Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of The Logia Brothers! Franky has agreed to turn the Going Merry into his 'Ship of Dreams'! The beloved Merry will be reborn and continue her voyage with the Straw Hats! But with the good comes the bad, and secret plots have begun that will shake up Water Seven! Will things go the way of those in the shadows, or will dragging the Straw Hats into it destroy years of plans?
If you'd like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.
Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!
Don't forget to check out this story's TVTropes Page! Feel free to add to it if you're a Troper!
Chapter 68 is already available for Patrons!
So, without further delay, please enjoy.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Chapter 67 – Adam Wood, Secret Plots, Black Market
The rhythmic sounds of working at the Franky House had persisted since last night. Not wholly unheard of when the Franky Family was doing legitimate dismantling business. But this time around, the large group of dismantlers was being extra careful and thorough with each and every nail they pulled out and each board and beam that was slowly being removed was as undamaged as possible.
The reason?
The Going Merry, the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, was being dismantled.
But the caravel wasn't being scrapped like so many ships before it. No. Every piece of the Going Merry was being treated like gold, handled as delicately as possible under the watchful eyes of the Straw Hat crew as they saw their 'home on the seas' slowly come apart. The beloved Going Merry, every single part of her, was going to become a part of the new ship that Franky was going to build. His 'Ship of Dreams' that could sail through any sea or ocean and would one day reach the 'end of the ocean', conquering it as only the Oro Jackson, the ship of the Pirate King, had done before.
"Wait, where are you going, again?" Luffy asked Franky as the cyborg put on a long cape-like cloak that was layered in various shades of blue with white stars on it.
"I told you, to buy the Adam Wood!" Franky said for what had to be the fourth time. "It's coming up for sale on the black market, three entire loads are part of the auction and I intend to get every last one!"
Luffy pounded his fist onto his palm. "Right! You need that much for the ship!"
"Exactly!" Franky pointed at Luffy with a big grin. "Once I have the Adam Wood, I'll be coming straight back and getting to work!"
Mikita raised her hand to get Franky's attention. "I get that you're using the Adam Wood to make our new ship super strong, but what about the parts of the Going Merry? Will they be able to hold up when used with wood that's way stronger?"
"I was wondering that myself." Zoro admitted as he continued to watch the precise and gentle dismantling of the Going Merry. "Materials that're too different don't tend to work well together, do they?" His hand lightly rested on Wado, knowing how many swordsmiths that he'd been to in the past had told him that it would be impossible to fix his treasured blade if he broke it like so many nameless swords before it.
Franky laughed as he went over to a shelf and picked up what looked like a regular toolbox. Opening it, he pulled out a small glass bottle with a cork in it to keep it sealed. "I'll show you one of the special properties of the Jewel Tree Adam right now!" He uncorked the bottle and shook out the contents…a single chip of wood no bigger than a normal person's pinky.
"Is that… Adam Wood?" Usopp leaned forward to see what might be the treasured wood that Franky needed hundreds of millions of Beri to buy.
"It doesn't look that special." Nami commented on the fragment of wood.
"Just wait!" Franky said as he grabbed another piece of scrap wood on a nearby workbench, the little shaving was only a centimeter long and barely thicker than paper. "One of the most amazing traits about Adam Wood, aside from its incredible resilience, is its life force! It can continue to grow even as a fragment, with certain conditions, before its wood is treated and sealed to make it waterproof." Franky declared as he placed the shaving of wood on the Adam Wood fragment and then poured a bit of water on it.
Before the eyes of the Straw Hats, the fragment of Adam Wood and the shaving of wood from the workbench were soaked. However, a moment later, the shaving began to change color to match the Adam Wood. Slowly, over several minutes, the shaving of regular wood was completely transformed into Adam Wood as well.
"Eh?!" Sanji gaped as he realized what this meant. "The Adam Wood uses the other wood to grow more of itself?!"
Robin picked up the fragment of Adam Wood and, with a little effort, pulled the transformed shaving off. "It even maintains the same shape as it had before it became Adam Wood." It was truly fascinating that even this tiny fragment could continue to grow.
"But if you can make more Adam Wood grow like this…why do you need to buy it?" Vivi had to ask after seeing the spectacle.
Franky rubbed the back of his head once. "Well, I chose that little shaving to be able to show you quickly."
"Quickly? It took a while." Chopper pointed out the several minutes they'd watched the slow change.
"Yeah, that's still way faster than if I had tried it with a plank or something." Franky replied with a shake of his head. "The larger the piece of normal wood is compared to a fragment of Adam Wood, the longer the growth takes to happen. This little fragment was made by me over the last three years of adding tiny fragments of wood to an initial little nugget of Adam Wood that I was able to pick up from the last time some was sold at the black market."
"THREE YEARS?!" Most of the Straw Hats exclaimed at the minimal progress.
Nami had a lightbulb go off above her head. "Wait…I get it! If you have a massive amount of untreated Adam Wood, then it would quickly change the wood from the Going Merry into Adam Wood too!"
Franky laughed brightly. "You got it!" He posed, throwing his arms up and then slamming his large forearms together, his two blue star tattoos lining up to make a whole star that was visible from the side. "It's a SUUUUPPPPEEEERRRR powerful life force that will make your reborn ship one-hundred percent Adam Wood from the keel to the top of the main mast and everything in between!"
"Hmm, perhaps that's how they get more Adam Wood to sell at this black market every few years?" Robin hypothesized on just how such a rare wood could somewhat regularly make its way into the black market.
Mikita nodded at Robin's thoughts. "It's possible. I bet there's some kind of limit to the Adam Wood's life force that prevents the parts they sell from making even more and flooding the market."
"You're probably right. But it can convert enough for what we want it to do." Franky nodded as he put the small fragment back in its bottle and corked it again. "The reason that Adam Wood is traded on the black market is because it's an incredibly rare species. There are said to be islands that have an Adam Tree and the ones that live there kill anyone that comes to try and harvest wood from it. Some people say that the World Government has outlawed the use of Adam Wood in shipbuilding ever since the Oro Jackson carried the Pirate King to the end of the seas. But I've never seen any official law about it on the books."
Vivi had a small frown on her face as she thought about laws that weren't on the books. "What would Adam Wood be allowed for then?"
Franky had an answer for her. "Buildings, mostly. The palaces of kings and royals of great wealth are often framed with Adam Wood because it's strong, almost entirely fireproof, and once it's treated there isn't any pest that can eat it or nest in it."
"Big Bro!" Kiwi called out from near the door.
"We need to go!" Mozu said as she stood on the opposite side of the door.
Franky put the bottle containing the Adam Wood fragment away and closed the toolbox. "Right! Can't miss our sea train! We'll miss the auction if we don't catch it!" He took the large briefcases from Nami…after the Navigator finally parted with them with crocodile tears. "I'll buy every scrap of Adam Wood at the auction! Don't you worry about that! This money is going to make my ship of dreams into a reality!"
With that, Franky, Kiwi, and Mozu left the Franky House, heading straight for the sea train station to catch the very first train of the day.
"There, there, Nami…he didn't take all of it." Vivi consoled Nami over the loss of cash.
Nami hugged the last briefcase to her chest protectively. "Our last 100,000,000 Beri…" She still had crocodile tears even as Vivi hugged her.
"Greedy witch." Zoro scoffed as he went back to watching the dismantling of the Going Merry.
Usopp and Chopper sat next to Zoro. Both of them not wanting to miss a moment of the Going Merry's dismantling before she would be reborn.
Sanji looked at the clock on the wall and nodded to himself. "I'll get started on breakfast."
"I'll help you, Sanji!" Mikita volunteered with a smile.
"Thank you Miki-chwan~" Sanji twirled around with hearts in his eyes.
Luffy perked up at the mention of food. "What're we having?"
Sanji shot a sharp look at Luffy. "You'll know once we're done, you glutton!"
-Mid-Morning ~ Water Seven-
A commotion had begun to spread throughout Water Seven. People were talking amongst themselves and others were running from street to street to spread the news even faster than the newspapers that were being printed and delivered.
"Hey, did you hear about what happened at the shipbuilding island last night?!"
"It's Franky! It's gotta be him!" One woman shouted angrily. "It's because we allow him to run amok!"
"No, some people suspect it was those pirates who frequent the factory." A man spoke up, telling the gathered crowd the rumor that he'd heard.
-Dock One ~ Entrance-
A massive crowd of concerned citizens and reporters from the various newspapers around Water Seven were gathered in front of Dock One. All of them had heard the rumors and a huge commotion was being made to find out the truth.
"Please, give us a statement!" One reporter begged loudly to the closed steel gates.
"Who's the culprit?!" Another reporter yelled out the biggest question.
"What's the latest news?!" A citizen asked over the din.
"Who was first on the scene?! Please, answer our questions!" A different reporter demanded to be heard over the large crowd.
"Is this connected with the large explosion at the rocky cove yesterday?!" A reporter near the front of the large crowd asked loudly.
-Paulie's House-
"MR. ICEBERG WAS SHOT AT HIS HOME?!" Paulie yelled in shock at what he'd just heard over the Transponder Snail. "Hey! Don't kid around! Was he killed?!" The shipwright was already throwing off his blanket (having been woken up by the call) and trying to put his boots on one-handed. "He doesn't have a lot of enemies…"
"Hold on. Calm down and listen!" Lulu's voice came through the Transponder Snail. "He was discovered in his room this morning, covered in blood. He's still in a coma and he isn't responsive. In any case, come to the head office immediately!"
Paulie stomped his left foot into his boot with force. "I'm already on my way!" he put down the receiver on top of the snail's shell and quickly tied his boots before grabbing his denim jacket from the wall hook and throwing it on. He lit up a cigar right before he left and was out of his house a second later, flagging down a passing Yagara taxi, he headed for Dock One with a dark look on his face.
-Galley-La ~ Head Office-
Lulu put down the receiver of the Transponder Snail with a sigh.
"Lulu, where's Paulie?" Kaku asked as he speedwalked towards the other foreman.
"I just called him. He's on his way now." Lulu answered quickly, both men clearly agitated by what had happened. "But what a thing to happen…the town's in a panic. If anything happened to Mr. Iceberg, it's the end of Water Seven and the Galley-La company!"
Kaku nodded in agreement to that. "Yeah. Newspaper reporters are clamoring outside the gates. Who would shoot Mr. Iceberg…and why?" That was the question that everyone in Water Seven wanted to know. "The office was a mess, but there's no sign that any money was stolen, so it doesn't seem to be a robbery."
Lulu pushed down the odd spike of hair on his head with one hand, only for it to pop up on the back of his head instead. "I'm thinking…perhaps it was the work of the government?" He crossed his arms with a thoughtful look on his face. "I mean, that Corgy…every time that he came to talk to Mr. Iceberg, he was turned away. I don't know what he wanted to talk about, but could he have been holding a grudge?"
"Don't go accusing the government." Kaku waved his hand between them once. "You know how they are about stuff like that. If someone hears you, you could get into trouble." He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "Right now we need to think about Mr. Iceberg's wellbeing. We'll figure out who did this later…"
-Water Seven-
All across the City of Water the newspapers were being delivered, several of the companies even had their staff riding on Yagara Bulls with megaphones to make sure everyone heard the headline.
"Extra, extra, extra!" One such newspaperman yelled into a bullhorn as he rode a Yagara through one of the main canals of the city while throwing out papers to everyone that tossed a coin into the small boat on the Yagara's back. "The hero of Water Seven, Mayor Iceberg, was attacked by an assassin! What was the despicable culprit's motivation?! A grudge? Or a power play?! Who is this assassin that disappeared without a trace?!"
Paulie turned his Yagara into a side canal to avoid the crowd, now looking absolutely furious as he urged the fish faster. "Who was it?! They'll never get away with this!" He was nearly biting through his cigar already.
-Galley-La Head Office ~ Iceberg's Residence-
The front of the large building was being blocked off by dozens of Galley-La workers, all of them clearly worried, but also annoyed at the crowd of reporters that were practically swarming the place.
"What is Mayor Iceberg's condition?!" A reporter asked one of the workers…again.
"Please tell us what you know about this incident!" A different reporter demanded, making more than a few of the workers glare.
"Please don't die, Mr. Iceberg!" A Water Seven resident cried out above the commotion.
In Iceberg's room, the man was lying in bed, being looked over by an old doctor while a nurse set up an IV drip for the mayor.
Resting on Iceberg's chest was his small mouse pet, Tyrannosaurus.
Kalifa wiped her eyes, her cheeks red from her tears. "How is he, doctor?"
The doctor, a bald older man with white hair on the sides and back of his head, with a thick white mustache and a dark red nose, looked over his shoulder at Kalifa. "He was shot twice from the front, and three times from the back… I don't know what happened last night, but it looks bad."
Lucci sat on a small sofa at the edge of the room, close to Iceberg's bed. The top hat-wearing foreman had Hattori on his shoulder, as always, but no words came from the bird. Right now, Lucci's face was like stone, locked in a firm expression and the man's body looked tense, as if he was ready to leap into action should any threat enter the room.
In Iceberg's office, multiple police and detectives were taking photos of the scene and looking for any trace of evidence. The bloodstain on the floor where Iceberg had been found was marked off by tape and two senior detectives were examining it, hoping to be able to get a good idea of what had happened last night.
Just outside the office, Lulu and Kaku sat on a bench in the hallway where guests and visitors usually waited for the busy mayor to have some time in his schedule. Both men had their arms crossed and serious looks on their faces.
"According to the investigators, none of the locks in the office were forced open." Lulu informed Kaku of what he'd been told. "No one could've gotten in from the outside. And all that was left at the scene of the crime was a single mask, one you could find anywhere…"
It was basically no evidence at all, other than the assassin had hid their face.
Outside, Paulie had just arrived, and the entire crowd of reporters practically made a wall between the foreman and the building while dozens of cameras flashed over and over again.
"Paulie!"
"Paulie! Please make a statement!"
"Shut up! Let me through…" Paulie growled out as he walked through the crowd of reporters.
"How did you hear about the incident?!"
"Didn't you hear me?! Let me through, I said!" Paulie shouldered past the reporter that asked the question.
"Is there anything in Mayor Iceberg's past that could explain the assassination attempt?!"
"Please give us a statement!"
"I said MOVE!" Paulie was pissed by their constant obstruction and the flashing of the cameras over and over again. "YOU IDIOTS!" He shoved his way through the crowd, uncaring if he bruised any of the reporters at this point.
-St. Poplar ~ Black Market-
"Where's the auction again?" Mozu questioned as the three of them walked through the underground area filled with shady-looking people, many that covered their bodies and faces to hide their identities.
"It's at the end of this corridor and on the left." Franky knew the way, having always dreamed of coming back here and purchasing Adam Wood.
Kiwi stopped for a brief moment after hearing something from one of the small and shadowy shops they were passing by, but quickly caught up to Franky and her sister a second later. "Someone in that shop back there mentioned Devil Fruits." Kiwi whispered to Mozu and Franky.
Franky didn't even slow his walking. "That's got nothing to do with us. We're only here for the wood."
"Big Bro is right, get in, buy the wood, get out." Mozu said with a short nod.
"You're right. It wouldn't do to linger in a place like this anyway." Kiwi agreed as the trio continued on their way.
In the said shadowy shop, a man with a large masked and costumed bodyguard handed over a briefcase to the person behind the counter.
"220,000,000 Beri." The man in the suit with his face wrapped in leather straps said.
The plain-looking man behind the counter opened the briefcase carefully and took a random band of bills from the stacks of cash inside. Without a care to how rude it was, the man started flipping through the bills, both counting them and looking for counterfeits at the same time.
The man with the mask of leather straps on his face glared at the display. "We're from the government. Our money is always legitimate." He nearly growled out.
"All people in the underworld are liars. The World Government even more so." The plain man said simply, no change in his expression at all. Once he'd counted more stacks at random, the man placed them all back into the briefcase and closed it.
Neither the man with the leatherbound face, nor his large and costumed bodyguard saw what happened to said briefcase though. It was in the simple-looking man's hands one second, and then seemed to disappear into the shadows of the shop a second later.
"Payment has been received." The shadowy shopkeeper said before producing a box and placing it in front of the two government men. "For 220,000,000 Beri, as promised, two unidentified Devil Fruits." He lifted the lid to show them.
Sitting on a simple cushion within the box were two Devil Fruits. One looked like four red bananas with black swirl markings, all connected together by a green stem with a curled end. The other was a purple melon-shaped fruit with black swirls and a curly green stem.
"Completely unidentified?" The man with the leather straps on his face asked as he closed the lid and took the box into his arms.
The simple-looking shopkeeper nodded slightly. "Yes. There are ideas as to their classifications, but that information will cost more."
The government man sneered at the secretive shopkeeper. "For 220,000,000 Beri, you should part with any useful information you have."
"The Kuro Kari is an independent, and very loosely connected, organization. We look forward to our next transaction." The shopkeeper said, his tone unchanged, his expression still blank.
However…both government men suddenly felt as if they were in danger. The shadows of the shop suddenly seemed more unknown, even though the lighting hadn't changed or flickered. A feeling not quite like pressure, but not dissimilar, seemed to fill the air around the two government men. And for just a brief fraction of a second, a flicker of their deaths appeared in the minds of both men.
With sweat nearly pouring down his face, the man with the leather straps on his face turned and left the shop, barely managing not to run away.
His bodyguard was right behind him, not visibly shaken, but only because of his mask and costume hiding his body.
While that shopkeeper had seemed plain and ordinary, there was something VERY off about him. A hidden danger that had nothing to do with a Devil Fruit…but simple and pure killing intent. A type of menace that normal people never experienced in their lifetime and that neither of the two government men would survive.
Back inside the small shop, the shopkeeper had retreated into the shadows behind the counter. He secured his money in a simple-looking rucksack that nearly blended in with the wall it was hung on. The briefcase was placed neatly on a stack of similar briefcases and the man looked at a point on the wooden wall. There was nothing interesting about it, just blank wood, but what lay beyond it was the shopkeeper's merchandise.
"I'll need to restock soon enough." The plain-looking man muttered quietly.
With how well his business did with pirates, the World Government, bounty hunters, and even other underworld denizens, it was no wonder his 'stock' never lasted long. The stack of briefcases alone showed his success in just the last few months.
Kuro Kari member, Ryō (Empty) of the 'Empty Shop' was very good at his work. Everyone that had ever dealt with him knew it, and those that tried to bring force against him quickly found out how swiftly the Empty Shop vanished without a trace, leaving only a vacant space behind.
-Franky House ~ Dismantling Workshop ~ Lunchtime-
"This food is great!" Zombai cheered, getting a round of cheers from the rest of the Franky Family.
"I thought breakfast was amazing! But this might be even better!" Another Franky family member, Tamagon, laughed before taking a big bite out of his leg of meat. The rotund man chewed and then washed it down with some booze. "Aaahhh~ That's the best!"
Sanji couldn't care less that the men were happy, though he did take a little pride in the praise for his food, he was far more interested in making sure that all of the ladies were taken care of. "Nami-swan, Miki-chwan, Vivi-chan, Robin-chwan~ Are you all enjoying your lunch?"
"Sit down and eat, Sanji." Nami said with a brief roll of her eyes.
"It's delicious, Sanji!" Vivi praised with a smile.
Mikita finished her bite of food before laughing at Sanji's lovestruck twirling. "Kyahahaha! Calm down, you spazz!"
Robin chuckled lightly as she sipped some of her drink. "It's very good, Mr. Cook."
Bam
The two large doors to the Franky House were slammed open and one of the Kairiki Destroyers, Dago, nearly stumbled in while carrying a large barrel of booze in one hand and holding one of the newspapers being spread around Water Seven in the other. "GUYS! YOU AREN'T GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!" He waved the paper around.
Everyone turned to look at the huge man in confusion.
"ICEBERG HAS BEEN SHOT! THEY SAY SOMEONE TRIED TO ASSASSINATE HIM!" Dago yelled out.
"WHAT?!" All of the Franky Family yelled in shock.
Luffy blinked at the news. "Someone shot Ice Pops?"
Usopp gaped. "I thought everyone in town loved that guy!"
"That's horrible!" Vivi had her hands covering her mouth.
Robin's eyes narrowed. "The government…?" She said mostly to herself under her breath.
Zoro, who was close enough to hear her, raised an eyebrow. The government was clearly targeting Robin on this island, but he couldn't figure out why she might think they had something to do with the mayor getting shot.
"It's weird for the most loved guy in the entire city to have someone try to kill him." Sanji agreed with Usopp. "Maybe someone has a grudge against him?"
Chopper tilted his head slightly, looking confused. "But isn't the mayor supposed to be a nice guy?"
Mikita shrugged. "It could be because of something he did before he was the mayor."
"Maybe someone that didn't like Iceberg's unification of all the shipbuilding yards into the Galley-La Company?" Nami took her best guess as to why anyone would hold a grudge against Iceberg, the man that was hailed as a hero for saving Water Seven when it had been at its lowest point.
"Everyone loved and respected him…" Luffy looked serious as he looked at the paper over Robin's shoulder as the Archaeologist read it. "I'm gonna go check this out!"
"Wait, Luffy!" Nami called out quickly. "We're still waiting for Franky to get back with the Adam Wood!"
Vivi made a wall of sand between the doors and Luffy. "Luffy, I know you want to know what's going on, but with how beloved Iceberg is in this town, there's no way you'd be able to see him right now."
Mikita wrapped her arms around Luffy's shoulder, pressing her body against him from behind. "Let's at least wait until Franky gets back first before any of us leave." She said into his ear, before shifting her weight to 10,000 kilograms and weighing her lover down.
"We're here to have the Going Merry reborn, Luffy!" Usopp reminded him loudly, standing in front of Luffy with his arms spread wide. "We should make sure that's taken care of before we do anything else, right?"
"Fine…" Luffy finally agreed, not even looking like he was straining from Mikita's amplified weight on his back.
Vivi brought Luffy more meat with a smile, while Nami and Mikita coaxed him into sitting down again. Luffy pulled Mikita into his lap as he ate, while Nami and Vivi sat on either side of him.
"Kyahahaha!" Mikita laughed with a bright smile from her place on Luffy's lap.
"Shitty Captain…" Sanji turned away from the sight with tears in his eyes and his fist raised in front of his chest. "How is he so lucky…?"
"Shut up and eat." Zoro scoffed at Sanji's over dramatic reaction.
Usopp let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Crisis averted."
Chopper smiled at his nakama once more calming down and enjoying their lunch. "I'll offer my medical help to the mayor if they'll let me. Maybe we'll be able to see him then?"
Luffy pointed at Chopper with a leg of meat. "That's a great idea, Chopper! You're a genius!"
"Calling me a genius doesn't make me happy; you jerk!" Chopper said, though the huge smile on his face made it clear that the doctor was very happy.
Robin had read through the entire paper at this point and her expression became contemplative and cold. 'Little details, no suspects, no known motive, and what speculation there is…not a single word about how pushy the government has supposedly been in recent years.' Sure, in the eyes of the normal people going about their lives, it was natural to suspect pirates for any sort of misdeed committed. But an attempt on Iceberg's life…and the presence of CP9 in Water Seven... 'Something big is about to happen.'
She'd share her suspicions about this incident once Franky had returned, and before Luffy tried to leave again.
-Water Seven ~ Blue Station-
Woooo Woooo
The Puffing Tom let out two short blasts from its horn as it rolled into Blue Station.
"We have arrived in the city of Water Seven." A woman's voice called out throughout the train. "Blue Station. Blue Station. Please don't forget your belongings."
Once the sea train had stopped, passengers began to disembark as steam wafted into the air.
Franky, Kiwi, and Mozu stepped off the train and onto the platform without issue. A few of the Water Seven locals shot them odd glances, but the three were used to that, so they ignored it and headed for the end of the train where the flat cars for transporting large cargo were located. They had A LOT of Adam Wood to get offloaded and ready for transport to the Franky House.
It was only a minute later that one of the papers on the ground caught Franky's eye.
"What?!" Franky exclaimed as he grabbed the paper from the ground and saw the headline in full.
Beloved Mayor of Water Seven, Iceberg, Shot in Attempted Assassination!
Franky quickly read through the article with Mozu and Kiwi reading on either side of him.
"No way…" Mozu gasped in disbelief.
"Iceberg…shot?" Kiwi was equally baffled.
Bam
Franky's fist cratered part of the stone wall, a spiderweb of cracks spreading across meters of the stone. "Who would fucking dare?!" His face was a rictus of rage at seeing his old friend, and fellow apprentice, as the target of an assassination attempt. He handed the paper off to Mozu. "Come on. We need to get the Adam Wood back home." He stalked down the platform with purpose. "Once that's done, THEN we can start looking for some answers!"
"Right, Big Bro!" Kiwi and Mozu agreed, both of them looking serious as well as they followed after him.
-Galley-La Head Office ~ Iceberg's Residence-
"Is there any change in Mayor Iceberg's condition?!" A reporter asked loudly.
Another reporter took a picture of all the Galley-La workers guarding the front of the building. "Is it life threatening?!"
"What's the progress of the investigation?!" Someone else yelled out.
Tilestone threw open the doors with a scowl on his face. "WE SAID WE'D TELL YOU IF THERE WAS ANY CHANGE! SO PIPE DOWN!" He bellowed in his extremely loud voice.
"Tilestone, forget it!" One of the other workers prevented the foreman from storming into the crowd of reporters to make them shut up.
Inside of the building, just outside of Iceberg's room, Paulie, Lulu, and Kaku were waiting for any news.
Kalifa came out of Iceberg's room, wiping away a few tears, and approached the three foremen. "Everyone…"
"Kalifa." Paulie looked at the secretary.
"Please enter the room quietly." Kalifa said.
"Huh?" Paulie blinked at her.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses and let out a little sniffle. "Mr. Iceberg has just regained consciousness." She smiled at the foremen.
"Thank goodness!" Kaku, Lulu, and Paulie all said at the same time.
A runner was sent to fetch Tilestone while the four of them quickly, but quietly, entered Iceberg's room.
A loud cheer rising up from outside clearly meant that the good news had already spread.
"Mr. Iceberg!" Paulie smiled at his boss.
"Koo, koo!" Hattori cooed out from his place on Lucci's shoulder.
Iceberg managed to look up a little before lowering his head back to the pillow. "Oh… My… Sorry to make you worry."
Paulie sat in the chair next to Iceberg's bed with a warm grin. "Well, thank goodness you're alive. Get all the rest you need." He chuckled a bit, feeling like a huge weight had fallen from his shoulders. "We'll take care of the shipyard by ourselves."
"Mhmm…" Iceberg let out a sound of agreement to that, but mustered the energy to speak. "Anyway… Last night… The one who entered my room…"
"Oh. That's still under investigation." Paulie answered, even as he kept his hidden anger for the one responsible under control.
Iceberg took a breath before he continued. "No… I remember."
"Huh?" Kaku and Lulu uttered at the same time.
"What?!" Paulie stood up from the chair quickly.
"There were two of them." Iceberg said as he looked at the ceiling. "A large man, in a costume and mask. The other was a tall, black-haired woman in a long, black leather jacket… I remember seeing her eyes…sharp, cold blue eyes…" He let out a low breath, recalling the eyes he'd seen on the Wanted Poster in his own office. "It had to be…Nico Robin."
Kalifa spoke up quickly and professionally. "The woman known as Nico Robin is part of the Straw Hat Pirates, Mr. Iceberg."
"Yeah…" Iceberg had heard that from Straw Hat Luffy, himself. "So it seems…"
"Then… That means they're the ones that did this to you." Kaku said as he crossed his arms. "Were they angry that you told them that their ship can't be fixed?"
Lulu held his chin with his fingers thoughtfully. "From what you all said, they loved their ship… But would the truth about its condition really be enough to make them try to kill Mr. Iceberg?"
"MR. ICEBERG!" Tilestone opened the door with an excited yell. "I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU'RE AWAKE, SIR!"
"NOT SO LOUD, TILESTONE!" Paulie, Kaku, and Lulu yelled at the loud foreman.
"You idiots! Be quiet, all of you!" Kalifa whisper yelled at the foremen.
While the others filled Tilestone in on what Iceberg had revealed, the man in question was left to his own thoughts.
'It can't be because I told them the truth about their ship yesterday… They must have been after what I'm hiding…' Iceberg thought to himself. It was the only thing that he had that could possibly provoke such an attempt on his life after all the years he'd spent building up his allies and importance to prevent the government from being able to spirit him away without repercussions. 'But does that mean that the Straw Hats are also connected to the government? Or are they after it on their own?' But neither of those thoughts made much sense to Iceberg.
The first because Nico Robin was on the Straw Hat Crew…the government had been hunting her for twenty years already without rest. If the Straw Hats had any ties to the government, then Nico Robin would've been quietly arrested and never seen again. But his second assumption also didn't hold water…because how could the Straw Hats have possibly found out about what he had? Only a very few people even knew such a thing existed, and Iceberg knew that it was members of the government, and then two other people that were currently alive.
"You should rest, Mr. Iceberg." Kalifa said as she sat in the lone chair next to his bed, the foremen having left the room while Iceberg had been wrapped up in his thoughts. "I'll stay by your side."
-Outside ~ Several Minutes Later-
The reporters and the gathered citizens were in an uproar, going from joyful and relieved that Iceberg had woken up, to furious and violent.
"We've got news! Mayor Iceberg has identified the culprits!" One reporter bellowed out above the crowd while fliers that had been hastily printed were being tossed to the gathered crowds. "The culprits behind the attack on Mayor Iceberg are the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Search the town!"
"Go after them!"
"Don't let them escape Water Seven!"
The roars of the crowd rang throughout the shipbuilding island as the news quickly spread.
-Shift Station-
The wind blew strongly, making an almost whistling sound as it passed over the ocean.
"Granny!" Chimney called out with her normal sunny cheer. "Granny, the wind is so strong!"
Kokoro opened the door and stepped outside, instantly buffeted by the wind.
"Such a strong wind~! Such a strong wind~!" Chimney sang as she and Gonbe played in the heavy wind.
"Don't get so excited." Kokoro chuckled and took a sip from her bottle of wine. "Ngagaga… It's a southern wind." The waves were getting higher and choppier as the wind picked up. "The waves are getting rough too… Looks like the sea train won't be running tonight. Not in this weather."
"Hoppity hop!" Chimney was hopping along the station platform.
"Chimney! Gonbe! Prepare to return to the island!" Kokoro said as she raised her bottle to her lips again.
Chimney grinned and gave a cute salute. "Okay!"
Kokoro took a long pull from her bottle before looking across the sea towards the southern horizon. "Aqua Laguna is on its way."
The wind whipped fiercely across Shift Station, as if in response to Kokoro's words.
-End Chapter-
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Things have definitely changed now!
I gave Adam Wood another special property! Really make that rare wood a powerful commodity! Its life force is so strong that it can use other wood as 'food/framework' to grow more of itself…under the right conditions!
Franky is able to buy ALL of the Adam Wood from the black market auction! Me thinks that the 'Ship of Dreams' may be a bit bigger than in Canon!
But while Franky, Kiwi, and Mozu were making their way through the underworld black market, we see a certain someone buying Devil Fruits from a member of the Kuro Kari!
The underworld caters to all; civilian, pirate, bounty hunter, government…as long as you have the money.
Iceberg was attacked, throwing Water Seven into fear and uncertainty!
But Luffy has been prevented from rushing off towards Dock One to see what's going on! That should change a thing or two!
Robin is VERY suspicious of Iceberg's attempted assassination!
When Iceberg wakes up though, he claims to have been attacked by Nico Robin!
But Robin was with her nakama and the Franky Family all night! So who the heck did Iceberg see?!
Now, as the whole of Water Seven prepares to hunt down the Straw Hats, a powerful wind heralds the coming of Aqua Laguna!
Will the Straw Hats be found first, or will the storm hit first?
Just what are those plotting in the shadows hoping to accomplish?
Keep reading to find out!
Until I get your reviews, later!