Chapter 188: Water Gods
After searching for a long time, they still found nothing.
Captain T-Bone emerged from the water and lightly shook the droplets from his hair. Then he looked at Spandam, who was pacing along the shore, and shook his head.
Nothing.
Spandam nodded with a perfectly normal expression, not surprised in the slightest.
After all, he had made the whole thing up on the spot. If they actually found something from his nonsense, that would be the real miracle.
When the appointed meeting time arrived, the other Marines returned one after another.
Their faces were full of exhaustion. Their shoulders sagged, and their steps had lost their earlier energy. There was no need to ask whether they had found anything.
Searching underwater was difficult to begin with.
Their bodies had to endure the pressure of the sea, visibility was limited to only a few meters, and the foundation beneath Water 7 was made up of complicated sunken structures. The old lower layers of the city only made the search even more troublesome.
They carried the honor of Enies Lobby's Marines on their backs. That pressure, combined with physical exhaustion, had worn them down in both body and spirit.
"Captain T-Bone, we found no useful clues."
"Same here."
The group fell silent again.
T-Bone thought for a moment, then said, "Narrow the search area. Three people will come with me to investigate the currents beneath the city. This is an important lead. We cannot abandon it."
He looked at the rest.
"The others will follow the remaining clues and investigate other locations. We regroup here in four hours."
After choosing the three best swimmers, T-Bone divided the team into two groups.
Spandam pointed at himself.
"I'm going too?"
Walking from morning until now had already been torture for his pampered body. And now they wanted him to keep searching?
That was practically asking for his life.
His legs felt like they were about to break. If not for that, he would never have sat on the ground earlier, even though the surface had been hard and uncomfortable.
"Of course," T-Bone said.
"I am a member of the World Government!" Spandam snapped. "You cannot order me around like this!"
T-Bone frowned and leaned closer.
His gaunt, mummy-like face was already frightening. With seawater dripping steadily from his hair, he looked even more eerie than usual.
Spandam shrank back a few steps, then forced himself to gather courage.
"I am the Director of CP5! Is this how you command a superior?"
"Regardless of your identity, you are currently participating in this Marine competition," T-Bone said. "That means you are part of our side and represent the honor of the Marines."
His voice remained firm.
"I do not have the authority to command you as a member of CP5. But I am the captain of this team for the competition, and I have the right to decide whether you stay or leave."
T-Bone stared at him.
"Either stay and help, or leave immediately."
Cipher Pol and the Marines were completely different organizations. Naturally, members of one did not simply obey the other.
But since Spandam had joined this Marine competition, he had to follow the rules of the competition.
After hearing T-Bone's words, Spandam seriously considered walking away.
That would undoubtedly be the safest option.
But if he returned empty-handed, he would have nothing useful to report to the World Government. That would only make him look incompetent, and incompetence would affect his promotion.
So he could not leave.
"Fine, fine. I'll help."
Spandam waved his hand as if he were generously lending aid.
"But since we belong to different organizations, I'll search in my own way. That should be fine, right?"
T-Bone was briefly stunned. He had not expected Spandam to make such a request.
But thinking back to Spandam's previous suggestion, he felt that while this man was selfish and lacked teamwork, he might still be useful when it came to thinking from a different angle.
So he nodded.
"Very well."
After leaving the Marines, Spandam muttered under his breath, "Only an idiot would actually search. I'll find somewhere comfortable to rest for the day, then tell them I didn't find anything."
At first, Spandam had intended to use the Marines as bodyguards. But after spending so much time in the city without encountering any danger, he felt he might have been overthinking things.
Besides, now that they were splitting up, they would not be very useful as bodyguards anyway.
So he simply pretended to cooperate and volunteered to search alone, while his real plan was to rest.
In any case, with so many people around, they would not miss one man.
Spandam soon found a decent-looking inn, rented a room, and lay down to sleep.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
When he woke again, he glanced at the sky outside and saw thick dark clouds covering everything.
"Is it already evening?"
He yawned and stretched.
Because sleep had loosened his body, the fatigue he had accumulated during the day now felt even worse. His entire body ached.
He shifted slightly.
The bed swayed.
Spandam cursed inwardly.
What a shady inn. Even the bed is this bad?
But after he stopped moving, the swaying did not stop.
"Hmm?"
Spandam finally realized something was wrong.
He looked up.
The scenery outside the window had changed.
Beyond the glass, where the sky met the horizon, a vast blue wall had risen like a canvas drawn across the world. It carried a force that seemed capable of sweeping heaven and earth clean as it surged toward Water 7.
"Tsu... tsunami?"
Spandam jumped off the bed at once.
He had no time to tidy himself properly. He threw on his clothes in a panic and rushed out.
The inn was already empty.
Everyone had left long ago.
A note had been left outside his door. Spandam only glanced at it before seeing the words:
[Fend for yourself.]
Only then did he vaguely remember the innkeeper coming to wake him, only to be cursed away by him in his sleep.
There was no time to think about it.
Fortunately, he was in the Inner City. But judging by the scale of the tsunami outside, even staying here might not be safe.
He had to go higher.
The Water Gods.
Before the mysterious power of nature, humans were weak. This time, the scale of Aqua Laguna far exceeded previous years. Even the Inner City was no longer completely safe. The people had to gather on higher ground.
At that moment, the residents of Water 7 were already gathered at the highest point of the island, trembling as they prayed for the disaster to pass.
Fortunately, the warning signs had been discovered early, so everyone had been able to evacuate in time.
"Is everyone here?" Captain T-Bone asked.
After counting the group, they found that only one person was missing.
Spandam.
"Does anyone know where Spandam is?"
Everyone shook their heads.
No one knew where Spandam had gone.
"Who is that?! Why is someone still down there? The Water Gods are almost here!"
The shout immediately drew T-Bone's attention.
He walked over and looked in the direction the person was pointing.
Below them, a shirtless man wearing only pants was running desperately through the lower streets. His steps were awkward, and he seemed to have injured himself somehow. He limped as he ran, struggling to climb higher.
Even though his clothes had changed, there was no mistaking him.
It was Spandam.
Captain T-Bone did not hesitate.
He jumped down at once.
Even if Spandam did not belong to the Marines, he was still part of T-Bone's team for this competition. In this moment, he was considered one of his subordinates.
And did the Marines not exist to protect justice?
In a situation like this, choosing to save him was only natural.
.....
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