Ebbing Tide

The sea train charges through the storm with a roar, carrying so many people that someone wonders, "How can so many people be riding in the last car?!!" Inside, Sanji stands soaked and alone before a car full of government men. They shout, "What are you doing, asshole?!!" and "I saw that kick just now!! You're not just a civilian!!" Another cries, "You're no ordinary person!!!"

Sanji stays silent, cigarette still in his mouth: "......" One man snaps, "If those are your honest feelings..." then, awkwardly, "Pff! This is awkward." A different agent yells, "It isn't praise!!!" As the men close in, they bark, "Don't make fun of us," and "Hey, report this to Lucci-san at once!! This suspicious character snuck in!!" Sanji only coughs, "Kaff," and tells himself not to be afraid because this is just a basic car. In another car, a dark Den Den Mushi voice judges the problem coldly: "No matter how rude and suspicious the character is... this ain't the type of thing that should concern CP9."

The answer comes in the form of a towering man wreathed in smoke. "I'm here!!!" he announces as the agents cry, "Phew, is it smokey!!" and "Jerry-san!!!" The placard names him: "Graduate of Karate Island boxing intelligence member Jerry." He laughs, "Kaff!! Ha, ha, ha, ha." Sanji stares, unimpressed: "....." Jerry boasts that he is "of South Blue's Island... that's famous for karate?" and answers himself, "Yep, I am." He then crowns himself: "Am I the king..."

Jerry finishes his introduction from an absurd, stretched stance: "The boxing champion!!" Sanji gives the practical reply: "So do some karate." Jerry ignores the jab and attacks, calling, "Jerry~~~!!" and "Aurora Flicker Jab!!!" His impossibly long arms whip through the narrow car, filling the aisle with sweeping punches while bystanders shout, "Hey!!! That's asking for death!!!"

Jerry's arms smash through the cramped train car with a crash: "Gyaa!!" "Uuuhhh!!!" "SHFF!!" The men panic, "Je... Jerry-san, the enemy's behind you!! Bah!!" Jerry is not worried. "This is the first time I've been warned by someone while between their thighs," he says from beneath Sanji's leg. He sneers, "Youngster, I'm saying this because I'm a big man. If you think I'm at a disadvantage in this small car, you're mistaken." Sanji sees the problem clearly: "It's yoga style!!!" Jerry grins, "My boxing has the advantage in such a small space!!!"

Jerry folds and stretches like a human spring. "Yoga, 1-2!! 1-2!!!" he chants, then taunts, "Your reach got shorter!!!" Sanji pauses, "Really...?" Jerry winds up for a spinning kick, "Screw Drive Kick!!!" but Sanji answers without flinching: "You're already ignoring the rules of boxing!!!" The attack rushes past, and Sanji dismisses it as "What a waste of time."

Sanji ends the fight with one clean strike: "Brochette!!!!" His kick spears Jerry upward and hurls him through the car, breaking the rhythm of the whole carriage and sending men into shock: "!!!!" The impact cuts through Jerry's swagger in an instant. The agents watch him tumble away, smoke and debris filling the aisle while Sanji stands where he was, silent and controlled: "....!!"

As the train races onward, CP9 discusses the defensive line car by car. "Each car has its own representative," someone explains. "Naming off the government officials in order, starting with the 7th and final car..." The 6th car is guarded by "the boxer of 'Cipher Pol No. 6,' 'Jerry.'" In the 5th car are "40 sailors" under "a captain from Marine HQ, former royal knight 'T-Bone.'" In the 4th car, at the head of the voyage, waits "the grappler of 'Cipher Pol No. 7,' 'Wanze.'" Beyond that, "CP9's newcomer, Mr. 'Nero,' is awaiting orders" in the 3rd car. The agents remind one another, "This is just a basic escort mission and we're not expecting any attacks. However, to be on the safe side... we brought enough combat strength to handle anything."

Back in Water Seven, the city shakes under the storm. Nami realizes the truth: "Is that right--!! So Sanji made it on the train!!" Chopper answers, "Usopp's on the train...!?" Nami quickly redirects everyone: "So anyway!! No matter how we get to Enies Lobby... we can't leave until we find Luffy and Zoro!!" The others shout, "Yeah!!" and "Really?!!" Sanji's message has given them a direction, and the search resumes. People call, "Somehow search around here!!" "Everyone search, please!!" "Pretty please!!!" and "Leave it to us!!!"

The searchers shout through the battered streets: "Straw Hat!!" "Roronoa~~!!" "We're your allies---!! Come out!!" Zoro is still jammed sideways in a chimney. He mutters, "Idiot, I'm alright. Look for those two, quickly." Someone answers, "Yes!!" Another asks, "Foreman!!! It must hurt for you to be moving... You should rest!!" Zoro says nothing. Reports come in: "Have you told Iceburg-san of the situation?" and "Two guys went to HQ."

Exhausted searchers complain through the rain: "Haa... Haa..." "But why're we the ones being worked so hard?!" "There isn't a ship open in Zousen-jima now!!" and "Meat and... sake!?" One voice snaps, "Yeah, all the food you can get!!" Elsewhere, more calls ring out: "Zoro~~~~!!" "Luffy~~!!" "Straw Hat!!" A man worries, "Maybe she's still growing...!!" and another says, "She must be really hungry, that girl." Chopper looks up at the weather and realizes, "This is trouble... Even under normal conditions, my nose isn't very effective in strong winds...!!"

The ocean withdraws from Water Seven with a terrifying roar, exposing the seabed and pulling the canals dry. Nami and the others stare at the impossible sight. Someone says, "There hasn't been even one reply..." and another adds, "Everybody's been calling for them..." Nami refuses to stop: "Idiot, just keep trying!!!" She keeps shouting into the rain as the city groans around her.

People point toward the sea in horror: "This is awful~~~!!!" "Look at the ocean!!!" The streets hiss dry, "SHSHSHSH..." "SHSHSHSH..." as the water drains away. Citizens call, "Hey, what's wrong?!!" and "Ah! Paulie-san!! Please look!!" Paulie understands what the retreat means. "The ebbing of the water is abnormal!!!" he says. Swallowing hard, he explains, "The stronger the ebbing is, the larger the waves are that will come back." Another voice warns, "If you look at the ebbing of the water... you can tell the size of the high tide..." while someone is blown helplessly by the wind, "I'm flying~~!!"

Chimney, Gonbe, and Kokoro watch the drained city from above. Kokoro murmurs, "Now, I wonder how many meters it's fallen this year." Chimney says, "Look," and Gonbe adds, "Pop..." Then the full city comes into view, stranded above a sea that has nearly vanished. Chimney cries, "It looks as though... the sea has completely dried up!!!" Gonbe chatters, "Nga gagagaga!" and "Nya nya~~~~!!" Kokoro says, "In the past... yeah, decades... even I have never witnessed a scene such as this."

The foremen stare across the emptied sea. "Can it be..." one asks. "Is it even possible for the tide to recede this much...!?" Another says, "This is the first time I've seen anything like this...!!!" The city falls silent under the enormous wind: "The sounds of the ocean... have stopped..." Paulie understands the implication: "Which can only mean that huge waves will come...!!!" Someone shouts, "The back streets will be completely swallowed!!!!" Another realizes the stakes: "There's nobody left in the back streets, right?! If there are, they're done for!!!" Chopper watches in fear: "......"

Chimney suddenly spots something below. "Gran'ma, lookie, lookie! Something's over there~~!!" she calls, while Gonbe meows, "Nya nya nyaa~~~!?" Chimney insists, "There's something in between the houses~~~!!" Kokoro looks down, "Hm~~!?" Nami, breathing hard from the search, follows their gaze. Chimney shouts, "Look, look, lookie~~~!!" Nami says, "Kokoro-san!!" and from below Kokoro calls back, "Hey, you... Pirate girl."

Chimney waves frantically: "Wa~~!! Miss Pirate Lady!! Hey!! Look over there!!" Gonbe cries, "Nya nya!!" Nami asks, "Something...?" Kokoro scolds from behind her, "What've you been looking at all this time? Chimney..." Then Nami finally understands. "Just a second... what!? The ocean's dried up..." Her eye snaps wide as she sees Luffy wedged deep between the buildings, still asleep: "Snzz!!" "Mwa..." The realization hits her like a shock: "Luffy!!!"

Nami runs straight into the back streets despite the danger. People shout after her, "Hey, girl, isn't that your easygoing Pirate King? What's he doing there?" and "Hmm?? That straw hat..." Others cry, "Hey!! Where do you think you're going!!?" "Don't you know you can't go into the back streets now!!?" "Did she say the back streets!?" and "Hey, somebody stop that girl!!" Gonbe yells, "Come back here!!!" Nami, furious and terrified, calls Luffy an "Idiot!!!!!" as she races toward him. Behind the city, the returning wall of water rises. The final warning tears across the page: "Don't you want to stay alive!!?" and "'Aqua Laguna' is coming!!!!"

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