The Next Morning
When the navy soldiers stationed on Enies Lobby came to report to their commander as part of their routine, they were met with a shocking sight—
Their commander, Spandam, was found dead in his room, his heart and lungs crushed by an unknown force.
Panic spread instantly throughout the entire island.
The matter was quickly reported up the chain of command.
Despite nearly ten thousand marines conducting a full-scale, carpet-style search of the island, they couldn't find a single clue.
Just like that, the incident became a complete mystery—a case with no leads, no suspects, and no explanations.
Of course, the World Government couldn't simply ignore the fact that the highest-ranking officer of Enies Lobby had been assassinated in what was supposed to be one of the most secure military facilities in the world.
An investigation was immediately launched.
Naturally, their attention soon turned to the intelligence agents under CP9.
At first, nothing seemed out of place. But once they started digging…
They discovered that all of the CP9 agents had gone completely off the grid.
Whether it was the three operating in Alabasta, or the ones undercover in Water 7—no one could get in touch with any of them.
Surprisingly, they didn't immediately suspect King Cobra or Iceburg.
After all, neither of them nor the people around them had the strength to take down trained CP9 agents.
But just as the investigation began to stall—
King Cobra made his move.
He directly accused CP9 of kidnapping his daughter, Princess Vivi of Alabasta, and demanded the World Government release her.
Not only that—he began rallying other monarchs from allied nations, urging them to join him in pressuring the World Government.
His message was clear: If they can kidnap a royal from Alabasta today, they could come for any of us tomorrow.
Many kings, alarmed by the implications, quickly voiced their support.
Even monarchs with no close ties to Cobra joined in once they heard about the incident.
What really pushed things over the edge, however, was when Morgans began reporting on the kidnapping in the press—complete with vivid, seemingly eyewitness-level detail.
He even described the three agents' appearances in stunning accuracy.
To the average reader, these might've just been mysterious figures.
But to the World Government?
They immediately recognized them—they were the three CP9 members assigned to Alabasta!
These idiots were supposed to investigate matters discreetly, not go kidnapping members of the royal family!
And not just any royal family—Alabasta's was special. Of all the 170 allied nations, the Nefertari line was one of the most unique.
They were off-limits—untouchable—unless direct orders came from the highest authority.
And what even the top brass didn't know was that even the Gorosei, the Five Elders, had no authority over the Nefertari family.
Only Imu held that power.
Yet these three fools had gone and kidnapped the sole direct heir of the Nefertari family—the only legitimate successor to the Alabasta throne?
They'd triggered a massive crisis.
Just as the government was preparing to contact CP9 to demand they release her, they remembered—
Spandam had been mysteriously killed two days earlier, and all CP9 agents were now missing.
So… what now?
Left with no options, the issue was escalated to the Five Elders.
After a brief internal meeting, the Five Elders decided to cut their losses—
They would completely abandon CP9.
With hundreds of allied nations now demanding action, they had no choice but to respond—at least on the surface.
And so—
CP9 became the scapegoats.
The World Government publicly announced that the agents had gone rogue, acting without authorization, and that the government had no knowledge of their actions—particularly the kidnapping of Princess Vivi.
They even issued official bounties.
All CP9 members were labeled traitors and given wanted posters.
Even Rob Lucci and the others weren't spared.
Seven new bounty posters were circulated around the world.
Rob Lucci carried the highest bounty—500 million Beli.
The lowest was Kalifa, at 80 million.
With this series of dramatic moves, the World Government managed to deflect some of the pressure.
At the very least, the allied nations now had less cause to continue demanding answers—at least on the surface.
---
Several Nights Later — Outside Water 7, Seven Nautical Miles Offshore
A large sailing vessel, carrying hundreds of people, dropped anchor.
On the deck—
"Hey, Iceburg! What the hell's going on? Why is the Franky Family being forced to go with these guys!?"
Franky was tied up tightly, arms and legs bound.
In fact, the entire Franky Family had been captured—every single one of them, male and female alike.
Iceburg gave a helpless sigh. He had tried to talk Franky into leaving Water 7 willingly, but the man had flat-out refused.
Left with no choice, Iceburg had asked Tina and her team to intervene.
And the result?
Well, judging by the current state of the Franky Family… it was clear they hadn't even been able to put up a fight.
"Franky, don't blame me," Iceburg said earnestly. "Even though the government has thrown CP9 under the bus, you can bet they'll send even more agents to Water 7 to investigate."
"Especially the thing CP9 was after… you know they won't let that go."
"If you stay here, it's only a matter of time before they catch you. And if that thing ends up in their hands, you know better than anyone what'll happen."
Iceburg was practically pleading.
But Franky wasn't having it.
"My business doesn't need your help!"
"Untie me now! I'm not going anywhere!"
Franky yelled and struggled.
And just then, the entire sailing vessel suddenly shook.
Off in the distance, the surface of the water began to ripple—
A massive iron monster burst from below the waves, like a giant whale.
Its head rose first, then the whole thing leapt into the air.
A moment later, the front half of the behemoth—Danaan—crashed back into the ocean, sending an enormous spray of water over the deck, soaking everyone onboard.
"What the hell is that!?"
Franky's eyes widened in disbelief.
That colossal iron beast struck something deep inside him—something primal.
He couldn't tear his eyes away.
In the pirate world, Franky had experimented with building metal ships before. Though they were just small cannonboats, and not entirely made of steel, he had pioneered the use of metal in shipbuilding.
But now…
This enormous iron vessel—not only was it seaworthy, it was a submarine!
Franky couldn't look away.
"This is the Danaan—the flagship of our faction, Jun Lin," said Hina, stepping onto the deck and approaching Iceburg and Franky.
"This… is a ship?" Iceburg was stunned.
But when the hatch on top of Danaan opened and uniformed Jun Lin soldiers began climbing out—
He had no choice but to accept it.
Somehow, this thing really was a ship.
---
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