Chapter 77: Thousand Sunny Sets Sail

Chapter 83:

Thousand Sunny Sets Sail

Viewer discretion is advised. Reasons? Franky's recruitment. 'nuff said.

The Straw Hats spent the next three days learning everything they could about Merry as well as helping her figure out what sort of fighting style she wanted to use (at least, after getting over their hangovers. They still weren't sure where that pineapple had come from). Originally, Usopp had been completely against the idea of "his precious Merry" going into battle if he could help it, but he was overruled by numbers and logic; whether he liked it or not, Merry was now a pirate and pirates had to fight for their lives. It was at that point that Merry began experimenting.

As a klabautermann, Merry had the innate ability to control ship parts like magic; how else would she have been able to sail herself to Enies Lobby? But, due to her small size on account of her having been a caravel, she could only control a small amount of items at a time. Her personal favorite were cannonballs, but those were one-use items, so she began practicing with rope instead. Paulie became a great asset when he wasn't helping Franky, Iceberg, Kaku, and the others with the building of the Straw Hats' new ship.

Usopp never did let up on his doating. Where the others had quickly returned to their normal selves, only with Merry as new gear in their well-oiled machine, Usopp continued to treat her like she was his own flesh-and-blood. In all honesty, Merry loved it. She could frequently be found getting piggyback rides from the sniper or riding on his shoulders, laughing with him about this and that. Merry was determined to do all the things that she never could as a ship.

The three days passed quickly, bringing their total time in Water 7 to eight days. The final day came with the announcement that their new ship was ready. Grabbing their stuff, as well as the ten-and-a-half million Beris they had left over after partying and shopping for Merry, the pirates were out the door and ready to see their new home. Zanbai and the rest of the Franky Family stopped them outside, however.

"Straw Hats!" Zanbai yelled, panting. "Big news!"

"What is it?" Coby asked, him in his Dino Mode to carry the tangerine trees as well as his stuff.

"New bounties came out! You're all wanted!"

"All of us?!" Usopp screamed, grabbing Merry in a protective hug.

"Uh, I guess not all of you," Zanbai amended, pointedly looking at Merry, "but everyone that was a key player at Enies Lobby got a bounty. Look!"

"Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy: 300,000,000 Beris

"Pirate Hunter" Roranoa Zoro: 120,000,000 Beris

"Tri-Horn" Coby: 65,000,000 Beris

"Long-Nose" Usopp: 30,000,000 Beris

"Black Leg" Sanji (photo unavailable): 77,000,000 Beris

"Electric Demon" Gin: 100,000,000 Beris

"Cat Burglar" Monkey D. Nami: 30,000,000 Beris

"Mood Painter" Grace Marigold: 20,000,000 Beris

"Weightless Woman" Amy Palant: 28,000,000 Beris

"Monster Doctor" Tony Tony Chopper: 25,000,000 Beris

"Devil-Child" Nico Robin: 80,000,000 Beris

"Cyborg" Franky: 44,000,000 Beris

Luffy's, Zoro's, and Coby's wanted posters were the same, the only difference an updated human picture for the Zoan of the three from their stunt on the judicial island. In the picture, Coby was smirking with Zoro's back behind him, wind whipping his clothes to the right. Usopp's picture was taken right after he shot at the Marines' flag, the fiery shockwave racing out behind him. It was a rather badass picture for the coward. Sanji's picture was not so much a picture, but more of a terrible drawing (you know the one). Gin's picture was one of him from the battle on the bridge, shooting lightning at one of the battleships with a crazed look in his eye and a demented smile. Nami's picture was from the party, her in her bikini and smiling brightly as Luffy pecked her on the cheek, his arms wrapped around her from behind.

Grace's picture was also from the bridge, marines arrayed behind her with various expressions while the girl's eyes were shaded by her hat, her paintbrush in her hand thrown out to the side. Amy's poster had her kicking a marine in the balls while the two were in the air, a sadistic grin on her face. (Luckily for the marine, his face was blurred out.) Chopper's had a picture of him diving into cotton candy at the celebration party, the innocent act completely at odds with the largish bounty. Robin's picture was also updated, her having her arms crossed while marines were being bent over backwards behind her. Finally, Franky's was just him screaming.

"This is awesome!" Luffy grinned. "I wonder how much we're worth in total."

"This is terrible!" Nami cried. "And why am I 'Monkey D. Nami'?! ...Although, that is a nice picture."

"Fufufu," Robin chuckled. "I suppose that, by all technicality, you and the Captain are married now."

"Nami-swan is married?!"

"But why?" the navigator demanded.

"It's not a big deal," Luffy waved off, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend-now-technically-wife. He planted a kiss on her cheek. "At least now I can tell everyone you're mine." Nami blushed, but did not respond.

"I think, Captain Luffy, that the right way to say that is that you are hers," Coby quipped. "We went over that in the Rainbow Mist."

"How did they know that Chopper is our doctor?" Zoro questioned, an eyebrow lifting at the 25 million Beri bounty. "And how did they get all of our names?"

"I might have been interviewed during the party," Amy chuckled, awkwardly fiddling with her parasol. "They asked questions about us and I was drunk enough to answer them. I remember getting paid in some way, too."

"So that's were all those lemons came from!" Gin gasped.

"W-Why is my name 'Long-Nose'?!" Usopp demanded, his fists crinkling the edges of his poster. "Didn't I do enough for a cooler nickname?! What the He-eeeeck." The sniper censored himself. Sure, he knew that technically Merry had heard all of them curse (and more in the case of two specific people), but she still looked like a little girl to him and he wanted to keep her that way.

"Yours reads 'high offender for the burning of Marine flags', Usopp," Coby pointed out, reading the words over the sniper's shoulder. "That means your bounty is more out of insult than battle prowess. It does have a cool picture, though."

"Why is mine a drawing?" Sanji sulked. He was not having a good day.

"Wow!" Luffy blinked. "It looks just like you, Sanji!"

"No it doesn't!" the cook shouted over Zoro's laughter.

"It's not even a good drawing," Grace commented. "I mean really. These pencil markings are so shabby. I could make a better picture with my feet."

"Grace, look," Amy cooed. "You and I have awesome nicknames. 'Mood Painter' is so much cooler than anything like 'Tri-Horn'."

"Hey!" Coby whined. "Not nice!"

"Zoro and I reached 100 million," Gin smirked. "Sorry, Sanji." Robin giggled at the cook who became even more depressed.

"All together, we are worth 875 million Beris," Chopper offered.

"I have a feeling that number will go up soon," Coby muttered. "Captain Luffy's got that look in his eye."

"Not the look!" Usopp gasped theatrically before actually gasping. "Oh crap! The government knows my face! Shi-iiiitaki mushrooms."

"At least Kaya now has a picture of you," Zoro smirked, "...Long-Nose."

"How are you guys taking this so calm?!" Zanbai questioned before shaking his head. "Never mind. We need to ask you all a favor. Please, take Big Bro Franky with you." He paused. "Oh, uh, and congratulations," he added to Luffy and Nami.

"Why?" Usopp demanded, dropping his poster in favor of pulling Merry close. Yeah, Franky was a cyborg, and that was awesome, but he was also an unrepentant pervert. Usopp wanted that Speedo-wearing hentai nowhere near his little Merry. On the other side of the group, the look in Luffy's eye got brighter.

"Big Bro's wanted now!" Zanbai yelled hysterically. "Everyone in Water 7 knows his face. He'd never be safe here! With you all, however..."

"Heard and accepted!" Luffy stated with his contagious grin. "I'll go ask him right now!"

"That brings our total up to 919 million Beris," Robin commented.

"Luffy, no!" Usopp tried. "Think of the children!"

"But I like Franky," Merry countered from the sniper's arms. "And he's a cyborg! That's so cool!"

"He won't go if you just ask," Kiwi sighed.

"Big Bro wants to go with you," Mozu picked up, "but he doesn't want to leave us alone. You'll have to force him to accept."

"In that case, I've got the perfect plan," Luffy smirked.

The ship that the shipwrights of Water 7 had built was amazing. It was a Brig Sloop a total of two-and-a-half times as big as Merry had been and painted red, yellow, and white with a big, circular door on each side with a red 1. The deck was unique, covered with live grass, a couple of trees with a swing set, and a hidden pool. The pathway to the aft deck was a stairway up on one side and a slide down the other. The inside was filled with several special rooms including, but not limited to, a dining hall/kitchen with an aquarium, a doctor's office, men and women's bedrooms, and a workshop. Another two layers sat on top of the doors on the deck, the second floor with three different doors and the third with only one painted with the jolly roger.

The top of the main mast held the crow's nest which doubled as both a weight training area and an observatory while the community bathroom was at the end of the ship. A secondary mast poked out from over the third floor, the black flag of the Straw Hat Pirates flying proudly from the top of both masts. The figurehead looked like a lion with crossbones under it and a large paw on either side, though Iceberg kept insisting that he thought it was a sunflower. The steering wheel was just behind it on the bow, a giant log pose set into the floor beside the wheel for easy viewing. The Straw Hat crew was all over the place, exploring their new home while the Franky Family put Luffy's terrifying, brilliantly-stupid plan into action. Iceberg watched them scurry with a smile. The only Straw Hat not on the ship, Franky notwithstanding, was Coby who was on the ground talking with Kaku, giving him advice about controlling his Zoan powers. The two that had hit it off at Enies Lobby had taken to hanging together since returning, turning into the best of friends in a short amount of time.

"Um, question!" Nami called, poking her had out of the women's bedroom. "Why are there only four beds in here when there are five women on the crew?"

"Well, that's because you aren't sleeping in there with the other women," Iceberg chuckled. "Yours and Straw Hat's master bedroom is on the third level. It's the door with the jolly roger."

"...What?" Nami croaked. Luffy bounced over from where he had been enjoying the lawn deck.

"Did I hear my name?"

"You did, Straw Hat," Iceberg nodded. "I was just telling your wife about the room you two will be sharing. Congratulations, by the way. Well, it is equipped with an extra-large king-sized bed (appropriate for the future King of Pirates), a private bathroom and shower, a map-making table with all the essentials, and extra soundproofing among other things."

"D-D-Did you just say soundproofing?" Nami stuttered, her face coloring.

"Well, of course," the blue-haired man smirked. "We can't have you two waking your crew with the kind of noises I heard coming from the bedrooms during the party, now can we? I was certain I locked those, by the way."

"Whose idea was it for me to room with Luffy?"

"Mine," the captain smiled. "After what happened during the party-" He was cut off, the orange-haired girl punching him over the head. "Ow," Luffy whined. "What was that for?"

"Why didn't you ask me?" Nami demanded, hands on her hips.

"I thought it was a good idea and when I talked to Franky, he said it's better to 'ax forgery than germ nations' or something like that."

Nami stormed away toward her orchard with a huff, red-faced and completely embarrassed. It wasn't that she was against the idea, it was just so unexpected. Luffy, unabashed, turned to the blue-haired man and asked how to get to their room so he could try out the new, shared bed.

When Franky fell from the sky with nothing to cover his modesty, Usopp shoved Merry into the women's quarters and refused to let her out on the grounds of "preserving her innocence".

"Ow!" Franky yelled, making no move to cover his nether regions as he chooses his way out of the scrap heap he'd landed in. "You bastards are going to super pay for that one!"

"Put some pants on!" Usopp yelled, ignoring Merry's shouts to let her out or the thumping on the door behind him. If they had been on the Going Merry, she would have been able to just pass through the wall, but now she was grounded to her Heart and couldn't fade into the ship. (She could, however, release her physical body, which was a manifestation of her soul, and hide inside her Heart, but that wouldn't let her get through walls.) "There are children watching!"

"Oi!" Luffy yelled, jumping up to stand on the railing with Franky's single pair of briefs in his hand. "If you want your pants back, you have to join my crew!"

"Like I care!" Franky waved off. "I don't need my briefs."

"The Franky Family did say we would need to get forceful," Coby mused.

"Allow me, Captain," Robin smiled sadistically. "Dos Fleur: Grab."

"AHHHHHH!" Every male in the vicinity winced at the sound of Franky's wail. Robin had sprouted two arms from the cyborg's legs and preceded to grab and squeeze his "batteries". Franky collapsed, screaming to the highest heavens.

"Kyahahaha!"

"Robin!" Luffy gasped over Amy's sadistic laughter. "I want him to still be a man when he joins!"

"That's too cruel," Coby winced, covering his own protectively.

"Stop it, Robin!" Chopper pleaded. "That can't be good for him!"

"She's going to crush them!" Kiwi gasped.

"Like little grapes!" Mozu added on.

"Let me go!" Franky cried, trying and failing to stand up through the pain.

"I will do no such thing until you comply with my captain's order," Robin's even voice answered over the shipwright's pain-filled cries.

"I won't join you!" Franky tried to protest. "There are too many things I have to finish here!"

"No there aren't!" Zanbai denied, a packed bag dropping to the ground next to the head of the Franky Family. "We know what you want in your heart, Bro! You're safer with them!"

"You morons!" the cyborg yelled. "What would you do without me?!"

"Iceberg was nice enough to offer us work at Galley-La!" one of the half-Giants answered. "He said something about having people just for dismantling freeing up more shipwrights for, uh... mantling."

"Construction," Zanbai corrected.

"Yeah, that!"

"Go on, Big Bro!" Kiwi urged.

"They need you more than us," Mozu added.

"But... but- AHHHH!"

"She's going to crush them!"

"Like little acorns!"

"Franky," Iceberg cut in, stepping ahead of Paulie, Tilestone, Lulu, and a kneeling Kaku. "The only reason you want to stay here is because you still blame yourself for Tom's death and you're trying to punish yourself. We know you aren't really happy here. We've known for months. These pirates, they're your ticket to the freedom you want."

"I gave them my Ship of Dreams," Franky shot back, wincing. "My job is done!"

"No, it's not." Iceberg shook his head. "I remember when you first told us about that dream. You said that once you'd built your dream ship, then you'd join that crew to make sure it made it to the end of the world. You've built the ship, now do the rest of it."

"Iceberg..." Franky whispered. He broke down, clutching his manhood and crying about it hurting so much, tears flowing from his eyes. "It hurts! Oh, Goda, it fucking huuuurts! Waaahhh!"

"She's going to crush them!"

"Like little cantaloupes!"

"Robin!" Luffy whined. "I thought I told you to stop!"

"I let go a long time ago," Robin waved off.

"You better wash your hands," Zoro quipped. "We don't know where those things have been."

"You mean he's faking it?" Chopper questioned.

"It's his excuse to cry," Gin offered. "Anyone who calls himself a man will refuse to cry out of emotion. Franky? He's trying to pass it off as pain."

"It's not working too well," Amy laughed.

"Yeah," Gin chuckled. "Don't tell him that."

"Alright, Franky!" Luffy yelled, throwing the man's briefs to him. "Get on my ship!"

"Your ship, huh?" Franky laughed, wiping the last few tears out of his eyes. "Fine. An amateur like you would sink her in a week without a shipwright."

"The Marines are coming!" someone in the crowd yelled.

"Hurry up!" Luffy ordered. "Everyone set sail! We're getting out of here!" Franky scrambled on board, hastily putting his garment back on so Usopp could let their little Wood Fairy out.

"Hey, Wind!" Coby called over the side of the ship. "If the Marines find you, or if you ever need a place to go, you're welcome to join us! I'd convince Captain Luffy to let you on!"

"Thanks, little man!" Kaku called back, "but I think my place is here! I'll see you cool cats again if you return to Water 7! Good luck out there! And remember what I told you! It's definitely there! I expect to hear good news soon! You've got my number?"

"Yeah! I still don't think you're right about that, but I hope so! Thanks, Wind!" Turning away, Coby joined the rest of the crew as they prepared for departure. The pirates scurried about, Merry's ship powers being no small boon to their efficiency since she could control up to a third of the ship at any time.

Grace glanced at Coby from where she was checking the knots on the tied-down supplies, an eyebrow raised. "Wind?"

"My nickname for Kaku," he answered with a grunt, pulling a rope into place. "They call him the Spring Wind; I just shortened it. I learned a lot from him this week."

"Like what?"

"Grandpa's here!" Luffy yelled, interrupting their conversation as a Marine battleship with a dog figurehead rounded the island.

"Luffy!" Garp called through a microphone. "I know you can hear me! Just surrender and I can pull some strings to get you and your friends enlisted in the Navy!" He paused. "Congratulations, by the way!" he added. "I'm so proud of you! Now join the Marines!"

"No way!" Luffy shouted. "I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

"And he says he can recognize lost causes?" Amy sighed quietly.

"That family," Gin agreed with a shake of his head.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but apparently not catching you because you're my grandson didn't fly with Sengoku, so I'll have to send you, your friends, and your wife to a watery grave! I'll send a gift later if you survive! Meteor Fist!" A cannonball faster than any the pirates had ever seen whizzed by just behind their new ship. They all gasped, Merry especially; she hadn't even had time to try to take control of it. Hardening her gaze, the klabautermann planted herself where she could see all of the oncoming projectiles. Another volley raced toward the ship as Merry thrust her hands forward, the iron balls slowing until the came to a stop hovering over the ocean.

"I am the spirit of the Going Merry, the original ship of the Straw Hat Pirates!" she shouted, hoping her voice reached the marines. The cannonballs began spinning around each other, shocking the people watching. "I sailed myself to save my family from the destruction of Enies Lobby and, as long as I'm around, no one will harm my Nakama with cannons! Cannonball Barrage!" With her final declaration, the little girl threw the cannonballs back toward the marines. Even though the projectiles weren't as fast as when Garp had thrown them and said man was able to easily deal with them, Merry smiled at getting her point across. Who knew? Maybe she'd get a bounty for this.

"Merry!" Usopp cried, pulling her from the railing. "Are you nuts?! What if they got a picture of you?!"

"Then I'd have a better wanted poster than Sanji," Merry laughed, the chef sinking to the grassy deck at how true the statement was. "And I'd have a cooler epithet than you." Usopp joined Sanji in their wallowing of self-pity.

"More are headed this way!" Zoro yelled, cutting two cannonballs in half with a flying slash. Next to him, Gin had managed to condense lightning into pellets and was firing them out of finger pistols to blow up whatever projectiles he could.

"Hey, Franky!" Coby shouted, flying slashes of his own redirecting cannonballs. "Does this thing have a quick-escape?!"

"Sure does!" the cyborg called back, a Weapons Left blowing a trio of projectiles out of the air. "But we can't leave yet! This is the ship's maiden voyage! She can't leave the island without a name!"

"But what will we call her...it?" Amy questioned, batting a cannonball upward with her umbrella. "Do all ships have a gender?"

"Well, Iceberg suggested the Thousand Sunny, something about sailing a thousand sunny days to the end of the Earth, but personally, I'm all for Super Battle Franky Lion King Alpha!"

"The Thousand Sunny!" Luffy yelled ecstatically, ignoring the sounds of exploding cannonballs. "Hey, Merry? Does the ship like her name?"

"I can't answer that," Merry responded, flicking a dozen cannonballs to the right so they missed the ship. "She isn't alive. We haven't had her long enough for her to start having a klabautermann, yet. And honestly, Amy, I'm not sure how ship gender works. Most ships are assumed female, but that doesn't mean there can't be male ships as well. We'll just have to wait until Sunny has enough consciousness to tell us."

"Oh." Luffy seemed disappointed, but he bounced back quickly. "She'll be called the Thousand Sunny! And she'll be a she until we're told otherwise because that's easier! Franky, hit the emergency whatsit!"

"Alright," Franky saulked. No one was listening to his Franky-themed suggestion. "I'll need about 30 seconds. Lil' Sis, get the sails furled!"

"Sure thing, Big Bro!" Merry responded, grabbing a rope and having it pull her upwards.

"We've got you covered," Usopp cheered, knocking three balls out of the air with well-placed Gunpowder Stars. The cannonballs continued to rain down on the pirate vessel, but, try as he might, Garp could only throw so fast. The Straw Hats' teamwork easily kept up with his steady stream of attacks. Finally, Garp brought out the ball-and-chain, a chain connected to an iron ball even bigger than the Marine ship itself. Where he'd kept it, the pirates hadn't a clue.

"Franky!" Chopper wailed. "Hurry!"

"We're ready!" the shipwright called, pink energy accumulating in a large vent at the back of the ship. "This thing takes three barrels of Cola, but thanks to the durability of the Adam wood, Sunny will be able to withstand the pressure."

"No way!" Merry gasped, feeling the power building up in the ship below her feet.

"Coup de Burst!" Franky pulled a lever, releasing all the energy that had build up. He wasn't a moment too soon, the ship shooting away into the air just before the shadow of Garp's ridiculously-big weapon passed over it. They were flying.

"No offence, Lil' Sis," Franky began, the rest of the crew marveling at the fact that they were flying once more, "but the Thousand Sunny is better than you ever were as a ship. She's my super masterpiece and she'll be known as the greatest ship ever built!"

"I was never made for this," Merry idly waved off, leaning over the railing to watch the ocean race past. Usopp was behind her in an instant, his arms making sure she didn't fall off.

The ship splashed down a kilometer away, both Water 7 and the marines long out of sight. Quickly, Sanji scrounged up a feast and Luffy raised a glass. "Here's to having Robin back, to our two new crewmembers Franky and Merry, my unofficial marriage, and to our new ship the Thousand Sunny! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" everyone chorused, their mugs coming together between them.

End of Chapter 83

Unfortunately, I think this'll be the start of a short (hopefully) Hiatus until I get the Thriller Bark Arc done and get started on the next.

No one was able to guess how Coby got his new transformations, but I can say that it won't be until after Thriller Bark. Did that give anyone a hint? It is Canon (I think).

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods