Luffy and the crew resumed their journey after their encounter with Leon, anchoring sometime during the night for everyone to sleep. They were currently sailing through calm waters, with a clear blue sky above them. The weather was so nice that Nami and Nojiko decided to do some relaxing on the lawn chairs on the rear deck. Robin was currently sitting at the dining table in the galley, reading one of her books. The couple of days after their encounter with Aokiji, she had been slightly nervous, but after seeing Luffy's display against Leon, she had relaxed a bit and returned to how she was before the encounter with the admiral. Sanji was currently in the galley with Robin, preparing lunch for the crew while Usopp and Chopper were sitting on the floor of the main deck. Usopp tinkered with his slingshot, experimenting with new ammo combinations to boost his firepower. He had several tools and various equipment scattered around him. Chopper sat not too far away from him, watching what he was doing closely, occasionally offering some advice, or asking questions about what the crew's sniper was doing. In return, Usopp would tell Chopper tales of the great Captain Usopp and his various conquests, earning himself some amazement from the ship's doctor. Zoro was currently standing at the front of the ship, looking ahead. The swordsman had not too long woken up from one of his naps, and now he stood with all three of his swords strapped to his waist.
As everyone was going about their various task around the ship, Luffy was sitting on his bed in his private quarters holding the microphone to a transponder snail in his hand. He was currently on with Paula.
"You will be getting a visitor soon," he said into the mic.
"Oh?" Paula's voice questioned. "Is it the good kind of visitors, or the bad?" she asked in an unserious tone that Luffy had all too gotten used to.
"The good kind," he said seriously. "It's going to be the Crimson Breaker," he said, causing an audible gasp to come through the snail.
"The Crimson Breaker!?" Paula asked in a surprised/panicked voice. "You want to reevaluate your definition of a 'good guest,' boss?" she asked.
"It will be fine," Luffy said calmly. "He now works for me," he added. Even though Luffy could not see her, he could feel her eyes widen in shock. "He will be in charge of operations here in Paradise," he added.
"So, I answer to him now?" she asked cautiously.
"You answer to me," Luffy said strongly. "Everyone else in Paradise answers to him," he added with a smirk. "Just don't let him know that," he added with a chuckle.
"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied with a giggle.
"How is business otherwise?" Luffy asked, shifting the conversation.
"Business is picking up for sure," she answered in a cheery tone. "We are getting large orders for arms from all four of the Blues. We had to bribe a few Marine Captains to smuggle the weapons in, but other than that, no hiccups so far," she said, causing Luffy to nod. "The civil war in the West Blue has thus been our biggest customer," she added.
"Keep track of those bribes," Luffy said seriously. "Could be used to blackmail those same captains when we need a favor," he said. He was quite pleased with the way things were progressing.
"Don't worry, Asura, I got everything recorded," she said, earning a smile from Luffy. "I also told Paul about the Sakura Kingdom's current problems, which are holding up their production of medicine. He said he would be sending some of his people to meet with them to inspect the current state of things," He explained, causing Luffy to nod once more, remembering his conversation with Dalton. "I would estimate it won't be until a few months until we can get them fully up and running," she added. Luffy stared up at the ceiling of his room in contemplation of what she just said.
"Tell Paul once he has a thorough understanding of what is needed, I don't mind spending a bit more if it means we can get up and running faster," he said in a serious tone. "Have we been getting a lot of orders for their medicine?" he asked.
"Yes," Paula confirmed. "We have been getting a steady flow of orders from all four Blues and here in the Grand Line, a lot of which we cannot fill at the moment," she admitted, causing Luffy to frown.
"That's going to be a problem," Luffy said with a sigh. "But I suppose it can't be helped. Better to go through this now to get things fully up and running," he added, letting out another sigh.
"I agree," Paula said.
"Anything else to report?" Luffy asked.
"Nothing else for now," she said, causing Luffy to nod before responding.
"Very well, I'll be in touch," he said before hanging up the transponder snail.
Luffy then stood up from his bed, placing the transponder snail back into his chest before making his way out of his quarters. As he opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight, the sea breeze hit him, causing his captain's coat to billow in the wind. Walking down the stairs, he walked past Usopp and Chopper. He gave Chopper a small pat on the head before making his way to the front of the ship, where his vice-captain was standing.
"See land yet?" he asked as he walked up to Zoro, getting his attention.
"Nothing yet," the swordsman replied, turning to look at his captain. Luffy walked up and stood behind him, staring out at the calm ocean in front of them.
"We shouldn't be far out," Luffy said as he took off his straw hat and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Huh?" Zoro suddenly said in a confused tone, causing Luffy to look over at him. "What the heck is that?" he said as he pointed out ahead of them. Luffy turned in the direction that Zoro was pointing to see something swimming in the water ahead of them. Both Luffy and Zoro squinted their eyes, trying to get a better look at what was in front of them. As the creature appeared a bit clearer from behind some of the waves, Zoro's mouth fell open in shock while Luffy couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, which was all too familiar. It was a giant frog with yellow-brown skin and black hair worn in a topknot doing the front crawl stroke. "It is a frog doing the font crawl," he whispered in astonishment.
"That's Yokozuna for you," Luffy said with a chuckle. "That's how you know we are close," he added. Zoro turned around and ran back to the rails of the bow, which overlooked the main deck.
"Usopp! Chopper!" Zoro shouted, getting everyone on the ships' attention, not just the two he called. "Come quick! A frog is doing the front crawl!" he said, surprising everyone.
"The front crawl?" Usopp asked suspiciously.
"Really?" Chopper questioned. "I wonder if it's that same frog we heard about," he added as the two of them began making their way up to the bow of the ship. By now, everyone else had stopped what they were doing and begun making their way to the front of the ship as well to see what all the commotion was about. As the entire crew stood on the deck of the bow and looked out in front of them, they all saw a giant frog doing the front crawl.
"Meet Yokozuna," Luffy said to everyone. "He's famous in these parts," he added with a chuckle. To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement.
"It's doing the front crawl," Nojiko said in amazement.
"That must be the frog that sank the ship those castaways we met were on," Robin noted as she folded her hands.
"Follow the frog," Luffy ordered, snapping everyone out of their amazement.
"Huh?!" they all asked in unison.
"Why would we follow that frog?" Nami asked as she noticed it was swimming in a different direction from where the log-pose was pointing.
"Don't worry," Luffy replied calmly. "It's all going to take us to the same place," he said before a smirk appeared on his face. "Besides, if you think a frog doing the front crawl is shocking, just wait until you see where that frog is going," she said, piquing his crew's curiosity.
"You hear the captain!" Zoro said, snapping everyone out of their wonder. "Follow that frog!" he shouted, causing everyone to scatter about. Chopper ran to take control of the rudder while Sanji and Usopp began adjusting the sails. As the ship began following Yokozuna, they all noticed that it was swimming in the direction of a lighthouse.
"Is that a lighthouse?" Nami asked herself as she held up a pair of binoculars. "What's a lighthouse doing out here?" she asked with a confused expression on her face. As they were getting closer and closer to the lighthouse, Luffy suddenly looked back at everyone and barked out commands.
"Raise the Sails!" he shouted back, causing Usopp and Sanji to spring into action.
"Aye Aye, Captain!" they replied as they tugged on the ropes, pulling the sails up.
"Drop the anchor!" Luffy shouted out once more. Zoro ran up to the anchor after hearing his captain's command and dropped it into the water. The ship began to slow down rapidly before everyone felt the anchor take hold, and the ship jerked forward before coming to a complete stop a few feet away from the line of yellow floats in the water in front of them. As everyone made their way back to the front of the ship to see why they had stopped suddenly, Yokozuna leaped out of the water and landed about twenty feet away.
"No way," Sanji said in shock as he stared at the frog.
"Is he standing on the water?" Chopper asked as he too looked out. Luffy was about to respond, but before he could, the sound of warning bells filled the air.
"Right on time," Luffy said with a smirk as his crew was all trying to find the source of the bells. Following the sounds of the warning bells came an extremely loud whistle off to the port side of the ship. Turning their attention in the direction of the whistle, Luffy's crew was once again left awestruck at the sight before them.
Chug.
A rhythmic, mechanical thunder rumbled across the sea, each beat growing louder and closer like a war drum pounding in the distance.
Then they saw it.
Slicing across the ocean on a line of floating pontoons was a train — a train, riding the waves as if defying logic itself. The thing was massive. At the front, an armored locomotive surged forward like the prow of a battleship, its bow rounded and braced with dark navy plating and golden rivets that caught the sunlight with each jolt. A towering smokestack belched a pillar of smoke into the sky, staining the air with the scent of steel, oil, and salt.
The body of the train stretched long behind the engine, a chain of boxy, reinforced cars clattering across the sea track. Steam hissed from between the cars, venting in sharp bursts that added to its monstrous roar. Each car was lined with thick shutters, bolted and riveted shut, making it look more like a mobile fortress than a passenger line.
The sea around it foamed as it cut through the water, the pontoons beneath the track trembling from the sheer force of its passing. Spray kicked up around its undercarriage, misting into the air like the wake of a charging sea king.
"What… is that?" Nojiko whispered, unable to believe her eyes.
"A train?" Usopp muttered, voice cracking in disbelief. "On the ocean?!"
Robin lowered her book, her expression unreadable, but her eyes were sharp. "The Puffing Tom," she said softly. "A sea train… said to connect the surrounding islands to Water 7."
"Something that big and heavy should not even be able to float!" Nami said in shock as the train flew past them at blazing speed. The whistle screamed again — long, high, and unrelenting — echoing across the sea like a challenge. As it thundered past them on the floating tracks, the deck beneath their feet trembled slightly from the shockwave of its speed. Looking ahead of the train, everyone saw the giant frog they were chasing not so long ago standing directly in the path of the rapidly approaching train.
"Hey! What is he doing!?" Zoro asked in shock as he saw the frog about to get hit.
"Move out of the way!" Chopper screamed out in the hope Yokozuna would listen.
"Rarrwww!" Yokozuna bellowed at the Puffing Tom just before the steam-powered train slammed into him, throwing him ten feet back into the water. The Puffing Tom then continued along its way, disappearing over the horizon.
"Oh no! Froggy!" Usopp shouted out, seeing the frog get hit.
"Is he dead!?" Chopper asked, slightly panicked.
"He's fine," Luffy suddenly said calmly, getting everyone's attention. "He does that a lot," he added before he began making his way towards the main deck. "Raise anchor and pull us in along the lighthouse," he said, pointing to the lighthouse. The crew, still stunned from the sight of a train floating on the water and from seeing Yokozuna get hit, their reaction was slightly delayed to their captain's orders. Zoro was the first to react; he walked over to where the anchor was tied off and began pulling it up. Sanji and Usopp were next to follow as they hurried to release the sails. Nami then sprang into action and guided the ship to dock beside the lighthouse. As the ship docked beside the lighthouse, a loud, high-pitched scream filled the air.
"Granny! Granny! Look! We have pirates!" a little girl screamed out, getting everyone's attention. Standing on the platform of the lighthouse was a little girl and a rabbit staring at them. The girl had green braided pigtails that stood straight upwards and were puffy at the ends. She wore a short white shirt over a striped dress of orange and red stripes. Standing next to the girl was a blue rabbit.
"What!? Is that true, Chimney!?" shouted a voice from inside the lighthouse. "Okie Dokie! Well, in that case, better bring Granny the transponder snail," said an old lady as she tumbled out the doorway and fell over in front of the Straw Hats. Luffy couldn't help but smile at the sight of the old woman. Chimney, along with her rabbit, ran off to fetch the transponder snail, leaving the old woman lying there on the platform.
"It's going to be a big pain if the call for help and the marines show up," Nojiko said lowly before turning to look at her captain, who was calmly pouring himself a drink. "What should we do?" she asked. Before Luffy could answer her, the little girl had returned with the transponder snail. She placed it down in front of the old lady and handed her the microphone.
"Here it is, Granny," she said, holding out the mic for her.
"Um, hello?" the old woman slurred out into the microphone, causing Luffy to chuckle. "Who is this?" she asked, causing the crew to sweat drop. "Sorry, you have the wrong number," she finally slurred out before hanging up the transponder snail.
"She's drunk!" Usopp said, staring at the old woman. Luffy then stepped forward and leaped off the ship, landing on the concrete platform not far away from the old woman and the little girl.
"It's been a while, Granny Kokoro," Luffy said, surprising everyone. "You probably don't recognize me," he continued with a smile, causing the old woman to squint her eyes as she stared at him, trying to get a better look.
"You know me?" she asked as she stumbled to her feet and staggered closer to him along with the little girl.
"That I do," Luffy answered with a smile. "We met about 10 years ago when Shanks had stopped by Water 7 to pay Tom a visit," Luffy said, causing the old woman's eyes to widen slightly. Luffy could see a hint of sadness in her eyes when he mentioned Tom's name. By now, his crew had disembarked the Going Merry and stood beside him on the platform.
"You were with old Red Hair, were you?" she asked as she brought her hand up to her chin and began to ponder. Soon, the image of a loud, energetic little boy flashed in her memory, wearing the same straw hat Luffy was currently wearing. "You're that little brat!?" she yelled out in shock, causing Luffy's eye to twitch slightly.
"Yes," Luffy replied, eye still twitching.
"Well," Granny Kokoro began as she stumbled around Luffy, examining him. "You sure had a growth spurt," she added, causing Luffy to chuckle.
"Well, it has been about 10 years," he replied with a chuckle. "What are you doing out here?" he asked before looking at the little girl. "And who's the girl?" he asked.
"I'm her granddaughter, Chimney!" The little girl said before her grandmother could respond. "And this is our kitty car, Gonbe," she said, pointing to the blue rabbit standing beside her.
"Meow!" the rabbit said, causing everyone to raise an eyebrow at it.
"Granny Kokoro is the station master for this station," Chimney said with a wide smile. "It's called Shift Station. The Sea Train sometimes makes small stops here in between its trips to the several islands around," she said, causing the Straw Hats to nod.
"Pleasure," Luffy responded with a nod. "I'm Luffy, and I'm going to be the king of the pirates," he said, causing Granny Kokoro to let out a laugh.
"Nagagagaga! I see you're still tooting the same horn! Nagagagaga!" she said between laughs. "I take it this is your crew?" she asked, looking past Luffy as his crew stood behind him.
"That's right," Luffy said before he introduced each of his crew members to the old woman and her granddaughter. "We're on our way to Water 7, seems to be the next stop according to our log pose," he replied, pausing for a fair bit before speaking again, this time in a softer tone. "I'm sorry about Tom," he said, causing Granny Kokoro's smile to drop slightly before she took a swig of her booze.
"It's been 8 years since he's gone," Granny responded somberly.
"Whose Tom?" Nojiko asked curiously, looking at Luffy.
"He was arguably the best shipwright in the world," Luffy responded with a smile. "He designed and built the sea train you just saw," he said, causing his crew's eyes to light up in wonder. "He was also the man who built the Pirate King's ship, The Oro Jackson," he added, causing his crew's eyes to widen in shock.
"The Pirate King's ship!?" Usopp asked in a surprised tone.
"Amazing," Sanji and Nojiko whispered in awe. Turning his attention back to the old woman, Luffy smiled and asked a question in the hope of brightening up her mood.
"Any half-decent shipwright there in Water 7 that can build me a ship on par with the Oro Jackson?" he asked, surprising his crew once more. With his back turned to them, Luffy could not see the look of disbelief and horror on Usopp's face as he stared at Luffy's back with the Jolly Roger imprinted on the back of Luffy's captain's coat, staring back at him.
"Only one," Granny responded with a smirk. "But whether or not he would build it for you is another thing, Nagagagaga!" she said with a laugh.
"Let me worry about that part," Luffy responded confidently with a smirk on his face.
"Then you man you need to find is Iceburg," she said before taking another swig from her bottle of booze. "You should remember him, he was one of Tom's apprentices," she said, causing Luffy to nod in appreciation.
"Thanks for the info, Granny," Luffy said with a smile.
"Not so fast," the old lady said. "I got a gift for you, wait right here," she said before she stumbled through the same doorway she tumbled out of not so long ago.
"A gift?" Nami asked, her face a puzzled look.
"Wonder what kind of gift she has for us," Sanji wondered as he lit another cigarette. A few moments later, Granny Kokoro came stumbling back out of the doorway holding her bottle in one hand and a piece of paper in the other.
"Here," she said, handing the paper to Luffy. "This is a map of the city and a reference letter," she said before taking another swig from her bottle. "Just give this to Iceburg and he'll build that ship for you," she said, surprising the crew while Luffy looked at the paper skeptically.
"Thanks, Granny," Luffy said, handing the paper to Nami the moment. "We appreciate it," he added before turning to his crew. "We best be off now," he said, earning a nod from all of them. Everyone climbed back on board the Going Merry and began preparing to set sail once more.
"We'll be heading back to Water 7 soon, so maybe we'll see you there," Chimney said as she and her grandmother stood on the edge of the platform, staring up at the crew on the ship.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Granny said with a wide smile. "I'll even give you a tour of all my favorite drinking holes if you like, Nagagagaga!" added with a laugh.
"Sounds like a plan to me, too," Zoro said, perking up at the mention of booze.
"We'll keep an eye out for you," Nami said with a smile.
"It should take about a week for the log to lock onto the next island, so you'll have plenty of time to do some sightseeing," Granny Kokoro said with a smile.
"Great! That should be fun," Nojiko said excitedly.
"I'll be seeing you, Granny," Luffy said as he began walking up the stairs to the rear deck while looking at the two ladies standing on the platform. "Chimney, Gonbe," he added before tipping his straw hat to them. Once he arrived at the center of the rear deck, his thundercloud came down from the sky and began to shape itself into Luffy's throne. Taking a seat on his throne, Luffy looked at his crew and smirked before barking out orders. "Hoist the Anchor! Set the sails!" he shouted out, causing his crew to spring into action. "Nami, take us out," Luffy added, causing his navigator to nod before she began giving out instructions to the crew to get the ship sailing in the right direction according to the log pose.
The Going Merry pulled away from Shift Station, leaving Kokoro and Chimney behind, waving at them as they sailed away. They currently had a strong wind behind them, pushing them along at amazing speed. As the Merry sailed along her way, Luffy sat on his throne and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He swirled the drink around in the glass for a bit before he leaned back into the cloud and stared up the mast, which had his flag waving in the wind.
'Seems this is going to be the last stop on our journey together, old girl,' Luffy thought to himself as he stared at the mast. 'But don't worry, I'll make sure to fix you up the best I can and have you back in the East Blue,' he thought with a small smile. The Going Merry was the first ship that was his. It was also the first ship to bear his symbol, so it held a special place in Luffy's heart. He would not just toss her aside; he would see her fixed up as good as new. After all, it was the least he could do after all the pain he and his crew had put her through thus far.
The crew continued sailing towards Water 7 for about 3 hours when suddenly Nojiko shouted from up on top of the crow's nest.
"Land ahead!" She shouted, getting everyone's attention as she pointed straight in front of the ship. Everyone began making their way to the bow of the ship to get a look at the famous city of water.
"There it is, the City of Water," Luffy said as he walked up to the bow, joining his crew. "Water 7," he said with a smile. As they got closer and closer to the island, everyone's face took on a look of pure awestruck at the sheer majesty before them. Water 7 rose from the sea like a jewel carved into the very ocean — a sprawling, tiered city built entirely atop and within the waves. The city's architecture was unlike anything they'd seen before — elegant bridges, spiraling ramps, and rounded towers built from coral stone and polished marble, all interconnected in a fluid dance of craftsmanship and engineering. Above it all, water spouted from aqueducts and cascaded from rooftop fountains, painting the skyline in silver arcs that shimmered under the sun. It wasn't just a city — it was a machine, a living mechanism that pulsed with pride, ingenuity, and ambition.
"What is this place?" Chopper whispered in awe.
"The City of Water," Robin said with a faint smile. "A shipwright's paradise," she added as she faced the wonder before her.
"They built this on the sea?" Sanji asked as his eyes gleamed in wonder with the cigarette barely hanging onto his lips.
"I honestly can't believe a city like this exists," Nami whispered.
"I didn't know you could make a fountain that big," Zoro said, staring up at the gushing water fountain sitting atop the center of the city. Luffy couldn't help but let out a chuckle at all their reactions. He remembers reacting the same way when he first saw the island.
"Welcome to Water 7!" Luffy said with a smile.
**Chapter End**
Finally finished this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it.
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