Inside the Tower of Justice.
Spandam's boots clattered against the spiral staircase as he descended at a frantic pace. His breath came in ragged gasps, each step echoing through the stone tower. Sweat poured from his forehead, dripping onto the pristine white steps as he muttered to himself in increasing panic.
"Why are there so many strong pirates here?!" he hissed, eyes wild. "This isn't how it was supposed to go!"
His mind was in chaos. Enies Lobby, the supposedly impregnable fortress of justice, was being invaded—no, overrun—by pirates. Not just any pirates either, but those pirates—the Orca Pirates. Every agent of CP9 had been dispatched, but from what he saw, these pirates can hold their own against the CP9.
"Where the hell is Rob Lucci?!" Spandam seethed, gripping the railing tightly as he paused for a breath. "He's supposed to be the strongest! He's supposed to protect me!"
His hand trembled. Just moments ago, a sniper round had whizzed past his face—narrowly missing and striking the railing beside him. The marble still bore a smoking scar from the impact.
The shot had come from the Courthouse rooftop.
"They've got snipers!" he choked out. "No one's safe—not even here! This is madness!"
Spandam clutched the golden snail transponder in his pocket—his personal Buster Call trigger. It felt heavier now, like a curse in his hand.
"Should I use it? No… No, not yet. If I call it now, Admiral Aokiji will be furious. The whole world will know I failed!" He bit his lip, paranoia digging deeper into his nerves. "But if I don't, they'll reach me… I might lose my life."
His panicked spiral was broken by a sudden, unmistakable sound.
Footsteps.
Fast ones. And they were getting closer—from above.
Spandam's eyes widened in sheer horror.
"No. No, no, no—they can't be up here already!" he screamed in his mind. "How did they—?!"
Unbeknownst to him, high above on the roof of the Tower of Justice, a wax bridge had just completed its formation. Elegant yet sturdy, the glossy arch stretched across the wide chasm between the Tower and the now-ruined Courthouse.
Galdino, with his Doru Doru no Mi powers, had created the structure in minutes. Alongside him stood Hibari, his rifle still warm from the earlier shot that had nearly taken Spandam's head off.
"Bridge is done," Galdino said, flicking his wax-coated fingers.
"Let's finish this," Hibari replied coldly.
Without hesitation, the two Orcas crossed the wax bridge at a sprint, their boots clacking over the surface. As soon as they reached the tower, they descended into the stairwell—the very same one Spandam was now fleeing down.
They moved swiftly, expertly navigating the tower's interior. Every floor brought them closer to their target.
Meanwhile, Spandam's steps grew more erratic, his eyes darting in every direction. "They're coming… they're coming for me!"
He could almost hear their voices—calm, confident, nothing like his trembling cowardice.
"I won't let them reach me!" he snarled, reaching the lower levels. "Even if I have to trigger the Buster Call!"
Before long, Spandam reached a lower landing, his frantic footsteps finally slowing as the spiraling staircase ended in a reinforced steel door. He fumbled with the handle for a moment before shoving it open, then quickly slammed it shut behind him and twisted the locking mechanism with a metallic clunk.
His chest heaved as he leaned against the cold door, gathering what little composure he had left.
"I need to get Cutty Flam out of here," he muttered, forcing himself forward down the dimly lit corridor. "Sending him to Impel Down... that would be a massive achievement. If I can pull this off, they'll finally respect me! The higher-ups... the Admirals... even the Gorosei!"
The thought fueled him, replacing his fear with a surge of self-importance. He puffed out his chest and stormed down the hallway with newfound confidence. "They'll have to promote me after this. Spandam, savior of justice!"
He turned the final corner leading to the makeshift holding cell—only to freeze in place.
His mind went blank.
There, standing in front of the now wide-open cell door, was a tall, broad-shouldered man. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, and in one hand he held the unconscious body of Franky—slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
Spandam blinked, then took a half step back. "W-Who are you?!"
The man turned his head slowly. His face was calm, sharp eyes observing Spandam like one might glance at a passing insect.
"Director Spandam," he said coolly. "My name is Yohan. Former agent of CP9."
"C-CP9?!" Spandam's jaw dropped. "You're one of them?!"
"Former," Yohan corrected, his tone flat. "My name was removed from the organization some time ago."
Spandam's mind reeled. A former CP9 operative? Showing up now, of all times?
"What are you doing here?!"
"I heard CP9 had regrouped in Enies Lobby for a special mission," Yohan said, adjusting Franky's position on his shoulder. "So, I decided to observe the situation firsthand. While exploring, I noticed this prisoner trying to escape."
He tilted his head slightly. "So I stopped him."
Spandam's eyes flickered to Franky—clearly unconscious. Then back to Yohan. There was no sign of struggle on the man's face, no tension in his stance. He was calm, calculated… and powerful.
"I-I see," Spandam stammered, trying to mask his discomfort with a weak smile. "Well done! That prisoner is extremely dangerous. You saved me the trouble of chasing him again!"
Yohan remained silent.
Then, Spandam's scheming nature kicked in. His eyes gleamed faintly with a new idea.
"Wait a second…" he thought. "This guy is ex-CP9, so technically a rogue element. But what if I bring him in too? If I deliver two dangerous criminals to Impel Down instead of one, the credit I'll get—! I could become a Vice Admiral! No, even higher!"*
A plan formed in Spandam's frantic mind, and he forced a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Say… since you're already here," he said, keeping his tone light and friendly, "would you mind helping me escort this prisoner to Impel Down? It would be a huge help—before those damned pirates manage to rescue him."
Yohan gave a slight nod, completely unreadable. "Sure. I can help with that."
"Great!" Spandam said, almost too quickly. He turned on his heel and started down the corridor, doing his best to walk with authority. "Follow me. We'll take him to the Gate of Justice and hand him over directly."
Yohan said nothing more. Without complaint, he dragged Franky's limp, unconscious body behind him. The heavy thud of Franky's boots echoed across the cold stone floor, growing more ominous with every step. Spandam resisted the urge to look over his shoulder. For some reason, he couldn't shake the chill creeping up his spine.
He agreed too easily, Spandam thought. I don't like this. But it's fine. I've already sent the signal. Once my backup arrives, I'll take both him and the cyborg in. Double the credit, double the glory.
Unbeknownst to him, the man walking behind him had no intention of playing by his rules.
Meanwhile, at the base of the stairwell, Hibari and Galdino reached the last level of the tower. They were greeted by a large, reinforced metal door, tightly sealed.
"Tch. That guy locked the door," Hibari said, rattling the handle with a frown.
"Step aside," Galdino replied calmly, already rolling up his sleeves. "I've got this."
He placed his palm against the lock. A stream of molten wax flowed out from his hand, sliding smoothly between the crack of the door. Within seconds, he controlled it, forming a hand that turned open the mechanism.
Click.
Galdino pushed the door open, and the two of them moved in without hesitation.
"Let's go," he said.
The corridor beyond was long and dimly lit. Their footsteps echoed against the stone walls as they ran forward. And then, at the far end of the hall, they saw them—Spandam and the mysterious tall man dragging Franky.
"There!" Galdino pointed. "That's him!"
Hibari didn't hesitate. He raised his custom rifle, powered by a dial-boosted firing mechanism. With a practiced breath, he locked onto the tall man's center mass and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The sharp crack of the shot echoed through the hallway. The bullet flew at high speed, cutting through the air with deadly precision.
But just as it was about to reach its mark, the tall man's head turned. In a split second, with movements so fluid they barely registered, he raised his hand and flicked his index finger.
Ting!
A sharp metallic ring echoed out as his finger made contact with the bullet mid-flight, redirecting it effortlessly. The round ricocheted off the wall and embedded itself harmlessly into the ceiling above.
Both Hibari and Galdino halted in place, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Did he just—" Hibari began, still processing what he saw.
"He flicked the bullet," Galdino finished grimly, his tone sharp with unease.
Hibari's bullets weren't ordinary. His custom rifle, fitted with a dial-powered mechanism, was designed to fire armor-piercing rounds with incredible velocity. For someone to casually deflect one mid-air, with just a finger… that wasn't strength. That was something else entirely.
Ahead, Yohan slowly lowered his hand, the same one that had just stopped the bullet. His eyes remained fixed on the two Orcas, expression unreadable.
"Director," he said calmly, not turning around, "it seems the pirates have caught up to us. I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you further with the escort."
Spandam spun around in disbelief. "What?! Aren't you going to help?!"
Yohan's voice remained steady. "If I stay with you, Director, they'll target you next. But if I remain here and delay them, you'll have time to escape with the prisoner. Use your head."
Spandam hesitated. He didn't like being left behind, but what Yohan said… did@ make sense. The Orcas were clearly here for Franky. As long as Yohan could keep them occupied—
"Alright!" he nodded quickly. "Fine. I'll leave it to you."
Not wasting another second, Spandam yanked his blade free from its sheath—Funkfreed, the living sword. With a shimmer and a puff of smoke, the blade transformed into a full-sized elephant in the blink of an eye.
"Funkfreed! Pull him!" Spandam barked, pointing to the unconscious Franky lying on the ground.
With a snort, the elephant wrapped its trunk around Franky's legs and began dragging him across the stone floor. The sound of metal scraping against stone echoed through the tunnel as they retreated deeper into the labyrinth.
"They're escaping!" Hibari shouted, eyes narrowing. "He's trying to take Franky to the Gate of Justice!"
He started to lunge forward, Galdino moving in sync beside him—but just before they could sprint after the retreating duo, Yohan stepped directly into their path.
Still composed. Still eerily calm.
"You're not getting in our way," Galdino growled, raising his arm as wax began to form and shape over his fist. "Move."
Hibari clicked a mechanism on his gun, switching to a close-combat dial mode. "We don't have time for you."
Yohan gave a faint smile. "Calm down you two. Let's have a nice talk, shall we?"
"Talk by yourself." Galdino said.
He then hurled a punch directly at Yohan's head. However, Yohan easily deflected the punch to the side with two fingers.
"Please calm your head first." Yohan said.
He easily flashed forward next to Galdino. He held out his arm and easily grabbed Galdino's head. With a strong push, he threw Galdino back a few meters away. Next, he hardened his body.
Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!
Few rounds of bullets hit him, all ricocheted away, not harming him at all. Seeing this, Hibari and Galdino instantly felt troubled. A thought flashed in their heads.
This is not going to be easy.