Hiccup had just announced that they would go after Heather to effectively launch an attack on the World Government, leaving many shipwrights stunned.
Hiccup turned to Palmer. "You think you can help us out? We need a boat. No, we need a Sea Train. I don't suppose you have a spare one laying around?"
"Afraid not, the Puffing Tom is the only one of a kind," he said. "The man who made that train is a legend; it's a miracle I got finished at all. So sorry, I can't pull another sea train out of my ass."
"But surely there must be some for the prototypes?" Hiccup asked.
"Dammit, will you give it a rest already!" Palmer snapped. "You saw what just happened, you barely survived that wave on land, and you want to go out to sea?"
The shipwrights nodded in agreement.
"You wouldn't last five minutes!"
"No kidding!"
"Even during a normal Aqua Laguna, no ship has ever made it through the storm," said Palmer. "And this year, it is anything but normal. Just look what happened to the back streets; this is the first time that the waves have ever done damage like that. Water 7 was built to last; if it starts shaking, we damn well better listen. I'm telling you that even if you went up there in our biggest galleon smashed to smithereens. I'm not gonna let you sail out there if I know you're not going to make it back alive. Wait till morning; we'll lend you a ship as soon the storm passes."
He then got to his feet and turned to the other shipwrights. "The rest of you get back to the evacuation shelter. We're done searching for missing people; we can't stand around like idiots waiting for Wade to hit us."
"Right!"
"Hold on," said Hiccup, and everyone looked at him. "If we wait until after the storm settles, we won't make it in time to save Heather, will we? My father told me stories about Enies Lobby. It's not just a base belonging to the World Government; it is also with the Gates of Justice are located, isn't it?"
"Gates of Justice?" said Toothless.
"Enies Lobby is known as the Judicial Island, but that's a lie. The court they have there is only for show; the truth is if you have been taken, then you're already considered guilty. When you arrive, the government walked you through an empty courtroom leading you to a pair of cold steel doors that tower above the entire island. Those doors are known as the Gates of Justice; the criminals who walk through them must abandon all hope. Once they reach the other side, they will never see the light of day again.
Once you set sail beyond those doors, there are only two destinations you can reach, neither of which are ever likely to leave. One is Navy headquarters, where the strongest military powers gather in the world in the name of justice. The other is Impel Down, an underwater prison filled with torture chambers and execution blocks. No matter how vicious they may be, the criminals imprisoned there can only wait for death. In other words, going to Enies Lobby is no different than a death sentence. There's no trial, no justice and no hope of escape. Am I right?"
Palmer just remained quiet, confirming everything Hiccup had said.
"Heather has a bounty on ahead; no matter where they take, she will face death or worse," said Hiccup pledging his fist. "Every second we waste here talking, she gets one step closer to the Gates of Justice! Don't you dare tell us to wait until tomorrow!"
Silence fell, and the only thing people could hear was the raging wind.
"If you know that much already, I've only just got one thing to say," said Palmer. "Even if the sea was calm and you were able to set sail, that is the last place you should ever go. Don't forget you people are wanted criminals just the same as your friend. Just like you said, Enies Lobby is the front door to the World Government's own personal playground. They have drawn battle lines around that place that should never ever be crossed.
Regardless of how they feel about their crewmates, no pirate would be stupid enough to launch a rescue mission there. They know what would happen. Picking a fight in that place is like declaring war against the entire Navy!"
Hiccup just stood there in silence, but he didn't look deterred in the slightest.
"Hey, I know how you must feel, but Palmer's right!" said a shipwright.
"You can't leave during Aqua Laguna anyway!"
"You'll be dead even if you get there!"
"There's no point in throwing your lives away over this!"
Astrid looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup?"
"Fine then, we'll steal a ship!" Hiccup roared. Then almost as if responding to his rage, the tidal wave hit the island again, blowing away a few of the shipwrights. "Our shipmate is counting on us! Don't try to get in our way! We're leaving now!"
"Whoa, even the waves got mad," said Chimney shocked.
"Whoa," said a shipwright.
"Is he going to fight us?"
"That sure was scary."
Palmer pulled out one of his ropes. "Find then… you want to fight; you got it."
The other Dragon Riders got ready for a fight.
"All of you, stop it!" Coco yelled, and everyone turned to look at her.
"Coco?" Astrid frowned.
"Stop being searched damn fool, Dragon," she said. "Like it or not, Palmer is right on this one."
"This is none of your business," said Hiccup.
"You sure about that, boy? Either way, these folks are just trying to stop you from killing yourself. The point is no matter how mad you are, no ship can handle Aqua Laguna. Only a Sea Train made by a legendary man stands a chance."
"I know that, but I don't have any choice since the only Sea Train in the world has left town already," Hiccup pointed out.
"If you're prepared to die, then that's fine; just come along with me," she said, turning his back on him. "We'll brave the storm on my Sea Train."
Meanwhile, Ragnar had just left the first car on the Puffing Tom, making his way down the next one. This one, too, was filled with Government agents, and they just stared at him as he walked by.
"Pardon me," he said.
"Who's that guy?"
"I don't know."
"You idiots, don't just stand there! If he's not wearing a uniform, then he must be an intruder!"
Ragnar then quickly spun around and kicked him in the face hard.
"Get him!"
The agent then immediately grabbed their weapons and charged at Ragnar.
"I guess playing innocent doesn't work in here," Ragnar sighed.
Ragnar then stole his hands and began spinning his legs around, kicking the agents ferociously. He didn't even have to move as they just jumped at him without thinking, so in the space of 30 seconds, all of them were knocked unconscious.
"And here's me hoping I could get out of a fight," said Ragnar as he stood upright. "There again, but I expect otherwise?"
He then saw Snotlout and Eret in the corner in sacks and judging from the bruises on their faces, they had been beaten up quite a bit.
"Ragnar?" Snotlout stared.
"Hold it," said two voices in unison.
Ragnar turned his head and saw two agents, that were clearly twins, sitting at a table. The two of them immediately rose to their feet and throughout a pair of swords.
"You think we're going to let you get away with that?" they said.
"If you're smart," said Ragnar.
The two of them swung their swords at him, but he quickly jumped back, avoiding the blades. They then moved in for another swing, but Ragnar rolled onto the floor.
"Black Jet Kick!" Ragnar yelled, kicking the two of them right under the chin.
He then stretched out his legs as much as he could, and the two of them hit the ceiling so hard that their heads went right through it.
"Wait, you didn't hijack the Sea Train, just arrest you may, did you?" Snotlout stared.
"I don't even know what you're doing here," said Ragnar. "Also, what's your name again? I don't believe we've actually met before, have we?"
"Are you kidding me?" Snotlout glared. "You jerk."
Ragnar then noticed some transponder snails on the table. "Excellent, transponder snails. This has to be a communications room or something. Lucky I ran into this place so soon. Those guys might beat up in the last car only had a bunch of useless masks and costumes. Anyway, with this, I can contact the others."
"Let me guess, he's one of your pirate friends, isn't he?" Eret assumed.
"Ex-friend," the two of them corrected.
"The question is, who are you?" Ragnar asked.
"I am the face of Water 7's underworld, the ship dismantler Eret," he said.
Ragnar then promptly kicked him in the face. "So you're the bastard who beat up Snotlout, huh?! He may be dead to me now, but he was part of our crew back then!"
"Now hang on, it's not like that now," said Snotlout. "A lot of stuff has changed since then."
"Hey, punk!" Eret roared. "You're lucky that I'm tied up!"
"Come on, man, that line is getting old," said Snotlout and then quickly looked back at Ragnar. "Seriously, he's a good guy. He saved the Tiger, at least for a while." Then the painful memories of the Tiger flowed back into him. "Oh yeah, the Tiger was…"
Ragnar didn't need him to finish because he guessed that something bad happened to it, judging from the look on his face.
"Come on, buddy, you can't get all sad and mopey on me now," said Eret and then glared up at Ragnar. "Hey, pal, untie me! Pretty please?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you can spend the rest of your life in that potato sack," said Ragnar.
"Screw you! I said, pretty please, what the hell else do you want?"
"Will you stop it!" Snotlout yelled loudly. "No more fighting, guys! Look, if we keep yelling, then the Marines are going to come!"
"Yeah, then shut up!" Eret snapped.
"Say what?"
"I should have gagged both of you," said Ragnar.
"Whatever, just time me!" Eret barked.
All three of them were creating quite a bit of commotion in the car, and the Marines in the next one looked at it rather puzzled. Finally, everything went quiet, but then the Marine captain rose to his feet.
"Uh, Captain T-Bone? What are you…" said a Marine.
Captain T-Bone was a tall and very pale man, and strapped to his side was a long sword which he then unsheathed.
Meanwhile, Iceberg was repairing some sort of engine, and he remembered what the shipwright had told him a little while ago.
"Eret's with them too?" he asked.
"Yes, sir, but I'm afraid that the Sea Train has already departed."
"Palmer and the other guys are out looking for Dragon and his friends, but no luck."
Iceberg remembered Astrid's determination, and if the rest of the crew was as half as the summit as she was, they were brave the sea in this storm even if it cost them their lives. To that end, he decided to do everything he could to help them.
Coco, meanwhile, had taken Hiccup and the others to an old shed.
"Wow, a secret base?" Chimney asked excitedly.
"It's been more than eight years since anyone set foot in here, and nobody has touched the Sea Train for more than 12," said Coco.
"Let's check it out!" said Tuffnut as he ran down the stairs.
"Let's go, Chopper!" said Ruffnut, following her brother stairs.
"Right," said Chopper following them.
"I'm warning you, the thing may not anymore," Coco warned.
"Then let's hope you're wrong," said Hiccup.
"Settle down, fellows, you can run as much as you like, but you're not getting inside without the key," said Coco as she and the others bulb she spun a set of keys around her finger.
However, to her surprise, they found the door at the end of the corridor was open, and a light was coming from it.
"Now that's weird; it's open," she said.
"Looks like someone beat us to it," said Hiccup.
The twins opened the doors, and their eyes beamed the moment they saw what was inside.
"Oh, wow!" said Ruffnut.
"Check it out!" said Tuffnut.
Inside was a Sea Train, but it was much different than the Puffing Tom and way more fierce. It was a lot more ragged in the boiler was shaped like a cone.
"So cool," said Chopper sharing the twin's excitement.
"Unlike the Puffing Tom, this one here is a crazy train," said Coco.
"I'm guessing this is one of the prototypes," Hiccup assumed.
"Yep, its name is Rocketman," Coco nodded. "It comes with no guarantees, so bored at your own risk."
"Rocketman," said the twins excitedly.
"Sounds fast," said Chopper.
"Neato," said Chimney.
"I'm not entirely comfortable with it," said Toothless.
"Don't worry may look mean, but it won't bite," Coco assured them.
Then suddenly they saw a single in the cabin Iceberg, who was carrying a set of tools.
"Hey, it's Iceberg," said Hiccup.
"Hello there, Dragon, so you are okay after all," said Iceberg. "It would seem as if your friend's faith was well-founded. I assume that you brought them here, Coco."
"The question is, what are you doing here?" Coco asked. "You've been through a lot today; you need a rest."
"Let's just say you, and I were thinking of the same thing," Iceberg smiled. "We have a soft spot, the idiots, don't we?"
Coco laughed.
Iceberg chuckled himself and sat down on some crates. "Go-ahead, I just finished servicing it. Water and coal have been loaded, and the steam is building up now."
"We appreciate you getting ready for us; we owe you one," said Hiccup.
"I wouldn't celebrate yet if I were you," said Iceberg as he wiped off the grime on his face. "You might not even survive the ride. This was our failed prototype before we made the Puffing Tom. No matter how you tune it, you can't control its speed. In other words, it's a runaway train."
"So long as they would catch over the Puffing Tom, it can go as fast as it once," said Hiccup.
He then began setting the stairs against the cars, though he was a little shaky.
"Let's get everything set up," he said. "We're leaving as soon as Astrid and Fishlegs get here, Coco."
He then suddenly became quite dizzy and almost collapsed.
"Hiccup, you okay?" Chopper asked. "You've been kinda shaky on your feet since we found you."
"He probably just lost too much blood," said Toothless.
"Perhaps you should take it easy," said Ruffnut.
"Yeah, let us take some slack, H," said Tuffnut.
"I'll only take things easy once we get Heather back," said Hiccup.
"Come on, this way!" Astrid yelled as she and Fishlegs ran down the stairs.
Following behind them with the two conductors pulling a cart filled with food.
"Wait!"
"I don't see why you have to go all the way down here just to eat your dinner?"
"He's right; if you're hungry, you can eat now."
Astrid stared at them. "You think that food is for me?"
"Yeah, it's for the entire crew," said Fishlegs.
"What?" the conductors stared.
"Sorry we took so long," said Astrid as she entered the shed.
"Astrid? Fishlegs?" said Toothless.
"Wow, amazing," said Fishlegs as he looked at Rocketman. "So there's another Sea Train, huh?"
"It was hiding here all this time, and we never knew," said one of the conductors.
"This is a real surprise."
Hiccup looked at the supplies that Astrid had gathered. "What's with all the supplies? I thought you were more in a hurry than the rest of us."
"We can't go fighting the World Government on an empty stomach," said Astrid.
"It's ready to go," said Coco.
"You'll shoot up the canal into the ocean; if you can latch on to the ware way after that, it should be a good start," said Iceberg.
"Don't you worry a bit; I like to drink when I take my job seriously," she said. "You just stay here and get that body of yours a good rest."
"Sounds fine to me."
"And while I'm taking care of these pirate folks, I hope you don't mind watching Chimney and Paws for me?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"Don't go travelling yourself over him either," Coco chuckled, noticing the frown on his face. "That boy got hit by a Sea Train, you know. If he can survive that, I'm sure he'll be okay. Besides, we got the King of the Pirates on our side, so we can't lose."
They then heard footsteps and saw the Eret Family had just entered through the door.
"Dragon!" Teeny yelled.
"Who's there?" Hiccup asked.
"The Eret Family," Astrid glared.
"We're kind of busy right now," said Toothless.
"Please, Dragon, you guys got to take us with you!" Teeny pleaded with tears in his eyes. "The people Galley Law said that you were going to take a Sea Train to Enies Lobby. Those Government bastards, too, Eret, they took our bro away from us! We want to go, but we can't get through Aqua Laguna alone!"
"You sure you want to pick a fight on their turf?" Coco asked.
"I'll fight anyone anywhere!" said Teeny.
"We've got a get our bro back!"
"I don't care what happens to us so long as we can save him," said Kaley.
"We're begging you!" Kalena pleaded. "Please, help us, Dragon. We will do anything."
"If we don't hurry, bro is done for."
"You've got to be kidding me," said Astrid. "You steal our money, beat up our friend and then ask us for help?"
Teeny then fell to his knees. "I don't care; even if it's wrong, I'm still begging you. I'll give up my pride if I can save him."
Hiccup then began making his way towards the car and then looked at them. "Come on, hurry up."
Everyone stared at him, and the Eret Family burst into tears of joy.
"Thank you so much," said Teeny.
Astrid looked at Hiccup. "Are you sure about this?"
"Where we're going, we're going to need all the help we can get, and they have a stake in this too," said Hiccup.
"Thank you, thank you, Dragon," said Teeny.
"Then dryer those tears and hop aboard," said Hiccup.
"Wait, we don't have to get on the train with you," said Teeny. "We'll just hop on our King Bulls and head out to sea at the same time the train takes off. All you have to do is let the bulls hitch a ride on your tail."
"What are King Bulls?" Toothless frowned.
"Anyway, we're off," said Teeny. "Thanks, see you soon! Let's go!"
With that, all of them left with smiles on their faces and made it outside.
"Let's show those bastards what we're made of and save our bro!" Teeny yelled.
Chopper was now in his human form, stoking the fire with coal.
"How's that?" he asked, looking at Coco.
Coco laughed. "Good. Now let's take off."
She then pulled down on the whistle on the train began to move, though unknown to anyone Palmer had stowed away.
"All right, boys and girls, hold on tight so that you don't fall off," said Coco. "Now departing Water 7 for Enies Lobby. Here comes Rocketman!"
"Full speed ahead!" Hiccup yelled as they thundered down the track. "We're going to get Heather back!"