"We couldn't find him… Even after I had Emperor Bull dive deep into the ocean and search thousands of meters around the seabed, there was no sign of him."
Lying exhausted on Emperor Bull's back, tongue hanging out, Franky's face was filled with grief. His hoarse voice carried over to Iceburg, who sat in a small boat nearby.
"None of the employees of the Galley-La Company have found any trace of Commodore Rorschach either."
Barry, completely soaked, had his hands and feet wrinkled from prolonged exposure to seawater. His tone was full of helplessness.
"The entire Franky Family searched as well, but we came up empty-handed!"
Zambai gritted his teeth, his face full of guilt.
Just a while ago, they had been completely at odds with the Navy.
They had stolen money from them, refused to admit it, and even attacked and injured several Marines.
Yet, despite all that, the Navy had chosen not to hold them accountable.
According to Iceburg, that Marine officer was even willing to forgive Franky for his past actions.
And in the end, it was that very same Marine—the one they had opposed—who saved Water 7.
If Rorschach hadn't stepped up to fight against Aqua Laguna head-on…
Not a single one of them would have survived that world-ending super tsunami.
Many of the searchers were already exhausted from long hours of diving, their strength depleted.
Their skin had turned pale and cracked from soaking in the seawater for too long.
Most of the city's residents had climbed onto floating boats to rest.
Only fifty Marines remained, stubbornly repeating the cycle of surfacing and diving again and again.
Rō sat motionless in the small boat, staring blankly like a wooden puppet.
On the Galley-La Company's large ship, Iceburg listened to everyone's reports, then pursed his lips and began putting on a bulky, heavy diving suit.
Seeing this, Franky sighed inwardly. He slid off Emperor Bull's back and jumped onto the deck.
"I'll do it, Iceburg. You're not built for this. And who knows how long it's been since that diving suit was last used? If something goes wrong underwater, with your physical condition, you won't make it back up..."
As he spoke, he reached out to stop Iceburg from putting on the suit—only to have his hand swatted away.
"You…" Franky froze in place.
Iceburg continued to suit up, his teeth clenched. Through gritted teeth, his hoarse voice forced out the words:
"Rorschach sacrificed himself to save Water 7.
As the mayor of this city, it is my duty to bring him back.
I will not let a hero's remains be lost to the cold depths of the sea.
Even if it costs me my life—it will be worth it!"
A heavy silence fell over the crowd.
"Zambai! Where's my cola? Bring it over, now!"
Franky clenched his steel-covered fists and shouted.
Zambai hesitated for a moment, then ran over carrying a crate of cola.
Franky opened up his torso, stuffed several large bottles inside, then grabbed a few more, twisted them open, and chugged them down in big gulps.
"Big Bro Franky, there's only one diving suit! Are you really going down there? It's too dangerous! Even though you're a cyborg, the pressure in the deep sea is terrifying! Even an iron man would be crushed!"
Zambai's face was filled with worry as he tried to talk him out of it.
"Shut up!"
Franky slammed the cola bottle against the deck with a loud bang, making his followers flinch.
"If he hadn't jumped in to save a thief like me, there's no way that guy would've been sent flying by Aqua Laguna!"
"I'm a sinner who got a hero killed!"
"Iceburg! We're going down together! We're bringing him back—dead or alive!"
Franky's eyes burned with determination as he roared.
"Mr. Iceburg!"
"Big Bro Franky!"
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned red.
At that moment, the surface of the sea was disturbed again.
Hibari broke through the waves, her lips cracked and her face deathly pale.
She had been biting her lip so hard that, when she finally let go, she pouted—then, like a dam breaking, tears gushed down her face.
The despair she had held back for over an hour could no longer be contained. Her sobs echoed across the sea.
Penguin, Bepo, and the others surfaced one by one. Hearing Hibari's cries, they all froze in place, as if turned to stone.
Their eyes reddened, and no one could hold back their tears any longer.
In the small boat, Rō clenched the brim of his hat, pulling it down low over his face.
Drip. Drip.
Drops of water fell, splashing onto the wooden deck, shattering into tiny fragments.
The sorrow spread with Hibari's cries, blanketing the entire sea.
One by one, the more emotional members of the group began to cry aloud.
Waves of Sorrow
The cries of grief echoed across the sea, like a mournful symphony of sorrow.
Atop the towering walls of Water 7, the citizens stood in silence, gazing out at the distant ocean.
Iceburg and the others had been out at sea for over an hour now, and not a single one of them had returned.
The people of Water 7 already knew—they had gone to search for their fallen hero.
The Marine commodore named Rorschach.
The hero who had single-handedly defeated the Gods of Water, Aqua Laguna, and protected Water 7.
"Could it be… Commodore Rorschach is already… gone?"
Murmurs of speculation rippled through the crowd.
But those voices were quickly drowned out by angry rebukes.
"Shut up! That Marine officer had the power to defeat Aqua Laguna! How could someone like that die from mere drowning?"
"Did you not see him? He stood like a god! Even the sea itself bowed before him!"
The ones shouting these words were, for the most part, the citizens of the lower district.
Most of them had been personally saved by Rorschach, lifted to safety in an instant by his abilities.
Because of this, many had seen him up close—and remembered his face.
"Mama, will that big brother Marine who bought us Water-Grilled Meat disappear too?"
"Will he vanish into Aqua Laguna's waters, just like Papa did?"
Little Emily tilted her head up, looking at her mother with wide, innocent eyes.
Margaret's lips trembled. She bit her lower lip, knelt down, and signed with her hands:
"No, he won't.
Just like Papa isn't gone, that Marine big brother won't be gone either.
He and Papa are both heroes—heroes worthy of respect."
Emily's voice wavered. "Papa was a hero too?"
Margaret nodded firmly and signed again.
"Of course! Papa is our family's hero. And that Marine big brother is everyone's hero.
Emily, you must respect him the same way you respect Papa—because he saved us all."
She pulled her daughter into a warm embrace.
Emily's eyes shone with a determination far beyond her years.
"Mama, when I grow up, I want to be a Marine too. I want to be a hero!"
Back on the sea, the sound of sobbing, sniffling, and choked cries continued to rise and fall.
Then, suddenly—splash, splash, splash!—the distant waves stirred.
A massive, oddly swimming blue frog was gasping for air as it swam tirelessly toward the grieving crowd.
Seated on its back was a silver-haired, blue-eyed young man.
As the distance between them shrank, the sound of the water's movement grew clearer.
And with it, one by one, the people on the boats turned their eyes toward the approaching figure.
Then—those who had been weeping in grief froze in place.
Rorschach's face darkened as he listened to the cries echoing around him.
"Who died?"
"Franky? No… No way. He doesn't have that kind of influence. There's no way this many people would cry for him."
His brows furrowed in deep thought. Then, a name suddenly flashed through his mind.
His fists clenched. His eyes trembled.
"Could it be… Iceburg?"
"No… That's impossible, right? He stayed back in Water 7 the whole time… Unless… he was swept away by the waves?"
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Rorschach approached the person crying the loudest—Hibari.
Bepo, Penguin, and the others, who had been quietly shedding tears, suddenly gawked.
Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, like they had just seen a ghost.
"Waaaaahhh! Big Bro Rorschach, you can't die! You promised to protect me! To protect everyone!"
"You liar! Waaaaahhh!"
Hibari sobbed uncontrollably, her cries filled with despair.
The splashing of the waves behind her did nothing to draw her attention.
Rorschach blinked. Scratching his head, he opened his mouth in confusion.
Then, utterly dumbfounded, he blurted out—
"Wait… You guys didn't actually think I was dead, did you?"
(End of Chapter)
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