Chapters · Water Seven › Water Seven

Chapter 362: Ebb Tide

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

Summary

Aboard the Sea Train bound for Enies Lobby, the stowaway Sanji is confronted by the escort detail when one of them recognizes his fighting kick as no mere civilian’s. A self-styled boxing champion — Jerry, an intelligence member of Cipher Pol No. 6 “from Karate Island” — challenges him, but Sanji methodically dismantles Jerry’s boxing with his close-quarters “Yoga”-style kicking (“Brochette Blow”) and drops him. A narration then lays out the train’s escort hierarchy car-by-car: car seven holds the government official responsible; the men grow stronger toward the front — including the CP7 fighter/head-waiter Wanze, Navy HQ Captain and former knight T-Bone commanding forty marines in car five, the boxer Jerry (CP6), and the newest CP9 member Nero in car three — confident that the prisoner transport faces “no risk of an attack.” Meanwhile in Water Seven, the Aqua Laguna approaches: the tide ebbs further than anyone living can remember, draining the canals and exposing the seafloor before the catastrophic return wave. Nami, Franky Family, and the townsfolk scramble; Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe watch from the Sea Train station; and Paulie reads the receding water to gauge how big the returning wave will be. As the city evacuates, a girl is spotted running toward the doomed back alleys — and at the cliffhanger the alarm rings out: “AQUA LAGUNA IS COMING!! DON’T YOU WANT TO LIVE?!” The chapter closes on a quiet portrait of Nico Robin.

New reveals

• The Sea Train escort is organized car-by-car, growing stronger toward the front (p. 9): car seven holds the responsible government official; the escort includes CP7’s Wanze (head waiter / fighter), Navy HQ Captain T-Bone with forty marines in car five, CP6 boxer Jerry, and CP9’s newest member Nero in car three.
• Jerry is a Cipher Pol No. 6 intelligence member and self-proclaimed boxing champion “from Karate Island”; he is defeated by Sanji (pp. 4–8).
• The escort believes the prisoner transport is at “no risk of an attack” (p. 9) — dramatic irony, since Sanji is already aboard.
• Aqua Laguna’s ebb is shown for the first time on-page: the tide pulls out so far the ocean appears to have “dried up,” exposing the seafloor — and Kokoro notes she has not seen such a sight in “decades” (pp. 13–14). The greater the ebb, the bigger the return wave (Paulie, p. 14).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

Sanji · Jerry · Wanze · Nero · T-Bone · CP9 · Rob Lucci (named — “report this to Lucci,” p. 3) · Nico Robin (final portrait, p. 20) · Nami · Paulie · Iceberg (mentioned — “did you let Mr. Iceberg know,” p. 11) · Kokoro · Chimney · Gonbe · Luffy (named/searched-for) · Zoro (named/searched-for) · Usopp (mentioned, p. 10) · Franky Family · Sea Train · Aqua Laguna · Water Seven · Enies Lobby · Marines

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Cover: “Ms. Golden Week’s Big Plan, A Baroque Reunion, Vol. 4: ‘Let’s Go to the Prison’” — Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, and Miss Goldenweek gather supplies; a wanted-looking Bon Clay hangs upside-down in the background. Cover serial (Baroque Works reunion).
• pp. 2–3 — Sea Train interior: the escort surrounds Sanji; one recognizes “that kick” as belonging to “a person of interest”; they radio to “report this to Lucci right away.”
• pp. 4–8 — Sanji vs. Jerry (CP6 boxer, “from Karate Island”): Jerry’s “Aurora Flicker Jab” vs. Sanji’s narrow-space “Yoga” kicking; Sanji finishes with “Brochette Blow” (p. 8).
• p. 9 — Info-dump panel: the car-by-car escort roster of the Sea Train (Wanze/CP7, T-Bone/Navy + 40 men, Jerry/CP6, Nero/CP9, the government official in car seven).
• pp. 10–11 — Water Seven: Nami and the Franky Family organize the hunt for Luffy and Zoro; report relayed to Iceberg.
• pp. 12–14 — The Aqua Laguna ebb: the sea drains away from the canals; “the ocean’s dried up”; Kokoro marvels she hasn’t seen such a sight in decades; Paulie reads the ebb to gauge the return wave.
• pp. 17–19 — A girl runs toward the back alleys despite warnings; alarm: “AQUA LAGUNA IS COMING!! DON’T YOU WANT TO LIVE?!” (p. 19).
• p. 20 — Closing portrait of Nico Robin (decorative end panel, not a color spread).

Open questions raised

• How strong are Wanze (CP7), Nero (CP9), and Captain T-Bone — and will the Straw Hats have to fight each car’s escort to reach Enies Lobby?
• Who is the girl running toward the doomed back alleys, and is she connected to the rescue plot?
• How catastrophic will this year’s Aqua Laguna be, given the record-deep ebb?