Leaving

Grk—grk—

A few cracks appeared in the "ice wall" beneath Aokiji's feet. Fisher Tiger and Jinbe immediately went on guard.

Sig's right hand was once again coated in Armament Haki, ready to transform at a moment's notice...

The strain on his stamina was already becoming hard to bear, but this clearly wasn't the time to worry about "taking care of himself." "Survival" was what mattered most.

Aokiji crouched down, bracing one hand against the ice beneath him. The cracks in the wall immediately began to close!

"Ah... I guess there's no choice," Aokiji said deliberately.

It seemed he intended to focus all his efforts on stabilizing the ice wall, leaving him no time to bother the Sun Pirates.

According to Marine Headquarters' orders, even if it meant sacrificing all of Water Seven, capturing the Sun Pirates took priority. But ever since the Buster Call at Ohara seven years ago, the "Justice" Aokiji upheld had become rather flexible.

Fisher Tiger frowned, then relaxed a little and turned away. "Let's go!"

Jinbe continued facing Aokiji as he cautiously backed away a few steps. Sig had no objections either.

Aokiji was clearly staying behind to keep reinforcing the "giant ice wall." If the Sun Pirates didn't leave now, when would they?

"The World Government... The Navy... They're unfathomable!" Fisher Tiger's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

He would never have let his companions see him think this way, but Jinbe, who was with him now, was the person he trusted most. And as for Sig... Fisher Tiger figured Sig had already "read his face."

"That's right. Fortunately, we were lucky this time. If Aokiji had been at full strength, the two of us probably wouldn't have had much chance, even working together," Jinbe said with a sigh.

But Sig had the strange feeling that, though Jinbe seemed to agree with Fisher Tiger, Fisher Tiger didn't really share his sentiment. What made Fisher Tiger feel "helpless" seemed to be something deeper.

"Is that Aokiji really that strong?" Sig asked, puzzled.

"You don't know... Remember, if you ever run into a Vice Admiral with a codename, run as fast as you can!" Jinbe said seriously.

Sig seemed to mutter something in response—I actually know quite well. Aokiji will be even stronger more than a decade from now. But I also know you're pretty incredible yourself, sir!

Even though I haven't read that far in the manga, you scolding Big Mom to her face and saying "you're nothing but one of the Four Emperors" got screenshotted and posted everywhere, okay? I always thought you could go toe-to-toe with an Admiral...

"Right, especially his ability. It's the perfect counter to us Fish-Men. Escaping would've been difficult... Luckily, he seemed to have already exhausted a lot of his strength by the time he arrived," Fisher Tiger reminded Sig.

Normally, Devil Fruit users were afraid of water, but the Ice-Ice Fruit was the opposite—it countered water. That was a real problem.

"I see..." Sig said, finally understanding.

At the same time, Sig was now certain that his fledgling Observation Haki was entirely focused on reading minds—or, more accurately, "reading emotions."

Fisher Tiger and Jinbe had immediately noticed that Aokiji wasn't at his peak, but Sig hadn't sensed it at all.

Sig was also a little puzzled. "So Aokiji might've just had a fight nearby?"

"Very likely," Jinbe said.

Sig's expression turned odd—not because he was curious who Aokiji had fought, but because he wondered... Could this sudden "Sea God Pilgrimage" have something to do with that fellow Aokiji using his ice powers on a large scale nearby?

More than a decade later, when Luffy and the others first came to Water Seven, the "Sea God Pilgrimage" had also arrived without warning.

And that time, it had also been Aokiji. Not long before, on Long Ring Long Land nearby, he had used his freezing ability on a large scale to help an Old Man who'd been separated from his people catch up with their migration!

Since the Sea God Pilgrimage was caused by unusual currents, it wasn't so strange that freezing a large stretch of the sea might throw those currents into disarray...

Of course, Sig was only speculating. He had no intention of making Aokiji pay compensation to Water Seven.

The Sun Pirates, meanwhile, wasted no time. They quickly gathered their people and prepared to put to sea.

With Aokiji there to "counter the water," the threat from the Sea God Pilgrimage had suddenly diminished. For the people of Water Seven, keeping warm was now the most important thing—and that wasn't something the Fish-Man Race could help with.

At that moment, enormous ice walls surrounded them on all sides. Even for Aokiji, managing this much must have been difficult, but the Sun Pirates had no intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to attack. They planned to leave by sea at once!

But when they finally boarded, they were still short a few people—not because anyone had gotten separated, but because, during the rescue, a few Mermaid ladies had fallen in love with human men from Water Seven...

Well, an environment like this really did make it easier for love to bloom.

After leaving their blessings behind, the Sun Pirates set sail once more.

As they passed Tom's Workers, Fisher Tiger made sure to stop by. Aokiji had only reinforced the ice wall around the city center, and Tom and Cocco hadn't left. As members of the Fish-Man Race, they wouldn't be in too much danger during a disaster like this—as long as they didn't attempt anything impossible.

Cocco's lower half had turned into a fish tail by now. As for her upper half... Sig pretended not to notice!

"Mr. Tom, are you really not coming with us?" Fisher Tiger already knew he couldn't persuade Tom, but he still felt a little regretful.

Jinbe couldn't help speaking up. "That's right! The people of Water Seven don't believe you at all!"

"No, I have something more important to do... The people of Water Seven have always lived in a state of anxiety. The sea level rises after every Sea God Pilgrimage, and it leaves everyone on edge. But as long as the Sea Train can run, I believe things here will definitely get better!" Tom had come to regard Water Seven as his second home.

Sig felt that a "seawall" was a more reliable solution to rising sea levels than the "Sea Train," but even so, he couldn't help admiring Uncle Tom's noble character. He also couldn't resist warning him. "Uncle Tom, even though the World Government promised to pardon you, they'll definitely come up with all sorts of excuses when the time comes. Don't trust them. Once the Sea Train is finished, go back to Fish-Man Island!"

"That's right. If the World Government kept its word, they shouldn't have gone after you in the first place for building Roger's ship," Fisher Tiger said gravely.

Tom burst into his trademark laughter. "Hahaha! I expected as much, so don't worry. You go on ahead!"

Since Tom had made up his mind, Fisher Tiger could only say goodbye to him and Cocco...

Though the currents around Water Seven were extremely turbulent, with towering waves everywhere,

the modified Sea Bass was now capable of traveling underwater, where it could avoid the rough seas.

There were still turbulent currents beneath the surface, but they were within manageable limits...