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I slowly stirred awake. I looked over and saw Luffy was still in my bed. I got out of bed and then grabbed the blanket, pulling Luffy off the mattress.
"Get up, lazy bones."
"Gah! I'm up!"
"Nami said she'd meet us on the roof, and then we'll go look at ships."
"Okay!" he said, following me out the door.
"It's too early. Stop talking so loud, or you'll wake people up," I said as we took the stairs up to the roof.
Zoro, Ikki, Wyper, and Chopper were already up there when we arrived. Luffy stretched himself over to a nearby roof and sat alone.
"Morning. You're all up early."
"Couldn't sleep," they all responded.
"Oh, I slept great."
"We rented all those rooms; the least you can do is stay in them," Sanji said, walking out onto the roof.
"Yeah, well, I saw you outside last night, so what does it matter?" Ikki said. "What were you doing?"
"I was keeping watch on the peninsula in case Robin showed up. I don't know where she went, especially without saying anything."
Right, Robin's still not back yet. I'm getting worried. I'll go with Luffy and get a ship, and then I'll start looking. I can't let her wander around all day in case she's in danger.
"Sanji, I want you and Ikki to spend the day looking for Robin."
"We'll have so much fun, Sweet Flower!" Sanji said.
"Chopper, you go with them and make sure they stay on task," I told the reindeer.
"Roger!"
"Wyper, you and Zoro stay here in case Robin makes her way back. I'll be taking Luffy and Nami to get us a ship. If something happens, regroup here on the roof, alright everyone?"
"Luffy! Steve!" Nami called for us, running up to the roof. "There's an emergency! Last night, Iceberg was shot!"
Just great, more crap to get in the way! I thought I was gonna like this city, but so far, it's nothing but trouble.
"He's unconscious right now. He's so important they're calling this the city's greatest tragedy."
"Who is this guy, Nami?" Wyper asked.
"He's the man who helped us at the shipyard yesterday... and he's the mayor of Water Seven."
"A man as respected as him... this is certainly strange," Zoro remarked.
"I'm going to take a look," Luffy said, jumping off the tower.
"Wait for me, moron!" I followed suit and hopped off the roof. "You guys get moving and find Robin."
We landed on the ground, and Nami made her way out the front door. We rented another fish-powered boat and made our way to Galley-La. They were giving out free newspapers, so we grabbed one and started reading the front page.
"Look," Luffy said. "It's on the front page."
"Yeah, this is big. We might not be able to get in to see him," Nami said.
"We won't know until we get there, so let's keep going."
We got to the dock, but there was so much traffic we couldn't even get close to the door. "Looks like we won't be getting in right now," I observed.
A local man told us they were only letting in a select number of reporters because everyone was so concerned they were having trouble controlling the crowd. "Guess this is as close as we can get for now," Nami said.
Some real funky music started ringing out throughout the streets. "What the hell is that racket?" I wondered.
"Oh no, it's them!" "Go away!" people shouted.
"Don't be shy, just ask... ask my name," a man's voice said from behind a curtain.
"We don't want to! Go away!" "I bet he's the one who attacked Iceberg!"
"I know you're here, Straw Hat, and your Torturer friend, too. Show yourselves." The curtain fell to reveal a man and two women tapping their feet in some dumb dance. The man had blue hair and huge arms that were far too big for his body. He was barely wearing any clothes, just a floral shirt and a speedo.
"I'm the most Super! man in all of Water Seven. They call me... Franky!"
Everyone on the street that wasn't me, Luffy, or Nami ran in fear at the mention of this guy's name.
"Who's that weirdo?" Luffy asked.
"Did he just say his name was Franky?" Nami said.
"So this is the elusive Franky," I said, standing up.
"That's him," Luffy said with a look of determination. "Hey, you! I'm Luffy!"
"So you're Luffy? I take it he's Steve?" The man gestured to me. "You two squirts have made a big mess while I was out of town."
"Oh, that?" I told him. "That was just playtime. Where's our money?"
"I spent every penny."
Dammit.
"The money isn't important. I'm gonna kick your ass," Luffy told him.
"I think you have it backwards," Franky replied. "I'll be the one kicking your asses."
"Get down here so we can make you cry for mercy!" I told him. He ignored me and started taking in a deep breath of air.
"What's he doing?" Nami asked.
Suddenly, a huge flame erupted out of Franky's mouth. "What the-!"
"He can breathe fire!"
"Is it a Devil Fruit?" Nami asked.
Franky quickly disproved that by jumping into the canal.
"Maybe not," I said. "If he does have powers, why willingly jump into water?"
A fist shattered our little boat and forced us to flee into the air. "He can swim!"
"I didn't eat a Devil Fruit!"
Now that we were suspended in the air, I attached my whip to a nearby pole and grabbed Nami, swinging us to safety. Luffy went to punch Franky but got hit himself.
"Strong Right!" Franky's fist detached from his arm and slammed into Luffy. The fist was connected to his arm by a large metal chain.
"What the hell is this guy?!"
"Ah, you guys don't know. I guess I'll tell you then..." Franky said as he screwed his fist back onto his arm. "I'm a cyborg."
"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings, cyborg," I said as my whips tied around his waist. I spun in place and hurled Franky over a nearby wall. "Whip Tornado!"
Luffy followed Franky over the wall, and I wasn't too far behind.
"If you're a cyborg, we'll just crush the metal that makes you. Whip Crush!" My weapons slammed into Franky's chest. Luffy's fist wasn't far behind.
"Take this! Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Both attacks moved Franky's body, but they didn't leave even a dent. "Crap. We need more than that, Luffy."
"Fine. Gum-Gum Rifle!" Luffy's twisted arm hit Franky, but the result was the same; he just got moved but took no real damage.
"Strong Right!"
I ducked under the flying punch and grabbed the chain holding it. I pulled it like I would one of my whips and sent Franky hurdling toward Luffy. "Now, Luffy!"
"Dodge this! Gum-Gum Gatling!" A few of Luffy's punches landed before he suddenly stopped attacking. "Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!"
That's right, this guy's metal.
"Your attacks are useless." Franky stood up, and his left hand flipped open to reveal a gun scope. "Weapons Left!"
A rocket shot out, and Luffy and I barely got out of its way. As we hit the ground, the two of us were sent flying into a pile of rubble nearby.
What the hell? Did Franky do that?
Luffy and I dug ourselves out of the pile and saw who attacked us.
"Galley-La?"
They don't look happy. I think this one-on-two is about to become a two-on-one-on-four.
"It ain't nice to interrupt others' fights," Franky told them.
"We would have come for you eventually, Franky," Kaku told the man.
"HOW DO YOU INTEND TO FIX THIS?!" a large bearded man asked.
"Relax, Tilestone, we can deal with that later," Paulie told him. "There's something more important right now."
They still haven't looked at us. Something is wrong here.
"How dare you two show your faces around here?" Paulie said, finally acknowledging us.
"Huh?"
"We heard the news about Ice-Pops, so we came to see him," Luffy told him.
"Wow, so my boys weren't enough for you, huh? You messed with Galley-La too. Wow, you two kids are dumb," Franky remarked.
"We didn't do anything!" I told him.
"If you're going to tell such bold lies, I'll just have to tie you up here! Rope Action: Half Knot!" One of Paulie's ropes tied itself around Luffy's neck and started strangling him.
"Luffy!" I grabbed the rope and got to work untying it. I've never seen such expert rope work. He controls those ropes like my whips.
"Air Drive!" The rope contracted, and Luffy and I got sent flying into a pile of wood near us.
Luffy threw the junk off us. "I don't understand. Why?"
The man with the cowlick shot at us, but Luffy was able to catch the bullets with his body. I slid under him since he was in the air and came face-to-face with the man's boot.
"Ugh!" The heel slammed into my face, and I got planted.
"I told you they're mine!" Franky yelled, shooting at the shipwrights. Kaku and Tilestone were easily able to send Franky flying like it was nothing.
Those two dealt with him, no problem. Am I really weaker than a carpenter?
I pulled myself off the ground to find Luffy dodging a barrage of punches from Lucci. I heard a whizzing noise and ducked under a rope.
"Buzz off!" I grabbed the rope and got into a tug-of-war with Paulie. I snagged one of my whips around his wrist, and the two of us got into a struggle for dominance.
"Tell me why!" I looked over and saw Luffy get sent flying. Just like that, I felt my feet lift off the ground. I had given Paulie an opening, and he took it. He sent me flying until I crash-landed next to Luffy.
"Just give us a reason?!" Luffy begged.
"We're the ones asking for a reason," Paulie told him. "You're the ones who snuck in and shot Iceberg!"
"What are you talking about?! Why would we do that?!"
"Iceberg remembers two people entering his room last night. One of them belongs to your crew. Some woman named Nico Robin."
"Robin?!"
This is a load of crap; no way Robin shot Iceberg.
"I don't know why you did it, but I don't care. I'll kill you here and now!"
I looked over and saw a chisel flying toward Luffy and me. I pulled my friend to the ground, but before we landed, I felt the blade dig into my shoulder.
"GAAHH!"
"Steve!"
THAT'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK! AHHH THIS HURTS. I stood up and pulled the weapon out of my shoulder. "Shut your damn mouth."
"Excuse me?!"
"How dare you talk about her like that? Accusing her of murder. You don't know Robin like I do. Say one more thing about her, and I'll kill you!" I screamed.
"Let us talk to Iceberg," Luffy pleaded. "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Robin wouldn't do that."
"AHH!"
"Nami!" Some punk from the crowd had grabbed Nami just for being with us.
"Put her down now!"
"This is the price you pay. Hurt that man, and you hurt the whole city."
"Just let us talk to Iceberg!" Luffy yelled.
"Enough, Luffy, you can't get them to let you in." A rope shot at Luffy, but I grabbed it midair and held it tight. "We're done fighting you."
I saw that they had changed the guns out for sawblades. It was gonna get bloody if we didn't do something.
"Luffy, we have to run," I told him as we ducked under a blade.
"Fine!"
We tried to get out of there, dodging a barrage of sawblades and cannon fire. We were almost home free when we got pinned to the wall by a bunch of those chisels.
NO! I can't let it end here!
A cannon shot at us and blew up the wall we were connected to. My ears kept ringing for a few minutes, and I was covered in dirt. I can feel my hearing coming back.
"Coup De Vent!" The pile pinning Luffy and I shifted and gave us a chance to escape.
"Nami, let's go!" Luffy grabbed Nami and hurled us up to a nearby tower.
"They're getting away!"
"Let's find the others and start looking for answers," I told Luffy.
Ikki's Point of View
We had been all over town and still no sign of Robin. We had checked the Sea Train and everything. At one point, we stopped back at the Merry to warn Usopp of an incoming storm called Aqua Laguna.
"Sanji... Everyone's looking at me," I said.
"Yeah, I noticed," he said, pulling the hood on my sweatshirt up. "Keep your head down."
It was starting to get bad out, so I had purchased some additional clothing to wear under my usual jacket. During our search of town, Sanji asked someone about Robin, and he called her an assassin. That allowed us to figure out why everyone was looking at me.
"The newspaper," Chopper said.
The paper said that we tried to kill Iceberg. It had pictures of me, Zoro, Luffy, Robin, and Steve.
"We need to hurry. If someone identifies me, we're going to have a problem."
Sniff. "What's the matter, Chop-! ROBIN!"
I looked across the river and saw Robin there. Good, we found her.
"Where have you been? Everyone is worried about you," I told her.
"Let's go back to the hotel," Sanji told her. "A lot has happened. On second thought, stay there; we'll come to you."
"No," she told him. "We are fine where we are... I won't be going back with you."
"Excuse me?" I said, thinking I misheard her.
"We shall say our goodbyes here."
"Robin?"
"Is this about that story in the paper?" Sanji asked. "Don't worry, we don't believe that. They always blame the pirates when bad things happen."
"Yes, you were falsely accused. However, for me, that story is true. I did break in and attempt to kill Iceberg last night," she said bluntly.
No... It can't be. I never liked Robin, but she never struck me as a killer in any way but self-defense.
"I am a darkness that you cannot understand, a darkness that will be the end of you. You will all take the fall for my crime. I will be leaving soon, and the situation will get worse."
"What are you saying? WHY!" I yelled.
"Why? I have no need to tell you why."
"Don't do this, Robin..." I said. "While I was with you, you treated me well. Say 'Hello' to your brother for me."
"Don't turn your back on me!" I yelled. "If you walk away, it will break his heart! You don't understand what that will do to him! If you do that, I'll never forgive you! Don't do this to him... you know how much he cares! He loves you!"
"Goodbye."
"ROBINNNN!"
Sanji and I dove into the water to try and get across the street and stop her, but when we got over to the other side, she was gone.
"Chopper..." Sanji called the deer's attention. "I want you to go back and tell Steve and Luffy what happened here. Don't leave anything out, not a single word... well, you can leave the part about Ikki never forgiving her out."
"What are you two gonna do?"
"Don't worry, I have a plan; we'll be fine," Sanji told him. "Now, go!"
Chopper ran off to find Luffy and my brother and tell them what had transpired.
"You have a plan, and do I really need to be involved?"
"Come on, we don't have much time."