Water 7 remained lively even at night.
A group of drunken patrons, arms slung around each other's shoulders, stumbled toward their next drinking spot, their voices booming through the streets.
Meanwhile...
Tap! Tap!
A man wearing a rat-faced mask walked along the streets of Water 7, carrying two bloodstained packages.
Yet the late-night revelers seemed completely oblivious to his presence.
Buzz!
Without a sound, the man passed right through one of the drunken patrons.
"The Door-Door Fruit. Such a convenient ability," Roy mused beneath his mask.
In the holographic display within his vision, a silent description explained the source of this scene:
{Door-Door Fruit LV3: Can open doors to separate space and hide within it while retaining vision of the outside world.}
That's right.
After obtaining the Door-Door Fruit, Roy had immediately upgraded this exceptionally useful fruit to LV3.
And in doing so, he had achieved his original objective in coming to Water 7.
"As long as there's enough time, Zishu can bring the other clones to meet the main body at any time, refreshing their status without anyone noticing."
This alone was more than enough to satisfy Roy.
But the question remained: why had Zishu appeared at the Buffalo Bar earlier?
There were two reasons.
"Just as I suspected, the Door-Door Fruit's Other Space is interconnected."
This was the first reason—an interconnected Other Space meant Blueno could discover Roy's secrets, so he had to die.
Beyond that, the second reason was...
"This clone's next plan will still require your heads."
"But before that..."
Murmuring softly, Zishu looked ahead.
Unknowingly, he had already reached the edge of Water 7. Before him lay the surging, turbulent sea. Yet Zishu's footsteps did not pause in the slightest.
He stepped forward into the sea, his feet landing on the rushing waves. But the countless waves were completely unable to affect him in any way.
This was the true power of the Door-Door Fruit: within the separate space, he was unaffected by the outside world.
Then, at a certain moment...
"... "
Zishu finally stopped.
"According to the coordinates given by Mr. 4, it should be around here."
He looked at the sea before him, there was no island, no research facility.
The surface of the sea was completely empty. Just as Mr. 4 himself had said, if he hadn't experienced it personally, he wouldn't have believed that an island was hidden here either.
Truthfully, Zishu felt the same way. He hadn't initially believed he would actually find the research facility.
But now, things were different.
"What a coincidence," Zishu murmured, pulling a sheet of paper from his sleeve. "Of all the information brought by these two CP-9 agents, it turns out there's something quite interesting recorded here."
In truth, Zishu had only gone to the Buffalo Bar to kill Blueno. He never expected to stumble upon Fukuro and Blueno exchanging information.
Zishu hadn't placed much hope in that box of information to begin with.
After all, he knew that Blueno and his group's primary objective while infiltrating Water 7 was to obtain the Pluton Blueprint.
As for information about Pluton, Zishu couldn't say he knew nothing, but he could also say he knew everything.
Therefore, he considered the chances of that box containing anything useful to him to be slim.
But the reality far exceeded his expectations.
After sifting through the massive box of information, though most of it proved worthless to him, one particular log entry caught his eye:
{Log of Government and Marine Personnel Entering and Leaving Water 7 — Year: Sea Circle Calendar 1503}
{April, Sea Circle Calendar 1503 — Marine Colonel Doberman arrived in Water 7 to repair a battleship; stayed for 3 days}
{May, Sea Circle Calendar 1503 — CP-9 operations ship arrived in Water 7 for routine maintenance; stayed for 1 day}
{Sea Circle Calendar …}
Within this log, now already a full fourteen years old, and seemingly ordinary…
{July, Sea Circle Calendar 1503 — Dr. Vegapunk and his mechanical assistants boarded a "Special Science Vessel" and traveled to Water 7 for scientific research}
{As "Aqua Laguna" had just entered its ebb phase, the Special Science Vessel became lost at sea south of Water 7. The government dispatched five battleships to search for a month without success. Only after a high-ranking official was sent to personally take command did they finally locate Dr. Vegapunk, who had already run aground in nearby waters}
Yes...
Yes... on this page of the Log, Zishu saw the name "Vegapunk."
And the content was quite intriguing.
{Lost at sea south of Water 7 for a month.}
The coincidence lay right there: the sea that Mr. 4 had mentioned was precisely to the south of Water 7, where Zishu was currently standing!
Moreover, ignoring the term "lost at sea," Zishu could summarize the logged information differently:
{Vegapunk disappeared for over a month near Water 7, and the Marines had no idea where he was!}
This was the reason he had come here.
If his guess was correct, then Vegapunk had spent the month he went missing at the research facility on the small island Mr. 4 mentioned.
And this piece of information would be extraordinarily significant for finding that research facility.
The most crucial words within it were...
"The ebb phase of Aqua Laguna." Zishu murmured softly.
Aqua Laguna was the massive tidal wave that periodically struck Water 7 every year.
Its origins remained a mystery, yet its destructive power rivaled that of God, hence its name.
Aqua Laguna typically arrived around June and gradually receded throughout July.
Due to the tidal and sea current disturbances caused by Aqua Laguna, the entire sea around Water 7 underwent corresponding changes during these months. June was known as the 'high tide season,' while July was the 'ebb tide season.'
During these two months, the seas around Water 7 became extremely dangerous.
Ships entering the waters near Water 7 during the "high tide" period risked being swallowed by tsunamis caused by the rising seawater.
Conversely, ships approaching Water 7 during the "low tide" period faced the danger of being sucked into the depths of the Sea by the receding seawater.
Only after the low tide period ended would the Sea around Water 7 return to its usual calm.
"Vegapunk arrived at Water 7 at the beginning of the low tide period and then 'drifted' at Sea for a month, which coincided exactly with the end of the low tide period."
"Mr. 4 mentioned encountering an enormous tsunami during his shipwreck in late June—that tsunami must have been the final Aqua Laguna of that year."
"After the shipwreck, it was precisely July, the start of the Aqua Laguna's low tide period. That's why Mr. 4 survived and found that small island."
This was too much of a coincidence, so much so that the truth seemed to be practically shouting itself out.
"There is only one answer." As he murmured softly, Zishu tossed the two severed heads in his hands into the Door Space.
Then, he gently raised his hand.
"Creak."
The crisp sound of a door opening echoed as he pushed it open.
The salty sea breeze filled his nostrils as Zishu gazed down at the ocean below.
Without the slightest hesitation, he leapt down!
He trusted the answer he had found.
He trusted the answer he had found.
"That small island only appears during Aqua Laguna, when the Sea Current is extremely unstable."
"It arrives in shallow waters during high tide, surfaces during low tide, and vanishes after Aqua Laguna ends."
"The only explanation is that the island has been submerged in the sea all along!"
(End of Chapter)
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