Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Finn, wearing his Justice cloak over a pure white short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, walked out of the World Government headquarters building with casual confidence. Shindokutō hung at his waist, the demon blade's presence drawing nervous glances from passing officials.
He glanced at the construction still underway across the holy land. "How long until Mary Geoise is completed?"
Beside him stood the commander of CP-9, Spandine. At Finn's question, he quickly responded, "The Five Elders have stated the project must be completed within 1515."
It was currently Sea Circle Calendar 1514. Since the Five Elders demanded completion within 1515, that meant within the next year. Even if workers had to be driven to exhaustion on the construction sites, the buildings would be finished.
Finn nodded. "I see."
He'd come to Mary Geoise to report on the Battle of Jam Island to the Five Elders, and he'd just finished. Thanks to his excellent acting skills, cooperation from the CP agencies, and a beautifully crafted report, the Five Elders hadn't found any problems. Or rather, they'd found some irregularities, but because the Marines had performed so well, they chose not to pursue them.
Afterward, Finn had visited the Commander-in-Chief's office to meet with Kong. They'd chatted about various topics and reminisced about old times. After that, he'd prepared to leave Mary Geoise and return to Marineford.
Just as he was about to exit the building, he'd run into Spandine.
It was as if the man had been waiting for him.
Finn asked some irrelevant questions as they walked toward the port together.
When they were nearly there, Finn looked at Spandine with amusement. "So, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by cornering me in Mary Geoise?"
Spandine's expression showed a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly replaced it with a flattering smile. "Admiral, I'm here to listen to your teachings. I'm so honored to speak with you that I won't be able to sleep for two or three days."
"Hahahaha! You bastard, even though I know you're flattering me, it still makes me happy to hear it." Finn laughed and clapped Spandine on the shoulder.
"It's my pleasure to please you," Spandine added hastily.
Finn patted his shoulder, then raised an eyebrow. "If you don't say what you want soon, I'll just pretend nothing happened."
Spandine gave a helpless smile, then said cautiously, "Admiral, there are actually two things I wanted to discuss."
Finn had no ill feelings toward Spandine.
Or rather, at the beginning, because of impressions from his past life's knowledge, he'd felt somewhat disgusted by the man. But after actually getting to know him, Finn had found that aside from being a bit sleazy, Spandine had no other real problems. He was quite capable and was Stussy's loyal subordinate, a die-hard supporter. Naturally, Finn had no intention of targeting him. Over time, his impression had improved.
He knew this was intentionally guided and cultivated by Spandine himself. But so what? This just proved Spandine's capability, didn't it?
"Go ahead." Finn nodded and continued walking toward the port.
Spandine quickly caught up. The two entered the bubble elevator together. Then Spandine said, "The first thing is actually a personal matter. I have a son named Spandam."
Finn was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Compared to Spandine, Spandam was a complete waste. He'd inherited all his father's shortcomings and then some, but hadn't inherited any of his father's excellent ability to get things done. Instead, he acted like a complete moron.
He'd heard Stussy mention Spandine's son before. The kid was working at CP-5, if he remembered correctly.
In the original timeline, Spandam had later inherited his father's position and become CP-9 commander. Then, because of the Enies Lobby incident, his career had imploded. Two years later, probably due to his father's connections, Stussy had arranged for him to join CP-0 in a minor, unimportant position.
That was the power of connections. If it had been someone with no background, the Enies Lobby incident would have been enough to execute them ten times over.
But now, without Luffy and the others becoming pirates, and with Lucci not in the CP agencies, it stood to reason that even if Spandam the loser became CP-9 commander, there shouldn't be any major problems. After all, he had a good father.
"I heard from Stussy it's CP-5," Finn said with a smile.
Spandine's eyes flashed with surprise. He quickly said, "Yes, yes! I never imagined my boy would be known to you, Admiral. I'm truly honored."
"Hahaha, after all, Stussy values and takes care of you greatly." Finn's tone was warm.
"Lady Stussy has indeed been very kind to me," Spandine replied.
Finn then asked, "So what about your boy?"
After composing himself, Spandine quickly explained. "It's nothing serious, really. It's just that he's my only son, and I've spoiled him since childhood. Now he's incompetent at everything except eating. I'm constantly worried he'll cause a major incident one day."
"So what you mean is, you want to give me advance warning? When he really screws up, you want me to help bail him out?" Finn asked with a smile.
Spandine quickly shook his head. "I wouldn't dare trouble you, Admiral, with such messy business."
Spandine was quite sensible. How could he dare drag Finn into his son's potential disasters? That would definitely lower Finn's opinion of him.
"Haha, if it happens, I'll help." Finn actually agreed.
If Spandine had asked Finn for help directly, Finn might have felt annoyed. But Spandine was being so tactful that Finn was happy to show some generosity. After all, he was Stussy's close associate. He could afford to give him some face.
Spandine was stunned for a moment, then said happily, "Thank you very much, Admiral."
After a brief pause, he said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, I was thinking... could we send that Spandam kid to the Marines instead?"
When he said this, his tone lacked conviction. He sounded uncertain.
Finn looked at Spandine with surprise. "Why would you have such an idea?"
Spandine was silent for a moment, then continued. "To be honest, Admiral, I have two main considerations. First, I have connections and relationships throughout CP. If that kid stays in CP, everyone will give him face out of respect for me. He doesn't understand how serious things can get, and sooner or later he'll cause a disaster. So I don't want him staying in CP. On the contrary, if he were in the Marines, no one would care whose son he is. They'd train him hard instead. I don't expect him to become a great officer, just a decent person. I just want you to keep a close eye on him. As his father, that's my biggest request."
Finn looked at Spandine with a complicated expression.
Poor parents throughout the world.
It was true that Spandine was a despicable villain in many ways. But when facing Spandam, his incompetent son, he still shouldered his responsibilities as a father.
Come to think of it, this was the first time Spandine had asked Finn for help so seriously, and the favor was for his son.
Finn didn't overthink it. He sighed, perhaps touched by the sentiment. Or perhaps he felt it wasn't a big deal and helping wouldn't cost him anything. Either way, Finn nodded. "Alright, go back and send your boy to Marineford."
Upon hearing this, Spandine immediately brightened. "Thank you, Admiral! Thank you so much!"
"Speaking of which, what about the second reason? I haven't heard it yet." Finn asked with a smile.
Spandine's expression became serious. "The second reason, and the second thing, is that over the years, following Lady Stussy and you, Admiral, I've learned more or less about the inside details of what we're doing. The more I learn, the more terrified I become."
He paused, then said in a deep voice. "What worries me isn't how serious this matter is, but that I'm caught in the middle of it without a real position to stand on."
Finn's expression grew somewhat cold. He glanced at Spandine. "So?"
"I want to bet my future, my prospects, and even my life on you and Lady Stussy. Please give me a chance to make that bet!" Spandine's tone was firm.
Upon hearing this, Finn sighed softly. "Stussy has always told me you're very capable and intelligent. Although I've tried my best to think highly of you, I didn't expect your excellence would still exceed my expectations, Spandine."
Spandine had helped Stussy accomplish many things, and Finn had used him as well. Therefore, Spandine was one of the few people in the CP agencies who had access to inside information. However, due to lingering impressions from his past life, Finn had never fully trusted him. The tasks he assigned were relatively minor.
This time, Spandine was clearly determined to fully commit. He was ready to cling to Finn and Stussy's support. His pledge was simple: his own son, Spandam.
Spandam was his only bloodline, but he was now handing his son over to Finn and the Marines.
The meaning was crystal clear. From a personal perspective, it was equivalent to offering his son as a hostage to Finn in exchange for greater trust.
From a strategic perspective, he was betting his son's future on the Marines. If the Marines fell, his son would fall with them. Conversely, if the Marines prospered, his son would prosper as well.
Both personally and strategically, Spandine's move was brilliant. At the same time, his decisiveness and resolution were outstanding enough.
This was why Finn praised him so highly.
"Thank you for your kind words, Admiral," Spandine said softly.
Then he looked at Finn with some trepidation. Finn finally smiled, patted his shoulder and said, "Do your best. Stussy and I have high expectations for you."
Spandine was stunned at first, then his expression brightened. "Yes, thank you, Admiral!"
They didn't discuss the topic further. As they walked into the dock area, Spandine said, "By the way, Admiral, we discovered that Pluton's blueprints are in the hands of Tom, the director of the Sea Train project in Water 7. Do you want to—"
In the original timeline, Master Tom had been framed for a serious crime and died because of this.
But this time, Finn waved his hand dismissively. "Just pretend we never found Pluton. Don't bother with Water 7."
Spandine was stunned for a moment, then nodded without asking further questions. "Yes."
This decisive attitude proved he no longer intended to obey Mary Geoise's orders. After all, Mary Geoise wanted him to find Pluton.
"I don't know exactly what you're doing or how you're doing it. After all, I'm not part of CP. Just listen to Stussy and help her. Don't worry about anything else. I'll help take care of your boy." Finn's tone was casual but firm.
"Yes, I understand, Admiral." Spandine responded again.
Soon, at the dock, Finn boarded Spandine's ship. Spandine insisted on personally escorting Finn to Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
As soon as they boarded, a well-proportioned, handsome man quickly approached. He wore a black suit and was obviously an agent under Spandine's command. The moment he arrived, he said respectfully, "Admiral! Lord Spandine!"
Finn glanced at the man, then smiled at Spandine. "You do have some talented people under your command."
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