Twenty Nine – Change of Plans? Leaving the City of Water
The next morning, Nami's Log Pose has set itself to the next island. Cocoro is here as well, letting the Straw Hats know the ship Franky was building for them is apparently nearing completion.
"This is good-bye, then." I say. "Ya'll have fun in your travels."
"Ye sure about that?" Cocoro replies.
"What? Course I'm sure. I got my own things I need to do. I can't be hangin' out with 'em forever."
"But, Mr. Squid…!" Tony Tony pleads. "Can't you come with us and still do what you have to do?"
"Chopper's right, Miss Aki!" Says Sanji. "It would break my heart to see such a lovely lady leave!" No tears shed on this side, that's for damn sure.
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but I ain't fixin' to be a pirate. Was once – never again."
"You might change your mind when you hear what the next island these guys be goin' to is." Cocoro grins.
Nami looks at her Log. "It's pointing down a little. What's that mean?"
The old mermaid laughs. "That means ye be going to the bottom of the sea, to Fishman Island!" Fishman Island? I heard of that place! That's where both merfolk and fishfolk come from, ain't it? Then… wait a sec... there's a good chance that I'll find them there as well!
Nami rests her cheek in a hand and sighs. "How complicated…"
Everyone else is silent for a moment, either not caring much for the name, or surprised, except for Sanji, who's nearly foaming at the mouth. "F-Fishman Island? I've… I've always wanted to go there! It's such a famous landmark on the Grand Line!" Now why would you be so excited…? Unless…
"Mermaids!" I shout without thinking.
"Exactly! You understand, Miss Aki! The most wondrous creatures of the sea, all the beautiful mermaids make their home there in Fishman Island!"
"Sanji!" I gasp. "Is that true…? Are they really… that gorgeous?"
"They are, they are!"
A short, haughty laugh from Cocoro. Sanji and I both turn around slowly, take a look at her old wrinkly face, and our fantasies are momentarily shattered.
"We… we can dream, can't we, Miss Aki?"
"I think… I think that's all we got left…" I respond, just as shattered.
Cocoro ignores us. "Gettin' there ain't so easy, though."
"I am a bit worried about this 'bottom of the sea' concept." Comments Madam Nico, from the dining room table.
"The problem ain't there…" Cocoro says with a grin, pulling out today's newspaper and tossing it to the table. "Take a look at the front page."
Madam Nami takes the paper, opens it up. "'Once again this month,'" She reads, "fourteen ships have disappeared.' What's this supposed to mean?"
"It be a section of ocean called the Florian Triangle." Cocoro explains. "Every year over a hundred ships disappear in that sea for unknown reasons. And then… the ships mysteriously reappear, years later, with nary a soul aboard. Some even say they've seen ghost ships wander'ng the triangle, harbingers of death! And you lot have to go straight through it to get to Fishman Island."
Tony Tony shrieks. Monkey looks excited. "Ghosts!? Will we see skeletons and stuff?" He exclaims.
"Who knows…" Says Cocoro. Sounds like just a scary story told to keep kids up if you ask me. Regardless, it's still thoroughly spooked Nami and Tony Tony.
The front door bursts open, and standing in it is Cocoro's granddaughter and the two cute square-haired girls from the other day. They all collapse to their knees, out of breath.
"What's up?" Monkey asks. "You look beat."
One of the square girls replies. "Boss Franky told us to come and call for everyone!"
"The dream ship is complete!" Says the other.
The Straw Hats cheer. "Alright!" Exclaims Monkey. "Let's go see it!"
Just then, more visitors arrive. A motley crew of men in ridiculous attire run up towards the building, all with worried expressions on their faces. "Straw Hats!" The man in front, a fat fellow with spiky black hair and a bandage around his forehead exclaims. "Big news!"
Monkey picks his nose. "You guys too? What is it?"
"Take a look at this! The lot of you got some impressive bounties!" They can't mean me too… right? The spiky haired man doles out the new wanted posters for everyone to see. Monkey, Roronoa and Madam Nico, who already had bounties, went up, Monkey's by quite a bit. Nami's dread came true: the last thing she wanted was a bounty, and now she has one, of a cool sixteen million Berries. She even has a title: "Burglar Cat Nami". I think it sounds kinda cool, but I wouldn't dare say tell her that. Sanji and Tony Tony, who were both so excited to have a bounty however, are both horribly disappointed. The World Government mistook Tony Tony for a pet and gave him a bounty of only fifty Berries, and Sanji, albeit recognized, didn't have a photo taken, instead only an extremely crude (and butt-ugly) drawing of his face.
"There's one for Sogeking, too!" Monkey points out. Musta been some fella they met at Enies Lobby.
The problem however, the reason these men came all the way here, was that their boss, Franky, had a bounty placed on his head as well, and thus can no longer stay in Water Seven. "Please, Mr. Straw Hat!" The man pleads. "Even if it's against his will, take the Boss out to sea with you! The man was the son of a pirate to begin with!"
Monkey lowers his hat and laughs. "You don't need to say a thing. I've already decided he's going to be my shipwright!"
The man is overjoyed to hear that. "Really? You mean it?" He turns to the rest of the crew. "Is that fine with the rest of you as well?" Sanji and Tony Tony are too in shock to respond. Nami can only give a tiny "Sure…" Roronoa and Madam Nico are just fine with the proposition.
The Franky Brothers having achieved what they came for, they bid the Straw Hats a happy good-bye and leave. "Wait, where are you going?" One of the square girls asks. "Scrap Island is the other way!"
The leader of the group shudders for a moment. "Mozu, Kiwi – sorry… but we've got to do something… unusual. It's… better if you don't know about it." He says forebodingly.
The Straw Hats begin packing their things, and I approach Monkey with an uneasy tension in me. Alright, you only got one chance, Aki. Make it smooth. "Monkey!" I hail, trying to sound casual, but failing.
The young captain turns away from his backpack (stuffed with… meat?). "What is it, Squid-head?"
I trip over my words for a moment. "Well… that is…" I go for a long shot, "you know I wasn't really serious when I said I was leavin' ya'll, right?" Blank faces from all of them. "Err… what I meant to say is I…" They all sting me with their silence, their stares. I sigh. "Monkey, you're headin' to Fishman Island next, right? In that case, may I continue to ride with your crew?" I ask politely.
For a moment, he looks like he's about to respond with a smile and an "Of course, man!" but Roronoa stops him. "Hold it." Everyone turns to him. "What happened to those tough words from yesterday?" I cringe. "You fought against the captain. If you want to get back on his ship you need to get on your hands and knees and beg."
"Oi, you marimo bastard!" Yells Sanji. "If the lady wishes to-"
"Sanji, shut up." I interrupt. I bite my lower lip in uneasiness. "He's right." With a bit of exertion on my part, I ashamedly lower myself to a prostrate position, hands and knees on the ground and my head lowered to the floor. "Monkey D. Luffy," I say, sweat beading off my forehead. "I… will you…?"
Monkey grins mischieviously. "Yeeees?" He drags out the word, stretching one of his rubber ears out at me. "Will I… what?"
"Will you let… Will you… That is…"
"Not as easy as it sounds, is it?" Roronoa sneers.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Monkey says, scratching his scalp. "Nakama help each other out. So just ask me for help!" As easy as it should be, I can't get the words out. I just can't submit myself to a blind trust in him. Not after everything that's happened to me in the past. Monkey sits on his heels in front of me and snatching my head up, grabs my cheeks and makes me mouth out, with him providing a silly falsetto voice, "Help me, Luffy! I need a ride to Fishman-"
I smack his hands to the side mid-sentence and about to lash out at him, but everyone's burst out in laughter. I growl under my breath for a moment, then give up with a sigh. "Okay!" Monkey exclaims. Since you asked, Squid-head, come on board! To Fishman Island!" Whatever. As long as I'm on the way there, that's… that's all that matters.
Once we've all gathering our belongings we open the doors outside where Cocoro, her granddaughter, and the square girls are awaiting us. Sanji doesn't seem to be moving from a slumped position on the ground. "Just forget about the curly guy." Roronoa grins.
"Oh come on, Mr. Swordsman, you at least like his food, right?" Smiles Nico.
Roronoa sighs. "Fine. Squid, pick him up and let's get moving."
What, am I the pack mule now? I look down at the pathetic mess of a man, staring with the eyes of a remorseful ghost at his horrid wanted poster. I wrap a couple tentacles around his waist and heave him up over my shoulder. He doesn't move, like a corpse, or a giant noodle. Gross. Not particularly caring if anyone got his stuff or not, I carry him outside, where Cocoro's granddaughter is saying a tearful farewell to the Straw Hats.
The old mermaid takes a swig of her drink. "Ye be careful sailn' now!" She says. "And Stormie!"
I look her way. "Me?"
"If ye come across an ol' fella at Fishman Island named Den, tell him Cocoro sends her regards, would ye?"
I nod with a smile. "Sure thing!"
My voice wakes Sanji from his trance of depression. "M-Miss Aki! You've finally chosen to embrace me?" He exclaims, his woes miraculously melted away. I throw him into a fence.
We stroll through the city to Scrap Island, taking in the sights of the city one last time before we leave it. The mood is anxious, everyone eager to see their new ship. I have to admit even I'm wondering what it looks like. Even those that were less than pleased to discover their new bounty posters have adopted a merry mood.
"So why do you and your father have the same first name, but different last names?" I ask Monkey, having been curious for a while now.
Monkey cocks his head to the side in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Do I really have to spell it out for this kid? "Your name is Monkey D. Luffy, and your old man's was Monkey D. Dragon, right? Are ya'll not related by blood?"
Monkey still doesn't seem to understand. Nami answers for him. "Monkey is his family name, of course. Didn't you know that?"
Their what? "But then why is it first? Ain't it s'pposed to be Luffy D. Monkey then?"
"Of course not." Continues Nami. "Surnames are always first. Isn't your family's name Aki?"
I take a moment before responding. "You're serious, Madam? No, Sinagra's the name of my foster parents. Aki's the name they gave me.' I pause, and turn back to Monkey. "So, you mean… I should be callin' you… Luffy? And… Zoro? Chopper? Madam… Robin?" An unsettling silence. "No. Those just sound too weird." How queer. Is it only from my neck of the woods that the names ain't reversed? A strange discovery, but I set it aside for the time being, and continue on with them to Scrap Island.
When we reach the smelly place, there is something massive concealed underneath a gigantic beige tarp sitting on the edge of the island.
"Is… is that it!? It's huge!" Exclaims Monkey. "Oi, Franky! We're here! Show us the ship!"
Instead of Franky, Iceburg greets us. "He's not here unfortunately. However, the ship is complete. I'll show you in his place." He walks over towards the tarp. Everyone is excited to see the creation. I can even feel my own heart fluttering inside my chest. "This ship truly is something. I was shocked when I first saw the blueprints; if any ship can sail the entire sea, it's this one.
Monkey looks like he's about to explode. "Show us! Show us! Show us!" He and Tony Tony both chant.
"This is a message from Franky." Iceburg says, grabbing ahold of the cloth and pulling it off. " 'If you're going to be the King of Pirates, Luffy, then this King of Beasts will be your vessel!' " The giant tarp is removed and underneath is a beauty of a ship. About twice the size of the Going Merry, it is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. The ship is painted red, white and brown, with a large lion's head adorning the bow, and on the side of the vessel is painted a large red number '1'. There are two crow's nests, one atop the mast and another on the stern, and from what I can see on the deck, there looks almost like a tiny house has been fitted onto the ship. The white sails are furled, but I can spy the top of the Straw Hats' emblem painted on.
Everyone is enthralled. Monkey can't get over how big it is, Nami loves the design, Sanji wants to see the kitchen, Tony Tony can't believe they would give them such a grand ship, and Roronoa and I are quietly admiring it.
"What a splendid ship!" Says Madam Nico. "I wonder what kind of flower that is on the bow."
Iceburg stammers for a moment. "I was… sure it was a sun…"
The others have all hopped on board. I join them, and am surprised to find the deck is actually a lawn. Neat! How'd he manage that one? Is that real grass?
"Mr. Squid!" I hear Tony Tony exclaim. "There's an aquarium down here!" I run below deck to see, and sure enough, there's a room down here with an aquarium on the opposite side of a large glass wall. "You've got a place to stay too! See?"
"Little guy, I think this was meant for fish…" I laugh. Although, it's large enough, you might could keep a damn shark in there if you wanted.
Monkey calls Tony Tony back up above deck, so I look around a bit more. I'm amazed at just how much work was put into building this vessel. Everything has been ornately constructed, from the ship as a whole right down to the engravings made on the railings of the staircases. How in the world did this Franky character build this so quickly?
Not much longer, I hear a bit of commotion coming from up above deck, so I go to see what it is, and find all the Straw Hats, minus Sanji and Roronoa, looking out on the city, where, at the border of Scrap Island and the city proper, a large mob of Water Seven citizens, angry about something, have gathered.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Someone shouts. "Pervert!" Another exclaims. A figure stands between us and the crowd. I squint to get a better look at him, but immediately regret doing so. The large man with wild, neon-blue hair from before is standing there, and just so happens to be wearing absolutely nothing below the waist. A very revolting sight, what with all of his manly apparatus left dangling there for all to see.
I shriek and avert my eyes. "Nobody wants to see that! I don't want to see that!"
The man raises his sunglasses. "Straw Hat!" He yells. "Give me back my pants already!"
I glance at Monkey, who's got a pair of speedos in his hand. "Become our nakama, and I will!" Monkey, that's…! Don't you know what those touched!?
"Moron!" The revealing man yells back. "Don't think that just because you've made me the town pervert that I'll leave this place!"
"Mr. Captain." Comes Nico's calm voice. "I might get a little rough, but do you mind if I give you a hand or two in convincing him?"
Monkey rubs his chin in thought. "Hmm… Ice Guy did say we might have to use force to get him to come." Why would you want this fella anyway? What's wrong with you!?
Madam Nico smiles, almost sadistically. "In that case…" She crosses her arms in front of her like she always does when using her Devil's Fruit power, and looks out at the man, standing there exposed. I'm curious as to what she's doing, but don't want to stomach looking out there on that gruesome sight again. Just then, a horrible scream of pain echoes across the area, radiating from the large man like a grotesque siren. Nico's hands are clenched tight in fists.
"Robin!" Nami exclaims. "W-wait a sec! That's too far, isn't it!?"
"She… she grabbed them!" Monkey cries.
Grabbed them? Grabbed what? I peek out onto the cape again, and between the man's legs, two of Nico's arms have sprouted out and have grabbed a tight hold of the guy's…
I shriek again, not for the man, but for poor Nico. "M-Madam! How can you…!? That's… that's so…!" I scream a terribly girlish scream of terror. The man too is emitting unearthly howls of pain and agony, and everyone is in total horror at the sight.
"It hurts just to look!" Tony Tony cries.
"Oi, Robin! I want him to still be a man when he becomes our nakama!" Monkey pleads. "Don't take them!"
"I'm a pirate." Says Madam Nico. "If I have a treasure in my hands and you tell me to give them up, you'd better have a good reason. Otherwise, I'm not letting go, you see." How can she be so calm? She… she can't feel them, right? Oh please say you can't, Madam!
He gives in and whimpers "I… I got it! I got it! I'll… I'll come!" Nico smiles, and lets go. The man breathes a sigh of relief, as does Monkey who then throws the speedos out to him. He catches them, and with a quick change in demeanor to that of great pride, exclaims "Alright, you crazy ass pirates! From this point on you shipwright is none other than me, the SUPER Franky!"
That's him!? That's the fella what built this amazin' ship? No way! Monkey and Tony Tony burst into cheer and the two square girls into tears. All of this however, is quickly cut short by Roronoa and Sanji coming onto the scene. "Luffy! We've got to hurry and get out of here!" Sanji exclaims.
"Your grandfather is on the opposite side of the island, making preparations to attack!" Says Roronoa.
"Ehhh? Grandpa? He said he was gonna leave us alone!" Whines Monkey. "Well then I guess we're going! Franky! Hurry up and get onboard! We're off! Robin!" Nico nods, and uses her Devil's Fruit power to sprout a couple of arms up on the mast and unfurl the sails.
Once everyone is aboard and we've begun to move out into the sea a decent distance, Nami begins to protest. "Luffy, hold on a minute!"
"You sure about this, Straw Hat?" Says Nico. "We're still waiting for someone, aren't we?"
"I have waited!" Monkey responds. He's sitting down on a bench on the lawn deck, hands behind his head, one leg resting on top of the other, pretending to look relaxed, but anyone can tell he's nervous as hell. "Ever since Sanji told me he was coming! B-But we waited for him the entire time and he didn't come! S-So… that's th-that, then! Right?" Monkey tries to laugh off his fear.
Two loud explosions off the side of the ship disrupt the uneasy mood. Water splashes high into the air and sprinkles down upon us. Everyone jolts up to see what happened, and finds far off starboard a Marine ship circling around the edge of the city, approaching us steadily. "Grandpa!?" Monkey exclaims.
A voice, through a loudspeaker, travels through the air. "Oi, Luffy! Can you hear me? Grandpa here! Sorry to say it like this, but… you're going to die here in this sea!" How can a grandfather say somethin' like that to his kid?
"Ya'll got somethin' planned to escape, right?" I say, a bit fretful. No one answers.
"There's no apology I can give you," Monkey's grandfather continues, "but at least I'll be the one to finish you off, okay?" I squint out at the ship, and the large, old man atop the figurehead takes a cannonball in one hand, and to my surprise, lobs it towards us with the speed of an actual cannon! The projectile just barely misses the ship, exploding and sending smoke and ash everywhere.
"H-He just shot a cannonball at us with his bare hands!" Sanji gasps.
"We don't have a choice!" Nami shouts. "We have to escape!" We continue on at full speed, but the Marine ship is closing in on our starboard quickly.
Tony Tony lights up. "He's here!"
"Grandpa?" I shout.
"No, Usopp! Usopp came! His scent is here!" There's no time to celebrate however. Cannonball after cannonball is flying past us, and it's taking every bit of our power to keep them from damaging the ship. Monkey is bouncing them back, Roronoa is slicing them apart, and Sanji and I are catching them in the air when we can and averting their path. It isn't easy in the slightest; the speed at which they're flying is tremendous, and I have to keep a sharp eye to spot them out of the air.
"Tentacles, watch out!" Franky shouts at me. He spreads his feet apart in a stance like he's bracing for a huge impact, and lifts both of his beefy hands in the air. To my surprise, one of them bends backwards, like it's on a hinge, leaving a hole leading into his arm! Then, a cannonball of his own fires from the hole and collides with one of the old Marine's resulting in a loud explosion nearby.
I've no time to ponder just what the hell this guy is (though I am curious). Shoving the inquisitiveness in the back of my head for later, I continue helping the others protect the ship. I glance back to Scrap Island for a moment. Sure enough, there Usopp is, screaming his heart out, trying to get our attention, thinking his crew has forgotten all about him. Everyone pretends not to hear, as hard as it is for them to do.
Eventually he gets it. Broken down into tears, he yells into the air "I'm sorry!" Monkey stops, ignoring the cannonballs. "I'm sorry for my stubbornness! I get it! I was wrong!" Tears are streaming down Usopp's face. "I know I said I was leaving the crew! I… I wish I could take it back, I so do! But I can't, so I'm begging you please – let me sail with you again!" I glance at Monkey; he's taking it much calmer and dignified than I thought he would. "Please Monkey, just one more time, let me be your nakama!"
Upon the utterance of that word of the pirates, Monkey immediately throws out a rubber arm towards the shore. "You idiot!" Monkey yells, his face burst into similar quantities of tears, pouring out of his eyes like a waterfall. Never mind, I take back that thing about calm and dignified. You ain't never gonna change, Monkey. "Hurry up and grab on!" The young captain pulls Usopp across the expanse of water and onto the ship, where the two collide with one another and fall to the ground in happiness, looking not unlike two peas in a pod, separated but finally reunited as they should be.
Everyone else laughs. "You two look so pitiful!" Nami says in fun.
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Madam."I remark.
"Alright!" Monkey shouts, getting up and wiping the tears from his eyes. "We're all together, so let's get the hell out of here!"
Everyone responds with a jubilant "Aye aye!" save for Franky who exclaims happily "I thought you'd never say the words, Straw Hat!" He points to Roronoa and I. "You two, hurry up and furl the sails!"
"Furl them?" I say. "Why would we do that? Ain't we gonna escape?"
"You sure about this, Franky?" Roronoa adds.
" 'You sure about this, Franky?' " He repeats, mockingly. "You idiots! You gotta trust this ship! And the one who built it! Now furl the sails!" We comply, and climb up the mast.
Once we've got the sails completely tied up, we find the rate of fire from Monkey's grandfather to have slowed down a bit. He must be wonderin' what we're up to. Trust me Grandpa, you ain't the only one. "All good up here!" Roronoa shouts. The two of us hop back down to the deck. "Now hurry up and do whatever it is you're going to do or the warship will catch up with us."
"Not yet." Says Franky. "We haven't named the ship yet."
"Named!?" Yells Sanji as he deflects another cannonball. "We've got more important things to worry about here!"
"A ship without a name won't sail anywhere!" Franky yells back.
Monkey raises his hand. "I just thought of an awesome name! The Lion! The 'Polar Bear Lion'!"
"That's too weird a name for a ship!" Says Usopp, smacking his captain's cheek. Weren't you just in apologetic tears earlier?
"Then the 'Tiger Wolf Lion'!" Usopp smacks him again.
"'Lion' is good," Franky calmly says amidst the sound of cannonball explosions, "even though those idiots at Galley-La didn't get that that's what the figurehead is supposed to be. That Idiotburg did say something that stuck with me though. 'This is the ship for the future Pirate King.' He said. 'A ship as bright as the sun that will overcome a thousand seas!'" He raises his sunglasses for a moment. "So how about we name her The Thousand Sunny?"
"Oooh, yeah!" Monkey cheers.
"That's a great name!" Agrees Tony Tony.
"Better than the 'Lionel Master' name I thought of." Says Roronoa.
"And my 'Being of Darkness'…" adds Nico.
Sanji rubs his chin. "Or my 'Monsieur Sunflower'."
"Have you all lost your minds!?" Yells Usopp, before I can add "Better than my 'Avenger's Arc'."
"Right then!" Shouts Franky. "Time to unleash my SUPER secret weapon I prepared for just such an occasion! Take one last look at this beautiful water metropolis behind us because in mere moments you won't even be able to see its shadow!"
How's that possible? What you got planned, pervert? While Franky goes down below deck, Monkey hops up on the stern's railing and inhales a deep breath. "Grandpa!" He yells at the top of his lungs. The cannonballs stop. "And Coby! And… that other guy!" I hear the faint sounds of someone screaming curses from aboard the Marine warship. "I'm glad I had the chance to see you all again after such a long time! Let's meet again soon!" You're awful kind considerin' they're tryin' to kill you, Monkey.
The next thing I know, we're gone. Flying through the air at an incredible speed, a blast of white light bursts forth from the back of the ship, propelling us.
"We're… we're flying!" Shout Tony Tony.
"This is just like that one time…" Gasps Usopp. "Back on the Knock-Up Stream!"
"I still ain't forgived ya'll for that!" I yell.
"Well you should've asked for help, man!" Monkey laughs, sticking out his tongue at me. I merely grumble inresponse.
After a short time the ship lands, at least a mile from where we took off. Franky was right – one could barely see the island of Water Seven from here.
Monkey steps forward and cries triumphantly. "Full speed onward! To Fishman Island!"
Fishman Island… That's right, that's where you you'll be, ain't it? Your buddy Arlong's pushin' up daisies. I wonder if you know you're next. You may not know me, but I'll never forget you.
