The enraged Robin and Franky poured all their hatred onto Spandam, who had already lost the will to resist.
Franky's massive metal fists pummeled Spandam's face repeatedly.
"This is for Tom!" WHAM! "This is for Iceburg!" WHAM!
Robin stood back, crossing her arms.
"Clutch."
She used her ability, sprouting hands all over Spandam's body, her hands slowly crushed Spandam's bones one by one.
CRACK! SNAP!
Spandam screamed, his voice hoarse.
He begged for mercy repeatedly in his agony, tears and snot running down his swollen face.
"Stop! Please! Spare me!" Spandam wailed. "If you just let me go, I promise! I'll definitely help clear Ohara's name! I'll tell the world Tom was innocent! I can fix everything!"
But who were Robin and Franky? They weren't naive children.
After all they'd been through, how could they possibly believe the words of this vile man before them?
They ignored him, continuing to torture him bit by bit.
When his desperate pleas proved futile, Spandam's fear turned into a twisted, hysterical rage.
He let out a furious roar, spitting blood onto the sand.
"You lowly beasts!" Spandam shrieked, his eyes bulging. "How dare you lay hands on me! I am the Chief of CP9! I am God's representative! The World Government will not let this slide! All of you will pay for this! I will have admirals hunt you down!"
Three minutes later, Spandam finally lost consciousness and passed out from the sheer pain.
Before fainting and knowing death was inevitable, he uttered a faint curse.
He was so weak that only Ray, with his heightened senses, and Chouchou could make out what he said.
"Damn you... inferior beings..." Spandam wheezed, staring hatefully at Ray. "I'll be waiting for you... in hell."
Even at death's door, he showed not a shred of remorse.
He died as he lived: a cowardly, arrogant worm.
Finally, Buggy stepped forward. He grabbed the unconscious man by the collar of his shredded suit.
"Hell is too good for you," Buggy muttered.
With a heave, Buggy threw Spandam into the massive tank his crew had brought ashore—a tank filled with starving piranhas.
He didn't fish him out again.
Spandam met his fate, devoured by fish until no corpse was left intact.
...
Half an hour later.
Franky and Robin began to calm down, breathing heavily but looking lighter than they had in years.
The shadows of their pasts—Tom and Ohara—seemed to recede slightly with the tide.
Together, they walked toward where Ray was standing near the campfire.
Without a word, they bowed deeply to him in sincere gratitude.
They knew that without Ray's intervention, this would never have been possible.
Ray merely nodded slightly, acknowledging their thanks without needing to say anything profound.
He wasn't one for speeches.
"Chouchou, bring the case."
Chouchou barked and dragged over the heavy black leather suitcase Ray had retrieved from Spandam earlier.
"What is that?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.
"A gift Spandam hadn't had time to deliver to his subordinates," Ray said.
Luffy and the others had long been curious about this case. They gathered around, speculating about what treasure might be inside.
As Chouchou used his snout and little paws to slowly click the latches open, the lid creaked up. Everyone finally saw its contents.
Inside lay two strange, swirling fruits.
"Wow!" Usopp exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "Is this a Devil Fruit?"
Chopper reacted calmly. Having eaten one before, he'd lost any novelty toward these weird objects. He crossed his arms and nodded sagely.
"It's a Devil Fruit," the reindeer doctor confirmed. "And let me tell you... they taste awful!"
Luffy, Buggy, and Robin all nodded in vigorous agreement.
Their faces twisted in disgust as they recalled the taste of their own fruits—like rotting compost mixed with chemical waste.
They had never eaten anything more disgusting than that.
Sanji, Zoro, and Nami didn't react as strongly to the taste comment, but they observed the fruits in the box with keen interest.
They pondered Ray's intention in bringing them out.
Seeing everyone's curiosity, Ray had Chouchou explain it.
"Master says these were brought by Spandam as rewards for the CP9's. According to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, these are two specific fruits."
Chouchou pointed a paw at the soapy-looking one.
"That is the Paramecia-type Awa Awa no Mi."
He pointed to the red, banana-shaped one.
"And that is the Zoan-type Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Giraffe."
"Master showed them to ask you guys: is anyone interested in these fruits? If you want to eat one to gain its power, just take it. It's yours."
Thus, everyone fell into a heated discussion.
Zoro, polishing his katana, was the first to speak. "Not interested. I'd rather trust my swords than some curse that makes me sink like a hammer."
Buggy immediately nodded in agreement, giving Zoro a thumbs up.
"Smart man! Losing the ability to swim is the worst curse for a pirate! I still regret eating mine every day!"
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and shook his head. "I refuse. I only care about one specific Devil Fruit—the Clear-Clear Fruit. If it's not that one, I have no interest in cursing myself."
Usopp rubbed his chin, staring at the fruits intensely.
"The Bubble-Bubble Fruit doesn't really suit my image as a brave warrior of the sea," Usopp muttered.
"And the Giraffe fruit? That's just... ugly. I can't be a giraffe man. I can't decide yet. I'll pass."
Finally, Nami stepped forward.
She stared at the Bubble-Bubble Fruit for a while.
She was torn between retaining her ability to swim and gaining the power of bubbles.
After a minute of silence, her eyes hardened with resolve.
"I'll eat it," Nami announced. "I'll eat the Bubble-Bubble Fruit."
Why? Because she had analyzed the potential.
She felt this fruit might significantly enhance her weather abilities. Bubbles were essentially pockets of air.
If she could manipulate bubbles, creating clouds, controlling pressure, or shielding herself would become much easier.
As for other potential uses, she could develop them gradually. It would definitely boost her combat power.
With the Straw Hat Pirates rapidly growing stronger, Nami increasingly felt the widening gap between her abilities and her crewmates'.
Watching Chopper and Usopp fight earlier had only confirmed it.
'I must accelerate my growth,' Nami told herself, clenching her fists. 'Or I won't even be able to see Ray's back anymore. I need more power.'
After Nami made her request, no one objected.
Well, except for one person.
Sanji fell to his knees while wearing a pained expression of utter despair.
"NOOOO!" Sanji wailed, grabbing his head. "If Nami-san eats the fruit, she becomes a hammer! Will Nami-san still wear sexy swimsuits if she can't swim?! No! I can't accept a Nami-san who doesn't wear swimsuits!"
Sanji seemed to have lost the most precious thing in his life.
Tears streamed down his face like a fountain.
Nami looked down at him, utterly speechless.
She sighed.
"You idiot," she said disdainfully. "I can wear swimsuits for sunbathing on the deck anyway. It doesn't change anything."
Hearing this, Sanji immediately stopped crying.
He jumped up, spining around, and his eyes turned into hearts again.
"Oh! Nami-swan is right! Sunbathing is the best!"
Ignoring the idiot cook, Nami picked up the fruit.
She took a bite. Her face turned green, and she nearly gagged, but she swallowed it down.
The power was hers.
...
Later that Night
After Nami gained her new abilities, the group gathered around the campfire to discuss possible combat scenarios for the next day.
The mood was heavy, despite their earlier victory.
After finalizing some basic battle plans, Usopp raised a hand.
He looked hopeful.
"Hey, Ray," Usopp asked tentatively. "Since you've obtained the Golden Den Den Mushi that activates the Buster Call... does that mean the Buster Call won't be launched? We have the trigger, right?"
Ray didn't respond. He just poked the fire with a stick.
The others looked at Usopp as if he were an idiot.
After a moment of silence, Usopp sighed, slumping his shoulders.
"Yeah, I know. I was just clinging to a sliver of hope."
Actually, everyone understood the reality.
The Golden Den Den Mushi was just a remote control. The Buster Call was a standing order from the World Government.
The higher-ups could still initiate it with a simple command via a backup communication line.
The fleet was already on its way and the war was inevitable.
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Luffy grinned widely.
He slapped his knees and stood up.
"Everyone!" Luffy shouted. "Don't look so gloomy! We're definitely fighting tomorrow! So we need energy!"
He raised a fist. "We need to eat our fill tonight! Let's have a banquet!"
Everyone looked at Luffy's grin.
Slowly, the tension broke. Smiles appeared on their faces as they responded in unison.
"ALRIGHT!"
…
As the banquet concluded and the crew gradually settled into rest, the night grew quiet.
Ray and Buggy remained on the distant beach away from the sleeping members.
They were both making early preparations for the next day's battle, checking weapons and organizing supplies.
After preparing some backup techniques, Ray sent Buggy away to get some sleep.
Ray remained alone, sitting on a rock, contemplating the possible scenarios for tomorrow.
First, the Buster Call would undoubtedly occur.
This meant at least five Marine Vice Admirals would arrive on the scene.
This level of combat power wouldn't pose much difficulty for the current Straw Hat Pirates.
The real problem lay in the indiscriminate hailstorm of cannonballs.
Protecting the ship and the civilians during a bombardment was harder than a fistfight.
Second, the Marines weren't stupid.
Knowing Ray was here, they would surely dispatch enemies capable of fighting him specifically.
Barring any surprises, it would likely be Admiral Aokiji.
Third, there was the wild card: Zephyr.
Although the former Admiral hadn't interfered in today's battle with CP9, that was only because they had a common goal: saving civilians.
But Zephyr didn't consider pirates allies.
When the main Marine forces engaged them tomorrow, he would most likely join the fight.
'Someone must be able to hold off Zephyr,' Ray thought.
Buggy is strong, but he can't face Zephyr alone. It would require multiple fighters.
Lastly, and perhaps most dangerously, there was nature itself.
Based on the information gathered tonight, the disaster of Water 7—the Aqua Laguna would arrive tomorrow evening.
This meant they were on a strict timer.
The battle must conclude, and the evacuation must be completed before the tsunami hit.
If they were still fighting when the wave arrived, everyone would drown.
Thinking this, Ray lifted his head to gaze at the bright moon hanging in the sky.
'It's not simple at all,' Ray thought, his expression serious.
'If even a few unexpected incidents occurred, the difficulty would increase exponentially. Tomorrow would be a long day.'
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