Thump!!!
"Wuwuwuwu…"
Shirogai, Zoro, and Chopper were forcefully pressed into the sand as a large, tearful Franky collapsed on top of them on the beach. The muscular cyborg clung to them dramatically, his huge frame shaking with exaggerated sobs.
Zoro grimaced and grabbed Franky's face, pushing it away with visible disgust.
"Hey, hey! Franky! Keep your face back. Your snot is going to get on me."
Chopper, on the other hand, burst into laughter. The little reindeer's cheeks were flushed red as he looked up at Franky with sparkling eyes.
"Hehehe! Franky! You actually became a king! That's amazing!"
Franky sniffed loudly and straightened slightly, still leaning on them.
"Heh heh! Looks like your body has been modified again."
Shirogai smiled calmly beneath the weight of Franky's large body. From the moment Franky crashed into them, Shirogai had already sensed the difference. Franky's frame had clearly become heavier and sturdier.
"The weight increased quite a bit."
Out of respect for his companions, Shirogai always kept his inner perception restrained. He never pried into the minds of his friends. Only abnormal situations would trigger that instinctive awareness, such as the rare moments when Chopper released killing intent in battle.
"Ow! As expected of Shirogai!" Franky exclaimed proudly. "You noticed my new super perverted upgrade immediately!"
Franky jumped to his feet and pounded his metal chest with pride. A wide grin stretched across his face.
"I hid some very interesting things inside this body. Can you guess what they are?"
Shirogai raised an eyebrow. The hint was obvious.
"Oh?" he said with a faint smile. "Looks like you made progress with the idea we discussed before."
Months earlier, Franky and Shirogai had spent a long night discussing a dangerous topic. It was the question of whether the weapons of Pluton should ever be recreated.
For someone like Franky, a man obsessed with engineering and invention, guarding the blueprint of the most powerful warship in the world while never building it was pure torture.
However, Franky had a firm line he would never cross.
His past had taught him what happened when terrible weapons fell into the wrong hands. He refused to become the cause of destruction in this world.
Even so, the temptation never disappeared.
Franky had already used small structural concepts from Pluton when building the Thousand Sunny. Still, he deliberately avoided installing its most destructive weapon system.
"Ow! If I build that thing and it falls into the hands of villains again, then I would be the biggest fool alive!"
That night had been quiet.
Under the vast sky, the crew slept peacefully while waves rolled gently against the ship.
Franky sat on the deck drinking ice cola while Shirogai relaxed beside him with a cup of milk tea. The two clinked their drinks together.
Franky sighed deeply.
"But if a weapon exists, how do you stop enemies from using it? That's impossible."
"Not necessarily."
Shirogai took a slow sip of milk tea and looked up at the stars before turning to Franky.
"What if you miniaturize the weapon system and install it inside your own body?"
Franky froze.
His mechanical eyes widened in disbelief.
For several seconds he stared silently at Shirogai.
Then he exploded.
"Ow! Smiling Lunatic! You're a genius!"
That was Franky's nickname for Shirogai. He had a habit of giving everyone bizarre titles. Sanji was Curly Brow. Usopp was Long Nose. Robin was Big Sis.
"And you're right!" Franky shouted excitedly. "If the weapon is built inside my own body, no one can steal it!"
His mind immediately started racing with ideas. Countless mechanical possibilities flashed through his thoughts.
"How do I shrink it? How do I power it? How do I stabilize the firing system?"
"Ow! If I pull this off, I'll become insanely powerful!"
Bang!
The cabin wall suddenly shook violently.
"FRAN-KY!!!"
A terrifying voice roared from inside the ship.
Nami.
The true emperor of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"ARE YOU GOING TO LET PEOPLE SLEEP OR NOT!!!"
Franky froze instantly.
The oppressive pressure felt almost like being struck by Conqueror's Haki.
Shirogai had already vanished.
He disappeared so quickly that Franky barely noticed.
Everyone on the ship knew one rule.
When Nami was angry, run.
Even someone as powerful as Shirogai, the man destined to become a future God King, would never challenge an enraged Nami.
Among the Straw Hat crew there existed a strange and unspoken law.
If Empress Nami was furious, even a passing God King would get kicked three times.
Time returned to the present.
"Ow! I am a super invincible perverted cyborg!"
Franky struck a dramatic pose with both hands raised.
"Of course! But that weapon is too powerful. I couldn't use it earlier when fighting the Admiral."
Even during his battle with Admiral Aramaki, Franky had never considered unleashing that hidden weapon.
At least in his mind, the situation had not yet reached the point of desperation.
"You idiots!" a furious voice shouted in the distance. "Look over here! Don't you want your companion back?"
The former King Tyrant glared at them angrily. Being ignored was clearly humiliating.
"Ahhh! Don't move! Don't move!" Usopp screamed.
His long nose trembled violently as he stared at the blade pressed against his neck.
"Huh! Usopp! Long time no see!"
Franky cheerfully waved at him.
"Uh... hehehehe..."
Usopp's laughter trembled miserably.
"Damn it!" Franky growled. "That tyrant actually kidnapped Usopp!"
He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to charge forward.
"I'm going to save him!"
"No need."
Shirogai's calm voice stopped him.
"Usopp is much stronger than you think."
Shirogai looked toward the trembling sniper and spoke with quiet confidence.
"Usopp, what are you afraid of? Did you forget that you possess a powerful Devil Fruit ability now?"
"But... that blade looks really sharp..."
Usopp swallowed nervously while staring at the cold metal touching his neck.
"Relax," Shirogai said with a faint smile. "Even Zoro would find it difficult to kill you now."
"R... really?"
Usopp looked at Zoro with obvious doubt.
Zoro nodded calmly.
"Mm."
Of course, that was assuming Zoro did not use techniques infused with terrifying killing intent.
If he released that kind of power, the problem would not be whether Usopp could be cut.
Usopp would probably faint from the overwhelming pressure before the blade even touched him.
"Don't move!" King Tyrant shouted again. "Move and I'll kill you!"
Usopp clenched his teeth.
"I am a brave warrior of the sea!"
He suddenly trembled violently.
"Giantification!"
Rumble!
The ground shook as Usopp's body expanded rapidly. His limbs stretched and transformed while bark spread across his skin.
In an instant, a massive treant rose from the beach.
Usopp roared proudly.
King Tyrant stared in shock.
His mechanical arm had already transformed into a long sword and stabbed forward.
The blade pierced into the thick bark of the giant tree.
Instead of cutting through, it stuck there.
The former King Tyrant hung awkwardly from the trunk like a mosquito pinned to wood.
His body swayed helplessly in the air.
"This... isn't this the same Devil Fruit ability used by Admiral Aramaki?"
He blinked in disbelief while staring at the enormous tree that used to be Usopp.
Meanwhile, the giant treant laughed proudly.
King Tyrant felt deeply wronged.
I have been tricked.
This coward actually possesses the same Devil Fruit ability as an Admiral.
How shameless.
For half the time he had pretended to be weak while I threatened him.
How despicable.
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