What is the sea train?
What is the one-piece sea train, who made it, and how does it work?
Pirates usually travel by sea, and to do so, they usually travel by ship. Their own ship. Now, you've rarely seen pirates travel by other means, but Eiichiro Oda's One Piece is a pirate series that likes to change things up, and you'll find methods of transportation not often seen in pirate stories. One of them is a sea train known as the Sea Train, which is an uncommon but quite popular means of transportation. In this article, we've decided to tell you everything we know about the Sea Train.
The Sea Train is a train that travels on the surface of the sea via floating rails. It is a means of transportation. Currently, there are three: two built by Tom, a legendary shipbuilder from the city of Water 7, and one built by Galley-La Company. There are other sea trains featured in the New World, but they are not considered canon since they only appeared in one of the films.
The rest of this article will focus on the Sea Train, as we intend to tell you everything we know about it. This is a rather intriguing question, as the Sea Train isn't a vitally important plot point, but we've decided to tell you everything we know about it and its origins. Be careful, as there are bound to be spoilers ahead.
What is the Sea Train in One Piece?
A water train is a locomotive that traverses the surface of the sea. To date, only three examples are known: the first two built by Tom and his company, Tom's Workers, and a third built by the Galley-La company. To further open up Water 7's commercial reach, Tom began designing and building this means of transportation. The first water train was a prototype that could not be used commercially due to its risks and poor safety standards. A second train was later built and used commercially due to safety improvements over its predecessor.
During the events of the Water 7 saga, the Puffing Tom was lost and the Rocketman was severely damaged. This led Iceburg to design and build, with the help of the Galley-La corporation, a third known as the "Puffing Ice." We will now introduce each of the sea trains individually.
Rocket Man
The first prototype sea train. It has the same characteristics as the Puffing Tom, but with the particularity of being faster and having no brakes, making it uncontrollable. This meant that it was never used to transport passengers or goods. Ultimately, it would be used by the Straw Hat Pirates as a last resort to get to Enies' Lobby, where it would be destroyed.
The Rocketman was a gray engine with a shark face painted on the front. It consisted of a locomotive and a passenger car. Like the Puffing Tom, it had a 4-4-0 layout and was capable of traveling over water, even without tracks, as well as on land. The Rocketman was a failed prototype because it could only travel at dangerously high speeds without derailing and had no means of braking. This meant that once the Rocketman reached its top speed, it would continue running non-stop, making it too dangerous to be used commercially.
Tom swollen
The second sea train and the first to be used for the transport of people and/or goods due to the improvements it offered over its predecessor. Its construction initially acquitted Tom during the trial for the construction of the Roger Pirates' ship.
The Puffing Tom is based on historic 19th-century American steam locomotives. It is a custom-built 4-4-0 with a streamlined boiler and smokebox and an inverted cowcatcher. It has the word "Water 7" painted on its panel and can run on water and tracks to improve its speed. The color scheme was green and red with orange and yellow lining.
In addition to its locomotive, the Puffing Tom carries several passenger cars. During its journey to Enies Lobby, several of these were destroyed by the Straw Hat Pirates and the Franky Family. The Puffing Tom also has freight cars, only one of which is briefly depicted: a flatbed car, which transports lumber to Water 7.
Soufflé ice cream
The Puffing Ice is very similar in design to its predecessor, the Puffing Tom. The biggest visible difference is that the Puffing Ice has a smaller caldera. The only other obvious cosmetic differences are the number 2 and the word "ICE" on its forehead.
Other maritime trains
Sea trains were used as a means of transportation by the inhabitants of a small archipelago where the Straw Hat Pirates landed. Several sea train lines connected Dock Island and Secon Island, as well as other surrounding islands. The railway system was much more elaborate than that used by Water 7, using signals and level crossings to facilitate travel. The trains themselves were also more modern and refined, their design being inspired by the 3700 City Class locomotives used by the Great Western Railway.
These sea trains have not been described in more detail and are not considered part of the canon.
Who built the Sea Trains in One Piece?
About 24 years ago, Tom was planning to build a proper sea train when he was arrested by World Government agents who were seeking the Fishman for the crime of building Gol D. Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson. At the same time, Water 7's remote location and proximity to a large number of Sea Kings made the city an undesirable port for trade, slowly eroding the economy of the city and all its inhabitants.
By building his "steamboat," Tom effectively built a water train, saving the economy and the return of trade to Water 7, as well as his own life. The judge presiding over Tom's trial agreed to postpone his crimes for ten years. If he succeeded in building the water train, he would be cleared of all charges against him.
When Tom began building the train, he had already built a prototype steam engine called the Rocketman. He then expanded the project by building an improved version of his prototype, the Puffing Tom, which was originally only connected to Enies Lobby. However, over the next four years, he built rails to three nearby islands: St. Poplar, Pucci, and San Faldo. By design, a sea train is more or less impervious to changes in weather; the train's momentum and speed allow it to move quickly in any situation, even when faced with an Aqua Laguna.
How does the sea train work in One Piece?
Although a highly unusual means of transportation, sea trains appear to operate much like regular land trains. As the train passes over the track, a device near the wheels creates an underwater resonance to chase away sea kings. The tracks lie just below the ocean's surface and sway with the tides to prevent damage from waves. The tracks require occasional maintenance, as they only serve to increase the train's speed on the ocean's surface and guide it to its destination.
