"Franky, you don't want to see the battleship you built with your own hands fail to unleash its true might once it reaches the sea, do you?!"
Red stepped forward, a strange smile hanging on his face.
Those deep, unfathomable eyes made even a pervert like Franky feel a sudden chill tighten in his backside.
Thankfully, Red didn't press any closer. Instead, he spoke in a tone of negotiation.
"I know… you can't bear to part with the guys from Franky Family."
"But you can't be their babysitter forever."
"Sooner or later, fledglings have to spread their wings and fly."
"If you're really worried, I do have a few options you could consider…"
Red suddenly raised a finger.
"The first option is to have them move into Laboon's abdominal world."
"If you can't bear to leave them behind, then take them along on the adventure!"
"You've been inside that world before—you know the living conditions there are pretty decent. Plus, Usopp needs a lot of manpower to take care of his plants, so they won't be left idle."
"Only…"
Red paused briefly.
"If that's the case, they won't be living as carefree a life as they do in Water 7."
"The second option is to have your senior take them in for you."
"After all, Galley-La is always short on manpower. Giving them stable jobs is better than letting them keep drifting around, don't you think?"
As his words fell, Red immediately shot Luffy a meaningful look.
The two of them turned in unison and walked away, leaving Franky alone in the gentle sea breeze, deep in thought.
…
…
"Franky."
At night, inside a quiet tavern.
Iceburg followed the citizens' descriptions and pushed open the door.
Seeing his junior staring at the reflection in his wine bottle, lost in thought, he called out to him.
"Iceburg… you came?"
Franky, who just wanted to be alone for a while, lifted his head. Seeing Iceburg, he wasn't surprised at all.
Iceburg quietly sat down beside him, took Franky's bottle, poured himself a drink, and after a small sip, suddenly said:
"Franky… do you remember something you once told me?"
"...Huh?" Slightly drunk, Franky grinned in confusion. "I've said so many things to you—how could I remember every single one?"
"Haha." Iceburg let out a low laugh. "That's true."
"But… there's one thing I'm sure you still remember."
"The thing you told me… about the ship of dreams."
"A… ship of dreams?!"
Franky's drinking motion abruptly stopped, his glass frozen in midair.
Iceburg smiled with relief.
"Yeah!"
"It's not about materials or design…"
"It's a ship that, after setting sail, crosses countless seas, endures endless battles and trials, and finally reaches the end of the ocean—only then does it earn the right to be called a Ship of Dreams!"
"That was the vow you made in front of Master Tom and me!"
Iceburg paused. The next instant, he slowly closed his eyes—and together with Franky, they spoke in perfect unison:
"One day, when I build the ship I believe is the greatest, I'll board it as a shipwright, just to witness that destined day with my own eyes!!!"
Bang—
Two glasses slammed onto the counter at the same time.
Iceburg turned his head and met Franky's gaze, both having made the same motion.
Strange ripples of emotion shimmered in their eyes.
Iceburg placed a hand on Franky's shoulder.
It was an intimacy he had never shown in all these years.
"Franky… your dream has only just set sail!!!"
…
…
"Cheers!!!"
Aboard the newly refurbished Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew raised their wooden mugs high into the air.
Wine and drinks of every color splashed and swirled, filling the air with a sweet, heady aroma.
As captain, Luffy's face brimmed with youth and freedom as he laughed loudly.
"Let's drink to our new crewmate—Franky!!!"
Led by their captain, everyone in the Straw Hat crew—including the ship spirit, Little Merry—broke into wide smiles, cheering for the addition of another powerful ally.
Under Iceburg's persuasion, Franky ultimately—unsurprisingly—chose to join the Straw Hat crew.
As for the members of Franky Family, though they were reluctant to part with their big brother, upon learning that Franky was setting out to chase his dream, they held back their tears and sent him off aboard the Thousand Sunny Merry!
As for themselves, they were successfully recruited by Iceburg.
With Aqua Laguna soon to descend upon Water 7—enough to flood the entire city—Iceburg, as mayor, had been busy preparing evacuation plans and was in desperate need of manpower.
Though Franky Family were a bunch of thugs and hooligans, they were reliable people at heart and worthy of trust.
With a single wave of his hand, Iceburg assigned them to help organize the citizens' evacuation.
It was, at last, the resolution of one of Franky's long-held worries.
And at the same time—
On both sides of the Merry's ongoing banquet, two pirate crews whose ships were only slightly smaller were also holding their own departure celebrations.
One ship bore a grinning red-nosed clown figurehead.
The other bore a green-crested underworld rooster.
They were none other than the brand-new vessels of two top commanders under the Straw Hat Grand Fleet—Buggy and Bartolomeo!
While Iceburg and Franky were refitting the Merry, the other elite shipwrights of Galley-La hadn't enjoyed any leisure either.
With the high-quality materials provided by Red, they successfully built two pirate ships of world-class strength in just half a month.
One, at Red's suggestion, was named the Clown Emperor.
It symbolized Red's expectations for Buggy and sent the Buggy Pirates into a frenzy, eagerly awaiting the day their captain would become an Emperor!
The other, however, was forced—due to the Straw Hats' fierce opposition—to abandon the name Supreme Invincible Universal Straw Hat Pirate Ship, much to Bartolomeo's regret.
In the end, in a fit of reckless abandon, he named it:
This Is a Pirate Ship.
Thus, three magnificent warships set sail side by side from the harbor of Water 7, heading straight toward Enies Lobby.
That's right!
This time, the Straw Hats had no intention of holding back!
They would show their true face to the world and launch their first provocation against the World Government since entering the Grand Line!
After all, several months had already passed since they arrived in the Grand Line.
Though many events had occurred—and the Straw Hats had played crucial roles in them—
Just as Kid had once mocked…
Red's methods had been so clean and decisive that, until now, there wasn't even the faintest whisper about the Straw Hat crew on the seas.
So this time, Red made a decision that truly defied the ancestors!
He would make the Straw Hat crew's name thunder across the pirate world!!!
Naturally, this sudden shift also stemmed from the rapid growth in strength Luffy and the others had achieved, filling Red with confidence.
After Red consecutively cleared all eight Gyms, the time he could remain in the game world each day had already reached a perfect eight hours!
As long as he didn't expend energy through other means, the experience points he could provide to his companions daily were no small amount.
As a result, the Straw Hat Pirates' overall strength had skyrocketed during this period!
First, Luffy—
Even without being Red's primary focus, he forcefully climbed from Level 64 to Level 66!
While the numerical increase in level and stats wasn't massive…
His actual combat strength had undeniably taken another step forward!
Next, the Straw Hat crew's two other main combatants rose from Levels 55 and 54 to stand evenly at Level 56.
Like Luffy, Red had been focused on patching the crew's weaknesses during this time, so his emphasis on top-tier combat power hadn't been particularly heavy.
However, in his next plan, he intended to focus more on training Zoro.
After all, Zoro had been constantly pushed to the brink by Sanji lately.
Perhaps with just a little guidance, his swordsmanship could advance yet another step.
Meanwhile, Usopp—whom Red had trained intensively—shot up from Level 35 to Level 42!
A full seven levels gained!
It was clear just how much effort Red had poured into him.
After all, Red was counting on Usopp to shoulder the burden and help him clear this first Pokémon game!
Next, Nami rose from Level 36 to Level 38.
Robin went from Level 43 to Level 44.
Chopper advanced from Level 38 to Level 40.
Add to that Laboon at Level 63 and Merry at Level 32…
And that was the complete progress of the Straw Hat Pirates at this moment!!!
(End of Chapter)