Chapter 265: Should the Plot Be Changed?
The giant frog charged toward the Sea Train.
Thud!
The frog was sent flying, skipped several times across the sea surface, and then sank into the ocean.
The entire Straw Hat Crew stood by the ship's railing, witnessing the entire scene.
Lufia's jaw dropped.
Usopp's chin nearly hit the deck.
Chopper hid behind Robin, only his two eyes peeking out.
Nami rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn't seeing things.
"What kind of monster is that?"
Usopp muttered, "Is it some kind of special ship?"
Ralph glanced at them and realized something.
Their point of shock was different from his.
Aside from being stunned by the frog's suicidal act, part of their shock was also directed at… the train itself.
"What's that long, segmented, smoking thing?"
Lufia pointed at the departing train.
Ralph paused for a moment.
Right.
This world didn't have trains.
At least, they had never seen one.
"That's the Sea Train."
Ralph explained, "A type of transportation that runs on the sea."
"Transportation?"
Nami frowned, "Running on the sea? Isn't that just a ship?"
"It has tracks."
Ralph pointed at the faintly visible rails beneath the sea surface.
Everyone followed his finger and finally noticed something under the water.
Just then, Lufia noticed something else.
"There's a house over there!"
To be precise, it wasn't a house.
It was a station built on the sea.
It had a roof, a platform, and two people standing on it.
The people on the platform had clearly noticed them too.
A little girl wearing a hat shouted toward the building:
"Granny Kokoro! Pirates!"
A person walked out of the building.
She was… a rather difficult-to-describe old woman.
Very plump, her entire body like a mound of flesh.
A big smile hung on her face, kind yet carrying the composure of someone who had weathered many storms.
"Pirates?"
She walked to the edge of the platform, taking a swig from the bottle in her hand as she examined the Going Merry, "Oh, so you are."
Lufia waved: "Hello—what is this place?"
"This is Shift Station."
The old woman named Kokoro asked in return, "Who are you?"
"I'm Lufia, the woman who will become the Pirate King!"
Granny Kokoro paused for a moment, then took another gulp from her bottle.
"What an impressive bunch of kids! Come closer, I'll treat you to some tea."
The Straw Hat Crew accepted the invitation and entered the station.
The station wasn't large—just a single room with a few tables and chairs.
Maps and train schedules hung on the walls.
The little girl was named Chimney, Granny Kokoro's granddaughter.
Besides the grandmother and granddaughter, there was also a rabbit named Gonbe at the station.
When the tea was served, Lufia suddenly asked:
"Why do you let that steel monster ram into that frog?"
Granny Kokoro grinned widely:
"That frog is called Yokozuna."
"It challenges the Sea Train every day. After being knocked away, it heals and swims back to challenge it again."
She stared at the sea, as if searching for Yokozuna's traces.
"Whatever the reason, just for its persistence…"
Lufia stood up and made a decision:
"I won't eat it anymore."
Ralph almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
Immediately afterward, Lufia became interested in the Sea Train.
Nami's fist stopped Lufia's impulsive idea.
"We came by ship. Why would you ride the Sea Train?"
Kokoro heard them describe the direction of the Log Pose.
"What a coincidence!"
"This is a map to Water 7. I hope it helps you."
After handing the map to Nami, she took out a piece of paper and wrote a few lines.
"This is a letter of introduction I wrote."
"The shipyard in Water 7 is called Galley-La Company, and the boss is Iceburg."
"I know him well."
"Go find him and say I sent you."
Nami took the letter, her eyes lighting up.
"Thank you so much!"
Kokoro waved her hand, indicating it was no trouble.
Hearing that the Straw Hat Crew didn't have a shipwright yet, Kokoro's eyes sparkled, as if imagining the right person for them.
"The shipyard in Water 7 is the best in the world. You'll definitely find a shipwright willing to join you."
Lufia grinned.
"Great! Let's go!"
After leaving the Sea Train station, the Going Merry sailed almost along the Sea Train tracks toward Water 7.
Before long, they saw this miraculous island.
The city was built on water.
Countless canals divided the city into small islands, connected by bridges.
The architectural style was retro, with walls eroded by seawater into mottled patterns.
The residents at the port showed no panic upon seeing a pirate ship.
An old man repairing a boat glanced up at them, then went back to work.
A fish vendor nearby even waved at them.
"Find an inconspicuous place to dock!"
Someone shouted, "Don't enter from the front! Too flashy! You don't want to run into government ships, do you?"
Nami was taken aback:
"Government ships?"
"The government and the Navy often come here to place orders," the person said.
"You're pirates, right? Better keep a low profile."
The Straw Hat Crew, focused on repairing their ship this time and not wanting trouble, complied.
The Going Merry docked at a secluded pier.
Nami took out the gold they had brought down from Skypiea.
"Let's exchange this for money first."
She calculated their funds, "This gold is enough to repair the ship, with plenty left over for pocket money."
She began distributing the money.
Each person received a small bag of Berries as pocket money.
"Now... let's split into groups."
The team divided into three groups.
Lufia, Ralph, Usopp, and Nami were responsible for exchanging money and visiting the shipyard.
Robin and Chopper went shopping and bought some books.
Sanji, unwilling to stay on the ship with Zoro, volunteered to act as a bodyguard for the ladies.
Zoro leaned against the ship's railing, tacitly accepting the duty of guarding the ship.
With the groups decided, Ralph followed Nami and the others toward the city, but his mind was preoccupied.
He glanced back at the Going Merry.
This ship had been with them since Syrup Village, sailing through the East Blue, braving the Grand Line, soaring to Skypiea, and falling back down.
Battered and bruised, it had never failed them.
Thanks to his deliberate protection, the Going Merry had suffered far less damage than in the original story.
If repaired as planned, the Going Merry should be able to continue sailing.
But what about the Thousand Sunny?
That ship made from Treasure Tree Adam, that eccentric shipwright who used cola as fuel—would they still appear?
Ralph thought about it. The destined shipwright must join the crew.
But the ship that would appear in the future wasn't guaranteed.
If they could modify the Going Merry to surpass the Thousand Sunny, Lufia might be even happier.
As for the saying, "The Pirate King's ship must be worthy of him," Ralph thought to himself, he had his own way!
And at the heart of another matter was Robin.
He knew CP9 was currently on this island.
Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno—three of them were lurking in the Galley-La Company, while one ran a bar, all waiting to carry out their mission.
They had two objectives.
One was the blueprint for Pluton.
The other was Nico Robin.
If things proceeded according to the original plot, they would kidnap Robin and use the Straw Hat Crew as leverage to force her cooperation.
Then would come Enies Lobby, the Buster Call, and everything would repeat itself.
Ralph knew all of this.
He now had the power to stop it.
But should he?
If he stopped it, would Robin still come to truly regard the Straw Hat Crew as family, as she did in the original plot?
Ralph hadn't made up his mind.
Meanwhile.
Sanji, Chopper, and Robin were walking along the streets of Water 7.
Chopper looked curiously at the small shops on either side.
Sanji searched around for places selling ingredients. Robin followed behind with a smile, appearing perfectly normal.
But her gaze seemed somewhat distant.
When passing under a bridge, she paused.
Then, just a few streets later, Robin quietly slipped away from Sanji and Chopper's sight.
She returned to that bridge.
A figure in a long robe, wearing an exaggerated mask, stood there.
Robin stopped, keeping a distance of three meters.
"Nico Robin."
The voice came from behind the mask, low and hoarse.
"You've come."