Chapter 213: Can the Ship be Fixed?

They watched as the group now identified as the Franky Family tried to get with their money. Naruto was about to create water clones however a guy was being chased by men in suits ran over a bridge where the Franky Family was under.

"Isn't that Paulie?" asked Iceberg.

"It is." Answered Kalifa, "And he's being chased by debt collectors again."

Paulie saw the Franky Family…

"Are those Yagara bulls?" he asked, "I'm going to barrow them okay."

He proceeded to beat up the member of the Franky family using ropes.

During this fight Iceberg told them, "That's Paulie, he's the rigging and mast foreman."

"The rigging and mast foreman uses ropes as weapons… I can't tell if that's awesome or weird." Said Kyubi.

Naruto sweat dropped when he said that.

"Hey!" yelled Usopp, "Thanks for helping us, can you bring out money back!"

"Huh? Money?" asked Paulie.

He looked at down and saw the briefcases filled with money.

"Hey! Look at this money!" he said.

This only made the members of the Straw Hats sweat drop.

However another one of the shipwrights at the company went to get him. A man with long black hair and a pigeon on his shoulder, however there was something off about him.

"That man…" said Kyubi.

"What about him?" asked Naruto.

"I don't know… but don't trust him." Said Kyubi.

Naruto began to sweat.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" asked Hinata.

"Nothing." Answered Naruto realizing it might be better to keep quiet for the time being.

"Why didn't you go after him!" yelled Usopp and Nami stretching Luffy's face.

"Because the pigeon said he'd go after him." Answered Luffy.

"Sorry about that…" said Iceberg, "But let us handle our own fools. If you had captured him then it would have created hard feelings."

"Besides it was better him than the Franky Family." Said Kalifa.

"The Franky Family?" asked Nami.

"Who are they?" asked Hinata.

Kalifa explained the Franky Family, they were ship dismantlers, whenever a pirate crew would come into town, they would get their bounties then dismantle their ship and sell any useable timber.

"But they didn't seem that strong." Said Naruto.

"Those were only henchmen, their boss stays in the shadows, don't ever underestimate Franky." Said Iceberg.

"Franky?" asked Luffy.

That was when the man came back with Paulie.

"We got him Iceberg." Said someone.

"Thank Lucci." Said Iceberg.

"Sorry for the trouble this idiot caused." Said the pigeon on the man named Lucci's shoulder.

"That man is scares me…" said Kyubi.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Not only is that man has something that creeps me out, but also talks though a pigeon… that man a complete and utter psychopath." Said Kyubi.

Lucci and Paulie began to get into a fight. Paulie used his ropes to slam Lucci into the ground, but Lucci managed to not only do a handstand but also crush the cement while performing the handstand.

"Wow… that was amazing." Whispered Hinata.

That was when Naruto realized one of the things about Lucci he was fearful over.

"But are you sure he's talking though the pigeon, it could be a pigeon who ate a devil fruit and learned to talk." Said Naruto.

"You'll see." Sighed Kyubi.

After the fight Lucci got up and the pigeon made an introduction, "My name is Rob Lucci… I mean my name Hattori and this is Rob Lucci. We work here at the ship building yard."

"He just introduced him as the human before correcting himself." Kyubi pointed out to Naruto.

"It's ventriloquism." Said Nami.

"So… he's talking though the bird?" asked Naruto.

"That's right…" said Kyubi, "I really hope he's the good kind of psychopath though…"

Paulie laughed at how Lucci was a weirdo only to make this remark about Nami.

"Whoa! How could you wear something like that! It's so scandalous!" yelled Paulie.

Nami was wearing a rather nice short-sleeved blouse and a short skirt, this was one of her more consecutive outfits oddly enough.

"Calm down Paulie!" said Kalifa.

"How dare you wear that Kalifa! This is a man's work place!" yelled Paulie.

Kalifa was also wearing a fairly short skirt…

He looked at Hinata, who was wearing jeans and a purple t-shirt.

"Both of you should dress like that girl." Said Paulie.

Hinata sweat dropped.

"Wow… all these guys are weird." Said Luffy.

"Well they maybe weird, but they are skilled technicians who work as foremen." Said Iceberg, "There's only five at every dock. Kaku is one of them. In this workmen only rely on their skills. Their personalities may be strange but don't' let it bother you."

Meanwhile on the Going Merry, Kaku was talking to Zoro and Kiba about the boat.

"Is that true?" asked Zoro.

"I wouldn't lie about my work." Said Kaku.

"Can you please break it gently to my brother?" asked Kiba, "He loves this ship."

"Don't worry… I will." Said Kaku.

Kaku jumped off the skip and headed back towards dock 1.

"So what should we do?" asked Ino.

"Pack up?" asked Sasuke.

"I'm going to wait until Luffy gets here." Said Kiba.

"I think Isaribi should double check, since she is the only one that can go underwater." Said Gaara.

"Sure, I'll do it." Said Isaribi.

Back at Dock 1, the Straw Hats were being given the tour, Luffy had asked Iceberg to be the crew's new shipwright.

While he couldn't himself (for obvious reasons) he did give Luffy this offer.

"If any of the shipwrights wants to join your crew, I'll let them." Said Iceberg.

"Thanks." Said Luffy, "How about you?"

"I'm the mayor." Said Iceberg.

"So what?" asked Luffy.

Hinata and Naruto watched this conversation.

"So do you think we'll be able to get one of them to join us?" asked Hinata.

"Oh yeah." Said Naruto, "I mean there should be at least one guy who wants to get out this dead end job."

"This isn't some dead end job." Said one of the shipwrights.

"Sorry." Said Naruto.

That was when Kaku arrived…

"Hey that guy's back!" yelled Naruto to Luffy who had started exploring the very large ship they were building.

Luffy came down and Kaku began to explain everything, after Luffy was giving his ideas what he wanted for the ship.

"Where's Usopp?" asked Hinata.

"I don't know, but I found his money." Said Nami.

"So will it take long for the ship to be fixed?" asked Luffy.

"I am going to be honest." Said Kaku, "The battle damage done to the ship was too great."

"Well we did climb a mountain." Said Luffy.

"And went up into the sky." Said Naruto.

"And got skewered." Said Luffy.

"So will it take long?" asked Naruto.

"No…" sighed Kaku, "Your ship can't be fixed, not even with our skills."

The crew that heard this froze.

Back on the Going Merry, Isaribi resurfaced.

"So…" said Kiba.

Isaribi shook her head no.

"So… the ship…" whispered Kiba.

Back at that the dock.

"Even if we did fix the damage, the chance that you would make it to the next island is zero." Said Kaku.

"Is it the keel?" asked Paulie.

"Yes, it's badly damaged." Said Kaku.

And it was true… the fact was the Going Merry was never going to sail again…

Next Time: They learn why the ship can't be fixed, but what's worse is that Usopp has gone missing and the money he had is gone! What will happen? Find out next time!