"What?"
The alarmed shout spread instantly as other guards rushed toward the shore upon hearing the commotion.
They quickly formed defensive positions, weapons drawn and eyes locked on the lone figure ahead.
Unlike the last encounters with the Red Hair Pirates and the Revolutionary Army, this situation felt different.
The identity of the intruder changed everything.
There were times pirates could cooperate, even form temporary alliances or mutual benefit arrangements. In rare cases, they could even become allies.
But the Marines were different.
A Marine could never become a pirate's companion.
Pirates and Marines were eternal enemies.
The Marines existed for one purpose, to eliminate pirates across the seas.
And the man who had arrived this time was not an ordinary Marine.
He was the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
It was well known that Kuzan had only recently been promoted to Fleet Admiral. New leaders always sought achievements to stabilize their position and authority.
And nothing secured prestige faster than crushing powerful pirates.
The stronger the pirate group defeated, the greater the reputation gained.
In the entire world, the strongest individual was Rolan, and the strongest pirate crew was the Ion Tempest Pirates led by him.
If Kuzan managed to strike them shortly after taking office, his authority within the Marines would rise to an unprecedented level, and his position would be firmly secured.
Even though Peach Garden was extremely powerful, powerful enough to ignore most threats from the Marines, Kuzan's decision to come alone suggested absolute confidence in his strength.
Everyone here knew Kuzan well. He was a true Admiral level combatant, possessing the Logia Ice Ice Devil Fruit.
If he decided to cause trouble here, the damage would be severe.
The guards tightened their grip on their weapons as more arrived by the second, forming layers of defensive formation.
The atmosphere became heavy with tension.
At any moment, a single order could turn the shore into a battlefield.
Kuzan sighed as he looked at the fully armed crowd.
He slowly raised both hands.
"Ah, calm down everyone, I am just here to visit Rolan, not to fight."
On his head, the seagull also lifted its wings as if surrendering along with him.
However, the guards did not relax.
They had seen enough of the Marines' tactics to trust appearances.
No one lowered their weapons.
Just then, a figure slowly stepped forward from the shoreline.
A calm voice followed.
"Oh, what a rare visitor. I did not expect Fleet Admiral Kuzan to personally come to Peach Garden."
The tension in the air sharpened further.
…
Grand Line, Water 7.
Inside the mayor's office, a voice rang out.
"Mr Iceberg, is everything ready?"
Miss Lina stood with her usual composed expression as she addressed him.
Iceberg nodded slowly.
"Almost everything is prepared."
Then he added with a slight bow of apology.
"I am sorry, Miss Nami, Miss Lina, for making you wait this long."
Nami shook her head.
"It is fine. We came here to relocate Water 7 to Peach Garden anyway."
Iceberg still looked troubled, his expression heavy with concern.
Miss Lina and Miss Nami had been in Water 7 for nearly half a month.
The moment they arrived, they had eliminated a group of World Government Special Agents, including a high ranking operative.
After that incident, the World Government sent three successive teams of agents.
Each wave was stronger than the last.
Their objective was clear, capture or eliminate Miss Lina and Miss Nami.
Not only because they had already killed seven agents, but also because they were confirmed members of the Ion Tempest Pirates, the largest opposing force against the World Government.
However, the government had underestimated them.
Both women were natural Devil Fruit users, and under Rolan's training they had mastered advanced Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Their strength had already reached Admiral level.
Ordinary Special Agents stood no chance against them.
As each wave of enemies grew stronger, Iceberg became increasingly worried that the next attack would bring disaster to Water 7.
He did not fear death for himself, but he could not accept the civilians being dragged into it.
More importantly, he did not want Nami and Lina to be caught in the aftermath.
So ever since their arrival, he had been preparing the relocation.
However, Water 7's structure made things complicated.
The city was built around special waterways and sea train routes connecting multiple islands.
Dismantling and relocating it was not simple at all.
Even with full cooperation from the citizens who supported moving to Peach Garden in the New World, it still took nearly half a month of preparation.
Iceberg finally nodded.
"It is ready, Miss Lina, Miss Nami."
Nami raised her hand casually.
In an instant, the entire Water 7 began to lift.
The reason it was possible was because long before this, after the Ion Tempest Pirates previously visited, Rolan had already ensured Water 7 was detached from the seabed.
At the same time, Nami had created dense island clouds beneath it.
This allowed the entire island to float above the sea.
Now she only needed to manipulate those island clouds to move it.
The massive island shifted slowly through the sky.
Below it, a huge void was left in the ocean.
Seawater rushed in almost immediately, filling the gap within moments until the surface returned to normal.
Only a few remnants of sea train tracks floated briefly before sinking away.
Iceberg stood quietly, watching the fading outline of his homeland.
A subtle sense of melancholy settled in his heart.
It still felt like leaving everything behind, even though Water 7 was technically still there.
Water 7 had once been defined by two things.
Its world class shipbuilding industry.
And its sea train system.
Now the sea train system was gone.
What remained was no longer the same Water 7 he had known.
Lina noticed his expression.
"Uncle Iceberg, what is bothering you? Peach Garden is much better than this place, you know."
Iceberg exhaled softly.
"This place carries too many memories. Even if everything has been moved, it still feels hard to let go."
Lina tilted her head slightly.
"But we moved the entire island, did we not?"
Iceberg gave a faint smile.
"That is true."
To Lina, it was simple. To Iceberg, memories were not confined to buildings or land alone, but to every corner of the sea around it.
Those were the places where Tom's Workers once built their history.
Lina did not press further.
She could understand, even if she did not fully feel the same way.
For a moment, she simply stayed silent.
Not long after Water 7 left its original position, a ship bearing the World Government flag arrived at the scene.
"What is going on? The Log Pose is pointing toward the sky."
A man in white standing at the bow frowned as he checked the Log Pose in his hand.
Bang.
Another man beside him slammed his fist into the railing, cracking it instantly.
"Damn it, they escaped."