Countless golden beams pierced through the darkness of the sky, illuminating Water 7 and the gradually calming sea.
Amidst this celestial radiance, a small figure plummeted straight down from the distant sky.
"No! He's exhausted!"
Law's face changed drastically. Without hesitation, his right hand spread open, summoning a spherical forcefield out of thin air. His figure vanished from the crumbling city wall.
Three hundred meters away, high in the air, Law reappeared, falling downward.
"Boom!"
The air beneath his feet exploded, as he used Moonwalk, one of the Six Powers, to hold himself aloft.
"ROOM!"
A 500-meter-wide operation space expanded once more, pulling Law forward as he teleported rapidly toward the falling Rorschach.
However—
He was still too late.
Rorschach, in his Kirin form, had surged forward thousands of meters.
The distance between them was still over a thousand meters—just two or three more teleports and he would have reached him—
But then, a soft splash echoed from below.
A silhouette had plunged into the sea.
"No! No!"
High above, Law's eyes turned bloodshot as he burned through the last of his strength, teleporting again and again until he reached the spot where Rorschach had fallen.
Yet—
Only the golden-reflecting ocean remained beneath him.
The waters, shimmering under the sunlight, showed no trace of him.
Law's body trembled.
Rorschach was gone.
He had fallen into the sea.
He was a Devil Fruit user.
"ROOM! Scalpel!"
Law desperately extended his fingers, deploying another surgical field—but this time, the sphere was only 100 meters wide, shrunken due to his depleted energy.
Massive volumes of seawater were teleported into the air, suspended in midair.
Law's eyes widened as he frantically searched for Rorschach's figure within the floating water—
But he found nothing.
"Boom."
"Boom."
The air trembled as he stomped down violently, his body swaying from fatigue.
His eyes were bloodshot as he twisted his head toward Water 7, and roared:
"SOMEONE GET DOWN HERE AND SEARCH THE WATER!"
The distance was too far—he wasn't sure if anyone could even hear him.
But on the high walls of Water 7, a large crowd had already leaped from the edges, ignoring the risk to their lives.
"Splash! Splash!"
Like falling dumplings, Navy soldiers, Galley-La shipwrights, and even Franky Family members dove into the water, their eyes red with desperation as they screamed and swam toward the spot where Rorschach had fallen.
"No! Big Bro Rorschach, you CAN'T die!"
Hibari's face was already soaked in tears. She bit her lip, using Moonwalk to speed across the sky toward the ocean.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach is a Devil Fruit user! Once he falls into the sea, he'll be powerless—he won't even be able to keep himself afloat!"
"If we don't get to him in time…"
Down below, Penn was swimming at full speed, pushing ahead of everyone. His eyes were blood-red with urgency.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach is the future of justice! His strength—his kindness—far surpasses mine! He absolutely, ABSOLUTELY cannot die!"
On top of the city walls, Lucci silently observed as more and more residents of Water 7 rushed toward the sea, throwing themselves into the water, screaming that they must save their city's hero.
Beside him, Kaku was nowhere to be seen.
Iceburg clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced his palms, drawing fresh blood—yet he didn't even notice.
With a voice so hoarse that it was almost a roar, he shouted:
"IDIOTS! GET THE SHIPS OUT! DO YOU THINK SWIMMING WILL GET YOU THERE IN TIME?! AND—AND THE SEA TRAIN! LAUNCH THE SEA TRAIN!"
"EVERY ABLE-BODIED MAN, GET OUT TO SEA! FIND RORSCHACH—NO MATTER WHAT!"
Before his voice had even faded—
"WOOOOOOO!"
The deep blast of a train whistle cut through the air.
The sea train, which had just arrived at the station yesterday, released a jet of scalding steam as it clanked forward, rapidly accelerating toward the sea.
Inside the driver's cabin, a young girl named Anna gripped the control panel, her face pale with worry.
"Dad! Go faster! Go even faster!"
"I'm already pushing it to the limit! Keep calm!"
The bald, middle-aged train conductor, drenched in sweat, gripped the levers tightly, eyes locked on the ocean ahead.
Suddenly—
"BOOM!"
The left side of the ocean exploded, sending a massive column of water into the sky.
The shockwave violently shook the sea train's compartments.
Inside the driver's cabin, both father and daughter were nearly thrown to the floor.
"What was that?! Don't tell me… the Gods of the Sea aren't done yet?!"
Anna looked up in panic—
And then—
She saw two colossal Emperor Bulls, furiously paddling their limbs, sprinting across the ocean at full speed.
A man wearing nothing but underwear waved his hand, firing streaks of flame that blasted apart the connecting rods of the ship being dragged behind the Emperor Bull.
"Kimore! Faster! Even faster! I won't allow that guy to just die like this!"
"That Navy kid… he's a man I, Franky, have acknowledged!"
Atop the Emperor Bull's head, Franky roared, ignoring his own battered and broken body.
As if responding to his call, the massive sea beast beneath him opened its mouth wide and let out a thunderous bellow.
"MOOO!"
The ocean split apart in its wake.
In an instant, the gigantic beast surged forward, surpassing the sea train, outpacing even the desperate Penn, and charging to the very front of the search effort.
Half an hour later.
On the vast ocean, about three kilometers from Water 7, the sea was now covered with countless boats, big and small.
Men, drenched in sweat, surfaced one after another, gasping for breath.
More and more people took deep breaths and dove back down, searching relentlessly for the missing Navy youth.
At the bow of a small boat, Law sat slumped, looking at the sea with lifeless eyes.
"Splash."
Suddenly, the water nearby broke open, and a small figure emerged, gasping for air.
Hibari's eyes were filled with fear and unease.
"I can't find him… I can't find Big Bro Rorschach…"
"Splash."
"Splash!"
More figures broke through the surface.
Bepo, Penn, Pequin, and others popped up one by one.
"Did you find Big Bro Rorschach, Bepo?!"
Hibari's eyes were full of hope, scanning each person's face.
"I… I'm sorry. I couldn't find the Rear Admiral."
Bepo's bear-like head drooped, unable to meet Hibari's hopeful gaze.
"Keep searching!"
Suddenly, Penn's hoarse voice came from nearby.
His horrific, skeletal face was soaked with a mixture of seawater, sweat, and possibly tears. He gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely.
"Yes!"
One after another, Navy soldiers took deep breaths and dived back in without hesitation.
Hibari bit her lip and once again plunged into the freezing ocean.
"Diving suits! Damn it! Why didn't we bring the diving suits?! Someone go back and get them from the city hall, NOW!"
Climbing onto a small boat, gasping for breath, Iceburg roared at the top of his lungs.
Everyone from Water 7—including the shipwrights of the Galley-La Company—had never seen Iceburg like this.
To them, Iceburg was always calm, steady, and composed, never losing control no matter what happened.
But at this moment—
The greatest mayor in Water 7's history, the man known for his unshakable resolve, was roaring like a beast in agony.
Yet no one found it strange.
Because everyone here, searching for Rorschach, felt the same heavy, crushing pain as Iceburg.
That godlike Navy youth, the one who defeated the Water Gods of Rakulana, the one who saved Water 7, had now vanished into the endless sea, leaving no trace behind.
On the broken walls of Water 7, the citizens had begun to gather.
All eyes were fixed on the sea.
Some had their hands clasped together, eyes closed, whispering prayers.
Little Emily clung tightly to her mother, her eyes reflecting the golden sunlight shimmering on the endless ocean—and the tiny, desperate figures still searching.
(End of Chapter)
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