-Broadcast-
Luffy had been absent from the sky screen—not by choice, but by catastrophic failure. Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki-enhanced kick had caught him completely off-guard, the blow landing squarely in his soft abdomen with enough force to expel every molecule of air from his lungs. The impact had knocked him unconscious before he'd even registered pain, his body ragdolling through the air like a child's discarded toy.
At least it wasn't my head, some distant part of Luffy's brain registered as consciousness flickered. Getting kicked in the head would've been worse. Probably.
The trajectory of his flight proved fortunate—he'd been launched in the general direction of the Thousand Sunny rather than out to open ocean. Small mercies.
Aboard the ship, Franky's cybernetically enhanced vision spotted the incoming projectile long before anyone else. His sensors identified the heat signature, calculated velocity and trajectory, and displayed the results on his internal HUD in less than a second.
"MARLIN!" the cyborg bellowed, his voice carrying over the sounds of combat and chaos. "Luffy's in trouble! You keep Lami contained—I'm going to catch our idiot captain before he drowns!"
The young fishman nodded, his attention locked on the massive figure thrashing inside his water prison. Trafalgar Lami had been transformed by Eren's Rumbling—her twenty-meter Female Titan form forcibly evolved into a nearly one-hundred-meter Colossal Titan that radiated enough heat to boil the ocean around her. Only Marlin's Trident of the Sea God allowed him to maintain a water cage large enough and strong enough to contain her.
If she breaks free, Marlin thought grimly, channeling more power into his construct, she'll vaporize the Sunny in seconds. I can't let that happen. Luffy's counting on me.
Franky activated his flight systems—compressed air thrusters in his palms and feet igniting with controlled explosions of flame. He rocketed skyward, calculating interception vectors while his captain plummeted toward the ocean at terminal velocity.
Luffy's consciousness began returning during the fall, awareness seeping back in fragments. First came sensation—wind resistance. Then sound—his own heartbeat. Then vision—the rapidly approaching ocean and oh god he was going to hit the water and he had a Devil Fruit and—
His animated sandals, Kensei, responded to their master's panic before Luffy fully regained consciousness. The sentient footwear flapped frantically, their granted Chikara Chikara no Mi (Strength-Strength Fruit) powers allowing them to manipulate gravitational forces around their wearer. Luffy's descent slowed—not stopped, but reduced from lethal velocity to merely dangerous.
GRAB!
Franky's mechanical hand closed around Luffy's collar with perfect timing, arresting his fall completely. The cyborg's thrusters compensated automatically for the additional weight, maintaining stable altitude while his passenger hung limply in his grip.
"Luffy!" Franky shook him slightly. "What the hell happened? How'd you get launched from Dressrosa?" He glanced toward the distant island—or rather, toward the enormous skeletal Founding Titan currently marching away from it, followed by an army of Colossal Titans that stretched to the horizon. "And what's the deal with that skeleton monster? Please tell me you didn't somehow make things worse."
Luffy's eyes focused gradually, recognition dawning. "Franky! Oh man, I messed up." He rubbed the back of his head with characteristic embarrassment. "Doflamingo ambushed me. Used his Conqueror's Haki in that kick and I couldn't block it in time. And yeah, the skeleton thing... that's Eren. He's Terra—the Ancient Weapon. Robin was right about everything."
He grimaced. "I failed to stop the Rumbling. All those titans marching right now? That's my fault for being too slow."
Franky processed this information with his usual pragmatism. Blame could be assigned later. Right now, logistics mattered. "Well, you're alive, which is step one. Step two is getting you back to the ship. Step three..." He eyed the distant Founding Titan. "We figure out how to stop that thing before it flattens the entire world."
"I need food," Luffy declared suddenly, his stomach growling with timing that would be comical if circumstances weren't so dire. "Can't fight on an empty stomach. Gotta refuel before round two with Doflamingo."
Of course he's thinking about food, Franky thought with exasperated fondness. That's our captain. Faced with apocalypse, prioritizes lunch.
"Fine. But we're eating aboard the Sunny. Hold still."
Franky adjusted his flight trajectory, aiming for their ship while Luffy dangled from his grip like a caught fish. The Straw Hat captain didn't seem bothered by the undignified transportation method—his mind was already fixated on the promised meal.
They landed on the Sunny's deck within minutes. Franky released Luffy, who immediately made a beeline for the galley before stopping abruptly.
"Where's Sanji?" Luffy asked, noticing the kitchen's emptiness.
"On the island with the others," Franky replied. "Which means I'm your chef. Don't expect gourmet—I'm designed for repairs and combat, not culinary arts."
He moved to the ship's industrial food synthesizer—a recent upgrade from his hometown of Vegapunk's laboratory. The machine could produce nutritionally complete meals in seconds, optimizing for calories and essential nutrients rather than taste. "I'll have the kitchen robot handle it. You just sit and stuff your face."
Franky activated the automated system, programming it for maximum calorie output. The robot—a simple wheeled unit with multiple manipulator arms—immediately began producing food at assembly-line speed. Processed protein bars. Concentrated carbohydrate pastes. Vitamin-enriched beverages. All of it designed for efficiency over enjoyment.
"Thanks!" Luffy grabbed the first completed dish and shoved it in his mouth without bothering to taste it. His jaw worked mechanically, chewing and swallowing with single-minded determination.
Satisfied his captain was occupied, Franky returned to the deck to address more pressing concerns. The Colossal Titans were swimming closer—their steam propulsion making them faster than most sea creatures despite their size. If they reached the Sunny, the Adam Tree wood construction wouldn't save them. The ship would be crushed or boiled, and everyone aboard would die.
I need to activate the upgraded systems, Franky decided, moving toward the ship's central control panel. Time to show off the improvements.
"Marlin!" he called to the fishman. "I'm activating Dock System No. 1 in thirty seconds! Hold Lami steady—things are about to get turbulent!"
Marlin acknowledged with a sharp nod, his young face set with concentration that belied his age. The golden trident in his hands pulsed with divine authority—the Trident of the Sea God, inherited from his predecessor, granting him dominion over water itself. As long as he maintained focus, Lami would remain contained.
Franky's hands flew across the control panel, entering authorization codes and initiating sequences that had been dormant since installation. "Dock System No. 1: Flight Mode—ACTIVATE!"
The Thousand Sunny transformed.
Massive metal wingspans extended from the hull's bottom with mechanical precision, each segment locking into place with satisfying clunks. Beneath those wings, dozens of propulsion ports opened, revealing compressed air jets fueled by the ship's cola reserves. The entire ship shuddered as systems initialized, power routing from storage to thrust generation.
Then they lifted off.
The sensation was surreal—a ship designed for water suddenly defying its nature to embrace sky. The Sunny rose slowly at first, shedding seawater from its hull, then accelerated upward with increasing confidence. Within moments, they'd cleared fifty meters altitude and were still climbing.
Inside the galley, Luffy felt the turbulence and immediately abandoned his meal to investigate. He burst onto the deck with his mouth still full of industrial protein paste, his eyes widening with childlike wonder as he witnessed their elevation.
"WHOA! The Sunny can FLY?!" His voice cracked with excitement. "Franky, this is AMAZING! Why are we ever sailing normally when we can do THIS?!"
The chef robot rolled out behind him, its electronic voice providing explanation in monotone: "Dock System No. 1 consumes excessive energy resources. Sustained flight mode depletes cola fuel reserves at accelerated rates. Current supply allows maximum airtime of twenty-four hours before emergency landing becomes necessary."
"Oh." Luffy's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "So we can't fly forever?"
"Correct. Flight mode is reserved for emergency situations requiring aerial mobility or evasion of aquatic threats."
"That makes sense, I guess." Luffy shrugged, then returned his attention to more important matters—namely, the pile of food still waiting inside. His arm stretched impossibly long, reaching back through the galley door to grab another handful of protein bars.
He ate with mechanical efficiency for another fifteen minutes, his stomach expanding like a balloon as he consumed enough calories to sustain a normal person for a week. The industrial food tasted like cardboard mixed with vitamins, but quantity mattered more than quality right now. He needed energy. Lots of it.
Finally, after demolishing everything the robot had produced, Luffy released an enormous belch that echoed across the deck.
BUUUUURP!
His body had transformed during the feast—no longer the lean, muscular frame of a trained fighter but a spherical mass of compressed fat and calories. He looked like a beach ball with limbs, his belly distended to comical proportions.
Can't... walk, Luffy realized, attempting to stand and immediately falling forward. Too round. Whatever, I'll just roll.
He tucked his limbs against his body and rolled out of the galley like a human bowling ball, bouncing slightly as he hit the deck and continued rolling toward where Franky worked on ship maintenance.
The cyborg looked up at the sound, saw the approaching sphere, and sighed with the patience of someone long accustomed to his captain's absurdity. "Luffy. Since you've clearly finished eating, you need to go. Now. Chase down Doflamingo and stop him before this gets any worse."
He gestured toward the distant Founding Titan. "You're probably the only one here strong enough to beat him. So stop rolling around like an idiot and GET MOVING!"
Luffy somehow managed to look sheepish despite being spherical. "Right. Yeah. On it."
His animated sandals, Kensei, responded to his intent even before he gave conscious commands. The sentient footwear activated their Chikara Chikara no Mi powers, manipulating gravity to lift Luffy's bulk into the air. Combined with their natural flight capabilities, they could easily carry their master despite his current obesity.
"Thanks for the food, Franky!" Luffy called as he began ascending. "I'll definitely stop Doflamingo this time! Promise!"
"You'd better!" Franky shouted back. "Or I'm gonna kick your ass myself!"
Luffy grinned, gave a thumbs-up, then rocketed toward the Founding Titan at speeds that made wind scream past his rotund form.
Admiral Gin encountered Luffy roughly twenty minutes into the pursuit, the two of them converging on the Founding Titan from different angles. The Marine Admiral had been tracking the skeletal behemoth since its emergence, analyzing its capabilities and searching for weaknesses.
Seeing the spherical Straw Hat captain approach, Gin experienced a moment of genuine bewilderment. Is that... is he FAT? What the hell happened to him?
"Straw Hat!" Gin called, maneuvering alongside. "What's your status? Can you still fight in that condition?"
"I'm fine!" Luffy assured him, apparently unaware of how ridiculous he looked. "Just ate a lot! The fat will burn off once I start fighting—happens every time!"
That's not how human physiology works, Gin thought, but decided not to argue. The Straw Hat Pirates defied normal rules as a matter of course. "Listen carefully. I've been tracking Doflamingo. He's on top of the Founding Titan with Trafalgar Law. If we coordinate our approach—"
"No coordination!" Luffy interrupted cheerfully. "Doflamingo is MY fight! I have to beat him myself—that's what being a captain means!"
Gin felt his eye twitch. Of course. Why did I expect anything else? "Straw Hat, this isn't about pride! This is about stopping a global catastrophe! We need to work together—"
"I'll handle it!" Luffy's voice carried absolute certainty—the same foolish confidence that had somehow carried him through impossible odds again and again. "You can help with other stuff, but Doflamingo is mine!"
The admiral opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. This is who he is, Gin reminded himself. The boy who challenges enemies stronger than himself and wins through sheer stubborn refusal to accept defeat. Maybe that's exactly what we need right now.
"Fine," Gin said eventually. "But I'm staying close. If you start losing—"
"I won't!" Luffy grinned. "Watch me!"
They flew in silence for several more minutes, covering the remaining distance to the Founding Titan. The skeletal monster was even more impressive up close—its bones seemed to pulse with dark energy, and steam vented from joints where no organs should exist.
They landed on the titan's massive spine, boots finding purchase on vertebrae the size of buildings. The surface was hot—not burning, but uncomfortable, radiating heat like sun-baked stone.
Ahead, perhaps a hundred meters away, Doflamingo stood in characteristic pose—one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting his pink feathered coat, sunglasses reflecting the dying light. Beneath his foot, pinned like an insect, lay Trafalgar Law. The surgeon looked barely conscious, blood seeping from multiple wounds.
Doflamingo's signature laugh echoed across the battlefield as he noticed the new arrivals.
"FUFUFUFU... The Straw Hat boy returns! And you brought a Marine Admiral as backup? How touching!" His grin widened. "Did you enjoy your flight? I hope the landing didn't hurt too much. Though judging by your current... shape... I'd say you've had time to recover!"
His expression shifted, mirth mixing with malice. "Now then. Shall we begin the final act? I promise you—this world will drown in beautiful chaos, and there's nothing you can do to stop it!"