A few hours later, Rorschach boarded the sea train back to Water 7, accompanied by Hibari, Law, and fifty agile Marine soldiers.
Palmer, due to his massive size, was left behind on Enies Lobby to spend some time with his fellow kind.
The second carriage of the sea train was reserved exclusively for World Government officials, and ordinary people were not allowed inside.
As they boarded, Rorschach noticed Rob Lucci and Kaku silently slipping into that carriage.
Rorschach had no intention of chatting with them and instead led his group of Marines to occupy the entire third carriage.
Inside, most of the Marines were experiencing a sea train ride for the first time.
Excitement and curiosity were evident on their faces as they kept looking around at their surroundings.
"Come to think of it, since Enies Lobby is one of the islands the sea train must pass through, why isn't there a station here?"
Seated on the right side of the aisle, Rorschach looked toward Penn, who sat on his left, with a puzzled expression.
Upon learning that they were heading to Water 7 to prepare for the tsunami Lacraina, Penn had insisted on coming along.
Rorschach couldn't argue against his determination and had to agree.
Hearing Rorschach's confusion, Penn, who sat with a disciplined and upright posture, explained in a serious tone:
"Brigadier General Rorschach, you may not know, but it is forbidden to build a station on Enies Lobby. If we need to board the sea train, we first take a boat to get close. This is a security measure to prevent unauthorized people from approaching Enies Lobby."
"I see."
Rorschach suddenly understood.
As one of the three pillars of justice alongside Marine Headquarters and Impel Down, Enies Lobby might not hold the same strategic importance as Marineford or Impel Down, but it symbolized the authority and status of the World Government.
It was a military stronghold.
"Rorschach, look! The sea is moving backward! The sea train is way faster than a Navy warship!"
Hibari, full of excitement, sat by the window on his right, leaning out to watch the ocean scenery speeding past.
"Don't stick your head out the window while the train is moving; it's dangerous."
Rorschach reminded him with a smile.
Seeing the girl's excitement was contagious, brightening even his own mood.
"Huh? Why is it dangerous? There's nothing outside the sea train."
Hibari tilted his head in confusion toward Rorschach.
Rorschach only smiled in response.
Before Hibari could finish speaking, a dark shadow suddenly broke through the water just ahead of her, like a sharp arrow shooting straight for her head.
The shadow was moving so fast that Hibari didn't even have time to react.
Rorschach's right hand flashed out like lightning, sweeping past the girl's ear. His fingers clenched, and he caught the dark figure mid-air.
"A... swordfish?"
Hibari's mouth hung open in shock.
The nearly one-meter-long swordfish wriggled and thrashed wildly in Rorschach's grip, full of life.
But its razor-sharp, spear-like snout had come just an inch away from piercing her forehead.
She shuddered, realizing that if Rorschach hadn't intercepted it in time, she might have ended up with a swordfish impaled in her skull.
The excitement drained from her face, replaced by a pale, frightened expression as she watched Rorschach casually toss the struggling swordfish back into the sea.
Quickly pulling her head inside the train, she patted her chest, still shaken, and looked at Rorschach.
"Rorschach, you were absolutely right! I definitely won't lean out the window again—it's way too dangerous!"
"Haha, it's not that bad," Rorschach chuckled, ruffling her hair.
Suddenly, shouts of alarm rang out from the carriage behind them.
"What's going on?"
Penn was the first to stand up, frowning as he reached for the hilt of his sword.
Hibari perked up, listening carefully, then turned to look out the right-side window again.
"They're saying something is chasing the sea train on the water."
"Chasing the sea train? Is it pirates?"
Penn also leaned out of a window to check.
Rorschach expanded his Observation Haki, instantly covering a thousand-meter radius. Every anomaly on the sea's surface became crystal clear in his mind.
On Hibari's right rear side, the ocean was splitting apart rapidly, as if a large creature was swimming at high speed, racing after the sea train.
Locking onto the source, Rorschach quickly saw what it was and raised an eyebrow.
"It's that frog."
"Huh? What frog?"
Hibari looked at him in confusion.
But within ten seconds, she understood exactly what he meant.
With a loud splash, the sea beside the train churned violently, sending waves flying.
A massive frog was paddling furiously, speeding through the water.
It was swimming freestyle.
And it was wearing a loincloth.
"What the heck? A frog is swimming freestyle in the ocean? And it's wearing a loincloth? Is it actually a person in disguise?"
Hibari was utterly dumbfounded.
Bepo, also watching in amazement, clicked his tongue in curiosity.
"Is it trying to race the sea train? What a determined frog!"
As if it had heard Bepo's remark, commotion erupted from the rear carriages.
"Damn it! It's that crazy frog again!"
"It's here to cause trouble again! Hurry, make the train go faster! Last time, it almost derailed the train!"
"That dumb frog never learns! It's been hit by the train so many times, yet it still keeps trying to block it!"
Hearing the passengers' complaints, the Marines in Rorschach's carriage became even more curious and crowded toward the windows.
Penn, however, relaxed his grip on his sword hilt and muttered, "I thought it was pirates. Turns out it's just that frog."
"You know about this frog too, Colonel Penn?" Hibari asked curiously.
Seeing everyone's expectant gazes, Penn chuckled.
"Of course. In fact, anyone who has taken the sea train over the years knows about this guy."
"It's the pet of Tom's Workers.
"After the deaths of the Fishman Tom and his apprentice Cutty Flam, both of whom had connections to the sea train, this frog started attacking or trying to block the train regularly."
Penn sighed.
"Though it sometimes causes trouble, I have to admit—it's a frog with deep loyalty and emotions."
The Marines were deeply moved after hearing the story.
Hibari gripped the window frame and exclaimed, "Look! The frog got ahead of the train! It's standing on the tracks, posing like a sumo wrestler!"
"Watch out, frog!" Bepo shouted instinctively.
The sea train sped forward, colliding head-on with the sumo-posing frog.
With a loud BANG, the frog was sent flying dozens of meters before crashing into the sea with a splash.
The train shook slightly from the impact.
At that moment, in the third carriage, the rear door suddenly swung open.
A large hand reached in, swiftly grabbing a huge chest placed in the aisle.
Silently and effortlessly, the thief pulled the chest out of the carriage.
The Marines, still watching the frog from the windows, didn't notice anything.
Except for Rorschach, who stood with his arms crossed, a smirk on his lips, and Law, adjusting his bandages while holding his cursed sword, Kikoku.
Minutes later, when the Marines returned to their seats, someone suddenly noticed something was wrong.
"The... the chest is gone!"
The Marine in charge of guarding the chest turned pale.
"What?!"
Penn jumped to his feet, gripping his sword and rushing to the open rear door.
His sharp eyes quickly caught faint indentations on the edge of the carriage roof—finger marks.
"The thief was hiding on the train's roof and struck when we were distracted by the frog!"
He climbed onto the roof but found no trace of the thief.
By the time he returned, the sea train was already approaching Water 7's station.
With an urgent expression, Penn turned to Rorschach.
"Brigadier General Rorschach, please give the order to seal off the train! The thief is still on board! Give me time, and I'll catch them!"
"Yes, sir! We'll recover the money!" The Marines looked at Rorschach anxiously.
The stolen chest contained one billion Berries—money meant to build a grand ship and gather supplies for their upcoming pursuit of pirates.
Now that they've lost this enormous sum of money, if they're held responsible, these marines will likely all be punished.
"Everyone, stay calm."
Rorschach stood up with a smile, showing no signs of blame.
He looked at Penn, who was standing stiffly upright. "Penn, I know you really want to help find the stolen Beli. However, I'm afraid I can't agree to your request to lock down the sea train."
"Why not? Rear Admiral Rorschach, the thief must still be on the train! He has nowhere to run. If we order a lockdown now—"
Penn was full of confusion.
"Sigh, Penn, you also know that we already unintentionally damaged the sea train tracks before. Even though it was eventually repaired, it caused a lot of trouble for the passengers and wasted their valuable time."
Rorschach sighed. "If we now issue an order to lock down the sea train, it will definitely cause strong public dissatisfaction. At that point, the Navy's image in people's minds will turn into that of an overbearing and oppressive force. That wouldn't be good for the Navy's development, so I must decline your proposal."
"Rear Admiral Rorschach!"
Penn's body trembled, and he suddenly realized his mistake. He lowered his head in shame. "I didn't think that through. Rear Admiral Rorschach is always thinking about the Navy's future. It is truly a blessing to have such a just leader."
"Rear Admiral! It was our failure to guard the funds properly—please punish us!"
Hearing Rorschach's words, the soldiers felt even more guilty.
Rorschach spoke in a gentle tone, waving his hand. "No need to blame yourselves. It's understandable to be distracted when riding the sea train for the first time. Here's what we'll do, Penn."
"Yes, sir!" Penn immediately stood at attention.
"When you get off the sea train, take the soldiers and search Water 7 for suspicious individuals. Since this is the train's final stop, I suspect the thief is still hiding somewhere in the city. Pay special attention to those with a history of such crimes."
Rorschach instructed.
"People with a history of such crimes… in Water 7?"
Penn's expression changed as if something had just clicked in his mind. His eyes flashed with determination.
He suddenly raised his hand in salute and said loudly, "Rest assured, Rear Admiral Rorschach! I will definitely catch the thief and recover the Beli!"
The soldiers also stood up and saluted, determined to recover the massive sum at all costs.
After another ten minutes, the sea train finally began to slow down as it pulled into the station beneath Water 7.
As soon as it came to a complete stop, Penn was the first to rush out, closely watching each passenger disembarking.
However, to his disappointment, he didn't see anyone carrying a large chest or an oversized bag.
"If we're talking about the most notorious gang in Water 7, it has to be the Franky Family. Follow me! We're going to their base right now!"
With that, Penn led fifty navy soldiers in a hurry toward the upper district of Water 7.
Bepo and Pejin followed as well.
This left only Rorschach, Law, and Hibari behind.
As they watched the others disappear into the distance, Law glanced sideways at Rorschach and spoke in a calm tone. "You noticed that pervert earlier. Why didn't you stop him?"
"Heh, so you noticed too? Not bad, Law—your Observation Haki is getting sharper."
Rorschach chuckled and reached out to pat Law on the head, but Law dodged with a look of disdain. Seeing this, Hibari burst into laughter.
After a few chuckles, she finally realized what Law had meant. She looked at Rorschach in confusion.
"Rorschach-nii, you mean… you already know who stole our Beli? Who was it?"
"It was that pervert wearing only underwear. His name is Franky."
Rorschach didn't hide the truth from her.
"So it was that perverted guy! That's so evil—he actually stole ten billion Beli from us! If I catch him, I'll beat him up!" Hibari clenched her fists in frustration.
Before they could ask more questions, Rorschach started walking out of the station alongside the other passengers. At the same time, he explained his reasoning to the two.
"…The reason I didn't catch him on the spot is simple. I need this guy named Franky, along with Iceburg, to build me a ship."
"If you just want a ship, can't you go directly to the Galley-La Company?" Hibari still didn't understand.
Rorschach smiled and shook his head. "What I need isn't just any ordinary ship. I need a ship with unique properties—one that will force Franky and Iceburg to bring out their very best craftsmanship to build it."
Suddenly, his expression became serious. He lowered his voice and asked them mysteriously, "Do you two know why the World Government sent CP9 to infiltrate Water 7?"
"Rorschach-nii, are you saying… the legendary blueprints of Pluton?" Hibari gasped.
It was clear that this little girl knew much more than Rorschach had expected.
Law's expression shifted dramatically, shock flashing in his eyes. He looked at Rorschach in disbelief.
"You mean that guy Franky might have the blueprints of the Pluton warship? And you want to use the ancient weapon's design to build a ship?"
Rorschach patted his shoulder with a satisfied smile.
"You're very sharp, Law. I think we'll soon have a super warship that can sail the skies and dive into the sea."
"Water 7 is truly a magnificent city. No wonder it was the legendary place that built the ancient Pluton warship eight hundred years ago."
Rorschach gazed up at the world-famous floating city, sighing with admiration.
By now, the three had left the underground station and arrived at the wide stairway leading to the upper district.
Looking around, they could see the towering city walls stretching on both sides.
These walls had large numbered water gates built into them.
For example, above the water gates on their left and right, they could see the numbers "2" and "3," indicating the entrances to Dock No. 2 and Dock No. 3.
Through these gates, surging seawater flowed into the city's numerous canals, forming a vast water transportation system that interconnected every part of Water 7.
At the very top of the circular city, all the waterways converged into a powerful fountain that shot high into the air, creating a cascading umbrella of seawater that rained back down into the canals below.
This cycle repeated endlessly.
In a way, Water 7 itself was like a massive fountain—only magnified countless times, appearing grand, majestic, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Even Law, who was usually indifferent, showed a hint of admiration at the sight.
As for Hibari, she was joyfully running ahead, skipping up the winding stairway like an excited little sprite.
"Moo! Moo!"
Suddenly, deep, resonant mooing sounds came from the water to their left, making the three of them pause.
"Wait, does Water 7 actually keep cows in the water?"
Hibari curiously ran to the left railing and peeked over.
Then, the three of them saw three strange creatures resembling oversized seahorses with long necks. On their backs were small wooden boats with seats.
The creatures stretched their necks and let out loud "Moo! Moo!" calls.
An elderly, bald man was standing nearby, grinning at them.
"Are you visitors to Water 7? Would you like to ride a Bull?"
"A Bull?" Hibari leaned over the railing and stared at the creatures with curiosity. "Grandpa, what's a Bull?"
"Haha, looks like you're first-time visitors!"
The old man laughed, patting one of the creatures' smooth, sturdy necks.
"These are Bulls—a type of aquatic creature that lives in seawater and makes mooing sounds. Some people call them 'Cow Fish.' Want to ride one? It's very cheap! A single-seat Bull is just 700 Beli per day, and a double-seat Bull is 1000 Beli!"
Hibari's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Rorschach-nii, I've never ridden one before! You haven't either, right? Should we… give it a try?"
Rorschach's face darkened. "If you want to ride, just do it. You're the one managing our money! And stop pausing mid-sentence like that—it's easy to cause misunderstandings, you idiot!"
"I wouldn't dare spend money without your permission."
Hibari grinned, dimples appearing on her cheeks.
She pulled out a neat stack of Beli, counted 1,500 Beli, and handed it to the old man.
"Here, Grandpa! We'll rent two Bulls—one single-seater and one double-seater."
The old man's eyes gleamed at the sight of the thick stack of Beli. His smile widened as he rubbed his hands together.
"That'll be 17,000 Beli, my dear customer."
"Why did the price suddenly jump tenfold?! And why do your eyes look like Beli symbols, you sneaky old scammer?!"
(End of Chapter)
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