On the street, Tiger concealed his appearance with a heavy robe. Officially, he was still considered dead, so it was best to remain in disguise when entering such a place.
Face blindness was quite prevalent here. Though wearing a cloak might seem strange, it didn’t attract much attention.
“Boss Tiger, the people here… they seem a bit odd.”
Aside from Tiger, the other Fish-Men didn’t disguise their identities, but the surrounding residents did not look at them with discrimination.
Having been discriminated against so often, receiving normal looks made them feel a bit uncomfortable. There were still some strange looks, but they were far fewer compared to the islands they had visited before.
“This is what should be normal. Keep working hard. What we’re doing is to ensure that one day in the future, everyone will look at our descendants this way.”
Water 7 was relatively friendly to Fish-Men, and it is thanks to Tom. The Sea Train he built saved Water 7’s economy, giving the island a new future.
Because of this, he earned others’ respect, which led to a change in how the residents viewed the Fish-Men.
So, it was easy to inquire about Tom’s residence, and soon Tiger and the others found out where he lived. However, when they arrived at Tom’s workshop, they found many CP agents outside.
“Boss, there are a lot of human agents here. What should we do?”
“Wait a bit. These guys don’t seem to be carrying out a mission. They should leave soon.”
Tiger didn’t want to have a direct confrontation with World Government people without good reason. Waiting a bit longer was no big deal. They waited until Spandam left angrily before Tiger led Arlong and the others into Tom’s workshop.
When Tiger took off his hood, Tom’s first reaction was disbelief.
“Fisher Tiger? Weren’t you dead?”
Considering his age, Tom was Tiger’s senior. When Tom left Fishman Island, Tiger was still a child. But the hero who liberated slaves was widely known, and even Tom had heard of him.
Upon hearing the news of Tiger’s death earlier, he had mourned for a while as well. Never did he expect to see Tiger now standing alive and well before him.
“A lot has happened. In short, I’m working towards a new goal now. Uncle Tom, we need a new ship. Can you help us? We’ll pay. If possible, it would be best if its firepower is strong.”
Hearing about firepower, Tom didn’t react immediately, but a young man next to him showed interest. He was Franky, one of Tom’s two apprentices. Only a few people close to him called him Franky.
In Water 7’s registry, his name was actually Cutty Flam. During Tom’s construction of the Sea Train, he also built many “Battle Frankies” to fight against Sea Kings.
But before he could speak, Tom’s other apprentice, Iceberg, pulled him away.
“Building a ship isn’t a problem, but you’ll have to wait a while.”
“How long?”
“If things go well, one or two months. If not, I can’t say. I’m still considered a criminal. The outcome depends on the trial three days from now.”
With the completion of the Sea Train, Tom’s probation period also ended. In three days, a new trial would be held. Most people had heard about it.
Tom’s achievement in building the Sea Train was expected to outweigh his crime of building a ship for Roger. After three days, he was expected to be declared innocent.
“A trial? Old man, you’re a Fish-Man. Why wait for a human trial? Come with us to the sea. The vast sea is enough for us Fish-Men to roam freely. At worst, we’ll become pirates. What’s there to fear?”
Hearing Tom’s explanation, Arlong didn’t understand and tried to directly recruit Tom.
“Young man, you don’t understand. I have spent my youth here and I’ll have to leave behind the bonds I’ve formed. If I were to just leave, it would cause trouble for others.”
“What…”
“Arlong!”
“…”
Seeing Arlong about to argue with Tom, Tiger immediately reprimanded him. He then handed Den’s letter to Tom and temporarily stayed in Water 7 with Arlong and the others.
Three days passed quickly. During this time, Sasaki didn’t do anything major, only disciplining a few ordinary pirates while remaining vigilant against potential unexpected situations.
Meanwhile, the native residents of Water 7 awaited the trial eagerly, hoping for news of Tom’s innocence. However, one person was an exception—Spandam.
He was here for the blueprints of Pluton. For this purpose, he boasted to the Five Elders and earned the qualification to come to Water 7 for this mission.
The Five Elders knew where the real Pluton was, but Spandam’s reasons persuaded them, so they sent him with agents to Water 7.
If Tom was acquitted, Spandam would have no legitimate reason to search Tom. For his future, Spandam resorted to foul play. He had agents steal Franky’s battleships and on the day of the trial, manipulated them to attack the Judicial Ship.
Since those ships were made by Franky, under Spandam’s accusations, they were helpless. At this moment, Tom made his decision.
He gave up his chance to have himself absolved of the crime by manufacturing the Sea Train to Franky instead, and chose to face trial as he had ten years earlier.
For the blueprints, Spandam intended to take all three to Enies Lobby. However, at the last moments, the judge on the Judicial Ship stopped him because, by law, only Tom was guilty.
Spandam couldn’t openly defy World Government laws, and he believed the blueprint of Pluton was with Tom. In the end, he accepted this outcome.
“Those bastards, how dare they….Boss, let’s rescue him!”
Seeing Tom injured and collapsed on the ground, Arlong nearly attacked the guards.
He couldn’t understand Tom’s ideals, but Tom had agreed to build their ship three days ago. Most importantly, Tom was a Fish-Man. Arlong couldn’t accept the World Government taking a Fish-Man away like this.
But Tiger held him back.
“Boss? Are we just going to watch?”
“Of course not. It’s just not the right time. You heard them. They’re taking Uncle Tom to Enies Lobby for trial, and they’ll have to cross the sea to get there. We’re Fish-Men, so of course we’re going to use the sea to our advantage. Let’s go! We’ll intercept them!”
During this period, Tiger had extensively studied various sea routes and knew where they would pass through in order to go to Enies Lobby from Water 7.
This was land. Even if they could seize Tom, they might not be able to retreat safely. So, he planned to set up an ambush in the sea ahead of time. Once they’ve seized Tom, they can escape directly into the sea.
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!