LW: Here we go, more easy going stuff for this mini arc
Rubber King and Mirror Master - More Bounties and a New Ship
Robin twitches as sunlight enters through the window, morning had arrived much too early. She was content and safe, her head resting against something pleasantly cool, and while she was sure there were bruises on her ass, they were so worth it. Maybe she could stay like this for…
Knock
Knock
Knock
"You 2 done boning? Sanji wants Robin to eat a well prepared meal as those CP9 fucks clearly didn't feed her" Valentina bellows, much too happily for the hour Robin believes it to be.
Fuck! There goes lying in, as her eyes snap open Robin notices ripples of silver streak across Kaos' ivory chest, seems like his fruit behaved much like his namesake when he was relaxed/unfocused.
"My eyes are up here you know" Robin blinks, then looks to see Kaos was actually awake, then again Val was probably the cause of that too
"Yes, and yet the mosaic of silver and ivory is down here" she teases
"I feel so violated, is this how Nami would feel like if she knew what shame is?"
"Probably" Robin nods before sitting up "You don't happen to remember where my bra went do you?"
"You threw it in the vague direction of the window, so I'd say start there" he hums, grinning widely at Robin's bare chest
"Thank you, but we really do need to get up, apparently people are worried I wasn't fed in the less than a day I spent on Enies Lobby"
"And by people you mean Sanji" Kaos guesses, getting a nod from Robin as she starts to get dressed. With a groan the researcher gets up and follows suit, following Robin down to the main room the Straw Hats had been given
When the 2 came into said room, rather than eating Luffy was sitting confused and Alvida awkwardly, while opposite from them Vivi was drumming her fingers against the table, her expression close to an 'I'm not mad, just disappointed', one Kaos knew Luffy was familiar with due to Makino.
"Vivi, some people think I can't read my own mind, but I do know I can't read yours, so whatever your mad about, please just tell me" the captain finally asks
"What happened last night?" Vivi asked
"We had a party" Luffy responds, still unsure
"And did we get back to our room?" the bluenette asks
"Well we woke up in it so clearly we did" Alvida answers
"Actually that was me and Kaos who hauled your asses to the room" Victor corrects "You 2 dumbasses were out cold when princess called us over" Kaos nods in agreement
"Exactly. One last question Luffy, Alvida, what were we about to do before Garp fisted his way through the wall?" Alvida's eyes widen and she frowns, head bowed
"Oh that's easy I was about to drag you two to the bedroom to have a couple hours of intense… oh"
"Yes Luffy oh. We were meant to have a second honeymoon, I was looking forward to not being able to walk straight this morning but all I have is a burning ache between my legs!"
"Chopper might have some medication for that" Valentina whispers
"Either that or Miss Navigator might have some toys to soothe that ache" Robin suggests "She has enough ropes and chains"
"I understand we all got caught up in the moment but I have needs too, do your duty as my husband and keep your damn promises!" Vivi groans as she flops her head on her crossed arms "I sound like such a selfish cunt right now don't I?"
"Given you're an actual princess, some of us are surprised you don't actually act like this more often" Artemis thinks aloud
"Not really, I'd have introduced my knee to Kaos' balls if in your situation, but Luffy's immune to blunt force and Alvida is a living slip and slide, so complaining about it later is probably your best option" Robin argues, privately amused her lover and daughter both shuffle their chairs slightly away from her
Seeing the opportunity Kaos activates his reflect armour, and punches Luffy's head into the table "OW! That hurt you dick" he groans, then sighs "Sorry Vivi, you're the brains of this triad, or at least the consistent one"
Alvida nods "I'm not going to claim the 2 of are complete idiots… but we are much more flighty and easily distracted. The flirting and touching at the time, Luffy and I made a lot of promises we didn't keep" she turns to Luffy "Think our princess deserves some pampering tonight dear husband?" she purrs, getting a wide grin and laugh from Luffy. It was at this point Nami walked in
"Well, I can feel the awkwardness from here so here's a distraction! The paper arrived, and while Enise Lobby is in it, there's no mention of the Franky Family or the Galley La workers being on the island, only us" Nami explains
"You think Luffy's Grandfather pulled some strings?" Sanji asked, putting breakfast down in front of all the girls who were present (Robin, Artemis, Valentina, Vivi, Alvida and Nami)
"Unlikely, it seems too complicated for Gramps" Luffy denies
"More likely they don't want to admit to actual defiance by civilians to Government rule, as that is what Galley La and the Family are, even if Franky himself has a metric ton of cyborg ordinance built into him. Better to blame everything on pirates than admit you have a problem, or even an 8 year old girl as we saw with Robin" Kaos counters
"Well, when it rains in the Grand Line it pours, because these guys have a lot to say about us" Zoro comments, picking up the paper from the table "Declaration of War, destroying the Judicial island, if these things don't send bounties skyrocketing nothing will" the swordsman chuckles
"Does this mean I'll get a bounty?" Chopper asks, eyes sparkling more than a question like that should cause
"Probably, you were the one to beat Kumadori after all" Vivi agrees, privately wondering if they'll give her one as well
"You and Kaya helped. Also in that case should we warn Franky, he did help the V's take out the owl guy?" Chopper hums
"If nothing else it would be polite, give him a heads up and all that for helping us, as well as thanks for building us a ship" Robin agrees.
"Well, if the ship is basically free, we should go look for nice things to put in it. Who's up for shopping?" Luffy shouts
"If you think you're getting even a peek at the 100 mill we have left you're dreaming, my money is not being wasted on meat" Nami screams
"Ok. Kaos can I borrow some money, Nami's being misery again"
"It's miserly, and yes, but I get the feeling that means you're coming with Me, Artemis and Chopper"
"Mind taking a stroll with me Vic, might find some forging tools while we're out" Valentina suggests, the bomberman chuckles and nods
"For you, or me Val?"
"For the ship, just because we'll be the ones to use it most doesn't mean the other can't or won't, Zoro needs a 3rd sword for example"
"I suppose that means you and Robin could come with us" Alvida suggests "I have a few ideas on how to make up or last night, and may need some, outside opinions, and someone to help carry things if Vivi faints"
"Why is nobody asking or suggesting anything for the cook and me? I'm sure not spending my day with him!"
"Like I'd want to spend any more time with you than needed moss head"
"Because Zoro would get lost and I presumed Sanji would get our food supplies, especially with how much we used because of the party" Luffy explains, getting nods and chuckles from a handful of his crewmates
Somewhere in The New World
"Pops, the Red Force is signaling us, it seems Red Haired Shanks is requesting a meeting" called the lookout
"Fine, let him come" Whitebeard grunts, having a bad feeling about this "That punk better have booze this time, we're running out"
"Maybe if you didn't drink so much it would last longer" one of his nurses point out
"Don't tell me how to run my ship. Where's that brat?"
"Almost here pops"
"Good, it's been a while since someone strong has crossed my path" he chuckles, so few people were like him and Shanks, but really being a Conqueror was too rare to be wasted on punks
"Red Hair is now boarding!"
"All newcomers might want to step back, or risk being knocked out" a pineapple haired man calls out, a little too late as from the moment Shanks stepped foot on the ship, people began to drop like flies
"Marco, what do we do?"
"Nothing, they're just unconscious, they'll be fine later" Marco answers, at this point used to the Yonko's need for theatrics.
"They're too weak willed, to stand before a man like him" Jozu adds, getting a subtle nod from Marco as Shanks passes them, dragging a large jug behind him "His haki, is clearly as strong as they say"
"I apologise for the mess, it's hard to stay calm, while on an enemy ship" Shanks says, though despite his words, his voice was rather light and calm
"Your presence makes my scars ache, so hurry up"
"Would this 'medicinal water' help?" Shanks asks jovially "I came to talk, not fight Newgate"
"You knock out half my boys with your haki then think some booze will make up for it? Balls of steel, just like your captain said you did"
"And by this point you have more kids than Linlin, none of which bare your blood"
"Gurararara, family doesn't end with blood, only starts yah stupid kid, as for the unasked question, the right time passed, nothing more" he sighs, Shanks notice his eyes drift to a tattoo on his right pec, a stylized M ending with a curl and an arrow for a tip.
"You want us to stick around Pops?" Jozu asks
"Nah it's good, just cause I'm old doesn't mean Red hair is anywhere close to strong enough to take me, but he is smart enough to already know that. Leave us, I doubt this meeting will be a long one"
Once it was just the 2 of them, Shanks filled a huge sake cup for himself, before lobbing the container to Whitebeard who grimaces "Really Shanks, still drinking this cheap West Blue crap? I thought you'd have found something better after becoming a Yonko"
Shanks chuckles "Knock it all you like, but even after sailing throughout the world, this stuff still holds a special place in my heart, a taste of home so to speak. Go on Newgate, give it a shot"
Whitebeard takes a swig and shrugs "Not bad, but I've had better" he then sighs deeply "Roger, Apophis, Apep, Grima, Garp, Medusa, Shaula, Sengoku, Tsuru, those of us who remember how the sea used to be are getting thin on the ground"
"Yeah, 22 years will do that to people, none of us are getting any younger" Shanks comments
"Speaking of which, you've done quite well for yourself in that time, I remember back when you were just some punk of an apprentice pirate on Roger's ship, you and that other kid, not too bright but watching him screw up was amusing"
Shanks smiles "You mean Buggy? Oh man that takes me back, I miss that guy. We went our separate ways in Loguetown after the Captain was executed, haven't seen him since" he sighs "I've heard a couple rumors floating around that he's still alive and a pirate, but nothing concrete"
"Nobody has time for stories these days, a shame as if they'd seen that battle between you and Dracule like I did, boy they still wouldn't have stopped yapping about it. So I'm sure you understand why you coming back from the East missing an arm, caused a lot of ripples, and started a good few rumours. Nothing confirmed of course, Zelena never talked and, while they're no longer pirates, the 'Demon Eye' still protect their own so nobody's tried to force the truth out of her. So you're the only person who I can ask: Who did you give your left arm for?" Whitebeard asks, eyes focused on the hidden stump under Shanks' cloak
Shanks smiles nostalgically, running his hand down his arm "This old thing? Let's just say, I made a bet on a new era"
Whitebeard groans "Last time I saw that expression, Apophis nearly carved Roger's eye out, and I don't even know what their bet was over. I miss those 2 idiots, they were a lot easier to deal with than these new boys playing pretend out here. Still if you have no regrets, then it's fine, you still have one good arm and the stump isn't exactly stopping woman from coming to you" he chuckles
Shanks nods lightly "You know Newgate, I've been in countless battles, and got numerous scars in my time as a pirate, and the only one who aches right now, is this one" he points to the scar across his left eye, 3 slashes like a claw of a beast "I didn't get this on a fun adventure, or in my fight with Hawkeye, no, this one I got from a former member of your crew, Marshall Teach, or as he's known these days as, Blackbeard. And this wasn't because I got cocky, or careless, and you know it, don't even try to deny" Shank raises his voice, a hint of anger bubbling to the surface "He laid low and hid in the background. He never tried to become a Squad Leader, never tried to make a name for himself, simply bided his time, using your shadow as cover until he was strong enough to reveal himself. Men like him, they're not satisfied until they've clawed their way to the top, and that means he will set his sights on you as well, sooner than you think in fact"
"Is there a point to this lecture or are you just trying to point out what a screw up you think I am for keeping Teach on my crew?" Whitebeard growls "What do you want, Shanks?"
"I want you, to stop Ace" the answer surprised the elder Yonko "He's young and from what I've heard more than capable of being the head of the 2nd division, he's strong enough in his own right but this is a bad idea, now is not a good time for those 2 to clash. I want you to keep your distance from Blackbeard at least for now. That is what I came here to say"
Whitebeard was silent for a moment, before he began to laugh "Gurarararararara, do you have any idea what you're asking me boy? Teech murdered one of my boys, one of his and Ace's crewmates, the bastard broke the one rule you don't break on any pirate ship, and you want me to sit here and DO NOTHING? Teech needs to learn to have a code of conduct, and if he can't figure it out on his own, I might just have to take a leaf out of Garp's parenting book, and beat it into his thick skull myself!" He drains the sake jug "You're 100 years too young to even try to order me around kid, do I make myself clear?" he bellows, tossing the jug but missing Shanks who doesn't move.
Shanks drains his cup and stands, beginning to draw his sword "Then this era will spiral into chaos, and there's not a thing that we can do to stop it"
"Are you threatening me boy?" Newgate growls, pulling himself to his feet and pulling out his Naginata "I AM WHITEBEARD!" he shouts, blades clashing, the force cleaving the very sky above them.
Back in Water 7
"Why do I get the feeling something bad is about to happen?"
"Because we're following Luffy instead of Robin around Water 7?" Chopper suggests, the researcher noticing he was picking up a little bit of snark from Robin and Artemis
"Hey straw hat!" the 4 stop and turn around to see a little brown haired girl run up to them "Please, can you help me find my lost yagura?" she asks, holding up a photo of her family and the animal "I don't have much but I can pay you"
"Keep the money...also don't tell Nami we did this for free" Luffy says, getting the zipped lips gesture from his current companions
"Really. Oh, sorry I'm Obi" the girls says, blushing in embarrassment
"Luffy, this is my brother Kaos, his kid Artemis, and our Dr. Chopper"
"Hey"
"Hello"
"Hi"
"Ah a tanooki! And it talks!"
"I'm not a tanooki I'm a reindeer damn it"
Kaos sighs "Anyway, where are we going?"
"To find my Yagura Bluefin" Obi explains
"K, to the transport" Luffy declares, the now 5 of them getting onto the Yagura, which speeds off with a jab from the captain, not stopping until it somehow ended up in the fountain structure at the top of Water 7
"What are we doing up here?" Obi squeaks
"Best view on the island, we're sure to see him from up here" Luffy answers, grinning
"Have we told Luffy he's an idiot today?" Chopper asks in a mild panic
"No, just that he left Aunt Vivi unsatisfied" Artemis replies, not really bothered by the heights
"Speaking of, did Robin…"
"Tell me about the birds and the bees and therefore know you 2 have been having sex? Yes, and it's why it took Valantina to wake you 2, as I'd sometimes sneak into Mom's room to cuddle, and these last few days, to make sure she was still there" the artist answers and admits, getting pulled into a hug by the researcher
"Hm, this isn't working, oh look Zoro's lost again. Hey Zoro, look up here!" Luffy shouts, rocking the boat, until he's punched in the head
"3 Devil fruit users in this boat, calm the fuck down Lu"
"I have literally no idea what he just said, besides calm down, but I still agree with the tall guy" Obi agrees "Now get us down!"
"Fine, fine, jeez"
A little later
"I'm not quite sure it will cover your breasts at that size"
"That's entirely the point"
"Hey look Robin and the girls, maybe she can help us!" Luffy says before springboarding off the yagura
"She probably can, Robin is rather good at information gathering" Kaos agrees, setting the yagura to a gentle stop before the 4 disembark and Obi shows Robin her picture
"A yagura with a blue fin, sounds exotic" Robin smiles
"So can you locate it?" Luffy asks
"I can try" Robin replies with a shrug before crossing her arms
Ohas Fleur
At this point many people around Water 7 were mildly traumatized, most notably Obi herself as arms/hands with eyes all over them sprouted from walls and roofs, Robin essentially scanning the entire city with the help of her Devil fruit. The group already knew the answer before Robin spoke, her frown said it all "I'm sorry Luffy, little one, there's no sign of a blue fin on the surface" she apologies
"It's ok, just thought you could help speed up the process is all. Have a nice day Robin"
"Bye Mom, don't let Aunt Alvida kill aunt Vivi or Nami" Artemis teases
"Find anything you like yourself?" Kaos asks before they head off
"A rather nice bookshelf, though whether it would actually work in the new ship will need to be determined when we actually see it. Given you're the 1st mate you'll probably have the 2nd largest, after Luffy of course"
"As captain and a married man of a tirad" the researcher finishes smirking, then gets tugged by his coat, by Luffy
"Come on, no flirting until later" Luffy whines "We have a bluefin tuna to find"
"Yagura"
"That's what I said, Sea horse!"
"You know what, never mind" Chopper sighs, not seeing the point in arguing, instead asking Obi about the Tsui Village he heard some of the people muttering about when she came to ask for their help, meanwhile Kaos directed their Yagura to Kokoro, Iceburg and the Dock 1 workers, and even the Franky Family asking about BlueFin.
"According to legend it's a place Yagura go when they get old or are too injured to go on, it's like the afterlife or something"
"Oh, so people think he's gone there because he's old?" Chopper asks, as an animal himself understanding the concept, even if it wasn't a reindeer behaviour
"Yeah, but I know it's just a myth to explain away missing Yaguras" Obi states confidently, the straw hats on the other hand being oddly enough, less skeptical.
Some time later it was a good thing Chopper was part of the group as they found a Yagura who heard 'old man bluefin' the night he went missing, that he was calling to someone, saying he was going to save them.
"Now that we're narrowed down the locations, we can focus on this area" Luffy declares, getting cheers from the others, especially Opi, until she sees a little girl practically swinging out of her yagura as he scuttles through the canal.
"Bluefin was very important to you" she turns to Kaos, looking down at her sympathetically "He wasn't just a yagura he's family" he guesses, getting a nod and a sniff from the girl "Then we definitely need to find him"
"Hey guys, I found something weird" Luffy calls, Obi's eyes widen sharply
"That's bluefin's! Where did you get this?" she asks frantically
"It came from over there" Luffy points to a broken gate/fenced off canal
"That leads to the underground water passage, add this gate to the list of things Aqua Lagoona broke this year" she sighs, then once everyone was back on the yagura paddles over to it "There's more" she shouts, pulling another fragment of cloth from the bars
"We have a destination. Onward!" Luffy commands, the yagura slips into the passage while Obi and the pirates all call for Bluefin, this was fine… until the drop. Good news for 3 of the 5 explorers, the water was between shallow and non-existent in the current area, so abandoning the yagura they pressed on, Luffy in the lead as would be expected.
"So, Water 7, has a lower Water 7, strange" Kaos hums as they basically have a stroll through the deserted town
"Yeah, the new town is built on top of the old one due to the rising sea level, or at least that's what my dad told me" Obi explains
"Hey, what's that?" Luffy asks, pointing a strange green pillar of light in the nearby deeper area of water "Any ideas?"
"Nope"
"Not right now"
"Ghosts?"
"So it's a mystery light" Luffy decides, causing his companions to faceplant "What do you… Obi!" the straw hat shouts as the girl runs towards the light, only to fall into the water
"Crap, maybe we should have brought someone who could swim on this mission" Kaos sighs, then his eyes widen as the water bubbles and spits her out, just as the light fades "Well, this day just got weirder"
"Obi! Chopper come check her up" Luffy orders, bouncing over and making sure the girl was still breathing at least before Chopper got to her, Artemis and Kaos following slowly
"She's going to be fine" Chopper assures them, just as the girl wakes up, looking around with a strange expression on her face
"You ok?" Artemis asks
"Bluefin is here" Obi states "This is where I saw him, in my dreams"
"You're saying we found Tsui Village?" Chopper asks in panic
"Of course not, that's just a dumb myth. Bluefin can't be dead, the village is nothing more than a Yagura fairy tale!" Obi screams, just as the green light reappears, then the bleating of a yagura causing her to turn "See I told you he was fine. Come on Bluefin, we can go home together" Obi chirps, but the yagura whinnies sadly
"Chopper, translation please" Kaos asks
"I'm sorry Obi…"
"Why would you be sorry, you didn't mean to get washed down here that was Aqua Lagoona" the girl interrupts, inching closer to the water and Bluefin
"I can't go with you, here I am at peace" Chopper continues, the pirates then noticing something worrying: his scarf was completely intact.
"No don't go!" Obi cries running towards him, Luffy trying to help by shooting his arm out to pull him in as if the yagura was simply stuck… only for it to pass through like mist, which stopped the girl in her tracks "No"
"He's a ghost" Artemis whispers, and at that moment they noticed he was beginning to fade away "Guess he wanted to say goodbye properly" she adds, as Luffy catches Obi just before she collapses.
The moment of quiet, besides Obi's understandable wails, were interrupted by a more animalistic source of distress. Pulling free of Luffy Obi ran towards it, the pirates follow until they came across what looked to be a baby yagura, wrapped up in Bluefin's scarf.
"Poor thing, his breathing sounds a little weak, but with a little rest, and getting out of this dank abandoned crypt, I think he'll be fine" Chopper diagnoses, sure he had better training with humans, but he was pretty good with animals too, especially reindeer ;) "Bluefin must have found him and wrapped him up in the scarf to keep him warm"
Obi's eyes widen and she gasps "He came down here, to save this baby. That's why the gate was busted and had bits of the scarf caught in it, he forced his way in to rescue this poor thing" she gives the little one a sad smile "Always a protector, always there for little ones" she whispers, a little surprised when Chopper passes it to her, but holding it close and lovingly, Bluefin gave his life for this baby, even visited her in her dreams to get them to this point, she wouldn't let anything happen to it
A long trek upwards later
"I want you to have this" Obi states, holding the baby yagura in one arm and extending the other holding her yagura-bank out to them
"Didn't I already tell you I wasn't accepting it? Besides, I failed to bring Bluefin back to you" Luffy retorts frowning
Obi shakes her head "You let me see Bluefin one more time which I can never thank you enough for, plus we fulfilled his final wish and rescued this adorable little cutie" she coos, playfully nuzzling the still scarf-wrapped yagura and giggles as it licks her cheek
Luffy sighs, accepting the bank...only to slip it into the scarf with the yagura "Spend it on the kid, and take good care of him, consider whatever is in it paid for by the Straw Hats k?" he chuckles
"Ok. Thank you Mr. Luffy, and friends" Obi smiles to all of them then runs home, waving to them until she turns a corner
"Well, this was an eventful day" Artemis sighs deeply
"Hey Kaos, do you think that was the Tsui village?" Chopper asks
"Maybe, I mean that clearly WAS Bluefin, the kid confirmed it. This world is full of questions, the Grand Line even more so than others" Kaos answers, before leading the way back to Iceberg's, Artemis was right, this had been a long day.
Next day
"Important announcement everyone, the log pose has reset and is pointing to our next destination" Nami cheers, showing the stabilised pose to the crew at breakfast
"It's, um… pointing a little lower than usual Nami, is that because of where we are, or something else?" Kaos asks, checking one of the spares and finding the same issue
"We have time to figure that out, as now all we're waiting for is Franky and the others to actually finish building our new ship" Vivi muses, sounding rather, blaze this morning and didn't look like she had any intention of moving from her seat nestled between Luffy and Alvida.
Robin chuckles "Sounds like someone's in a better mood, you didn't ride those 2 too hard for leaving you high and dry princess?"
"They probably enjoyed it, if battle stamina translates to bedroom longevity" Valentina smirks, then laughs when she sees a hint of pink spread across Vivi's rather pale cheeks.
"Lucky bastards getting to screw hot babes every night" Sanji grumbles, trying to keep his emotions out of his cooking as there were still girls to feed, the guys are welcome to his anger tainted feed.
It was this atmosphere Kokoro entered, bouncing around as usual "Oh, I see your log found the next island, and it's a doozie. Though I bet you already know that" she cackles
"Actually no, like pretty much every other island we come across, besides Alabasta, we don't know anything about our next destination" Nami admits
"Well you're in for a treat and a shock then, that pose is pointing to a very special island. Specifically Fishman island located at the bottom of the ocean" Kokoro explains, every Devil fruit user on the crew having a syncronized thought, that being 'Well, fuck!'
"That, is going to be difficult" Nami sighs
"Is it because of Arlong and what he did to your village?" Luffy asks, just because it wasn't important to him at the time, doesn't mean he didn't care about a crewmate's past trauma
"They were pirates who happened to be fishmen, I doubt they're all terrible people like him" Zoro suggests, leaning back to avoid getting kicked in the face by a pirouetting Sanji
"See, even Zoro thinks this is good news and he's a moron. Fishman island is the most famous place on the GrandLine even more than Laughtale, probably because it can actually be located. That and the stories of how it's full of beautiful mermaids" the cook swoons, until Kokoro coughs, reminding him mermaids are affected by age the same as humans, and sending him into a depressed spiral.
"Ignoring that tangent, Zoro is right, you can't judge an entire species on the actions of a single pirate crew. Much like regular humans, the other races have a mix of good and bad people within their population" Vivi agrees, ever the diplomat
"So, I'm not allowed to think Birkans are assholes just because Enaru put a hole through papa's head?" Artemis asks with a rather childish pout
"No, you can think he is, but not his people" the princess explains
Kokoro chuckles, these young ones were a riot "Anywho, just because the place is nice once you get there much like your cook friends says, doesn't mean it's easy to get there"
"Given it's at the bottom of the ocean, the difficulty is both implied… and apparent" Victor agrees
Luffy shrugs "Eh, we'll figure it out on the way there"
"Getting there will also be a problem, I get the feeling none of you saw today's paper"
"No, it's kind of become Nami's thing to show up with the paper and those who care read it after her" Kaos admits with a nonchalant shrug
"Wait, 14 ships have vanished, in a single patch of sea! What the actual fuck?" Nami gasps
"Yep, folks call that place the 'Florian Triangle' and you'll need to pass through that to get to Fishman island. Every year about a hundred ships go missing in that area, and nobody knows why. The creepy part is when the ships eventually turn out without a soul aboard, or the rare ones which apparently have a skeletal crew still intact" Kokoro explains, sending shivers down most of their spines
"Zombies!" Chopper screams in panic
"Oh, hanging out with actual skeletons sounds kind of cool, when do we leave?" Luffy cheers
"When the ship's finished, also I doubt any of the skeletons are… animate" Kaos clicks his tongue looking for the right word
"No way, we're not stopping for any spooky ghost ships we're sailing full speed through these waters!" Nami shouts in panic
"While the common term may be 'ghost ships' abandoned vessels of this kind have another name: Treasure ships. We're more likely to run into a ship full of gold and gems than an army of the undead" Robin states, partly to calm their navigator down
"Yeah! Let's find us some treasure ships!" Nami cheers, Luffy joining in, feeding on her gree… enthusiasm "I mean zombies are just fiction after all" she laughs
"Edo Tensei" Valentina states, popping that bubble "It's a… spell or curse within the pages of history back home, where you can reanimate the dead, however the process is… complicated and dangerous only the brave and or stupid would even try" she explains
"Do we even want to know how you know this Valantina?" Zoro asks, though unlike Nami and Chopper he was merely curious, same as Kaos and Robin
The kilo girl shrugs "My big brother, the concept fascinated him, as well as how it might be modified with his Devil fruit to create a failsafe on death. He was a mad genius, emphasis on mad" she chuckles, seeing from the expression of the aptly named 'Demonic Duo' they might be interested in meeting him in the future, as well as learning about which Devil fruit she meant.
"Hey Pirate people!"
"Straw Hat!"
Everyone turns as the doors are swung open, Chimney, Kiwi and Mozu run through, in a panicked rush.
"Yes?" Vivi greets
"Franky wants to talk to you all"
"It may have taken all night, but they finished his Ship Of Dreams"
"And it looks super cool" Chimney pipes in grinning widely
"The ships' finished already?" Alvida gasps
"Looks like it" Luffy nods "Let's go see the ship!" he shouts
"STRAW HAT!"
"What now?" Sanji grunts as Zambei leads the charge of a good number of the Franky Family to Iceberg's place, the straw hats coming out to see what all the commotion was about.
"Sorry about this but we only just found out ourselves. Did you see the Wanted posters?"
"Wanted posters?" Luffy repeats, looking confused
"You've got a huge bounty on your head, in fact most of you do at this point. Oh they're going to hunt you down and put your head on a pike for this" the man says in a panic
Sanji scoffs "Took their time" while Nami panics and both Vivi and Chopper silently cheer
"It'll be quicker to just show you so here" Zambei says dropping a stack at their feet "Wanted Posters for all of you"
"Guess you have a lot to update from your binder" Robin teases, a minute before said binder comes out of Kaos' coat
Straw Hat Luffy: 330 million
Mirror Master Kaos: 250 million
Pirate Hunter Zoro: 120 million
Smooth Criminal Alvida: 50 million
Courier Valentina: 30 million
Bomberman Victor: 42 million
Artist of Death Nico D. Artemis 60 million
Devil's Child Nico Robin: 85 million
Cat Burglar Nami: 16 million
Honey shot Kaya: 20 million
Sogeking: 30 million
Black Leg Sanji: 77 million
Cotton Candy Chopper: 50 beri
Desert Princess Vivi: 10 million (alive)
"Finally updated your picture it seems" Kaos muses, partly to distract from the 6 million rise, as it was the smallest of all of them besides Chopper, but he was apparently classed as a pet… making him wonder if Carue was also worth 50 beri.
"They used my name… is it Ok they gave me a D. Papa?"Artemis asks, grinning when both her 'parents' nod and Kaos even ruffles her hair, telling her it makes it official.
Meanwhile Nami was moping about her 16 million bounty, Sanji similarly but more so the abomination of an artist's impression on his poster (Artemis offered to paint him and send it to the Navy, but she was ignored), while Vivi rolled her eyes at the 'Alive' clause, having half expected it if she was being honest.
"Cool, even Kaya and Sogeking have bounties, and you got a new Epithet Alvida" Luffy cheers, the smooth woman nods, testing the new name in her head and finding it suits her, especially now a days
"Now, I know this is Big News for you all, and you probably have important pirate things to worry about, but there is something I need to ask you a favour for" Zambei says, pulling one more bounty from his shirt
Cyborg Franky: 44 million
"Makes sense, he was technically already wanted by the government due to the Pluton plans, and then helped the others break out of Enies Lobby" Robin notes
"Yeah, at first we were glad not to end up with bounties, but then Big Bro showed up in the stack. He can't stay in Water 7, they'll find him and take him in for sure and I don't think we can stage another rescue that has any chance of success. That's why I'm here Straw Hat, because no matter how hard he fights, please take him out to sea with you. It means he'll be able to go out to the end of the Grand Line with his baby, and still be safer than staying here. You gotta do this, his parents were pirates too it's in his blood"
If that were true Luffy and I would be marines right now not pirates" Kaos mutters, given Luffy's grandfather and as he recently learnt his mother were both Vice Admirals.
Luffy stares at them for a moment before grinning "For the record, the last time someone told me to take someone out to see with me, I told them no" the family freeze and begin to panic "However, given the person being thrown at me was Sanji, I think you know where this is going. You didn't need to beg, I was going to get Franky to be my Shipwright anyway, after all who better to keep the new ship sailing" he laughs
"You mean it? Thank you so much! The rest of you are ok with Franky joining too?" Zambei asks
Given a handful were too traumatized/out of it to respond, the others were an even mix of 'Captain's decision' and 'Franky's cool, he should fit in well'
"Good to hear, I'll leave you to whatever you were doing previously, the boys and I have… something important to do now you've agreed" the man says ominously, even Mozu and Kiwi shivered, before the Family ran off.
A little later
"So… they've been at this a while now, should we do something?" Vivi asks, referring to the aura or depression and melancholy being produced by Nami, Sanji and Chopper
"Nah, they'll snap out of it when they see the ship" Luffy responds with a shrug
"Speaking of, we all in agreement about Ussop and Kaya?" Zoro asks, the mentally present members nod and finish rechecking their bags before following Luffy out the door, being lead by Kiwi, Mozu and being accompanied by Kokoro and Chimney to where their new ship has been built.
When they got there, there was a distinct lack of Franky, just the overworked Dock One formen and Iceberg, all pretty much passed out and dead to the world… well they were until Luffy started yelling for Franky.
"Oh hey Icepops, good to see yah, where's Franky?" the captain asks
Iceberg chuckles "I'm afraid Franky is currently unavailable, but the ship is fully completed if you would like to see it" he offers, getting enthusiastic cheers from most of the crew, which made sure the rest of Galley La were awake to see this.
"Franky left a message for you Straw Hat" Iceberg says as he pulls the tarp away "If you're really going to become the King of the Pirates, then your ship should be no less than the King of Beasts" he declares, the Strawhats instantly understanding when they see instead of the Merry's sheep head, this new ship had a Lion for it's figurehead.
"So cool! It looks ready to break stuff"
"Hopefully the ship isn't what you break first"
"The new ship is at least twice as big as Merry"
"And you said there wouldn't be space for forging equipment"
"I said there MIGHT not be Val"
"It's so pretty, and colourful"
"Let me see the kitchen, a vessel this impressive should have one to match"
"Royal indeed, give the metalhead credit he built a fine ship"
"Wonderful, what kind of flower is the figurehead?" Robin asks, smiling
Iceberg coughs/chokes before clearing his throat "I'm pretty sure it was meant to be a lion, but given the way the mane turned out… I have no idea" he admits just as Luffy jumps onto the ship, and learns it has a lawn/grass, shortly followed by most of the others
"So, I hear you're the crew's navigator, meaning you're the best person to mention this to, Franky's ship is a brig sloop type Carrack, something which really requires a skilled navigator to use to its full potential" Iceberg says to Nami, being one of the few to not hop onto the ship
"You're right, thanks, and I'll pass on the information to Valentina, she's our current helmsman" the red head explains getting an nod of understanding from Iceberg before the woman joins the others, now even more eager to see how the new ship would handle for her.
"Hey Icepops, the ship's awesome by the way, but where's Franky, we got to thank him" Luffy calls from over the side of the ship
"I'm afraid Franky doesn't want to see any of you" he replies, asking "You were going to ask him to join you, correct?" when he saw Luffy's look of blank confusion
"Well of course, he's a good shipwright and fighter plus it's HIS ship, it only seems right he come along too"
"And there's the issue"
Luffy blinks "Are you saying he doesn't want to come? He could have just said that to our faces" he grumbles
"Quite the opposite in fact" Iceberg states, causing Luffy to perk up again "If you asked he wouldn't be able to refuse such an offer, hence why he's hiding somewhere on Water 7 right now" he explains "What I'm saying is, he wants to join your crew, the amount of work he put into making your ship is proof of that, it's a labour of love to your crew and his former Master. He does want to go so it's nothing on your part, but he feels he has to stay here in Water 7, bound to his word"
"Oh"
"Personally I think he's being a stubborn git and getting worked up over nothing, but he's always been like that so I kind of expected him to. Still, that's how he feels, so trying to reason with him would be a waste of time"
"So are we kidnapping Mr. Roboto or not?" Luffy nearly jumps at Kaos' question and sudden appearance
"Pretty much. The only way you'll be able to get Franky on your crew is by force, because if he's unwilling to break his chains, you'll have to do it for him" Iceberg states
"By force? Seems kind of bad to use on such a nice guy like Franky, but I guess I'll try everything once" Luffy hums mostly to himself, then returns to checking out the ship for a bit, meanwhile Iceberg looks back at Water 7, and more importantly the random explosions going off
'What are those idiots doing? Whatever it is, I really hope it works'
What they were doing was trying to convince Franky to go with the Strawhats in a way that only one of the Family would think to do… stealing his pants and making a break for the Straw hat's new ship. Playing keepaway with an angry, halfnaked cyborg was a bad idea but worked for a good while, especially when they had some last minute assistance just before all seemed lost.
"My legs, so tired, I'm done for" One of the Family pant as he falls to his knees
"Hey pass it to me!" shouts a voice from the rooftops, the man shocked to see a widely grinning Luffy
"Straw hat. Here, catch!" the man calls back, throwing the underwear which is caught by Luffy before running off
"Get back here with my undies you little brat!" Franky bellows, continuing his just shy of streaking across the island as he chases the rubber boy from below, traumatizing people as he goes "So, how'd you like the ship?" he asks, seeing as this was probably the best/only time he'd get to ask
"It's awesome, probably the coolest ship I've ever seen, thanks for giving it to us" Luffy calls back, grinning as he hops to the next building
"Of course it's awesome, I designed the blueprints and put a little extra Super into the building process. Plus Iceberg helped I guess. I included all your requests and even installed my one of a kind soldier dock system, give the girl a spin yet?"
"Not yet"
"Well be prepared for it to blow you away. Hey what did you think of the fish tanks?"
"Love 'em, Chopper most of all"
"Catch some on your travels and drop them in the top, then you can watch em swim around to their heart's content, that room's an aquarium and dining room all in one"
"Will certainly save on date night… Nami says they're really important and neither of the girls have argued about it" Luffy chuckles, making another leap
"It's just like a promised, the best damn ship a man can build, a true ship of dreams there. Now give me back my briefs… before I blow you to smithereens" Franky demands, opening up Weapons Left as he says so then firing
"Chopper!" Luffy shouts before being hit, throwing to the reindeer who catches it and runs off
Meanwhile on ground level Zoro and Sanji were with some of the Family… and a huge cannon "Remember the plan?" the guy manning the cannon asks, get the answer when Franky comes around the corner and the 2 somehow co-operate long enough to shove him in it "Aim for Scrap Island!" he bellows
"Ugh guys, isn't this a little excessive?" Franky asks, wanting to be fired out of a cannon about as much as a normal person
Franky Family special weapon: Fire Everything Cannon
"Wait, weren't his undies supposed to go first?" Chopper asks in confusion, then squeaks when Luffy grabs him
"Ready Chopper?" Luffy asking, ignoring the quiet 'No'
Gum Gum Rocket
Back on the ship
"And there they are" Kaos chuckles just before a Flying Franky lands just in front of the ship and Luffy lands with Chopper beside him, then grimaces.
"Franky's naked, Franky's naked" Chimney shouts like a record stuck on repeat, Kokoro laughing just behind her
"Well, this isn't how I expected my morning to turn out" Iceberg muses, though is clearly trying to not join his mother figure in laughing his ass off at Franky's misfortune
Franky pulls himself from the wreckage he'd landed in with a grunt then turns when he hears his name, seeing Luffy standing on the deck of his ship, waving his underwear above his head
"Franky! Thanks for the ship, it's a great as you said it is and we'll be sure to take good care of it!" Luffy shouts
"Yeah, it's been real, have a safe trip"
"Just one thing I forgot to mention" Luffy says with a smirk "If you want these back, you're going to need to join my crew" the statement causing wheezing laughter from a few of those in earshot, mostly Iceberg and Kaos, as Kokoro was cackling like a witch.
TBC
LW: Yeah, I rarely get things to line up for cliffhangers so I'm taking full advantage of this one, tune in again in 2 weeks to see if Franky will actually take the offer, or just climb aboard and kick Luffy's ass to steal back his pants.
Post Enies Lobby is a short arc, so it's only going to be 3 chapters long, meaning we'll be starting the next arc in December.
Anyone else find it funny that apparently this wasn't the first time Franky went on a pantless rampage? I get the feeling it was an anime only addition, but someone still had the reaction of 'Again?' when they heard Franky was running around half naked destroying things
Bounty updates
Luffy: 330 million
Kaos: 250 million
Zoro: 120 million
Alvida: 50 million
Valentina: 30 million
Victor: 42 million
Artemis: 60 million
Robin: 85 million
Nami: 16 million
Sanji: 77 million
Vivi: 10 million
Chopper: 50 beri
Sogeking: 30 million
Kaya: 20 million
Franky: 44 million
Ussop 0 beri.
For a Grand Total of: 1,070,000,050 beri, or 8,640,202.25 euro (using yen=euro exchange rate on the 14th November 2020)
The Straw hats are worth over a billion beri, cool :D
