On the street, Tiger concealed his appearance with a heavy robe. Officially, he was still a dead man, so it was better to disguise himself in such places.
The face-blindness here was severe, and although his cloak was peculiar, it didn't draw much attention.
"Brother Tiger, the people here... seem a bit odd."
Besides Tiger, the other Fishmen didn't hide their identities, but the gazes from the surrounding residents weren't discriminatory.
Being discriminated against frequently, they were now uncomfortable with normal looks. Though there were still some strange looks, they were far fewer compared to other islands they had visited before.
"This is the normal phenomenon. Keep up the hard work. What we're striving for is a future where everyone looks at our descendants this way."
Water 7 was relatively friendly toward the Fishman Race, thanks to Tom. The Sea Train he built saved Water 7's economy and gave the island a new future.
Thus, he earned respect from others, leading the people of Water 7 to change their views on the Fishman Race.
Tom's residence was easy to find, and soon Tiger and his group located his place, only to discover many CP agents outside.
"Big Brother, they're all human agents. What should we do?"
"Wait a moment. These guys don't seem to be on a mission. They should leave soon."
Without special circumstances, Tiger didn't want to engage in a direct conflict with World Government agents, so waiting a while was acceptable until Spandam stormed away, and only then did Tiger and Ah Long enter Tom's workshop.
When Tiger removed his hood, Tom's first reaction was disbelief.
"Fisher Tiger? I thought you were dead."
In terms of age, Tom was a senior to Tiger. When Tom left Fishman Island, Tiger was just a child. However, the name of the hero who liberated slaves was influential, and even Tom had heard of it.
When he saw the news of Tiger's death earlier, he mourned for a while. He didn't expect Tiger to now stand alive before him.
"A lot has happened. In short, I'm working towards a new goal. Uncle Tom, we need a new ship. Could we trouble you? We'll pay, and if possible, it should have strong firepower."
At the mention of firepower, Tom hadn't yet commented, but a young man beside him showed interest. He was Franky, one of Tom's two apprentices. Currently, only a few familiar with Tom called him Franky.
On Water 7's registry, his name was actually Carter Flamm. During the building of the Sea Train, he also created many "Franky Combat" ships to fight the Sea King Type.
But before he could interject, Tom's other apprentice, Iceberg, dragged him away.
"Building a ship isn't a problem, but you'll have to wait for some time."
"How long roughly?"
"Quickly, a month or two. Slowly, I don't know either. I'm still a criminal. The specific outcome will depend on the trial three days from now."
With the completion of the Sea Train, Tom's probation period also ended, and a new trial awaited him in three days. Most had heard about this case.
Tom's contribution to the Sea Train erased the sin of building a ship for Roger. After three days, he would be a free man.
"A trial? Old man, you're a Fishman. Why wait for humans to judge you? Come with us to The Sea. The vast sea is big enough for us Fishman to roam. At worst, become a pirate. What's there to fear?"
Listening to Tom's explanation, Ah Long didn't understand and instead wanted to recruit Tom.
"Young man, you don't understand my experiences. This place holds my youth and the bonds I've left behind. If I just leave, it would be a hassle for others."
"What..."
"Ah Long!"
"..."
Seeing Ah Long about to argue with Tom, Tiger sternly stopped him, then handed Dan's letter to Tom, staying temporarily in Water 7 with Ah Long and the others.
Three days passed quickly. During this time, Sasaki didn't make any significant moves, only dealing with some ordinary pirates while remaining vigilant for potential trouble.
Meanwhile, the natives of Water 7 awaited this trial, all hoping for the news of Tom's innocence—except for one person: Spandam.
He wasn't here for anything else but the designs for the Netherworld King. To do so, he made grand promises to the Five Elders to secure his mission in Water 7.
The true location of the Netherworld King was known to the Five Elders, but Spandam's reasoning persuaded them, so they dispatched Spandam with agents here.
If Tom were acquitted, Spandam would lose his legitimate reason to search Tom. Concerned for his future, Spandam devised a wicked plan: He had the warships built by Franky stolen, which then attacked the Judicial Ship on the day of the trial.
Since those ships were Franky's creations, they were powerless against Spandam's accusations. At this point, Tom made his decision.
He relinquished the chance to absolve his crimes through the Sea Train's construction to Franky, while he continued, as he did ten years ago, to face the trial.
For the designs, Spandam intended to take all three to Judicial Island, but at the last minute, the judge on the Judicial Ship stopped him, as according to the law, only Tom was guilty.
Spandam couldn't blatantly violate World Government laws, and believing the Netherworld King's designs were on Tom, ultimately accepted the outcome.
"Those bastards, how dare they...big brother, let's go save him!"
Seeing Tom injured and on the ground, Ah Long almost attacked the guards.
He couldn't understand Tom's ideals, but three days ago, Tom had agreed to build them a ship. Most importantly, Tom was a Fishman, and Ah Long couldn't accept a Fishman being taken by the World Government.
But Tiger held him back.
"Big brother? Are we just going to watch?"
"Of course not, it's just not the right time. You heard them; they're transporting Uncle Tom to Judicial Island for trial via The Sea. We're Fishmen, so we're going to use the sea to our advantage—let's intercept them!"
During this time, Tiger had studied various situations on The Sea and knew where Water 7's route to Judicial Island would pass.
This was land; even if they could snatch Tom away, safe retreat wasn't certain. Therefore, he planned to ambush them in the ocean, so once they rescued Tom, they could escape straight into the sea.