Water Seven

Cade glanced down from the crow's nest as Luffy made fun of himself being frozen. "Well, at least he's having fun."

Her eyes drifted to Robin as the woman stepped out onto the deck. Aokiji's words continued to bounce around in her head. Were they true? Or was the marine trying to mess with their heads? She then spotted a large frog doing the front crawl in the ocean. "Hey, there's a giant frog in the water."

"After it!" Luffy said. "Let's eat it!"

The boys grab the oars and start rowing towards the frog.

Cade picked up the binoculars. "Hey, I see a lighthouse!"

"Is there an island?" Sanji asked.

"I don't see one." The ship hit something, causing Cade to almost loss the binoculars. "What was that?" A sharp whistle if followed by a strange ship barreling towards them. Cade drew up water and shoved the ship out of the way. "That was a weird looking ship."

The frog landed in front of the strange ship. It held out its hands as if it were trying to stop it. The strange ship slammed into the frog, sending it flying out of sight.

A little girl screamed.

An old woman comes out of the small building drunk.

"I'm Chimney. This is Gonbe, the cat. That's my Granny, Kokoro," Chimney said.

"I thought you were train robbers." Kokoro laughed.

"Train? That thing is called a train?" Cade asked.

"It is." Kokoro nodded.

"I'm Luffy. I'm going to be king of the pirates. This is my sister, Cade."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"You're funny." Kokoro laughed.

"So that thing wasn't a steam powered ship?" Nami said.

"Nope. It was a train called the Puffing Tom. It's a steam powered car that moves on the railroad in the sea," Chimney said.

"Railroad." Cade walked over to the edge and looked down. "Right. I see it."

"You sailed right onto it," Chimney said. "That was dangerous."

"We were chasing a large frog. We tried to warn him but he didn't listen then went flying when the train hit him. We were going to eat him," Luffy said.

"That's Yokozuna," Chimney said. "He has been a nuisance for a long time. He likes to compare his strength with others, and he has been trying to beat the train. He won't die from a crash like that. He'll come back again."

"That's one stubborn frog," Cade said.

"Compare? So that's why he didn't run away," Luffy said. "That's some cool frog!"

"What?! He causes nothing but headaches! He broke the front of the train so many times already. Every time he tries it, he frightens the passengers too," Chimney said.

"Is that so... Okay. I won't eat him," Luffy said.

"You shouldn't be eating frogs in the first place," Nami said.

"Frog legs are really tasty," Cade said.

"Not you too!" Nami snapped.

"Where do you all want to go?" Kokoro asked. "If you take the next train you can go to a lot of places."

"We're heading west," Nami said.

"Then you're going to Water Seven. The train you saw actually came from the blue station there. It's true to its nickname, the city of water. The ships that they make there are trusted by even the world government," Kokoro said.

"So then there are good shipwrights there, right?" Luffy asked.

"Not just good. That place is where you'll find the world's best shipwrights," Kokoro said.

"It's decided. We're going there to find us a shipwright!" Luffy said.

"Then take this." Kokoro held out a piece of paper. "It's a simple map of the island and a letter of recommendation. Let these guys restore your ship to top shape. Also, Water Seven is big, so be careful not to get lost."

They get on the ship and leave.

"Man! That looks like a metropolis! No wonder the sea train goes here!" Usopp gaped at the large fountain like city..

"There's the blue station Kokoro was talking about," Cade said. "Where shall we dock?"

"Hey! You there!" A man in a fishing boat waves to them. "Pirates can't go in from the front like that. Go from the back!"

"Thanks!" Luffy waves.

"The city was built on a sunken island," Robin said. "Look closely at the base of the buildings. There are pillars."

"Hey!" another man called out. "You can't anchor your ship there! What are you here for? Robbery?"

"No. We just want to fix our ship," Luffy said.

"Then head that way until you see a small peninsula! You can anchor there!"

"Thanks!"

They pull up to it. Zoro pulled the sails, the mast snapped.

"Crap. It's amazing we even got there," Cade said. She goes into her room and gets her dresses then stepped back outside where Luffy, Nami, and Usopp had their treasure ready to go into town. Her eyes landed on a sign. "Bull rental shop? What's that?"

"Maybe a bulldog?" Usopp said. "Maybe not."

"Hey, we want to rent a bull." Luffy walked into the building pulling the treasure behind him.

"Wait and find out what it is first!" Nami and Usopp shrieked.

"Welcome. Renting a bull? How many people?" a man asked.

"Four." Luffy held up four fingers.

"What kind do you want?" The man pulled out a couple small boats with two seats in each. "There are three types: yagara, rakuka, and king. If there are four of you, about about the yagara?"

"Okay. Please make it extra crispy," Luffy said.

"Renting is different from buy to eat, Luffy," Cade said. "What are yagara?"
"Look." The man pointed. "Those are bulls. Yagara bulls to be exact. They are everywhere in the city. They are special marine creatures that swim on the water."

"So cute." Cade stepped to the pen. One of the yagaras swam up to her. She stroked it's skin.

"That one seems to like you. How about I hook him up?"

"Great! Thanks!" Cade climbed into her boat, placing her dresses behind her. "I'll see you later then."

"Okay." Luffy nodded.

Cade sailed around the town for a while, eyeing the shops, until she spotted what she was looking for. She headed inside and spoke with a lady who bought all of her dresses. She climbed back in her boat and the treasure she had collected and traded it in for money. She was climbing back in her boat when she heard Chopper calling for Robin. Following the reindeer she found Sanji as well. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Apparently, Robin is missing," Sanji said as they climbed back in their boats.

"I'm sorry. I was so focus on the books I didn't notice," Chopper said.

"You don't need to apologize. I was an idiot, too, thinking that the masked guy was you in human form. I hope nothing went wrong. I have this strange feeling in my chest," Sanji said.

"Should I take a look?" Chopper asked.

"I'm not ill! I'm just feeling uneasy about what Aokiji said."

Chopper lowered his head.

"About Robin's past," Cade said. "We'd soon regret it."

"Let's go back to the Merry for now. Maybe she's there," Sanji said.

Dropping their yagaras back at the rental shop they headed back to the ship where Zoro dropped a bomb on them.

"I'm not surprised Merry can't be fixed," Cade said. "With how damaged she is..."

"Hey! Guys! We've got trouble!" Nami returned and climb upon the ship. "Usopp's been hurt. You need to go help him!"

...

"This is where he's suppose to be," Sanji said as they all eyed the blood on the ground.

Luffy came flying towards them, bounced off the wall, and into the water.

Cade dove in to grab pulled him out of the water. "What the heck were you doing?"

"I tried to fly like the shipwright," Luffy said through coughs. "I was looking for Usopp."

"We're looking for him too. Nami came back to the ship and told us about it," Cade said.

"Then were is he?" Zoro asked.

"You don't think he went to this Franky guy's house to get the money back, do you?" Sanji asked.

"That idiot." Cade shook her head before they took off.

...

"He's alive. He'll be okay," Chopper said after checking on Usopp.

They march towards Franky's house. Luffy pulled back and punched the door down.

Cade rushed in, kicking and punching as they guys did their own battling. It took only a few minutes for them to level the house.

After the fight, Luffy stood up on the broken moon that was part of the house. "I've decided. We're going to get a new ship. We'll say our goodbyes to her here."

...

"Usopp's awake!" Chopper stepped out of the kitchen.

"That's great!" Luffy said. They rush up to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry I lost the money!" Usopp grabbed onto Zoro's leg. "We worked so hard to get that money and I just gave it all away!"

"Shut up." Cade sat at the table with Luffy. "You didn't give anything away. They took it."

"Usopp! You need to rest!" Chopper said.

They tell him what happened.

"So we still don't have it." Usopp hung his head.

"We don't know yet. We're waiting for Franky to come back. Even if he doesn't, we still have a hundred million. Don't worry about it," Luffy said.

"You're lucky that you're alive," Sanji said.

"Lucky? We lost two hundred million," Nami said.

"Always with the poor priorities," Cade said.

"That's a lot of money!" Nami snapped.

"Usopp's life is priceless." Cade glared.

Nami clamped her lips shut.

"I'm so sorry. So can we fix the Merry with a hundred million? We came a long way to get to this high class shipyard. We need to make the ship even stronger for us to conquer the sailing beyond," Usopp said.

"Nope. Usopp, I've decided to get a new ship," Luffy said. "Going Merry helped us a lot, but its sailing days will end right here." He grabbed the catalog. "Let's talk about which ship to buy. Most of the second hand ships that we can buy will a hundred million are bigger than ours."

"Hold on. Hold on." Usopp waved. "Don't joke around. It's not funny at all. Do we not have money to repair the ship anymore because I lost the two hundred million? We just don't have enough money, right? Since the world class shipyard probably charges world class prices..."

"No, that's not it!" Luffy said.

"Then what is it?! Tell me! Don't worry about hurting my feelings!" Usopp said.

"I don't! It has nothing to do with the money!"

"They why do you say such nonsense like changing ships?!"

"Stop yelling, you two! Sit down and talk calmly!" Zoro said.

"Calmly?! How can I be calm after hearing such stupid things?!" Usopp demanded.

"We only decided on that because we have no other choice!" Luffy said. "You should calm down and listen instead of yelling!"

"Usopp, you shouldn't do any intense movement until you're healed!" Chopper said.

"The Merry can't be fixed!" Luffy said.

Usopp fell silent.

"No one can fix it no matter what. I would never make that decision otherwise," Luffy said.

"But this ship." Usopp pounded the floor. "It took us all the way here, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but now it's only a matter of time before it sinks," Luffy said.

"What are you talking about, Luffy?" Usopp crossed his arms and looked away.

"I'm not kidding. It's the truth. The shipwright said we won't get to the next island with this ship no matter what."

Usopp glared. "He said you can't get to the next island. Do you always listen to strangers and trust everything they say?! Just because a few shipwrights say it can't be saved, it's going to sink? It came all this way with us! Be it giant waves or deadly sea battle, the ship is a friend that came through it all with us! And you're going to leave it here?! This ship is just a tool to you, isn't it?! Luffy!"

"That's enough!" Cade said. "Luffy doesn't think like that at all! This isn't an easy decision for him!"

Usopp scoffed. "Of course you're going to stand by him. It's always like that with you two."

"What are you saying?" Cade demanded.

"That you always choose Luffy over anyone else!"

"He's my brother!"

"I don't care! You know nothing about this ship! This our home!"

Cade grabbed Usopp by the shirt. She moved to punch him but stopped upon seeing the bandages. "Don't tell me I don't know anything about this ship! I was with you when we got it! And I know better than anyone that a ship, a home, is never a guaranteed thing to last forever! Ships get damaged, Usopp! You should have expected this!" She tossed him away from her.

Usopp coughed.

"Usopp, you need to rest!" Chopper said.

"You're not a shipwright, Usopp. That's why we need one to take care of our ship," Luffy said.

"Big deal! We don't need them! I'll fit it like I always have." Usopp pulled himself along the floor. "Come on. Give me a hand. First, we'll buy wood from the shipyard."

"You're delusional," Cade said.

"You're not a shipwright, Usopp!" Luffy said.

"Yeah, but so what? And so what if they are? It's not like its their ship! They don't care!" Usopp said. "I'll never give up this ship! Are you all idiots?! Do you listen to those shipwrights like dogs?!" Usopp grabbed onto Luffy's shirt. "The Straw Hats I know wouldn't give into a market scheme! They would believe in Going Merry's strength and fortitude! Stop being a bluffing brat! Don't say that you've decided like you're a real captain!"

"Those shipwrights are professionals! They have no reason to lie to us!" Cade snapped.

"Shut up, Cade!" Usopp glared at her then looked back at Luffy. "I've misjudged you, Luffy!"

"Stop, Usopp! Luffy, don't," Nami said.

"Shut up, Nami!" Luffy held out a hand to stop her. "I've made my decision! I won't change it no matter what you say! We're getting a new ship, and we're going to say goodbye to the Going Merry right here!"

"I won't allow that!" Usopp said.

"Calm down! Stop yelling at each other!" Sanji said.

"Listen, Luffy! Not everyone can ruthlessly move forward in cold blood like you! I can't leave behind a wounded friend! And I won't!" Usopp said.

"The Merry isn't a person, Usopp!" Cade said.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear another word!" Usopp shook his head. "And it is the same! Going Merry is alive! You probably wanted a bigger ship from the start! You're just too careless about leaving Going Merry!"

"Don't talk like you know everything, you punk!" Luffy tackled Usopp to the ground. "You're not the only one who cares about Merry!"

"If you cared, you won't want to change ships!"

"Fine! If you don't like my decision, then get off the ship!"

"Idiot!" Sanji kicked Luffy. "That's enough! You two need to calm down before you say something you can't take back!"

Luffy picked himself up. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

"No. That's fine, Luffy. Since that's how you really feel," Usopp said.

"What did you say?"

"Leaving behind the crewmates that are useless to you one by one so you can keep moving forward. If you want to leave this ship behind, then leave me behind, too."

"Usopp, you're not serious," Sanji said.

"No. I am. I've thought about it for a while now. I knew that I would never be able to catch up to you all," Usopp said. "As of today, I am nothing more than a bad baggage boy who can't hold on to cash. In the future, I'll probably get you into even more trouble. There's no doubt that you don't want a useless crewmember like me." He stood. "Luffy, your goal is to become the king of the pirates. But I don't necessarily want to go that far. If you think back to when I joined. I only went because you invited me. The fate that brought us together is only so strong. Since we don't have the same goals, we should go our separate ways." He headed for the door.

"Usopp, where are you going?"

Usopp paused at the door. "I go where I want now. I quit."

"Let's talk about this," Nami said.

"Hey! Come back!" Sanji said.

Chopper cried. "Don't leave us, Usopp!"

"I can't go with you anymore. I won't cause you trouble," Usopp said. "But the ship belongs to the captain. So fight me. If I win, I'm taking the Going Merry. Monkey D. Luffy. I challenge you to a duel! Tonight at ten! I'll come back here! We'll duel for the right to have Going Merry!"