Chapter 24: Escape from Water 7
Year 1516 - Water 7, The City Under Siege
The maintenance tunnels beneath Galley-La smelled of oil, salt water, and decades of accumulated grime. Aiko ran through them carrying both Robin and the frozen Lucci, his Observation Haki stretched to its limits detecting pursuit.
"They're right behind us," he warned Iceburg. "Four... no, six CP agents. And they're using Soru to close distance."
"The tunnel opens to the aqua roads in fifty meters," Iceburg replied, his knowledge of the city's infrastructure proving invaluable. "But that's also where they'll expect us to emerge. It'll be heavily guarded."
"Then we make them think we're going somewhere else." Aiko set down his burdens carefully. "Robin, can you use your powers at all?"
"Minimally. Maybe a dozen arms before I pass out."
"That's enough. Create eyes at the tunnel exit—scout what we're facing." He turned to Iceburg. "Alternative routes?"
"The sewer system connects to the aqua roads at multiple points, but it's a maze down there. Without a guide, you'd be lost for hours."
"I'll be your guide," a new voice said.
Everyone spun to find a girl emerging from a side passage—maybe eight years old, with blue pigtails and an attitude far too confident for her age.
"I'm Chimney! I know ALL the secret passages in Water 7! And my grandma said to help the Snow Admiral because anyone who makes the government mad is probably doing something right!"
"Your grandma said that?" Iceburg asked, incredulous.
"Yep! She's Kokoro, the station master. She also said the government are 'authoritarian bastards who need a good kick in their collective asses,' but I'm not supposed to repeat that part." Chimney grinned. "So you want to escape or not?"
Aiko's Observation Haki assessed her—genuine intent to help, no deception, just a child who thought adventure was exciting. Dangerous to involve her, but they had few options.
"Lead the way. Fast as you can."
Chimney took off running, her small size letting her navigate tight passages that adults had to squeeze through. Behind them, sounds of pursuit grew louder—CP agents had entered the tunnels.
They emerged not at the main aqua road, but at a tiny side canal barely wide enough for a single gondola. And waiting there, somehow, was Isra with a stolen Yagara Bull.
"Figured you'd need extraction," she said, grinning despite the chaos. "Chimney's grandma tipped us off about this route. Get in!"
They piled into the gondola—Aiko, Robin, Iceburg, frozen Lucci, and Chimney who refused to leave. The Yagara Bull took off with impressive speed, these creatures bred specifically for Water 7's complex canal system.
"Where's the Hakusetsu?" Aiko asked.
"Dock 23, eastern harbor. Doc's ready for immediate departure, but there's a problem—" Isra pointed ahead where the canal opened into a larger aqua road. "Marine blockade. They've got every exit point covered."
Sure enough, Marine ships blocked the route to the harbor. And on the lead vessel, Vice Admiral Dalmatian stood with his dog-like Zoan transformation partially active.
"Snow Admiral!" his voice boomed across the water. "You're surrounded! Surrender or we open fire!"
"Can't do that!" Aiko shouted back. "Kind of on a schedule!"
"Then you've chosen death! All ships—"
A massive explosion erupted behind the Marine blockade. Ships lurched sideways, formation breaking as something attacked from the rear.
Through the smoke, a modified boat appeared—bristling with weapons, powered by what looked like jury-rigged cola engines, and at its helm was Franky, his blue hair unmistakable even at a distance.
"SUPER SURPRISE ATTACK!" his voice carried across the water. "Nobody messes with Tom's city and gets away with it!"
His arms—revealed to be detachable cannons—fired in rapid succession. Not at the ships themselves but at the water around them, creating waves and chaos that disrupted the blockade's coordination.
"Who is that maniac?" Dalmatian demanded, his ships trying to reorganize.
"That's Franky," Iceburg said with something between pride and exasperation. "Tom's other apprentice. He's... protective of Water 7."
"And loud," Chimney added. "Really, really loud."
Taking advantage of the chaos, Isra guided their gondola through gaps in the blockade. They were almost through when Aiko's Observation Haki screamed a warning.
"DOWN!"
Everyone ducked as a beam of light passed overhead, vaporizing the canal wall behind them. Kizaru appeared on a rooftop, his casual stance somehow more threatening than any battle pose.
"Running away~? How troublesome~ I came all this way and you won't even fight properly~" He raised both hands, fingers glowing. "Let me help you stay a while longer~"
Dozens of light beams fired simultaneously, each one capable of destroying a building. Aiko threw up ice barriers, but the light passed through them like they were tissue paper. The gondola's hull cracked, started taking water—
Robin's arms bloomed across nearby buildings, creating a shield of flesh that dispersed just enough of the light's energy to prevent direct hits. She gasped, blood trickling from her nose from the strain.
"I can't... do that again..." she whispered.
"You won't have to." A new voice—female, commanding. "Everyone, hang on!"
A massive wave surged through the canal, far larger than any natural current. It carried their gondola forward at impossible speed, shooting them past the blockade, past the Marine ships, past everything toward the open harbor.
On a nearby rooftop, a woman with a Marine coat stood—her hands raised, controlling the water itself. Rear Admiral Hina, her expression unreadable.
"Hina is interfering with pursuit," she said into her Den Den Mushi, her voice carrying just enough for them to hear. "The fugitives escaped through unexpected route. Hina requires backup."
Her tone suggested she required nothing of the sort.
As they rode the artificial wave toward the Hakusetsu, Aiko met Hina's eyes across the distance. She nodded once—an acknowledgment, perhaps even approval—then turned away as if she'd genuinely failed to stop them.
"Why would she help us?" Robin asked.
"Because not all Marines are blind," Aiko replied, remembering similar words from their last encounter. "Some still remember what the uniform is supposed to represent."
They reached the Hakusetsu as Franky's modified boat pulled alongside. The cyborg teenager leaped aboard, landing with enough force to crack the deck.
"SUPER entrance!" he announced. "Now where's this ship going? Because after that stunt, I'm definitely not welcome in Water 7 anymore!"
"You're coming with us?" Iceburg asked, appearing behind them.
"You came too?" Franky looked surprised.
"CP tried to assassinate me. I'm implicated in harboring criminals. And honestly?" Iceburg smiled—a genuine expression. "I'm tired of pretending the World Government's actions are acceptable. If you're really trying to expose their lies, Snow Admiral, I want to help. I owe Tom that much."
"We're collecting quite the crew," Isra observed as Doc began treating Robin's injuries. "Former Marines, Revolutionary agents, escaped prisoners, and now Tom's apprentices. At this rate, we'll need a bigger ship."
"Speaking of which," Franky said, examining the Hakusetsu with a critical eye. "This ship is SUPER decent, but she's showing wear. Battle damage, strain from emergency maneuvers, and—is that cannon fire damage on the hull? You guys need a refit. Lucky for you, I'm the SUPER best shipwright you'll ever meet!"
"We need to leave Water 7 first," Aiko said, watching Marine ships beginning to organize pursuit. "Doc, how's Robin?"
"Haki depletion, Fruit overuse, and exhaustion. She needs rest. Days of it, not hours." Doc looked at Aiko pointedly. "Same as you, by the way. You've been fighting non-stop—CP agents, Lucci, and creating those ice barriers against Kizaru's attacks. Your body is accumulating damage faster than you can heal."
"I'll rest when we're safe."
"You'll rest now or I'll sedate you," Doc replied flatly. "Captain's orders from your chief medical officer. You're no good to anyone if you collapse mid-battle because you ignored basic physiology."
Before Aiko could argue, Koji called from the crow's nest: "Admiral Kizaru is approaching! Light-speed travel across the water—he'll be here in seconds!"
"Then we need something he won't expect," Franky said, his hands already working on the ship's engine. "How do you feel about SUPER high-speed escape powered by cola combustion?"
"Will it work?" Isra asked.
"No idea! Never tried it on a ship this size! But it'll be SUPER spectacular either way!"
"Do it," Aiko decided.
Franky dove into the engine room. Thirty seconds later, the Hakusetsu lurched forward with acceleration that pressed everyone against the railings. The ship shot across Water 7's harbor at speeds that should have torn it apart, leaving a wake that capsized smaller vessels.
Behind them, Kizaru appeared on the dock they'd just vacated, watching their escape with his usual lazy expression.
"Ohhh~ They're fast~ How inconvenient~" He pulled out a Den Den Mushi. "This is Admiral Kizaru~ The Snow Admiral has escaped Water 7~ Yes, yes, I tried to stop them~ Very hard, I tried~ But they had unexpected help~"
He hung up and looked at the frozen form of Rob Lucci that one of his subordinates had recovered from Galley-La.
"Agent Lucci defeated and captured~ Miss Robin willingly joined them~ Tom's apprentices recruited~" Kizaru scratched his head. "The Snow Admiral is collecting quite the group~ Fleet Admiral won't be happy~"
"Should we pursue, Admiral?" a Captain asked.
"Mmm... no~ Let them run~ Besides..." Kizaru looked at the chaos throughout Water 7—damaged buildings, disrupted CP operations, Marine ships in disarray. "I have a feeling someone wanted this outcome~ Too many convenient failures~ Too many people in the right place at the wrong time~"
His eyes narrowed slightly, the lazy demeanor cracking for just a moment.
"Someone's playing a larger game~ And we're all pieces on their board~"
The Hakusetsu - Three Hours Later, At Sea
The emergency acceleration had carried them far from Water 7. Now the ship proceeded at normal speed while Franky, Iceburg, and Akira assessed the damage.
"She held together better than I expected," Franky admitted, examining stress fractures in the hull. "But you need repairs. SUPER good repairs. I can handle most of it, but we'll need to dock somewhere safe for a few weeks."
"We don't have anywhere safe," Isra pointed out. "Every Marine base is hunting us. Most islands report strangers to authorities. Where can we possibly stay for weeks?"
"I know a place," Sadi said quietly. All eyes turned to her. "Revolutionary Army has hidden bases throughout the Grand Line. Places that don't officially exist. Dragon authorized me to reveal their locations if necessary. One of them—Momoiro Island—has full shipyard facilities."
"Momoiro Island?" Kiara checked her maps. "I've never heard of it."
"That's the point. It's hidden through a combination of eternal log pose manipulation and... unique defensive measures. But the Revolutionary Army's Eastern Division operates from there. We'd have protection, supplies, and time to repair properly."
"Then that's our destination," Aiko decided. "Akira, plot a course. Franky, make a list of materials you'll need. Everyone else, rotate rest shifts—I want full crew operational within twenty-four hours."
"What about him?" Yuki asked, pointing to where the still-frozen Lucci had been secured in the brig. "We can't keep a CP0 agent permanently frozen. Eventually, we'll have to thaw him or kill him."
"We thaw him. In a controlled environment, with full restraints." Aiko looked at the leopard-man's frozen form. "And then we try something that probably won't work."
"What's that?" Marcus asked.
"We try to deprogram eight hundred years of World Government indoctrination. Show him that everything he was taught about order, about justice, about duty—it's all built on lies." Aiko's expression was determined. "If we can turn one CP0 agent, make him question his loyalty, imagine the intelligence he could provide. The operations he knows about, the secrets he's been entrusted with."
"That's incredibly optimistic," Robin said from her medical bed. "CP agents are trained from childhood. Their loyalty is absolute. The chances of turning Lucci are essentially zero."
"Maybe. But I remember what you said—that you'd spent twenty years assuming no one could be trusted, that every offer of help was a trap. And now you're here, helping us, because we proved through actions that another way exists." Aiko met her eyes. "Maybe Lucci can be shown the same thing. Maybe he can't. But we try regardless, because that's what separates us from them—we see potential for change where they see only threats to eliminate."
Robin was quiet for a moment, then smiled slightly. "You're either the most naively optimistic person I've ever met, or the most dangerously effective revolutionary. I haven't decided which."
"Can't I be both?"
"Unfortunately, you probably are."
A commotion erupted from the deck—Chimney had discovered Aria's mist form and was trying to catch handfuls of fog while the former Marine lieutenant patiently explained that she couldn't be captured that way.
"We also need to figure out what to do with her," Isra said, watching the child. "She helped us, but taking an eight-year-old into combat situations..."
"I'll take her back," Iceburg said. "Once we reach this Momoiro Island, I can arrange transport to Water 7. Her grandmother will be worried, and the girl deserves a normal life, not... this." He gestured vaguely at their wanted poster-covered bulletin board.
"Speaking of normal lives," Doc interrupted, "could everyone who's NOT critically injured please leave the medical bay? Robin needs rest, and you're all making noise."
As the crew dispersed to their tasks, Aiko stood at the helm with Isra, watching the horizon.
"We barely escaped," Isra said quietly. "If Hina hadn't helped, if Franky hadn't attacked at the right moment, if Kizaru had been even slightly more aggressive... we'd all be dead or captured."
"I know."
"And it's only going to get worse. Every time we succeed, every ally we recruit, every Poneglyph we read—we become a bigger threat. The World Government will escalate further. Next time it might not be one Admiral, but three. Or a Buster Call. Or something worse that we don't even know exists yet."
"I know that too."
"Then why do you look so calm?"
Aiko was quiet for a moment, watching snow fall gently around the ship—his unconscious manifestation responding to his emotional state.
"Because despite everything, we're winning. Not the battles—we've lost plenty of those. But the war of ideas. Every Marine who helps us like Hina did, every civilian who sees us protect innocents, every person who hears our story and questions the World Government's narrative—those are victories that last."
"You're playing a long game."
"I'm playing the only game that matters. The World Government has military superiority, institutional momentum, and eight hundred years of established authority. We can't beat that with force. But we can beat it with truth, with example, with showing people there's an alternative." He looked at his crew—former Marines, escaped prisoners, rebel shipwrights, all working together toward something larger than themselves.
"The revolution isn't about overthrowing the World Government. It's about making people realize the World Government's authority was never legitimate to begin with. That's a longer fight, but it's one we can actually win."
"And when Im-sama decides to end that fight? When eight centuries of accumulated power comes down on us with intent to exterminate?"
"Then we'll face it. Together. With every ally we've gathered, every truth we've learned, every principle we've refused to compromise." Aiko smiled. "And maybe, just maybe, we'll prove that even eight hundred years of tyranny can fall."
Isra shook her head. "You're insane. You know that?"
"Probably. But so are you, or you wouldn't have followed me this far."
"Fair point."
As the Hakusetsu sailed toward Momoiro Island, as crew members rested and recovered, as plans were made for repairs and future operations, none of them knew that in Mary Geoise, a decision had been finalized.
The Five Elders stood before Im's throne, receiving final instructions.
"The Snow Admiral has read one Poneglyph. Recruited Nico Robin. Gathered Tom's apprentices. Freed CP0 Agent Lucci—or will attempt to turn him." Im's ancient voice was calm. "He's collecting pieces faster than anticipated."
"Should we accelerate the timeline?" Saint Warcury asked.
"No. Let him continue. Let him read more Poneglyphs, gather more allies, learn more truths. I want him to believe he's succeeding completely." Im stood from the throne. "But prepare the final strike. When the moment comes, I want overwhelming force. The Snow Admiral, his crew, his allies, his followers—all eliminated simultaneously."
"A Buster Call?"
"Something more thorough. I want Cipher Pol, Marine Admirals, and if necessary, my personal intervention. This light has burned bright enough. Soon, we extinguish it forever."
"When, Im-sama?"
"When he's gathered everything. When he believes change is possible. When hope burns brightest in his heart and the hearts of those who follow him." Im's smile was ancient and terrible. "That's when we strike. And the darkness that follows will last another eight hundred years."
Far away, Danzo Aiko stood at his ship's helm, unaware of the trap closing around him, believing that truth and justice could triumph over power and lies.
Time would tell if his belief was justified.
Or if it was simply the final delusion before extinction.
END OF CHAPTER 24
Next Chapter: "Momoiro Island - The Revolutionary Base"