Some people are weak but can grow stronger with time.
But if someone's weak and stupid—there's no saving them.
That was Arthur's blunt assessment of Spandam.
For Arthur to break through CP9's elite defenses and arrive here before anyone else, despite there being only one hidden passage, spoke volumes about his terrifying power and cunning.
Yet even now, Spandam still believed he could take him down easily.
If that wasn't idiocy, what was?
Arthur didn't even glance at him. To him, Spandam was nothing but a noisy clown—a barking dog at best.
Instead, he turned to Rob Lucci, eyes glinting faintly with amusement.
"Come on," Arthur said lightly. "Show me your leopard form. I want to see it for myself."
Lucci stiffened. His pupils constricted sharply.
How—?! I never showed him my Zoan transformation. How does he know?
Did the Straw Hats tell him? No… impossible.
He shook the thought away. It didn't matter. Either way, a battle was inevitable.
"Since you insist…" Lucci's lips twisted into a thin, cruel smile. "I'll gladly oblige."
ROAR!
A beastly bellow echoed through Enies Lobby as Lucci's body swelled, muscles expanding beneath his black suit until the seams tore.
Golden fur striped with black erupted across his skin. His face contorted, morphing into that of a savage leopard, his aura doubling—tripling—in ferocity.
Now over three meters tall, he loomed over Arthur, the sheer physical pressure of his Leopard-Man form shaking the air itself.
But the young man before him didn't even flinch.
Arthur's expression remained calm, even faintly bored—like a god glancing down at an insect.
That infuriated Lucci more than any insult ever could.
His claws clenched, veins bulging in rage.
If Arthur wanted to underestimate him, he'd make sure his regret came with broken bones.
"Rankyaku: Kamaitachi!"
A sharp sonic boom split the air.
Lucci vanished, reappearing at Arthur's flank. His leg blurred into motion, unleashing a deadly crescent of compressed air.
"Lightning Shield!"
Arthur raised a hand. Blue arcs of electricity burst outward, wrapping around him in a dense field of crackling thunder.
Lucci's attack struck the barrier dead-on, sending sparks flying.
The shield shuddered under the impact—dented, but unbroken.
Tch... impressive, Arthur thought. With Zoan power, even his Rankyaku can dent my Raikage armor.
Lucci didn't pause. He darted around at blinding speed, his Soru technique turning him into a streak of motion.
To ordinary eyes, he vanished entirely, leaving behind only the shriek of displaced air.
Each time he reappeared, he was at a new angle, searching desperately for an opening.
But the more he circled, the more frustrated he became.
Arthur stood utterly still—open, defenseless—yet every instinct screamed that there was no weak point to strike.
Every movement felt like walking into a trap.
Damn it! If I hesitate, I'll lose the rhythm entirely!
Grinding his teeth, Lucci flickered behind Arthur once more.
"Rankyaku: Leopard Tail!"
Another slicing kick, faster and sharper than before, cut through the air.
And again—it met the unyielding lightning barrier. The electric field rippled but held firm, scattering the attack harmlessly into sparks.
His shield... is absolute, Lucci realized, sweat running down his temple. Even my ranged strikes are useless!
No choice. He had to close the distance.
In a blink, Lucci appeared directly in front of Arthur, claws poised and eyes blazing with killing intent.
"Rokuougan! (Six Kings Gun!)"
The ultimate technique of Rokushiki, combining all six martial forms into one devastating strike.
Both fists shot forward, a visible shockwave bursting between them, the air warping under the pressure.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Then take this—Strongest Spear: Four-Finger Thrust!"
He thrust forward. Lightning wrapped around his arm like a coiled dragon.
BOOM!
Fist met hand, and a deafening shockwave tore through the bridge.
The ocean below churned violently, waves exploding outward as stone cracked beneath their feet.
For an instant, they were locked.
Then, slowly, the power balance shattered.
Lucci's arms buckled under the strain. The lightning surged forward, slicing through his technique.
Crack—!!
The "Six Kings Gun" collapsed. The recoil snapped Lucci's shoulders out of joint, hurling him backward like a broken doll.
He slammed into the ground, coughing blood, his limbs twitching uselessly.
One move.
That was all it took.
The gap between them was absolute.
From a safe distance, Spandam had been smirking smugly, arms crossed, watching what he thought would be a humiliating defeat for Arthur.
Now, his grin was gone. His jaw hung slack.
"M–Monster…"
Lucci—his greatest weapon, his proudest subordinate—had been swatted aside like a fly.
The realization hit him like ice water.
No wonder Lucci had been on edge the entire journey here.
This wasn't just a pirate.
This was a walking cataclysm.
A man who could stand among the Four Emperors and not be out of place.
For the first time in his life, Spandam felt true fear.
He stumbled back, praying that the Buster Call he'd triggered would bring salvation before this nightmare turned its gaze on him.
Meanwhile, Franky and Robin, who had been forced to watch helplessly until now, felt something entirely different.
Hope.
For the first time since Enies Lobby began to burn, they felt it—a tiny spark of light piercing the darkness.
That spark was Arthur.
As he walked slowly toward them, his steps calm and deliberate, that faint glimmer of hope grew brighter and brighter, until it filled the room.
The eternal night has dawned.
For Spandam, though, that same light was blinding—and deadly.
All his dreams of glory, promotion, and luxury—of wealth, women, and power—
all crumbled before the man walking toward him like the incarnation of divine wrath.
"No… no no no…" Spandam trembled, his voice cracking. "Why—why does someone like you even exist?!"
He hated Arthur.
He hated Lucci for failing him.
He hated the Marines for being late.
He hated the heavens for abandoning him.
But never—not once—did he hate himself.
Not for the lives he ruined.
Not for the justice he corrupted.
Not for the sins he refused to see.
Arthur could sense it. His Observation Haki caught every drop of Spandam's venomous thought.
And his expression hardened.
He wasn't a merciful man. Not to filth like this.
The crackle of thunder grew louder.
Bolts of lightning danced around him, wrapping his body in a blinding aura of raw power.
The air itself hummed, trembling beneath the weight of his killing intent.
In that moment, he looked less like a man—and more like a god of retribution.
Spandam's knees gave out. His vision blurred.
He could feel it—death itself, pressing against his chest like an invisible blade.
The world turned white.
"This… this can't be happening…"
He had never felt fear like this before.
Not even as a child.
This was the kind of terror that crawled down your spine and hollowed out your soul.
The terror of facing true power.
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