Chapter 177: Tiger: I Didn’t Expect Wood’s Crew to Be This Weak

Spandam was still thinking of using Tom to stage a comeback, but little did he know that Franky and the others had already rescued Tom before he could make his move.

Tiger had no trouble handling the three-headed judges, while Franky and Ruth scoured the entire Tower of Justice, managing to rescue Tom before Spandam could get to him.

However, just as they were about to leave, they happened to run into Spandam, who was on his way to take Tom away, accompanied by two CP9 agents.

Seeing that even his last chance to redeem himself was slipping away, Spandam hastily ordered the two CP9 agents to recapture Tom.

Franky and Iceberg, being young and inexperienced, were not much of a match. Iceberg was outmatched from the start, and Franky, who hadn't yet become a cyborg, was equally outclassed.

Tom, despite being a shipwright with immense strength, had been tortured for days and had also been on a hunger strike, leaving him with virtually no combat strength.

Of everyone present, the only ones who could possibly hold off the two CP9 agents were Ruth and his companions.

But as one of the World Government's elite intelligence agencies, the CP9 agents were all masters of the Six Powers and had combat skills on par with a Marine Headquarters captain.

Although Ruth and the others had the advantage in numbers, after just a few rounds, Ruth was the only one left standing; the others had all lost consciousness.

Seeing Ruth and his group on the verge of being wiped out, Spandam's panic quickly turned into gleeful laughter.

Although Wood had previously instilled in him a deep sense of fear and respect for former Marines who had turned traitor, Spandam now realized that not all Marine defectors were as fearsome as Wood.

Watching Ruth and his group get taken down so easily by CP9, Spandam finally understood that Wood was an exception, a true monster.

Shortly after Ruth and the others were defeated, Tiger finished off the judges and finally arrived, albeit a bit late.

However, even as Tiger approached menacingly, Spandam remained unshaken.

After all, they had plenty of hostages in their hands. Didn't the Fish-Men value their own kin the most?

With Tom and the others all in his grasp, what could Fisher Tiger do, no matter how powerful he was?

"Sorry, Tiger-san, we couldn't help at all; we just became a burden," Ruth said, filled with guilt as he looked at Tiger.

Ever since he had unwillingly joined Wood's crew, Ruth had dreamed of one day making a name for himself, believing that their captain was no ordinary person.

After spending so much time effortlessly defeating small-time pirates in the Four Seas, Ruth and his companions had developed an overinflated sense of confidence, thinking that all pirates were the same.

But this encounter with CP9 had been a harsh wake-up call. Ruth now realized that while their crew might one day become famous across the seas, it would be solely because of their captain, Wood, not because of them.

In the Four Seas, they might have no trouble bullying rookie pirates, but in the New World, they were still the same small fry they had been as Marines.

As Wood's achievements grew, their crew's name would undoubtedly echo across the seas. But the question remained: did they even deserve to stay on this crew?

Seeing Ruth's face, bruised and battered, with tears streaming down from the overwhelming guilt, Tiger's gaze toward Spandam turned even more hostile.

To be honest, Tiger hadn't anticipated this situation at all.

He had assumed that since Ruth and the others had the guts to defect alongside Wood, their strength, while not equal to Wood's, should at least be formidable enough to handle two CP9 agents.

But now it was clear that he had overestimated them. Watching Ruth, who was still apologizing despite his battered state, Tiger's anger surged to its peak.

"Release them, and I'll let you leave this place," Tiger growled.

He was confident in his ability to defeat the two CP9 agents, but with Ruth and the others in the enemy's hands, Tiger wasn't sure he could save them before they were harmed. Thus, he had no choice but to compromise.

"Are you kidding me? You Fish-Men are all untrustworthy scum, and now you want to try this on me? Do you really think I, Spandam, am that stupid?" Spandam retorted angrily.

Spandam's anger flared up at Tiger's attempt to negotiate. Earlier, he had believed Tom's lies and let Franky and the others go, but now this Fish-Man was trying to strike a deal with him. Spandam wasn't about to fall for it a second time.

"I always keep my word. If you don't release Ruth and the others, I won't let you leave this place!" Tiger snapped back.

Their goal was simply to rescue their people; they couldn't care less whether Spandam, the Enies Lobby commander, lived or died.

After all, he wasn't a Celestial Dragon, and he hadn't done anything particularly heinous to the Fish-Men. Letting him live wasn't out of the question.

"Stop dreaming, you filthy Fish-Man! I suggest you leave Enies Lobby quickly while you still can. I've already requested reinforcements from the World Government, and they have special routes that allow them to reach Enies Lobby through the Gates of Justice in no time."

"Once the World Government's reinforcements arrive, not only will these people on the ground be done for, but you criminals who rampaged through Mariejois won't escape either!"

Indeed, when Fisher Tiger's attack on Enies Lobby was reported, the World Government had responded immediately, even sending several CP0 agents as reinforcements.

However, things weren't exactly as Spandam claimed; the reinforcements wouldn't arrive as quickly as he made it sound.

Because Spandam, in his arrogance, had waited until Tiger was practically at the gates before asking the World Government for help.

Tiger, of course, had no way of knowing this, so when he heard Spandam's words, he was momentarily taken aback.

Sure, they had overrun Enies Lobby in a short amount of time, but that was largely thanks to Wood holding off the most formidable foes, Garp and Gion.

Wood had warned him that he couldn't hold them off forever, and once Wood faltered, the tide of the battle would quickly turn against them.

If the World Government's reinforcements arrived then, they might all perish here!

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at pat_reon.com/Betek.