Chapter 448: Shifting the Scales at Enies Lobby

The wheels of history kept turning. The direct superior of CP9 was still the same as in the original timeline—Spandam.

“You failed your mission. How do you even have the nerve to come back?”

“Don’t you realize your task was to retrieve Pluton’s blueprints?”

“Useless! You’re all completely useless.” Spandam roared into the transponder snail. “Why? Why can’t you even handle something so simple?”

Spandam was furious because obtaining Pluton’s blueprints in secret was an order from his superiors. Since his men failed, he was the one who’d have to take the fall.

No matter how well connected he was, even he couldn’t guarantee he’d escape unscathed. How could he not be furious?

His father had paved the way for him years ago. Everything was set for Spandam to climb the ranks, but now this disaster had slammed the door shut on any upward path.

“Sir!”

“Don’t call me ‘sir’! You useless lot, do you know what happens if you fail? If the mission falls through, both you and I will be punished. Don’t kid yourself into thinking you can run from this.”

Spandam was in no mood to listen to Lucci’s excuses. He was livid.

Lucci knew exactly what kind of boss Spandam was. After waiting quietly for a few moments, he responded calmly, “Sir, please don’t worry. We haven’t lost yet. We still have cards left to play.”

“Nani?”

“What cards?” At this point, Spandam still had no idea that Lucci’s team had captured Robin.

While Robin might not hold the same value as Pluton, she was just as important in her own way.

To actually build Pluton, you needed not only a mountain of materials but also rare ores mostly under the World Government’s watchful eye. If any of those ores started disappearing on a large scale, they’d notice instantly.

Right now, Karl had already stolen away a large amount of these rare ores, but the most critical types were still on the Red Line. That’s why they weren’t too worried about someone building Pluton and focused on the blueprints instead.

Even if you had the blueprints, you couldn’t build Pluton without the right materials.

But Robin was different. She was the only person left on the sea who could read the Poneglyphs, making her a one-of-a-kind asset.

If Robin were to translate all the Poneglyphs and reveal the secret history—the hundred-year gap from 800 years ago—to the world, that would be a true disaster.

Don’t forget, just the rumor that Ohara had researched the Poneglyphs led to the entire island’s extermination.

So as long as they handed Robin over, it might make up for the lost blueprints, maybe even enough to earn them some merit.

“We may have returned to Enies Lobby empty-handed, without Pluton’s blueprints, but we did capture the Devil’s Child, Nico Robin.”

“She’s the one who escaped from Ohara and can read the Poneglyphs—Nico Robin.”

Hearing that name, Spandam mulled it over for a moment before a devilish grin twisted his lips. “Nico Robin, huh?”

“The survivor from Ohara in West Blue?” At that moment, Spandam could barely contain his excitement.

Clearly, he understood how valuable Nico Robin was.

“That’s right, sir. Robin from Ohara in the West Blue.”

“If we turn Robin in, we can at least cover up the shortcomings of this mission. And I have a feeling the Straw Hat Pirates might attack Enies Lobby.”

“You know, their crew has some seriously important individuals. If we manage to capture them all, it should more than balance our failures.”

The Straw Hats might call themselves pirates, but every one of them came from a unique background—you could call them a second-generation tour group.

Their captain, Luffy, is the grandson of Navy Vice Admiral Garp and the son of Revolutionary Dragon. His sworn brothers? One’s the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, the other’s the chief of staff for the Revolutionary Army. Not exactly ordinary folks.

First mate Ye Fan needs no introduction. The third member, Zoro, is likely a descendant of the Shimotsuki Clan from Wano—a land known for its swordsmen. With such blood, Zoro’s set to become a top swordsman, especially under the tutelage of the enigmatic Shimotsuki Koushirou.

Then there’s Nami. Her past is murky; some say she’s a child orphaned after pirates raided her village, but she’s always had an uncanny sense for weather, almost like a living, breathing weather weapon.

Sanji is something else. He’s the son of Judge from the North Blue, a perfect product of genetic engineering. Usopp’s father is Yasopp, the sharpshooter under Emperor Shanks.

Chopper’s background is solid too—he’s the adopted son of that old monster woman who’s lived for over a hundred years. If he didn’t have serious skills, he’d never have survived Blackbeard’s rampage.

And that doesn’t even account for the rest who might join—Franky, Brook, and Jinbei.

Franky’s a cyborg who’s a technical genius and who holds the blueprints for Pluton in his head. Brook? He was a notorious pirate half a century ago.

Back then he had a 33-million bounty—adjusted for today, that’s easily worth over 500 million Berries.

Jinbei reached the rank of Warlord of the Sea on his own power, packs Vice Admiral-level strength, and is revered as the boss of Fishman Island.

So yeah, calling the Straw Hats a second-generation tour group is spot-on.

“Yoshi, let’s do it your way, Lucci. But remember—if things go wrong and we get blamed, I’m telling the higher-ups this was all your idea.”

If there’s one thing Spandam knows, it’s how to shift the blame.

“Thank you for your trust, sir. I’ll give everything I’ve got and make sure you’re not held responsible.”

Polite talk is easy. Anyone can do it.

Lucci had been in the World Government for years; fooling a boss like Spandam was child’s play.

Boom!

A deafening bang echoed from the third car. “What’s happening over there?”

“Don’t worry, sir. Probably just a small issue. I’ll handle it,” Lucci answered, already uneasy. Could it be the Straw Hats?

Bang!

The iron doors at the front of the first car burst open. A government agent in black rushed in, drenched in sweat. “Bad news! Luffy and the Straw Hats are attacking!”

Lucci glanced through the open doorway, spotting Luffy and his crew charging wildly through the second car. “You don’t have to state the obvious, idiot. I can see them myself.”

The Straw Hats’ strength was far beyond their expectations. Unless absolutely necessary, Lucci really didn’t want to fight them.

“Don’t let them through.”

Dozens of black-clad agents stood in front of Lucci and his team, drawing their guns and opening fire on Luffy’s group.

If Lucci could just stall for a few minutes, they’d reach Enies Lobby proper. Once they got Robin to the station, their mission would be complete.

But attacking like this was a joke to Luffy. He puffed up like a balloon and bounced all the bullets right back at them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dozens of agents were hit by their own ricocheting bullets and dropped like flies.