---
"The most beautiful woman in the world, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock... has a man?!" Spandam spluttered in disbelief, nearly dropping the stack of portraits he kept of her. His idol—his goddess—was taken by some nobody?
"We encountered him in the Water 7," Lucci explained. "He was with the Pirate Empress back then. If this Uchiha Akira accepted Iceburg's request, it makes sense he'd be here now."
The team nodded grimly, recalling how Iceburg had mentioned contacting Uchiha Akira's security company. If Iceburg had indeed hired them, their presence here could change everything.
"It's possible Hancock's here too. That would complicate things," Kaku muttered.
Spandam clenched his fists. "Unforgivable! It's absolutely unforgivable!"
The doors swung open, and Franky and Nico Robin were escorted in. Spandam's mood soared as he taunted them. "Well, well, look who survived the Water seven incident—Cutty Flam himself! And the infamous Nico Robin, the world's most dangerous criminal. "
"The sacrifices we made today are all for peace! Everyone who stands in our way will be erased. Like that Fish-Man—he didn't want to talk, he deserved his execution as a traitor!"
Franky's temper snapped. "Mr. Tom sacrificed everything to protect the blueprint—just to keep it out of the hands of scum like you!"
He lunged forward, sinking his teeth into Spandam's head. "Ow! Someone help me!" Spandam yelped, flailing. His guards quickly restrained Franky, pinning him to the ground as Spandam delivered kicks to his side, venting his rage.
---
Meanwhile, on the main island...
Groups of guards fell one by one as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji fought their way through. Between the three of them, they had defeated nearly 2,000 guards. Paulie and the others managed a decent 400, but it was Shisui and Itachi, each taking down over 2,000 guards themselves, that truly had the Enies Lobby forces in disarray.
Suddenly, a booming sound echoed as two towering figures stomped onto the scene.
"It's Oimo and Kashii! The giants are here!"
The guards, nearly broken, rallied at the sight of their towering reinforcements. Shisui and Itachi stared up at the giants, momentarily impressed. They'd seen big creatures, but this was on another level.
"Haha, is this a joke? Little ants, ready to be crushed?" one of the giants sneered, raising his enormous axe and bringing it down toward Akira.
"Look out!" Nami shouted in alarm.
With a ground-shaking boom, Akira caught the giant's axe with one of his hands. Shock rippled through the guards. "He… caught it?!"
The second giant, angered, swung his massive axe at Akira. Akira raised his other hand and stopped the attack, holding both weapons with his hands. "You giants are strong… but I prefer to be the one looking down."
With a flash, Shisui and Itachi appeared above the giants, delivering simultaneous kicks coated by haki to their heads.
Boom!
The giants fell with thunderous crashes, their heads embedded in the ground, knocked out cold in a single blow.
"What just… happened?!" the guards stammered, frozen in shock. The giants, their island's long-standing guardians, had been defeated effortlessly by two teenagers. Enies Lobby's defenders, who had relied on Oimo and Kashii for fifty years, were left dazed and broken.
Luffy, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hats stood back, awed by Shisui and Itachi's strength. Akira's younger brothers were proving to be on a monstrous level.
Akira stepped over the fallen giants, barely sparing them a glance. "Let's keep moving."
---
In the Tower of Justice, Spandam's furious kicking continued as he vented his frustrations on Franky. This guy had damaged his face and had just dared to bite him! If he didn't need him alive, he'd have shot him right here.
Suddenly, the chamber doors burst open, and a government official rushed in, pale-faced. "Sir Spandam! Sir… it's not good!"
"What is it? Why the panic?" Spandam snapped.
The man gulped, shaking. "Sir, all the guards on the island… every last one of them… they've all been… taken out!"
"What did you say?!"
Everyone in the CP9 chamber froze as they processed the news.
Spandam rushed over, gripping the messenger by the collar. "What did you say?! Ten thousand guards on this island, all taken down? How many enemies are here?"
The official stammered, "Ten… there are only ten enemies in total."
"Ten?!" Spandam's voice rose to a screech. "You're telling me ten people defeated all ten thousand guards? Do you take me for a fool?"
"I… I swear it's the truth," the official replied shakily.
The CP9 agents exchanged uneasy glances. Something was very wrong. They moved quickly to the balcony, looking out toward the main island. The entire area lay quiet, guards sprawled motionless across the streets. Then, figures appeared on a nearby rooftop—the Uchiha brothers, the Straw Hat Crew, and the remaining members of the crew.
"It's really them…" muttered Kaku. Spandam's face drained of color, the reality of the situation sinking in.
When Paulie spotted Lucci and the others, he erupted in fury. "Lucci! Kaku! Blueno! Kalifa! I can't believe you did that. You traitors!" His shout echoed across the yard.
Lucci regarded them calmly. "Paulie, Tilestone, Peepley Lulu… I didn't expect you to come this far. You should have stayed in the Water 7 city."
Paulie's eyes narrowed. "Stayed? I came here to take you down. You betrayed us, Lucci—betrayed Mr. Iceburg!"
Lucci's expression didn't waver. "Iceburg was good to us, but he crossed the World Government. I've been with them from the start."
"Traitor!" Paulie spat.
Luffy joined in, shouting, "Pigeon-guy! Where's Robin? Give her back!"
Lucci looked down at them impassively. "Nico Robin is a criminal the World Government has been hunting for twenty years. You think you can just take her from Enies Lobby? That's not going to happen."
He turned his gaze to Akira. "Uchiha Akira," Lucci addressed him sternly, "I know you were hired by Iceburg, but this is beyond what a security company should handle. Leave now, and we'll let this slide."
Akira couldn't help but smile. "Maybe I shouldn't wade into muddy waters… but that's exactly where I can find the best fish," he said, smirking. "Uchiha Security Company finishes the jobs it takes. If we fail now, our reputation is done for."
Lucci's face darkened. "Do you think you can cross the World Government and stay in business?"
Akira shrugged. "Why not? There are plenty of people who oppose the government, and it's not like they've been wiped out. This is just the first test for my company—it's only uphill from here."
Lucci's gaze hardened, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You're playing with fire."
"Maybe. But the bigger the storm, the bigger the catch."
"Now I see…" Lucci's tone was icy. "You're no different from pirates—lawless and reckless. You'll pay a steep price for this."
Just then, Spandam reentered, dragging Robin and Franky along. Luffy, Zoro, and the others spotted Robin and immediately called out.
"Robin!! We're here to get you out!"
"Hang in there, Robin! We'll talk after we're back together!" Nami yelled, her voice choked with emotion.
Robin's eyes filled with tears as she heard her crew's words of support. Franky, standing beside her, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. "Your crew's pretty amazing. Makes me wish my boys were here too."
Spandam's laughter rang out, snapping Robin back to the grim reality. "How touching," he sneered, holding up a small golden snail. "Did you see this? It's the Golden Den Den Mushi—one press, and it launches the Buster Call."
Most people paled. Spandam grinned. "That's right! This has the power to erase everything. Just like it erased Robin's hometown twenty years ago."
"What?" Chopper blinked in confusion.
Sanji scowled. "I swear, I'm throwing that guy off the nearest cliff."
Zoro nodded. "For once, I agree with you."
At Spandam's threat, Robin's face contorted in terror. "No! You don't understand the consequences if you activate that!"
Spandam's grin widened at her fear. "Oh, I understand perfectly. Watch this," he said, finger hovering over the button.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Akira appeared beside Spandam, snatching the Golden Den Den Mushi right out of his hand.
Then, without a word, Akira pressed down on the button.
Click.
"I wanted to do it myself"
---