Damon's eyes followed the office signs along the way, and he finally found his target when he reached the top floor of the Tower of Justice.
CP9 Commander's Office.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Damon's Zanpakuto sliced through the locked iron gate in two as easily as a hot knife through butter.
The door snapped open, revealing a previously unknown side of the office.
Iron horse, whip, shackles, candles...
A young woman covered in bruises knelt before Spandam. Her tattered clothes could not conceal her natural beauty, and her milky white skin was covered with whip marks left by the beatings.
Spandam held a flintlock pistol, its muzzle pointed at the woman. As Damon kicked the door open, he let out a wild laugh.
"Didn't you want to save these wretches?"
"I'll kill them all now, what can you do about it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Spandam pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced through the back of the young woman's head, and her lifeless body lay on its back on the ground. Like the other corpses lying in pools of blood, she stared at the boy who had come before her, her mouth slightly open, as if accusing him of this rotten world.
Spandam whistled, sat casually in his executive chair, and said:
"Kid, I admit you're strong, but in this world, strength alone is useless; only power is the ultimate justice!"
"I have the Celestial Dragons behind me. Even if a Marine Admiral comes, at most he can only arrest me and put me in jail."
"Kid, no matter how strong you are, what can you do to me?"
"Do you dare to kill me?"
Damon knew from a very early age that the world was unfair.
Eight hundred years ago, twenty countries formed the World Government, and nineteen royal descendants called themselves the Celestial Dragons. They divided the people in the world into classes: those who were close to the Celestial Dragons were the upper class, those with power were the middle class, and those without status or power were the lower class.
Without a doubt, these young women, imprisoned by Spandam in his office for amusement, were the kind of lower-class people with no status or power.
Therefore, Spandam, who considers himself of superior status, believes he can trample on the dignity of these "inferior" people, and even their lives, at will.
Some people might think that Damon's view of protecting the lives of these lower-class people as an honor is a foolish thing to do.
However, people who hold this view often abandon their dignity and kneel on the ground when facing the powerful and wealthy, just to win their pitiful charity.
A person who does not value the dignity and lives of his fellow countrymen is destined to have a servile nature lingering in his bones.
In any world, in principle, all people are equal.
Those in high positions often fear that future generations will overthrow their power and wealth, so they establish a strict set of social norms to categorize people and ensure that the descendants of the powerful will always be powerful, the descendants of the rich will always be rich, and the descendants of the poor will always be poor.
"No one is born noble, nor is anyone born poor."
As Damon's deep voice echoed in the office, he stepped into a pool of blood, splashing it everywhere. The Zanpakuto he was dragging in his hand burst into flames, instantly evaporating the remaining bloodstains on the floor into a cloud of crimson mist.
"You have no right to control these people's lives."
Amidst a blood-red haze, a pair of scarlet eyes appeared and disappeared. Damon's face was slightly blurred, but his voice seemed to come from hell. Every word struck Spandam's heart, tearing away his feigned composure and revealing his fearful and uneasy expression.
Spandam took a flintlock pistol from under his desk, loaded it with bullets with trembling hands, and pointed it at Damon.
"If you come any closer, I'm going to shoot!"
The so-called powerful and wealthy are nothing more than a group of people who rely on their privileges to bully others. Once their "Emperor's New Clothes" are torn off and their true colors are exposed in the sunlight, they are no different from ordinary people, and may even be more despicable.
Seeing that Damon ignored his warning, Spandam roared as if venting his anger and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
Smoke billowed from the gun barrel as a bullet was fired.
Whether it was because Spandam was truly incompetent or because he was too nervous, the bullet missed its mark and grazed Damon's cheek.
When Damon arrived before him, Spandam looked at the figure shrouded in blood mist, who seemed like a demon emerging from hell. His throat bobbed for a moment, and his voice became shrill and choked with tension, like that of a eunuch.
"You can't kill me!"
"I am backed by the Roswald family, the Celestial Dragons! If you kill me, the Roswald family will not let you off the hook. Even Marine Headquarters cannot protect you. You will be wanted with an enormous bounty and will have to live a life in hiding for the rest of your life!"
"Kid, I know you're a rising star being groomed by the Navy. You have a bright future ahead of you, and you might even become an Admiral someday. There's no need for you to..."
Before Spandam could finish speaking, a flaming Zanpakuto severed his head.
Spandam's head flew high, his expression frozen, his eyes wide open, as if he never expected that this devilish boy would actually dare to kill him!
How dare he!
Isn't he afraid of offending the Celestial Dragons?
Endless regret and remorse became Spandam's final sorrow; he died with his eyes wide open, his head rolling to the ground.
Amidst the crimson mist, the scarlet eyes revealed a chilling glint.
"If this world is full of parasites like you, what does it matter if I become an executioner with blood on my hands?"
When Smoker and his group arrived late, they were shocked to see this scene before them.
Compared to them, the boy was not tall, but at this moment, in the blood mist, his figure seemed to grow infinitely larger.
Smoker and his five companions stared at the CP9 commander lying in a pool of blood, their mouths agape.
Damon slowly turned around and said in a deep voice:
"I take full responsibility for my actions. I killed him; it has nothing to do with you."
Upon hearing this, Smoker and his four companions shuddered, as if greatly moved, and immediately voiced their support:
"Captain, count us in for killing this scum!"
"Yes, Captain! Even if we have to go on the run in the future, how can we be left out?"
Damon's gaze swept across the faces of Smoker and the others. Their eyes were clear and bright, reflecting the purity of justice in their hearts.
"Please give the victims a proper burial."
After giving his instructions, the young man found a sofa in the corner of the office and sat down heavily.
The battle with Rob Lucci had exhausted all his strength. He was only able to hold on until now by sheer willpower. Now that the job was finished, all the fatigue surged into Damon's mind like a tidal wave, making him feel drowsy.
Hina had somehow moved to Damon's side.
She gently placed Damon's head on her long, slender thighs, and her delicate fingers rested on his temples, gently massaging them.
A pleasant fragrance wafted over, and with Hina's unique massage techniques, Damon's body could no longer resist. He slowly closed his eyes, and his consciousness drifted into a deep sleep.
Jonathan looked around at the mess in the office and said:
"CP9 is, after all, an intelligence agency directly under the World Government. If the Captain kills their commander, he will likely face extreme scrutiny. I don't think this commander was a good person; he probably committed countless crimes. Let's hurry up and collect evidence of his illegal activities in this office so that we can help the Captain get through this."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Smoker transformed into a wisp of smoke, collected the ragged bodies of the young women, and buried them in a secluded spot on Enies Lobby.
The others began rummaging through drawers and examining various documents.
Thanks to Spandam's incompetence, the man had absolutely no sense of secrecy, and everything he did during his tenure was listed in the files.
"Eleven years ago, Spandam was rejected by Nico Olvia and, in a fit of rage, secretly investigated her through CP9 agents. He discovered she was a historian investigating the Void Century and reported her. However, Jaguar D. Saul was too lenient and let her go. So he informed the Five Elders and obtained the power to launch the Buster Call, turning Ohara Island into a scorched wasteland."
"10 years ago..."
"9 years ago..."
The documents recorded Spandam's many misdeeds: abuse of office for personal gain, embezzlement, dereliction of duty, and using power for personal vendettas.
Spandam was the worst of the worst; he did nothing but despicable things during his tenure.
Smoker and the others had heard about the Ohara incident 11 years ago, but they never expected that the origin of the incident was actually Spandam's unrequited love for the historian Nico Olvia.
"This guy died too easily!"
Smoker's hands, gripping the documents, trembled slightly with rage.
Jonathan remained calm, carefully categorizing the evidence, and said in a deep voice:
"It is precisely because there are so many corrupt elements in this world that our Navy should uphold true Justice!"
When Damon finally woke up, six hours had passed.
After a deep sleep, Damon felt that his lost strength had finally been restored.
"Are you awake?"
A gentle voice came from beside his ear, and Damon realized he was still resting his head on Hina'slap.
Damon quickly sat up and saw that Hina's legs were numb from holding him. He said:
"Thanks a lot."
Hina shook her head, raised her delicate fingers to smooth Damon's messy bangs, and looked at the blood-covered boy with heartache.
"I'm not tired. The one who's been working the hardest is the Captain."
A gentle breeze caressed her, her short pink hair fluttering, and her bright eyes sparkled with heartfelt concern.
Feeling Hina's sincerity, Damon felt a warmth in his heart.
Smoker and the others had already packed the evidence. After Hina stretched her stiff muscles, Damon and his group left Enies Lobby directly.
During the return journey, Damon encountered no more enemies and returned to the three-masted sailing ship without incident.
The killing of a CP9 commander was a massive event, so Damon immediately contacted Chief Instructor Zefa via Den Den Mushi and explained the situation.
There was only deathly silence on the other end.
After a long while, Zefa's tired voice finally came through:
"You brat, it's too late for you to tell me all this now!"
"Those old guys from the CP organization reported to the Five Elders hours ago, and now the Five Elders have handed the matter over to the World Government's Commander-in-Chief, Kong, to handle."
"Even if you hadn't reported this, you would soon receive an emergency notice from Marine Headquarters. A warship is already on its way to escort you back."