Chapter 161: Pursuit! The Rampaging rocketman
On the ruins of the Galley-La Company headquarters, rainwater mixed with ash, flowing in black, muddy streams.
"Cough, cough..."
Tatsuya knelt on one knee, his body swaying slightly.
That last strike had nearly drained all of his Chakra and physical strength; even standing up felt like an arduous task at this moment.
"Tatsuya!"
Nami rushed over, carefully helping him up and letting him lean against a broken wall.
She looked at Tatsuya's pale face and the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Nami's heart throbbed with pain, but more than that, she felt an indescribable sense of shock.
"That move you just used... it was terrifying."
As Nami wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief, she looked at those eyes that were slowly losing their crimson hue, her voice trembling slightly:
"That giant lightning beast... are you a god?"
"A god? Don't joke around."
Tatsuya gave a bitter smile, his voice weak yet still carrying a hint of playfulness:
"Do you want to be a god's wife?"
Nami pinched his cheek. "Hmph! What kind of nonsense are you talking about!"
Just then, Iceburg, who had been rescued from the ruins' safe room by the foremen, walked over supported by a group of shipwrights.
The Mayor of Water 7 looked at this group of "monster" pirates who had just sent the legendary CP9 fleeing in panic, the shock in his eyes unable to dissipate for a long time.
"Straw Hat... and the rest of you..."
Iceburg took a deep breath, looking at Luffy with a complex expression:
"You all thought Nico Robin had betrayed you, didn't you?"
Luffy clenched his fists and remained silent.
"Actually... she was being blackmailed."
Iceburg spoke in a heavy tone, revealing the grim truth.
"Those CP9 fellows have a Golden Transponder Snail in their hands, capable of launching a 'Buster Call'."
"The reason Nico Robin was willing to go with them was to protect you... from the certain destruction of a Buster Call."
These words instantly cleared the fog in the hearts of the Straw Hat crew.
The previous confusion, lack of understanding, and even the anger of being betrayed vanished in an instant.
"To... protect us?"
Luffy snapped his head up, his eyes shining terrifyingly bright in the darkness:
"To hell with the Buster Call! To hell with the World Government!"
"I should have beaten that leopard to death just now!!"
Luffy slammed a fist into the wall beside him, shattering the stone bricks to pieces.
"Since they've escaped, we'll chase them! We're taking Robin back!!"
"Calm down, Luffy."
Zoro sheathed his swords:
"Those guys are heavily injured, especially the long-nosed one and the leopard. They won't be able to run fast."
"To get to Enies Lobby, they have to take the Sea Train."
"Purupurupurupuru..."
Just then, Sanji's Transponder Snail rang.
"Hello? This is Mr. Prince."
Sanji's voice came from the other end, intentionally lowered, accompanied by the sounds of whistling wind and crashing waves:
"Luffy? Listen, I've been tracking that big-nosed woman."
"The CP9 crew has taken Robin-chan onto the last Sea Train—the 'Puffing Tom'. I've also snuck on board."
"Sanji!!" Luffy was overjoyed. "Is Robin with you?"
"Yeah, I see her. But there are many enemies. I'll stay hidden for now and wait for you all to rendezvous with me."
After hanging up, everyone's goal was clear.
"Chase them! Pursuit the Sea Train!"
However, reality threw a bucket of cold water on them.
"It's no use."
Paulie looked at the towering waves outside, his expression grim:
"Right now, the 'Aqua Laguna' is at its peak."
"In these sea conditions, no ship can set sail. Even Bull mounts would be instantly crushed."
"We... have no ship left."
An air of despair spread once more.
The going merry was no longer seaworthy, and other ships couldn't make it out.
"SUPER!!! Ow ow ow..."
Just then, a voice both mechanical and filled with painful groans rang out.
Franky appeared, stumbling into the ruins with his Square Sisters and underlings.
Franky was in a wretched state; his proud pompadour had collapsed, clearly having suffered quite a bit from the earlier Kirin.
"Straw Hat! You guys really are here!"
Franky clutched his still-smoking abdomen, shouting through gritted teeth.
Seeing Franky, Iceburg breathed a long sigh of relief:
"Franky... I'm glad you're okay. If you were taken, those 'blueprints' would be in danger."
"Tch, don't underestimate me." Franky spat out a glob of bloody saliva.
"Those government lapdogs nearly took my life."
"But if they want to catch me, they're a hundred years too early!"
Though he talked tough, there was a faint, hard-to-detect trace of wariness in the look Franky gave Luffy.
He had personally experienced that lightning pillar that descended from the heavens earlier.
"Is there really no ship..."
Iceburg looked at the dejected Straw Hat crew, then out at the raging storm.
He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, pointing toward an abandoned warehouse in the shipyard:
"If it's that vehicle... maybe we can break through."
"That vehicle?" Luffy was confused.
"It was a prototype built during the development of the 'Puffing Tom', and it's the only failure."
A flash of madness crossed Iceburg's eyes:
"The Rampaging Sea Train—rocketman!"
"Because its speed cannot be controlled and it has no brakes, it goes wild once it starts, so it was never put into use."
"Furthermore... only Franky and I know how to start and drive it."
Upon hearing this, Luffy's dim eyes instantly lit up like two searchlights.
"I'm back in action!!"
Ignoring his injuries, Luffy walked straight up to Franky.
"Hey, Speedo-man!"
"Lend me that train! I'm going to save Robin!"
"Huh?!"
Franky's sunglasses flashed as if he had heard the world's biggest joke.
He pointed to his collapsed pompadour and his body full of wounds:
"Straw Hat, has your brain gone bad?"
"You guys just tore down my home, hurt my underlings, and beat me up this badly... and now you actually want to borrow my vehicle??"
"Keep dreaming! Why on earth would I help a bunch of pirates like you!"
Behind him, Zambai and the Franky Family underlings also began to clamor:
"That's right! Big Bro! Ignore them!"
"These pirates are demons! Especially that Crimson Lotus! He almost killed Big Bro Zambai earlier!"
"Who would dare lend them a vehicle!"
Amidst the noise, Tatsuya, who had been silent, slowly raised his head.
He didn't release any Haki; he simply gave the group of underlings a cold glance.
It was just a single look.
The punks who were just shouting instantly felt a chill on their necks.
It was as if they saw that terrifying image of a giant fireball being stuffed into their mouths again.
"Uh..."
Everyone shut up instantly like ducks being choked, looking at Tatsuya in terror and taking a collective step back.
"Franky."
Tatsuya spoke, his voice calm:
"We tore down your home and beat your people; we can settle that debt slowly later."
"I also admit that we indeed went too far."
"But the enemy now is CP9 and the World Government. I think you know their true faces better than we do."
"If you help us, the money... and our apology, will all be given to you."
However, Franky remained unmoved: "I'm not short on money! This is a matter of principle!"
Just then.
Thump.
The sound of knees hitting the ground rang out.
The entire area went silent.
Luffy, the Captain who usually dared to throw a punch even in the face of an Admiral, had knelt down before Franky without hesitation.
His hands were on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor, his voice sincere to the extreme:
"Speedo-man Mister!!"
"I'm sorry for what happened before! I was the one who sent you flying!"
"But... I'm begging you!!"
Luffy looked up, his clear eyes devoid of any ulterior motives, containing only a stubborn devotion to his friend:
"Robin is a very important comrade to us! Without that train, we won't be able to catch up to her!"
"Please... lend us the vehicle!!"
This kneel carried immense weight.
Franky was stunned.
He looked at Luffy's bruised face, at this man who could set aside all pride for the sake of a comrade.
In that instant.
The image of his mentor who sacrificed himself to protect him—Mr. Tom—surfaced in his mind.
"For a comrade... huh?"
Franky's expression changed.
"OW!!!!"
Franky suddenly let out a long howl toward the sky and gave his hair a vigorous swipe.
That collapsed pompadour miraculously stood back up, even more pointed than before!
"Since you've got that kind of backbone... then I'll join you in this madness!!"
Franky struck a "SUPER" pose, a grin spreading from ear to ear:
"Listen up! The rocketman is an untamable beast; only a super pervert like me can handle it!"
"I'm not lending the vehicle..."
"But I'll drive you there myself!!"
"Let's go turn that government island... upside down!!!!"
"Oohhh!! Awesome!!" Luffy jumped up in joy.
This scene completely ignited the passion of everyone present.
"B-Big Bro is going?!"
Zambai, Kiwi, Mozu, and the others were moved to tears, snot bubbles popping:
"If Big Bro is going... then we're going too!!"
"We'll go to cheer Big Bro on and take revenge on those government bastards while we're at it!"
It wasn't just the Franky Family.
Paulie, Tilestone, and the other foremen also stepped forward, weapons in hand, anger burning in their eyes:
"Count us in!"
"Our president was almost killed; we can't swallow this! The craftsmen of Galley-La aren't to be trifled with!"
The three formerly hostile factions—pirates, ship-dismantlers, and shipwrights—miraculously formed an alliance at this moment.
"Alright!!"
Luffy laughed, pumping his fist:
"Then everyone's going! Men! Get on board!!"
...
In the storm, the gates of Dock 1's abandoned warehouse swung open.
With the combined effort of hundreds of people, the sinister-looking dark blue train with shark teeth painted on its front—the rocketman—was pushed onto the tracks.
"So this is... the Rampaging Train!"
The cars were packed with people, and the Franky Family underlings hung out of the windows like sardines.
In the driver's cab, Franky put on his goggles and grabbed the control levers.
"Listen up! This isn't a sightseeing tour!"
Franky yanked the whistle, and the shark-headed engine let out visible, violent steam:
"Hold on tight! This wild horse bites!!"
"rocketman Launch!!!!"
Rumble!!!
With a roar like a monster's howl, the rocketman's wheels ground against the rails, throwing off dazzling sparks.
It didn't have a slow acceleration phase; it catapulted forward at maximum speed!
Ahead were the giant tsunamis tens of meters high—the 'Aqua Laguna'.
"Charge!!!!"
Amidst the shouts of everyone, the rocketman's front tilted up high.
Using the slope of the tracks, it soared into the air like a fearless, crazed dragon, plunging headfirst into the massive waves.
The waves were torn apart, water splashing a hundred meters into the air.
"Yahoo!!!!"
Luffy stood on the shark head of the rampaging rocketman, letting the wind and rain lash his face.
He held onto a headlight with one hand and raised the other high, shouting toward the pitch-black night sky:
"Robin!! We're coming for you!!!!"
Inside the car.
Tatsuya sat by the window, leaning back against the seat, looking somewhat tired.
Nami snuggled close in his arms, feeling incredibly safe even amidst the jolting.
Across from them, Zoro was still clutching his three swords.
As the train vibrated violently, his head bobbed up and down, and he actually... fell asleep.
"This guy... to be able to sleep in this situation, he's a real monster," Nami muttered in disbelief.
Tatsuya smiled slightly and didn't wake Zoro.
He turned his head and looked through the window at the receding Water 7 and the turbulent, dark sea ahead.
"Heh..."
Tatsuya pushed up his glasses, recalling the sight of Lucci's back as he fled earlier, a smile playing on his lips.
"Lucci... the way you ran away just now was truly pathetic."
"Just wait."
"Since you've invited us to hell..."
"Not only will we go... we'll tear that place to shreds."
"Wooooo!!!"
The rocketman let out another earth-shaking whistle, breaking through the final giant wave.
It carved a straight path through the storm-tossed night sky, speeding toward the island at the end of the darkness that never sleeps—Enies Lobby!
Loving Book So Far Check Out 80+ Advanced Chapters At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FicTonic1