[Finger Pistol – Shigan]
In the blink of an eye, the man in the bear mask appeared behind Nico Robin, his finger black as ink, driving straight toward her heart like a spear!
BOOM!
Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder cracked through the sky.
A lightning bolt—blazing with the power of a thousand storms—shot down from above, striking the bear-masked man with precision!
"What?!"
The man let out a startled cry before the lightning engulfed him. His body seized up mid-attack, frozen in place by the current. Within seconds, his figure turned to charcoal, smoke curling off his scorched body as he collapsed stiffly to the ground.
His bear mask rolled away, revealing a flat-faced man with horn-shaped hair.
Anyone familiar with him would instantly recognize him as Bruno from the bar—but who could have guessed he was actually a World Government agent all along?
"You dare lay a hand on my woman? Tired of living, are you?"
A hand reached out, landing gently on Nico Robin's shoulder. Then, with a sudden motion, she was pulled into Whiteflame's embrace. His cold gaze swept over the masked figures before them.
"Whiteflame…"
Tears welled in Robin's eyes and spilled over as she clung tightly to him—like she was terrified he might vanish if she let go.
How long had it been?
Ever since Ohara was annihilated in the name of "cleansing evil," she'd been wandering the world alone.
Her own relatives turned her in for bounty money.
Tavern owners chased her away with brooms.
Villagers shot at her with guns.
All these years, Nico Robin had moved from one organization to the next, seeking protection—just trying to survive while clinging to the dream she had never given up on.
And in the end, it was this man—this domineering, overbearing man—who became her greatest shield.
"Ugh! Whiteflame never talks to me like that…" Baby-5 muttered jealously, pouting.
"Lightning? Is he a Logia-type Devil Fruit user?! Damn it! Scatter—NOW!" shouted the horned mask-wearer.
The remaining masked figures immediately split up, darting in different directions.
But—
"You think you can escape… right in front of me?"
Whiteflame raised his hand. His fingers flicked in an erratic pattern.
Suddenly, the ground transformed into a web of white threads, shooting toward the fleeing agents and wrapping around their bodies!
Even without Armament Haki, Whiteflame's String-String Fruit power left them no room to resist. They were instantly bound and slammed to the ground, struggling in vain.
"Time to show your true faces… CP9."
With a flick of his fingers, the threads pulled off their masks, revealing the faces beneath.
As expected—it was Rob Lucci, Kalifa, and Kaku.
"A 1.5 billion bounty pirate who knows our names? We're honored," Rob Lucci said grimly, transforming into his leopard-human hybrid form with the powers of the Cat-Cat Fruit. His strength surged—but even so, he was shocked to find himself unable to break free from the threads.
"If I were you," Whiteflame said coldly, "I'd start thinking about how to beg for my life."
"Tch… we got careless," Kaku growled. "We focused too much on Nico Robin… and didn't expect her to be so closely tied to someone this powerful."
"Whiteflame," Rob Lucci said sternly, "if you know who we are, then you should understand—we act on behalf of the World Government."
"You were just defeated by the Navy's expeditionary force, and now you're daring to provoke the World Government again?"
"Are you not afraid of completely inciting their wrath?"
FWOOOM!
Before Lucci could finish, a beam of laser light shot from Whiteflame's fingertip, piercing straight through Lucci's thigh!
"AGHH—!"
Lucci gritted his teeth in pain, stifling a groan.
"The one thing I hate most," Whiteflame said flatly, "is being threatened."
"Defeated by the Navy's expeditionary force? Looks like Sengoku the Buddha didn't even tell his own people the truth."
"But thanks for the reminder—here in Water 7, we're right next to Enies Lobby, one of the World Government's three great powerhouses."
"They just got a little face back thanks to their 'victory' over me. They even published my wanted poster for the whole world to see."
"In that case, it's only fair I return the favor."
With that, Whiteflame rose into the air—dragging Rob Lucci, Kalifa, and Kaku up with him.
"What are you doing?!" Kalifa cried, her face pale.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Under Whiteflame's control, the three CP9 agents were dragged through the sky, flying toward Enies Lobby.
Enies Lobby – Erased!
Enies Lobby, also known as the Island That Never Sleeps, was one of the World Government's three major facilities. Within it stood a courtroom in name only—for anyone escorted here had already been deemed guilty.
Prisoners were simply paraded through the empty halls of justice until they reached the massive, cold, iron gate known as the Gate of Justice.
Once you passed through that gate… you never returned.
It stood as a symbol of the World Government's absolute authority.
As Whiteflame and the three agents approached Enies Lobby from above, the Navy guards stationed there spotted the figure in the sky—his white coat fluttering in the wind.
"Intruder alert! We've got someone in the sky!"
"Someone's above the gate! Shoot him down!"
"Sound the alarm! Enies Lobby airspace has been breached! Attack immediately!"
"It doesn't matter who it is—trespassing above Enies Lobby is a direct challenge to the World Government! Open fire!"
BANG BANG BANG!
The moment Whiteflame entered firing range, the stationed Marines didn't hesitate. They raised their guns and opened fire in a massive crossfire web, bullets raining down from all directions.
"Heh… This kind of playground-level defense is what you call one of the World Government's top three institutions?"
With a casual flick of his hand, threads intertwined into a shield, effortlessly blocking the hail of bullets.
Meanwhile, the alarm operator picked up the phone and called the top brass.
"Director Spandam! We've got four intruders in Enies Lobby's airspace! Please advise!"
Inside a lavish office, Spandam sipped his coffee leisurely, enjoying the slow pace of a "cushy post." His brow furrowed at the call.
"Four intruders… above Enies Lobby? What kind of nonsense is that? What, do they fly now?"
"Yes, sir! They're flying!" the alarm officer reported, voice panicked.
"Tch. Then don't waste time. Sound full combat alert and blast those sky freaks out of the air!"
"Understood!"
The order was passed down at once. All 10,000 soldiers stationed at Enies Lobby grabbed their weapons and rushed toward the Gate of Justice.
"Tch… Four pathetic pests daring to interrupt my coffee break. Fly or not, a bullet to the brain still kills. They're as good as dead."
"If you had to pick a place to die, why come here of all places?"
Spandam propped up his legs on the desk, smugly waiting for good news from his troops.
After all, this was Enies Lobby—one of the World Government's three great institutions. For 800 years, no one had ever breached its defenses.
His assignment here was basically a retirement package.
And once CP9 successfully completed their undercover mission and obtained the blueprints to Pluton from Iceburg, his promotion and wealth would roll in like a tidal wave.
What could be better than a cushy job with a guaranteed raise?
Just as he expected, two minutes later, the phone rang again.
"D-Director Spandam… it's over… it's all over…"
Spandam hadn't even asked anything yet when the officer's voice trembled on the other end—like he'd just witnessed a nightmare. There was even a hint of sobbing in his tone.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Spandam barked. "Spit it out! What happened? What's going on with the intruders?! Did you take them out yet?!"
"D-Director… that man is… he's—"
BOOM!!!
Before the officer could finish, an earsplitting explosion rocked the entire island. A blinding flash of light burst through the window, brighter than daylight.
The ground itself shook violently—like an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. The windows shattered instantly, cracks raced across the walls.
Inside the room, Lion-Snake, Fukurou, and Jabra were flung off the couch by the blast.
"W-What the hell?! What's going on?!"
The trio shielded their eyes, trying to block out the searing light.
As the brilliance finally faded and silence returned, everyone in the office looked around—shock mirrored in each other's eyes.
"Damn it… What was that just now?! Who dares to do this in Enies Lobby?! I swear, I'll—"
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