"What!?! Enies Lobby has been breached!?"
The moment Interim Fleet Admiral Tsuru had just finalized the plan for the Navy's Fleet Admiral election, before she could even catch her breath and take a short rest, an unexpected call suddenly jolted her to her feet.
She had thought that once the new Fleet Admiral was elected, she could finally retire peacefully like Sengoku and Garp. Who would have imagined that right before the election, something this outrageous would happen?!
Yet despite her exhaustion, Tsuru didn't panic. She immediately questioned the Den Den Mushi:
"Who has infiltrated Enies Lobby?"
"Not infiltrated!!!"
The person on the other end was clearly neither a Marine nor a low-ranking soldier. Through the Den Den Mushi, he voiced his furious protest:
"This is a war!!!"
"A war without any declaration!!!"
"Hurry and send a Marine Admiral for reinforcement! Otherwise, Enies Lobby will become the second Marineford!!!"
Bang!!!
The caller's voice was frantic, and even amid his roaring shout, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard—like someone fleeing in terror.
The call was abruptly cut off without warning.
Tsuru, standing in Marineford, immediately frowned.
Of course, she knew exactly who that call had come from.
Spandam—the chief of CP9, the World Government's intelligence agency!
As the strongest Cipher Pol organization beneath CP0, which exists to safeguard the authority of the Celestial Dragons, CP9 differed from other Cipher Pol branches by establishing its headquarters at Enies Lobby—one of the World Government's three great strongholds.
During the earlier operation targeting Sky Island, it was this man who had contacted Sengoku.
At the time, Tsuru—still part of the Fleet Admiral's advisory staff—had clearly overheard their conversation and understood Spandam's character all too well.
However…
Character was character. Work was work!
The moment she learned that Enies Lobby had likely suffered a severe attack, Tsuru's gaze sharpened.
First, Whitebeard had attacked Marineford, reducing it to ruins. Then came the alliance between Golden Lion and Blackbeard, who stormed Impel Down and freed all of its most dangerous criminals…
And now—another group had suddenly attacked Enies Lobby!
"Who on earth would choose this moment… to arrive in the first half of the Grand Line!?"
Because Spandam had been far too panicked to relay any concrete details, Tsuru instinctively assumed that the attackers were one of the Four Emperors or a legendary pirate force.
Yet no matter how much she considered it…
She could never have imagined that the ones who assaulted Enies Lobby and caused such devastating destruction were a rookie pirate crew that had been at sea for less than a year!!!
With a grave expression, Tsuru's eyes flickered with thought.
"Akainu and Aokiji are in the New World, preparing for their battle over the Fleet Admiral position. Garp is still recovering from his injuries—and with his reckless personality, Enies Lobby might even be destroyed by our own side."
"Sengoku is busy overseeing the construction of the new Marine headquarters, and the other Vice Admirals are still recuperating."
"There really aren't many available people left…"
Tsuru pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly.
She had always known how difficult Sengoku's job as Fleet Admiral was—but only after personally experiencing it did she truly understand just how miserable and thankless this position was.
"I just hope Akainu and Aokiji can decide the new Fleet Admiral as soon as possible…"
Although this time there was no Paramount War scene of Akainu single-handedly holding back a Yonko alongside two undercover allies, Aokiji's earlier failure to stop the extremely dangerous Ace—even in the ocean, his strongest domain—had caused his standing with the Five Elders to plummet.
By contrast, Akainu gained a slight advantage.
Thus, with recommendations from both the Five Elders and Sengoku, Akainu and Aokiji still followed the original course of history—settling the matter through combat.
The two had already departed for Punk Hazard in the New World, preparing for their final duel.
Before long, a new Fleet Admiral would replace Tsuru as interim leader and usher the Marines into a new era.
…
…
"What a hassle."
"To think someone would attack Enies Lobby at a time like this. Who do you think it is?"
Kizaru lifted his languid face, his unfocused eyes letting out a soft sigh.
"Teacher Zephyr…"
Clang!
With the sound of metal mechanisms shifting, a man with short, spiky purple hair turned around and spoke to Kizaru:
"No matter who the enemy is, we cannot afford any mistakes this time!"
"If even Enies Lobby falls, then Marine justice will become the biggest joke in the world."
"Sigh…"
As memories of familiar faces from the Marine Officer Academy—faces he would never see again—rose in his mind, Zephyr let out a heavy sigh.
The recent string of catastrophic events had already pushed the Marines to their limits.
This time, even he—long reassigned to education—had been forcibly dragged back into active duty as combat power.
A fleet composed of more than a dozen massive Marine warships raced across the sea at full speed, heading straight for Enies Lobby.
The circulating sea current linking Marineford, Impel Down, and Enies Lobby allowed the World Government's three great strongholds to support one another seamlessly.
If any one of them was attacked, the other two could rush to provide aid in the shortest possible time.
And yet—even so—both Marineford and Impel Down had been breached, turning the system into a colossal farce!
No matter what, Enies Lobby could not suffer any further damage.
Otherwise, the World Government's dignity would be completely shattered!!!
However…
Despite their expectations, when Zephyr and Kizaru arrived with their forces, what greeted them was nothing but utter devastation—a ruined Enies Lobby reduced to rubble.
"Th-this… what happened here?!"
The shattered Tower of Justice.The broken Bridge of Hesitation.Soldiers dead or grievously wounded…
Staring at Enies Lobby, which looked as though it had been scoured by a Buster Call, both Zephyr and Kizaru wore expressions of extreme gravity.
They had rushed here the moment they received the report—yet still arrived too late.
Had Enies Lobby been attacked by some terrifying grand fleet!?
Could it be that Whitebeard from the New World had secretly returned without anyone knowing!?
Shock flashed through both of their eyes.
Just then, a loud buzzing roar drew their attention.
They immediately looked up, gazing at the swarm in the sky that was still bombarding the Tower of Justice.
Kizaru's eyes gleamed.
"Are those insects the ones causing trouble at Enies Lobby!?"
"No!" Zephyr replied decisively.
Though age and injury had dulled his strength, his Observation Haki—still superior to Kizaru's—pierced through the swarm in an instant, revealing the Going Merry hidden behind it.
"It's a pirate ship!"
"A pirate ship!?" Following Zephyr's gaze, Kizaru also spotted the Going Merry floating in the sky.
His eyes narrowed, confusion flickering within them.
…
…
"So we've been discovered~"
"I really didn't expect the Navy to send him~"
On the deck of the Going Merry, Red gazed at the figures aboard the distant Marine warships, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Clearly, both the Navy's response speed and the forces they had dispatched were exactly as he had anticipated.
After all, thanks to intelligence from Donquixote Doflamingo, he understood the Navy's situation in great detail.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared provoke Enies Lobby so openly.
The only surprise was that Red had expected the Navy to send one Marine Admiral accompanied by several Vice Admirals.
Instead, they had dispatched Zephyr—the Navy's treasured pillar.
A man who had trained three Marine Admirals, countless Vice Admirals, and innumerable soldiers.
Even if his students themselves had been exceptionally talented…
Zephyr's teaching ability was beyond doubt!
"If only I could lure Former Admiral Zephyr into the Straw Hat Grand Fleet…"
"Then Buggy's crew and the Bartolomeo Pirates could master the Six Powers and dual-color Haki much faster."
"But… given Zephyr's past, asking him to train pirates is probably nothing more than wishful thinking."
Thoughts flickered through Red's eyes before he ultimately let out a helpless smile.
Even if his hypnosis ability hadn't been sealed—and even if his energy recovery hadn't been hindered—he didn't believe his current strength was enough to hypnotize someone of Zephyr's caliber.
Then, with a sharp snap of his fingers, Red grinned broadly.
"Zoro, Sanji—an old friend has arrived. Why don't you go over and give him a proper welcome?"
(End of Chapter)