"Hey, hey, hey."
"How can you talk to your superior like that?!"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Spandam put his hand to his forehead, but he couldn't control the relief and excitement in his eyes.
He makes the trio stay in Alabasta originally just because he wants to find something to hold against Spandine, but he doesn't expect that they will actually turn into a key that will help him escape from a desperate situation.
If it hadn't been for his luck this time, he might have been secretly dealt with by the CP organization without leaving any trace in the world.
"But forget it; this kind of thing is not important. I have a new task for you."
"Our informant in the Marines sent back information that Nico Robin appeared in Alabasta and should be in the capital of Alabasta."
"Her whereabouts are unknown."
Spandam's voice suddenly turned cold.
"That woman is one of the few in the world who is capable of interpreting the poneglyph. Prioritize capturing her alive. If that doesn't work, we'll kill her on the spot."
"Anyway, she must not fall into the hands of others!"
There was a long silence on the other end of the receiver, and then Jabra's cold voice came: "Yes, sir!"
"Wa ha ha ha ha!"
"Once you complete this mission, you will be my adjutant."
"Yes!"
"By the way, I heard that you were on White Knight Gawain's ship before. Is that guy Lucci still there?!"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Jabra's pupils shrank, and he said: "Still on a mission. We were able to escape from the White Knight Pirate this time, thanks to his concealment."
Halfway through, Fukurou beside him calmly pulled Jabra's clothes, and he came to his senses and said in feigned anger: "You can't let that bastard surpass me; the position of adjutant is mine!"
"Wa ha ha ha ha!"
"As long as you take care of Nico Robin, it will be yours. As for Lucci, the higher-ups only positioned him there as a contingency. Who knows when they'll actually put him into play?"
"This position belongs to you."
"Now that's more like it."
After hanging up the call, Jabra's expression instantly turned cold. Beside him, Fukurou and Kumadori also looked toward the bustling town in the distance with complicated expressions.
For a while, none of them spoke. The wind howled around them, growing colder and cutting into their faces like blades.
After a long silence, Jabra let out a sigh: "Let's go."
"This place isn't our home. As long as we have the identity of CP9, we can only be free after death."
"It's time to enforce... Justice!"
… … …
On the other side, Enies Lobby.
Spandam put down the Den Den Mushi, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
He couldn't help but rub his temples. As his sleeve slid down, it revealed an arm covered in scars.
The mask that usually hid his face had long been removed, exposing his face twisted like that of a vengeful spirit.
During his time imprisoned by the CP organization, he had been tortured day and night, and there was no intact piece of skin or flesh left on his body.
Under normal circumstances, a person would have long since broken under such torment.
But in Spandam's eyes, there was an eerie mixture of gloom and clarity. Because in that near-endless darkness, he had come to understand one thing:
A person must rely on themselves.
The more he reflected on his past, the more he realized just how foolish his former self had been.
"From subordinates to superiors, not a single person ever truly respected me."
"Heh."
With a bitter laugh, Spandam refocused on the issue at hand.
"Jabra's reaction was fine."
Regarding the accusation that Lucci had betrayed CP and leaked the Six Style, Spandam had never believed it, not even for a second.
After years of working together, he knew exactly what kind of person Lucci was: a relentless executor of justice, one who never questioned right or wrong, one who only followed orders without hesitation.
Years ago, when faced with hundreds of hostages, Lucci had slaughtered them without a shred of doubt. And the reason he gave for doing so still sent chills down Spandam's spine.
"Justice is absolute. If all the hostages are dead, then there is no threat."
Someone like that, how could they ever waver because of a mere pirate?
But this realization only made the situation more complicated.
"With Lucci's combat power, he would not be able to survive against the CP0 elite led by Gismonda. This means that there is a third party involved in this matter."
Spandam picked up the pen and wrote down three names on the draft paper: White Knight Gawain, Crocodile, and Shiki the Golden Lion.
"The only important people who appeared there recently and had the ability to prevent Gismonda from even sending out a distress signal are these three."
Spandam's eyes fell on Gawain, and he fell into deep thought for a moment.
"White Knight Gawain does have a motive, and it is very sufficient."
"After all, Lucci had infiltrated the White Knight Pirate as a traitor to CP9. Facing CP0's pursuit of Lucci, it was only natural for him to protect his ship."
"But if that's the case, the information about Gismonda's death should have been passed back to the CP organization through Lucci long ago."
"If he betrays the World Government, there is absolutely no chance that Jabra and the others will escape alive. In this case, there is only one most reasonable explanation..."
"Gismonda was killed before he could execute Lucci."
Spandam raised his hand and crossed out Gawain's name.
After hesitating for a moment, he crossed out Crocodile's name: "Crocodile is already entrenched in Alabasta and is even secretly preparing to steal the country. Attacking the CP organization will only increase the possibility of him being exposed. The possibility of him taking the initiative to attack is not high."
"Then it can only be you..."
"Shiki the Golden Lion!"
The more Spandam thought about it, the more he felt that his judgment was extremely accurate.
After all, he had eliminated two wrong answers, so any remaining one, no matter how ridiculous, had to be the correct answer.
"As soon as the old man escaped, he boarded Golden Lion's ship. How could it be such a coincidence?!"
"I'm afraid that he had already been secretly cooperating with Golden Lion before his affairs were exposed. Otherwise, with the CP organization's intelligence capabilities all over the world, Golden Lion would not have been able to hide for so long."
"Besides, during this period of time, there have been more than one or two traitors found within the CP organization."
When mentioning the recent events of the CP organization, Spandam couldn't help but reveal a bit of sarcasm: "The World Government's spy organization, whose rank is even on par with the Marines, has actually been infiltrated like a sieve?!"
"Among them is even the former head of CP9, the current second-in-command of CP0, and the powerful figure who formulated the Water 7 lurking plan?"
"That's ridiculous."
After complaining a few words, Spandam turned his attention to the matter at hand: "The most urgent thing is to get in touch with Lucci first. This is a troublesome matter."
"Before, he had been communicating with me one-way. After Gismonda was killed, the encrypted Den Den Mushi also disappeared without a trace."
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