Hello again my beloved readers. I have returned! My first update of 2017! In this chapter we learn of the shocking and unknown truth of Franky's past. And we start to learn a bit more about the woman Known as Aura D. Lilia.
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Chapter 14
Tom and Franky
"Wow, you're a mess," Kureto said as he examined Sanji. "Three broken ribs, more than a dozen deep cuts, and a cracked leg not to mention a fried leg. A normal person would take months to completely recover from this kind of damage, but you look like the strong type, so I'd say you need a week of rest."
"You," Sanji said after a moment of silence. "Seem different from that old hag."
"I guess I am," Kureto shrugged. "Kureha is a psychotic witch."
"I still can't believe you're Doctorine's older brother," Chopper said. "I knew she had a brother, but I never thought I'd actually get to meet you."
"And I never thought you were actually real," Kureto said.
"Huh?"
"I kind of thought the little brat finally went senile and made you up as a way to escape loneliness," Kureto admitted. "Can you blame me? I mean, I read in her letters that she had an apprentice, but who would seriously believe that someone out there took a talking blue-nosed reindeer on as a student?"
"He's got a point, you know," Sanji nodded.
"That aside, who would've guessed that Chopper's teacher's brother would be here?" Usopp said with a hand on his head. "And in Luffy's mom's crew of all places. It's almost laughable! Haha-OOF!" Usopp held his his stomach.
"I'd suggest you keep your laughing to minimum," Kureto said. "Your two's injuries aren't nearly as bad as blondy over here, but you should still take it easy for awhile."
"Got it…" Usopp groaned. Then he noticed someone looking at the Sunny, that big yellow fishman named Tom… For some reason, that name sounded vaguely familiar. "Why is that guy looking at our ship?"
"Tom?" Kureto said. "He loves top quality ships. He's a shipwright, you know?"
"A shipwright, huh?" Usopp said to himself, now putting his thumb and index finger on his chin to illustrate his thinking position. "Tom the shipwright…"
"What's up Usopp?" Chopper asked.
"It's just… Don't you feel that you've heard the name Tom before?"
"Tom's not exactly an uncommon name, you know," Sanji said. "You're probably just imagining it."
"Tom the shipwright?"
"Well," Sanji began to think. "I have to admit that does sound somewhat familiar, but I'm not sure why."
"Hey, excuse me," Tom the fishman approached the three of them. "You guys are apart of the Captain's kid's crew, correct?"
"Yeah, that's us," Chopper answered.
"That means you can tell me where you got that amazing ship," Tom said, pointing his thumb at the Sunny.
"You mean the Sunny," Chopper asked.
"It's called the Sunny? I knew the figurehead was a sun."
"Our shipwright built it. He's really good and he's a cyborg."
"A cyborg? And I thought our group had weirdos. What's his name?"
"It's-"
"Hey, you guys," Nagika called, interrupting Chopper. "Rizen and Ridge are back and they brought company. Get ready for more patients, Kureto."
"I got it," Kureto muttered.
"Hey, miss," Chopper said to Nagika. "I don't see anything. How can you tell that someone's coming?"
"Haki," she answered, only making Chopper more confused.
"The game?"
"The skil. Oh, and I'd suggest you take a few steps back, lest you want to get sand in your eyes."
"What?" Then out of nowhere something- or someone- fell out of the sky and caused sand to blow Chopper and Nagika's faces, although Nagika seemed unphased by this, but Chopper was coughing profusely.
"I warned you," Nagika said somewhat teasingly. As the dust cleared, six figures were revealed. Rizen carrying Nami and Robin in a kind of romantic fashion, and Ridge, carrying Zoro and Franky in a rather crude fashion. Chopper cheered at seeing his four friends again, while Nagika scowled a bit at the sight of her fiancé carrying other women. She knew it was innocent, but a woman had to keep her man on his toes. "Honestly, Rizen, we haven't even gotten married yet and I'm already seeing you with your arms around other women."
"Hey, don't even," Nami blushed a bit, while Robin didn't react. "Wait a minute, are you Luffy's godmother?"
"The one and only," Nagika said with a little flare. "Well, Lily actually wanted to make more people the godparents, but decided that she'd just stick with one per child. But she never had any other children. Kind of sad, really, Luffy is so adorable. I can only imagine what more of him would be like."
"Er..." Nami had nothing to say to that. More of Luffy is something that the world isn't ready for.
"I have to agree with that," Robin said. "That would be very cute."
"And Nico Robin," Nagika said with a stoic expression. "Of all places, you end up on my godson's crew. What are the odds? You know, if this was any other situation, you'd be arrested on the spot, but since you're on Luffy's crew, guess you're safe."
"I suppose I should be grateful then," Robin said. "Of all the marines in the Navy, your unit has the best reputation."
"Aside from that," Nagika looked at Rizen dead in the eye. "Put these two girls down before I cut your head off."
"G-got it, babe," Rizen obeyed as Nami and Robin got down from the tall man.
"Am I… being ignored," Ridge spoke.
"Hey, Ridge, didn't see you," Nagika said offhandedly.
"Sometimes I gotta wonder what it takes to be in the center of attention for once," Ridge said in a mopy tone as Zoro and Franky got off of him.
"Didn't take you for an attention seeker," Zoro said.
"You have to be-" Franky was about to do his signature pose, but then stopped abruptly and looked stunned when he saw a yellow fishman, who looked old and had a big bushy white beard. Said fishman looked at Franky with an equally stunned expression. Both men looked liked they had seen ghosts.
"Franky," Zoro said with concern. Everyone could feel the tension in the air.
"Tom, what's up," Kureto asked in concern for his comrade.
"I remember now…" Usopp whispered.
"What do you mean," Sanji asked.
"Things are going to get heavy."
Tom limped to where Franky was in a zombie-like fashion, like he had seen a ghost. Franky limped to him in a similar way. Everyone remained quiet, not sure what to make of this.
"Ridge! Rizen! You're back! Did you bring the Captain's son with… you," Ellie came running in cheerfully, but then she too felt the mood. She saw Tom and another person and immediately sensed the tension between them. "Kureto-san, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure," he said.
"What's going on with Franky and that Fishman," Nami asked anybody.
"I wonder," Nagika muttered. "That guy's name is Franky? Then that means he's…" Nagika smirked. "I guess blood is more than just a liquid."
"Could that guy be…" Ridge whispered.
"Tom… is that you," Franky asked hollowly.
"Franky… can it really be you," Tom said hollowly.
"I thought you were dead," they both said.
"I-I don't understand!" Franky roared. "They sent you too Enies Lobby! Why are you out?!"
"I-I saw you get hit by the sea train all those years ago," Tom said in a shaky voice. "I thought you were killed… because of me!"
"Franky…" Chopper whispered.
"I need to step in here," Nagika muttered as she moved so fast she teleported right above Franky and Tom. The young looking woman slammed both much bigger men with her arms as easily as slamming a ball and pinned them down.
"Hey…!" Franky shouted.
"Nagika…!" Tom shouted incredulously.
"Both of you need to calm down now!" She said threateningly. "Neither of you are in your right minds right now, so just wait for Lily, she'll be able to explain everything."
"But-" Both men attempted to speak, but Nagika didn't Iisten.
"I said wait for the captain," she hissed. The darkness that surrounded Lilia also started oozing out of Nagika and started to move in a controlled path. The black substance split into two parts and wrapped around Tom and Franky's wrists, binding them like rope. Then it went to their faces and covered their mouths like duct tape.
"Mph! Mph!" The two of them tried to speak, but couldn't make an audible word the black material sticking to their mouths.
"Sorry, but I'll have you two restrained until Lily gets back here. For now, just focus on calming down," Nagika ordered. Both men made sideways glances at one another, then sighed, accepting Nagika's terms. "And you, green hair!" Nagika jerked her head at Zoro, who flinched. "You can act tough all you want, but anyone with eyes can tell that you're badly injured, so go get treated already."
"...Right," Zoro conceded. "Chopper, if you wouldn't mind."
"S-sure, but," Chopper glanced at Franky. "What about Franky?"
Zoro looked at the crew's most recent addition. Franky looked back at him, implying to just let things be. "It's a bit rough, but that woman's way is effective. Let's just do what she says for now."
"Good, Kureto, please help treat them," Nagika requested.
"Y-yeah," Kureto said halfheartedly as he looked at Tom.
"It really isn't any of my business," Ridge spoke up. "But in my experience, Nagika has always been effective in situations like these, so for now you should listen to her. And if it's of any consolation, I know how you feel. Tom doesn't usually act like that."
"Chopper, for now let's just get treated," Robin spoke in a soft tone. "You too, Nami."
"Right," Nami nodded weakly. She didn't know what to say in this situation and still didn't know what to say. The four of them walked to where Sanji and Usopp were. "Hey guys."
"Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! Oh, how I missed you- OOF!"
"You just killed the mood!" Nami shouted after smacking Sanji over the head. Though, she admits that she wanted the mood to be "killed". She started to worry when she saw Sanji grip his chest. "Hey, I didn't hit you that hard, did I?
"No, this is that darn Ren's fault," Sanji muttered.
"So you got your butt whooped, huh," Zoro said. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"What about you, eh," Sanji roared. "Look at Nami and Robin. And you let this happen. What a disgrace. And you better have not hurt a hair on Shauna-chan's head!"
"What'd you say, worthless cook?"
"You heard me, pathetic-"
"Would both of you calm down and get your treatment?" Kureto jumped in. "None of you are in any shape to be arguing!"
"Chopper can treat us," Nami assured.
"You feel up to it, kid," Kureto asked Chopper. "Your injuries aren't the worst, but no shame in wanting to take it easy, especially when there's someone else who's willing to do the work."
"I want to help my crew mates," Chopper said determinedly.
"My sister raised a good student," Kureto smiled.
"Sister?" Nami wondered aloud.
"Oh yeah, this is Kureto, he's Doctorine's older brother," Chopper introduced.
"Eh?!" Nami and Zoro went wide eyed.
"He's that witch's brothers?!" Zoro exclaimed.
"And he's on Luffy's mom's crew?!" Nami exclaimed.
"Isn't that an interesting coincidence," Robin said in an amused voice. "Our captain seems to have inherited more than just blood from his mother."
"Yeah," Nami said softly as she glanced at Franky. "What was up with Franky?"
"That fishman is Tom, Franky's shipwright teacher," Usopp revealed.
"What?"
"You can't be surprised," Usopp said. "I know Franky mentioned him at least once to all of us. Apparently, he was arrest several years ago and was executed, but now he's here, alive."
"How is that-" Nami remembered the story Ridge told them about how Luffy's mom had he's rescued him, his brother, and their crew from Impel Down, and if she did that for them, then she must've been able to do that for other prisoners. She looked at Zoro and Robin. They were thinking the same things. Franky must be thinking along the same lines.
"Look, just have your injuries nursed," Kureto pressed. "Just wait for the captain to sort everything out. She's always got things in control."
'So, that's Franky, huh?' Kureto thought to himself.
"You sure do have a lot of loyalty towards her," Robin noted as Chopper started to give checkups to everyone. "Seems like more than just typical superior and subordinate relationships. It seems like everyone we've met in the Demon Unit has genuine feelings of love for Lilia."
"Well… she's just the kind of woman you want to go the extra mile for, you know?" Kureto said, making the six Straw Hats think. The way he described his loyalty to Luffy's mom was kind of like how they felt about Luffy.
"We get it," Nami said in understanding. "Still what's taking Luffy so long?"
"I've never sensed him before, but I know the captain is coming here with Ren, Shauna, and Yuki are flying here right now with one other person," Ellie said, coming from out of nowhere, startling everyone.
"Where did you come from," Nami asked irritably as her heart raced.
"Ellie, stop doing that," Kureto yelled at the young woman. "I don't need a heart attack at my age."
"Sorry, doc," Ellie said.
"Oh, Ellie-chan!" Sanji swooned. "I'm so happy to- gah!"
"I keep telling you to not move around!" Kureto yellow.
"You're Ellie?" Nami asked.
"That's right, red, or I guess orange would be more appropriate," Ellie greeted her.
"Hey, don't give people nicknames when you've just met them," Nami warned as she touched her own hair. She never thought of her orange colored hair as something to be embarrassed about, but between Shauna calling her Citrus Scalp and this new girl, she was starting to feel a bit self conscious.
"No need to get self conscious," Ellie said, picking up on Nami's insecurity. "Your hair's pretty."
"Yes, beauty recognizes beauty!" Sanji exclaimed, then gripped his chest in pain.
"Must I repeat myself?" Kureto sighed.
"Anyway, Chopper, Usopp, and Sanji, nice to see you looking better," Ellie said kindly.
"How do you know them," Zoro asked.
"Ellie and another guy named Oscar took us here," Chopper explained.
"Thanks again for that," Usopp said.
"No problem," Ellie waved dismissively.
"So you're Ellie, eh, the one they call the Demon Unit's Wonder Girl," Robin said with intrigue.
"Ugh," Ellie groaned. "I always hated that nickname. I always hoped I'd get a more edgier alias like Captain Lilia's."
"You'd want to be called a demon?" Nami asked the older woman.
"Of course!" She replied wholeheartedly. "Ever since I was a young girl, all I've ever wanted was to rise to Captain Lilia's and Nagika-san's level of greatness… unfortunately that plane of existence is still a long ways away from me."
"You really seem to admire her," Nami said. "All of you do."
"I noticed that as well," Robin said. "Your feelings seem to be less of your typical superior and subordinate and more like-"
"Familial," Ellie guessed.
"Not exactly how I was going to word it, but yes," she nodded.
"Well, the Captain is someone you can't help but love," Ellie said softly.
"You're brainwashed, all of you," Nagika said as she approached them.
"Nagika-san?" Ellie was surprised to see her. "Weren't you pinning down Tom and that guy a minute ago?"
"They're big boys," Nagika dismissed. Franky and Tom were a distance away, bound and restrained with their backs forcibly turned to each other. "They can lay around, bound and gagged, without disobeying my orders." She glanced at the Straw Hats. "Although, it is quite a surprise that you guys have Tom's apprentice on your crew. Guess Luffy and Lily share the same tastes."
"You knew that Franky and that guy were master and student?" Nami said. "Then doesn't that mean you could explain this whole… everything?"
"I could, but I won't," she said. "That's Lily's job, mine is just to set things up. It is a leader's responsibility to act as ambassadors for their subordinates."
"But Luffy doesn't act like that at all!" Nami couldn't help, but blurt out.
"He'll grow into it, I'm sure," Nagika dismissed, then, as if just noticing Nami, she scanned the younger girl with her eyes. "Hey, have we met before?"
"I don't think so," Nami said.
"Hm, you have orange hair…"
"Why does everyone here have to talk about my hair like it's so weird?!" Nami complained as she held said hair.
"Calm down, I was just thinking that I should know someone with hair like yours, but I can't remember why," Nagika said, thinking about it.
"Oh," Nami said. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"That power you used to restrain Franky and his teacher, it looks a lot like Luffy's mom's power."
"Well… let's just say that we're not called the Demonic Six just for show," Nagika said mysteriously.
"Ok…" Nami was still curious and didn't find that to be a satisfactory answer, but refrained from pressing the issue. She was more curious about something else. "Your name is Nagika, right?"
"Yes, it is."
"Then were you the one who sent that huge air blade at us?"
"Oh, you saw that?" Nagika was nonchalant. "Yeah, that was me. I copied it from Ren-kun, actually. I call it Giant Tempest Slash."
"So it was you!" Nami shouted angrily and then was about to smack Nagika, but the older woman disappeared like she faded away, shocking Nami, who stumbled. Nagika reappeared from behind Nami and grabbed both of her arms and pressed her foot against Nami's back, making the later fall as the former twisted her arms. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"You know, little girl, I've been friends with Lily longer than you've been alive, so I think I know what you and the rest of your crew have gone through," Nagika began, while ignoring Nami's cries of pain. "You do it a lot, right, angry smacks? Speaking as his loving godmother, I recognize my godson can be a little hyper, so he must make you want to beat him to a bloody pulp sometimes, no? Here's a bit of advice for the years to come, it never gets better, so I suggest you choose you choose your outbursts more wisely from now on. It will just leave you with grey hairs in the future. Oh, and I apologize for almost killing you with my attack earlier." Nagika added as she let go of Nami.
"S-she… blocked Nami's attack," Usopp gaped.
"T-then she restrained her," Chopper gaped.
"Then she twisted her arms," Zoro gaped.
"All while lecturing her," Sanji gaped, then switched to love mode. "Nagik-san is so cute when she's lecturing someone and Nami-swan is so cute when she's in pain."
"All of you, shut up!" Nami screamed as she rubbed her sore arms. It didn't make her feel better when Kureto offered to treat her next.
"That's Nagika-san for you," Ellie said.
"I apologize for her, my fiancé plays rough," Rizen said, appearing out of nowhere.
"Yeah, she's the only person here that can control the captain and there's a reason why," Ridge said, also appearing out of nowhere. "She's probably one of the strongest women in the world."
"Where'd you two come from?!" Usopp and Chopper screamed.
"Excuse us for being here," Ridge muttered bitterly. He scanned the pirates present with his eyes. "So, this is everyone on the captain's kid's crew?"
"Apparently," Nagika shrugged.
"You know, a thought has just occurred to me," Ridge said. "I don't know what the captain's kid even looks like."
"Neither do I," Ellie said.
"Nor I," Kureto pointed out.
"Me too," Rizen said.
"Yes you do!" Nagika yelled after pulling out a wanted poster from inside her shrine maiden's outfit. "This is him."
The marines looked at it with undivided attention. They looked at it hard as if trying to find the meaning to a work of art. Suddenly, Oscar appeared out of nowhere, startling the Straw Hats, and studied the poster with them. Tom was also trying to get a good look t his captain's son's bounty.
"That's…" Ridge began.
"That's…" Ellie began.
"That's…" Kureto began.
"That's…" Oscar began.
"Mmph…" Tom's voice was muffled, but most likely said "that's".
"So unexpected!" They yelled in unison.
"Wow, that beach really is far," Lilia commented as they continued to fly at a leisurely pace. Luffy, at this point, had stopped crying and was prepared to face whatever wrath his mother would throw at him. Ren and Shauna had begun to bicker about the amount of injuries they had gotten and which of their opponents were stronger and which of their fights was tougher.
"Oh come on, I had to fight four guys," Shauna said. "I obviously had a tougher fight."
"I had to fight a guy with burning legs and now my ribs are broken," Ren countered.
"I had to fight a guy with three heads!"
"I had to deal with a sniper with explosives!"
"I had to dodge bullets and lightning!"
"There was a reindeer with transformations!"
"There was woman with multiple arms and there was a cyborg!"
"Luffy! Who's strongest on your crew?!" They yelled at their cousin.
"Um… I don't know," he answered.
"Well, who's stronger. Black Leg-"
"Or Pirate Hunter?"
"I don't know. They're both strong. Probably the two strongest fighters on my crew… but I think Shauna had a the hardest fight. Fighting Zoro along with Franky and Robin is a tough fight." It was safer to agree with Shauna in these kinds of situations.
"Ha!" Shauna smirked.
"Hmph." Ren pouted.
"But it was good that it was Shauna that fought Robin and not you, Ren," Luffy continued.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ren asked.
"It's just," Luffy looked like he was thinking of something unpleasant. "Robin plays rough…"
"Eh?" Shauna said. Surely, if she wasn't moving around so much, she would've been ensnared by that woman's strange power, but calling her rough didn't sound right. If anything, Devil Child was a careful type of fighter like Ellie-san and Aunt Nagika.
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"W-Well, you know Franky?"
"The cyborg, right?" Shauna said.
"Yeah, him. He's the most recent member and he was really rebellious about joining, not really sure why, so we stole his underwear-"
"You did what?!" Yuki, Shauna, and Ren exclaimed.
"Oh, no, I think he called them speedos."
"That's not the point!"
"Anyway, he chased us across the whole city-"
"He chased across an entire city in broad daylight with any pants or anything to cover up?!"
"Yeah, now stop interrupting. So, we lured him to where he built our new ship, the Thousand Sunny, and he was still saying he wasn't going to join, so Robin… crushed his balls!"
"WHAT?!" Ren burst. "How could she? So, he's not a man anymore?"
"No, they survived, but barely," Luffy said morbidly.
"By crush, you mean with her devil fruit power?" Shauna asked unphased, which Luffy confirmed. "Not a bad way to convince a guy. Maybe I'll do that to my next opponent."
"Are you crazy?!" Luffy and Ren roared.
"Hey, I've always wondered, does it really hurt as badly as they," Yuki asked innocently. "I mean I know it's a man's most sensitive area, but…"
"Are you really asking that?" Ren looked at her incredulously.
"You're pretty innocent for a student of mine," Lilia said. She had been silent and uninterested in Luffy's story. "You know, hearing you name Nico Robin made me remember something important."
"What's that, mom," Luffy asked.
"You'll see soon enough." Lilia said.
"...Mom," Luffy said, suddenly sounding bashful. "Could you let me off?"
"Up here? When we're thousands of miles up in the sky?"
"No, I just mean on the lawn chair thing." Luffy was still strapped to his mom's back, his entire body restrained like on a lab table.
"Why? It reminds of back when you were a little kid," Lilia said fondly. "You and I used to take walks through the forest and towards the end you'd always get tired as I'd piggyback you back home just like this, flying in the sky."
"That'd sounded completely normal until the end," Yuki muttered to herself.
"But it's embarrassing," Luffy whined. "My crew mates will laugh at me."
"If they do, I'll just lop off their heads," Lilia smiled darkly.
"No! Don't lop of their heads! Please!" Luffy begged hysterically.
"Oh, you're so easy, sweetie," Lilia giggled innocently. "Obviously, I was just joking."
'Was she…?' The three young marines wondered to themselves.
"Oh, looks like we've arrived," Lilia said. It was hard to tell at this distance, but it looked like they could see the shoreline. Wanting to waste no more time, Luffy's mother increased her speed by a few miles per hour and eventually descended onto the sandy floor. 'I have to remember to kill that Nagi-chan for firing an air blade at me.'
A few minutes earlier
"What do you mean, unexpected?" Nagika asked after seeing the reactions of her comrades when seeing her godson's wanted poster.
"Look at him!" Ridge demanded. "He's smiling like a doofus!"
"That's my godson you're talking about!" Nagika exclaimed. "I think it's a cute photo."
"Should a pirates poster really be 'cute'?" Kureto asked.
"Well, I guess what we're trying to say is that we were expecting captain Lilia's son to be a bit more intimidating and more like…" Ellie said, the image of a hulking, brute popped into everyone's minds.
"Lily-chan will kill you thinking that, you know," Nagika sighed. "Look, this is Luffy. Lily-chan's son, so deal with it!"
"Should we say something," Nami whispered.
"Remember how surprised we were when we found out that Luffy's grandfather was Garp," Robin whispered back. "They're probably feeling the same way."
"Hey, it's the Captain," Ellie pointed at the sky.
"Is that a giant hawk?" Usopp asked. Like he said, flying closely with Lilia was an enormous black hawk.
"That's Yuki," Kureto said. "She ate the Bird-Bird Fruit: Hawk Model, so now she's a hawk woman."
"Oh," Usopp said, unphased. It's not the first time he saw a devil fruit.
"Are those lawn chairs," Chopper asked.
"The captain's power lets her make anything in any form."
"How cool!" Chopper's eyes sparkled.
"It's Ren," Sanji snarled.
"And Shauna," Zoro growled. "Speaking of which, Love Cook, I heard you got your butt kicked by that flirt."
"Oh, don't even go there," Sanji yelled. "What about you, Mosshead? You had better not have hurt a hair on Shauna-chan's head!"
"Love Cook… I lost," Zoro admitted shamefully, throwing Sanji off.
"Yeah… I lost too."
"You guys…?" Usopp began.
Crash!
Lilia and company descended flashily, creating a huge cloud of dust the covered the entire shore. Everyone coughed profusely.
"'Cough! Cough!' Why'd she crash like that," Ellie coughed.
"Because she's an attention whore," Nagika said, not coughing at all.
"I'm back," Lilia announced.
"Captain!" Her subordinates, minus Nagika, said happily.
"Why did you land so hard?" Shauna asked.
"It makes an entrance," Lilia answered.
"Yeah, a painful one," Ren moaned.
"Can I get off now?" Luffy asked, still strapped to his mother's back.
"Hm, oh yeah, sure, sweetie," Lilia nodded. The black straps converted to gas and faded away, allowing Luffy to be set free.
"Master, wait for me!" Yuki begged fly down, quickly.
"Lily-chan!" Nagika was angrily stomping over to her friend. "You… have a lot of explaining to do."
"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed. "But first, get Kureto to treat Ren and Shauna's injuries, would you? Oh, and call me captain."
"Injuries?" Nagika looked down at at Ren and Shauna, who looked worse for wear, to say the least. "My god… this is what happens when I'm gone for a week."
"So where's Kureto?"
"Right here, captain," the tall old man walked over to her, followed by Luffy's crew.
"Guys!" Luffy said ecstatically.
"Luffy," Chopper said happily. "You're alive!"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Kureto said that anybody who fights your mom always-"
"Upupup! I didn't say anything!" Kureto insisted, covering Chopper's mouth with his hands.
"Kureto," Lilia said in a cold voice. "If you're done spreading lies about me, then get to work treating Ren and Shauna."
"Y-Yes, maim," he nodded fearfully. "Okay, Ren, Shauna, let's get a good- GOOD LORD! What the hell happened to you two?!"
"We won our fights," Ren answered.
"This is what you call winning!?"
"Hm? Kureto, what're you screaming about now?" Ellie poked her head past the crowd and gasped. "Ren-kun! Shauna-chan! What the hell happened?"
"Long story short, we won," Shauna answered. "It was a bit touch and go for a bit, but we won, Ellie-san."
"Mosshead!" Sanji roared at Zoro after seeing Shauna's arms. "How could you harm Shauna-chan?! You're nothing but garbage! Human garbage!"
"What'd you call me?!"
"Seriously, Zoro, what were you trying to do? Cut her arms off?" Nami asked incredulously. "All she did was knock us out."
"Hey, I was trying to finish a fight," Zoro retorted. "And they don't always end cleanly."
"Still…"
"Sanji, you aren't any better," Usopp added. "Was it necessary to go that far against Ren?"
"Hey, I was trying to avenge you and Chopper!"
"Yet we came out with the least amount of injuries."
"Okay, everyone, shut up!" Lilia commanded loudly, silencing everyone in earshot. "Kureto, do your job and treat the twins and anybody else who needs it… why is Tom and another guy tied up?"
"Lily-chan," Nagika sighed. "There are a lot of things I want to say to you, but, right now, you have something more pressing to deal with."
"What happened?" Nagika explained the newly discovered relationship between Tom and Franky. "Huh, funny."
"Wow, who would've guessed that Tom-san's student would be here on Luffy's crew," Ren said, surprised.
"To add to further surprise, Luffy didn't know about any of Captain Lilia's subordinates, so this is complete coincidence," Shauna added.
"You never mentioned us?" Ellie sounded disappointed.
"Like I have to," Lilia shrugged. "So I have to play mediator between Tom and his old student, huh? Well, I guess I can do something. Let's go, Luffy."
"Me?"
"Yes, you are a captain, are you not? Since one of your subordinates is involved, don't you feel it's your responsibility to be there for him in this kind of situation?" Lilia asked in a motherly
"Not really."
"Me neither, but I have to anyway," Lilia nodded. She converted the lawn chairs the twins were sitting in into two wheelchairs and separated the threads attached to her. "Kureto, I've said it twice already. You know what to do."
"Yes maim," Kureto obeyed as he and Chopper took the wheelchairs.
Lilia and Luffy went to Tom and Franky. The Straw Hats had some things they had wanted to say, but were unsure of how to say it. It was different with Garp in more way than one. When reaching Tom and Franky, she grabbed both of them and Luffy by their shirts and flew them to another part of the island. She manifested a sword to cut off the bindings on the two.
"I thought we should move somewhere more private," she explained.
"T-Thank you, Captain," Tom said nervously. There could be no doubt of why he was so anxious.
"No problem," she said. "I'll guess I'll introduce you. This is my son, Luffy. Luffy, this Tom, my shipwright."
"It's an honor to meet you, kid," Tom lowered his head to Luffy.
"Nice to meet you too, Fish-pops," Luffy smiled.
"Fish-pops?"
"And you're Cyborg Franky?" Lilia asked the one in question.
"Yeah, but enough introductions!" Franky demanded, sounding uncharacteristically angry. "I want to why my master is alive on your ship, while I thought he was dead for the past 8 years!?"
Luffy and Tom's jaws dropped and they weren't the only ones who were flabbergasted.
Nagika had planted a Transponder Snail onto Tom when she had tied him and Franky up, so they could listen. Nami asked, "I-Is it really okay to listen in on their talk? It's private, isn't it?"
"Little girl… I want to listen," Nagika answered.
"That's such an irresponsible answer!" Nami burst out.
"I would like to listen as well," Robin said.
"Et too, Robin?" Nami sighed.
"I want to watch too!" Ellie chimed.
"Sounds fun!" Ridge agreed.
"Should be interesting," Kureto nodded. "Besides, the twin's injuries aren't so severe that I have to attend to them right away."
"What an irresponsible doctor," Ren grumbled. "Shauna and I were fighting for our lives. But I do want to listen."
"I do too," Shauna nodded. Pretty soon, every member of the Demon Unit, including Oscar and John, surrounded the Transponder Snail in a big circle, eager to listen.
"N-No one here has any sense of privacy," Nami said, appalled.
"Don't any of you have the slightest bit of decency," Yuki questioned them.
"Oh, right, I kinda forgot about that Zoan," Nami muttered.
"Man, we're really at that point where huge talking birds don't even phase us anymore," Usopp sighed. "It's kind of scary, if you think about it."
"Yuki-chan… be honest, you want to listen too," Nagika accused her.
"What?! N-No, it's not about whether or not-"
"Then you should listen," Nagika instructed, her voice sounding hypnotic.
"B-But-"
"Yuki… you're allowed to do what you want."
"O-Okay… I'll listen too," she admitted defeat.
"Uh… what just happened?" Zoro asked.
"I'm… not sure…?" Nami admitted, equally confused.
"Nagika-san, you could convince a pirate to give charity," Ellie giggled.
"You kids too," Nagika eyed the Straw Hats. Sparing you the details, Nagika easily convinced the young crew to drop their morals and eavesdrop with them. "By the way, Yuki-chan, why are you still in your hawk form?"
"Oh, right, I'm a human," she as if just realizing it. "I've been stuck in this form for three days. Stuck flying you five from place." Yuki added, glaring at her fellow Demonic Six.
"Well, we needed you," Nagika reasoned.
"But was it really necessary for me to fly you to Spa Island-"
"Shh! She's talking," Nagika said as Lilia began to speak.
"I thought we should move somewhere more private," she explained.
"Guess that's out the window," Nami muttered. Tom thanked her. Lilia introduced him to Luffy.
"Fish-Pops?" Ellie repeated.
"Luffy loves to give people he's just met funny sounding nicknames," Shauna explained.
"More like names that he won't forget," Ren mused.
"Kind of different from the Captain," Oscar noted.
"I didn't get a chance to meet talk to him since Captain Lilia dragged him with her," Ellie added. "Hm, maybe if I get him to like me, Captain will give me a raise?"
"That's such an impure reason to be friends with someone!" Yuki scolded her,still in her hawk form. Some of the other marine's eyes started to sparkle with greed.
"Besides, it wouldn't matter," Nagika said. "I'm his beloved godmother and I still get paid that meager sum."
"Nagika-san!"
"You know, I was thinking this before," Usopp started.
"But this is a weird unit," Zoro finished.
"Yeah, but enough introductions!" Franky demanded, sounding uncharacteristically angry. "I want to why my master is alive on your ship, while I thought he was dead for the past 8 years!?"
Minus Nagika, every single member of the Demon Units eyes widened and jaws dropped.
"W-What's with this mood?" Usopp yelped.
"Are you kidding me?" Shauna said in shocked voice. "I didn't take that guy as smart, but he's a total idiot! Only Aunt Nagika, mom, and grandma can talk to her like that!"
"Well, guess you guys will be down a crewmate in a second," Ren said, his face pale.
"M-Mom!" Luffy got in front of Franky to protect him. "I'm sorry Franky yelled at you but it's not his fault! He's stupid!"
"Listen to him, Captain!" Tom begged. "He has brain damage. He knows not of what he's saying."
"Both of you, move it!" Lilia ordered and they complied. She knelt in front of Franky, who started to shake. "I… prefer to start out serious conversations with a little small talk. It eases the atmosphere a bit."
"Eh?" Tom and Luffy were dumbfounded.
"What?" Franky was confused.
"S-She's just going to let it slide?" Ellie asked, unsure.
"Wait for it," Nagika instructed.
"Oh and one more thing," Lilia said conversationally as she manifest a sword from he black energy and chopped Franky's left hand. "Never yell at me."
"AHH!" Franky yelled. "S-She chopped my hand off!"
"Franky!" Luffy and Tom yelled in distress.
"She cut off his hand?!" Usopp and Chopper screamed in horror.
"She's crazy!" Nami shouted.
"Yeah…" Most of the marines agreed with somber looks on their faces.
"The rumors of her brutality weren't exaggerated, I see," Robin said calmly.
"Robin!" Usopp cried. "Don't sound so calm!"
"But it was just a prosthetic hand, so it can be reattached," Robin reminded.
"Y-Yeah, but…"
"It's a fake hand, so it can be fixed easy enough," Lilia said unemotionally, unintentionally paraphrasing what Robin had said.
"Fake hand?" Tom just noticed that the hand was metallic. "It is!"
"Oh, right," Luffy remembered. "Guess I worried for nothing."
"There's a lot to worry about!" Franky yelled angrily. "It isn't easy reattaching metal to yourself, you know?!"
"Want me to cut off your other hand?" Lilia asked darkly.
"No, maim!" Franky shut up. In an instant, Lilia conjured a table and chairs for them to sit in.
"Take a seat, no need to stand," she said hospitably. Luffy and Tom immediately obeyed, but Franky was hesitant. "So, as you already know, my name is Aura D. Lilia. I was born and raised in West Blue, but about a year before Luffy was born I moved to East Blue. You, Franky-kun?"
"W-Well, my parents were pirates and one day they just left me on an island and left," he began explaining, not wanting his other hand to be chopped off.
"Hm, guess they weren't good parents," Lilia murmured. 'Either that or there was a reason for doing something so cruel…'
"I remember finding Franky on Scrap Heap Island shooting cannons," Tom started laughing. "Guess his parents couldn't handle his rambunctiousness so they ditched him."
"It isn't something to laugh about, Tom," Lilia sighed dryly. "That said, Luffy was also a wild child as a kid. One time he ended up finding a melon farm near our village and endearing up eating a third of their crops. It was a real pain to clean up that mess. I ended paying for everything he ate."
"I remember that," Luffy said. "Those were good melons."
"I ended up buying a couple for myself, so I have to agree," Lilia smiled beautifully. "Franky-kun, why'd you join my son's crew?"
"Huh? Why do you care about that?"
"It's my job to know," she answered vaguely.
"Well… he didn't leave me a lot of choice and after what Robin did…"
"I heard she crushed your balls," Lilia said bluntly.
"Ahhh! You told her Luffy?!"
"Yup," he nodded. "Ren, Shauna, and Yuki too."
"Don't 'yup' me. And you told people? Did you really think that I'd want people to know about that?"
"What's the big deal? Everyone in Water 7 saw it happen."
"Everyone in Water 7 saw your balls being crushed?!" Tom laughed, clutching his stomach. "That's marvelous!"
"Stop laughing, you jerk!" Franky yelled.
"Whatever you say, maim." Tom still laughed. "HAHAHA!"
"I'm still male!"
"S-So, she actually did it, huh…?" Ren and the other men paled.
"You're a brutal one, huh," Nagika glanced at Robin, who smiled innocently.
"Like you're one to talk," Ridge joked.
"What interests me most is how Luffy's mother easily changed the mood of the conversation," Robin said.
"That 'small talk before an important talk' philosophy she has is pretty effective," Ellie said.
"More like she doesn't take the topic seriously," Nagika muttered. "But that Tom doesn't seem to take anything seriously, either."
"Things seem to be going well, right," Chopper asked.
"Yeah, but they haven't gone to the reason they're there," Nami reminded.
"But at least Franky sounds more Franky-like," Usopp added with a smile.
"Okay, since the mood has been dropped," Lilia started. "Let's get to the main topic. Why is Tom alive."
The mood deepened again. Tom and Franky stopped with their banter. Luffy looked unemotional, but looked at Franky curiously. "Tom, should I tell this story or should I?"
"I-I will tell it, Captain…" he said seriously. "I guess it started the day I was arrested by that guy."
"Spanda."
"Yeah, him. The day I saw you get hit by the Puffing Tom."
"Franky, you got hit by that sea train?!" Luffy shouted out, shocked.
"He actually got hit by a sea train?!" Nami screamed. "How did that happen?!"
"Is that why he's a cyborg now?!" Chopper exclaimed.
"Guess we'll find out," Zoro said.
Franky was Stoney faced when Tom mentioned how he was hit by the Puffing Tom. The cyborg began explaining how he was so desperate to save Tom, he intercepted the train on the tracks with the intent of destroying their creation. Unfortunately, the train was so tough, it wouldn't even dent when he shot it with cannons (Franky joked that they may have been too good at being builders). As the train got closer, he was crazy enough to try and stop the train with his bare hands, which, naturally, was impossible and ended up get mowed down by the Puffing Tom. Through sheer luck, he somehow ended up on an abandoned ship and, in order to stay alive, began operating on himself on himself, but could only get his front side since he couldn't reach his back.
"Oh, so that's why he only had metal on his front," Shauna said. He would've lasted longer if hed metal on both sides.
"He's alive, so he must've done it right, but I have the desire to look over him to see if their is any problems," Kureto muttered.
The other Straw Hats were too drawn into the discussion to even comment on the two.
Tom began explaining about how Spanda came into the car where they were keeping him and began bragging about how Franky was crazy enough to try and stop the sea train and ended getting run over. He could still remember how loud Spanda laughed and how cruelly he described Franky's "death". Honestly, Tom didn't care about what he was saying, but more about how his own creation killed his own apprentice. It was the first time he hated something he built…
"Are you kidding me?!" Franky exploded, jumping up from his chair. "When the spear of my battleship pierced you and I was going to reject my own creation, you scolded me for doing so. Now you-"
"Franky-kun," Lilia smiled darkly. "At least let Tom finish his story before yelling again, okay?"
"O-Okay," Franky nodded as he sat back down, then whispering to Luffy. "How can you survive with a mother like her?"
"You're not very good at whispering, you know," Lilia said, an annoyed frown on her face, making Franky flinch.
"Anyway, they tossed me in Impel Down," Tom continued. "Level 4, I think. Awful place with weird creatures. I spent a couple days there until I…" Tom glanced at Lilia. "I met you, Captain."
Impel Down, Level 4. 8 years ago.
Lilia, along with Rizen and Nagika, we being escorted through the Level 4 of Impel Down by the warden, Magellan. He was a huge man with a devil like wings. He didn't look human at all.
"Alright, we're here, Captain Lilia," Magellan said once they reached the door to a jail cell.
"Thank you," Lilia nodded.
"Try not to take too long," Nagika said uncaringly. "This place is too hot."
"Maybe I'll take my time," Lilia joked.
"Okay, I don't need to tell you that most of these prisoners haven't seen a full bodied woman in years, so you should expect a bit of harassment going in there," Magellan warned her.
"It's fine, Magellan-kun," Lilia assured.
"You sure you don't want us coming with you?" Rizen asked. "Not that I think you can't handle yourself, but this is the first mate of Gold Roger we're talking about."
No one bothered to correct him.
"I'll be fine," Lilia assured them. Magellan opened the door that led to a huge cell block. There had to be over a 100 prisoners. A normal person would be scared to death at the very thought of being in an enclosed space with some of the most dangerous thugs on the sea, but Lilia, being Lilia, was not. "Hello there, sorry to bother all of you, but I just need to know where a prison name Tom is. I believe his number is 20665 and he's a fishman. Any of you know him?"
Naturally, the prisoners ignored Lilia's question and started getting lecherous smiles on their faces. "A woman! Oh, I haven't seen one in year!"
"Is she a prisoner?"
"Who cares! Hey babe, come over here and show us a good time."
Lilia rolled her eyes as the prisoners went crazy with lust for her. Obviously, they wouldn't be too cooperative unless she tortured them a bit. But it'd be faster if she did this. She released a wave of Conqueror's Haki, which knocked out more than 90 percent of the inmates. There were only seven or so still conscious, rest of them were trembling. "Huh? I would think there would be more than a few still conscious after that."
"C-Conqueror's… Haki…"
"I-It couldn't be… hair as black as night… unparalleled beauty… a marine uniform…. Could she be… the She-Demon…?"
"That's what they call me," Lilia smiled sweetly. It made her even more terrifying. "So, like I was asking before, where is Tom?"
Unfortunately, the prisoners were so scared, they couldn't find their voices and fell on their butts as they trembled. Lilia sighed, this was the problem with being one of the scariest women in the world. Then she noticed someone sitting in the back, a huge bodied, yellow fishman in the standard prison uniform. She could tell he wasn't unconscious, but he sat there looking defeated, making her frown. She had heard he had sacrificed himself to save his students. He did not look like the kind of man he was made out to be. But she decided to approach him anyway. The prisoners yelped girlishly as she walked forward.
"Are you Tom?"
"What do you want?" He didn't look up at her.
"It's only polite to look a person in the eyes when you talk to them," Lilia said looking down at him with a stoney face.
"I don't want to look at a government dog," he said bitterly.
"That may make things problematic," Lilia grinned. "Because I want you to join my unit."
Tom was silent, but he couldn't deny that he was shocked at her request, but then he did something he hadn't since he had heard Frank died. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" His laugh was filled with bitterness. "That's rich! A government dog wants me to sell my soul to her. Priceless!" He stopped laughing and looked at Lilia with bloodshot eyes. "...No." He even spit at her
"You spit at my mom?!" Luffy yelled angrily, jumping at Tom, but his mom grabbed him by the vest to keep him from moving further.
"Stop, Luffy," Lilia ordered her son. "I didn't appreciate being spit at, but that's all in the past. Right, Tom."
"Right, I didn't know what kind of person you were back then and I was angry too," Tom smiled. "Besides, I was pun… AHHHHH!" Tom gripped his head and screamed loudly in terror.
"Oh, he must be remembering a punishment mom gave him," Luffy said knowingly.
"He spat at the Captain!" Ridge shouted angrily. "I'll smash his head!"
"Not before I punch his head hard enough to make his head spin a 180!" Oscar said, equally angry. Pretty soon, every member of the Demon Unit, save for Nagika,were saying how they would make Tom pay for spitting on Lilia, even Sanji said he'd kick him so hard, his heart would stop.
"Wow, they are all really loyal," Nami was becoming a bit disturbed by this sense of camaraderie, although it was kind of sweet.
"That's natural," Yuki the hawk said. "Everyone on this unit owes their life to Master."
"Hey, your that bird was with Luffy and his mom," Nami realized.
"I'm a human, you know!" She yelled. "Oh, wait, I'm still in my full hawk form. I've been a bird so long, I started to forget my own species. Master says the biggest flaw of being a Zoan, is that you tend to become too much like whatever animal you can become."
"Really?" Chopper asked. Now that she mentioned it, he did act more human than reindeer lately, but is that so bad?
"How cute! A raccoon dog!" Yuki exclaimed.
"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper said angrily. Yuki ignored him, as she began turning back into her human form. Her body shrunk, her feathers and beak retracted, and her small bird talons began changing to feet. Her human for was of a young girl with long black hair that matched her feathers, bluish eyes, and white skin. She wore a dark blue shirt under a grey jacket and wore dark blue jeans. "It feel good to be human again."
"You're gorgeous!" Sanji exclaimed, his body on fire, charging at her. "You have other worldly good looks!"
"Um… what's wrong with him?" Yuki asked, pushing him away.
"Sorry about him," Nami said after knocking Sanji out. "Sanji is very... passionate."
"It's fine…" Yuki said, observing Nami seriously. She recognized the girl as very attractive and easy to picture her being able to attract most guys. "Hey, what's your position on Luffy's crew."
"I'm the navigator," Nami answered. "Do you know Luffy?"
"Well, I-"
"If you two are done talking," Nagika interrupted. "The story is continuing."
"Sorry for that," Tom said.
"You are such a wuss," Lilia sighed.
"What does she do to these guy…" Franky wondered to himself.
"As I was saying…"
Lilia did not initially react to Tom spitting on her. In fact, she felt no need or desire to punish such a pathetic man. He was punishing himself enough for the both of them. Wiping away the spit with a handkerchief in her pocket, Lilia asked the pathetic fishman, "So, what's your story? I can't imagine that being framed for a crime you didn't commit would be enough to break the spirit of a guy with your rep. I don't know you personally, but about ten years ago you were charged for building Gold Roger's ship, The Oro Jackson, right?"
Tom didn't answer, but the mention of one of his greatest creations brought out the slightest bit of pride within himself. He wanted to be shot.
"They would've arrested you and executed then and there if you hadn't proposed to save Water 7 with the construction of the sea train called-"
"Don't say that name!" Tom roared. He didn't even want to think about the thing that killed his precious student.
"Why? You built it, didn't you? Without it, Water 7 would have died. Even down here, you should still have pride in your creation."
"Why would I have pride in a creation that killed my student?" A flood bank broke open, so to speak. Tom began venting about how Franky had died trying to stop the sea train from taking him. "It was… all my fault."
Lilia was silent. So this was the reason he was so broken? Ridiculous. Annoyed with him, she kicked him in the gut. The kick had enough that to shatter the walls behind him, which were designed to be able to take on even Whitebeard's power. Tom collapsed on his knees, clutching his stomach and started gasping.
"Get up," Lilia ordered coldly. "You don't get to whine about who or what's fault it is that your student died."
"What do you know?! It's because of your organization that Franky's-" Lilia shut Tom up by forcibly squeezing his lips closed. "Be quiet. You already got your chance to rant, now let me have mine. Listen up, your life does not belong to you anymore, it belongs to the guy who died trying to save you. Your student didn't die trying to save you just for you to get depressed and want to die. He died wanting you to live and now that a chance for you to survive is offered to you, you're just going to reject it and die. Some master you are, spitting in the face of your pupils sacrifice. Pathetic."
Lilia let go of Tom' mouth. The big fishman was silent for a long time before finally saying. "...You're right."
"What?"
"I am being pathetic," Tom admitted, tears streaming down his eyes. "Not only that, but I'm a hypocrite too. Rejecting my own creation just because it did something it had no control over. Those two deserved better. It's just…"
"Stop," Lilia sighed. "I do understand. It is horrible when someone you love dies, no doubt about that, but that's life. Orphans stay orphans, widows remain widows, the dead will always be dead. The only thing the ones left behind can do is live to the best of their ability and hope their deceased loved ones are resting in peace. If you really regret your student's death, then do your best to live."
"...Becoming a marine, huh," he started saying. "Gotta say, didn't think I'd meet someone like you in the navy."
"I'm the one and only me," she smirked. "My whole unit is full of fun guys, but I warn you that they'll get on your nerves."
"Can't be any worse than the kids I've taken in," he smiled. "So, should I call you captain?"
"Yeah, you should," she said as she held out her hand. "Welcome aboard, Officer Tom."
"Thank you, Captain…" Tom's voice trailed off as he fainted.
…
Even the prisoners who were still and were trembling stopped to just take a "what the hell" moment. Lilia looked down at Tom's unconscious body, suppressing an urge to laugh. "Well… I guess I kicked him a bit too hard."
"That's all you can say?!" The remaining prisoners exclaimed, despite their fear.
"I woke up on the ship three days later," Tom finished.
"You used your super strong kick on him, huh, mom," Luffy laughed.
"He had it coming," Lilia muttered. However, Franky was silent. "So, Franky-kun, now that you have heard the story, how do you feel?"
"I-I don't know what to feel," he admitted. "I'm, without a doubt, happy that Tom is alive, but… why didn't you come back?"
"I can explain that," Lilia said before Tom could get a word in. "He's a chicken-fish. The guy was so ashamed that he joined the navy, a government controlled organization, he said he wouldn't see his family in Water 7 until he was ready."
"C-Captain there's more to it than that," Tom stuttered.
"Well, even if you did go back to explain that you're alive, I wouldn't have let you stay there."
"What? Why not?" Franky asked incredulously, which Lilia answered. "Because a member of my unit is a member for life. The only way out is death."
"Wait, you mean none of us can leave?" Tom said, surprised.
"Sure, just ask Nagi-chan."
"Yeah, it's the same with my crew," Luffy nodded. Frank paled a bit, this mother and son duo were more alike than they seemed…
"She's not wrong," Nagika nodded. "We're all stuck here to til we die."
"T-That's a little depressing," Ellie said.
"Naturally, Tom, me, and the other rogues-turned-marines here are stuck with captain till the end, but still, I don't think we ever had a choice," Ridge realized.
"I don't think I'd mind staying with Luffy forever," Robin admitted. "Regardless, is it normal for mere Navy captains to be able to pull out prisoners like the She-Demon does?"
To Robins confusion, that question provoked laughter for the navy officers. "Did I say something strange?"
"No, no captain technically has the right to recruit arrested criminals, but," Ellie started.
"Our captain is the exception," Oscar put in. "You'll see."
"Franky," Tom said softly. "My story is no excuse. No matter how you slice it, I turned my back on Water 7. For a short time, I even rejected my own teachings. But I can't say that I regret joining the Demon Unit. They took me in when I was alone. They brought back the light within my heart that was lost after I thought you had died for me. But know this, I never stopped thinking about you. Not any of you. Not Iceberg, not Kokoro, not Yokozuna. Nobody. You are all in my heart, along with my new family here in the unit."
"Kind of laying it on thick there, aren't you?" Lilia muttered dryly. Franky kept his head lowered, most likely confused about how to feel. Of course, the happiness he was feeling couldn't be described. But it wasn't so easy to forget all the pain and despair he had endured after Tom was taken away. He wanted to vent.
"You know, I was really prepared to give shipbuilding up for for good," Franky started saying. "I even switched to ship dismantling. But when I heard that there was Adam Wood on the black market… I don't know, I guess I wanted to build one last ship before throwing it all away. I guess I wanted to be like you… that's how important you were to, so… I can't forgive you for not even telling me or anyone else that you were alive!"
"...I see," Tom said hollowly after a long awkward silence. "I understand. I expected that you wouldn't be able to forgive me so easily… still knowing you're alive is more than I had ever hoped for. So-"
"Let me finish, you jerk," Franky ordered, his eyes leaking water like a crack in a dam. "I can't forgive you, but… Tom, I'm so happy you're alive!" Franky jumped over the table and tackled Tom with a huge bear hug. "It was so frustrating when that idiot Spanda framed us and took you away! I'm so happy you survived!"
"Franky…" Tom whispered before hugging his student back. "I'm happy I'm alive too. Life is wonderful!" Tears flowed out of Tom's eyes like a waterfall.
So, was that tear jerking? Or overplayed? Does Lilia seem amazing? Or just good? Just remember this, no ordinary captain can just recruit arrested criminals onto their ship like it's no big deal.
Bonus Info:
Rem Nagika, Luffy's godmother, ate the Claw-Claw Fruit. Like the name would suggest, she can grow claws like bears and is as able to cut through solid steel. She and Lilia are regarded as the most dangerous female marines, although both claim that they can easily beat the other. She and Lilia have known each other since they were twelve and, though they will never admit it, trust each other more than anyone else.
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