Framed and Blamed: The Cruel Truth

The next day,

Shipyard, Dock One.

Who is the murderer?

Who was the first to discover the scene?

"How is Mr. Iceburg doing now...?"

Amidst the crackling flashes of camera lights, reporters bombarded him with questions, leaving the dockworker foreman momentarily stunned. Then:

"Get out of the way, get out of the way—!!"

·······

"Extra number, extra number!"

"Mr. Iceburg has been shot five times and is unconscious!"

"The assassins' clutches have reached for the heroes of Water 7!"

"Is it for money, for power, or for hatred...?"

Overnight, Water 7 was plunged into panic and chaos. As the mayor of Water 7 and the owner of the Galley-La Company, the man known as Iceburg was undoubtedly the pillar of the city. If he were assassinated, the city's rosy future would immediately crumble.

The adults here still remember the tragic situation twenty years ago when this city was on the verge of bankruptcy and could only wait to die. First, Mr. Tom built the Sea Train, and then Mr. Iceburg stepped forward to integrate the city's chaotic shipyard and led everyone through the crisis to where we are today.

How dare someone assassinate the city's hero?

Never forgive!

"Uncle Iceburg..."

On the top floor of a building, Nami looked at the densely packed, angry crowds in the city, like ants, and then at the newspaper in her hand.

"Isn't this the person that Elder Kokoro from the 'Sea Station' recommended we find?"

"Yes,"

Luffy nearby, took the newspaper. "It was this uncle who kindly arranged for someone to check the Going Merry for us yesterday, but..."

The Straw Hat crew immediately started arguing.

"That's really bad news."

In response to Luffy's words, Roman simply reached out and sent the newspaper flying into his hand.

"This isn't the worst news. The worst news is that we're about to become 'wanted criminals'."

?

"Otherwise, why do you think I had everyone move here ahead of time?"

From the outside, this room looks like a normal attic with a pointed roof, but in reality—it's a flat-roofed house! At least it did yesterday.

Of course, even if someone looks up and sees the building's unusual features, its similar style to other buildings might lead them to mistakenly believe that their memory is faulty.

Paper Dance-Wonderful House

"Roman, what did you mean by that just now?"

Faced with the doubts of the others, Roman threw the newspaper in his hand to the ground, and it immediately transformed into a chair.

"It's very simple. One of the two people who 'assassinated' Mr. Iceburg last night was Robin."

??

"This is impossible, why would Robin do this?"

When Nami asked this question, Roman spread his hands. "You'll have to ask Robin herself."

Roman actually knew the answer, but the answer itself...

A man who had spent twenty years navigating the dark underworld was willing to send himself to the guillotine for a group of acquaintances he had only known for a short time.

Therefore, once people have bonds, they become vulnerable. —But it is precisely because of these bonds that they strive to become stronger!

"In short, yesterday Robin and a member of CP9 suddenly appeared in Mr. Iceburg's room, ransacked the place, fired five shots at him, and then left."

"And once Mr. Iceburg wakes up, what do you think our stance will be?"

"The wanted?"

Sanji seemed thoughtful. "But what if Mr. Iceburg doesn't wake up?"

"No, it won't,"

Roman was quite certain of this, not only because his scout bird had witnessed what happened last night, but also because:

"I have faith in CP9's professionalism."

???

"So, Roman, you've really confused us all."

Nami picked up the conversation, "What exactly happened? Robin suddenly got involved with that government assassination agency CP9, then went to assassinate Mr. Iceburg, and then you confidently declared that Mr. Iceburg would definitely wake up and issue a warrant for our arrest..."

It feels so complicated, I can't understand it.

"Let me put it this way, do you remember Crocodile's purpose when we were in Vivi Country?"

"Pluton?" X4

Luffy:???

"Yes, it's that extremely evil warship from eight hundred years ago."

Roman, too lazy to care about Luffy's bewildered Luffy, continued to explain, "Rumor has it that the warship 'Pluton' can destroy an island with a single shot, and even someone like Crocodile covets its power."

"Then, naturally, the World Government also wants to have this in its own hands. Therefore:"

"They approached the descendant of the warship's builder—Mr. Iceburg —in an attempt to obtain the blueprints for 'Pluton' from him."

"As for last night's 'assassination,' the government's undercover agents, CP9, were at a loss. So they decided to use a 'warning shot' tactic."

"Simply put, when you know someone has a big secret but you can't find out about it from them, you can just play a trick by pretending to 'assassinate' them."

"After surviving a near-death experience, any person with a normal mind would consider entrusting this 'big secret' to the person they trust most, because only in this way can the secret not be taken to the grave."

In that case, we can seize the opportunity to take this 'secret'!

"But,"

After listening to Roman's long string of information that was supposedly 'analysis' but was actually 'spoilers', Nami raised her hand again to ask a question.

"What does this have to do with Sister Robin?"

"We know that when Robin was working for Crocodile, she was used by him to find this 'Pluton.' But in the end, she didn't succeed..."

"Actually, it succeeded."

???

"In fact, the historical inscriptions in Vivi's family tomb record the whereabouts of Pluton."

"In other words, Robin now really knows where 'Pluton' is. — Of course, she won't tell us, and we'll just pretend we don't know."

The idea of taking down an island with a single shot is nothing to the world's top experts. Moreover, considering the maneuverability of warships, they might not even be as effective as a single top expert.

Like the 'Sea King' on par with Pluton, Princess Shirahoshi of Fish-Man Island possesses the ability to summon thousand-meter- Sea King as allies. This ability is indeed incredibly powerful underwater, but—

Putting aside whether she'd still be useful once on land, what top-tier fighter would be afraid of a giant Sea King? Besides, in a real fight, wouldn't the Mermaid Princess, being a 'sea king' herself, be easily outmaneuvered and instantly killed?

Following this logic, it becomes highly questionable how powerful this 'Pluton' warship can actually be...

"But Robin is a wanted criminal by the government, and she has no reason to cooperate with the government." Roman said, glancing at the Going Golden Merry moored on the shore.

"Then the only remaining possibility is that she was 'blackmailed' in some way."

"And this threat is very likely to be—"

"Us."

????

"Who can use us to blackmail Sister Robin?"

Sanji took off his cigarette and asked in confusion.

"Of course, it's people who can easily take our lives, like the World Government, like CP9, like:"

Roman looked around.

"Marine Admiral Aokiji!"

The moment that name was uttered, the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop dozens of degrees out of thin air! That lazy, tall man crippled Zoro's arm and Sanji's leg with a single move, and then easily turned Robin, Luffy, and Roman into ice sculptures!

Although no one knew why the other party hadn't killed them, everyone present understood that if that Admiral wanted to, wiping out the Straw Hat crew would be as easy as turning his hand.

"So that's how it is, it's because we're too 'weak'?"

Luffy clenched his fist as he stood by the window.

"·····Yes."

Often, the root cause of difficulties is simply 'weakness'.

"But that's not a reason for us to abandon Robin!"

Luffy Guotou and looked at Roman was sitting on the newspaper chair.

"Roman, find Robin. I have a question I need to ask her myself!"

"Good."

On the coast, next to the Golden Merry.

"Waaaaah~~~"

The person wailing loudly was a tall man wearing a floral shirt, a thick gold chain, sunglasses, and a pompadour hairstyle. His lower body consisted of nothing but swimming trunks and two smooth, hairy legs.

"A comrade who had been by my side day and night since the East China Sea was torn apart because of a ship... Waaaaah!!"

"It's so noisy, so what are you crying about?"

Usopp had bought a bunch of planks, sheet metal, and hemp rope, was repairing the Golden Merry while glaring angrily at the perverted old man next to him.

"What exactly are you doing here?!"

"Ah, I'm here to finalize a deal with a deadpan guy named Roman. Let me introduce myself, my name is Franky, and I'm the boss of the shipbreaking yard here."

Roman...?

"In short, I'm no longer their partner. Go find them yourself—"

Ding-dong! Franky pulled out a guitar and started playing and singing.

"Ah, I want to sing this touching story, ~~The north wind howls, brothers turn against each other~~"

"So what exactly are you doing?!"

······

"Alright, let's get back to the point. What are your plans next, young man?"

When faced with Franky's question, Usopp looked on with longing.

"Of course, we'll continue our journey with the Golden Merry,"

"Then one day we returned to our homeland in the East Sea together. Although we didn't find any 'Greatest Treasure,' it was still—"

"No!"

A cold voice interrupted Usopp.

"You can't go back to the East China Sea."

A man named Franky strode toward the Going Golden Merry.

"I'll take it apart for you!"

!!

"What are you doing? This is my boat! I won't allow you to—"

"This is no longer a boat."

Despite his bizarre outfit, Franky was serious and earnest at this moment.

"I just asked you what you're going to do after the ship is repaired."

"If you answer that you will perish at sea with it, I will not stop you. But if you answer that you want to return to the East China Sea, then I must stop you, little brother."

"The ship's duty is to transport people from one shore to another, and this ship—"

"He won't make it to the next island!"

"No--"

Brush,

A large hand grabbed Usopp's face and then threw him violently into the sea!

Thump!

"Go and see for yourself!"

He was slammed into the sea, lying on his back as Usopp stared at the hull of the Golden Merry —riddled with holes, utterly ruined. —If the surface, covered by Roman's paper, could remain intact, then the hull revealed the cruelest truth...

Don't forget, before Roman obtained the 'Vivre Card', the Golden Merry had already flown over Reverse Mountain, navigated Little Garden, and braved the snowstorm of the Drum Kingdom...

Splash!

Usopp, having climbed out of the water, collapsed to his knees in despair.

"I know,"

"I always knew the Going Merry was doomed."

"He was just an ordinary sailboat," just as he himself was just an ordinary person;

"The wind, snow, and giant waves of the Grand Line, the Sky-Piercing Current..." Crocodile, Enel, and many other powerful and terrifying enemies.

"Whenever I felt like I couldn't go on, there was always a child whispering in my ear, 'I can do it, I can still travel with everyone.' It was the Going Merry that encouraged me to get to where I am today..."

"Maybe it's just my imagination, maybe it's just my—"

"But I really want to continue this journey with my friends!!"

Franky stood quietly to the side as the long-nosed boy knelt and wept.

"Ship Spirit?"

PS: Thank you all for your donations and monthly tickets! Here's an extra chapter!