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Chapter 334: Big Trouble

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

Summary

The morning after the Usopp duel, Water Seven wakes to a city-wide scandal: Mayor Iceberg — president of the Galley-La Company and the “hero of Water Seven” — was shot at his home last night and lies in a coma, unresponsive. At a rooftop backstreet inn, the sleepless Straw Hats (Sanji, Chopper, Nami) regroup; Robin never returned overnight (Sanji watched Rocky Cape all night for her — “she didn’t say a word”), so they make the inn their contact point and split to search the town for her. Nami then bursts in with the news — “Mr. Iceberg from the shipbuilding yard was… shot at his home!” — and Luffy (“ICE GUY?!”) recognizes the man they’d spoken to at the shipyard the day before. The town’s back alleys already buzz with suspicion of “those pirates who frequent the factory” and Franky — linking the shooting to the destruction of the Franky House. At the Galley-La head office (which doubles as Iceberg’s residence), reporters swarm; Paulie shoves through them (“YOU IDIOTS! I SAID, MOVE!”). The foremen relay the investigators’ findings: Iceberg was shot twice from the front and three times from the back, the office was ransacked but nothing was stolen (so not a robbery), none of the locks were forced and “no one could have gotten in from the outside,” and the only thing left at the scene was a single, common mask — “one you could find anywhere.” Theories swirl: a grudge? a power play? “the work of the government”? — and the spurned petitioner Mr. Corgi is floated as a suspect. An unidentified star-masked passenger rides the sea train into Shipbuilding Island, reacting in horror to the news. At the ruined Franky House, Mozu and Kiwi survey the rubble and conclude: “It has to be them!!” The crew, the Franky Family, Galley-La, and the city all converge on a frame-up none of them yet understand.

New reveals

• Iceberg has been shot. The previous night, mayor/Galley-La president Iceberg was discovered in his room “covered in blood,” shot twice from the front and three times from the back; he is alive but comatose and unresponsive, and his condition “looks bad” (pp. 8–9, 13, 17). The whole city is in an uproar — “If anything happens to him, it’s the end of Water Seven and the Galley-La Company” (p. 10).
• Locked-room crime scene. The office was a mess / ransacked, but none of the locks were forced open and “no one could have gotten in from the outside” — and yet nothing was stolen, so “it doesn’t seem to be a robbery” (pp. 10, 17). The contradiction (ransacked but not robbed; sealed but breached) is the chapter’s central puzzle.
• The single mask. The only thing left at the scene of the crime was “a single mask, one you could find anywhere” — and the assassin “disappeared without a trace” (p. 17). The deliberately generic, untraceable prop is the first physical evidence of the masked-attacker framing.
• Suspects floated. Galley-La staff speculate it was “the work of the government” (p. 10), warn against accusing the government aloud (p. 11), and recall the spurned petitioner “that Corgy” who “every time he came to talk to Mr. Iceberg, he was turned away” — a possible grudge (p. 11). The city’s crowds instead blame “those pirates who frequent the factory” and Franky (p. 6).
• Robin is missing. Nico Robin never returned to the crew overnight; Sanji “stayed by Rocky Cape all night keeping watch… just in case Robin returned,” but “she didn’t say a word” and “I wonder where she went” (pp. 7–8). The crew makes the inn a contact point and splits up to search for her (pp. 8, 14). (Robin does not appear on-page this chapter — she is only referenced as absent.)
• Paulie first appears — a senior Galley-La man mobbed by reporters outside the head office demanding a statement about Iceberg’s past; he forces his way through (“Shut up… let me through!” / “YOU IDIOTS! I SAID, MOVE!”) (p. 18).
• Peeply Lulu / Mozu / Kiwi named. “Lulu! Where’s Paulie?!” — a Galley-La foreman, Lulu, is named at the office (p. 10). Mozu and Kiwi (Franky Family) survey the destroyed Franky House — “Am I dreaming this…? Mozu… am I… Kiwi!” / “No, bro. This is definitely where the Franky House once stood” — and conclude “It has to be them!!” (pp. 19–20).
• Unidentified star-masked passenger. A masked figure (clown-white face, dark star over one eye) rides the sea train into Shipbuilding Island and reacts to the news with horror — “Brutal… this is… what the heck is going on?!” (pp. 15, 19–20). (Not named on-page; inference deferred.)

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Straw Hats: Nami (delivers the news), Sanji (watched for Robin overnight), Chopper, Luffy (“ICE GUY?!”), Zoro, Usopp (referenced post-duel) (Straw Hat Pirates)
• Referenced / absent: Nico Robin (missing overnight; does not appear on-page), Mr. Corgi (floated as a suspect, pp. 10–11), Franky (city blames him; not shown), the unidentified star-masked sea-train passenger (pp. 15, 19–20)
• Galley-La Company: Iceberg (shot; comatose, shown in bed p. 16), Paulie (first appearance, p. 18), Lulu (named p. 10), foremen (Galley-La Company)
• Franky Family: Mozu, Kiwi (at the ruined Franky House, pp. 19–20) (Franky Family)
• Concepts/orgs: CP9 (latent — government motive + single-mask tell), the Franky House (destroyed, referenced)
• Location: Water Seven (back alleys; rooftop backstreet inn; Galley-La head office / Iceberg’s residence on Shipbuilding Island; the sea train / Blue Station; Rocky Cape; the Franky House site)
• Ship: Going Merry (moored; Jolly Roger flag shown p. 4)
• Cover serial: Gedatsu — “Gedatsu’s Unexpected Life on the Blue Sea” (inset, p. 3)

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Volume/section header splash, “IN THE SECRET ROOM”: Luffy, Nami, and Chopper running on a tropical beach as sky fish swim through the air; sweeping arabesque sand patterns. Standalone title art (tankōbon page 126), not the chapter title.
• p. 2 — Chapter title splash: “Chapter 334: BIG TROUBLE.” Luffy and Usopp dashing along the beach with Nami and Robin behind; sky fish overhead.
• p. 3 — Cover-serial inset: a bear-masked figure (the Gedatsu “Unexpected Life on the Blue Sea” side serial — cf. Vol. 16 in Ch. 331, Vol. 19 in the next chapter).
• p. 4 — Establishing shot of Water Seven (the dock-tower marked 7 / 1 / 2); a Straw Hat Jolly Roger flag flaps in the wind (HYOOO / FLAP) above the moored ship.
• p. 5 — The Going Merry / a galleon interior; the crew’s empty rooms (“FWOOSH”).
• p. 6 — “The following morning”: Water Seven’s back alleys buzz — “Did you hear about what happened… at the shipbuilding island last night?!” / “Some people suspect it was those pirates who frequent the factory.” / “It’s because we allow him to run amok!! It’s Franky! It’s gotta be him!” Reporters mass at Dock One: “Is this connected with the destruction of the Franky House?”
• p. 7 — Rooftop backstreet inn: “We’ve all got rooms here, but no one’s in their rooms… I guess none of us could sleep.” Sanji: “I stayed by Rocky Cape all night keeping watch… just in case Robin returned.” / “She didn’t say a word…”
• p. 8 — Plan: make the inn the contact point; split to search. Nami bursts in: “LUFFY!! Terrible news. The whole town’s in an uproar… Mr. Iceberg from the shipbuilding yard was…” / “Last night…”
• p. 9 — Big bubble: “MR. ICEBERG WAS SHOT AT HIS HOME?!” Galley-La reaction: “He doesn’t have a lot of enemies… Was he killed?” / “He was discovered in his room this morning, covered in blood. He’s still in a coma… and he isn’t responsive.” / “Come to the head office immediately!”
• p. 10 — Galley-La office: “Lulu! Where’s Paulie?!” / “I just called him. He’s coming now.” / “Who would shoot Mr. Iceberg, and why?” / “If anything happens to him, it’s the end of Water Seven and the Galley-La Company!” / “I’m thinking… perhaps it was the work of the government?” / “The office was a mess… but there’s no sign that money was stolen, so it doesn’t seem to be a robbery.”
• p. 11 — “Don’t go accusing the government… you could get into trouble.” / “I mean, that Corgy… every time he came to talk to Mr. Iceberg, he was turned away.” Newsboys: “EXTRA, EXTRA!” Headline: “Iceberg… WAS STRUCK DOWN BY AN ASSASSIN! / THE HERO OF WATER SEVEN, MAYOR ICEBERG.”
• p. 12 — Newspaper rhetoric: “Who is this assassin who disappeared without a trace?! What was the despicable culprit’s motivation? A grudge? Or a power play?!” Foreman: “He’ll never get away with this!! Who was it?!”
• p. 13 — Luffy: “ICE GUY?!” Nami: “A man we talked to at the shipbuilding yard yesterday… He’s the president of the shipbuilding company and also the mayor of Water Seven… He’s in a coma right now… Yes, he was shot. Everyone loved and respected him… There’s never been a bigger incident in this town.”
• p. 14 — Luffy: “I’m gonna go check things out.” Sanji: “Wait, Luffy. I’m coming too… No… We’re going to search for Robin. What about you?” A sea train announces: “BLUE STATION… We will arrive in the City of Water, Water Seven, shortly.”
• p. 15 — A passenger boards/rides the sea train: a white clown-faced mask with a dark star over one eye (DOOMM). Galley-La head office mobbed: “WHAT IS MAYOR ICEBERG’S CONDITION?! Please tell us… PLEASE DON’T DIE, MR. ICEBERG!” Caption: “Shipbuilding Island / Galley-La Company head office and Iceberg’s residence.”
• p. 16 — Inside the residence: “Doctor, how is he?” IV drip; a wall painting; Iceberg lies bandaged and unconscious in bed; a pet mouse (“SKWEEK”).
• p. 17 — Investigators’ findings relayed: “He was shot twice from the front… and three times from the back… but it looks bad.” / “…all that was left at the scene of the crime… WAS A SINGLE MASK, one you could find anywhere…” / “No one could have gotten in from the outside… none of the locks in the office were forced open. According to the investigators…”
• p. 18 — PAULIE forces through the press: “Shut up… let me through!” Reporters: “PAULIE, please make a statement! Is there anything in Mayor Iceberg’s past that could explain this assassination attempt?” Paulie: “YOU IDIOTS! I SAID, MOVE!”
• p. 19 — Galley-La staff: “We may not be able to see him…” Nami/Chopper: “With this uproar… his picture’s in the newspaper.” The star-masked passenger again. Cut to the Franky House site: “No, bro. This is definitely where the Franky House once stood.” / “Am I dreaming this…? Mozu… am I… Kiwi!”
• p. 20 — The masked passenger: “Brutal… this is… what the heck is going on?!” Wide shot of the Galley-La head office (docks 6, 7). A Franky Family member (shadowed): “IT HAS TO BE THEM!! / I get it…”
• p. 21 — SBS “Question Corner” (Vol. 34): Oda confirms a fishnet-wearing male Franky Family member is “just fashion”; classifies Foxy’s Slow-Slow (Noro-Noro) Fruit as a Paramythia (super-power) type and explains the Logia / Paramythia / Zoan taxonomy (“Logia powers transform the body into an element; Zoan transform the holder into animals; everything else is Paramythia — though some Paramythia can transform the body too”); jokes he’s “thought 13 times that the ‘Sexy-Sexy Fruit’ would’ve been good too.” (Not story content.)

Open questions raised

• Who shot Iceberg, and why? (pp. 9, 12, 17.) A grudge, a power play, or “the work of the government”? **
• How was the crime committed in a sealed, locked office that “no one could have gotten in from the outside” — yet was ransacked? (pp. 10, 17.)
• What is the single, common mask left at the scene, and who left it? (p. 17.) (The masked-attacker frame.)
• Where is Robin, and why didn’t she return the night of the shooting? (pp. 7–8.) (Seeds her apparent betrayal.)
• Who is the star-masked sea-train passenger arriving on Shipbuilding Island? (pp. 15, 19–20.)
• Will Iceberg survive the coma, and what does he know that someone wanted to kill him for? (pp. 9, 16.)