"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions thundered across the northeast coast of the backstreets of Water 7.
The Franky Family's base—Franky House—was engulfed in smoke and fire. Flames licked at the wooden walls while shouts echoed from within.
"It's burning here too! Hurry, put it out!"
Members of the Franky Family scrambled to douse the fire with buckets of seawater, coughing through thick smoke.
"What's that kid thinking?! He nearly blew the whole Franky House sky-high with those bombs!"
A man wearing a strange triangular mask lifted the unconscious Usopp with one hand. The sharpshooter's face was swollen, bruised, and bloodied.
"You actually stole so much money from such a pathetic opponent?"
"Uh…"
The rest of the gang looked at each other awkwardly.
"Actually, he wasn't that strong just now," one muttered.
The masked man glanced at the unconscious Usopp and sighed mockingly. "So this kid went berserk because someone took his 400 million Berries? How pitiful."
He dropped Usopp carelessly to the ground and dusted off his hands. "What a pity. But the world's cruel, boys. The strong take what they want, and the weak lose everything."
Stepping over Usopp's body, he stretched lazily. "Ah, what a super refreshing day! Alright, I'm heading out to buy that thing. You guys stay here and put out the fire!"
Two stylish women with square hairstyles followed behind him, their hips swaying as they left the burning building.
---
"Where's the money?! Where's the money, Luffy, you idiot!"
Nami's voice rang out from the hotel room as she slammed her fist repeatedly into Luffy's head.
"Huh? How did it all turn into newspapers?!"
Luffy blinked dumbly at the four chests filled with torn-up papers. He frantically dumped them out, digging through the pile. "It's gone! The money's gone!"
Shirogai bent down, calmly picking up a piece of paper with messy handwriting. His eyes narrowed slightly before a faint smirk formed.
"Heh. Looks like whoever swapped the money left a note."
"What?!" Nami snatched the paper from him. "Who stole our money?!"
The note read:
> Nya nya nya! Idiots! We swapped the money and took it!
— Franky Family
At the bottom was a doodle of a robot sticking its tongue out.
"Those bastards!" Nami screamed, crumpling the note in her fist. "It was them! The Franky Family! They dared to rob us!"
She spun toward her crewmates, eyes blazing. "Luffy! Shirogai! We're going to smash those thugs into the ground and take back our money!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Luffy saluted like a soldier, eyes wide with fear.
"Heh, alright," Shirogai said with a calm grin. He pointed toward the northeast, where smoke rose in the distance. "Found them. They're right over there."
"Are they?!" Nami growled. "Let's go! We're taking back every last Berry!"
Led by the fiery Nami, Luffy and Shirogai followed close behind as the trio stormed toward the Franky Family's base.
---
Meanwhile, on a quiet section of the coast—where the Going Merry was docked—Sanji exhaled a thin stream of smoke, his brow furrowed.
"Trouble never comes alone…" he muttered. "First Robin vanishes with some stranger, and now the Merry's in critical shape."
"Yeah. Some shipwright who looked a lot like Usopp said so."
Zoro leaned against the Merry's railing, arms crossed. "He said the Merry's keel's broken. She can't sail anymore."
"Waaah! Merry!"
Chopper lay sprawled across the deck, tears streaming as he hugged the ship's railing. "I love the Going Merry! I don't want to say goodbye!"
"Alright, alright, don't cry, you little reindeer," Sanji sighed, scooping him up by the scruff. "If Usopp hears this, he's gonna break down."
"Usopp, huh…" Zoro murmured, his tone unusually soft. "If that's the shipwright's final word, then there's nothing we can do."
Sanji's expression darkened. "Are Luffy and Shirogai back yet? I've got a bad feeling. That guy who left with Robin… there was something about him. His presence—it felt like death itself."
Zoro straightened. "If even you felt that, then he must be strong."
Although the two men often clashed, their respect for each other's instincts was absolute. For Sanji to admit feeling threatened meant the enemy was no ordinary person.
"I almost caught up," Sanji said grimly. "But after one turn, they just… vanished. Like they were never there. Guess all we can do is wait for Shirogai to get back. Maybe one of his strange Devil Fruit powers can help us find Robin."
Chopper sniffled. "Waaah… we lost Robin, and now the Merry's dying… what a terrible day!"
---
"Look! It's Usopp!"
Nami's voice cracked as the trio reached the entrance of Franky House.
Usopp lay on the ground like discarded trash, his body motionless, face swollen beyond recognition.
"Usopp!" Luffy shouted, dropping to his knees. He pressed a hand to his chest. "He's still breathing!"
Shirogai's usual calm expression darkened. "Heh… too much."
As a skilled doctor, he could tell instantly. These weren't injuries from a fight—they were deliberate, cruel blows delivered after Usopp was already unconscious.
"He's alive, but barely. Those bastards…" Nami hissed, eyes trembling with rage. "He must've tried to get the money back and got beaten for it!"
Shirogai extended his hand, and a small white mushroom sprouted from his palm.
"Healing Mushroom," he said quietly, placing it gently into Usopp's mouth.
"Don't worry. Once he swallows it, he'll heal quickly."
Luffy's jaw tightened. "The ones who did this… they're in there, right?"
All three turned toward the smoke rising from Franky House.
"Yes." Shirogai's tone was calm, but his eyes gleamed coldly. "Let's go. It's time they learned a lesson."
---