Chapter 34

"Cyborg" Franky

A few more days passed for the Straw-Hat Pirates. They were waiting for Franky to complete their new ship, and for the log pose to reset. A few things happened, some interesting to note.

The World Government had released their "official" story about the attack on Enies Lobby. How Straw-Hat Luffy had declared war of the World Government and burned the island to the ground. It was a rather serious article, though of course it was all a cover up.

There was no mention of the Galley-La company or the Franky Family. They didn't even mention Robin or Franky, nor the defeat of the CP9, which technically didn't exist. There was no way the Government was going to mention their fault in the entire mess. Strange that they only mentioned the Straw-Hats though…

Anyways, with all this time waiting, the Straw-Hats also had time to do other stuff, namely shopping.

They would have to be cheap though. Nami found out Luffy had blown out their 150 million beli stockpile on the party back at the pool. Suffice it to say… Nami was not happy.

At least they still had a few thousand left.

They divided up the remaining money, evenly, amongst themselves. Luffy of course, didn't get anything, being the subject of Nami's wrath. So he ended up exploring the city with Chopper. Sanji went out to get more food supplies for the days ahead, pulling a cart behind him. Meanwhile Robin and Nami went bargain hunting.

As for Maxwell and Zoro, they visited the local smithy. Zoro unfortunately couldn't find a good katana to replace Yubashiri. Swords were expensive, and even if they pooled their money together they couldn't buy one. Maxwell was just thankful he convinced Zoro to help him buy some armor pieces instead.

Maxwell decided to complete his new look. Wearing his gambeson jacket, he bought a pair of gauntlets, vambraces, and a mantle of chainmail. Maxwell was even able to squeeze in a pair of couters and poleyns into the deal. There was only one thing Maxwell wore from his old look. His pauldron with the Straw-Hat insignia. (Imagine the Griffon Robes from Dragon Age Inquisition, edited.) The rest had been swept away in the Aqua Laguna. He was lucky to have found it.

Then came the day that the log pose set.

"The log pose I ready!" Nami exclaimed, "The log pose is already pointing to the next island!"

"Yahoo!" Luffy did a handstand, "Then all we need is the ship to set sail! I can hardly wait!" The crew had informed Luffy about Franky building them a ship, seeing as he slept through Franky's offer. He was excited to be out sailing again.

Nami nodded, "Yes. Franky said he wanted to surprise us, so we shouldn't come by until it's ready."

"So~ you know where the log's leading you to?" Kokoro asked. She was visiting them while they waited, and seemed to have this knowing look.

"No. Where?" Nami asked. She looked at the log pose again, "…It is pointing a little bit downwards…"

"Nagagagaga," Kokoro chuckled, "Of course. The next island is Fishman Island. The paradise beneath the sea!"

"EH~!?" Sanji immediately jumped to his feet, "FI-FI-FI-FI-FI… FI…! FISHMAN ISLAND!? FINALLY!"

Chopper jumped in suprise, "What!? What's going on, Sanji!?" The cook was swooning like a loon.

"Fishman Island, huh…?" Nami leaned against the table, "I've go mixed feelings."

"Yeah," Luffy nodded, "After everything that happened in your village…" A group of fishmen, lead by the notorious "Saw-Tooth" Arlong, had terrorized Cocoyashi Island for years. Nami, trying to free her village, had become a thief trying to buy their freedom. It was one of the reasons Nami had become such a penny pincher.

"But those fishmen were pirates back then, right?" Zoro asked. Luffy and the others were responsible for ousting the Arlong Pirates back in East Blue. They had just recruited Sanji, and Zoro had his duel with Mihawk.

"THAT'S RIGHT. YOU KNOW IT PRETTY WELL, YOU SHITTY BASTARD~!" Sanji was dancing and spinning, but that didn't stop him from getting in one jab at Zoro. "Fishman island is the most famous spot on the Grand Line! Beautiful mermaids draws arcs above the water, and play in with the fish in the Kingdom of Dreams!"

Sanji then saw Kokoro again…

"CAN'T I AT LEAST DREAM ABOUT IT!? I'M A PIRATE DAMN IT!" Sanji sobbed, remembering she too was a mermaid. He had fallen to his knees while hammering the floor with his fist.

"THERE ARE YOUNG MERMAIDS TOO, YA KNOW!" Kokoro snapped at the cook.

Still, she calmed down pretty quickly, taking a swig of rum, "But~ it's not easy to get to the paradise."

"I'm curious about the 'beneath the sea' part," Robin leaned in.

"That… you get it when you get there. That's not the problem," Kokoro threw down roll of newspaper, "Look at the front page. It's a recent issue."

Maxwell looked over Nami's shoulder as she picked it up, "What is this… '14 ships disappeared this month, again as...' What does that mean?" Nami asked.

"The Florian Triangle," Kokoro spoke, "It's an area that you have to go through to get to the paradise. More than a hundred each year are reported missing on that sea… Later on, people also come across ships without the crew… And there are even consistent sightings of ghost ships that carry the dead onboard."

"THERE ARE GHOSTS!?" Chopper was terrified, "SCARY!"

Maxwell thought on it for a moment. Most hauntings were the result of a spirit trapped in the physical plane. Whether through a summoning or the spirit being and angry witness, they'll usually enact revenge on behalf of the people affected by the tragedy. Of course, being stuck in the physical world, their vengeance usually goes beyond the criteria and corrupts them.

…Was that even possible on a pirate ship?

"I can meet living skeletons!?" Luffy asked excitedly.

Zoro looked at him strangely, "What kind of thought is that?"

Maxwell massaged his brow, "Luffy, even if we did meet undead, they wouldn't even speak to us."

"No! I don't care if they speak or not! I don't even want to meet them! No skeletons, undead, or ghost ships!" Nami shivered in fright, "What happens on that sea!?"

"Nagagaga, who knows~? If something happens to you, you won't come back alive. A dark sea with a tick fog… BEWARE~!" Maxwell deadpanned at Granny Kokoro. She held a lit candle up to her face. Now she was just trying to scare them.

It still scared Nami and Chopper though, "GYAAAAAAAAH!"

"Either way, it's a dangerous sea where many accidents have happened. Just be prepared," Kokoro warned.

"Merchant and pirate ships coming back as ghost ships… The legends of treasure ships always revolve around them," Robin pointed out. She never was affected by scary stories.

Robin's point also changed Nami's tune, "LET'S GO FIND THOSE GHOST SHIPS!"

"LEAVE IT TO ME!" Luffy cheered.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO~!" Chopper was still terrified.

"Bring on the disasters," Sanji smirked, "We'll have plenty of food onboard, so we should be fine."

"Treasure ships…" Zoro rubbed his chin, "Maybe they'll have swords."

"Oh boy…" Maxwell shook his head while Robin chuckled.

Kokoro was just as amazed at the change of tune, "…Well, good luck."

"Pirate Bros!" *NYAH!* "STRAW-HAT!" Four voices called out to them from outside. They seemed to be running towards the building.

Soon enough, Mozu, Kiwi, Chimney, and Gonbe burst through the doors. They then fell to their knees, panting.

"What's up?" asked Luffy.

"Franky-Bro—asked you all to come—!" "The 'Dream Ship' is done!" "It really is a great one!" the girls exclaimed.

"It's already done!?" Luffy grinned from ear to ear, "That's much faster than planned!"

Chimney grinned, "Five top-notch shipwrights worked day and night in order to build it!"

"Alright! Let's go!" Sanji cheered.

"WUHOO!" Chopper agreed.

"STRAW-HAT!" Then another voice started calling from outside. "STRAW-HAT!" There was also the thundering of footsteps, so the crew went out to see what was going on.

It was Zambai and the Franky Family. They had all come running to the Galley-La building. "What's going on guys? You're all running out of breath," Kiwi asked them.

Zambai panted, but still got his words out, "Hah… Hah… Sorry… Straw-Hat, I… No, we have a favour to ask of you. Did you see the wanted posters…!?"

Luffy tilted his head, "Wanted posters?"

"You… You have an outrageous bounty on your head, Straw-Hat! The others, too… You all got a bounty on your head!" Zambai warned them.

Sanji, Nami, and Chopper all said, "Me too!?" with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Nami was worried, Sanji was excited, and Chopper was prepared to be recognized as a man!

"Here… See for yourselves! All eight of you have bounties!" Zambai dropped a series of posters on the ground, and they could all see their names.

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"STRAW-HAT" MONKEY D. LUFFY

B 300,000,000

"WOOHOO! Mine increased!"

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"PIRATE HUNTER" RORONOA ZORO

B 120,000,000

Zoro just smirked, "Heh."

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"MAGISTER" MAXWELL P.D. TREVELYAN

B 124,000,000

Maxwell looked between his and Zoro's, "Okay, that's a bit more appropriate…"

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"CAT BURGLAR" NAMI

B 16,000,000

"No way!" Nami looked at the picture, horrified. She had posed for that picture!

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"COTTON CANDY LOVER" CHOPPER (Pet)

B 50

"Fifty?" Chopper couldn't believe his eyes, "Fifty…!?"

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"DEVIL CHILD" NICO ROBIN

B 80,000,000

Robin just smiled. At least it was an even number now.

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"BLACK LEG" SANJI (Photo Unavailable)

B 77,000,000

"WHO THE HELL IS THIS!?" Sanji looked as though all the life he had had been sucked from his body. His bounty photo only had a sketch of him, and not a flattering one at that. Actually, it almost looked like a child's drawing… on a potato.

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"KING OF SNIPERS" SOGEKING

B 30,000,000

"Even Sogeking got one!" Luffy smiled, pointing at Usopp's alias' wanted poster.

"We—" Zambai got their attention again, "We know this your business and you've got a lot to say to each other, but please look at this." Zambai took it another wanted poster.

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

"CYBORG" FRANKY

B 44,000,000

"Franky!?" The crew all looked at the gangster's wanted poster.

"That's right. We got off the hook somehow, but Bro didn't make it…"

Kiwi and Mozu look at the poster in shock, "Bro has a bounty now!" "That's terrible!"

"Bro's life will be in danger if he stays in Water 7!" Zambai explained, "If he's caught again… There's no way we'll be able to save him ourselves! I'm sure Bro will be worried about us and won't leave the island… So… we've all agreed."

Zambai gets on his knees, "Straw-Hat! Please! Use force if necessary! Please take him out to sea! He's the son of a pirate after all!

Then the whole Franky Family got on their hands and knees, "PLEASE CONSIDER IT!"

The Franky Family wanted Franky to go with them? Maxwell stroked his beard in thought. Zambai already made his points. There's no way Franky could live in peace if he stayed on Water 7. The Navy likely already knew where he was… But would he come, was the big question.

Luffy looked at them for a moment before smiling, "Come on you guys, you don't have to beg. I already decided I wanted him for my shipwright."

Zambai looked up as the others gasped, "Really!? You mean it!?" Zambai smiled as he looked around, "And the rest of you guys are okay with that, too!?" Sanji, Nami, and Chopper were unresponsive, still in shock over their wanted posters. Maxwell, Robin, and Zoro spoke up though.

"Should have guessed." "Of course." "Well, there you have it."

"Thank you, I'm so relieved," Zambai shot them a grateful look then turned to the rest of the gang, "Now, c'mon guys! You know what we've got to do!"

"YEAH!" The Franky Family cheered. Then the gang started walking off.

"Wait. Where are you going!?" Mozu called after them.

"Scrap Island is that way!" Kiwi pointed off in another direction.

Zambai stopped walking, "Sorry… But we're not going to see him off. Seeing him would make it hard for us to say goodbye. Mozu. Kiwi. Tell him that we wish him all the best!" The gangster then ran to catch up with the others.

"…Well, shall we go pack up?" Maxwell asked around.

"Yahoo!" Luffy skipped as he walked back inside. Maxwell followed him in and the others followed suit. They packed their bags, wearing backpacks filled with their personal belongs. All the heavy stuff had already been delivered to the ship.

Maxwell looked at his poster again. The photo hadn't changed. A straight on close up of him casting a Winter glyph, but the picture wasn't what he was interested in.

What most don't think of when looking at a bounty poster, was the list of crimes the individual had committed. "Let's see… Consorting with Pirates, Resisting Arrest, Espionage…" That one must have been from Alabasta. Now… why the sudden jump in bounty price? "…Ah, here we go. Association with Demons, Black Magic, Heresy, Destruction of Marine Vessels… Bartering with the Souls of Mortals—!? Now that's just bullshit."

Maxwell could feel one of his spirits laughing in the back of his head, "…Not funny, Mordred."

"Guys, you're all prepared to deal with this matter about Usopp right…!?" Zoro gave them all a hard look. "Remember that this is how it should be done."

"Right…" Luffy hoisted his backpack, looking at Sanji, "Hey, how much longer are you gonna stay depressed? It's a pretty good to get a bounty that high for your first poster, you know."

"SHUT UP! WHY IS MY PICTURE THE ONLY ONE HAND-DRAWN!? TELL ME, WHICH PART OF THIS IS ME!?" Sanji raged, stabbing a finger at the wanted poster.

"That picture looks just like you," Zoro answered, which lead to Sanji grabbing his shirt and speaking in tongues.

" #$&*%-+=/?!"

"…At least make sense when you're talking, curly brow."

In the end, Sanji's grief won out, "Ugh…! I'll be a laughingstock… to all the ladies out there…!"

Nami also sighed, looking at her own poster, "I was tricked… He said he was a reporter for one of the local magazines. I look cute in it, so I guess that's fine… but… Now I got a bounty on my head too…"

Her picture was one of her at the resort, in her bikini. It was a side shot, with her hand running through her hair and smiling behind her bicep. It was a good photo, though, Maxwell was more concerned that they had infiltrated the island, again.

"I'M A PIRATE AS WELL!" Chopper also complained, "I FOUGHT LIKE A BRAVE MAN, DAMN IT! I WANT TO FILE A COMPLAINT! HOW CAN I BE ONLY 50 BELI!?"

"Well, better luck next time!" Luffy chuckled. They didn't have any control over what the Navy did.

Anyways, they starting filing out of the building. Mozu, Kiwi, Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe were all outside waiting for them.

"Hurry up! Bro's waiting for you!" The girls would be escorting them where Franky had built the ship.

"You're leaving already, Pirate Sis?" Chimney had taken Nami's hand. Though they did have a doozy of a time, Chimney did look up to Nami.

"Don't forget anything!" Luffy called back inside, "We'll get Franky and the new ship, then set sail right away."

"Sanji's not moving," said Chopper.

"Just leave the spirally idiot behind." "WHAT WAS THAT, MOSSHEAD!?"

Maxwell wore his armor, ready for the walk. He had his staff, his foci, and his backpack ready to go. Time to see the new ship!

O O O

Maxwell and the other Straw-Hats had to climb down a ladder to get where they were going. The ladder had been set up attached to the staircase that had been broken during Aqua Laguna. The same staircase that they had nearly been drowned on.

What they didn't know at the time, was that this bridge also lead to a Water 7's local legend, the Scrap Island. It wasn't just a collection just sunken vessels being shown by the tide. It was a local beach, and reef, that had a ton of scrap wood, canvas, and metal parts from broken boats and shipwrecks. Franky had chosen here, to build his dream ship.

"Bro~!" "They're hear~!"

Unfortunately, there was no sign of Franky. No sign, except, "Wow! There's something huge over there!" —a huge mass floating in the ocean, covered with a tarp.

"Is that it!?" Chopper looked at it excitedly.

The crew kept walking towards the covered structure, getting bigger with each step. Once they were close enough, Luffy called out, "Hey~! We're here, Franky! Give us the ship!" All they heard was a yawn though. "Ice-Pops!"

"Welcome…" Iceberg greeted them, dusting himself to look presentable. Maxwell noticed Paulie, Lulu, and Tilestone, were all sleeping on the ground. They really had spent day and night working on this. "Unfortunately, Franky's not around, but the ship is ready. Allow me to show you the ship instead."

The Straw-Hats all stood in anticipation and Iceberg walked towards the tarp, "This ship is amazing. I was quite astonished when I saw the blueprints. It will be one of a kind, a ship that can cross any sea. With this ship, you can even go to the ends of the world. Franky also left you a message, Straw-Hat."

"Just how me already!" He was hyped enough, just wanting to see the ship!

Iceberg smirked, "'If you want to be the Pirate King one day, then you might as well set sail with the King of Beasts!'" Then Iceberg pulled the curtain.

Beneath the tarp was a marvellous ship. It was a brigantine tub of red, white, and gold. Seven portholes showed where on it's side, holes for cannons by the looks of them. The masts were gigantic! One of the crow's nests even looked more like a tower than a look out! Their stern also looked more like three houses on top of each other. The lowest part had a balcony growing out of the haul, the second looked like a longhouse, and then there was a circular building at the end, growing out of a pipe! Maxwell particularly took an interest in the number "1" painted on the side. It was within a bevel on the side of the ship. Not to mention the giant muzzle overtop the rudder.

"WUOOOOH! IT'S HUGE! IT'S BEYOND AMAZING!" Luffy looked at the ship with starry eyes, "IT LOOKS LIKE LOTS OF STUFF IS GOING TO COME OUT OF IT!"

"HE'S GIVING US THIS!?" Chopper wasn't much different, "WOW~!"

"Hah… It's at least twice as big as Merry!" "It has a big gaff sail! Is that a sloop!?" "Kitchen! Show me the kitchen!" "It's a fabulous ship."

As for the figurehead— "I wonder hat kind of flower he used for the figurehead?"

"Nma… I think it's a lion, not a flower," Iceberg told them. The figurehead was that of a cartoonish lion head, with a white muzzle, yellow fur, and a stylized orange mane, over a pair of crossed bones.

Maxwell looked up in awe as he approached the haul. He put a hand against it and could immediately sense a presence within the ship! It wasn't awake yet. It was… dreaming. Waiting to be awoken... Franky had put a lot of work into this ship.

The crew all climbed aboard. "IT'S A LAWN DECK!" Luffy immediately started rolling across the deck. Maxwell was surprised you could even do that on a ship! There was even a pair of trees, one even having a rope swing!

"AND A SLIDE!" Maxwell saw Chopper shooting down a staircase.

"It seems we can do some gardening here," Robin mentioned.

Of course, they explored the entire ship. Going down, at the bow, there was the helm, the woman's dorm, the men's room, an then the general supply room. At the stern, there was the kitchen, pantry and dinning area, then a lounge—with a freaking aquarium! Maxwell had never seen anything like that before. And beneath all of that was two different work areas, and some sort of engine room.

However, what really excited Maxwell on this ship, was the library. In that cabin, on the very end of the ship, was a circular library filled with books. The shelves were all against the wall, and above a set of benches that actually rotated around the room. In the centre was a circular table, one were they could conduct their teaser hours on. Maxwell even saw a mapping desk. The mage imagined he, Nami, and Robin would spend a lot of time reading, writing, and drawing in there… Though, he had to question why the bathing area was in the attic. The toilets were just under the stairs.

Still, suffice it to say, they all got a little bit of what they wanted. Maxwell even heard Sanji say, "The fridge with a lock that I've been dreaming of! And a huge oven too! Franky, thanks, this is the best!"

Maxwell soon found Luffy leaning over the port, "Hey Ice-pops. Where's Franky!? I want to thank him!"

Iceberg looked back at the captain, "It seems, that he has no intention to see you guys anymore. Are you trying to recruit him as a shipwright, Straw-Hat?"

"Yup! I've decided to have him as a shipwright! How did you know!?"

Iceberg sighed, "He probably noticed that."

Luffy then blinked, "You mean, he wouldn't want to—?"

"Quite the opposite," Iceberg interrupted him, "Franky's not confident enough to reject such an offer if you asked him face-to-face. That's why he's hiding himself… Nma. In his mind, I'm sure he wants to go out to sea with you guys. He's entrusting the dream ship he treasured so much to you, so it should be obvious. Franky really likes being with you guys, but he believes that he has a duty to stay on this island forever."

"Duty?" Maxwell asked.

"Nothing more than a silly tenacity, if you ask me," Iceberg shook his head. "…If you really intend to bring him along, don't choose your means. Just take him by force. That's the only way to set him free."

"By force? Can we, really!?" Luffy then looked to his first-mate, wondering if he had any ideas.

"…You know what? I'm going to leave that to you. You are the captain after all."

O O O

Maxwell regretted telling Luffy those words…

*CRASH!*

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper had gone into town to find Franky… He even heard some commotion on the island, but he did not expect this.

Franky was stuck with his head in the ground, having literally been shot in the air. However, the pervert was also buck naked with his but towards them. Franky freed himself, but then he noticed Luffy and Chopper standing back on the ship. Luffy had Franky's tights in his hand, "Andraste, why…?"

"FRANKY!" Luffy shouted at the cyborg, "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SHIP! IT'S THE GREATEST. WE'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!"

"Yeah," Maxwell heard Franky reply, "I wish you all a safe journey with the ship."

Luffy nodded, "Right. But if you want these back, then be our nakama!"

Maxwell noticed they had a bit of an audience gathering on the walls. Had they ran through they entire city?

"Give me back my pants, Straw-Hat!"

"Then be our nakama!" Luffy gripped the swimsuit.

"Hmph. Don't be silly… Don't assume you can can make me your nakama just by taking my pants!" Franky then did his signature SUPER! pose, without anything to cover up.

"Stand like a lion,

Brave against the waves,

Even if you have nothing behind the mask."

"Oh for Andraste's sake…!" Maxwell facepalmed. The scene was even made worse by a splashing of the tide!

"I underestimated him…!" Luffy muttered, "He's so resolute. H-HE'S THE MAN AMONG MEN!"

"HE'S JUST A PERVERT!" Both Maxwell and Nami corrected Luffy, while hitting him behind the head.

"If it's okay to be little rough with him, perhaps I can help out," Robin offered. The crew all looked back at Robin, wondering what she was going to do.

Robin approached the railing and crossed her arms, "Dos Fleur." Two arms then sprouted between Franky's legs.

Maxwells eyes widened "Oh, hell no…!"

Then Robin closed her fists, "Grab."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Maxwell couldn't help but wince. Robin literally had Franky by the balls…!

"Eh!? Robin!" "SHE GRABBED THEM!" "THEY'LL BE CRUSHED! ROBIN!"

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Franky kept yelling out in pain.

"THEY'LL COME OFF!" "THEY'RE GONNA BE PLUCKED OFF!" "LIKE TANGERINES!" The Square Sisters yelled.

Maxwell didn't want to imagine that!

Luffy looks to his archeologist in worry, "Hey Robin, I still want him to be a man when he joins us! Just don't take them off, okay!?"

"IT HURTS JUST LOOKING AT IT!" "NO SHIT, CHOPPER!"

"If you ask a group of pirates to back off in front of a 'treasure,' then you'd better have a good explanation." Robin smirked, looking at Franky. Maxwell then, wisely, backed away from the devil woman.

Franky was now laying on his front, grunting through the pain, "Guoh~! I… I said I want to stay on this island! I… I'm really thankful to you guys… more than I can ever imagine…!" Franky was barely able to look up, "I want to go with you guys… but I have stuff to take care of here! That's why I gave you guys a ship! Beside, I already quit being a shipwright! So that will be be the last ship I ever make! It was my wish… That IS the Dream Ship!"

"Wait, Franky…" Iceberg spoke up as Franky went through another bout of pain, "This ship hasn't become your so-called Dream Ship, yet. I still remember when we where young, apprenticing under Tom. Your dream ship would cross the many sea, overcome battles and hardship. However, you also said you would board that ship, to see the day when it would conquer all those seas."

Franky froze at those words, "…I changed my mind on what I want to do…!"

"What you want to do…!?" Icebeg parroted, "No, that's not right. Whatever you are doing on this island now is all just atonement! You are still regretting, and blaming yourself, that Tom was taken away on that day… But Tom already forgave you for that and directed you onto a new road…!"

"You brought those punks in the backstreet together. You called yourself a bounty hunter and protected this island from looters. Everything was done to protect this City of Water, that Tom loved as atonement. Though, probably no one looked at it that way."

Franky wobbled to stand up, "…Of course not… That was never my intention!"

Iceberg knew Franky was lying to himself, "You quit shipbuilding and subdued your will to live… Is that what you're going to do forever!? Even if Tom forgives you, an I forgive you, it probably won't change, huh… Then why don't you forgive yourself, Franky!?"

Franky was trying his best not to cry. He was a little punk when Tom was taken from them. Tom was the greatest shipwright ever to walk the shores of Water 7. He was a fishman. Built many a ship on this island, even the infamous Oro Jackson for Gol D. Roger. And the shipwright always proclaimed, "When you do something, you should do it with gusto!" He was even the one who designed the sea train, and built it with his apprentices.

However, his reputation also came with a price. Though the charges were ridiculous, Tom was arrested for building the Pirate King's ship. Tom already knew that this a rouse for the World Government, to obtain the blueprints for Pluton. Still, he was able to make a plea with the local judge. To build the sea train, so Water 7 could prosper without worrying about Aqua Laguna. That storm surge was steadily sinking the island, to this day, and the sea train would be his community service.

The judge agreed, and for two years, Tom and his workers built that miracle on the water. However, the World Government wasn't going to let them go that easily. Spandam was the mastermind behind this, staging an attack using the battleships Franky had designed and built. They were dangerous, and eventually put down, but Franky was at risk for building such weapons of destruction. Tom took responsibility instead, reminding Franky to be proud of every ship he built. And then he died… and the World Government took Tom's corpse away.

Franky deeply regretted his part in all of it… But he had gotten revenge, hadn't he? Enies Lobby. CP9. Spanda. The Bridge of Hesitation. He spat in the eye of all who had wronged them and got away with it. It was over, wasn't it?

"You can live your own dream, right…?" Iceberg asked.

Something landed on the Scrap Island, sending Franky rolling away with the impact, "…What!? A bag!?"

Zambai yelled from the upper levels, with the rest of the Franky Family calling out for their bro, "It's luggage for your journey, Bro!"

"You guys…!" Franky was suddenly ticked off at his own men.

"BRO~!" Zambai shouted again, "Please forgive us… for everything! We're really sorry! We're ready to accept any punishment! …We're idiots, so we used our brains to the fullest and thought of this!"

"What did you think about with the brains you don't even have, huh!? A way to take my pants away from me!? Or a way to make me a pirate!? DON'T BUTT IN! IT'S MY LIFE! I DECIDE EVERYTHING ON MY OWN!" Franky shook his head, "How can I, a boss, happily walk the path that my men prepared? Shameful! What nonsense! Don't even bother to use the brains you don't even have!"

"We're really sorry…!" Zambai apologized, "But can't we just think a bit about someone who adopted us racketeers!? CAN'T WE THINK ABOUT YOUR HAPPINESS!?"

Franky suddenly shook, he face a gasp. He fell backwards,"…You guys… Everyone…! Ow—OUCH~! OWOWOWOW HOGYUAAAAH!"

"Hey, Robin! Let up a little, please!" Luffy yelled to his archeologist, "He'll become a woman!"

"THEY'LL COME OFF!" "THEY'RE GONNA BE PLUCKED OFF!" "JUST LIKE GRAPES!"

"I THOUGHT THEY WERE TANGERINES!" Franky yelled back at his backup dancers. Nevertheless tears were streaming from his eyes, "NICO ROBIN, YOU BITCH! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! IT HURTS SO MUCH THAT I CAN'T STOP CRYING! OOOOOWWWWW!"

However, it wasn't Robin causing him pain.

"Huh? You aren't doing anything?" Luffy asked.

Robin only chuckled, "I was only doing it in the beginning… He's sneaky, blaming the pain for his tears."

Maxwell turned back to look at Franky and smiled as he watched him flounder on the ground, "SHIT. OOOOOOWWWWW! IT HURTS, IT HURTS! I CAN'T STOP CRYING!" He wasn't hurting, but his subordinates words had shot through the walls around his heart.

Eventually Franky stopped bucking and sat up. He hid his tears, "…Can you even survive without me…?"

The Franky Family were close to tears as well. "We'll do our best to put our power together and succeed the hidden face of Water 7!" "Leave it us." "Bro, don't cry." "BRO~!" "Even though you're going far away, we'll always be your men!" "BRO~!"

Franky couldn't help himself, "Ugh…! Ow! The tears are still coming out…!" His men were trying to help him.

"LUFFY!" Two voices then jumped off the broken stairs, and landed in the scrap heap.

"Ah. Zoro. Sanji." Luffy saw their friends finally came back.

"The situation is getting worse!" Sanji warned as they ran to the ship.

"Your grandpa's coming back, Luffy!" Zoro yelled, "They already took the offensive at the north coast, and they're looking for us!

"EH!? WHY!? I THOUGHT WE WOULDN'T GET CAUGHT HERE!" Luffy balked at the thought of his MARINE grandfather after him.

"How would we know!? Prepare to sail!" Sanji retorted. Then saw Franky still not on the ship, "Franky! Why haven't you gotten your pants back yet!?"

"Ah, right." That reminded Luffy of something, "Here you go!" Luffy then threw back Franky his tights. "Now, get on my ship, Franky!"

Franky slipped on his shades, "…Heh. Heheheh. You cheeky bastard. 'Your ship,' already? You amateurs who can only do poor touch up jobs? I'd pity this excellent ship if it didn't have a shipwright. ALRIGHT! I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT! I, FRANKY, WILL BE THE SHIPWRIGHT FOR YOUR SHIP!"

Luffy and Chopper cheered, "WOOHOO~! WE GOT A NEW CREWMATE!"

Franky grabbed the bag his gang gave him and started heading towards the ship. He'd miss them all. Iceberg, Galley-La, Kokoro, Chimney, Gonbe, Yokozuna, the citizens, his sisters, Sodom, Gomorrah, and his men…

He couldn't help but give off one last pose, "I'M GONNA BE AWAY FOR A WHILE!"

This was goodbye.

"BROOO!" "BROOO!"

"Put your pants on already."

Now there was just one more thing to take care of…