In Water 7, Franky, holding a piece of water meat in his hand, munched on it as he slowly made his way towards the scrapped ship island.
Last night, Tom-san said he would be looking for materials with Iceburg on the scrapped ship island today, and since he happened to be wandering nearby, he decided to go check things out.
However, when he stepped onto the large bridge connecting to the scrapped ship island and looked towards it, his pupils suddenly dilated wide, beads of sweat streaming down his forehead.
He saw a large group of ships he knew all too well, currently on the nearby sea, firing cannonballs and iron harpoons at the scrapped ship island.
In an instant, a series of explosions rang out on the island.
The water meat in Franky's hand dropped to the ground.
'Who is it!'
'Who's using my ships...'
"Damn it!!"
Franky immediately charged towards the scrapped ship island, his expression incredibly grim.
"Who the hell is it, using my ships recklessly!!"
After those Franky-class battleships finished firing their cannonballs at the scrapped ship island, they turned their aim towards the government ships anchored nearby.
Whoosh!!
Several cannonballs were launched, eventually landing on those government ships, exploding and billowing thick smoke.
Somewhere in Water 7, Spandam watched this scene with a sinister glint in his eyes, revealing a cunning smile.
"Alright, let the trial begin, Tom's Workers!!"
When Franky arrived at the scrapped ship island and saw from a distance two familiar figures, one large and one small, lying on the ground, his pupils violently constricted. He sped up even more, dashing forward wildly.
Soon reaching their vicinity, he saw Iceburg and Tom lying on the ground, covered in countless wounds. Particularly Tom, besides the blood on various parts of his body, an iron harpoon was thrust into his chest.
Countless streams of blood flowed from the wound.
"Hah... hahh..."
Franky panted heavily, then suddenly yelled out.
"What the hell is going on here!!"
He immediately rushed to Tom's side, crouched down, and shouted:
"Tom-san, Tom-san, are you alright?!"
But no matter how Franky called out, Tom's eyes remained tightly shut. If not for the breath still leaving him, Franky would have feared his beloved Tom-san was already dead.
But even the current situation was absolutely not good; Tom had lost consciousness.
He also dared not directly pull the iron harpoon from Tom's chest. Although he wasn't a doctor, he still had basic common sense.
At this moment, pulling the harpoon out might instead cause massive bleeding, leading to further aggravation of the injuries.
Beside him, Iceburg, upon hearing Franky's shouts, groggily woke up. During the earlier attack, Tom had helped shield him from a lot of damage, so his injuries weren't too severe, at least compared to Tom's.
Iceburg struggled to get up. Hearing the movement, Franky immediately looked over and asked urgently:
"What happened, why did this happen? Why did my ships..."
"Those intelligence agents under Spandam, they used your battleships!"
Upon hearing this, Franky's pupils constricted again, and the expression on his face gradually turned to one of horror and self-reproach.
"You were hurt by my ships? Tom-san was hurt by my..."
Franky collapsed onto the ground, unable to utter a single word.
Iceburg came before him, placed both hands on his shoulders, and spoke in a low voice:
"Our technology can create weapons. Even if this wasn't your intention, if it is a weapon, it can potentially hurt people regardless of friend or foe, even if that person is very important to you!"
"We've been set up by the government people. Because they want the blueprints, they want to arrest Tom-san for interrogation. Now..."
"You still want to say you're not wrong, Franky!!!"
Iceburg suddenly yelled at Franky.
"If Tom-san gets taken away, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life!!"
Franky covered his head with both hands, his expression extremely ugly.
Just then, sounds came from not far away. The two looked over and saw countless CP5 agents heading their way. Soon they surrounded them completely.
"People from Tom's Workers, you are suspected of attacking the judicial ship. We are now arresting you for trial on the island!"
"We advise you not to resist, otherwise our bullets have no eyes!"
The leading CP5 agent immediately issued threatening words.
Upon hearing this, Franky, who was on the ground, instantly jumped up, glaring at everyone with immense anger, and shouted:
"What a joke, it was obviously you..."
Bang!!
A dull sound rang out. Iceburg punched Franky in the face, sending him flying several meters.
"You bastard Iceburg, what are you doing?!"
Franky, face full of anger, was about to demand why Iceburg hit him when he saw Iceburg was already right in front of him, his face less than ten centimeters away.
Iceburg's gaze was fixed intensely on Franky as he spoke in a low, suppressed voice:
"Franky, are you trying to get us killed?"
"Can you deal with so many armed government agents? Tom-san is still unconscious!!"
"If we don't resist, they might not necessarily kill us. If we do resist, and they directly accuse us of attacking government officials, we'll all end up dead here!"
After hearing Iceburg's words, Franky calmed down a bit. Although his expression remained grim, he was no longer as agitated as before.
"Tch!!"
The CP5 agent who spoke earlier chuckled scornfully, raised his hand, and ordered the men behind him:
"Arrest them all, take them to the island, and await the judicial verdict!!"
...
——
On the other side, Kyle and the others' warship had also arrived in the waters near Water 7. From a distance, they could already make out the city's appearance.
As the distance closed, the outline of Water 7 gradually came into clearer view for everyone.
Upon seeing the city clearly, everyone's eyes involuntarily widened slightly, a hint of awe present within them.
From the outside, Water 7 looked as if the sea had submerged the buildings.
Waterways crisscrossed throughout the city, forming a vast and complex network. These canals weren't just for transport on the flat water surfaces; there were also waterways extending from higher elevations downwards, connecting the various districts of the city.
It looked incredibly spectacular, fully highlighting the characteristics of a water city.
"So this is Water 7? It really is magnificent!"
Chopper said admiringly.
The expressions of the others were similar, almost all filled with wonder at the sight of Water 7.
Kyle's gaze was also surveying Water 7. Although he had already seen what Water 7 looked like in the original anime, and it was the more prosperous version ten years later, that was just animation; this was reality. The feeling between the two was completely different!
Suddenly, Kyle's peripheral vision caught sight of black smoke rising not far away. His gaze sharpened.
He instantly unleashed his Observation Haki, and the next moment, without a word, he transformed into a bolt of purple lightning and shot towards Water 7.
"What's that Kyle guy doing now?!"
Sanji raised an eyebrow slightly.
Suddenly, a somewhat smug voice came from beside them...