Blank-faced Bookstore Girl
The cover of "Shipwright Monthly" and the bitterly smiling bookstore clerk
"Thank you for your business," I said with a flat voice, handing over the bagged copy of Shipwright Monthly to the customer.
In front of the register was not exactly a procession of people, but still a fair number of people standing there waiting to pay for their purchases.
And again, the next customer had a copy of Shipwright Monthly in hand.
Haaaa, we really were selling a lot of that magazine. While I was half amazed, I took the customer's money, returned their change, and handed over the product. Well, I guess Water 7 here is a shipbuilding city, so I suppose it's natural to sell this magazine, but still…
"Thank you for your business," I said, and as I bowed, I heard a hiccup.
I raised my head and saw that the next customer was one of the famous people of this city, Kokoro-san. The slightly red-faced, sake loving Shift Station Manager.
And of course Kokoro-san too had Shipwright Monthly in hand.
"Ngagaga, today's SM is selling more than usual, right? That's because Franky's on the cover."
Saying that, she pointed to the cover image of a man with a shaved head and sunglasses
Huuuh? SM she called it, this magazine, and after a mild surprise, said "more than usual," but I've only worked here for about a week, so I don't know what the "usual" is. That was the simple thought in my mind, after which came the doubtful: who was this Franky person?
Seeing my dull reaction, Kokoro-san continued.
"Do you not know who Franky is? He's a hooligan of a shipwright from this city, and now he's the Straw Hat Pirates' shipwright,"
She said that, but ships and shipwrights ─in other words, this city─ don't particularly make me happy, so my expression didn't change. This Franky guy on the cover was grinning bright like the sun and laughing.
But I just returned the magazine and change to Kokoro-san and said, "Thank you for your business," and bowed.
Of course, the next customer also brought a copy of Shipwright Monthly. Seeing this guy's smiling face again and again was ridiculously laughable─ but I didn't laugh. I couldn't laugh.
"Thank you for your business," I said to another customer with a bow, and when I lifted my head, I noticed her.
Kokoro-san, who had already payed for her purchase not too long ago, was still standing near the register, looking in my direction.
What's this? Did I give her the wrong amount of change?
But it wasn't that.
Kokoro-san said, "You're pretty blunt, aren't 'cha? If you'd just laugh, Beppin-san, but what a waste."
The way she said this didn't feel so much mad as it did thoughtful.
Yeah, I was aware. I don't laugh. On the contrary, while I'm working I'm blank faced.
But sorry.
Even if you restock, there's no plan to restock my smile.
I just returned Kokoro-san's ambiguous nod and moved my gaze to the next customer.
A month ago, I moved from a certain Spring Island to Water 7.
The reason for moving was really good. "The convenience of Dad's job" he claimed.
The company Dad worked for went bankrupt, so he had to search for his next employer.
Fortunately, because Dad's so good at assessing and has connections, he was able to get an offer to work at another company. That company was in Water 7.
When he found a job so soon, Dad and Mom seemed really happy, but it didn't really make me happy.
"We'd have to move to Water 7 for that, right? No thanks."
Moving would mean leaving all my friends and the Dance Team I'd made last year. All that practice for the contest… it was such a letdown.
"I say we're moving, but it's only about 1,000 kilometers away. Just a half day's trip by boat," Dad said, but I don't get it. Saying that just meant I couldn't come and go easily because to me 1,000 kilometers or 20,000 kilometers was the same.
So we came to Water 7. The exotic waterway streets spread out in every direction, leaving my mom to exclaim, "How lovely! How grand!" but I didn't react.
I'll admit, the scenery was beautiful. No matter where you looked, the streets looked pretty enough to have been cut out of a postcard.
But, but this humidity!
With so many waterways, in this city everything tends to be wet. With the strong habits of my hair, it would quickly come under the influence of humidity. Thanks to that, as soon as I arrived at the island the sides of my bob haircut puffed up and contrary to my hopes, the tips of my hair curled inward.
Oh how I long for the climate of a Spring Island!
…was the lament I began with, leaving me blank-faced for my life style in Water 7.
I got a job at the bookstore, thinking at first that it might be fun, but it wasn't at all. Restocking is hard work and the customer's questions had me constantly going every which way.
But those weren't the bad parts.
The troublesome part was the delivery jobs. Passing through the nearby shipyards there are scary pirates that make the cowardly me's legs tremble.
The mess my hair becomes, the fact that my dance friends aren't here, leaves the impression that this city is scary.
That's why I'm standing in this store blank-faced today as well.
When I think of working at the bookstore, I can say that there is a variety of magazines.
If I hadn't worked at the bookstore, I probably would have never known of Shipwright Monthly.
Anyways, the week after SM was put in stock, I encountered another magazine I didn't know of.
Robot & Cyborg Monthly
That there was a magazine called that honestly wasn't as surprising as SM, but I was surprised to see Franky-san on the cover again. Except this time Franky-san was a robot.
Huh? This guy's a robot? For the SM cover he was human, but for this RCM he's got the form of a robot with a drill on its head. What a mystery.
The featured article headline on the cover was amazing
"A must see for boys who like robots! The combined robot Franky Shogun's fascinating form and full body specs!"
I don't like robots nor am I a boy, so I wasn't interested.
However, last week Franky-san was pictured as a smiling older man, but this week he had a very firmly blank expression. Such a great contrast was a little weird.
Anyways, in the magazine corner where the RCM was placed there were more famous people today.
"Nmaa, I should check my fellow apprentice's specs."
"What is this? That guy's gone way beyond human."
Those two male customers were Water 7's mayor, Iceberg-san, and Paulie-san. They are the President and Vice-President of the shipbuilding Galley-La Company, something even I knew on the day I came to this island.
But...
"Fellow apprentice...?"
The doubt slipped out of my mouth and Iceberg-san reacted.
"Yeah, me and Franky here had the same teacher. We were the apprentices of a shipwright named Tom, nmaa, so I guess you could say we had the same starting point."
"Tom-san was the amazingly skilled shipwright that built the Sea Train. This island's greatest contributor," Paulie-san added, but I came to this island by boat, so I've never ridden the Sea Train.
"Is he a robot, this Franky guy?" I asked again.
"No, when he left this island, he wasn't a robot," Iceberg-san said.
"Though he was a cyborg" said Paulie-san.
There are cyborgs! This thought seemed to be stuck in my head, but I kept that dismayed feeling inside.
I wonder what he's doing around now—
Does he still play those strange songs?—
I had to work around those two who seemed to be having fun talking about Franky-san. Seeing those two like that, I felt something tighten in my chest, like I should smile... but it was the opposite and I was feeling sad.
I want to have those fun looking conversations with people... but I just remember those friends I was separated from.
The day before yesterday, a letter from everyone on the dance team was delivered.
They're working hard for next month's contest. One part of the choreography incorporates a robot dance, which wasn't very cool of them to write.
A robot dance, huh? That kind of robot is better than RCM, I think.
I look off in the direction of my hometown on that spring island.
Ah, this is no good. I really feel like crying.
That's why I can't cry and purposefully wear my blank face.
Seeing this makes me wonder if the publishing world is focusing on Franky-san.
Yet again, we're stocking magazines with Franky-san decorating the cover.
Hardboiled Quarterly
Ugh… I've got no comment for this magazine.
This cover's Franky-san wasn't the robot form, but the human version. It was a long distance shot of his scratched-up face, though this time he wasn't laughing or expressionless, but wearing a serious expression.
The featured article's headline proclaimed: "Emergency Report from Dresrossa! The debut of a Hardboiled Guy to rival Señior Pink!"
I don't get it. Not a single word.
Incidentally, when I looked at the flattery and contents, there was another featured article: "Franky's 10 Rules for Living Hardboiled"
The first rule was─ "Don't let rules tie you up!"
The feeling of trying to break through with the voice's big size and momentum appears in the bold gothic print, and I unexpectedly felt like laughing. But I still don't laugh.
Anyways, who even reads a magazine like this? SM and RCM are minor magazines, but their readership is easy to understand. Shipbuilders and people who like robots, respectively. But this HBQ?
While I'm thinking this, the magazine corner where Hardboiled Quarterly is set has once again brought in this city's famous people to shop.
The square board-like hairstyle pair, Kiwi-san and Mozu-san. I've never talked with them before, but I've heard tell that the two have carved themselves a business in a backstreet bar.
"That's Aniki for you, not only is his body hard*, but so is his lifestyle."
"The drop of kindness hidden in his steel body is Aniki's charm."
Listening to the bar ladies, I thought they sounded scary, but seeing Kiwi-san and Mozu-san stand there chatting with the magazine in hand, they were kind of cute. Probably because of the way their voices sounded.
"Are you friends with Franky-san?" I asked, and two square boards turned my way.
"No, we're not friends. Aniki is our benefactor."
"He made us his little sisters back when we were nobodies in the backstreets."
Franky-san, before he joined the Straw Hat Pirates, gathered all the rejects and got them into the ship dismantling and bounty hunting business under the name of the Franky Family. Everyone lovingly called the boss Franky-san "Aniki." Kiwi-san and Mozu-san told me this story, switching between each other as they told it.
I see. I don't know if he's human, robot, or cyborg, someone like that is hard to understand, but at least he seems like a friendly guy.
"If you want to know more about Aniki, just come to our shop."
"You don't have to drink sake, we've got juice too."
When those two said that to me, I, who had been recently missing people, came to a revelation. These were good people. They might be a little older than me, but maybe these two would become my friends, I thought and this time my expression relaxed.
Suddenly, I spotted in the magazine corner a pair of people moving suspiciously.
Two boys about thirteen or fourteen years old. They were squatting down in the adult magazines section and I was fairly sure they were trying to sneak the packaging off of an erotic magazine.
"Hold it, you two!" I said in a sharp tone.
"Crap!"
"She found us!"
The two roughly tore off the packaging and fled.
"Stop right there!" I said, following them.
"Who would stop, you haaaaag!"
"Stay away, you hag!" they said.
"Hag!?"
The simple insult brought me to an unconscious stop.
The pair left me behind together, fleeing outside of the shop.
"That was…"
"Michael and Hoichael," Kiwi-san and Mozu-san told me, but I didn't care about those shitty brats' names.
Aaaaagh! I really do hate this city!
It's no good…
It's really impossible. I've reached my limit…
And so─ my voice raised in laughter.
"Ahaha!"
A nearby customer looked at me and I apologized and lowered my face, but the smile didn't leave my lips.
While I grin with a few puffs of laughter bubbling up every now and then, "Well, if it isn't Beppin-san that's laughing," I hear Kokoro-san say from over where the magazines are.
"Ah, that's─!" I kept smiling as Kokoro-san came to stand off to the side of me. "Did you come in to get this magazine!?"
I showed her the magazine's cover where, smiling and holding a cola with a piece of seaweed neatly in one hand, was Franky-san.
The magazine's title was─ Monthly Transforming Bastards Yeah.
"'Transforming Bastards' huh, isn't that insulting?"
Despite that, Franky-san has the greatest smile and after that is not "bastards," but "bastards yeah," moderately transforming it to cheeky.
Opening it to the table of contents page, the featured article headlines were lined up:
"Now, the Hottest Transformation, Franky's 20,300 Word** Interview!"
"Franky-sensei teaches his Super Transformation Word Game Technique! 'Don't play guitar! Play people!"
"Transformation Fiction Writer Franky's written down novel is released all at once! 'The Transformation came in formation for devastation! Aow!'"
"A Celebrity Talks about Franky─ The Former Director of CP9 Mr. Spandam says 'Even if he were cut into little pieces I still wouldn't be satisfied!' Shift Station Station Master Ms. Kokoro says 'Shall I tell you stories from when I was a beautiful secretary?'"
"AND MORE…"
"… It says featured articles, but isn't this a whole book about Franky-san? Furthermore, isn't that a cheeky interview answer, Kokoro-san?"
"Ngagaga, if they're calling me a celebrity, I won't feel bad about it."
As I smiled, I looked at the cover of MTBY. I didn't buy copies of RCM or HBQ, however, I had the urge to buy this one and take it home. Like I wanted to look yet didn't want to look at this forbidden world.
"Excuse me…" was timidly said at that time.
"Yes?" I said, and as I looked back, my eyes caught on a triangle.
"Ah! You two!"
The packaging criminals, Michael and Hoichael, were standing there.
"I'm very sorry!" said Michael, lowering his head.
"I'm very sorry!" said Hoichael, also lowering his head.
They each wore a shirt with an 'M' or an 'H' on it, making them easy to tell apart. But that didn't really matter either way─
From what I heard, Kiwi-san and Mozu-san scolded them into coming to apologize.
"Sorry for ripping up the packaging!"
"I'm sorry too!"
The two kept their faces down.
I crossed my arms and looked between the two.
"…Heck, isn't there something else besides ripping up the packaging that you should be apologizing for?"
Even though I said that, I didn't expect to have any luck with it.
"Uuum… what was it…"
"Calling you a hag?"
"Exactly!"
"Ah, well, Onee-san, you always make a face like a hag when you're working…"
"Yeah, and because of that we called you a hag…"
Ah…
"But I wouldn't say that now," said Michael.
"Yeah, you don't look like a hag today…" said Hoichael.
"I know, right. In fact, you look kind of cute today."
"Yeah, but just a little, little bit."
"Shut up," I said, my face turning a little red. "Don't say such impertinent things."
It was enough to let them go.
With the "release" of Michael and Hoichael, I let out a big sigh.
Younger kids were such a pain, I reflected just a little bit. They called me a hag, then they said I was cute. They said that about my natural face.
"Ngagaga, isn't that great? They said you were cute," Kokoro-san said. I smiled and shook it off.
"I…" I began to tell my story without being asked and Kokoro-san was kind enough to lend me her ear.
How we moved to this city of Water 7 and I didn't like it. How I left the store with a blank face everyday─
"… I was completely shut off. I didn't really want to talk to anyone either. But Franky-san kept appearing on magazine covers and little by little I opened up…"
SM, RCM, and QHB came, and today's MTBY raised my voice in laughter for the first time in while.
The magazines that came into stock were like a way for Franky-san to knock, I think. Franky-san continued to knock on the door of my closed off heart. Are you alright? How about you open the door a bit? So I don't have to worry…
So, I tried opening it─ and there stood the transformation bastard. The result, I gave a big laugh.
But that was fine. That I was able to laugh today felt like letting all those pent-up feelings flow free in one stroke.
If it was now, I could think that.
If I wanted to dance, making a dance team here too was fine.
My hair too, if I couldn't tame it, it was fine to be tired of growing it out and I could have it cut feathery and short.
And during deliveries when I come across pirates, they'll still be scary like usual, but if I think about it, I'm not quite so scared and the pirates aren't in my way.
And just like that, the pitter-patter and chords of my thoughts seemed to flip over to facing forward.
"… and it's all thanks to Franky-san." As I said that, my eyes fell upon the cover of MTBY again.
Alright, done being shy? Franky-san seemed to say that when I looked at the cover, still smiling up at me.
"There are a lot of different types of faces. For people and cities," Kokoro-san said quietly. "… As a Shipwright, a cyborg, a hardboiled man, a pervert. Yet those are all the man called Franky."
This city too is like that, Kokoro-san continued to explain.
"Sure, it's really humid and the pirates who come here can be scary. But you know, there's still kindness and sweetness here too."
"Yeah. I… really like the Mizu Mizu Ame…."
"Oh yeah?"
"And… I'd like to ride the sea train someday."
"Is that so?" Kokoro-san said with an interested smile. "You definitely have to try it. Tom-san built that sea train together with Mayor-berg and Franky."
"And I… want to meet the real Franky-san someday too."
If I were to meet Franky-san, what would I say first?
It'd have to be "Nice to meet you," right? But although they're just magazine covers that I've seen his face on, it's not going to feel right to say that.
I sighed mentally.
"With us gossiping like this, Franky-san is probably sneezing right now," I say, and Kokoro-san gives a mischievous laugh.
"Have you thought about this one? Although it's a little unusual for Franky to sneeze. But with us talking like this─"
o-o-o
In the waters of the Grand Line─
A breeze blows across the deck of the Thousand Sunny, where Franky sneezes.
"Hey… hey… Franky!" Luffy asked as he passed by, "Huh? What's wrong? Are you catching a cold?"
"No way," Franky says, pushing his sunglasses up to his forehead and squinting against the sun. "Someone's probably just gossiping about the super me, you know?"
Translation Notes
The * point
Just a small pun here to share as normal Japanese is used for the "hard" in "hard body" while lifestyle was written with the katakana "hard" from "hardboiled."
About the magazine title "Monthly Transformation Bastards Yeah"
It doesn't work great in English. It's Franky's "hentai" joke of being written transform but sounding like pervert and then "yarou" which is just a rough way of saying "you" that can range in severity from "you (who-is-not-always-nice) my friend" to "you *bleep*-ing bastard" depending on context, usually as konyarou. Then there's a little "ze" at the end that gets commented on later, so I added "yeah" to the title as the ze is just a particle to help reinforce the rough speech style, I think.
The ** point
Not necessarily words, as that was the character count, as in how many kanji, hiragana, and katakana characters, which doesn't smoothly translate into an English word count at all, but letter count doesn't really work either, so I went with word because that at least makes sense in English.
Franky-sensei teaches his Super Transformation Word Game Technique!
Agh, Japanese wordplay. "Play an instrument" 弾く and "to attract, draw in, or subtract" 引く are both "hiku" with different kanji. I tried to keep the same feeling by at least using "play" twice.
About the novel title "The Transformation Came in Formation for Devastation"
OMG the title for his novel is so much funnier in Japanese. It's "Hentai ga hentai de kite taihentai" which means "transformation came by formation is very painful/difficult" by writing or "pervert came by pervert great pervert" by sound. Sooo much pervert-not-pervert in there and I don't know how to do that proper justice, or that it's really possible.
