Chapters · Water Seven › Water Seven

Chapter 324: Adventures in the City on the Water

Arc: Water Seven · Saga: Water Seven · Released:

Summary

The Straw Hats arrive at Water Seven, “the City on the Water” — a sprawling canal metropolis built up the levels of a tiered island, billed as “home of the world’s best shipbuilding center.” Luffy, Nami, and Usopp ride into town carrying the crew’s Skypiea gold; they want to find a money exchange to convert it into bills before commissioning repairs for the failing Going Merry, and decide to visit the shipbuilding company first. At a “Rental Bull Shop” a shopkeeper introduces the city’s signature transport: the Yagara Bull — a horse-like fish that swims with its head out of the water and tows a boat on its back. He explains a bull is a necessary mode of transport because “you’ll find more water passages than roads to walk on,” that the bulls come in ranks (Yagara, Rabuka, King), eat “water-water meat,” and that two two-seater bulls cost 2,000 berries. The trio rents a bull (one that has “taken a liking” to them), Luffy haggles by flaunting the gold, and they set off touring the watery city. The bull races them up and down canals — including canals “on the rooftops” — and through a bustling, sale-discounted shopping area thronged with masked people. Nami sends Luffy/Usopp off so she can shop. They take the Water Gate Elevator — a lock that lifts their boat up to Shipbuilding Island / Water Seven’s main street — and gawk at the immense city. Townspeople gossip about the Galley-La Company shipwrights — naming Tilestone, Lulu, Paulie, Lucci — “the pride of Water Seven,” whom the residents adore, and the rumor that “the carpenters beat up the pirates” at Dock One. Luffy can’t wait to meet them. Meanwhile, Sanji leaves a sleeping Zoro to guard the Going Merry while he goes shopping — and a masked figure boards the ship: “Who are you? Identify yourselves.” Cliffhanger.

New reveals

• Water Seven — “the City on the Water” — is introduced: a vast canal city built up the tiers of an island, “home of the world’s best shipbuilding center,” with “more water passages than roads to walk on” (pp. 2, 5, 16). The chapter title canonizes the arc framing: “Adventures in the City on the Water.”
• Yagara Bull transport canonized: a horse-like fish that swims head-out-of-water and tows a boat on its back (“not so much pulls — it lets you ride on its back. That fish pulls the boat”) — “a necessary mode of transportation” for residents (pp. 4–6). Rented from a “Rental Bull Shop” (pp. 3–4).
• Yagara ranks: “the ranks are Yagara, Rabuka and King” — pick by need; two two-seater Yagara = 2,000 berries (pp. 4, 6). They eat “water-water meat” — described as “people food” the bulls love (p. 12).
• Money exchange: Luffy wants to convert the crew’s huge Skypiea gold haul into cash (“the size of it now will attract people’s attention”); the shopkeeper says they should go to a currency exchange on Main Street on the shipbuilding island (pp. 2, 7).
• Water Gate Elevator: a lock/elevator system that lifts boats up the city’s levels toward Shipbuilding Island and the main street — “you may now enter; this elevator is going to shipbuilding island” (pp. 13–15).
• Galley-La Company is named — Water Seven’s celebrated shipwright company; “they’re the pride of Water Seven,” and “the residents here adore the shipwrights of Galley-La Company” (pp. 18–20).
• First Galley-La shipwright names spoken by the crowd: Tilestone (“a real man”), Lulu (“so gallant… a man’s man”), Paulie (“where’s Paulie?”), and Lucci (“It’s Lucci! He’s so cool!”) — none clearly shown yet; the crowd retells how “the carpenters beat up the pirates” at Dock One (p. 18).
• Masked people appear all over town in the shopping district (pp. 11–12 — “those masked people… they’re all over town”) — the first on-page glimpse of what becomes the Franky Family, unnamed here.
• Crew split: Robin “went out earlier with Chopper”; Nami went shopping; Zoro and Sanji are the only two on the Going Merry; Sanji leaves the sleeping Zoro to “guard the ship” and goes shopping (pp. 15).
• Cliffhanger: a masked intruder boards the Going Merry while Zoro is alone aboard and demands “Who are you? Identify yourselves” (pp. 19–20).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Straw Hats: Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro; Nico Robin and Chopper referenced as “went out earlier” (off-panel, p. 15) (Straw Hat Pirates)
• Galley-La Company: Galley-La Company (named p. 18); shipwrights Tilestone, Lulu, Paulie, Lucci (named by townspeople only, p. 18 — not clearly shown)
• Unnamed: the Rental Bull Shop owner; the masked people in town (Franky Family, unnamed here, pp. 11–12)
• Location: Water Seven (Rental Bull Shop, shopping area, Water Gate Elevator, Shipbuilding Island, Main Street, Dock One)
• Ship / craft: Going Merry (guarded at sea, boarded at chapter’s end); Yagara Bull (transport fish)
• Cover serial: “Gedatsu’s Unexpected Life on the Blue Sea, Vol. 10” (Gedatsu)

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Title splash “Chapter 324: ADVENTURES IN THE CITY ON THE WATER.” Cover serial caption: “GEDATSU’S UNEXPECTED LIFE ON THE BLUE SEA, VOL. 10: ‘STAND ON THE GROUND WHILE YOU DIG, MASTER GEDATSU’” — Gedatsu (mohawk, angel wings) hung upside-down by his ankle, swung overhead with a pickaxe by a younger man; “GAKIN!!!” SFX as the pick strikes Gedatsu’s head.
• p. 2 — Wide establishing shot of Water Seven, the tiered fountain-city rising out of the sea; Luffy/Nami/Usopp riding in. “Let’s find the money exchange… First…” / “Let’s go to the shipbuilding company first!”
• pp. 2–3 — The gold-conversion debate: Usopp nervous about hauling the gold; Luffy flaunts it (“We’re pirates too”); “Don’t you guys trust me?!” / “No.”
• pp. 3–4 — “RENTAL BULL SHOP” sign; the trio puzzle over what a “bull” is (“A bulldog, maybe?”). Shopkeeper: “Welcome. A bull?”
• pp. 4–6 — Yagara Bull explained: ranks Yagara, Rabuka, King; two two-seaters = 2,000 berries; “It lets you ride on its back. That fish pulls the boat” — a fish tank of “horse-like fish” shown; one bull takes a liking to Luffy.
• p. 7 — Luffy flaunts the gold; “You just upped the price, mister!” — “one million berries for two Yagara bulls” (price-hike gag). Shopkeeper directs them to the currency exchange on Main Street.
• pp. 8–10 — The bull tows their boat at speed through the canal city — uphill against the current, over rooftop canals, downhill — past the residential district and into the shopping area (“All prices now slashed 50 percent!”; “We’ll make it cheap!”).
• p. 11 — A giant black, shark-toothed “huge bull” looms (“Whoa — he’s scary! Looks like he’s gonna eat us”); the trio notice the masked, “beautiful and opulent” people in masks.
• p. 12 — The bull devours “water-water meat”; Nami sends Luffy/Usopp off to shop on their own; “those masked people… they’re all over town.” Nami: “Hmm…”
• pp. 13–15 — The Water Gate Elevator — a lock that lifts the boat up the city levels toward Shipbuilding Island / the main street; “one minute until the gate closes… please enter quickly.” Luffy: “This Water Seven place is fun! They can do anything with water!”
• p. 15 — Back at sea aboard the Going Merry: only Zoro and Sanji aboard; Robin “went out earlier with Chopper,” Nami went shopping. Sanji tells the sleeping Zoro to “guard the ship” and leaves to shop. (“SNORE!”)
• p. 16 — Splash of the full Shipbuilding Island tower-city rising from the sea: “We’re here… home of the world’s best shipbuilding center!”
• p. 17 — Luffy awed: “I’ve never seen such a big town!” / “Water Seven’s main street… This place has more land than water, I guess that makes sense.”
• p. 18 — The crowd gossips about Galley-La shipwrights: “it’s gotta be Tilestone!” / “And Lulu too… a man’s man” / “Where’s Paulie?” / “It’s Lucci! He’s so cool!” Rumor: “THE CARPENTERS beat up the PIRATES?” — “Pirates were starting trouble over at Dock One again.” “They’re the pride of Water Seven!” / “The residents here adore the shipwrights of Galley-La Company.” Luffy: “I can’t wait to meet them.”
• p. 19 — Out at sea, a masked figure approaches the Going Merry; Zoro (had been “asleep”): a sword-draw “NKLINK!!” — Zoro: “I thought you were asleep…”
• p. 20 — Close-up of the masked intruder aboard the Merry: “Who are you? Identify yourselves.” End “170” chapter mark (a single small cover-serial coda panel of Gedatsu being struck — “FWOP!! EW! SLUP” — sits in the lower right).

Open questions raised

• Who is the masked intruder aboard the Going Merry? (pp. 19–20) — and what does the masked-people motif all over town mean?
• Will Galley-La (and which shipwright) take on the Going Merry’s repair — and can the failing ship even be saved? (Setup; the prognosis is the arc’s load-bearing question.)
• Who are Tilestone, Lulu, Paulie, and especially Lucci? (Named but unshown, p. 18.)
• What happens to the conspicuous Skypiea gold Luffy keeps flaunting in a city the crew already fears will rob them? (pp. 2, 7, 11–12.)
• Why did Robin go out separately with Chopper rather than with the others? (p. 15.)