There was no fear or defense in Golden Lion's gaze, only calmness. And within that calm, even a trace of anticipation he himself hadn't noticed.
"Double the training tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir!"
Law gritted his teeth in response.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound of a blade touching the ground gradually faded into the distance.
Law slowly opened his eyes.
Golden Lion had held nothing back in training him.
From swordsmanship to mastering the Op-Op Fruit, even to Haki, which Law hadn't yet fully grasped, Golden Lion answered every question and even demonstrated it personally.
But that only made Law more puzzled.
"He's roamed the seas for years, faced countless powerful enemies, and commanded battlefields... He should be far too sharp to fall for any deception of mine."
"What's he really thinking...?"
"But no matter what…"
"I will take his head one day!"
As his words fell, images of Bepo and the others once again appeared in Law's mind.
They were supposed to conquer the seas together. But now, their fates were unknown.
There were no bodies found on the floating island, barely enough to call it a silver lining. At least it gave him some hope.
"I really wonder, if we meet again someday, what kind of person will Bepo have become?"
"Well…"
"Probably still just as timid, still scared of fighting."
"Hahahahaha!"
… … …
At the Water 7.
Smoke filled the air, fires were burning everywhere, and wailing echoed endlessly.
This once-prosperous city had been reduced to ruins after battle upon battle.
The fight over the Pluton blueprints had long begun.
Nearly every day, battles broke out near the harbor. The wreckage of pirate ships washed ashore, piling up like mountains.
Yet not a single crew dared to leave.
Any act that might be perceived as trying to take the Pluton blueprints away would invite collective wrath.
But in this chaotic world, there are always exceptions.
At this moment, a uniquely shaped pirate ship pulled up its anchor, raised its sails, and slowly drifted away.
Countless pirates watched this scene, unwilling, but none dared to cross the line.
"That's... A ship from Totto Land!"
"The guy standing on the deck is one of the Sweet Commanders, a monster with a bounty of over 600 million Belly."
"Charlotte Snack!"
A pirate looked at the departing ship and couldn't help but swallow hard.
Even though they'd nearly lost their minds, the remnants of rationality in their brains still compelled them to maintain a basic level of respect for beings far beyond their ability to provoke.
"We're just letting them go?!"
"If they actually get it, won't our whole trip have been for nothing?!"
Some were unwilling to give up; their eyes were filled with tangible greed: "That's the Pluton! Even if we can't build it, just auctioning it off could easily fetch tens, even hundreds of billions of Belly!"
"With that kind of money, who needs to be a pirate anymore?"
"There's some money that you can earn easily, but you've also gotta live long enough to spend it!"
The nearby captain sneered, but then his expression darkened: "If they really got it, they wouldn't be leaving so openly. Something must've changed."
"Maybe they're setting a trap, planning to ambush whoever ends up with the Pluton blueprints."
"Despicable!"
"Heh, when it comes to pirates, what's not despicable?"
"Tch!"
"If it weren't for the Franky family and Mayor Iceburg joining forces to defend and the pirates being on guard against each other, why would it take so long?!"
"Anyway, be prepared. The longer this thing drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us.
The Marines and other powerful forces should be moving soon."
… … …
A few days later.
Outskirts of the Galley-La Company shipyard.
Countless refugees had gathered there while staring blankly at their surroundings.
For them, the experience these days was like a nightmare.
The peaceful life was broken by the pirates' gunfire, followed by relentless waves of attacks...
Now, nearly no buildings in Water 7 remain intact.
Even the Galley-La Company, now functioning as a refugee camp and built under Mayor Iceburg's direction, bore blackened scorch marks all along its walls.
Members of the Franky family and Galley-La Company moved among the people, handing out bread and water.
"Mr. Mayor... Do we really still have hope?"
A young girl looked down at the bread in her hand. Her stomach growled, but she didn't eat.
She fought back the tears and stood to face the distant figure of Iceburg.
"We've held on for over a month... But the Marines still haven't come. I... I'm scared!"
When her voice fell, everyone looked up toward Iceburg, who stood in the distance, wrapped in bandages.
Their gazes were filled with hope.
Iceburg felt a lump in his throat at their expressions, but then he spoke with firm resolve: "They will come."
"I've already sent a request for help to the Marines. Just wait a few more days. Once they arrive, everything will get better."
"The pirates will leave, our homes will be rebuilt, and we'll start a new life."
"Hold on, if we hold on, there's still hope!"
"Okay!"
The girl nodded heavily. Tears finally slipped down her cheeks to the bread, then she picked up her bread and took big bites.
"Hold on."
"If we hold on, there's hope."
She whispered quietly. The once tasteless bread now had a bit of salt to it.
Seeing her, those nearby also began to shake off their numbness, forcing themselves to stay strong. Even laughter began to bubble up among the crowd.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"I'm still alive, thank goodness!"
"The mayor's right. If we want hope, we have to survive!"
This laughter became louder and louder as time passed, carrying everyone's hope.
But the Iceburg standing in the distance couldn't laugh at all.
"President, drink some water."
Lucci put a bottle of fresh water in Iceburg's hand, then turned to look at the refugees in the distance, muttering: "They are just ordinary people who want to survive… That man would probably say that."
"You? Saying something like that?"
Iceburg looked at Lucci in surprise, then nodded and said: "However, although I don't know who you are talking about, the person who can say such a thing should not be a bad person."
Lucci's mouth curled up a smile: "Ah, the man I respect the most."
"Do you have such a thing in your heart?"
Iceburg smiled and shook his head, but his breathing stopped the next moment because of Lucci's question.
"President, do we really have reinforcements?"
Iceburg could only remain silent.
In fact, he had sent a letter to the Marines for help more than half a month ago.
But until now, he has not received any response.
This can only mean that the Water 7 has most likely been abandoned by the World Government.
No matter how unwilling he was, he had to accept this result.
This was destined to be a futile resistance, but Iceburg had no other choice except to persist and wait.
Seeing his reaction, Lucci immediately understood and cautiously asked: "That rumor..."
"It's fake."
Iceburg shook his head in denial.
Handing over the Pluton blueprints?
He has considered this possibility. After all, he had entrusted them to Franky years ago.
And from what he knew of his teacher, had Tom been alive, he would no doubt choose the lives of civilians over a weapon.
But Iceburg had dealt with the World Government for years. He knew them well.
The World Government would never tolerate even the possibility of a threat.
If they were certain the Pluton blueprints were in his hands, to prevent any leak, they would likely erase all traces of Water 7's existence.
Ohara was the perfect precedent.
So, in truth, the choice before Water 7 was a dead end; no matter what they chose, they would still die.
Even after building the sea train and growing Water 7 to its current scale, even after years of cooperation with the World Government, none of that mattered now.
He had once thought he was safe, but reality slapped him hard in the face.
"Lucci, I'm not a competent mayor, nor am I a qualified teacher. This city, Kaku, Blueno... I couldn't protect any of them."
Iceburg reached up to cover his eyes, his palms quickly becoming damp.
"After all, we're up against Big Mom's pirate crew. Kaku and Blueno won't blame you, and besides, they've only been captured. It doesn't mean they're in danger of dying."
Lucci said while patting Iceburg on the shoulder, offering words of comfort. But even he didn't believe any of what he said.
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