AN: Um...I have no idea where I am on my updating schedule. I got totally lost. xD I think I'll mark on my calendar which days I'm supposed to update which story. :P

Since I finally remembered...I don't own One Piece!! xD I've been forgetting to put disclaimers up but I just want you all to know that I am aware that it's not mine. I asked for it for my birthday but I don't think I'll be getting it. :P (But I did get this totally awesome book!! My husband is so shiny!!!)

Thanks go out to Moonlit Mage, Aska the Light, and Cedezbenz (I don't know why but I have the hardest time remembering how to spell your handle!! xD) for encouraging me. ^-^

Chapter 25: In which we learn what Franky and Usopp have been up to

***Across the square from HQ***

The assassins stood on the roof of a building across the street, watching the thick pillar of smoke rising from the ruined headquarters. "The pirates' testimony won't mean a thing..." As they had escaped the burning building he saw a carpenter come out with the pirate girl...so one of them would survive...until the city hung her in outrage. It was just as well though. Her presence there solidified that it was the pirates fault.

"This incident has been obscured...Iceburg-san though you may be a very talented shipwright and the mayor of a big city...an ordinary citizen shouldn't defy a large government!!"

With that over with Lucchi directed his team to their next task. "Let's go! We have to get the blueprints from Tom's other disciple, Franky...no Cutty Flam!!"

***The Zousenjima wall***

Kokoro watched the smoke continue to rise from a safe distance...Chimney and Gombe were with her of course. "Grandma! Grandma! That fire is so huge--!!!" The child had to hold on to a pole to keep from being blown off her feet by the fierce wind.

Kokoro drank as she watched a legacy burn to the ground...the second she had witnessed in her lifetime. "That's the Galley-La Headquarters..." She told the child, no hint of the her anguish in her voice.

"Who'd do such a thing!!" Chimney was indignant. "Well, I'm not quite sure...However...it seems as though my intuition was correct. Hopefully Iceburg is okay...That 'Thing' should never be brought into this world.."

***Streets of Water 7***

Even with their incredible speed CP9 couldn't search all of Water 7 for the dismantler. And with his house destroyed by Strawhat there was no telling where he'd taken refuge.

"Blueno, wasn't Franky in your bar earlier?" The leader held onto his top hat to keep it from being snatched by the wind. The taller man nodded. "Yes, but he ran off looking for Strawhat."

How annoying. But, "I see. To bad he didn't just sit tight and wait for us." was all he said.

"........There really is such a thing as the most unfortunate people." Kaku said from his right. "Hm?" The thin man pointed down. "Look."

Franky's family...

"We have the long-nosed guy!!"

"Yup! We have him!"

"If you don't want us to make sushi out of sea urchins-"

"Idiot!!" Zambai shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you!? It's 'If you don't want us to throw him in the sea!' !!"

"It's 'out of sea urchins'!" The first one insisted. "'Into the sea' idiot!! You have a really crappy memory." Another thug said in disgust. "Fine! You do the yelling then!"

"I'm telling you he won't hear us!" Zambai had gone back to following Aniki's instructions faithfully. "'If you don't want us to throw him into the sea, come to the warehouse under the bridge. Sincerely, Franky!' That's the message!"

"Aniki is gonna kick our asses!" One laughed nervously.

"Come out! Come out, Strawhat!"

"That long-nosed guy's probably in the warehouse with Big-bro by now...getting a good beating I'm sure!!" The gang laughed.

"Of course! They destroyed our Franky House! He must be in a bloody hole by now!"

"Huh?"

One of the brothers pointed forward where a man all in black and wearing a mask was standing. "Who did you say took whom to where?"

"Who the hell are you!? And what's with that demanding tone? Do you know who we are!?" Zambai blustered. Behind him the other members of his group had begun to pull out street weapons, grinning and laughing. "You're not worthy of our time!"

"If you want to live..."The stranger interrupted coldly. "You have three seconds to reply."

The Frankies stared at him in astonishment. What this man really so stupid? He was outnumbered 12 to 1!!? "Hey, let's teach this idiot a lesson."

"Where is the warehouse under the bridge?" The stranger continued. "Is that where Franky is?"

******

Old Street, The big bridge in front of the Northeaster garbage processing plant

(Franky's secret base)

******

"Gyaaa----!!"

"Gyaaaa----!!!"

"--yyauyau!!--" Franky was wiping his leaking eyes with a handkerchief while he sobbed. "Au, au, au, au, Gyaaaa--!!!"

"Eeeeeen!!" The square headed sisters were also crying.

"Then he left his friends from East Blue...!!!"

Usopp glared at them out of the corner of his eye. "Why're you crying!?" Like half of the story wasn't this idiot's fault anyway.

The crazy dismantelers posed together even when crying, on their knees with their left palm facing the teen. "Idiot!!" Franky blew his nose loudly. "I'm not crying, Idiot!! Although I am slightly touched by your display of iron will in protecting your ship alone!! I'm not crying! No one is!!"

"What's wrong with these people?" The sniper muttered to himself. "Anyways, now you know! I'm not friends with those guys anymore!!"

Franky looked at him chagrined. "That's right...!! I have to sing of this cruel tragic feeling..." 'Sniff' "Separated from friends, North wind Chop..." The bastard was strumming a damn guitar!!

"Aniki!!" The girls cheered him on.

"Don't make fun of me!!" Usopp held up him hammer threateningly but it wasn't worth the effort for these idiots. He satisfied himself with a glare and turned back to the Going Merry. He was still trying to patch her up.

Franky sank back into the circular couch he was lounging on. "..Ah, I'm exhausted from all that crying...even though I didn't cry." He rubbed his nose, sniffling. Mozu brought him a cup and set it on the table in front of him.

"Please have some tea Aniki. Careful, it's hot."

He picked up the tiny cup in his enormous hands and blew on it gently. "...Ok, I understand now...so you..." He paused and drank some. "It's so hot----!!!" He shouted as he tossed the cup away. "I burned my tongue!!"

"Be quiet! Damn it!!" The sniper couldn't tell if this sea water pantie idiot was being serious or not.

The man settled himself again. "I bet you hate us...for taking your money...and causing you guys to fight..."

Au! How sad!!

"........It was inevitable..." The teen finally said quietly. That didn't mean it didn't hurt but..."I don't blame anyone."

"Ah, well said!" The older man nodded in approval. "By the way..about the two hundred million..."

Usopp looked over at him questioningly.

"I spent all of it!!" Their hands were linked and they were leaning over, sticking their butts up in the air as they posed.

"Don't make me come over there!" It wasn't said seriously though...it almost felt like the idiot was being friendly...

"That's no good...you showed my your manliness! So now..." The dismantler sighed. "I can't stay angry...Even though you completely destroyed my home, Franky House...and you beat up most of my crew..."

Kiwi and Mozu held onto one of his arms each as he jumped up and began shouting again. "Big Bro!!"

"How dare you do such a thing! You ass!!!"

"Calm down!!"

When his fit of temper had passed and the blue haired man had resettled himself he continued. "---so, about that...let's just call it even. In any phase, let's talk about what to do now."

"It's 'in any case'"

"It's 'in any case' Aniki."

Usopp got the feeling they had to correct him a lot.

"What do you plan to do now?" He grinned and pointed to himself. "If you have no where to go I'll take you in!! Become my follower! I like you!"

Usopp was disagreeing before he had even finished. 'What am I a lost puppy?' "No way!! I won't become one of your ship dismantlers!"

He turned from Merry to look at them again...a spark of pride in his heart. "Even though I'm separated from my crew...I'm still a pirate at heart!!" 'Like my dad..'

"Aaaah!!" Franky's eyes overflowed again and he grabbed his guitar. "Please listen to...'Pirate Valor'" 'Sob!'

"Aniki!!" The girls cheered.

"Stop making fun of me!!!" They really were just idiots.

***More time passes***

"So there's a high tide coming?"

"Yeah, 'Aqua Laguna'. That's what the people here call it. The sidewalks in the old streets should be underwater by now. Normally, the civilian housing will be submerged from the second floor down." He explained. "If you're caught in the street of on the beach, you would be long dead. But you and your ship will be fine in here."

"Ah...Thanks a lot." The young sharp shooter said quietly.

Franky waved his thanks away. "Don't mention it, Idiot! Don't mention it!"

Usopp wiped his forehead...he was really feeling exhausted. No sleep last night...working on Merry almost all day...plus his injuries. The teen didn't realize how much stronger he had become in their journey.

"Isn't it tough, having to deal with this all the time?"

The dismantler shrugged.

"Yes. It's an annual evacuation, but everyone is used to it. The real problem is the rising sea level."

"Rising sea level?" The pirate repeated.

"Yes."

This was the most serious Usopp had seen him so far. "You'll see it if you descend underwater. The 'Old streets' you see about the water...is built on top of centuries old buildings of the old city, or Undercity as some call it."

"Mostly the Undercity is sealed off now. Kids used to go down and explore but they'd get lost. Sometimes they drown, sometimes they starve...sometimes the rats would get them when they were too weak to fight anymore."

"Aaah! Scary Aniki!!"

The two young women clung to each other while the blue haired man leaned back in his chair laughing at them. "It's not scary...just don't ever be stupid enough to go down there."

Usopp went back to work but he kept listening as the older man went back to explaining the rising sea level.

"Long ago, the Zousenjima and the Old street were actually one island. But now, the sea has covered the city...All the streets have turned to water roads."

Kiwi and Mozu had stopped hugging each other and one of them leaned forward. "Though, rather than saying the sea level is rising...it's more accurate to say the city is sinking."

"In ten years the town will become even more difficult to live in." The other added.

"Huh...so there's a whole facet to this beautiful place...But if it gets too rough here, people just take the train and leave right?"

He seemed to have asked the right question. Franky smiled at the mention of the sea train. "Likely, yes. But before the sea train, there was almost no communication between the islands due to the rough sailing that was required."

"And the pirates." One of the sisters said slyly, looking at Usopp from the corner of her eye. "Mmhhm. Pirates would attack and no materials would make it to Water Seven."

Franky ignored them and sighed contentedly. Such good memories....

"Imagine the residents of this lone island, and think about how it will be one day under the sea...The invention that quenched all such uneasiness is the sea train, Puffing Tom."

Usopp gave the dismantler a quick look. He sounded so proud, like it had been his own personal invention. He looked far away in his memories as Kiwi took up his story. "Now we don't even need a log and can cross the sea at any time. It's an incredible invention!"

Thinking about the sea train made Big Bro so happy...

"Our continued well being is all due to the invention of the sea train...which never would've happened if it hadn't been for the work of the great ship mechanic, Tom!"

***Streets of Water Seven***

"Noooo---!! Ah--! Big bro--!!" Zambai croaked as he ran. "Help us..!!" Lucchi stabbed him contemptuously. "Don't worry...I'll say hello to you big bro for you."

The other three members of CP9 joined him.

"Location acquired. Let's move." They jumped.

***Warehouse under the bridge***

"So bro...let's get to the big question...What do you plan to do after you fix your ship?"

Usopp actually smiled. "I'm going to go adventuring with it, of course!" The teen continued, oblivious to the look the dismantler gave him. "......"

"Then, one day I'll return to my home in East Blue!! Though I haven't exactly gone around the world...I've been in the Grand Line!! So that should be enough for my triumphant return!!"

".....No." Franky said bluntly. The young pirate and the dismantler's two sisters looked at him in confusion. After everything this kid had been through, especially in the last two days, the blue haired man hated to crush his dreams like this...

"You wouldn't make it! It's to far..."

"Aniki...?"

He stood and began walking towards Usopp. "When I brought the ship here I checked it out. There's no hope for that ship. Galley-La's evaluation is correct. It's my professional recommendation as a dismantler that you put it to rest."

The sniper took in a quick intake of breath.

"!!? What are you talking about!?"

Franky cracked his knuckles, eyes hidden behind his dark sunglasses. "Let me take it apart for you."

Usopp jerked his slingshot out of his bag, aware that he was no match for the older man. "What's that suppose to mean, jackass!!? Stop!! Stay away!!!"

******

AN: Ooooooohhhhhh. I just love Franky and Usopp, but this is right before all the sad stuff with Franky's past. *sob* Laugh if you want to but I cried so freaking hard...