Enies Lobby, the infamous island of justice in One Piece, is the last place any criminal wants to end up. The massive island is the last stop for most criminals on their way to execution or imprisonment. If they’re lucky, they’ll board the Sea Train once more after sentencing to go to Impel Down, but if they pass through the Gates of Justice, they’re done for. The island of Enies Lobby has a long history of cruelty behind it, with no excuse from the World Government for it.
This article contains spoilers for One Piece. Catch up on Viz or MangaPlus before reading further!
Where is Enies Lobby
Enies Lobby lies between the shipbuilding hub of Water 7 and the undersea prison Impel Down in the first half of the Grand Line. It holds the Gates of Justice, the final passage to execution for prisoners of the World Government. it’s here that Cipher Pol 9 bases most of their operations out of, delivering prisoners they capture throughout the world to their final destination. Often, the massive waterfalls of Enies Lobby are the last thing many see before being locked up forever or killed.
Despite being a World Government and Military bases, they do have a small population of civilians in the small town there. It consists mostly of people serving the Marines in basic restaurants, lodgings, or other entertainment needs. That said, it’s also a major hangout spot for Cipher Pol 9, and some like Fukuro end up spilling major secrets while they’re there. The other noticeable feature of Enies Lobby is the center island, which hangs in the middle suspended above a massive hole with seemingly no bottom. Water flows down, dropping deep into an unknown abyss as it does.
Gates of Justice
The gates of justice are huge doors that back the entirety of Enies Lobby, with a massive World Government sigil painted on them. It looms over all of the island of justice, reminding everyone of exactly where they are in terms of safety. The World Government is looking over everyone in Enies Lobby, and the only time anyone can leave is when the gates are open. If they’re closed, the currents around Enies Lobby turn it into a massive, swirling pool of death that even Nami has issues navigating in the Going Merry. They make it out though, and thankfully don’t have to see the other side of the gates.
It’s totally unknown what lies beyond the Gates of Justice, but it’s definitely not good. The only ones that go through there usually never end up coming back alive or dead, just gone from the face of history. Nico Robin and Franky were going to be taken through by Cipher Pol 9 during the Enies Lobby arc, but there was no glimpse through the gate despite how close they got over the Bridge of Hesitation.
Towers of Justice
The Towers of Justice are the first obstacle for anyone trying to go through the gates of Enies Lobby. These two towers actually hold up the first main gate to cross the bridge to Enies Lobby’s main island. They require levers to be pulled simultaneously from the top of both towers, lowering the massive drawbridge for incoming prisoners to cross. Then there are the occasions where others take a massive risk and break into Enies Lobby, with the Franky Family and Galley-La Company teaming up to each pull a lever for the Straw Hats to enter.
They’re also the home of the main judgment force of the World Government. The courthouse is overseen by the Chief Justice Baskerville, really just three guys wearing the same coat. They hand down sentences without any kind of mercy, forcing even the most petty criminals into sentences that will make hardcore pirates weep. Once anyone goes through the Towers of Justice through the main courthouse, they’re likely never going to come back.
Undersea Passage/Bridge of Hesitation
From the courthouse of Enies Lobby, there’s an undersea passage that leads over to the center building. It’s this passage that Cipher Pol 9’s Spandam and Lucci take to bring Nico Robin to the Bridge of Hesitation, and the scene of Luffy and Lucci’s first showdown in Enies Lobby. However, it begins to break pretty fast, soon crumbling entirely and flooding the lower tunnels of Enies Lobby’s courthouse to the Bridge of Hesitation. Once they get to the Bridge though, it’s game over and they won’t have any chance to hesitate.
Luffy and Lucci fight across the Bridge of Hesitation, the final traversal toward the Gates of Justice. They end up bringing most of it down too, especially when Luffy first pulls out his Gear Third attacks. Using a Gum-Gum Giant Ax, he leaps high into the air and brings one massive foot down on Lucci and the Bridge of Hesitation. Now, it’s crumbled to pieces, with only ruins standing in some places to show it was ever there. The rest of it is below, in the endless hole and waterfall with no explanation.
Cipher Pol 9
The covert assassination squad of the World Government uses the buildings in Enies Lobby as their base. From here they run their covert espionage missions, whether they be infiltration, sabotage, or assassination. Depending on their orders, only a few of them will leave Enies Lobby, sometimes on long undercover missions while the others stay behind. That means Fukuru usually stays behind and runs his mouth about all kinds of top-secret things in the town bar. It’s a really big problem, but Cipher Pol 9 does have worse problems than that. Like their ineffective leader Spandam. Still, Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, Blueno, Jabra, and Kumadori are intense foes to come up against, whether single or in a group.
The main warriors of Cipher Pol are Lucci and Kaku, and they’re the essential ones in the big fights around the island. Lucci takes on Luffy, traversing the entire damn island by the time their fight is over. Meanwhile, Zoro takes on Kaku in his newfound Horse-Horse Fruit, Model: Giraffe across the island. The two clash so hard that Zoro even ends up cutting an entire tower in half, letting everyone watch in horror as it slides into the sea. Though Cipher Pol 9 is defeated here at Enies Lobby, they make a comeback and somehow earn a promotion to Cipher Pol Aegis 0 after the time skip.
World Government Base
While it’s mainly the base for Cipher Pol 9, the World Government also uses Enies Lobby as its main base for any kind of judicial work. Every single prisoner that the World Government takes, at least the high-profile ones, comes here for judgment. Even some not-so-big ones come through on the Sea Train Puffing Tom, taking their judgment from Baskerville before being shipped off to their final resting place. God help them if it’s Impel Down, as the undersea prison, is truly a hell in and of itself, but it may not compare to what’s behind the massive gates.
The only thing known is that people face their final judgment there. Not just any people either, but those behind the Gates of Justice have to be exceptionally bad. It’s usually only reserved for people who go about studying the Void Century, the one major no-go zone for the World Government. Hell, it’s entirely possible past the Gates of Judgement is a straight shot up to Marijoa to speak with the Gorosei. That would certainly be one method of execution, seeing their monstrous forms in the Egghead Island arc recently. At that point, it would make anyone wish to be stuck in Impel Down’s Frozen Hell permanently.
Buster Call
While the Straw Hats are trying to rescue Robin in Enies Lobby, they make a declaration of war against the World Government. Spandam, in all of his stupidity, goes on to accidentally activate the Buster Call and now it’s unable to be stopped. With time racing down, the Straw Hats have to race to rescue Robin and Franky while Marine ships bear down to bomb the island from existence. They’re quickly surrounded, and with fights going on all over the island, the bombardment starts. Bombs fall everywhere, scorching the land and leaving craters wherever they hit. Many Marines are even left on the base itself, with a lot of them likely perishing from their own sides’ hits.
The Buster Call ends up destroying Enies Lobby while the Straw Hat alliance makes it out fine. Thanks to the amazing abilities of Nami and the quick thinking of Sanji, they sail out with a little difficulty, but avoid any followers. With the Sea Train out of commission temporarily, the Straw Hats manage to save Robin from her second Buster Call. Too bad that won’t even be the last one for her, as Egghead Island gets her a third punch on her Buster Call bingo card. Enies Lobby, meanwhile, is left a battered, ruined mess, though the town that’s on the separate island manages to make it out with only minor destruction.
Enies Lobby still stands as the ultimate destination for justice in One Piece, and may end up being a destination revisited. Depending on how the Final Saga goes, the Gates of Justice would certainly be an iconic place for a final showdown. Either way, it’s likely they’re going to be destroyed by the time One Piece ends, and it’s going to be glorious to see. The Gates of Justice on Enies Lobby will open one final time before being smashed to bits forever.
