"Your senior brother already told us: as long as we can rescue you, he'll hand over Pluton's blueprints…"
"Wh-what!?!"
Franky's face changed instantly. Shocked, he blurted out:
"W-what… how could he say that?"
"N-no! It's not you who rescued me…"
"I…I was saved by those people! That's right!! This has nothing to do with you!!!"
"Don't panic."
BOOM!!!
A massive aura suddenly erupted from Sanji!
The terrifying energy, like the flames of hell itself, scorched Franky's mind, forcibly subduing him.
The kitchen fell silent once more.
Franky's pupils widened, his steel body twisting violently, yet he found he could not control it—his soul seemed to have detached from his own body.
The Pluton blueprints were entrusted to him by his master via Iceburg!
He could not allow such a treasure to fall into anyone else's hands.
CRACK!!!
A fissure ran across Franky's leg bone, but he continued struggling, refusing to give up.
"Enough! Silence!!!"
Sanji shouted, and the pressure intensified further!
Although Sanji was not known for his spiritual prowess, against Franky's current state, he could suppress him easily.
With his oppressive aura unrelenting, Sanji continued pressing down on Franky:
"I've said it…"
"We have no interest in Pluton's blueprints whatsoever!"
SWISH SWISH SWISH…
Sanji's gleaming blue sky knife spun elegantly through the air, the cold light of the blade pointing directly at Franky.
A streak of dark green energy flashed from the tip, making Franky wonder: if he moved another step recklessly, would the Starry Sky Pirates' "extra dish" today be robots harvesting leeks?
"What we are interested in…"
"…is you, Franky!!!"
Gulp…
A chill ran down Franky's spine, a cold sweat rolling down his cheek.
No… they're not seriously going to…
ZZT!
Sanji's oppressive aura vanished!
Franky embraced his regained freedom, yet his mechanical body collapsed to the ground.
Even his hair drooped again.
Just now, he hadn't been completely passive under Sanji's control.
He had tried to resist with all his might.
But in the face of absolute power, even his steel body was powerless.
He had even used up all his cola in the struggle.
Sanji turned and retrieved three fresh bottles of cola from the fridge, handing them to Franky.
"What… exactly do you want from me?!"
Now with fresh cola, Franky lacked the earlier energy, looking at Sanji—the hellish chef—with a grave expression.
"Our goal is simple," Sanji said. "We just want to invite you… to join us!"
This time, Sanji spoke plainly, revealing the Starry Sky Pirates' intent.
Franky's expression darkened immediately:
"I will not make Pluton for you…"
"And besides, the world can't produce another Pluton!"
"You'd better give up!!"
"Is it because of the materials, right?!"
Sanji wasn't surprised by Franky's refusal. Instead, he started a calm, professional conversation.
With a bit of smoke haze around him, he slowly walked toward the kitchen door.
The sturdy wooden door, which had barely budged under Franky's earlier assaults, now seemed to sense Sanji's presence, swinging open as if by some unseen force.
Sanji held the handle and said to Franky:
"Come with me."
"Let me show you something…"
Scrape…
Franky hesitated, but then trudged after Sanji, mechanical limbs creaking, following him out of the kitchen.
At this point, he seemed to have no room to bargain.
…
Through the complex corridors of the Going Merry.
Sanji walked ahead, cigarette in mouth, and Franky obediently followed, lost in his own thoughts.
"The blueprint…"
"Iceburg told us a little about it…"
Sanji started, but Franky remained silent, expressionless.
Not bothered by the lack of response, Sanji continued:
"Luffy also told us some stories about you…"
"Gotta say, Tom really was a good master!"
Fwoosh~
A wisp of smoke drifted up, slowly dispersing through the Going Merry's ventilation system.
"The World Government has its eyes on you. If you go back now, both your friends and your senior, Iceburg, will be attacked again…"
"So what…"
Franky murmured.
Sanji understood immediately, shaking his head silently:
"I told you, we have no interest in Pluton!"
"Besides, we've already obtained the real Pluton—we're not lying to you!"
Franky stayed silent.
Sanji continued:
"And this ship—you see it, right?"
"Its wonders cannot be rivaled by mere Pluton. Why settle for less when the best is right here?"
"What I just said isn't casual talk…"
"We went through a lot to find you!"
"If you refuse, the whole crew will oppose it!!!"
"Here we are!"
Sanji gave Franky no time to think, stopping abruptly at a steel door, shouting upward:
"Merry, help me open the door!"
"Yes, Sanji!"
From the ceiling, a figure appeared briefly and then retreated—Merry in her soul form.
"What… that just now—"
"The ship spirit! As a shipwright, you should know what that is!?"
At Sanji's words, the huge door suddenly rose, revealing a massive interior.
"Come in. This is Merry's weapons warehouse…"
"Weapons warehouse!?"
Franky muttered in curiosity.
But inside, he was thinking something else entirely:
A ship with a ship spirit… couldn't belong to someone truly evil.
In Franky's rogue mind, anyone who loved their ship was a good person!
Sanji explained:
"Calling it a weapons warehouse is a stretch—it was just used by Usopp to store ammo and materials. Space was wasted."
"But now…"
"It's being put to full use!"
CLACK!
As they stepped in, the warehouse lit up.
A massive machine stood before Franky.
Intersecting pipes, intricate pressure valves, exhaust vents releasing energy, gears producing motion…
Franky was speechless, staring at the enormous mechanism he had imagined countless times in his mind.
"This… this… this is…!!?"
"Yes!"
Sanji smiled, addressing Franky, his future crewmate:
"This is the engine of the Pluton warship!!!"
"No… impossible!!"
Franky staggered backward, unable to believe what he saw.
"Nothing is impossible!!!"
At that moment, Luffy appeared at the warehouse door.
Behind him were all members of the Starry Sky Pirates!
Luffy stepped forward, leaping past Franky toward the enormous engine:
"I never thought Usopp's idea of leaving this engine behind would be this useful!"
Hehe!
Usopp grinned proudly from behind the crew.
Luffy turned solemnly to Franky:
"Franky, student of the legendary shipwright, Tom the Fishman!"
"We found you, not for your secrets, not for Pluton's blueprints…"
"But for you, Franky!!!"
"We know your past!"
"We know you…"
"Are you a real man!!!"
"And on my ship, men like you are always welcome!!!"
"Here and now…"
"I, as captain of the Starry Sky Pirates, officially invite you!"
"Lend us your strength, Franky!!!"
"This is the most amazing ship in the world—you can't miss this!!!"
"Join us, Franky!!!"
DING!
A system alert sounded in Luffy's mind.
Luffy grinned broadly.
It worked!
[Congratulations, Host has gained the 9th crew member!]
[Please access the crew interface to assign a special item.]