"Let's go back," Yohan said, his tone still calm but firm. "I'll speak to the World Government. I'll explain the situation and clear your name. That way, you can become a Marine again. You were meant for something better than this outlaw life."
Zino looked at him quietly before shaking his head slowly. "Sorry, but I'll have to decline."
Yohan frowned slightly. "…Why?"
"I've gotten used to life as a pirate," Zino replied. His voice was steady, neither defiant nor apologetic. "And even if I went back, what's to say the corruption would stop? I've seen it up close. Too many officers in the Marines are more loyal to their status than justice. Out here, I'm free. I'm not bound by duty or forced to carry out missions that go against my own morals."
Yohan was silent. His brows furrowed slightly as he studied Zino's face. There was no hesitation in his brother's eyes—only clarity. Maturity. A quiet strength.
After a moment, Yohan sighed and gave a half-smile. "…You've grown up," he said. "I guess you don't need your big brother looking out for you anymore."
Zino smirked faintly. "Maybe not. But it's still good to see you again."
"Alright, don't get cocky." Yohan chuckled and lightly punched Zino's chest. "I can see you've gotten stronger."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small piece of paper, handing it to Zino. "Here. Take this."
Zino glanced at it, then took it. "A Vivre Card?"
"Yeah. It's mine. If you ever need to find me—or if I'm ever in trouble—that paper will lead you." Yohan said, his expression softening. "Now that I've seen you're alive and well… I guess it's time for me to go."
"You're going back already?" Zino raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not going back to the World Government, if that's what you're thinking," Yohan said, pausing mid-step. He glanced over his shoulder. "I've decided to join the Revolutionary Army."
Zino's eyes widened. "The Revolutionary Army?"
"Yeah," Yohan nodded. "As you said, there are too many corruption within the World Government, and I can't fix the system from within… then I'll help bring real change from the outside. That's why I want to join the Revolutionary Army."
He then turned and walked away, but then stopped again and glanced sideways.
"Don't tell Father or Mother," he said. "Let them think I'm still doing boring CP missions or something."
Zino chuckled. "You know they'll find out eventually."
"Probably. But I'd rather not hear Mother's nagging just yet."
Without another word, Yohan ascended the stairway leading to the top of the Tower of Justice. Zino didn't follow, but he kept his senses focused on him. A few seconds later, he felt Yohan's presence rise into the air—Geppo.
In the sky, Yohan soared swiftly toward the east, vanishing into the horizon.
Zino stood silently, the Vivre Card still between his fingers, fluttering slightly in the faint breeze of the tower. He stared at the paper, then scoffed lightly.
"What a weirdo," he muttered. "He meets me just for a few minutes, then just disappears like that?"
He let the card slip between his fingers slightly before catching it again.
"Another brother giving me a Vivre Card… What are they trying to say? That I'll need to come rescue them someday? Or are they hinting that I might be the one in danger?"
His thoughts spun for a brief moment, weaving through possible meanings and scenarios. Just as his thoughts were drifting deeper, Galdino's voice snapped him back.
"Captain," Galdino called from behind, "Someone's dragging Franky away. That guy said he wants to send him to Impel Down."
"Franky?" Zino's brow furrowed.
He closed his eyes for a second, extending his Haki again. Quickly, his senses located Spandam and Franky. They were on the Bridge of Hesitation, the long bridge that connected Enies Lobby to the Gates of Justice. But instead of being dragged, Franky had broken free. Now, he was chasing Spandam, and gaining on him fast.
On the bridge, Spandam let out a terrified shriek. "Gyaaah! Go away, you monster! Don't come after me!"
He fumbled to draw his sword—Funkfreed—and released its Zoan form. The elephant transformed mid-run, trunk sharpening into a sword, charging directly at Franky.
Franky's eyes narrowed. He raised one arm, caught the sword-nose with his bare hand, then aimed his other palm forward, revealing a built-in cannon.
"Behave," he said calmly. "Unless you want a new breathing hole in your skull. Turn that nose back to normal."
The elephant's eyes trembled. Sweat rolled down its large face. Slowly, its sword-shaped trunk returned to its soft, rounded elephant form.
The moment it did, Franky grabbed the trunk, twisted his body, and hurled the massive elephant straight at its master.
"Gyaaah—!" Spandam screamed as Funkfreed collided into him. Both tumbled backward, landing in a crumpled mess. Unfortunately, in the chaos, Funkfreed's large body landed right on a peculiar snail device—a Golden Den Den Mushi.
Click.
The red button on top was pressed.
Neither Franky nor Spandam noticed what had just happened.
But Zino, watching through Observation Haki, definitely did.
He facepalmed. "Blunder."
Hibari, confused, looked over. "Trouble?"
"Big trouble," Zino muttered. "Some dumbass just triggered a Buster Call."
"Buster Call?" Hibari asked.
"Soon, there will be ten colossal warships that will come to destroy us." Zino said. "Five Vice Admirals will lead ten thousand marines."
Hibari's eyes widened instantly. Galdino also froze, stunned by the sudden news.
"You two," Zino said sharply, regaining command of the situation, "Regroup with the others. Right now."
Hibari and Galdino didn't hesitate. "Understood!"
They turned on their heels and sprinted down the corridor they had come from. As they dashed through the halls, Zino's voice echoed behind them, firm and clear.
"Retreat back to Water Seven."
Their pace quickened at those words. No need for questions now.
As for Zino, he clenched the Vivre Card once more, tucked it away, then vanished in a streak of lightning.
Meanwhile, on the Bridge of Hesitation, Franky was mid-swing with his strong right arm, about to deliver another devastating blow to the cowering Spandam. Just then—
CRACKLE!
A lightning flash, followed by the roar of thunder, reached the bridge in just a second, jolting Franky to a momentary hesitation.
"Huh? Who are you?" Franky blinked in shock as a figure materialized out of thin air—no, out of lightning. Sparks crackled around the man's form as he stood firmly between Franky and Spandam.
"Time to retreat," Zino said simply.
Before Franky could respond, a gust of air surged beneath his feet. With perfect control, Zino manipulated the air element to send Franky soaring safely through the air, in the direction of the main entrance—where the Franky Family were still gathered.
"Aaaah!" Franky flailed mid-flight.
Now, only two people remained on the Bridge of Hesitation—Zino, and Spandam, who was still pinned under the weight of his own Zoan sword, Funkfreed. The elephant, clearly nervous, was struggling to move.
Zino's calm gaze landed on the Zoan creature. "Turn back into a sword," he ordered.
Funkfreed locked eyes with him and immediately began sweating bullets. It clearly sensed that resistance was a terrible idea. Obediently, it reverted into its sword form. Zino picked it up.
"Hey—hey! That's mine!" Spandam finally pushed himself up, pointing a trembling finger at Zino. "Give that sword back, you pirate scum!"
Zino gave him a disinterested look. "You're one annoying side character. It's time to write you out of the story."
Spandam's eyes widened. "Wha—?"
"Hokuteiken."
A single word. A flash of light.
An ice sword appeared and pierced straight through Spandam's chest, freezing his body from the inside out. Before he could scream, his entire form was encased in solid ice, sculpted mid-reaction. Zino stepped forward and tapped the frozen statue, reinforcing the ice and sealing him inside completely.
"This is your end, Spandam," Zino said coldly. "And as for the sword—I'll take care of it from now on."
He turned toward the Gate of Justice, which had just begun to creak open in the distance. A low rumble echoed from the ancient mechanisms shifting the gates apart.
A smirk crept onto Zino's face.
"I guess it's time to frame one of your Admiral."
Without warning, Zino raised his arms, summoning the air around him. Five powerful gusts swirled into existence, rapidly intensifying into cyclones. Each cyclone spiraled upward, ripping through the skies before plunging into the sea just outside the Gate of Justice.
The air screamed as the storm spirals merged with the ocean below. In seconds, the water churned violently, rising up with the cyclones and forming towering walls of storm-fueled seawater—one inside the gate, and one outside.
"Rise."
Zino's voice was steady. The storms obeyed.
The seas surged upward, carried by the cyclonic winds. In mere moments, two massive water walls rose like twin titans, dwarfing the entire gate structure. A storm unlike any ever seen before now hovered around Enies Lobby.
Then, Zino calmly descended the bridge, walking toward the edge of the sea. The ground under his feet crackled with frost.
He stopped at the waterline, now glowing with the reflection of the colossal waves.
"Ice Age."
He placed his hand against the water.
A burst of cold erupted outward. Instantly, the sea froze solid, encasing the giant waves mid-formation. The swirling storms above were locked in place, frozen mid-roar. A frozen monument of chaos now stood at the gates of the World Government.
Zino watched his own creations, eyes glowing faintly.
"That'll confuse the World Government for a while," he muttered with a smirk. "Let's see how they respond to this."
With his work done at the Gate of Justice, Zino raised one hand and released a gust of wind carrying his voice across Enies Lobby.
*"Everyone, some dumbass triggered a Buster Call. Time to retreat."*
A chorus of shocked responses erupted across the island.
"What?!"
The Orcas were thrown into confusion. Some who didn't know what a Buster Call was looked around, puzzled. But those who did—like Nico Robin—froze in alarm, her face paling instantly.
Before panic could spread, Zino sent another message, his voice calm and steady.
*"No need to worry. I've already sealed off the Gate of Justice. That should slow them down. For now, finish any remaining fights. If you're free, you've got one hour to loot whatever you can. After that, we're pulling out before the Marine warships arrive."*
"...Wait. We're looting? Now?" Usopp blinked, baffled.
"Are we seriously doing that in this situation?" Stev added, glancing around.
"What are you two hesitating for?" Nami asked, already pulling out a large empty bag. Her eyes sparkled with Berry symbols. "The captain gave the order. So let's get to it!"
Kaya and a few others sweatdropped as they saw Nami's pure excitement.
With Zino's command given, the available Orcas scattered. Operation Loot-the-Island was officially underway.
Nami immediately grabbed Kaya's hand and rushed toward the courthouse. "The treasury's gotta be in there somewhere!"
Meanwhile, Baral transformed into his mimic form, bouncing across the battlefield and stealing gear and valuables straight off unconscious Marines. Usopp and Stev joined him with gleeful abandon.
Nojiko just shook her head with a smile. "Well, orders are orders," she said, turning to Robin.
Robin gave a soft laugh. "Might as well enjoy ourselves."
The two of them, along with Mikita and Marianne, began collecting every weapon and valuable resource scattered across the ruins of Enies Lobby.
Back at the ship, Moris and Chloris didn't move.
"You not going?" Chloris asked.
Moris shrugged. "Not interested. Let the others have their fun."
And so, amidst chaos and impending doom, the Orca Pirates looted Enies Lobby—calm, efficient, and completely unbothered.