"Spandam is, after all, the highest authority on Enies Lobby and a member of the World Government. We're still not entirely out of danger, so keeping him alive might prove useful in a critical moment.
Besides, the reason I was able to arrive here so quickly is because of a favor I owe someone. If Spandam were to die, she would likely take the blame."
Wood's intentions were clear—he planned to use Spandam as a hostage.
While the World Government might not care much about the life of someone like Spandam, the stationed forces at Enies Lobby and the Navy Headquarters would likely be more concerned.
Of course, this was also an excuse Wood used to placate Tiger. In truth, it was Gion who had asked him to spare Spandam's life.
The Navy Headquarters had dispatched two significant forces to hunt down Wood, the Marine traitor. It would be one thing if they failed to capture him, but if the commanding officer, Spandam, were also killed, it would be hard to justify.
In other words, while they were acting, they couldn't overdo it. Otherwise, the Navy Headquarters wouldn't be able to explain it to the World Government.
Tiger, who had initially been puzzled by how Wood could arrive despite facing two formidable enemies, finally understood after hearing Wood's explanation.
Gion, also known as Vice Admiral Momousagi, out of respect for her connection with Wood, not only went easy during the fight but even disobeyed orders to hold back the Marine hero Garp.
In return, Wood had promised Momousagi that he would preserve the Navy's dignity by ensuring that Spandam, under their protection, wouldn't die here.
Tiger didn't doubt Wood's words at all because he knew Wood was also the Fish-Man Sword Saint Yasuo, and it was with Momousagi that Wood had once carried out a mission in the Holy Land Mariejois.
"The World Government's reinforcements will arrive soon. We've already rescued the people, so now it's time to make our escape like mad rabbits."
Tom, Ruth, and the others were all severely injured and unconscious, but for someone as strong as Tiger, carrying over a dozen people wasn't difficult.
As the two carried the unconscious Ruth and others back to the main island, they happened upon Jinbe, who had just helped Arlong defeat the last member of the Enies Lobby jury.
The guilty jury was a special force of Enies Lobby—physically imposing and wielding massive black iron balls as weapons.
But when Wood and Tiger arrived, they saw the jury member, who was considered a demon by criminals, being held like a small dog by Jinbe, with the iron ball shattered to pieces on the ground.
"Tiger-boss, you guys are done too?" Jinbe noticed Tiger carrying the injured crew and immediately stepped forward to help, showing his strong sense of camaraderie.
Meanwhile, a slightly out-of-breath but still boastful Arlong spoke up, "So, this so-called Enies Lobby isn't that great after all.
I thought it would be more dangerous, but the Marines here are weaklings. They're nothing compared to the humans we encountered at Mariejois.
Tiger-boss, I think this island is perfect. How about we stay here and make it the base for the Sun Pirates?"
The thought of not only breaking through one of the three great government facilities but also claiming the island as their own filled Arlong with a sense of pride.
"Don't be ridiculous, Arlong. The World Government must already know we're here on Enies Lobby. They'll soon send Marines to capture us. Staying here won't do us any good, and making this island our base would be a direct challenge to the World Government. They won't let that slide."
Jinbe, ever the voice of reason, pointed out that while the Fish-Men had long dreamed of living on land, taking over Enies Lobby was too reckless.
"If they dare come, we'll just fight them off. You're not afraid of some Marines, are you, Jinbe?
Just now, I alone took down nearly a thousand of those weakling Marines. Why should we run from such small fry?
Shouldn't it be these weak, inferior beings who should be running instead?"
Perhaps frustrated by Jinbe's better performance or emboldened by the easy victory over the weak Marines, Arlong wasn't worried at all about the prospect of facing the World Government's reinforcements. In fact, he even suggested turning Enies Lobby into the Fish-Men's headquarters!
And he wasn't the only one among the Fish-Men who was tempted by Arlong's idea.
"Oh, should I say it's what we should expect from the Sun Pirates, who dared to wreak havoc at Mariejois and assault Enies Lobby?
You don't even take the Marines seriously and call them small fry. As a Vice Admiral, I can't just ignore those words."
Tiger was about to scold Arlong when an elderly man with black hair, dressed in a white suit, suddenly appeared before them, punching Arlong, who had just boasted loudly.
There was no need to guess; the man was Garp, the Marine hero. Wood could feel that the punch Garp threw was serious—there was no acting, and he genuinely intended to kill Arlong.
Like Zephyr, veterans like Garp had a special attachment to the Marines.
In normal circumstances, Garp was a fun-loving person, always joking around despite his age, much like an old child.
But what Arlong shouldn't have done was insult the Marine soldiers in front of Garp. For Garp, that was an unforgivable offense.
You could curse the World Government, Garp himself, or even call the entire Navy the lapdogs of the Celestial Dragons, but you couldn't insult the lower-ranked soldiers who fought for justice in front of Garp.
Garp's fist, covered in Armament Haki, caused a sonic boom in the air. Even before the punch landed, Arlong already felt an overwhelming pressure that made him completely unable to move.
Absolute terror of death washed over him, and in that moment, Arlong realized just how ridiculous his previous thoughts had been.
The Fish-Men might have superior natural abilities compared to humans, but not all humans were "inferior beings" as they believed.
At least, in the face of this suffocating pressure, Arlong felt that he was the true "inferior being" before Garp.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at p@treon.com/Betek change @ to a