The Sea Train Never Brought Tom Back
"Stop the Puffing Tom."
As soon as Franky finished speaking, the station alarm rang out from the other side of the Iceburg.
There are currently two trains on the Enies Lobby route.
"All operations halted."
What should we do about the passengers?
"Send it to Water 7 first, then seal the tracks."
Iceburg handed the instructions to his secretary.
"Franky, don't do anything reckless. The abandoned Shipyard is below the waterfall. If the main track breaks, the train will fall in."
"I know."
"You knew we still needed to seal it off?"
"Someone has been living down there for over twenty years, with trains passing overhead every day."
Upon Yorki shrank his legs further into the rescue blanket.
Can Shipyard be hidden under railway tracks?
Franky zoomed in on the structural diagram of Enies Lobby.
"Enies Lobby never sleeps; its bottom is hollow. Ocean currents flow through a giant hole and then into the Gate of Justice. Building Shipyard is not difficult."
Vegapunk took over the structural accounting.
"There used to be a maintenance platform here, but it was later designated as a restricted area by judicial authorities, and the blueprints were removed."
Who is in charge?
"Judicial Ship Management Office."
Robin asked, "What department did Spandam work for back then?"
"Right."
The Throne Page displays the new verification results.
Tom has accepted the verdict.
[Continuous labor is a form of criminal punishment]
[No need for repeated confirmation for unnatural deaths]
Franky grabbed a wrench and slammed it onto the table, denting a corner of the tabletop.
When did he ever receive continuous labor?
Iceburg picked up Tom's trial record.
"The public trial resulted in a death sentence; no forced labor was imposed."
"Then retrieve the original court hearing."
"Enies Lobby refuses to open."
Akainu has gained access to Navy privileges.
"The Navy is requesting verification of detainees."
The page rejected the request very quickly.
[Target is dead]
"Corpse number."
[None]
"Executor."
[None]
"Execution Date."
[During escort]
"Escort route."
[Destroyed]
Akainu closed the file.
"The death record lacks all necessary evidence; the Navy is withdrawing to assist in its execution."
Long then submitted his opinion on the Revolutionary Army Seat.
"Secret labor facilities involve illegal detention; their locations should be made public immediately."
Buggy flipped through his shipping charts.
"I'm not familiar with the goods near Water 7, ask the Straw Hat Pirates."
Nami projected a map of the waters around Enies Lobby.
"The water in the large hole on Enies Lobby flows towards the Gate of Justice; if you go down via the regular route, the ship can't get out."
Jinbe said, "Fish-Men can walk underwater."
Franky immediately responded.
"I'll go."
"You're not Fish-Man."
"Submarines are possible."
"The Thousand Sunny is two and a half days away from Water 7."
"Then two and a half days."
Luffy leaned over the table.
"Drive faster."
"That's already the fastest."
Chopper asked, "What medicine does Mr. Tom need?"
Vegapunk unfolded the application form from three days prior.
Fish-Man metabolic Stabilizer, wound medicine, saline solution, and nutrients for treating long-term lack of sunlight.
The dosage is small, only enough to maintain the basic condition of an adult Fish-Man.
Can he still speak?
The application form stated that the target refused to communicate.
Franky stared at the words "refusal to communicate".
"Master won't remain silent."
"They might have said it, but they don't keep records."
"When he swears, you can hear him halfway down the street."
Iceburg pulled another sheet of paper from the old maintenance book.
"After the derailment in the tenth year, the Puffing Tom would slow down on the same section of the track every three months."
"Driver-controlled?"
The driver reported that the control lever had malfunctioned and the wheels were slowing down on their own.
Are there magnets under the track?
"Checked, not found."
Franky connected the line to the Thousand Sunny's listening equipment.
"Let the next train proceed as scheduled."
The Iceburg raised its head.
"You just told me to stop everything."
"Take an empty trip, slow down to the lowest speed, and make sure the wheels are running."
Half an hour later, an empty Sea Train departed from Water 7.
In the Den Den Mushi footage, an iron wheel travels along the tracks that hug the surface of the sea, with steam rising from the front of the machine and billowing backward.
As they approached Enies Lobby, Iceburg placed a listening device on the train floor.
At first, the vibration was only at the wheel joints.
Once you enter the outer area of the waterfall, you'll hear a different kind of noise below.
Thump.
Six wheels of wheels slammed shut, then another sound.
Thump.
Franky put his ear close to the Den Den Mushi.
"Parking."
The driver pulled down the control lever.
The train did not stop immediately, but slid forward for several dozen meters and came to a stop directly above the black Shipyard.
The tapping then became rapid.
Three times.
Two times.
Three times.
Yorki listened to it twice.
"It's not a cry for help."
What is that?
"The report states that the ship sustained damage: three sections of water ingress, two breaks, but three supports are still functional."
Franky took notes on the rhythm.
Is he repairing the boat?
"It might also be telling you how much longer the Shipyard can hold out."
Vegapunk calculated it based on the frequency of the tapping.
"The supporting structure is already nearing its limit; continued Sea Train will cause the cracks to widen."
Iceburg immediately ordered the train to reverse.
After the wheel turned, a long and two short sounds came from below.
Franky drew a diagonal line along the edge of the paper with his pen in hand.
"I know that."
"What's the meaning?"
"Old signals from Tom's Workers."
He raised his hand to cover the Den Den Mushi's receiver, coughed twice, and then approached again.
"One long and two short means don't come back."
Iceburg drove all the station staff out of the control room.
"Master knows there are people on the train."
He let the train go.
He thought there were passengers in the car.
Yorki said, "Then tell him it's an empty car."
How to tell them became the new problem.
The Shipyard and the tracks are separated by tens of meters of seawater, making it impossible for ordinary Den Den Mushi signals to penetrate.
Franky instructed the driver to open the access panel under the vehicle and insert a hollow iron pipe into the gap in the rails.
Knock four times.
The driver did as instructed.
The four sounds traveled underwater.
There was no response from the Shipyard.
"Knock again."
Still no.
A prompt appears on the Throne Page.
[Detainee refuses verification]
[Silence is tantamount to abandoning rescue]
He didn't understand.
Iceburg said, "There's no signal from the studio around here."
"It wasn't like that before."
What is that?
Franky placed his robotic arm on the table.
"When I was a child, I fell into the sea. After my master pulled me out, he tapped my chest four times."
Do you want him to recognize you?
"Give it a try."
The driver knocked again.
After the four rounds were over, Franky put his hand on the microphone.
"Old man, it's me."
The other end of the iron pipe only transmits water back.
"I'm Franky, formerly known as Cardi Flam. If you're still alive, reply."
The Iceburg closed its eyes briefly.
"Don't say so much at once, we can't hear each other underwater."
"I know."
"You knew it, yet you still shouted it?"
"Then you do it."
Iceburg took over the line.
"Master, I am Iceburg."
The Shipyard remains untouched.
The Throne has begun to shut down the listening channels.
[The deceased cannot respond]
The Unanswered message is inserted into the gap of the page with Black Line, slowing down the closing progress.
Lin Qi added a temporary rule.
[No response cannot be used to directly determine death]
The Five-Party Seats were confirmed one by one.
The listening session was extended by another minute.
Franky bent down and rested his forehead on the table.
"Master, the Puffing Tom is still running."
A sound came from below.
It's very light.
The Iceburg grabbed the iron pipe.
"We'll see."
"The Water 7 didn't sink, the Sea Train didn't stop, the Aqua Laguna came many times, and we survived."
A second knock came.
"I burned down Enies Lobby."
Iceburg turned to look at him.
"Don't say that yet."
The sound rang out more than ten times in succession from below.
Yorki, Jokic coughed and laughed.
"I'm insulting you."
"I recognized it."
Franky wiped his nose.
"Master, please don't scold us yet. Tell us where the entrance is."
The tapping stopped.
The sound of chains being dragged came from deep within the Shipyard.
An iron gate, sealed for twenty-two years, appears on the map.
The old Tom's Workers logo is engraved on the door.
An execution order was posted inside the door.
[If Flam comes to the rescue, immediately hand over the charges against Tom to him.]