Chapters · Water Seven › Water Seven

Chapter 353: The Legendary Shipwright

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

Summary

The title spread shows the legendary shipwright Tom (long-horned cowfish fish-man) striding with twin swords sheathed at his hips, a great fish looming behind him (p. 1). In the present, the government’s judicial assault on the coast continues (“WOOO… SPAAASH…!!!”, numbered ships 5 and 6 in the surf) while CP9 — led by Kalifa and the bull-masked agent — hunt Franky down in a “dingy warehouse” he calls his secret base, which is revealed to be the former headquarters of Tom’s Workers, the shipbuilding company, “the warehouse under the bridge” (pp. 2-3). The agents taunt Franky for hiding in a place “full of happy memories from your shipbuilding days,” demand he hand over the Pluton blueprint, and beat him when he insists “the blueprint isn’t here!!!” and refuses to cooperate “until we get what we’ve come for” (pp. 3-7). When Franky still won’t talk, CP9 declare they have a trump card and need “an answer out of you right away” — invoking the name and fate of his old master: “As a criminal, you must realize the road… you’re starting down… just like Tom did” (pp. 7-8). This triggers the chapter’s long 22-years-ago flashback (caption “WATER SEVEN, the city of water — 22 years ago,” p. 9): young Cutty Flam (Franky) age 12 and Iceberg age 16 are Tom’s two apprentices at Scrap Head Island / “Tom’s Workers’ shipbuilding lot”, also called the warehouse under the bridge — the same building (pp. 9-14). Franky obsessively builds “Battle Frankies” — destructive battleship robots — while Iceberg scolds him that they’re only supposed to be helping Tom build ships, not “rattle-traps” that get people killed (pp. 10-12). Tom, his pet sumo frog Yokozuna at his side and his secretary Kokoro serving dinner, presides over the workers with booming laughter, having just completed a ship’s launching ceremony “with a BOOM!!” (pp. 13-15). Over dinner, Kokoro and the workers lament that Water Seven is “done for” — pirate attacks have soared since “the Pirate King was executed,” merchant ships carrying lumber and iron are being raided, shipyards undercut one another, and the city built on the back of the Sea Train and battered by Aqua Laguna floods risks becoming “nothing more than an island of scallywags, just waiting to sink” (pp. 15-16). Tom counters with his creed: build whatever you want, because a ship is innocent — its alignment is decided by the flag its boarders raise, not its maker; “over the ships they’ve built, real men puff out their chests with pride—BOOM!!!” (pp. 16-17). Tom is shown secretly drawing blueprints late at night, dreaming a ship could give Water Seven “a new lease on life” (pp. 17-18). Then the government’s judicial ship — a “floating courthouse” — arrives at Water Seven; the townspeople panic (“What has Mr. Tom done?!”, “Give Mr. Tom back, people!!!”, pp. 18-19). The official’s verdict lands the chapter: Tom built the ORO JACKSON, the pirate ship used by Pirate King Gold Roger, who was executed “the other day” — and “that fact makes you an accomplice to a global criminal.” The shipbuilding engineer Tom will therefore be conveyed to Enies Lobby, “where he will be executed!!!!” (pp. 19-20). The volume’s SBS Question Corner runs on p. 20 (Robin/Nami measurements gag).

New reveals

• Tom appears on-page for the first time . Captioned “TOM — long-horned cowfish fish-man, president of Tom’s Workers shipbuilding company” (p. 13). He is the master who raised both apprentices and the figure the present-day CP9 invoke as a threat (“just like Tom did”, p. 8). [[Characters/Tom]]
• Flashback time-anchor: “22 years ago.” Caption “WATER SEVEN, the city of water (22 years ago)” (p. 9); “CUTTY FLAM (FRANKY) AGE 12” (p. 9) and “ICEBERG AGE 16” (p. 11). Fixes the ages of Tom’s two apprentices in the flashback era. (Note the time-frame matches Roger’s execution era — Roger was executed “the other day” in this flashback, p. 19.)
• Tom built the Oro Jackson, Gold Roger’s ship. “You built the ORO JACKSON — the pirate ship used by Pirate King Gold Roger, who was executed the other day” (p. 19). First on-page naming of Roger’s ship and the reveal that the legendary shipwright built it. [[Characters/Roger]]
• Tom’s crime and Enies Lobby sentence. Building Roger’s ship makes Tom “an accomplice to a global criminal”; he will be “conveyed to Enies Lobby… where he will be executed!!!!” (pp. 19-20). First on-page sight of the World Government’s judicial ship (“floating courthouse”) arriving and the Enies Lobby death sentence in motion. [[Locations/Enies Lobby]]
• Franky’s “secret base” = Tom’s Workers’ old HQ. The “dingy warehouse” CP9 corner Franky in is “the headquarters for the former shipbuilding company… Tom’s Workers” — “the warehouse under the bridge,” “Number Eight” (pp. 2-3, 14). The present-day site IS the flashback site.
• Young Franky built “Battle Frankies.” As a 12-year-old apprentice he obsessively built destructive battleship robots (“BATTLE FRANKY,” numbered up to “MODEL EIGHT”), drawing Iceberg’s rebuke that they only make “weapons” and “rattle-traps” (pp. 10-14). Seeds Franky’s lifelong weapon-building obsession (and, by inference, the Pluton-blueprint custodianship). (Inference.)
• Kokoro and Yokozuna were part of Tom’s Workers. Kokoro is captioned “TOM’S WORKERS’ BEAUTIFUL SECRETARY” (p. 15); Yokozuna “SUMO FROG — TOM’S PET” (p. 13). Their presence 22 years ago establishes them as members of Tom’s old circle.
• Tom’s shipwright creed. A ship’s morality is decided by the flag its boarders raise, not its builder (“if they fly a seagull flag it’s a Navy ship, if they run up a skull-and-crossbones it’s a pirate ship”); “real men puff out their chests with pride over the ships they’ve built” (pp. 11-12, 17). Frames why Tom feels no guilt for building Roger’s ship.
• Water Seven’s decline. Since the Pirate King’s execution, pirate attacks have surged, lumber/iron merchant ships are raided, shipyards fight over scarce work, and the Aqua-Laguna-battered city risks becoming “an island of scallywags, just waiting to sink” (pp. 15-16).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Present-day frame: Franky (cornered in his secret base; beaten; refuses to surrender the Pluton blueprint, pp. 2-8), Kalifa and the bull-masked CP9 agent (interrogating Franky, pp. 4-8) — CP9
• Flashback (22 years ago): Tom (FIRST on-page appearance — master shipwright, p. 13), young Franky “Cutty Flam, age 12” (pp. 9-14), young Iceberg “age 16” (pp. 11-17), Kokoro (Tom’s Workers’ secretary, p. 15), Yokozuna (Tom’s pet sumo frog, p. 13) — Tom’s Workers
• Named, not shown: Roger (Gold Roger — the Pirate King whose ship, the Oro Jackson, Tom built; executed “the other day,” p. 19); the Oro Jackson (Roger’s pirate ship, named p. 19)
• Locations: Water Seven (present-day warehouse-under-the-bridge = Scrap Head Island shipbuilding lot in flashback), Enies Lobby (named as where Tom will be executed, p. 19) — Aqua Laguna (referenced as the recurring flood crippling Water Seven, p. 16)
• Concepts: the Pluton blueprint (object of CP9’s hunt; not re-named “Pluton” on-page this chapter — referenced as “the blueprint,” pp. 3-5) → Ancient Weapons; “Battle Frankies” (young Franky’s weapon robots, pp. 10-14)
• SBS: Volume 37 Question Corner continues on p. 20 (reader demands Robin’s & Nami’s measurements; Sanji supplies them, “WHACK!”).

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Title spread: “Chapter 353: THE LEGENDARY SHIPWRIGHT.” Tom (long-horned cowfish fish-man) strides forward with two sheathed swords at his hips, a great open-mouthed fish behind him.
• p. 2 — Government ships (numbered 5, 6) crash through surf (“WOOO… SPAAASH…!!!”); a “dingy warehouse” interior; CP9 voice: “I see…” / “Tom’s workers?”
• p. 3 — Caption reveal: the warehouse “…was the HEADQUARTERS for the former shipbuilding company…” — “A shipbuilding company?!”; the names land in sequence: “Cutty Flam.” / “Iceberg.” / “Tom.”
• p. 4 — CP9 agent holds up the photo/blueprint: “This place must be full of happy memories from your shipbuilding days, eh, Franky? Calling it your ‘secret base’… is really rather cute of you.” Franky: “Hurry up and get out of here!!! The blueprint isn’t here!!! Shipwright Cutty Flam!” CP9: “Not until we get what we’ve come for.”
• p. 5 — Franky lashes back (“BASH!!”); Kalifa: “I suppose we couldn’t expect any other answer from you!!!”; “TWANG!!!” “YEOW!!!” Franky in his flowered shirt restrained/struck.
• p. 6 — “RRGH!!” “You freaks!!!”; CP9: “We don’t really… need an answer out of you right away, you know.” / “We have a trump card.”
• p. 7 — “It appears you’ve committed a crime… Cutty Flam… it’s been eight years now, but…” Franky: “Mr. Tom wasn’t a criminal!!! Don’t give me that!!” CP9: “Just like Tom did.”
• p. 8 — “WHAK!!!” “As a criminal, you must realize the road… you’re starting down… Do you people know Water Seven?!!” Franky: “Franky, don’t interfere!!! Mr. Tom!” (transition into flashback).
• p. 9 — Flashback begins. “DOOM!!” Caption: “WATER SEVEN, the city of water (22 years ago).” Explosions (“BOOM!!”, “BABOOM!”); a screaming young face; caption: “CUTTY FLAM (FRANKY) AGE 12.”
• p. 10 — “BATTLE FRANKY”; a Battle Franky robot rampages (“It isn’t working at all!!”, “I’m gonna get eaten!!”, “WAAAAH!!”). Chaos at the lot.
• p. 11 — Young Iceberg scolds Franky: “And anyway, you’re supposed to be helping Mr. Tom, not building these rattle-traps!!! …you’re gonna get yourself killed!!!” Caption: “ICEBERG AGE 16.” Franky: “These are all my precious battleships!! They’re battle Frankies!!!”
• p. 12 — A giant Battle Franky launched into the sea (“KASPLAASH!!”, “Perfect!!”, “…do it with a BOOM!!”).
• p. 13 — Tom revealed. Caption: “TOM — long-horned cowfish fish-man, president of Tom’s Workers shipbuilding company.” / “Ta ha…!! Launching ceremony, complete! We’ve made a good, sturdy ship with a BOOM!!” Beside him: “YOKOZUNA (SUMO FROG) — TOM’S PET” (“RIBBIT RIBBIT!!”).
• p. 14 — “SCRAP HEAD ISLAND (Tom’s Workers’ shipbuilding lot)” / “…also known as the warehouse under the bridge” / “TOM’S WORKERS HEADQUARTERS…” / “What model battle Franky is this one?” “Number eight!” Iceberg: “All you make are weapons!! …just because Mr. Tom lets you do this doesn’t mean you should get all full of yourself. You’re a liar, MORON-KY!! I was so close!!”
• p. 15 — Kokoro serving food, captioned “KOKORO — TOM’S WORKERS’ BEAUTIFUL SECRETARY.” ”…I hear another merchant ship carrying a load of lumber… was attacked by pirates.” “…this town is done for… the number of pirates has grown remarkably since the Pirate King was executed.”
• p. 16 — Dinner talk: Water Seven needs “timber and iron from other islands… because of the Aqua Laguna floods… it’s a bad state of affairs.” (sail reads “MERCHANT” — translator note.) “…will become nothing more than an island of scallywags, just waiting to sink… folks lose their jobs… shipyards steal each other’s customers and start fights… this is the Water Seven of long ago.”
• p. 17 — “Build whatever you want to build, Franky. If they fly a seagull flag, it’s a Navy ship. If they run up a skull-and-crossbones, then it’s a pirate ship!! …over the ships they’ve built, real men puff out their chests with pride—BOOM!!! …the island’s last hope.” Tom drawing late at night (“SCRIR SCRIR”, “SKRIT”).
• p. 18 — Tom by lamplight: “…to get a new lease on life. It would be great if Water Seven could use this…” Then “RMRM…” — the government’s judicial ship arrives: “It’s a floating courthouse!” “What’s a judicial ship?” “The government’s judicial ship is here!!!” “Who’ve they come to judge?!” “Mr. Tom!!!” Tom: “It’s all right. Don’t worry.” Crowd: “Give Mr. Tom back, people!!!” “Open the way!!”
• p. 19 — The official to Tom: “You built the ORO JACKSON — the pirate ship used by Pirate King Gold Roger, who was executed the other day… that fact makes you an accomplice to a global criminal!!! The shipbuilding engineer Tom will be conveyed to Enies Lobby…”
• p. 20 — “…where he will be executed!!!!” “DOOM!!” (sentence over Tom’s grim close-up). Then the SBS Question Corner (Vol. 37): reader (president of the “Japanese Association of Healthy Boys”) demands Robin’s measurements; another demands Nami’s; Sanji supplies them; “Nami: You don’t have to publish everything! WHACK!”

Open questions raised

• What happened to Tom after the Enies Lobby sentence? The flashback ends on the death sentence (pp. 19-20); how the trial resolves (and whether Tom is actually executed) is left for the next chapters.
• Where is the real Pluton blueprint now? Franky insists “the blueprint isn’t here” (p. 4) but CP9 have a “trump card” (p. 6) — the present-day standoff is unresolved.
• What did Tom secretly draw at night (pp. 17-18)? The late-night blueprint dreaming of Water Seven’s revival is left implicit. (Inference toward the Sea Train, which is not named on-page in the drawing.)
• How does young Franky’s “Battle Franky” obsession connect to the Pluton blueprints? The chapter establishes the weapon-building origin but does not yet tie it to Pluton on-page.