Holy Land Mary Geoise, World Government Headquarters Building.
CP9 Director Office.
A middle-aged man sat upright at his desk, staring at the Den Den Mushi placed before him with an unprecedented seriousness. Spandine, a man whose personal strength was not remarkable, had risen to the position of CP9 Director through cunning political maneuvers and ruthless elimination of his rivals.
However, becoming the CP9 Director was not his ultimate goal—he aspired to become a member of the Chamber of Power.
To achieve this, he needed to play both sides and establish good relationships with other departments under the World Government, especially the Marine Headquarters. He had long coveted the immense war machine that was the Marines.
It was precisely for this reason that he frequently collaborated with the Marine Headquarters. Fourteen years ago, he had even joined forces with Marine Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Kuzan to travel to the archaeological island of Ohara in the West Blue.
There, he had obtained the Golden Den Den Mushi from Fleet Admiral Sengoku and subsequently issued the Buster Call, erasing Ohara from the map.
At the time, he had thought this would be his ticket to climbing higher. However, upon returning to the Holy Land, he found himself stuck in the position of CP9 Director, a role he had held ever since. This stagnation had led him to consider eliminating CP9 altogether.
However, before he could devise a foolproof plan, the spies he had painstakingly planted in the Navy Headquarters and the officers he had managed to win over began to sever ties with him one after another.
At first, he didn't pay much attention to it, but as more and more officers who had previously been in contact with him started to distance themselves, he had no choice but to take it seriously and began to secretly investigate the Vice Admiral named Orion.
When the investigation report was laid out before him, even someone as cunning and ruthless as he was, who would stop at nothing for promotion, broke into a cold sweat.
According to the report, at least half of the officers in the Navy Headquarters had strong ties with Orion.
In particular, the officers who had once interacted with him and even collaborated with him began to gradually cut off contact with him after coming into contact with Orion.
Some of these officers even went so far as to warn that if he didn't back off, they would rather confess and expose his deeds. The network of relationships he had worked so hard to build was now crumbling, and he couldn't bear it.
Immediately, he took the investigation report and secretly met with one of the Five Elders, the Warrior God of Finance, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
After reviewing the report, Nusjuro immediately ordered Enies Lobby to intervene and gather evidence, ultimately leading to Orion arrest and imprisonment. But what he didn't expect was that just as Orion was about to be transferred to Enies Lobby for execution, Orion, who was imprisoned in the Navy Headquarters, boldly launched a coup.
In just one night, he successfully seized the position of Fleet Admiral.
Not only was he caught off guard, but even the Five Elders in the Chamber of Power were taken by surprise. What made Orion coup d'état truly terrifying wasn't the act itself, but the fact that he managed to complete the transfer of power overnight, consolidating control over the Navy Headquarters.
This meant that not only had the three Admirals defected, but many of the Navy senior veterans had also thrown their support behind Orion.
"Father!"
Suddenly, the tightly shut office door was forcefully slammed open, and a man with half his face covered in a leather mask rushed to the desk, urgently exclaiming.
"This is a disaster! That damned Vice Admiral Orion has launched a coup and seized the position of Navy Headquarters Fleet Admiral! If he finds out that the investigation and trial he faced were orchestrated by us, he'll never let us off the hook!"
Spandam, the foolish son of Spandine, though not yet the highest authority of CP9, had been the one representing Spandine and wielding the power of CP9 leadership in recent years. Spandine frowned slightly and said in a deep voice.
"Spandam, how many times have I told you? Stay calm in the face of adversity. 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 it yet?" Spandam slammed his fists on the desk and roared, "The Holy Land hasn't made a move yet, clearly because Orion control over the Navy has made them wary. This isn't just the rebellion of one person—it's the entire Navy!"
Hearing this, Spandine fell silent.
He knew full well that this was no ordinary coup. A single misstep could lead to the Navy completely breaking away from the World Government, becoming its greatest threat.
In such a situation, the Holy Land had only one choice: to make concessions and reach some kind of agreement with Orion, recognizing his legitimate position as Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, and ensuring that this massive war machine continued to serve the World Government.
But to achieve this agreement, someone from the Holy Land would have to step forward and bear the consequences of this incident, as, on the surface, the trigger for Orion coup was the sudden trial he faced.
If the Holy Land truly made concessions, the ones who would bear the brunt of this fallout would be none other than him and his son.
"!!!!!!!!"
Just as Spandine was silently strategizing, Spandam, standing in front of the desk, suddenly looked up at the sky outside the window behind him, his eyes widening as he stammered.
"Father… what… what is that?"
"Hmm?"
Spandine instinctively turned to look. What he saw made his pupils contract sharply. High in the sky outside the window, several figures were approaching at an astonishing speed, arcing through the air like meteors before hurtling toward the direction of the Mari Geoise Pangaea Square.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before the father and son could react, deafening explosions erupted. Thick plumes of smoke began to rise from the direction of Pangaea Square.
The sudden turn of events instantly triggered Mari Geoise alarms. Amid the piercing sirens, countless figures emerged from all directions, swiftly surrounding Pangaea Square.
"That lunatic isn't actually planning to attack Mari Geoise, is he?"
Watching the smoke rising from the Square in the distance, Spandam gulped nervously, then turned and rushed out.
"Spandam!"
Unexpectedly, Spandam had recklessly run out at this moment. Spandine, jolted awake, looked at his foolish son running off and couldn't help but curse.
"Damn it, you idiot!"
Despite his cursing, Spandine immediately got up and chased after him.
When the father and son arrived at Pangaea Square, the thick smoke that had risen had already dispersed with the wind. The Square, surrounded by layers of people, was marked by six conspicuous human-shaped craters.
Although everyone around was on high alert, no one dared to rush forward.
"Cough... cough..." Accompanied by violent coughing, a figure quickly climbed out of one of the craters and stood up in a disheveled state.
It was none other than Gunko, who had been sent flying back by Orion Conqueror's Haki.
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