even the legendary giants, Dorry and Brogy, had willingly drunk the "Wine of Adopted Son" and embraced the name Portgas D. Ace.
"What an incredible man," Granny Cocoluo mused, taking another swig of wine. She steered the Smoking Tom forward, heading straight for the main island of Enies Lobby. Ahead, Oyimo and Cassie, the two giants, roared as they smashed through any obstacles in their path, clearing the way for Ace.
At the pinnacle of the Tower of Justice, Spandam and the CP9 members ascended to survey their domain. Spandam gazed up, spotting the World Government flag fluttering at Enies Lobby's highest point, a sight that brought an exaggerated grin to his face.
"Yes! What of the so-called Fifth Emperor of the Sea? Behind me stands the World Government, encompassing more than 170 nations, shaping the very order of our world! The World Government is the world itself! Hahahaha!"
Spandam's laughter echoed nervously, abruptly interrupted by thunderous booms that made him tremble. He peered into the distance, his expression turning to horror.
"Hey, is this happening so soon? Those giants are guarding the second gate. Despite their simple minds, they were deceived into guarding it for fifty years with a mere lie. Their strength is formidable; every giant who joins the Marines becomes a Vice Admiral."
Spandam's nervous gaze turned to shock as the two giants unleashed earth-shattering roars, demolishing countless structures. Behind them, a sea train bore down, and at its helm stood a figure exuding Haki.
"Why... why is everyone betraying us?!"
Spandam clutched his head, howling in disbelief.
"Ah!"
From above, a tall elderly man and two middle-aged companions soared towards the Tower of Justice. Together, they formed the Baskerville Judges of Enies Lobby, each impacting the tower with a thunderous crash. One struck Spandam directly, sending him crashing into the wall, blood streaming from his head.
"Damn it, has the presiding judge been taken out too?"
Fukurou's face darkened grimly.
"You scoundrel! How dare you harm me, the leader of CP9!"
Spandam clutched his bleeding wound, rising from the rubble with curses on his lips.
"Sir, it appears this situation is more dire than anticipated."
Nuri, her long white hair in disarray, spoke with a strange accent, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Hmm?!"
Spandam rushed to the rooftop's edge, his body drenched in cold sweat.
"Is all of CP9 here?"
A handsome man with short black hair stood atop the pyramid tower, his presence alone suffocating the CP9 members with fear.
"Portgas... Ace!"
Lucci gritted his teeth, staring at the figure whose mere aura left him breathless.
"The Fifth Emperor of the Sea, Portgas D. Ace?!"
Spandam's screams echoed in panic.
Hearing Spandam's cries, Franky, his crew, and the giants Oyimo and Cassie stood dumbstruck.
"The Fifth Emperor of the Sea?!"
The horror in Spandam's voice suggested even the World Government recognized this title.
"Portgas D. Ace, the Fifth Emperor of the Sea!"
"What an unbelievable title! Brother Ace."
Franky exclaimed, his usual bravado shaken.
"Could this be the man Captain Dorry and Captain Brogy chose to follow? The Fifth Emperor of the Sea!"
Cassie and Oyimo murmured in disbelief.
"Emperor... Only those four who rule the New World can bear that name!"
Cassie and Oyimo exchanged glances, their eyes ablaze with excitement and pride. Their Giant Soldier Pirates, now joining as the Entei Pirates, would sail under the banner of the Flame Emperor, turning the seas upside down.
"This is the dawn of a new era! The era of Entei!"
The girls, too, stood proudly on the tower, each exuding confidence and pride.
"Ace was meant to stand atop these seas as emperor from the start!"
In their eyes, filled with the swirling black hues of Haki, there was no surprise—only certainty and pride.
"Oh? It seems you're finally waking up, CP9."
Ace's eyes gleamed with purple-black Conqueror's Haki, a force that surged like a vortex, ready to consume anything that dared challenge him.