"We should exchange the gold for bills quickly," Run says, walking behind the cart. "We're definitely gonna stand out walking around like this." Luffy looks back over his shoulder at the red head in response. They walk towards the city, pulling a small makeshift cart behind them with their bag of gold.
"Eh? Why?" Luffy grunts. "I want to go to the shipyard first."
"We can't walk around with all this gold," Usopp adds. "It makes me feel nervous."
"Why? Even if we change it into Beli, the value stays the same, right?"
"True, but carrying around a bag this big will attract attention. What if we run into thieves?" Luffy and Run actually laugh in response. "Oi! I'm being serious here!"
"We're the thieves, Usopp!"
"He's got a point," Nami agrees. "If we change it into Beli, then we can all carry it."
"Hey! It sounds like you don't trust me!"
"Yeah! You might drop it or lose it somewhere!"
"Run, come on. You're on my side, right?"
"Aah, of course I am!" Run tells him. "I know that you won't lose it on purpose. I know it'll be an accident."
"Aaah! That hurts me! I may not re...hm? What's this place?" Ahead of them is a set of double-doors, with a sign above them reading 'Rental Bullshop' much to their confusion. "Excuse us! Let us rent some bulls!" Luffy and Run go forging ahead.
"Pardon our intrusion." The other two yell at them and quickly follow them into the shop.
"Hey, there, old timer," Run calls, approaching the counter. "We're here to rent some bulls."
"Aah, is that so?" asks the owner, lowering the newspaper he's been reading. "How many are you?" Upon seeing four of them, he tells them that they should be fine with two but when he notices the bag he makes it three. He seems amazed when they tell him that they followed a Log Pose here. "Since you guys are new, you've probably never seen a Yagara Bull. He explains that they're fish that swim with their heads out of the water, and they're all over town, all while dragging over two small skiffs. Luffy wanders over the pen they're kept in, and one of them swims right up and licks his face.
"Aah! You jerk! Why'd you do that?"
"Awww, who's a good little fishy!" Run says, approaching the edge of the pen. In similar fashion, the Yagra licks him right in the face while he pats it on the head. "Awww! He likes me!"
"Hahahaha~! I can see that!" laughs the owner. "Let's get him for you. The price will be two-thousand Beli for two rentals."
"Can they move a lot of heavy stuff?"
"Of course! They're pretty strong. They can even help you move cargo. So, whatever is in that bag should be fine."
"It's gold." Luffy opens the bag to show the man, and Nami smacks him in the head as a result. Run quickly pulls it closed, and offers a bit of a sheepish laugh. "What's wrong? I was just being honest." The man immediately jacks the price up sky high, but Nami responds by only giving him the initial rental fee. The man doesn't seem upset in the slightest, and even tells them that their best bet for exchanging the gold into Beli would be to head downtown to the center of the ship building area. He even gives them a map to find their way...
- - -
The town is rather lively, which children playing and people going about their lives without a care in the world. The Yagara Bulls seem to know the way to get to where they're going, and take every short cut they can find through the canals of the city. Nami and Usopp ride in one of the skiffs while Luffy and Run ride with the bag of treasure. It's a counter measure to prevent themselves being robbed. The people of the city are friendly, some giving directions, and some even making a pass at Nami when they sail by. They Yagara suddenly deviate from the path, taking them up a huge sloping canal that takes them up above the roof-tops.
"Oooh! So it doesn't matter if we're going against the current!" laughs Luffy. "These guys are so cool!" They follow the winding path all the way out to a huge drop.
"L-Look!" Usopp calls, pointing up ahead. Run, who has been sitting on the gold bag, quickly moves to sit on the back of his seat with a grin.
"Dahahaha~! Well, naturally, Usopp!" Run laughs. "We went up...so we have to go down, too!" Both Luffy and Run break out into laughter as they suddenly go sailing down the canal, the scenery whipping by in a blur. Luffy's hat comes off his head, and Run snatches it from the air before planting it firmly back on Luffy's head. He leans forward, wrapping an arm around his neck and holding on as they continue laughing.
"Yahoo!" cheers Luffy. "Go, go, go!" They reach the end, and suddenly run right out of canal to go sailing out into nothing but air. Nami and Usopp scream all the way until they splash back down into a canal on ground level. "Yeah, that was so cool, Run!"
"Best...ride...ever," Run agrees, sitting back on the gold with a smirk. While Nami is beside herself with anger at the Yagara, the results can't be denied. They've landed right in the middle of the shopping district which is adjacent to the ship building area, the place they have to go. The Yagara that Luffy and Run are riding suddenly takes off, pulling them towards one of the numerous food stands gathered along the canal. It seems to be after something called Water-Water Meat, which is apparently a Yagara's favorite food even though it's meant for humans. Luffy buys a huge amount, and stuffs himself while Run buys two himself, holding out out for the Yagara. "Here ya go, buddy! Who's a good little Yagara?"
The Yagara wolfs it down while he enjoys the other. The whole time they're eating Run makes note of the numerous people passing, each one of them wearing an ornate mask. There must be some kind of party going on...which is really good news! If this place is as lively as it seems then the parties must be really over the top! From the shopping district, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to the shipyard, and once there Luffy can barely contain himself. They find themselves right in front of the shipyard, and behind a crowd gathered there. They quickly dismount the Yagara and go running up to the crowd.
They learn from one of the people, that a group of pirates was beaten up by the shipwrights. The shipwrights belong to a company called 'Galley-La' and they're admired by all the people in the city. Apparently, these shipwrights are the most skilled in all of the city. They're just the kind of people that they're looking for. However, when Usopp collapses under the weight of their gold, they're all reminded of what they have to do first. Run lifts the bag up off of their sniper and grabs his ankle before dragging him back towards the Yagara with Nami and Luffy.
The Yagara take them right to the exchange place as soon as they're on board. They walk inside, right up to the counter with Run still carrying their spoils. The man behind the counter, safe behind a set of bars turns to face them.
"So what do you want?" he asks.
"Cash for our stuff," Luffy says bluntly, indicating the bag Run is holding. The red head drops it on the counter, and shows it to the man who flies into a panic. He goes running off, and returns several minutes later before ushering them into a private room where they spread the gold out on a table. A man appraises all of it, sweating the whole time. Run idly flips a golden coin from the loot over his knuckles again and again with a grin on his face. It's the first time they've had some loot appraised...the end of their first act of piracy. Luffy and Usopp bounce on the couch across from the man. Nami just sits quietly, watching the man carefully.
"Oi, don't tell me you're gonna say they're fake," Usopp says, eyeing the man.
"No! Far from it!" the man exclaims quickly. "I've been an appraiser for twenty-five years! I'd say it's all roughly worth...one-hundred million Beli!"
"One hundred million?!" echos Luffy. "That much?!"
"I-I-Idiot!" shouts Usopp. "Keep it down! Don't scream it out loud!"
"I-It is indeed worth that much," begins the appraiser. "If you take in the historical value and the purity of the gold. I-If you accept that amount, please sign here!" He places a paper on the table quickly. "And leave your thumb print, too!" When Luffy reaches for the paper, Nami stops him quickly by slamming her foot on the table.
"Not so fast, Mr. Appraiser," Nami says. "I want to say three things. Firstly, see these two?" Nami motions to Luffy and Run both of whom offer a friendly wave to the man. "Each of them has a one-hundred million Beli bounty on their head. Second, I don't accept the appraisal you've given. Third...if you lie again, it'll mean your head."
"I...I'm sorry...!"
- - -
"Three-hundred million Beli!" Luffy laughs, as they leave the exchange. The amount was portioned off into three brief-cases of one-hundred million each with Luffy, Usopp and Run each carrying one for safety. Unfortunately, after Luffy nearly loses one in the water, Usopp takes it from him. After Usopp and Nami give him a beating, they hop back on the Yagara and head for the shipyard. "Oi, oi...I'm a bit hurt that you guys won't let me near the money," Luffy tells them.
"Once we meet a shipwright, we'll probably need to go right back to the Merry so he can assess the repair fee," Nami says, ignoring him.
"Still, carrying around this much money is...making me nervous," Usopp tells her, looking around. They arrive back at the shipyard in short order, and quickly leave the Yagara behind. They look around, and find that the crowd has finally disappeared. Run surprises him by giving him a firm pat on the back, causing him to stagger several steps forward and nearly drop the case. "Oi, oi! Would you not surprise me like that?! I'm nervous enough as is!"
"Relax, relax!" Run tells him, grinning. "Money is for spending not hoarding, so don't sweat it!"
"Alright!" Luffy says seriously. "Now, let's find...aah...what was his name again?"
"Iceburg," Run tells him.
"That's right! Ice Pops!"
"Should we just go inside?" Usopp wonders. "There's a fence...but it doesn't look like it's really going to keep anyone out." Nami and Usopp look over at the shipyard, just in time to see Luffy and Run stepping up on the railing and intending to enter. They haven't even begun to cross when they find their path blocked by a long nosed man wearing a Galley-La hat.
"Hold it," he tells them. "You're outsiders, right? Let's have a talk outside. No unauthorized personnel allowed, I'm afraid." They step back and the man climbs over the fence with ease. "Do you have some business here at the dock?" The man...well...he kind of looks like Usopp. Especially around the nose.
"Well, uh, we'd like to see Iceburg," Nami tells him.
"Oh? Are you customers?" Nami gives him Kokoro's letter, and the man opens it immediately. "Aah, I see. A recommendation from Granny Kokoro."
"Do you know Iceburg?"
"Of course. He's the Mayor of Water Seven. He's not just the Mayor, either. He's the president of our company, Galley-La, and also manages the Sea Train. In Water Seven, there's not a single person who doesn't know him."
"Is there anyway we can speak to him right now?"
"I suppose. Are you in that big of a hurry?" The man suddenly laughs, and removes his tool belt. "I guess you want to talk to him about having your ship repaired, right?" He squats down and begins stretching his legs. "Where did you anchor your ship?" They tell him they anchored it off of Rocky Cape. "Alright. I'll go run and have a look at your ship. It'll save some time when you speak with Iceburg, and you'll have a general price in mind for the repairs." He suddenly takes off at a dead sprint, so fast that it's hard for them to track him until he leaps straight up, clearing the wall around this part of the city as if it weren't there at all.
"Whoa! Look at him go!" calls Run, grinning.
"Amazing!" Luffy gushes. "He's so fast!"
"Kaku does that often," a voice tells them, drawing their attention to two people standing behind them. "So often, in fact, the people call him the 'Mountain Wind'. He's one of my foremen in the ship yard." They turn to face him now.
"If he's your foreman...you must be Iceburg, then," Run asserts.
"I am. And this is my assistant, Kalifa. Speaking of..."
"Yes, I've already checked," Kalifa tells him. "'Straw Hat' Luffy, 'Red' Run, 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, and Nico Robin. Their group has four members of eight with bounties. The total amount equals three-hundred and thirty-nine million Beli. It was formed in the East Blue. They are the Straw Hat Pirates."
"I'm glad that you came. As you've already figured out, I'm Iceburg, the boss of this city. And this..." He reaches up and gently strokes the head of a small white mouse in his shirt pocket. "...is a mouse I found earlier."
"Aww, lookit, what a cute little--" Nami catches the red head by the collar of his shirt before he can step closer. "Aw, don't be a spoil sport! I just wanna pet the mouse, Nami." Kalifa suddenly tells Iceburg that he has a great number of meetings, listing each of them off some of which seem to be quite tedious.
"Don't want to."
"Very well, I'll cancel them, then," Kalifa says.
"Oi, how is that ok?!" Usopp demands while Run laughs a bit. "You're completely unfit to be a mayor.
"Are we sure this is that guy that granny was talking about?" Luffy questions, pointing at Iceburg.
"Yes, he's 'that guy'," Nami confirms.
"How insolent!" exclaims Kalifa, seconds before launching a barrage of kicks at them. Rather than actually hitting them, a loud 'smack!' sounds and her foot comes to a dead stop.
"Whoa-ho!" shouts Run, grinning at he stares at her. "Safe!" He releases her foot moments later and she steps back, adjusting her glasses as he continues to grin at her. "Aah, now that's a look you shoot your enemy! C'mon, can't we all just get along, Kalifa?"
"How rude do you plan on being? Referring to one of the worlds leading ship building engineers in such a disrespectful manner."
"You should try not to get Kalifa angry," Iceburg says. "She becomes rather indiscriminate." Nami hands the man the letter seconds later, attempting to change the subject. "So, Granny Kokoro sent you here. Alright. Since Kaku has already gone to take a look at your ship, how about I give you a tour of the factory?"
"Really? Alright!" Luffy agrees, and they begin following the man.
"Usopp, don't forget the money!" Nami calls.
"W...Wait!" Usopp screams. "The money! The money is gone!" Usopp looks around desperately before finally pointing toward the canal. "There! They have it!" Riding on THEIR Yagara are several men, and with them the two missing cases of money. "Oi! You bastards, get back here!"
"Aaah! We got robbed!" Run shouts. "And they're abducting the Yagara! Hold on, buddy! I'm comin'!" Run sprints past them all and quickly dives into the water, disappearing below the surface the canal while Iceburg and Kalifa approach Nami, Luffy and Usopp.
"Your friend...is he an idiot?" Kalifa asks, adjusting her glasses. "Does he seriously believe he'll be able to out swim a Yagara Bull?"
"Hm? Aah, well," Luffy begins, scratching the back of his head. "He's a really good swimmer." Seconds later, Run appears beside one of the Yagara. He lunges out of the water, grabs one of the men by the front of his shirt and pulls him over the edge into the water. He hauls himself up onto the Yagara and kicks the closest man in the chest, tossing him into the water before he jumps the gap to the next Yagara. Rather than fight them, he simply shoves both of them off into the water, collects the money, and then turns back towards the others with a grin on his face. "Run used to go swimming off the coast a lot back in Foosha Village. Especially during storms."
"I saved the Yagara!" Run shouts back at them.
"The money, idiot!" Nami screams back at him. "You're there for the money!"
"Your friend is a strong swimmer," says another voice, drawing their attention to a strange man with a pigeon on his shoulder. "But he might be in trouble. Look."
"Aah! That pigeon is talking!" Nami and Usopp follow the man's line of sight to someone running on a bridge above Run and the Yagara. He's being chased be people, and upon spotting Run below him he suddenly leaps the railing of the bridge.
"Rope...Action!" exclaims the man, ropes flying out from his sleeves. Run looks up sharply at the man, surprise appearing on his face. "Sorry, but I need to borrow your Yagara for a bit! Round Turn!" The ropes fly down towards the red head, who reaches out and catches both of them. "What the?!" He yanks hard, slinging the man straight down into the water with a loud splash before hauling him in like a fresh caught fish...
- - -
"I said I'm sorry, damn it!" Paulie complains. "Why do I even have to apologize? I'm the one who got beaten!" A number of knots cover the man's head, who they've learned it called Paulie. Run stands several feet away from the man, who is having his ear twisted by another one of Iceburgs employees, Lucci. The ventriloquist act that Lucci has going on with the pigeon on his shoulder is actually quite impressive as far as he's concerned. Although, it seems to fall a little flat for the others.
"Alright!" Run begins, rubbing a number of knots on his head. "What is with the hitting? I don't even know what I did!"
"I'm sorry about all of this," Iceburg tells them. "We'll take care of our idiot coworker. It's good that you only roughed him up a little. These kinds of things can cause bitter feelings, you know."
"Just consider yourselves lucky that you got to it in time," Kalifa says. "The Franky Family can be rather persistent, however."
"Aah, is that who they were? The Franky Family?" She explains that they're a group of ship demolishers who also work as bounty hunters on the side. They love to make trouble, especially with pirates. They're considered to be a public nuisance to the city. They defeat the pirates that they can, and then destroy their ship to sell any usable lumber from it.
"They didn't look that strong," Luffy mutters.
"They're just underlings," Iceburg tells him. "Whatever you do, don't underestimate their boss, Franky. Well, that's it, I guess. Let's open the doors and start the tour." The huge doors open, and they enter, following behind Iceburg as they walk through. As it turns out, Iceburg is quite popular with the craftsmen and shipwrights working for him. Each one of them briefly stops their work to offer him a greeting, or ask him to inspect their work later in the day.
"Ice Pops is pretty popular, huh?"
"Of course," Kalifa tells him. "In this city, skill is the only thing that matters. On this island, ship building has been well developed. Originally, seven companies competed against each other until he gathered them all under him to form Galley-La. His craftsmanship and passion have never changed at all." Apparently, this is all Luffy need to hear.
"Oi, Pops! I heard that you're a pretty skilled shipwright. You wanna come be a pirate with us?"
"What the hell?!" demands Paulie. "What are you saying, you bastard?!"
"You guys don't even have a single shipwright?" Iceburg questions him.
"That's right!" laughs Luffy. "We came here to get our ship repaired and find a new crew member!"
"Its true that we have lots of shipwrights but I wonder if any would want to join a pirate crew. If you find someone who wants to join you, then you can take him if you want."
"Well, why not you, then? Don't you want to join us?"
"I can't, I'm the mayor, after all." The man from before, Kaku, suddenly comes dropping out of the sky. He lands beside them and then stretches before approaching. "Ah, Kaku. There you are. I know about the situation. How was everything?"
"Oi, anyone seen, Usopp?" Run asks, looking around.
"He was over there a minute ago," Nami tells him. A man suddenly approaches, carrying two of their suitcases with him and telling him that he found them. "What? Usopp just ran off leaving our money alone like that?!" Nami sighs heavily. "Anyway...what's it going to cost?"
"Yeah! We can pay whatever!" Luffy says. "We've got tons of money!"
"Well...you've had some tremendous journeys with her, haven't you," Kaku mutters. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but her scars are just too deep. Speaking frankly...your ship cannot be fixed, not even with our skills." Paulie approaches, and takes a puff on his cigar.
"It's the keel, isn't it," Paulie asserts.
"Yes. It's taken significant damage."
"But we were traveling on her just fine!" Nami cries.
"Even if we did everything we can she will not make it to the next island." Run heaves a heavy sigh in response. It's a surprisingly heavy blow to hear that their ship, the Merry, which has taken them so many places and done so much has reached the end of her life. He was somewhat prepared for it have seeing the Klabauteerman in Skypiea but...he'd been holding out hope that maybe there was something that could have been done for her.
"You can't fix the Merry?!" Luffy demands. "Why not?! You guys are supposed to be amazing shipwrights! If it's money, don't worry about it! We've got plenty!"
"It's not money that's the issue. No matter how much you spend, she'll never go back to how she was before. Honestly, it's impressive she made it this far considering the state that she's in."
"Do you know what a keel is, shameless girl?" Paulie asks her, surprising them. One because of the insult, and two because it's the first time he's actually addressed her. "It's the most important beam on the entire ship. It's the entire foundation of a ships framework. You could go so far as to say it's the very backbone of the ship as every board attached to it. Replacing the keel is the same as building a ship from scratch. No one can fix a broken or cracked keel. It's just a collecting of wood waiting to be scrapped at this point."
"How about a little tact, pal," Run tells him. "The Merry has brought us all the way here from the West Blue."
"I'm just telling you the facts, red hair. I don't believe in sugar coating an assessment."
"Just build us a new ship, then!" Luffy screams. "Build us another Going Merry!"
"That's no possible, either," Lucci's pigeon tells them. Again it's the same ventriloquy act out of him. "We could build you the same ship but it wouldn't be the SAME ship. There are no two ships that are the same just as there are no two trees that are the same. Even if we were to build the same ship it might look the same to everyone else but you would immediately be able to tell the difference. You would know it's a different ship!"
"Isn't there anything we can do? Can we never travel on her again?"
"That's right," Kaku confirms. "You can either do nothing and wait for her to sink...or you can take her apart now."
"This is for the best," Iceburg assures them. "You should give up and buy a new ship. You have money, and I heard that she is a caravel. Any future journeys will be tough on such a ship."
"I refuse. I don't want to buy a new ship! The Merry is our ship!"
"Luffy," Run begins, reaching out and giving him a gentle pat on the back. "Much as I don't want to accept it...maybe they have a point. The Grand Line only gets more dangerous the further you go. If she's...if the Merry is on her last legs...then maybe it's better to let her have a peaceful end here with us."
"No! I refuse to believe it! They're only saying that because they don't know how strong she is!"
"Will you be satisfied if you keep sailing on her until she sinks?" Iceburg questions him. "Good grief...you call yourself a ships Captain? We've given you our evaluation. If you decide to buy a new ship, then come again. With three-hundred million we could even build you a new state of the art ship. Kalifa." She produces a paper which she tells them is a catalog that contains new and used ships. Run takes it from her, looking it over for a moment before handing it off to Nami.
One of Iceburg's men approaches, telling him that some officials from the World Government are here to see him. That's all they need to here before ducking into cover, pulling the money with them behind a large stack of logs. They chat for a few moments before Iceburg heads off with them. Run sighs and then leans back against the logs.
"Well...what do you want to do, Luffy?" Run finally asks. "I know that..." His words trail off as he watches Luffy staring intently at the suitcases. "What?"
"There's something strange," Luffy tells them, looking at the brief cases. "I noticed it when I carried them but...they're really light."
"Light?" Nami echos, before suddenly laughing a bit nervously. "Don't joke like that. They're full of money. They're no way they could be light." Out of fear, and curiosity, they crack the cases open...and scream at the top of their lungs when they find them completely empty. Paulie and Lucci step around the logs to see what the screaming is all about. "Two-hundred million Beil...gone?! Look! These...These aren't even our bags!"
"We've been robbed!"
"Again!" adds Run. "What a dishonest town!"
"How noisy," complains one of the employees, a man with a strange spike coming from his hair. "Kaku, weren't you with the Franky Family today?"
"No," Kaku responds. "I've been busy all day. I haven't even seen them."
"How strange...I'm sure I saw your long nose." All three immediately run over to the man.
"Long nose?!" echos Luffy. "That's Usopp!"
"He was with the Franky Family, or rather, he was being carried away by them."
"That's a damn kidnapping!" Nami screams. "Luffy! Run! We have to find them!" The two go sprinting off without a second thought, disappearing into the crowds of the shipyard...
- - -
"Dahahahaha~! Look out below! We're comin' in hot!" Run laughs, holding tight to Luffy's shoulders as they drop out of the sky. Their laughter as they fall towards the beautiful town below are drown out by the rushing wind. Everything is coming up so fast that their only hope is landing in one of the canals. "Luffy! Let me steer! We're going to the canal!"
"Oi, oi, oi!" shouts Luffy quickly. "Not the water! I can't swim!"
"Trust me!" Using Luffy's body, he angles them towards a fast approaching canal, and the two splash down, sinking nearly to the bottom before Run can stop them. He grasps Luffy's shirt and hauls them towards the surface quickly. He breaks it with a loud gasp, and tosses Luffy up onto the street before hauling himself up. "Dahahaha~! What a wild ride!"
"You jerk! I could have drowned!"
"Relax, relax!" Run reaches over and gives him a friendly pat on the chest. "Ya know I wasn't gonna let that happen!"
"Luffy! Run!" scream voices familiar to them, drawing their attention to Sanji, Chopper and Zoro.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Sanji asks. "Where did you two even come from?"
"Shipyard," Luffy tells them. "I jumped like that shipwright while looking for Usopp."
"Are you alright?" Chopper questions him, concerned.
"Yeah. But we've gotta find Usopp! He got abducted!"
"We know," Sanji tells him. "We're on our way to their hide out. Usopp got beaten up and the money was taken. It's possible that he felt responsible and went to pick a fight with them by himself." After taking a few moments to regain his strength, Luffy stands and they head out quickly. They cut a winding path through the city to their destination and when they arrive...they find Usopp. He's beaten and bloody, and looks like he's been through the wringer more than once.
"Is he still alive, Chopper?" Run asks.
"Yes," Chopper assures him. "He's unconscious but he's breathing. I can save him." They head for the house in the distance quickly.
"They're gonna regret this." Even from outside of the large house, they can hear the sound of a rowdy party. They're celebrating after hurting Usopp? No matter what, they're going to regret it now. A man opens the door right in front of them, and Luffy sends him straight back into the house with a single punch, smashing the door behind him.
They step into the house, standing at the entrance and scanning the room filled with people. All of them stand stock still, terror filling their faces. It might be easy for Run to simply knock them all out with Haoshoku...but teaching them a painful lesson the old fashioned way is exactly what they need. A giant of a man suddenly walks towards them, covered in armor but for his face and toting a huge axe.
"So, you came to get the money back, huh, fools?" laughs the man. "What do you think the five of you can do against everyone here? But...three of you have bounties, so I guess we'll take your heads since you brought them to us!" All of them begin laughing, as the man stands in front of them.
"Gum-Gum..." Luffy growls, swinging his fists rapidly. "...Cannon!" He strikes the man hard enough to shatter the metal armor he's wearing, and send him crashing back into the others.
"O-Oi! Let's...Let's talk this out!" one of them screams. "Let's talk about this first! Let's...Let's...Let's fire the cannons!" They all duck, and behind them several men fire cannons as them. Zoro rushes forward immediately, swords drawn.
"Three Swords Style...Raven Hunt!" Zoro exclaims, cutting the cannon balls in half faster than any of them can track. If not for the flash of light of his blades, and the separation of the cannon balls they'd never have known he'd actually swung them. Run rushes past him, coating his hands in Haki as he closes in on the cannons.
"Sea King's Bite," Run mutters. His fist connects with the first cannon and the sound of metal groaning echos through the room as the surface immediately deforms. It tumbles end over end, smashing into the first, then second and third cannon, and sending the cannoneers flying.
"The...The back door! We need to escape!" cry the men, running away. Sanji drops out of the sky, planting his palm on one of their faces.
"You picked this fight," Sanji tells them. "Don't act so pathetic. Party Table...Kick Course!" He's a blur of motion, and he sends men flying with his kicks, only stopping when they start running in the opposite direction, right towards Chopper.
"Rumble!" Chopper calls, shoving a rumble ball into his mouth. "Horn Point!" He changes form, horns growing and he charges them quickly. "Roseo Colonnade!" He tosses them aside with his horns, sending several flying before he finally stops.
"W...Wait, wait, wait!" calls one of them. "I-It's the money, right?! You want the money back! The two-hundred million Beli that worthless guy had! Unfortunately, that money is no longer here! Our boss, Franky, took that money and went shopping! Since he's buying something on the black market we don't know when he'll be back. Even if you go on a rampage the money won't come--" Luffy punches him, cutting him off and sending him smashing into the far wall.
"This has nothing to do with money," Sanji admits.
"It's too late for that, anyway," Zoro adds.
"No one hurts our friends," Run tells them, cracking his knuckles. "NO ONE."
"We're going to completely destroy you and this place," Luffy announces.
"Fine...then...try this! Anything Shot Cannon!" A cannon blast sends out a number of random objects, which all of them dodge before rushing forward...
- - -
"Aah...should we give chase?" Run asks, looking around at the remains of the Franky House. True to their word, they had completely razed the place, even to it's very foundation. Still standing among the remains, Sanji and Zoro exchange looks before looking at him.
"Where?" Zoro question him. "These guys really didn't seem to know where he went."
"Well, I'm open to ideas."
"Even if we strangle this Franky guy," Sanji begins, taking a drag on his cigarette. "If he spent the money, it won't do any good."
"What should we do then? If we wait here, it doesn't seem like he'll be back for a while."
"Oi! I finished giving him first aid!" Chopper screams, earning their attention. "I'd like to move him on a stretcher, so give me a little help here!" They all nod, and start walking in their direction.
"We should just head back," Sanji reasons. "Staying here won't help anything, and we left Nami alone on the ship. Plus, we have that thing with Robin to deal with." Run's brow furrows in response, and Sanji sighs. "I'll tell you about it back at the Merry, Red." They stop beside Chopper and Usopp, and look back towards Luffy. "Oi, Luffy! We're going!"
"About the ship," Luffy begins. "I've made a decision. Let's say goodbye...to the Going Merry here..."