When the Gate of Justice opened, ten top-class battleships sailed in one after another. Their arrival was overwhelming.
Spandam stumbled his way across the Bridge of Hesitation, waving frantically at the Marines.
"I'm Spandam, Commander of CP9… hurry up and get me on board!"
A small landing craft sped over and picked him up, carrying him straight to one of the warships.
The moment he set foot on deck, Spandam started yelling, "Give me a Den-Den Mushi right now. I need to report to the World Government!"
His arrogant attitude made Momonga frown, but he still sent a soldier to fetch the Den-Den Mushi.
Spandam contacted his father, Spandine, first.
His old man held a pretty high position within the World Government, and with what happened on Enies Lobby, Spandam needed him to speak on his behalf.
After whispering back and forth for a while, Spandam finally dialed his superior.
The moment the line connected, he launched straight into a performance.
"Sir! Those CP9 agents are completely useless, all looks and no substance!"
"First, Rob Lucci's squad leaked intel about our capture of Nico Robin!"
"Then Sith Oguro invaded. I told them to stall the intruder and buy me time to evacuate the prisoner. And what happened? Those trash couldn't even hold out for a few minutes!"
As he spoke, Spandam's eyes turned bloodshot and a throbbing pain crept across his scalp.
It was as if a voice kept whispering in his mind.
None of this is your fault.
The useless ones are CP9.
Everything you did was for the World Government.
According to Oguro's plan, once hit by Conqueror's Haki: Soul Blade, Spandam's mind would be wounded. He would grow irritable, paranoid and prone to outbursts.
In that state, to protect his own future, he would unsparingly dump every ounce of blame on CP9 for the Enies Lobby fiasco.
Sure enough, Spandam threw CP9 under the bus without hesitation, wiping his hands clean.
His voice even rose with excitement as he continued.
"At that moment, I was cornered in front of the Gate of Justice with nowhere to retreat."
"But as CP9's Commander, I could not allow those pirates to run rampant on Enies Lobby!"
"CP9 failed, but I still had the Buster Call! So I activated it, even if it meant dying together with them. Someone had to stop those reckless criminals. Fortunately, the heavens spared me and I survived!"
"But CP9 leaked intel and performed poorly in battle, causing Enies Lobby to fall. They must be severely punished!"
His righteous, passionate speech neatly placed every ounce of responsibility onto CP9.
And he framed himself as a loyal agent who would lay down his life for justice.
The government official listening gave no immediate response, simply saying in an emotionless tone.
"We will conduct a full evaluation of the incident. Responsibility will be assigned accordingly."
Spandam didn't panic at all. Instead, he answered with a look of unwavering devotion.
"Yes! I trust in the judgment of my superiors completely!"
And this time, he had good reason to be confident.
In the original timeline, he was the one who accidentally triggered the Buster Call… so all the blame fell solely on him.
That was why he had tried to frame CP9 at all costs.
But this time, he really had been attacked, and CP9's failure in battle was also real.
He had a legitimate excuse for calling the Buster Call.
Dumping the blame would be even easier than before.
After hanging up, Spandam's headache didn't lessen at all, but his mind felt strangely clear.
His eyes were bloodshot as he growled, "No one is ruining my future. CP9, you're all taking the fall for me!"
No one noticed how deranged his gaze was becoming.
On deck, Momonga tried to contact Aokiji with a Den-Den Mushi.
After all, Aokiji was the commanding officer of this Buster Call.
But before the call even connected, Aokiji landed directly on the warship with a single leap.
"Aokiji!"
Seeing the Admiral's arms scorched black, Momonga was shocked.
He hurriedly called for medics and asked, confused, "What happened to you?"
Aokiji gave a wry smile.
"Got into a fight with one of Sith Oguro's subordinates. Tough opponent."
Momonga sucked in a breath, suddenly looking hopeful.
"And them? You captured them?"
Hopefully alive… but dead would also be acceptable…
"They should still be on the island." Aokiji spoke while receiving treatment. "Neither side could do much to the other. After a round, they pulled back."
The moment he heard that, Momonga snapped, "Then we need to start shelling immediately. We can't let them escape!"
"Do what you want."
Aokiji returned to his usual lazy manner, handing command over to Momonga.
As for whether Oguro's group would die from the bombardment…
Aokiji liked to nap during the day, but he wasn't delusional.
Momonga grabbed the Den-Den Mushi and barked the order.
"Target Enies Lobby. All ships, open fire!"
Boom. Boom. Boom…
Shells rained down on the island.
Buildings crumbled. The island itself began collapsing.
Wiping an entire region off the map… that was the power of a Buster Call.
"Lord Oguro, what do we do…? There's no ship left!"
Nami was on the verge of tears.
The port had been completely destroyed during Soifon and Aokiji's battle. There wasn't a single usable ship left on Enies Lobby.
Oguro stared at the falling shells without a hint of panic.
"No ship? Then we leave on our own."
"Huh?"
Nami didn't understand at all.
But Robin's eyes lit up.
"You mean… the gate to Soul Society?"
Oguro nodded with a smile.
With a gentle wave of his right hand, two ordinary-sized doors appeared before them.
The doors opened, revealing Seireitei on the other side.
Ever since he had got the Senkaimon gate, Oguro no longer had to worry about being trapped anywhere.
Searching for a ship earlier was just to stay somewhat aligned with the lifestyle of the One Piece world.
With shells falling on their heads, he wasn't going to keep his trump card hidden.
"Let's go."
Oguro stepped into the gate first, the others following behind.
The doors closed, and Enies Lobby was left without a single living soul.
Sky Island… Seireitei.
Byakuya Kuchiki personally came forward to greet the group upon their return.
"Lord Soul King." Byakuya bowed with absolute formality.
Oguro waved him off.
"How's the construction on Sky Island and Jaya Island?"
"Everything is progressing smoothly. With those two thousand laborers, the work is moving very quickly. At this rate, Jaya Island should be ready to open to the public next week."
"Good." Oguro nodded, satisfied with Byakuya's results.
He originally planned to leave Soifon and Robin in Seireitei to rest while he brought Nami and the others back to Water Seven.
But Soifon refused.
"I can recover anywhere. But the Soul King must not be without a guard."
Her tone made it clear there was no room for discussion.
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69 stones for 2 bonuses guys please throw some stones 🙏
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