The Grand Line, Water 7.
Beneath a gloomy sky, the waves surged violently.
Howling winds swept across the entire city, and the island's residents had locked their doors and windows tight against the massive tsunami known as the Water Gods, which was about to arrive.
At Tom's Workers, located by the sewer outlet, Erza stood before the glass window facing the sea.
Dressed as a little maid, she pressed her face against the glass, her eyes filled with both excitement and fear as she stared into the distance at the towering tsunami bearing down on Water 7, so vast it seemed to blot out the sky.
"S-So amazing..."
Beside Erza, the other members of the Sky Pirates sat on the sofas against the wall, staring dumbfounded at the colossal tsunami in the distance, a wall of water so enormous it seemed to connect the sky and the sea.
By contrast, the people of Tom's Workers were long used to this sight. They sat around the table in the center of the living room, watching the scene and laughing heartily.
Ms. Kokoro, Tom-san's secretary, looked at the room, livelier than it had ever been before, and said with a smile, "You're very lucky. The Water Gods only come once a year, and since the timing is uncertain, it's hard to witness unless you're a local. Just like when you left last time. But this time, you happened to catch it."
"The power of the sea is truly terrifying. I never thought I'd witness such a miracle of the ocean at my age."
Sitting on the sofa with a cup of hot tea, the aged-looking Dr. Furumi sighed in amazement.
Just then, Erik, being a swordsman, suddenly turned to Tiger-san beside him, who looked deep in thought, and asked, "Tiger-san, could you move freely through a tsunami like that?"
Tiger-san came back to himself, thought for a moment, and said, "It wouldn't be a problem. A tsunami like this may be terrifying, but it isn't much for us Fish-Men. After all, we've lived ten thousand meters under the sea since we were young. The water pressure and currents down there are no weaker than this tsunami."
"That's amazing, Tiger-san!"
The Kuro Brothers immediately looked at Tiger with eyes full of admiration.
At that moment, the tsunami was already close at hand. The sight of it bearing down on them like dark clouds crushing the city left everyone feeling faintly breathless.
For Ron, a dwarf whose body was only the size of a fist, the pressure of that sight was even more overwhelming.
Especially when the gigantic tsunami surrounded and swallowed all of Water 7, plunging the entire world into darkness.
"Boom..."
Everyone could clearly hear the seawater slamming against the walls of Water 7, and the whole city trembled.
"Click."
At that moment, the lights inside the room were turned on, and a dim yellow glow lit up the entire house.
Ms. Kokoro said, "We'll have to wait about half an hour before the tsunami fully recedes. Once it's over, I'll take you all into the city for a look. Water 7 is very beautiful after the Water Gods pass."
The girls and the little ones nodded excitedly, while the boys did not seem particularly interested.
Everyone looked out the window, but the dark world outside was filled with raging wind and torrential rain. They could not see anything at all.
"I wish Yemu-nii-san were here. Enel-sama, when is Yemu-nii-san coming here...?"
Enel looked out at the pitch-black world and said uncertainly, "Well... he should be here soon."
Flare, who was standing nearby, stroked Erza's little head.
"No need to worry. Yemu should arrive in a few days."
"Mm-hmm... I really, really miss Yemu-nii-san."
"Good girl."
Flare affectionately stroked Erza's head and also turned her gaze toward the dark world outside.
...
Everyone did not simply sit around waiting for the Water Gods to recede.
Dr. Furumi and Tom-san took Iceburg, Franky, and Ron to continue researching the Sea Train. Ayala followed Dr.Indigo to study medicine. Flare brought Erza and the Kuro Brothers along to prepare dinner, leaving only the three men, Enel, Tiger, and Erik, the future captains of the three major fleets, sitting idly in the living room.
Listening to the roar of the waves outside, Enel seemed to remember something and asked Erik, "Erik, I heard you've already found yourself a swordsman crew member. Why didn't you bring him here?"
"Mm."
Erik nodded.
"His name is Doug Rice. He's an exceptionally skilled swordsman. As for why he didn't come with me, he went to retrieve his sword."
"His sword?"
"Yeah. When he was captured, his sword was taken by a Commodore from Marine Branch G11. For a swordsman, that's a disgrace, so he went to take it back."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
"Isn't charging into a Marine branch alone a little too risky?"
"It should be fine. Rice's swordsmanship is very strong. He has a bounty of one hundred million Belly, and he's a powerful swordsman. On top of that, I gave him a Devil Fruit: the Lizard Fruit, Chameleon Form. It lets him hide his body."
"Is that so? Looks like Erik has found himself a reliable partner too."
"You flatter me, Tiger-san. Didn't First Mate Enel also find an excellent shipwright? I heard he's a scientist too?"
Hearing Erik bring up his shipwright and navigator, Enel said with a hint of pride, "That's right. His name is Griffin Cock. He's a great guy."
Tiger also praised him, saying, "He's helped us a lot. Since there are many times when we can't show ourselves, he's been helping us secretly recruit shipwrights willing to leave Water 7."
"Congratulations, First Mate Enel."
"Hahahaha. Same to you, same to you."
"What about you, Tiger-san?"
Tiger fell into thought. After a moment, he said, "I don't know yet. I still haven't made up my mind. Let's wait until Captain Yemu returns, then talk about it."
Enel and Erik exchanged glances. They did not quite understand what Tiger was worried about, but they also knew that since Tiger himself had not figured it out, perhaps only Yemu, as the captain, could answer that question.
At that point, Erik changed the subject and asked, "How are our pirate ships coming along?"
At the mention of that, Enel and Tiger both grew excited.
"The detailed designs are already finished. My Thunder God, Tiger's Sun, and your White Princess. But as for construction, we still have to wait a little longer."
"Wait for what?"
"Third-generation Baku Baku Metal. We haven't been idle during this past month in Water 7. Now, with Dr. Furumi's help, the experiments on third-generation Baku Baku Metal are almost complete. Ships made from this metal will have an incredible ability. You definitely won't be disappointed."