Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

The Rocketman charged forward on the endless sea, Franky Family's house right behind it. Two King Bulls pulled it alongside, their harnessed ropes securing massive spears to the sea train's car.

"Thanks for the lift!" The Franky Family henchmen shouted cheerfully.

"Don't push your luck!" Zoro barked back, leaning out of the car's window with a scowl.

Inside, Kokoro's voice crackled over the megaphone.

"Emergency contact from the engineer's cab! We're about to hit the tracks! Once we do, our speed will increase dramatically. Hang on tight—your injuries will only be minor if you're lucky!"

"So we're getting injured no matter what?" Nami muttered, her voice dripping with exasperation.

The train shifted, aligning itself with the submerged tracks.

"A little more to the right! Just a bit more!" Chimney shouted from her perch atop the train, her voice barely audible against the rushing wind.

"Meow meow!" Gonbe added enthusiastically.

Kokoro leaned out of the cab, catching sight of her granddaughter. "Chimney! Gonbe! What're you doing here!? You were with Iceburg! Did you sneak onboard!?"

"Yeah, we did!" Chimney giggled.

"Hurry inside before you get blown away!" Kokoro snapped, waving them in. The two clambered into the train, Chopper blinking curiously at them as he shoveled coal into the furnace.

Without warning, the Rocketman lurched forward as its wheels hit the tracks, the sudden surge of speed throwing everyone off balance.

"Whaaaa!!" The passengers held on for dear life.

"We're inside! How are we still getting blown away!?" Nami screamed, clutching tightly onto Ryomen's arm.

"Why didn't anyone warn us!?" Sogeking cried, clinging desperately to Zoro.

"We did!" Zoro and Ryomen roared in unison, both standing unfazed amidst the chaos.

Outside, the Franky Family henchmen struggled to remain upright, their grips slipping as the wind howled around them.

"We can't stay out here much longer!" One of them yelled, his voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the train.

…

Inside the car, everyone collapsed to the floor, finally able to catch their breath.

"Man…that was some serious acceleration." Luffy said with a grin.

"Nga ga ga! That wasn't acceleration—that was the runaway train!" Kokoro replied, laughing.

"That doesn't explain much." Ryomen muttered under his breath.

"I think I threw my back out!" One of the shipwrights groaned, rubbing his spine.

"Yeah, that almost sent me flying." Another chimed in, shaking his head.

Suddenly, Zoro's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the others. "There's someone strange in this car."

"Huh? Who do you mean?" The shipwrights asked nervously.

"He means you!" Paulie snapped, pointing accusingly at them.

"Them and you!" Zoro angrily said.

"Why're you here?" Ryomen asked, his tone curious.

"They tried to kill Iceberg. Since I can't stop you, I'm here to assist!" Paulie declared.

"Ga ha ha! Paulie, we figured if we followed you, we'd find the culprits!" One of the larger shipwrights laughed. "So we hid in the coal tender together!"

"And it seems we were right. Let us help." The other added, his face serious.

"Oi, Galley-La!" A henchman growled. "If anything happens to Bro, you better take responsibility!"

"Shut up! Mr. Iceberg's the one who got hurt the most!" Paulie shot back.

"Paulie, give us a straight answer! Who're the criminals?" The large shipwright demanded.

"And don't try to lie, we already have an idea in mind." The shipwright with spiky hair then exclaimed.

Paulie took a deep breath, his expression grim. "It was Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno. They were government agents. They tried to kill Mr.Iceberg."

The room fell silent, the revelation hitting them like a ton of bricks.

"They worked for the government!?" The two shipwrights exclaimed, their voices trembling.

"Who the heck did you think it was!?" Paulie barked.

"Michael and Hoichael from the alleys?"

"Yeah, obviously!"

"Who the hell are those!?" Paulie angrily questioned.

"Well then!" Luffy suddenly sat up, brushing off the moment with a grin. "Franky Family! Galley-La shipwrights! We might've butted heads in town, but from here on out, we've got the same enemy!" His tone turned resolute as he scanned the group.

"We're fighting to take back our friends and avenge those who've been hurt!" Ryomen added, his voice firm. "Failure isn't an option."

Before anyone could respond, Chimney burst in, her voice full of excitement. "Granny, Granny! It's Aqua Laguna!"

"Hey, that's right! Ms. Kokoro, shouldn't you be controlling the train?" Nami asked, her brows furrowed as she glanced at the conductor.

"Nga ga ga!" Kokoro laughed heartily, unfazed. "A runaway train doesn't need controlling once it's on the tracks—it'll always go full throttle!"

Nami's eyes widened in alarm. "Then we're about to crash into a huge wave!" She turned to Luffy and Ryomen, panic setting in. "Luffy! Ryomen! What are we going to do?"

But Luffy remained focused, ignoring her concerns. "We're already heading the same way. Splitting up now would be pointless." He crossed his arms, determination burning in his eyes.

"Do you hear me? We're comrades now!" His voice carried through the chaos, silencing the group.

Everyone exchanged glances before Luffy continued, "And we've all got comrades waiting for us out there on the sea train. We'll be united in this fight!"

Ryomen stepped forward, his voice calm but commanding. "We're not letting any waves stop us. We're going to see this through to the end."

A massive wave loomed ahead, its shadow casting darkness over the train.

"Nga ga ga! Alright, show me what you're made of!" Kokoro shouted with excitement.

"The Franky Family won't back down from some stupid wave!" One of the henchmen yelled, the others quickly rallying to ready the cannons.

Nami, however, fished out a baby transponder snail from her shirt. "It's ringing!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"What's with that?" Ryomen leaned closer, curious.

"Sanji gave it to me." Nami explained, holding it up. "He left it with the message."

…

Meanwhile, on the Puffing Tom, A man's expression darkened as a marine rushed into the fifth car.

"Captain! Bad news! Agents in cars six and seven have been taken out, and the criminal has vanished!"

"What did you say!?" Captain T-Bone stood abruptly, his voice echoing through the car. "Search the train immediately! Report this to every car—no one gets away on my watch!"

"Yes, sir!" The officer saluted and sprinted off.

On top of the train, Sanji and Franky crouched, the wind whipping around them. Sanji clutched his transponder snail. "Nami! Nami, can you hear me?"

"Sanji! Is that you?" Nami's voice crackled through the snail, cutting through the noise of cannon fire and Aqua Laguna's roar.

"Yeah, but things have gotten a little complicated, thanks to an idiot." Sanji shot a glare at Franky, still tied up and glaring back.

"Who are you talking about?" Franky grumbled, confused.

"You." Sanji responded flatly.

"Oh, for a moment I thought it was m—Wait a second!" Franky growled angrily.

…

Back on the Rocketman, chaos reigned as cannon fire and screams filled the air. Nami shouted over the noise, "Sanji! I'm going to tell you everything—about Robin, why she did this, and where we stand now! So listen carefully!"

Sanji's voice came back, calm but tinged with amusement. "Sounds like things are lively over there."

"Lively!? We're about to die!" Chopper wailed.

"Nga ga ga! Didn't I tell you to prepare yourselves?" Kokoro laughed, her composure unnerving the others.

"You mean us too!?" Chimney yelped in shock as the train rocked violently.

"We're going to crash!!"

"Stop panicking and keep firing!" Paulie barked, trying to rally everyone.

Suddenly, Sogeking jumped into action with a heroic pose. "Don't worry! We've got this!"

"Just keep firing, straight ahead!" Zoro added, his voice unwavering.

At the front of the train, Luffy, Ryomen, Zoro, and Sogeking stood atop the shark-shaped head of the Rocketman, staring down the monstrous wave approaching.

"What are you planning to do!?" Paulie shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

"Fire a cannon." Ryomen said with a grin, flexing his fingers.

"Are you guys ready?" Luffy asked with a laugh, glancing at his companions.

"Yeah!" They replied in unison, their voices filled with determination.

As the wave loomed closer, the four launched their attack:

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy's fists blurred as he struck the air repeatedly.

"Three-Hundred Pound…" Zoro's swords gleamed as he took a stance.

"Rend…" Ryomen flicked his fingers, unleashing a storm of slashes that tore through the air.

"Fire…" Sogeking aimed his Kabuto, the tension in his arms visible.

"Cannon!!"

The combined attack erupted with devastating force, a shockwave ripping through the heart of the wave. Water exploded outward, parting just enough for the train to pass through unharmed.

Everyone stared in disbelief as the Rocketman emerged on the other side.

"We…we made it through!!"

"Yahoo!!" Cheers erupted as the group celebrated, hoisting the four attackers into the air.

"H-Hey! Stop that!" Sogeking protested, though his tone betrayed his enjoyment.

"Haha! That was awesome!" Luffy laughed as he was flung about.

"Ugh, I'm going to throw up." Zoro muttered, clutching his mouth.

Ryomen chuckled, brushing his hair back. "This is actually kind of fun."

"Nga ga ga! That was really something! You pirates aren't just for show!" Kokoro laughed, clearly delighted.

"They're terrifying when they're your enemies…but as allies? There's nobody more reliable!" A henchman commented, still in awe.

"They were ready to die…these guys are incredible!" Paulie muttered, his voice tinged with admiration.

"Don't get cocky, everyone! We're not out of the woods yet!" Kokoro stopped their celebration, bringing everyone back to the gravity of their situation.

"Yaaa!! We're not afraid of anything anymore!!" The Franky Family shouted in unison, fired up by the excitement.

…

"You guys, come here!" Nami called, holding up the transponder snail. "It's Sanji!"

"Hey, are you all hearing me?" Sanji's voice crackled through the snail.

"Sanji! Are you alright?" Ryomen asked, his concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine for now." Sanji replied, though his tone was laced with irritation. "Though there's this one guy constantly nagging me."

Muffled shouts could be heard from Sanji's end.

"What about Robin?" Ryomen pressed, his brow furrowed.

"They still have her. Nami filled me in on everything. I heard it all." Sanji replied.

"What about Usopp!? Is he there!?" Luffy interjected, his voice rising with urgency.

"Usopp? No, I don't think he's here." Sanji responded, confusion in his voice.

"He was kidnapped by those bastards! And they…they destroyed the Merry!" Luffy shouted, anger and sorrow mixing in his voice.

"What…?" Nami and Chopper looked at him in shock.

"...Is that so?" Sanji's voice remained calm, but there was an underlying edge of anger.

"Usopp…he should be with the agents! We'll find him!" Sogeking said, crossing his arms, trying to sound confident.

Zoro and Nami glanced at him, and Ryomen couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Alright then! Go and tear everything up!!" Luffy shouted, ready for action.

"Luffy! That'll only put him in danger!" Ryomen warned, his tone serious.

"Yeah, we need to catch up first!" Zoro added. "Do you hear that, cook!? There are some real nasty people on that train!"

"I already said it's fine!" Luffy snapped back, dismissing their concerns.

"But he'll just get hurt…or worse!" Ryomen insisted, his voice rising with frustration.

"If it were you two, you wouldn't stop, would you?" Luffy asked, catching them off guard.

"Sounds like you're starting to get it." Sanji's voice came back with a hint of humor. "Hey, mosshead, are you actually worried about me?"

"Like I would care about you!" Zoro snapped, his usual fiery attitude back.

"Yeah, that's right…and hey, Ryomen, I appreciate it, but tone down the concern, alright? You're not a woman, after all." Sanji chuckled, the teasing tone obvious.

Ryomen rolled his eyes. "Don't get too cocky."

Sanji's tone shifted then, becoming more serious. "After hearing Robin's story…I won't hold back." And with that, the call ended.

"Old lady! Make the train go faster!" Luffy yelled at Kokoro, impatience in his voice.

"Don't worry! We're already going faster than this train can handle! We can't even stop on our own anymore! Nga ga ga!" Kokoro laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

"Don't think that's something to joke about." Ryomen frowned, his mind already racing with plans on how they would stop the train.

…

"Hey, stop that! Why are you crying all of a sudden!?" Sanji shot an incredulous look at Franky, who was sitting in a heap, tears streaming down his face.

"Bwahaha! That was such a great story! Despite the world seeing her as a heartless demon, she actually has friends she'd give her life for!!" Franky sobbed, clearly moved.

"Stop it! I've got places to be!" Sanji snapped, his face twisted in disgust.

Franky wiped his eyes, sitting up straighter, trying to regain some composure. "So, you're with the Straw Hats, huh?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Sanji narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

"Even though we don't exactly see eye to eye, I want to help you, brother eyebrows! And for reasons I won't get into…if Nico Robin gets captured by the World Government, it'll be bad for me too!" Franky explained seriously.

Sanji stared at him for a moment, processing the information before stepping closer. "Do you know if long-nose is here?"

"He's not here. I'm sure of that. I saw with my own eyes how they destroyed your ship. The CP9 did that." Franky's face was grim.

"I see…" Sanji's expression darkened. He untied Franky's ropes with swift, practiced motions.

"Hooo! Super!" Franky shouted, striking a dramatic pose.

"Stop that." Sanji deadpanned, unimpressed.

As the two began walking off, an officer suddenly climbed out the window.

"Waah! I found them!" The officer shouted in surprise.

"Damn it!" Sanji cursed under his breath, quickly leaping forward to kick the man into the sea.

"This is bad! They're gonna come after us!" Franky clenched his fists, his worry evident.

"Then let them!" Sanji declared, his resolve firm. "We'll take every last one of them down!"