"Is….Is this thing powered by steam?" Jeanne asked as Malle was in the middle of getting everything started back up. Cali next to him to help him, where upon hearing Jeannes question she turned around "Yeah actually. It's mainly powered by Electricity, where as the Stream Liners use heat from Coal. I've had Ideas for other things, but uh Chemistry and that sciency stuff was never really my strong suit."
Calliope was a Genius when it came to engineering, and building things. Even down to following Blueprints and making blueprints from scratch. That field of science was something she shined at like a star in the sky. But other fields of science? Unless it was directly tied to engineering and building stuff, it escaped her. Engines? Yeah she got that. Wiring? Yep she could do that. But finding out new power sources and the chemistry behind them? Nope.
"How could you tell?" She asked as Jeanne was bent down and looking at exposed part of the machinery. "The pistons and piping, it tells me that some sort of gas needs to fill it to propel. And since I've made similar stuff. Steam makes the most sense."
"Ha! You know you're stuff huh? Thats pretty sweet. Maybe you'd be able to help me with some of the more Complex Ideas." The train started moving, picking up pace. "Sounds nice! I bet Leroy could lend a hand. He may not seem it, but he's smart as hell"
"Hey!" Leroy complained. "Pshishi! You know its true!"
"Anyway, Calliope, where is the access point for the Engine? I could probably put more of my steam into it and let us pick up speed." She said looking around "Oh yeah! You have a devil fruit dont you? Its right over here." She lifted up a hatch at the back where a mess of pipes were funneling out of an engine. "Okay…Seems easy enough"
She slowly turned her hands into steam before leaning forward and putting them into the vent, where the rest of the steam was flowing out of. "You've got this Jeanne…Just…Give as much as you can! Sure you may not have the energy reserves of the others, but you're the only one who can boost this puppy to Raven!" Jeanne attempted to motivate herself underneath her breath.
"Go Jeanne!" Kirk cheered. "Yeah you got this!" Leroy and Dezzi added their own voices to the clamor
"We're reaching top speed! Ready when you are Jeanne!" Cali called from the front. They had mere minutes before the Stream Liner 2 made it to the Citadel! "Here we go!"
She took a deep breath and another, then another and then pushed as much steam out of her hands as she could! Forcing the gas up into the pipes! "Purple Haze!" She grit her teeth hard as she was essentially flexing both her physical and mental muscles to for the production steam from her supernatural power
"You're gonna have to push more! We're fighting against the sound barrier!" Jeanne, the weakest member sitting at only that like a normal person, found it within herself to pull deep within her all she could muster, and let out a mighty roar! "GAH!!"
The Train began to shake, the pistons and tracks below being rotated so fast, and with such speed that they began to heat up to the point the pistons themselves began to glow orange like metal out of a blacksmith's furnace!
Then, with a huge shake! The Train broke through the sound barrier! A Giant gust of wind and shockwave air pressure shooting out around! The Train met a tremendous speed of Mach 1!
Meanwhile…Minutes before.
Fonias stomped his way back through the train car, ripping his sleeve up to his elbow and tucking it into itself. Revealing a lanky forearm that looked to be made out of bronze with the ticking and rotating mechanisms of Clockwork, dozens of tiny springs and pipes allowing for movement. But the top layer that surrounded it, almost like plate armor, had been damaged and torn asunder
"Superficial damage. Only the shock absorbers were broken…" Fonias ripped them from his arms and tossed them to the side. They served the same purpose a clavicle would, taking away damage from the rest at its own destruction.
"Hrng!" Fonias stomped on the connecting joints of the train cars, abandoning the CPA agents in the Cars he left as the tunnel sleeve around it was torn apart. He made sure to crush the latches a few seconds between. Causing there to be multiple roadblocks instead of just one big one. He knew that the Pirates wouldn't go down that easy.
Kicking at the final one. Only Yuwaku and Leery looked at what the Man-Machine was doing. "We've got a problem. Pirates have invaded the train. I've disconnected the rest of the cars, they're on some new form of train and caught up to us like nothing."
"Where are the Prisoners?" Hugo asked. A Worried look on his face, knowing the answer "Left behind. Our goal is Azalea Raven." Replied Fonias, only for the silence after to be broken by the slamming fist of Hugo, Enraged "Damn it!"
"It's fine." Leery stood from his seat, sliding his hands into his pockets "Azalea has more use for us. And our contract was with her. Making her the Priority. The other two were just superfluous that we'll be able to reacquire."
"Yes." Hugo breathed. Calming down, wiping his combover back into place. "While our initial goal was the Blueprints. You came out of waiting for Azalea Raven. It was mere coincidence that the same night our plant in that child gang found us information."
Leery slid the final car door open, and commanded the CPA-3 agent at the control "Speed us up to top speed. Forego Normal Protocol. We're in DRED Protocol Level 3." DRED or, Danger Readiness and Emergency Defense Protocol. The Higher the Number, the higher the Danger imminent and needing of fortification at a World Government installation. It was a Protocol that was only used by Cipher Pol. Since the Marines were always in a ready state of Offense or Defense
"Sir." The CPA agent Kicked up the gear lever, looking much like an Engine Room Telegraph, pushing the into the 4th Fourth and Final position.
The CPA 9 Agents, were going to make it to the Citadel, with minutes to spare ahead of the Red Sash Crew…