"Hahahaha! As you wished! Just as you wished, Law!"
Finally, after sailing out of the Calm Belt and passing through the Gate of Justice near Enies Lobby, the approaching warship carried a breathless, laughing Rorschach, who leaned against the ship's railing.
Law's face darkened completely. His expression was filled with embarrassment and annoyance as he shouted, "What the hell are you laughing at?!"
"Sorry."
Rorschach apologized without hesitation.
Then, his gaze fell on Law, who was completely wrapped in bandages like a giant rice dumpling.
Law's three little followers—the Bepo trio—were still stubbornly wrapping more bandages around him, practically mummifying him alive.
"Pfft."
Seeing Law with only his eyes exposed, Rorschach couldn't hold back and clutched his stomach as he laughed again.
"Hahaha, I can't take it anymore. Sorry, I usually don't laugh... unless I really can't help it."
"Law, you look absolutely hilarious right now."
Law nearly rolled his eyes in frustration. The only part of his face that was still visible—his eyes—was filled with shame and helplessness.
His lips trembled with anger as he shouted at Bepo, who was still wrapping more bandages, "Enough! How much more do you plan to wrap?! Do bandages cost nothing?! I already told you, I'm fine!"
"But… Major, your muscles were completely torn apart before. You looked really scary! If we don't wrap you up properly, your wounds might reopen. Excessive bleeding is dangerous, and you're the only doctor on this ship. What if something happens to you?"
Bepo mumbled in a deep voice as he continued his task.
Forget it.
Let the world be destroyed.
Law shut his eyes in complete despair.
"Click."
"Click, click."
Law's lips twitched. His teeth clenched tightly.
"Click."
"Are you done yet?! You bastard! Once I recover, I won't let you off!"
He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see Rosha grinning mischievously, holding a camera and repeatedly pressing the shutter.
The flash flickered on and off, illuminating Law's bandaged, mummy-like figure.
"Hehehe, this is a rare opportunity. Gotta capture this moment for the memories. Someday, this might be one of the fondest memories of your life. No need to thank me, Law. Once I develop the photos, I'll send a few to Grandpa Sengoku to let him know you're doing well."
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! I BEG YOU, JUST ACT LIKE A DECENT HUMAN BEING FOR ONCE!!"
At this moment, Law felt he would rather go back to yesterday and suffer through endless exhaustion again.
Anything would be better than this mental torment.
Up on the lookout tower, Hibari was already laughing so hard that she could barely breathe, clutching her aching stomach.
To think she had been worried yesterday about their intense confrontation.
Looking at them now…
Big Bro Rorschach and Law had such a great relationship—there was no need for anyone to worry.
See? Look how well they were getting along.
"DAMN YOU, Rorschach! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR STUPID FACE!"
"Click, click."
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"Damn it! Once I recover, I'm going to swap your mind into a pig's body! Just you wait, Rorschach!"
A few hours later…
300 meters in front of Enies Lobby, out at sea.
"Hmm? What's going on? Why did the warship stop?"
Rorschach scratched his head in confusion, looking towards the ship's cabin.
The warship, which had been sailing normally with the help of wind and steam power, suddenly slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop, floating motionlessly on the sea.
"Did we hit a reef? Or is there a problem with the ship's propulsion system?"
Several marines responsible for the ship's maintenance looked puzzled and immediately ran off to check key parts of the vessel.
Rorschach scratched his head again, instinctively releasing his Observation Haki, enveloping the entire warship.
But before he could fully expand his haki, a deep, muffled explosion echoed through the ship, ringing in everyone's ears.
The source of the noise came from the lower rear part of the ship's hull.
Then, the marines who had gone to investigate shouted in alarm.
"What the hell?! The ship's external paddle wheel is smoking! The propeller blades got tangled up and broken by something!"
"Could it have been damaged by a sea beast?"
Rorschach frowned upon hearing this. If the external paddle wheel was broken, the ship's steam propulsion would become useless, leaving only the sails for movement.
Although he could manipulate airflow, losing steam power would still be a significant inconvenience for the rest of their journey.
"Hummm."
His Observation Haki spread further, covering not just the ship but also the submerged parts beneath the water.
And then he saw it—wrapped around the warship's steel paddle wheel, twisted into a tangled mess by the propeller, was a metal structure resembling a staircase.
A thought flashed through Rorschach's mind like lightning.
"Oh no! That looks like… train tracks?"
The metal structure entangled in the paddle wheel, submerged underwater and stretching into the distance on both ends, instantly reminded him of the sea train tracks from the manga—the very rails that connected Water 7 to other islands.
Just as this realization hit him, a distant, piercing whistle echoed across the sea from the horizon.
"That sound… It's the Sea Train! Rorschach! We're about to see Water 7's legendary Sea Train!"
From the top of the ship's lookout tower, Hibari shielded her eyes with her hand, looking toward the source of the whistle with excitement and anticipation.
"A marvel of technology, capable of traveling across tsunamis and stormy seas, connecting islands like Water 7, Enies Lobby, and St. Poplar!
"Even Dr. Vegapunk himself has praised the Sea Train as an incredible invention!"
Hibari's enthusiasm drew the attention of everyone on the warship, and soon, the crew gathered on deck, looking out at the sea.
As rhythmic clanking noises echoed through the air, a small black dot appeared on the horizon.
That dot was moving fast.
Before the roaring whistle had even fully faded, a long steel train came into view. Its smokestack spewed thick steam into the sky as it sped forward, rapidly growing larger in their eyes.
Painted in black and green, the train's carriages bobbed up and down along the submerged tracks but never strayed from their course.
At the front, the bullet-shaped locomotive led the charge like a roaring sea serpent, cutting through the waves at an incredible speed.
"This is amazing! So spectacular! This is the legendary Sea Train?! I want to ride it so badly!"
Bepo's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Wait a minute…"
Palme blinked and hesitantly pointed at the rapidly approaching Sea Train.
"Does anyone else think… that thing is headed straight for us?"
"Huh?"
Everyone froze and turned to look at Palme.
Then, as they gazed at the ever-enlarging train, the thunderous whistle growing deafeningly loud, their faces went blank with horror.
Bepo swallowed hard, his face turning pale.
"I think you might be right… It's really coming straight for us!"
"MOVE THE SHIP! WE'RE ABOUT TO GET HIT!"
(End of Chapter)
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