Giru couldn't believe his eyes. The Skeleton Brook and Cyborg Franky. The two immortal members of the Straw Hat crew. There was no mistaking them. A skeleton in a suit with an afro, a large robot with a metal nose and blue hair, very loud and obnoxious.

"Why have you come over to this side? Most pirates look to get where you came from."

Giru recounted the events of the last week of his life to Brook, leaving no detail out. Akuma piped up a few times to exaggerate certain aspects, but all in all the tale was told.

Franky's eyes were streaming as a small yellow hand came out of his giant red hand to wipe away the tears, "Zuch a zad ztoreeeeee! Your parents are ZUUUPER CRUEL, DUDE!"

"The South Blue, eh? I suppose you'll be needing a ship to get there, then."

Giru and Mist nodded. "I already said I'd do some gigolo work for the money to buy one. Ladies love tentacles."

Everyone stared at Giru, and by extension Akuma. Giru pinched the bridge of his nose before saying "I'd tell you to ignore him if it was possible."

Brook put a bony finger to his skeletal chin. "Destroying the Celestial Dragons, though. That's quite a goal to set for yourself. The Dragons themselves are easy pickings, but the repercussions... I doubt Zoro in his prime could take on a Marine Admiral of today."

Mist hand signed. Akuma started to translate, but Brooke put up a hand. He could understand.

"I say that because the Marines have played a dirty hand. At the deaths of the most powerful fruit users, the Marines took it upon themselves to acquire those reincarnated fruits and give them to admirals. Currently, the admirals of the navy use the Quake Quake fruit, the Dark Dark, and the Glint Glint. All of them can use Haki, and all are well versed in combat. Some believe they may even be enhanced by Germa technology, as well as all the rest of the marine force."

That was a lot to take in. Things were more dangerous for pirates now than they had ever been.

"What about the fruits from your crew?" Akuma asked.

Franky shook his head. "No offense, Brother, but we don't know you. Nobody gets that information."

That was fair enough.

Giru looked up at Franky. He seemed less... hyper than the book described him. Maybe he just missed his crew. "Brook. Franky. I aim to kill the celestial dragons as well as anyone who stands in the way. The current state of the world, as you have described it, does not allow me to take a pure hearted approach like Luffy did. My marksman uses guns, not slingshots. If we're labelled murderers, then so be it. If we're hunted, so be it. But the dragons will die. But before I can do any of that..."

Giru dropped to his hands and knees, retracting his tentacles into his back with his head bowed. He clenched the grass in a flurry of emotion he couldn't describe if he wanted to. The dragons. The world government. All of it needed to disappear. "FRANKY! WILL YOU BUILD MY SHIP!?"

Franky smiled down at Giru. "You just had to ask."