Water Seven

"Haha! I can see Water Seven! Whoa, that fountain is huge!" Hachi shouted excitedly, holding a pair of binoculars.

Water Seven was already visible in the distance, and seeing it with their own eyes was even more breathtaking.

The city's main structure was shaped like a circular fortress. Its upper half was a city-sized "fountain"—if not for the unusual currents here, even powering it with Enel and having Aokiji pedal a bicycle inside wouldn't be enough to run it with pumps alone...

The island's main structure looked like a fortress, with seven enormous waterway tunnels at its base. Ships could sail into the interior through them, or dock at the ports beside the seven open waterways.

Apart from the central district, there were also houses scattered around the outskirts, rising above the sea, with waterways and little bridges everywhere. It made a wonderful tourist destination—even though sailing the Grand Line was difficult, there would always be tourists given the enormous population, and they tended to be especially rich!

By then, the Sun Pirates had also lowered their pirate flag.

Water Seven itself didn't care what line of work its customers were in. Pirates just had to behave themselves, so there was no need to provoke anyone.

"Boss Fisher Tiger, should we go in through the seventh waterway?" Sig asked, steering the ship as he checked with Fisher Tiger.

Perhaps the seventh waterway led to the Black Shipyard, where you could pay a fee and never get reported to the Navy, no matter what.

"No. Go around to the other side. We're heading to Shipwreck Island," Fisher Tiger corrected him.

Sig was taken aback, but still turned the wheel as instructed.

Sig was more familiar with Water Seven as it had been described a decade or so later. Only after sailing around to the other side did he realize that Water Seven had a "garbage island" that marred its appearance. It looked completely out of place beside the clean, bright city on the water, with its circular fortress-shaped center.

The place was piled high with all kinds of scrap materials, making it look desolate and run-down...

When the Sea Bass headed toward Shipwreck Island, a staff member on duty at the channel junction even called out a warning, his tone laced with disdain. "If you're just here to sightsee, you'd better not go over there... Hm? Fish-Men? Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Shipwreck Island had once been home to Water Seven's largest shipyard, Tom's Workers. But after Tom's crime of building a ship for Roger was exposed, he had become a pariah in Water Seven.

After all, rivals were rivals...

The World Government had originally intended to execute Tom. Roger had been young and reckless; when he turned himself in, he had secured pardons for his crew, but he hadn't expected the World Government to exploit every loophole...

Tom hadn't been aboard the ship, so he didn't count as a crew member and wasn't pardoned!

Though Tom wasn't afraid of dying, he still had more important work left unfinished. He told the World Government he wanted to build a Water Train for Water Seven, and in return, they agreed to postpone his execution for a time.

If he finished it by the deadline, Tom would be spared the death penalty.

After the Sea Bass stopped at Shipwreck Island's makeshift pier, a young man with spiky blue hair and red underwear came over, eyeing them warily. "Who are you? Tourists aren't welcome here, and neither are pirates..."

How did he know about the underwear?

Well, it was the only thing he had on his lower half.

"Little Franky! Don't chase away the rare guests we finally have... Ah! The Sea Bass? Now that's a rare sight." A heavily made-up woman with striking features came over just then, recognizing the Sea Bass at a glance.

"Long time no see, Cocco," Fisher Tiger greeted her, leaning against the ship's railing.

"Fish-Men?" Franky relaxed at the sight, then furrowed his brow again. Still, he didn't say anything.

Ever since Uncle Tom had been arrested once, he had not only been shunned by Water Seven's other shipwrights, but had also started counting down to his execution. Worse still, some pirates had learned about it and started coming here to "sightsee."

And...

Most pirates had little respect for anything. If anyone from the Roger Pirates had actually been here, they would have been scared stiff. But they showed no respect for Roger's shipwright, and often caused trouble. The guards in Water Seven also turned a blind eye to what happened on Shipwreck Island.

Franky had a short temper to begin with, and because of his background, he also had a strong dislike of pirates. He often got into fights with them.

Once he realized they were Fish-Men, Franky relaxed, understanding that they were friends of Uncle Tom's. But at the same time, he grew anxious again. What if Uncle Tom got into trouble with the World Government for building or repairing a pirate ship?

Most of the shipyards in Water Seven had done business with pirates, but Uncle Tom was the one under scrutiny!

Especially when Franky saw that the Fish-Men on board had jumped straight down without needing a gangplank, and that every one of them had a strong "pirate air," he grew even more worried.

Sig had just lowered the anchor and was about to secure it when Cocco slapped Franky on the back. Judging by the sound, she'd hit him pretty hard.

Franky came to his senses, composed himself, and shouted to Sig on the ship, "Wait! You can't dock here."

As he spoke, Franky told Sig to lower a rope ladder so he could lead them...

After climbing aboard, Franky said to Sig, "You've come at a bad time. The 'Sea God Pilgrimage' could happen any time in the next month. When it does, everywhere except the shelters at the top of the city will be submerged. You should moor in the shipyard over there for now. That way, even if the wave reaches you, it won't do too much damage."

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

"Sea God Pilgrimage?" Sig asked, a little unsure he remembered the name correctly.

"It's the tsunami that hits Water Seven every year. The sea floods almost the entire island, which is why the city was built this way. The inner city and the higher areas can escape the Pilgrimage," Franky explained, looking toward the main part of Water Seven.

"Isn't Water Seven famous for its shipwrights? Couldn't they move their shipyards?" Sig asked, puzzled.

Actually, Sig had wondered about that in the original story.

Though the islands on the Grand Line were difficult to reach, pirates and merchant ships were constantly sailing between them!

Shipbuilding was undoubtedly the hottest industry in this Great Pirate Era. Could the shipwrights really not leave, either?

"Ha! They're all the kind of fools who won't give up until they see the coffin. The Sea God Pilgrimage is terrifying, but the unusual currents here provide power for the whole city. The rising tides also keep all the shipbuilding companies' production lines running. How could they give this place up?

"But I doubt they'll be able to hold out much longer. I remember when I came here at ten, the seven ship entrances were much higher than they are now, and the outer city still had plenty of land that wasn't covered by waterways. Now even the city center's outer walls are mostly underwater!" Franky said with a hint of scorn.

A decade or so later, Shipwreck Island would be completely submerged, too.

The Water Seven Franky loved was the one he shared with Uncle Tom, his annoying senior Iceberg, and their other companions. The other shipbuilding companies had pressured them, making Franky seem unfriendly toward outsiders.

"You're not from around here?" Sig asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah. My useless parents were pirates from the South Blue. They're probably dead somewhere by now," Franky said casually.

He usually had to conceal his background from outsiders, but since Sig was a pirate too, there was no need to worry about it.

The South Blue was one of the Four Blues, known for its technology and machinery. It was the most advanced of the four in technology and manufacturing.

Franky—the man who would later change his name—was from the South Blue. Among the Supernovas more than a decade later, Kid, who was skilled at using the Magnet-Magnet Fruit to form mechanical arms, was also from the South Blue. The Southern Army Commander in the Revolutionary Army was also a Mink skilled with firearms and artillery.

As Sig and Franky chatted, they arrived at a mooring spot some distance from Shipwreck Island...