"Sizzle… sizzle…"
Sparks burst from the spinning chainsaw again and again.
Soon, thick smoke rose into the air. It spread rapidly, forming a dense white fog that gradually filled the entire room.
The Female Minister gazed at the flickering sparks coming from the doorway and chuckled softly.
"A man who refuses to turn back once he chooses a path is truly captivating."
She sighed slightly.
"However, if the smoke keeps spreading like this, we will not even be able to see the King."
Beside her, another Military Minister spoke with a cautious and disciplined tone.
"Could this smoke be a diversion created by the King? Perhaps he intends to deceive us while escaping through another route."
As a Military Minister of the kingdom, maintaining this level of strategic awareness was essential.
The Female Minister paused for a moment.
Then she nodded seriously.
"You are right. We must stay vigilant."
She immediately issued orders.
"Send soldiers to guard the surroundings at once. Check for anything unusual. After all, the King is a…"
She hesitated briefly.
Part of her worried that the next description might damage the King's dignity. However, remembering how proudly he often behaved, she finally spoke honestly.
"A super pervert without any limits."
Unfortunately, even though they realized the possibility of deception, they were still too late.
"He's gone, he's gone, he's gone…"
Before the mechanical armored soldiers could take their positions, something had already slipped out.
A strange wriggling liquid quietly oozed out from a small opening beside the Den Den Mushi.
"Sizzle…"
What remained inside the laboratory was only a quickly assembled chainsaw device Franky had built in a hurry. The dark silhouette inside the smoke was nothing more than a piece of experimental armor placed there to create the illusion that he was still present.
"Wait!"
The Female Minister suddenly shouted.
"Activate all defensive measures immediately! Something is wrong!"
Her expression turned tense.
"The King's cola energy should already be nearly depleted after such continuous use. How is the chainsaw still running?"
By the time they checked the surveillance systems and realized the truth, Franky had already escaped.
"Lock down the entire city!"
The Female Minister clenched the still hot chainsaw handle tightly in her hand and gritted her teeth.
"Guard every location where cola is sold or stored. We must find the King!"
Her eyes burned with determination.
"We absolutely cannot allow the King to leave this country. Our nation cannot function without him!"
---
"Beep… beep…"
A miniature version of Franky, less than one meter tall, sped across the street.
His legs had transformed into tank treads, allowing him to move rapidly along the road as he rushed toward a small shop.
"Target located. Cola."
Mini Franky extended his hand toward the drinks shelf.
Then he froze.
His current body height, which was less than a meter tall, could not reach the cola bottles placed on the third shelf behind the counter.
"The remaining energy is insufficient to restore original body height."
Mini Franky attempted to jump several times.
Each attempt failed.
The shelf remained just out of reach.
"Oh no…"
After a few more jumps, the last bit of cola energy inside his body was completely exhausted.
His mechanical eyes flickered weakly.
His small body slowly collapsed onto the ground.
"Damn it… making such a basic mistake… the energy is completely gone…"
Franky stared weakly at the glowing refrigerator filled with cola.
His consciousness began fading as he drifted toward sleep.
"Oh! He looks exactly like the King!"
Through his blurry vision, Franky saw a group of children rushing into the shop.
One young boy noticed the small cyborg lying on the floor and shouted in surprise.
At that moment, Franky completely lost consciousness.
---
Darkness surrounded him.
Inside the dream, Franky seemed to return to the past.
He was back in Water 7.
Those were the days when he happily built ships alongside his master, Tom, and his senior brother, Iceberg.
They worked under the sun, surrounded by the sound of waves and shipbuilding tools.
Franky did not know how long this peaceful time lasted.
Until one day, everything changed.
The sun shone brightly in the sky.
Yet at the same time, a massive full moon hung strangely in the air.
Suddenly, an enormous tidal wave crashed toward the island.
The giant wall of seawater flooded the low lying areas of Water 7.
Then another wave appeared.
Even larger.
It looked as if the entire city would be swallowed by the sea.
"Tom! Run!"
Franky grabbed Tom's arm in terror and tried to drag him toward the highest point of Water 7.
But Tom did not move.
"Franky, you cannot escape."
Tom laughed calmly as he looked at the towering waves.
When he turned around, Franky froze in horror.
Tom's body was covered in blood.
Several deadly spears were embedded deep in his body.
Tom sighed softly.
"Have you forgotten? I cannot run. I am already dead."
"No! No!"
Franky trembled as he stared at the spears piercing his teacher's body.
His hands shook violently as he tried to pull them out.
"Do not worry, do not be afraid, boy!"
Tom laughed loudly.
The massive fishman looked proudly at the grown man Franky had become.
"You have grown up. You became a remarkable and respectable man. That makes me proud!"
"Tom… if it were not for me…"
Franky looked at the wounds covering Tom's body.
The guilt he had buried deep inside his heart twisted painfully.
"Silly boy."
Tom placed his large hand firmly on Franky's head.
"You know very well that even if those scum from the World Government had not used the warships you built, they would have framed me using some other trick."
Tom's voice was calm.
"The one who killed me was never you."
His gaze hardened.
"It was the rotten people in this world who use dirty tricks to threaten the innocent."
"But I still…"
Tears streamed down Franky's face.
"I still cannot forgive myself. I pushed you into becoming a criminal."
"Franky."
Tom pulled him into a strong embrace.
"The real criminals are still alive in this world. Do not waste your life drowning in meaningless guilt."
His voice deepened.
"Instead of destroying yourself from within, embrace madness."
Tom looked at him with bright eyes.
"Have you not already chosen your path?"
"You are attempting to condense and integrate parts of the ancient weapon Pluton into your own body. You are trying to control the power of a god level weapon through human will."
Tom nodded proudly.
"That path is possible."
He patted Franky's back just as he had done when Franky was a reckless child.
"Weapons themselves are never good or evil."
Tom laughed loudly.
"In the hands of evil people, they become evil. In the hands of righteous people, they become righteous."
His voice carried absolute conviction.
"If weapons created outside the body can be stolen and misused by villains, then place the ultimate weapon inside your own body."
His eyes shone with admiration.
"You chose that path with incredible courage."
"Tom…"
Franky cried helplessly in his teacher's arms.
Although the blueprints for Pluton had been destroyed, Franky had already memorized every detail when Iceberg gave them to him.
Every structure.
Every calculation.
Every design.
Only two people in the world could recreate Pluton.
One was Iceberg, the mayor of Water 7, who would never create such a weapon.
The other was Franky.
He had already modified and redesigned the concept, integrating parts of the ancient weapon into his own cyborg body.
Even so, Franky sometimes hesitated.
If he ever used such a weapon, the World Government would immediately investigate.
Even though Shirogai was strong enough to make the World Government wary, exposing the existence of Pluton would still bring danger to the crew.
Franky understood very well how ruthless the World Government's intelligence agencies could be.
They would use any despicable method to achieve their goals.
"At the critical moment, use it boldly!"
Tom suddenly spoke loudly.
"Have you not already found companions you can trust?"
He stepped back and looked directly into Franky's eyes.
"My greatest regret as your teacher is that I never traveled around the world with the Pirate King."
Tom laughed loudly.
"Ah ha ha ha! At that time, I wanted to build the Sea Train and revive Water 7. Because of that dream, I had to give up my chance to travel the world."
---