Not long ago, in the office of Water Seven, Iceberg, president of Carrera Company and de facto ruler of Water Seven, stared blankly at the people in front of him, his eyes full of disbelief.
"This is all your fault, you know. The World Government ordered you to hand over that thing, but you insisted on refusing. Otherwise things wouldn't have gone this far."
"Kaku?!"
"If possible, I don't want to hurt you either. I wanted to leave a beautiful memory in this city."
"Kalifa..."
"Inherited your master's stubbornness, huh? That's not exactly a good habit."
"Blueno from the bar....."
"You're all... from the World Government?"
"Yes. Infiltration is easy for us. But don't worry, we've always taken our jobs seriously. Up until now, there hasn't been a single problem with the work we handled.
It's just that the mission deadline is almost up, and we have to do everything we can to achieve our objective."
CP9 doesn't have many members; qualified CP9 agents are elite forces in the hands of the World Government, only used in critical situations. Letting CP9 members with talent like Lucci and Kaku waste a huge amount of time as boatmen was already one of Spandam's stupid mistakes.
For the sake of the legendary design plans of the Ancient Weapons, they could afford to waste time, but not endlessly.
Their undercover work had allowed them to collect part of the intel, so on the day the mission deadline approached, they chose violent methods.
In these days, as The Sea grows ever more chaotic, a new voice has emerged within the World Government.
Rather than worrying every day about the revival of Ancient Weapons, it'd be better to seize those Ancient Weapons themselves and directly draw a full stop to the Great Pirate Era. It's just that this faction's voice has not been acknowledged by the World Government's top brass; it doesn't fit the balance they seek.
But they merely disagreed with the latter part, believing there was no need to end the Pirate Era. As for controlling the Ancient Weapons, they were in full agreement.
"Mr. Iceberg, Ancient Weapons could have become a force of justice, but you refuse to assist us. For all those people in this world who are still suffering at the hands of pirates, you have no intention of saving them."
"Impossible. Once those weapons are revived, the world will start an endless struggle to seize their power. The casualties will only keep growing."
"So you don't trust the World Government, I see."
"Kid, I just don't trust the human heart, that's all."
Iceberg had no trust in the World Government and had never once considered handing over the design plans of the Netherworld King to them. He had previously orchestrated a series of plans, but in the end, Lucci and the others still caught on to something.
And ultimately, they found them on Franky.
Iceberg was powerless before this. He'd thought his plans were flawless, but never expected that half of the people around him were undercover agents; his plotting was practically like loudly conspiring in public.
The Sea Train escorting Franky quickly departed from Water Seven's station. They had to send Franky away before the "Water Gods" arrived.
Because of its location, this massive annual tsunami strikes the entire city every year, and today just happens to be the day it arrives.
"Mr. Iceberg, we should head to shelter. The Water Gods are almost here..."
They knew Iceberg had taken quite a blow, but in the face of this gigantic tsunami, not seeking shelter really meant death.
"You go first. I'll catch up later."
"But..."
"Go, Iceberg. I'll bring Franky back."
"!?"
A familiar voice rang in Iceberg's ears; Tom, who had vanished for years, appeared before his eyes once again.
"Master Tom!"
"You've done well these years. Under your management, Water Seven has developed nicely."
Most of the time, he's been building docks within Hundred Beasts' territory. Now, the main ships of Hundred Beasts have all been reinforced and modified; their sailing capabilities have greatly improved, and sea traffic within the territory has become much more convenient.
Tom would sometimes secretly return to Water Seven to check on his disciples, but to avoid arousing suspicion, he'd always just take a quiet look and then leave, never actually interacting with them.
If Franky hadn't been discovered this time, he still wouldn't have planned to expose himself.
"But Master, Franky's already on the Sea Train now..."
"I know. Didn't I disappear on a Sea Train myself back then?"
Patting Iceberg's shoulder, Tom gave him the reassuring gesture he'd used when they were kids. Then, following the inner canals of Water Seven, he left Water Seven.
...
Outside Water Seven, several members of the Fishman Race were waiting together with Tiger. They weren't soaking in the water, but sitting on the shoulders of a gigantic crocodile.
Tom isn't some combat-monster Fishman, so to protect this senior elder's safety, Tiger accompanies him whenever he has time.
As for this gigantic crocodile, it's Tiger's partner, and also the No. 4 fighter of the Giant Beast Legion of the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
Following the land-warfare Emboar and Tyranitar, and the air-warfare Eight-Headed Evil Dragon, it's another deadly weapon—water-warfare Feraligatr.
In the prelude to the Water Gods' imminent arrival, the surface of The Sea was roaring with surging waves. Even the Fishman Race found it hard to keep their balance in such conditions; if they were alone, they would usually dive to the seafloor to avoid the tsunami's impact.
But having something to rely on changes everything. Feraligatr's body remained extremely steady under the rolling waves, like a Sea God's anchor amidst the towering surf—its underwater posture just wasn't as cool-looking as one might imagine.
Its four limbs and tail kept moving nonstop in order to stay stable, and this posture was also the reason the fishmen were sitting on its shoulders.
"Uncle Tom, you're finally back. We're all ready."
"I'm sorry to trouble you. It's a private matter, I know, but he's a very important disciple of mine..."
"It's no trouble at all, Uncle Tom. Everyone can see the contribution you've made. Whether it's New Fishman Island or the construction of other islands, you've helped us a ton.
Besides, it's not like this is the first time we've done something like this."
There haven't been many rescue jobs where people are snatched back from the World Government's hands, and among those who have done such things, the number Tiger has rescued is absolutely the highest. After all, he once freed all the slaves in Mary Geoise; no one has replicated that feat to this day.
"Let's go, partner. We've gotta catch up to that Sea Train ahead of time."
The members of the Giant Beast Legion aren't just ordered around by anyone. Aside from direct orders from Arceus, they normally only listen to their own partners. The only one who can direct Feraligatr's route is Tiger; the other fishmen are basically just hitching a ride on the croc.
"Roar~"
Feraligatr shifted its posture, the red bony plates on its back breaking the surface of The Sea. Then it twisted its body, charging after the Sea Train's direction.