David's Revenge, Shipwright Franky

Above Food City, ten thousand meters in the sky.

The sea of clouds churned like raging waves, while sunlight poured down without obstruction, coating the cloud tops in a dazzling golden rim. A gigantic vessel, one hundred meters tall, hovered there, the dragon head at its prow gleaming brilliantly in the light.

Yamato sat on the edge of the railing, her pale legs dangling casually over the open sky. Squinting, she looked toward Water 7.

The deck behind her was filled with tense activity. Kokoro knelt beside Franky, her wrinkled hands swiftly tending to his wounds.

Franky's eyes were tightly shut, all color gone from his face. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive.

Beside the mast, Tom and Iceburg stood shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the higher skies. Tom gripped the mast tightly, his thick fingers nearly digging into the wood.

The wrinkles on his face were deeper than usual, every crease carved with heavy worry. Iceburg pursed his lips, his young face taut with tension.

Their thoughts were interrupted by a sudden wave of sound. At first, it was like distant thunder, then it rapidly swelled into a shriek that tore through the air.

Everyone instinctively looked up. A tiny black dot appeared on the horizon, rapidly expanding in their vision as rings of white air waves spread around it.

Gravity seemed like a tamed beast, gently supporting the figure as it slowed, hovered, and descended.

The instant Dawn landed on the deck, Yamato had already turned into a blur and lunged at him. Rather than immediately checking whether her lover was hurt like an ordinary woman would, she grabbed his arms with both hands and lifted her face. Pure fighting spirit and concern burned together in her amber