Ever since they left Sky Island, Izuku felt constantly on edge. It felt like Doflamingo's string around his neck, disaster just over the horizon, but the harder Izuku looked for it, the farther he felt from finding it. Luffy seemed equally wary, even going so far as sticking his head under the waves looking for trouble beneath them.

Izuku felt relieved the moment Usopp called out their arrival to the next island. He joined Mei at the railing, watching the island grow closer.

A train passed by the Merry. Izuku had only noted its antiquated appearance, feeling bemused at seeing such a relic still on the rails when Japan's magnet trains zipped across the country ten times faster, until he realized they were still on the ocean.

He peered over the railing and saw floating tracks bobbing on the waves. As the Merry passed over them, Izuku ran back to the rudder, fearing the tracks would get tangled, but the rails sank easily beneath the ship and only resurfaced when they were well past.

Mei's eyes were glued on the train puffing away from them. "Did you see that? They found a way to make the rails support the train's weight, yet they sink when a ship passes over them. I wonder how they did that."

"You'd have to ask ole' Tom that." Izuku and Mei both startled and turned. A broad, thick-bellied woman in a conductor's uniform stood behind them, swigging from a bottle that reeked of alcohol. "Course, Tom's dead, and I haven't the teensiest bit luck getting that Ouija board working, nagagagaga."

"Tom?" Mei asked. "You mean that guy that made Roger's ship?"

The conductor immediately sobered up. "Why do you ask?"

Izuku felt the world fade out of focus. Tom, dead? The one supposed to make the truck so they could go back home? Sure, Mei could probably make one, but where would they get the parts? How long would it take?

"Roger sent a blueprint to him, something we needed made. Do you know about it?"

Izuku bit his tongue, wishing that Mei hadn't been so open with that. The conductor searched both their faces, and her eyes widened. "You're Hatsume Mei, aren't you?"

Before Izuku could stop her, Mei said, "That's me! Future owner of Hatsume enterprises."

"Nagagagaga!" The conductor let out a booming laugh. "Tom used to rant about your designs. Called them equal parts genius and insane. Spark plugs, combustion cylinders, a device to move forward by blowing itself up thousands of times. He used some of it to improve his own steam engine." She smiled warmly at them and said, "The name's Kokoro. I'm sorry to say Tom never got a chance to work on your request, but he did pass it on to his two apprentices. So long as you kids are careful, I can introduce you to them. Don't want the Marines catching wind of anything from Gold Roger still afloat round these parts, understand?"

"Hey!" Zoro shouted. "Who took my booze this time?"

"Welp," Kokoro said, "I better get back to my post. See ya!"

It was only when she dove in the water when Izuku noticed two things. First, that bottle in her hand looked suspiciously like the ones Zoro used to keep his liquor. Second, she had a fish's tail in place of legs.

"Huh. Was she half-Fishman? I didn't know that could happen."

Sanji's head snapped around as he walked past. "Wait. You saw a mermaid?"

"I mean, that's what she looked like."

Sanji dove in with a lit cigarette still in his mouth, shouting, "Sweet beautiful mermaids, I'm coming!"

He made it about two strokes before Luffy's arm hoisted him out of the sea. As Sanji kicked at Luffy's wrist, Luffy chuckled and said, "Silly Sanji, Izuku's the one that always jumps out of boats, not you."

A shudder ran through the ship. The sound of splintering wood cracked and groaned from beneath them. Izuku's heart leapt up his throat. He barreled down to the hold with the rest of the Straw Hats. A long crack ran the length of the ship, and water bubbled up from the splintering keel. The timbers all around them bent inwards, heaving like the gasps of a dying animal.

"The weight's too much for the Merry!" Usopp shouted, pointing at all the gold crammed in the hold. "We need to dump it, now!"

"Are you insane!" Nami pointed a finger towards the coast. "The biggest shipyard on the Grand Line is right there! If we dump the gold, how can we afford to fix the Merry?"

"She won't make it if we don't!"

Luffy hummed and crossed his arms. "So, we need the gold to fix the Merry, but the Merry can't carry the gold. Why not have someone else carry it?"

Nami and Usopp both gawked at him. "Gold's heavy, you moron! You can't swim with it."

"Then let's throw it."

While everyone else thought Luffy insane, Izuku saw the sense of it. Sure, it was a long shot, literally, but Izuku could hop along with it and make sure it reached the shore.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Izuku asked.

Nami and Usopp both opened their mouths and raised a finger, only to remain silent.

"Great. Luffy, make a slingshot between the figurehead and the mast. Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Mei can all help pull him back. I'll go on ahead and make sure no one takes our gold."

Mei hopped in her mech and gave the mechanized hands an experimental squeeze. Nami got the Merry turned around, so the starboard faced the shore. Robin made a platform of hands off the port side, giving the others room to pull Luffy back. The ship leaned precariously as their weight and the gold's left the ship's deck, and everyone grit their teeth as the timbers buckled. Luffy grunted as he hefted tons of gold bars between his arms while his legs formed the slingshot. Usopp sighted the slingshot, calling for adjustments, and Izuku waited on the top mast.

"Fire!" Usopp shouted.

Luffy went flying, wrapped around the gold as it shot off the side of the ship. Izuku followed after it, hopping along the air and watching its arc over the ocean. Usopp lined the shot perfectly, landing Luffy and the gold on the sandy coastline. A huge plume of sand shot into the air. Luffy pulled himself out of the crater and spat out a mouthful of sand.

"Plegh. Stupid sand, only meat's supposed to go in there."

Izuku looked back at the Merry. The shot had rattled the ship apart. Robin's giant hands cupped Merry's hull, but timbers slipped through her fingers. Nami hurriedly packed her maps onto her Waver, while Zoro and Sanji piled their food, cooking gear, and other essentials onto a raft. Usopp rushed around with a hammer, desperately hammering the Merry back together, but for every timber he put back into place, three more fell out.

As Izuku rushed for the Merry, the ship split down the middle. The sail toppled over, tipping the port side into the water. Mei went down with that hull, still strapped inside her mech. Blinded by panic, Izuku dove after her. The moment the water enveloped him, Izuku felt his muscles slacken. All the strength left his body, and he helplessly sank as bubbles of air slipped out of his open mouth.

Flashes of color speckled Izuku's dimming sight as his chest screamed for air. As he felt himself slipping away, a giant hand clamped around his chest, and he shot towards the surface.

Izuku hacked up seawater and looked up at his savior. Mei's mech had rows of dials strapped to its back, all blasting out a gust of air. It didn't quite keep the mech out of the water, but it did let it skim over the waves like a clumsy, graceless jet ski.

"Phew!" Mei shouted over the roar of the Dials. "I hadn't quite got them set in place when I fell in. You okay, Izuku?"

Izuku gave her a shaky thumbs up and let himself fall slack in her grip. She dumped him onto the sand, then went to fuss over her crates of Dials. Izuku shook himself dry and checked the rest of the shore. Chopper gasped for air alongside him, with his fur soaking wet. Zoro took a swig from a bottle, then spat in disgust and dumped out the seawater. Robin's face twisted at the sight of waterlogged books washing ashore, and Sanji hurriedly oiled every piece of metal cookware he had, muttering about rust.

Usopp fell to his knees at the shore, watching the starboard half slip beneath the waves. "She's gone," he said breathlessly. "Why did she break like that? Was it the gold?"

"With all the gold we have, we can buy a new ship," Nami said flatly.

Usopp scowled at her. "How dare you! She was as much a member of the crew as anyone else, and you just want to replace her?"

"Of course not! But we can hardly sail anywhere without a ship. What, do you think we can pull the Merry off the seafloor and put her back together again?"

"Why not? This island has the best shipwrights in the world, doesn't it?"

From behind them both, Luffy put a hand on each of their shoulders. "We'll talk with the ship guys. Alright?"

Both of their tempers instantly cooled at the sight of Luffy's stern, serious face. "Yeah," Usopp agreed. "We'll see what they can do."

"We need to get the gold exchanged first," Nami said. At Usopp's glare, she added, "We can't get any repairs done if we don't have liquid cash available."

Nami's concession mollified Usopp, and the crew set off into Water Seven. Robin and Sanji headed off together to browse the markets, while everyone else escorted the enormous pile of gold atop Luffy's back. Hungry eyes followed their trek to the bank, but a shower of sparks from Izuku's arms made everyone give the pirates a wide berth.

After Nami cracked the bank manager like a walnut, they left the bank with twelve briefcases. It felt like something out of a movie, watching the bank employees stuffing wads of cash into the cases. Izuku felt like a gangster, strutting through the city with enough money in his hands to retire in style.

Galley-La bustled with shipwrights and carpenters. Galleys and frigates hung in the drydocks, with men climbing across their hulls, setting planks and hammering nails like a swarm of ants. Masts rose tall in the sky, and ropes sprawled across the skyline like a fishing net. The scents of pitch and sawdust clung to the air.

The shipyard had a cacophony of sounds, between all the hammering, the shouting, and the thud of timbers falling into place, but none shouted louder than a square-nosed man, calling out directions as a team of men shifted a keel into place. Seeing the Straw Hats, Kaku leapt forward, flipped in the air, and landed nimbly in front of the crew.

"Welcome, Straw Hats, to Galley-La. You're right on time for your appointment."

"We have an appointment?"

"You were expected the moment you arrived in the city. You have my condolences about your vessel."

Usopp pushed his way forward. "There's gotta be a way you can fix her up, right?"

"I saw her go down myself. If it was just the siding that fell out, we could dredge her up and fix her good as new, but the keel split down the middle." Kaku shook his head. "The keel's the heart of the ship. There's no replacing that."

"There are heart transplants," Mei pointed out. "Anything is impossible until someone makes it happen."

Kaku mouthed the word 'heart transplants' before saying, "Were it that simple. Every keel is unique, and the whole ship is built around it. No matter how close you get to the original, the tiniest imperfections will tear the whole ship apart. That's not even getting into the fact that she's a Blue vessel. She was designed for calmer seas, I could tell as much by the hulling. You're lucky you even made it this far. If you tried sailing any further along the Grand Line…" Kaku shook his head. "You're best leaving her where she lay. She did her job magnificently in the end, and she could only fail you if you tried sailing with her again."

Usopp had angry tears welling in his eyes. He clenched his fists and strode towards Kaku, but Luffy clamped a firm hand around his wrist. Usopp looked at all of them, trying to find someone to agree with him, but in their silent gazes, he only found resignation and acceptance.

"Fine!" Usopp shouted. "If none of you are willing to try, I'll do it myself! Then I'll be the captain and go sailing on my own!"

"Don't be stupid!" Nami crossed her arms. "How are you even going to get the Merry to shore?"

"I'll find a way. You'll see!"

Nami started after Usopp as he ran off, but Luffy barred her way. "Let him go."

"But Luffy, you heard him say-"

"I know. But he made up his mind."

Zoro nodded. "He turned his back on the crew. If he wants to come back, he needs to prove he isn't going to bolt on us again."

Izuku felt conflicted about letting Usopp run off, but with no one else making a move to go after him, Izuku turned away and followed the Straw Hats to Iceburg's office.

Iceburg gave the group one glance and told his secretary, "Leave us, please. And cancel my appointments for the rest of the day."

Kalifa pursed her lips. "But sir, you have a meeting with the mayor and-"

"He will understand. You have the rest of the day off. Heaven knows you need it."

The secretary had a scowl flash across her face before she said, "Is it really safe for you to be alone with these people?"

"No. And that is precisely why you need to leave."

Kalifa looked as though she would continue to object, but with a bow, she left the room and closed the door. Nami started to ask him about ship prices, but Iceburg held up a finger. He meticulously combed his office, checking behind curtains and inside plant pots, hunting for any snails lurking nearby, before sitting back at his desk.

"I hope you understand that I can't be seen cooperating with pirates of your notoriety," Iceburg said as he pried a false bottom out of his desk drawer, took out an envelope, and handed it to Izuku. "I heard about what happened to your caravel, and I have prepared a catalog of ships that might suit your needs and budget."

"Won't you get in trouble for selling to us?" Zoro asked. Nami scowled at him, clearly worried that Iceburg would use it as an excuse to raise prices.

Iceburg shook his head and said, "I can say that I was forced into it or complied to keep you from laying waste to the shipyard. After all, Galley-La is the Marines' largest supplier of ships in the Grand Line."

Izuku opened the envelope. He thought a single paper seemed pretty small for a ship catalog, only to realize the letter he held had no mention of ships at all. It read:

Got a message from Kokoro. Tom died before he could make good on his promise to Roger, but he passed on his blueprints to us. I'm watched too closely, but my fellow apprentice, presumed dead, has finished it. Find Franky and tell him that the Puffing Tom brought in the final piece of his greatest puzzle.

"Who's Franky?"

Iceburg shot him a dark look and said, "A ruffian, running a gang in town that specializes in hunting pirate bounties and strapping their ships for parts. You'd best stay far away from them during your stay here."

Izuku winced. He tucked the letter into his pocket and said, "Thanks for warning us. I heard from someone that he'd help fix up the Merry for us. I'm guessing it was a scam."

"Undoubtedly." Iceburg clasped his hands together and said, "I'll give you time to review your options. Return once you have picked a ship with the appropriate funds, and I'll see to it you're back on the open sea within a few hours."

Once they left the shipyard, Nami tugged at Izuku's shirt. "Come on, show me that catalog. I need to know what we're working with if we're going to haggle."

"When we're somewhere private."

Catching the edge in Izuku's voice, Nami nodded, gave the envelope a speculative glance, and backed off. As they walked, Izuku idly wondered how he would find an excuse to pay this 'Franky' a visit. They rounded a corner, and a deafening explosion popped all around them. Izuku blinked spots out of his eyes and coughed as a dense cloud of smoke enveloped them. He felt a presence dart in their midst, and Izuku grabbed them.

When the smoke cleared, Izuku found himself holding a brawny, heavyset thug by the neck. They choked as they clawed at Izuku's ephemeral Logia body, and Izuku eased his grip a bit.

"Why did you attack us?" Izuku asked.

"The money," the thug wheezed. "Not dumb enough to try to cash your bounties, but I'm sure you wouldn't miss a case or two disappearing."

Nami's hackles rose, and Izuku would've sworn she had his Devil Fruit from the way sparks danced across her eyes. She made a threatening step towards the thug, and he hastily threw his arms up and said, "Whoa, slow down there. You wouldn't want anything to happen to that long-nose friend of yours, do you?"

Luffy's gaze snapped on the thug, and Izuku felt a familiar pressure in the air, like Shanks or Roger. The thug's eyes rolled back and he panted for air, but he managed to stay awake.

"He-he's fine!" the thug said, panicking. "And he will be if you bring just two of those cases. That's all we want."

Izuku let him fall. The thug rolled onto their hands and knees and coughed as he regained his bearings. He stood up shakily and said, "I'll take you straight to Franky. Unless, uh, you really don't care about him."

Luffy cracked his knuckles and said, "Lead the way."

Usopp dove into the ocean. He caught sight of Merry's figurehead and swam towards it. He braced his back against the curved wood and pushed off the ocean floor, but it refused to budge. Lungs burning, Usopp pulled and heaved, refusing to surface without this piece of the Merry.

Two arms reached around him. The figurehead popped free. One hand clamped around Usopp's back, and the other hauled the figurehead behind him.

Usopp coughed up seawater as he flopped onto the sand. He struggled to his feet and said, "Thanks for that, but I could've handled it. I'm Captain Usopp, brave warrior of the seas, after all!"

"I'm sure you could have." Usopp's savior looked absolutely built, with arms that bulged strangely around his shoulders and a face that seemed too smooth for a human's skull. "So, why are you fishing up boat parts? Hoping to sell them?"

Usopp went red with rage. "Absolutely not! Merry is our ship, and I'm going to put her back together no matter what it takes."

"Super!" Franky shouted. "I like your fire, kid. Me and my boys, we specialize in fixer-uppers like yours."

"Really? Then you could help me?" Usopp thrust a suitcase at him. "It's all yours, just make her seaworthy again, okay?"

"You bet. But first, we gotta get the rest of her up, right?"

"As much as we can," Usopp agreed. "I know we'll have to replace some of her, but it'll still be her, right? Even with a new keel?"

"Of course. We'll make her right as rain."

Franky waved, and the rest of his Family swarmed over. They rowed boats rigged with cranes and diving gear out to where the Merry sank and pulled chunks of hull out of the water.

"While we're working on her, why don't you and I head inside and grab some drinks?" Franky asked. "I'm sure a brave warrior of the sea has all kinds of stories to tell."

"Boy do I. You want to hear the time I tango'd with Bartholomew Kuma, the great Warlord of the Sea?

As Usopp regaled him with tales of his voyage, perhaps omitting one or two other characters in the story and exaggerating some numbers, Franky handed him a cola. Usopp felt his eyelids drooping after he took a swig. As his own body shut down around him, Franky popped the suitcase open and counted out the money.

"Wha… whaddaya doin'?" Usopp asked, voice slurred.

"First off, your ship is done. Wrecked. Finished. Trying to make her sail again, after everything you put her through?" Franky tsked and shook his head. "That's just cruel. You should have let her rest."

Usopp's indignation burned hot enough to force him onto his feet. He tottered and punched Franky in the face. Under his drug-addled haze, Usopp didn't even feel the pain until he saw one of his fingers bent sideways.

"Second, you really shouldn't trust strangers with briefcases full of money. Especially strangers who hunt pirates for a living." Franky held up a fresh bounty poster. "Gotta say, forty million is nothing to sneeze at, but I'm far more interested in those other briefcases your friends have."

Guilt flashed through Usopp. "They don wan annyding to do with me anymore. I left. Shouted at them and left. They won give you anymore money."

"That's fine. I'm sure I could haggle a better price for you then, especially if you tangled with a Warlord and got away to tell the tale."

Usopp, hands tied and eyes drooping shut, wriggled like a worm towards the cracked, mournful figurehead of the Going Merry. He felt his nose press against the wood before he blacked out.

Sanji emerged from the butcher's shop, grumbling under his breath and toting a bag of cuts. "Lousy butcher, gouging on cheap cuts, Zeff would have let him have it." His expression brightened, and he shouted, "Oh, Robin-swan! I got you the most wonderful steaks! How would you like them done? Rare, seared, basted with garlic and rosemary?"

Sanji blinked and looked around. "Robin-swan? Where did you go?" Then he shrugged and said, "Guess she got impatient. I ought to kick that butcher's ass."

In an alleyway just around the corner, Robin pressed herself against the brick wall, as if hoping it would swallow her up. Knowing the Devil Fruits CP9 had at their disposal, it might even happen.

"Are you sure you don't know anything about Pluton?" Blueno asked through his bear mask.

"Crocodile thought the poneglyph at Alabasta had details. I never saw it."

Blueno shook his head. "Oh Robin, we're not interested in that. Not when we know the blueprints are somewhere in this city."

Robin swallowed nervously. Bad enough if Crocodile get his hands on it, but the World Government? When they were so willing to use Buster Calls to maintain order?

"I don't know anything about it."

"Perhaps, but we know Roger sent Tom the blueprints. We know he asked Tom to make it. And we know that he had two apprentices to carry on his work. If Straw Hat is here for the weapon, we can't let him have it."

Blueno leaned in close, and Robin shivered as the man towered over him. She could twist his neck. It might even kill him. But she would never escape CP9, not when they held the city.

"You are going to find out where they are hiding it, and you are going to lead us right to it. If you don't, well, you know what happens to nations that pose a threat to world peace, don't you?"

Robin, fighting back tears, swallowed and said, "I'll do it."

A/N: been on vacation for the last week, and did a whole lot of nothing. Made a few loaves of bread and some cookies one night because I was bored and had choice paralysis from my enormous Steam library. Now I'm playing Crusader Kings II, I've worked my way up from a puny count to king of Ireland (after about six failed attempts), went on one crusade and am about to start another, and I'm eyeing up England for an invasion so I can eventually form the Empire of Britannia. Games of CKII tend to end either with getting conquered or losing the only heir as a count, or when my empire covering half of Europe spontaneously implodes when the vassals get too uppity.

Mernom: "Well, that's two mini arcs completely skipped. Dis you have plans for changing events further using the time they saved by skipping so many fights?

'Nami grabbed Izuku by the shirt, and kisses him on the lips'

Is there some sort of migitating mechanic that can prevent Logia phasing from triggering?"

Bardothren: first off, I can't say I have specific plans beyond these arcs for skipping things, more of a general – might simplify CP-9 fights because Izuku and Luffy are a bit far out of their league. As for Nami, I would say two things – one, aside from strict combat rules where conductors like metal pass straight through, while insulators (rubber, stone, wood, glass) can hit him, the Logia ability behaves as Izuku wishes it to or for comedic effect. Two, Nami regularly breaks Devil Fruit anyways by giving Luffy head trauma.

TheGreatBubbaJ: "An actual relaxing trip for them all, go figure. So did they just leave Cricket and Bellamy up in the sky?"

Bardothren: whoops, that was a bit of an oversight. Let's just say they found their own way back to Jaya and call it a night, m'kay? And yeah, after facing down five Warlords, I figured the Straw Hats were due for a break.

ProjectIceMan: "I was not expecting Good Bellamy this early! Just another change to the timeline LOL

Damn Nami. When you go for it, you go for it. Izuku short-circuiting is so on point, especially with his Devil Fruit.

(And if you ask whether I meant the kiss or the wallet, my answer is...yes. LOL)

The only way Bakugo beats him is if they are in the water. And even then that would wash away his sweat lol"

Bardothren: time travel shenanigans at its finest. Figured Bellamy wouldn't be so skeptical of a Sky Island if he heard the bell back when he was a kid. As for Nami, do not expect that ship to sail. I thought it was clear she wasn't serious about it, so in case it wasn't, now you know. Izuku's still got them rose-tinted glasses on, and it might take him a while to realize that he might have left his childhood friend long behind.

Nexusplayer: "Hahaha!

I wonder if at one point Izuku will indeed return to his home world? Now that would be a fun three to ten or so chapters.

Hey Bakugo!

Guess what?

I'm made of lightning, Have will power weaponized, Boast more physical strength then most physical type heroes and can sense danger and sorta see the future.

Oh All for one? That guy?

Eh I've faced worse"

Bardothren: Gee, I do wonder how I will make the return to Izuku's world interesting once he's so powerful. It's not like there's anyone in his world who could measure up to him, right? ;)

Speedyalarm: "But by the way, aren't Devil Fruit users meant to instinctively understand their devil fruits?

Furthermore, what Izuku is doing isn't a good thing. It's like smoking in a way. He's telling himself that he'll 'quit later' but he won't, and it just gets worse and worse. He'll develop a fear of using his power, and automatically associate it with arrogance, pride, and a hunger of power. If he doesn't get over that, then having a Devil Fruit is more of a hinderance than a strength."

Bardothren: I'm going off of Luffy's development as a guideline for developing one's Devil Fruit, and it's not like he could do a proper Gum Gum pistol as a child, let alone the Gears. Not to mention, the story benefits from a slower rise to power. As for Izuku's hang-ups around his Devil Fruit, well, he's made some headway in that department.

Guest: "Minor mix up with Conis; when you refer to her hitting her father's back, you use "his fists" instead of "her fists." Still clear what you mean, though.

Given that Logia devil fruits apply to the clothes as well, unlike quirks, how does one steal from a logia devil fruit user?"

Bardothren: I'm 95% sure I fixed that, but that would've been over a week ago, and I'm too tired to check now. So, if it's not, future me can time travel back and kick present me's butt for not dealing with it.

Phantom0408: "What about the Poneglyph tho? Did I miss that by chance? Well if I did then great job... If I didn't then poor Robin."

Bardothren: as it's not one of the four road poneglyphs, and isn't otherwise story-relevant, that did kinda fall by the wayside. Blame the Marines.

Dhampie: "Honestly this is def a favourite story for me holy shite"

Bardothren: praise is always appreciated. Thanks for the dopamine dose.