Mary Geoise, the Holy Land. World Government Headquarters.
CP9 Chief's Office.
A middle-aged man sat ramrod straight behind his desk, staring at the Den Den Mushi on its surface. His expression was more grave than ever.
Spandine was a devious man with little strength of his own. Through exceptional political maneuvering and the ruthless elimination of his rivals, he had steadily risen to become CP9 Chief.
Becoming CP9 Chief wasn't his ultimate goal. What he wanted was a place in the Chamber of Power.
To achieve that, he had to cultivate allies on every side and maintain good relations with the other departments under the World Government—especially Marine Headquarters. He had always coveted that enormous war machine.
That was precisely why he had repeatedly cooperated with Marine Headquarters. Fourteen years ago, he had traveled to Ohara, an archaeological island in the West Blue, alongside Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Kuzan. He had obtained the Golden Den Den Mushi from Sengoku, who was a Marine Admiral at the time, then launched a Buster Call and wiped Ohara off the map.
He had thought the opportunity would earn him a promotion, but after returning to the Holy Land, he remained in the position of CP9 Chief all the way to the present. That had led him to consider eliminating CP9.
CP9 was a covert intelligence organization. As long as it remained, he would be trapped in his current position with no hope of advancement.
However, before he could devise a foolproof plan, the spies he had painstakingly planted in Marine Headquarters and the officers at every level he had cultivated all went silent one after another. At first, he hadn't paid it much mind. But as more and more officers who had once been in contact with him severed ties, he had no choice but to take notice. He began secretly investigating a Vice Admiral named Akira.
When the investigation report was placed before him, even he—so skilled at scheming and so ruthless in his pursuit of promotion—broke out in a cold sweat. According to the report, more than half the officers at Marine Headquarters had strong ties to Akira.
In particular, the officers who had dealt with him before, and even made agreements with him, had only begun cutting off contact after meeting Akira. Some had even put out word that if he didn't know when to back down, they would confess and expose everything he had done.
He couldn't stand by and watch the network of connections he had worked so hard to build fall apart. He immediately took the report and secretly met with Financial God Nusjuro, one of the Five Elders.
After reading his report, Nusjuro immediately ordered Enies Lobby to investigate and gather evidence. In the end, they succeeded in arresting Akira.
But what he hadn't expected was that just as Akira was about to be transferred to Enies Lobby for execution, he launched a mutiny from inside the Marine Headquarters prison. In a single night, he seized the Marshal's position.
It had taken not only Spandine by surprise, but the Five Elders in the Chamber of Power as well.
Akira launching a mutiny wasn't the frightening part. The frightening part was that he had completed the transfer of power overnight and taken control of Marine Headquarters. That meant not only had the Three Admirals switched sides, but many of Marine Headquarters' old hands had also thrown their support behind Akira.
"Father!"
The office door burst open, and a man with half his face covered by a leather mask hurried up to the desk. "This is terrible! That damned Vice Admiral Akira has launched a mutiny and seized the position of Marshal at Marine Headquarters! If he finds out we were behind the investigation and trial, he'll never let us get away with it!"
Spandam was Spandine's big dumb son. Although he wasn't CP9 Chief yet, he had spent years in the public eye, acting on Spandine's behalf and exercising the authority of the CP9 Chief.
Spandine furrowed his brow and said sternly, "Spandam, how many times have I told you to stay calm when something happens? There's no problem that can't be solved! If you panic at the slightest trouble, how will you ever lead CP9?"
"Father, haven't you realized?" Spandam slammed both hands down on the desk and roared, "The Holy Land still hasn't made a move. It's obvious they're wary because Akira has taken control of the Navy. The Holy Land isn't facing one person's rebellion now—it's facing the entire Navy!"
Spandine fell silent.
Of course he knew this was no ordinary matter. This wasn't simply one person rebelling; the slightest misstep could lead to the Navy breaking away from the World Government entirely and becoming its greatest threat.
In this situation, the Holy Land had only one option: make concessions, reach some kind of agreement with Akira, recognize him as the legitimate Marshal of Marine Headquarters, and keep the Navy's enormous war machine serving the World Government.
And to reach such an agreement, someone in the Holy Land would have to take the blame for the incident. From the outside, the sudden trial had been the fuse that set off Akira's mutiny.
If the Holy Land really did make concessions, the only ones who could take the blame were him and his son.
"!!!!!"
As Spandine silently considered what to do, Spandam suddenly looked up at the sky beyond the window behind him. His eyes widened, and he stammered, "Father, wh-what's that?"
"Hm?"
Spandine instinctively turned around.
The moment he saw it, his pupils contracted.
High above, several figures hurtled toward them at astonishing speed. They carved streaks across the sky like meteors before plunging toward Pangaea Castle Square in the Holy Land.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before the father and son could react, deafening explosions rang out. Plumes of smoke rose from the direction of Pangaea Castle Square.
The sudden attack set off the Holy Land's alarm at once. Amid the piercing sirens, countless figures rushed in from all directions and swiftly surrounded the square.
"Is that lunatic really going to attack the Holy Land?"
Watching the smoke rise from the square in the distance, Spandam swallowed nervously, then turned and bolted out.
"Spandam!"
Spandine hadn't expected his son to recklessly rush out at a time like this. He snapped out of his daze and cursed after the fleeing big dumb oaf. "Damn it, you idiot!"
Despite cursing him, Spandine immediately got up and chased after him.
By the time they reached Pangaea Castle Square, the smoke had already cleared in the wind.
Five human-shaped craters stood out on the square, which was surrounded by layer upon layer of guards. Everyone was on high alert, but not a single person dared rush forward.
"Cough... Cough, cough."
A violent bout of coughing rang out, and a figure immediately climbed out of one of the craters and staggered to his feet. It was Gunko, sent flying back by Akira's Conqueror's Haki.
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