Chapter 168: "Is That All I'm Worth?"—Arlong the Fish-Man

When it came to whether Wood could rescue Tom, Garp had no doubts whatsoever.

After all, the team Wood had assembled was the same crew that had wreaked havoc in the Holy Land of Mariejois.

Enies Lobby, though one of the three major government strongholds, didn't have nearly the same level of defense as Mariejois.

If Wood and the Sun Pirates could escape unscathed after causing chaos in Mariejois, then storming Enies Lobby wouldn't be a problem at all.

Moreover, after this mission, Wood and the Sun Pirates would undoubtedly make headlines across the seas, evolving from rookie pirates to figures who would catch the eye of the major powers in the New World.

After all, even if Enies Lobby wasn't as significant as Impel Down or Marineford, it still represented the face of the World Government.

If Wood's crew succeeded, it would be a direct slap in the face to the World Government, wouldn't it?

Sengoku would likely have a headache afterward, possibly even receiving a reprimand from the World Government.

But what did that have to do with Garp? Sengoku was the Fleet Admiral, while Garp was just a simple Marine soldier. Even if there was backlash, it wouldn't affect the "Hero of the Marines."

Besides, letting Wood win in their upcoming battle had been Sengoku's idea in the first place. Garp was just following orders.

The thought that he could mess things up without facing any consequences—maybe even enjoy watching Sengoku squirm—made Garp rather pleased. He was almost looking forward to Wood's arrival.

Meanwhile, in the prison of the Tower of Justice, Spandam was fuming as he stared at Tom, the battered fish-man, who was barely clinging to life.

When Spandam had learned that Franky and the others had vanished after returning to Water 7, he knew he'd been tricked. His rage had been unleashed on Tom.

But the angrier Spandam became, the more content Tom felt, because it meant his two disciples had truly escaped Spandam's grasp.

As for the Pluton designs, Tom had no intention of handing them over. Every day, he refused to eat, hoping to end his life and take the secret of Pluton to the grave with him.

Unfortunately, the tenacity of the fish-man race meant that even after days without food, Tom's sturdy physique kept him alive, forcing him to endure Spandam's daily torture.

Tom couldn't help but regret his past gluttony—had he not eaten so much, maybe he could have died sooner.

Spandam whipped Tom again, just as he had for the past several days, trying to coerce him into revealing the location of the Pluton designs.

But Tom hadn't spoken then, and now, on the brink of death, he was even less likely to.

Just as Spandam was about to resort to more severe torture, the alarms of Enies Lobby suddenly blared without warning.

"Report! Report! The front island of Enies Lobby is under attack by unknown forces! Surveillance den-den mushi confirm initial reports—attackers identified as the Marine deserter Wood, members of Tom's Workshop, and fish-men…"

The alarm had barely begun when a nervous Marine messenger rushed to Spandam with the report.

Upon hearing that Enies Lobby was under attack, Spandam didn't react with fear. Instead, a look of surprise and delight spread across his face.

He had been furious that Franky and the others had escaped, leaving Tom resistant to all forms of persuasion.

But Spandam had never imagined that the members of Tom's Workshop would be so fearless as to return to Enies Lobby after escaping, hoping to save Tom.

Spandam didn't know how Franky and the fish-men had linked up, but a mere hundred fish-men didn't concern him.

Although Wood had terrified him before, the fact that he had come to Enies Lobby meant he was walking into a trap.

He couldn't forget that Enies Lobby wasn't the same as before—it now housed Marine hero Vice Admiral Garp and Rear Admiral Momousagi.

"Old man, did you hear that? Your two precious disciples are so desperate to save you that they're storming Enies Lobby.

You've defied the World Government, and now it's certain. You refuse to reveal the designs? Let's see if you can keep that mouth of yours shut after you see your disciples' corpses."

Tom had heard the commotion outside but wasn't sure if Spandam was bluffing or if it was true.

Knowing his disciples like his own children, Tom was well aware of their personalities.

If Franky had learned of Tom's determination to die, it wasn't out of the question that he would do something as reckless as attacking Enies Lobby.

At the front island of Enies Lobby, the Rocketman sea train had derailed, crashing into the island's barriers.

Unfortunately, Wood and his crew didn't have the same luck as Luffy's crew—they didn't fly over the first gate but instead stopped right in front of it.

The armed fish-men, experiencing the thrill of the high-speed sea train for the first time, were exhilarated. Upon learning that this contraption had been built by one of their own, they boisterously declared that they wanted one for Fish-Man Island too.

Wood, a former Marine major, now a deserter with a bounty of 120 million Berries.

Fisher Tiger, the mastermind behind the Mariejois incident, with a bounty of 350 million Berries, hailed as a hero of the fish-man race.

Jinbei, a Sun Pirates officer and master of Fish-Man Karate, with a bounty of 210 million Berries.

And then there was Arlong, another officer of the Sun Pirates, known for his ruthlessness, with a bounty of 80 million Berries.

Yes, Arlong, who had previously only been able to terrorize the weakest of the seas with a bounty just over 10 million Berries, had now, due to his involvement in the Mariejois incident, earned a significantly higher bounty.

Plus, with the Sun Pirates backing him and Tiger still alive, Arlong's strength had grown far beyond what it once was.

As Wood and Tiger disembarked from the train, their presence sent a wave of unrest through the Marines stationed at Enies Lobby.

In the first half of the Grand Line, pirates with bounties over 100 million were rare.

Yet here they were, faced with not just one, but several infamous pirates, all of whom were anything but ordinary.

Hearing the Marines of Enies Lobby talk about the reputation of the Sun Pirates, Arlong initially felt a surge of pride.

But that pride quickly soured when he overheard the Marines announcing their bounties in front of everyone. The smile froze on his face.

The reason was simple—Arlong had always considered himself one of Tiger's top lieutenants, on par with Jinbei.

But now, Jinbei had a bounty of 210 million Berries, while Arlong's was only 80 million!

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 295+ at pat_reon.com/Betek.