Water Seven

"Haha! I see Water Seven! Wow, such a huge fountain!" Hachi shouted excitedly, holding his telescope.

Water Seven could already be seen from afar, and seeing it in person was even more breathtaking.

The main body of the city was shaped like a fortress, and the upper part was a city-sized "fountain"—if not for the special sea currents here, relying solely on water pumps would be insufficient, even with Enel powering it or Aokiji pedaling inside...

The entire island was like a fortress, with seven massive waterways at its base, allowing ships to enter the interior or dock at ports beside the seven main waterways.

Besides the central area, there were also some houses exposed above the sea surface, with waterways and small bridges everywhere. It would be an excellent tourist destination—though sailing the Grand Line was difficult, there were always tourists due to the huge population, and they were extremely wealthy!

At this moment, the Sun Pirates had also lowered their pirate flag.

Water Seven itself did not discriminate against its clients; pirates were welcome as long as they behaved themselves, so there was no need to provoke them.

"Boss Fisher Tiger, should we enter through the seventh waterway?" Sig asked Fisher Tiger for confirmation while steering.

Perhaps the seventh waterway led to the Black Shipyard, where they would report nothing to the Marines as long as they paid.

"No, let's go around to the other side. We're going to Shipwreck Island," Fisher Tiger corrected him.

Sig was stunned for a moment, then followed orders and turned the helm.

Sig was more familiar with the setting of Water Seven a decade later. As they circled around to the other side, he noticed a "trash island" that marred the cityscape. Compared to the neat and bright Water Seven with its fortress-like city center, it seemed out of place.

Moreover, it was now piled high with all sorts of discarded materials, looking desolate and dilapidated...

Seeing the Sea Bass heading towards Shipwreck Island, the duty officer at the junction specifically warned them with disdain, "If you're just visiting, it's best not to go there... Huh? A Fish-Man? Never mind, I take it back."

Shipwreck Island was once the location of Tom's Workers, Water Seven's largest shipyard. However, since Tom's crime of building a ship for Roger was exposed, he was now ostracized in Water Seven.

After all, competitors are enemies...

Originally, the World Government intended to execute Tom—Roger was too young. He had exchanged his crew's amnesty when he surrendered, but unexpectedly, the World Government found a loophole...

Tom wasn't on the ship, so he wasn't considered a crew member and thus wasn't pardoned!

However, Tom was not afraid of his own death, but he had a more important undertaking unfinished. He petitioned the World Government, proposing to build the Water Train for Water Seven, in exchange for a temporary stay of execution.

If he completed the work on time, Tom would be exempt from the death penalty.

After the Sea Bass docked at the makeshift pier on Shipwreck Island, a young man with blue spiky hair and red underwear approached them, saying warily, "Who are you? We don't welcome tourists here, let alone pirates..."

As for how he knew about the underwear?

Well, he was only wearing underwear from the waist down.

"Little Franky! Don't chase away our guests who finally showed up... Ah! The Sea Bass? What a rare sight," a rather striking woman wearing heavy makeup said as she walked over, recognizing the Sea Bass immediately.

"Cocco, long time no see," Fisher Tiger said, leaning against the ship's railing and greeting the woman.

"A Fish-Man?" Franky breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, but his brow furrowed. Still, he said nothing in the end.

Since Uncle Tom was arrested once, not only was he ostracized by his peers in Water Seven, but he was also on a countdown to execution. Worse still, some pirates learned of this and came here to "visit."

Moreover...

Most pirates had no sense of awe. If someone from the Roger Pirates were here, they'd be scared out of their wits, but facing Roger's shipwright, they showed no reverence and often caused destruction. The guards of Water Seven also turned a blind eye to matters concerning Shipwreck Island.

Franky already had a short temper, and due to his background, he had strong opinions about "pirates," often getting into conflicts with them.

Upon realizing they were Fish-Men, Franky relaxed, understanding they were Uncle Tom's friends. However, he also became nervous again—what if Uncle Tom was harassed by the World Government again for building or repairing ships for pirates?

Although most shipyards in Water Seven had done business with pirates, Uncle Tom was being targeted!

Especially when he saw the Fish-Men on the ship jump down directly without needing a ramp, and their demeanor was so "pirate-like," Franky became even more worried.

Sig had already dropped anchor and was about to secure the mooring post when Cocco patted Franky on the back. Judging by the sound, it was a hard pat.

Franky snapped back to attention, composed himself, and shouted to Sig on the ship, "Wait! You can't dock here."

Saying that, Franky had Sig throw down a rope ladder, and he would lead the way...

After climbing onto the ship, Franky said to Sig, "You've come at the wrong time. In the next month, the 'Sea God Pilgrimage' could happen at any moment. At that time, everything except the shelter at the top of the city will be submerged. For now, you should dock the ship in that shipyard over there! That way, even if it's affected, there won't be major damage."

"Boss Fisher Tiger, Boss Jinbe, I'll go park the ship then," Sig said after greeting Fisher Tiger and Jinbe.

"Sea God Pilgrimage?" Sig could vaguely recall the name.

"It's an annual tsunami in Water Seven. The sea will flood almost the entire island, which is why it's built this way. The interior of the city center and the higher ground can avoid the pilgrimage," Franky said, looking in the direction of the main body of Water Seven.

"Isn't Water Seven famous for its shipwrights? Are those shipyards unable to relocate?" Sig asked, somewhat confused.

In fact, in the original story, Sig was a bit puzzled.

Although communication between islands in the Grand Line was difficult, there were still plenty of ships coming and going for pirates and merchant fleets!

Shipbuilding, as the foremost craft in this Great Age of Sea Exploration, was undoubtedly a hot and popular field. Could it be that even the shipwrights couldn't leave?

"Ha, they're all stubborn fools... The Sea God Pilgrimage is terrifying, but the special sea currents here provide the power system for the entire city. The surging tides also drive the manufacturing lines of various shipbuilding companies. How could they possibly give up this place?

But they probably can't hold on much longer. I remember when I first came here ten years ago, the seven ship entrances were much higher than they are now, and there was still a lot of land outside the outer wall that wasn't a waterway. Now, even a large part of the outer wall of the city center is submerged!" Franky's tone was somewhat sarcastic.

In a decade, Shipwreck Island would be completely submerged.

The Water Seven that Franky loved was the Water Seven with Uncle Tom, a certain annoying senior ice mountain, and his other companions. Due to the suppression from other shipbuilding companies, he appeared unfriendly to outsiders.

"You're not from here, are you?" Sig asked, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, my scoundrel parents were pirates from South Blue, and they're probably dead somewhere," Franky said nonchalantly.

Normally, he would conceal his background from other outsiders, but since Sig was also a pirate, there was no need to hold back.

South Blue, among the Four Blues, was a sea known for its technology and machinery, the most developed in technology and manufacturing among the Four Blues.

Franky, who would later change his name and disguise himself, hailed from South Blue; Kid, a Supernova of the future who was skilled at forming mechanical arms with his Jiki Jiki no Mi, also came from South Blue; and later, the Southern Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army was also a Mink tribe member skilled in firearms and weaponry.

Sig and Franky chatted as they arrived at a mooring spot far from Shipwreck Island