"Why... why was the Buster Call activated...?" Spandam knelt on the ground, pounding the floor with his right fist repeatedly. He couldn't understand why he had pressed the button.
This was Enies Lobby. He knew all too well what it meant to activate a Buster Call here.
Even with his father's achievements backing him, the furious Five Elders might still have him executed.
"This idiot..." Rob Lucci muttered with a grim expression.
Why was their superior such a fool? Launching a Buster Call on Enies Lobby—what was he thinking?!
Destroying the eight-hundred-year-old Enies Lobby with their own Buster Call was like slapping the World Government in the face!
"Did you do something?!" Kalifa glared at Meiser, her eyes sharp.
She had clearly seen the strange expression on his face just moments ago!
Spandam, as if clutching at straws, scrambled up from the ground, his disheveled hair making him look like a demon as he stared at Meiser. "Was it your doing?!"
If this wasn't his own doing, the punishment he'd receive would be much lighter—at least he might not be executed... hopefully.
"You were the one who pressed the button. What does it have to do with me?" Meiser scoffed.
"Impossible! There's no way I would've pressed it!"
"But that's exactly what happened~"
Spandam: "..."
Yes, this was the truth. He had personally pressed the button on the Golden Den Den Mushi. The Buster Call that would soon obliterate Enies Lobby had been activated by him.
"Hah, I see." Sanji seemed to have figured something out and chuckled.
"What? What is it?" Usopp looked at him in confusion.
"Just watch."
Sanji had no intention of explaining—after all, the enemy was right in front of them. Speaking up would mean revealing the truth.
"Interesting."
Zoro also smirked, having caught on just like Sanji.
Earlier, when opening the gates of Enies Lobby, Meiser had already demonstrated his ability—an Illusion Technique that could control people without them realizing it!
This guy must have been manipulated by Meiser into activating the Buster Call... Well, that works!
Meiser had already said he'd handle the Buster Call problem. If that was the case, then they'd leave it to him!
A powerful Ninja capable of manipulating seawater—taking down ten Navy Battleships alone wasn't impossible.
"It seems they know something." Kaku forced himself to stay calm as he spoke.
He had observed the expressions of the Straw Hat Pirates. Though they hadn't explained, this incident was undoubtedly connected to them.
No matter how much of an idiot Spandam was, he wouldn't use a Buster Call to destroy his own territory. Something was clearly wrong here!
"Bastards! If you won't talk, then let CP9 and the Buster Call crush you!" Spandam took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Then, he glanced at CP9 and ordered, "Nico Robin must not be lost. Capture them now!!"
Only three of them were here. If all of CP9 attacked together, taking down this guy shouldn't be a problem.
"Just now, none of you could do anything to me, and now you think you can take me down?" Meiser tilted his head slightly.
"Then was then, now is now." Jabra sneered. "With two deadweights dragging you down, do you really think you can escape unscathed?!"
He admitted the opponent's speed was indeed fast—so fast that sometimes he couldn't even react. This meant hitting him wouldn't be easy.
But... this time, with Nico Robin and Franky weighing him down, his speed advantage might not be so effective!
"Chapapa, the tables have turned~"
"Hmph, as long as Nico Robin is in my hands, there's no problem."
Having calmed down, Spandam realized this point. While destroying Enies Lobby with a Buster Call would be disastrous, if he could bring Nico Robin back, it meant reviving the Ancient Weapon!
The Ancient Weapon... a terrifying weapon capable of obliterating an entire island in a single strike!!
With such an achievement, his merits could offset his mistakes—no problem at all!
No... perhaps he might even receive a reward!
Thinking this, Spandam grew visibly excited.
"Robin won't return to your hands," Meiser said, clapping his hands together. "Not now, not ever!"
As he spoke, water began to ripple at Meiser's feet, and the ground trembled faintly.
"Take him down!"
"Shave!"
Cipher Pol 9 attacked Meiser simultaneously, clearly intent on killing him.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"BOOM!!"
A massive water dragon materialized out of thin air, forcefully repelling CP9 and halting their assault.
"What the hell is this?!"
Jabra, steadying himself, wore an expression of disbelief. What was he seeing?
An enormous water dragon had appeared on the balcony in an instant, engulfing the three of them.
Not only that, but the water dragon then soared into the air, flying toward the distant Courthouse?!
"Water Release... is this guy a ninja?!" Spandam, who had been washed into the corridor by the waves, froze for a moment before roaring, "Don't let him escape! Capture that ninja!!"
If this man was truly a ninja, he might be from the Land of Wano!!!
This meant they could potentially extract information about Wano from him—another monumental achievement!
Hearing Spandam's shouts, the stabilized CP9 members snapped back to attention.
"A ninja?"
Weren't those just things from stories? How could a real ninja appear now? Could he be a Devil Fruit user?
"Not good, he's heading back to the Courthouse!" Rob Lucci said.
"Tempest Kick!"
CP9 attacked together, launching a barrage of Tempest Kicks at the water dragon, shattering its rear half into splashing waves!
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
The water dragon, nearing the Courthouse, seemed to lose momentum, exploding into a shower of water as it plummeted downward.
"Hmph, thinking you could escape right in front of us? What a pipe dream," Jabra scoffed.
"But... didn't the boss order us to capture him alive? Chapapa."
Jabra: "..."
Damn it, he didn't think before acting. If Nico Robin and that Ninja were killed, wouldn't they be punished?
"Stay calm," Rob Lucci said with a grave expression. "They're fine."
"Why do you say that?"
"Can't you hear Franky's voice coming from over there?" Kaku pointed into the distance.
"You bastards, I thought I was gonna die!" Franky shouted.
As the spray of water faded, the full view from the top of the Courthouse became clear.
There stood Meiser, smiling casually on the high platform beside the Straw Hat Pirates—his left arm wrapped around Nico Robin's waist and his right hand gripping Franky's leg, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his crew!
"Meiser!!"
"Amazing, he got Robin back!"
The entire Straw Hat Pirates crew looked at Meiser in pleasant surprise, clearly not expecting him to retrieve Nico Robin so effortlessly.
"We've... been tricked!!"
"Damn that Ninja!!"