One Piece Chapter 353: The Legendary Shipwright

The scene opens with a wide shot of a massive stone structure built into the water, marked with the numbers 5, 6, and 7. Waves crash violently against the docks under a dark, stormy sky filled with heavy clouds. The sound of the wind and waves is deafening. Below, a closer view shows a dilapidated, dirty warehouse with broken windows and a rusty exterior. A voice comments, "I SEE..." and another adds, "THIS DIRTY WAREHOUSE..." as the wind continues to howl.

Inside the warehouse, which was once the main office of the shipbuilding company "Tom's Workers," the Going Merry is docked. A voice narrates, "WAS ONCE THE MAIN OFFICE OF THE SHIP BUILDING COMPANY... TOM'S WORKERS." In the center of the room, a large hole has been blasted through the wall, revealing several silhouetted figures standing in the opening. Usopp, heavily bandaged and wearing his goggles, looks on in shock and confusion, sweating as he mutters, ".....!?" and "COMPANY...!?". The silhouetted figures are identified in narration as they stand menacingly: "TOM.", "ICEBURG.", and "CUTTY FLAM." Franky (Cutty Flam) stands defiantly in the center of the ruined doorway, facing the intruders.

Rob Lucci, wearing his black top hat with his pet pigeon Hattori perched on his shoulder, holds up a framed photograph of Tom's Workers. He remarks mockingly, "SO, THIS ROOM OF FOND MEMORIES FOR THE THREE WHO TOILED DILIGENTLY HERE... IS YOUR ALLEGED 'SECRET BASE'." In the inset panel, the photo shows Tom, young Iceburg, and young Franky smiling together. Lucci adds, "HOW CUTE." Franky, bleeding from his forehead, glares back with intense rage, shouting, "SHUT UP!..... GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!!!" Lucci calmly replies, "ONCE WE HAVE WHAT WE CAME HERE FOR. 'SHIPWRIGHT' CUTTY FLAM..." as Kalifa's fishnet-clad legs stand in the foreground. Franky yells back, "THE BLUEPRINT AIN'T HERE!!!"

Lucci responds coolly, "..... ALRIGHT... I'D EXPECTED THAT SORT OF ANSWER...!!! KALIFA." Kalifa replies, "YES." Usopp watches in sheer terror, sweating profusely. Suddenly, Lucci kicks a desk, smashing it to pieces with a loud crash. Franky shouts, "HEY!!!" but before he can react, Kalifa moves with blinding speed. With a sharp "SNAP!!!", she wraps a thorny whip or rope tightly around Franky, binding his arms to his sides as he screams in pain, "WAAOOO!!!"

Kalifa stands calmly, holding the thorny whip that has bound Franky, who is thrown to the ground, groaning in pain, "OWWWWWW!!!" and "..... GUH...!!" Usopp panics completely, screaming, "OMI-GOSH...!!! EEEEEE!! WH...WH... WHAT'M I SUPPOSED TO DO...!!?" Franky, struggling against the thorns, glares at Lucci and Kaku standing in the background, growling, "DAMN YOU!!!" Lucci, looking down at him with a cold, piercing glare, says, "IT'S NOT LIKE YOU NEED TO TELL US RIGHT AWAY. WE HAVE A TRUMP CARD."

Lucci stands over the bound Franky, stating, "IT WAS 12 YEARS AGO, BUT... CUTTY FLAM... YOU COMMITTED A CRIME." Franky, his face bruised and bleeding, reacts with furious anger, shouting, "DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!!! TOM-SAN WASN'T A CRIMINAL!!!!" Lucci replies coldly, "JUST LIKE TOM." This pushes Franky over the edge as he screams, "HOW DARE YOU..... TALK LIKE YOU KNOW ANYTHING!!!! TOM-SAN!!!"

Lucci brutally kicks the bound Franky, sending him crashing across the floor. Lucci says coldly, "CRIMINALS SHOULD WELL KNOW... THE PATH THEY FOLLOW." Usopp watches helplessly from the side, sweating and trembling. In Franky's mind, memories of the past begin to flood back. He remembers the silhouette of Tom and the words: "NEVER SPEAK A WORD OF WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN, FRANKY!!" and "HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK...!!! YOU ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT WATER SEVEN!!!?" The scene transitions into a flashback of Water Seven's past.

A caption reads: "WATER CITY WATER SEVEN (22 YEARS AGO)". The grand city of Water Seven is shown under a clear sky, with seagulls flying around. A loud explosion or crash echoes: "OOO WAAA AAAA AAAA!". The next panel shows waves splashing violently as something crashes into the water. In the final panel, a young, 12-year-old Cutty Flam (Franky), wearing goggles on his head and sweating, screams in terror with his mouth wide open: "WAA AAA ~~~!!!"

Young Franky is aboard one of his custom-built battle ships, labeled "BATTLE FRANKY 8". He is firing cannons at a giant, bizarre-looking sea monster, shouting, "YOU BASTARD!!! TAKE THAT!!!" But the cannonballs bounce off the monster's tough skin, and Franky realizes in panic, "IT AIN'T WORKING~~~~!!" The monster roars, "GRAA-----!!!!" and lunges forward to swallow the ship. Franky screams, "DAMMIT---!!! IT'S GONNA EAT ME---!!" The ship is completely crushed and destroyed in a massive splash of water as Franky is thrown into the air, screaming, "OOO WAAA AAA!!"

A 16-year-old Iceburg, wearing a black t-shirt and a light-colored cap, stands over a soaking wet young Franky, yelling at him angrily: "NMA, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!!! YOU'RE GONNA DIE ONE OF THESE DAYS!!!" and "WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS MAKING THESE WEIRD, DANGEROUS THINGS INSTEAD OF HELPING!!?" Franky, sitting on the ground surrounded by scrap metal, retorts, "SHUT UP! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, BAKABURG!!!" Iceburg points around the scrap yard, saying, "I DON'T CARE WHAT THE HECK IT IS, JUST THROW IT ALL AWAY BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!!!" Franky replies defiantly, "WHAT DO YOU CARE WHAT'S LYING AROUND HERE? THIS IS THE SCRAP YARD ISLAND!!" He proudly points to his creations, declaring, "THESE ARE MY IMPORTANT WAR SHIPS!! IT'S A 'BATTLE FRANKY'!!!" Iceburg argues back, "NMA!! LIKE HECK YOU COULD WIN! A NEW WAR SHIP THAT CAN WIN AGAINST A SEA KING!!? THERE ARE A BUNCH OF 'SEA KINGS' THE SIZE OF ISLANDS. WHY DON'T YOU GO GET EATEN OR SOMETHING!!"

Suddenly, a massive shadow looms over them. A giant ship is being lifted completely out of the water by a single person. A voice calls out, "YO..... IF YOU'RE A MA~~~~N..." The giant figure hurls the massive ship into the air with incredible strength. It flies through the sky and lands perfectly in the water with a colossal splash: "ZAPAAAAN!!!". A voice says, "DO IT WITH A DON!!" and another replies, "OKAY."

Tom, a massive, jolly merman with horns, a thick beard, and a wide grin, laughs heartily: "TAHAHA!! LAUNCHING COMPLETE. I MADE A GOOD, STRONG SHIP. BUILT WITH A DON! RIGHT, YOKOZUNA?" Beside him, a large, round frog wearing a sumo loincloth claps its hands, making a "CLAP CLAP" sound and croaking, "GERO GERO!!!". Tom, wearing an open patterned shirt and jeans with a tool belt full of axes and wrenches, pats his stomach and says, "I'LL FINISH UP TOMORROW!!" Captions introduce them: "SHIP BUILDING COMPANY, TOM'S WORKERS PRESIDENT TOM (GOLDEN PUFFER MERMAN)" and "TOM'S PET YOKOZUNA (SUMO FROG)".

This page is a fully colored version of the previous scene. Tom, the Golden Puffer Merman with orange hair and beard, laughs joyfully: "TAHAHA!! LAUNCHING COMPLETE. I MADE A GOOD, STRONG SHIP. BUILT WITH A DON! RIGHT, YOKOZUNA?" Yokozuna, the green sumo frog, claps his hands with a "CLAP CLAP" and croaks, "GERO GERO!!!". Tom stands proudly in his orange pants and black shirt, ready to finish his work tomorrow.

The scene shifts to a wide view of "HAISEIJIMA" (SCRAP ISLAND), where Tom's Workers' ship building factory is located. The caption reads: "WATER SEVEN, FRONT OF THE WAREHOUSE UNDER THE BRIDGE". Tom, Iceburg, Franky, and Yokozuna walk back towards their office. Tom says, "LET'S GO HOME NOW. I THINK WE CAN DELIVER A 'DON' OF SHIPS TO THE CUSTOMERS TOMORROW." Franky complains, "I'M HUNGRY." The next panel shows the main office of Tom's Workers, also known as the "WAREHOUSE UNDER THE BRIDGE". Inside, the group is sitting around a table eating dinner. Franky grumbles, "I WAS SO CLOSE!!" Iceburg teases him, "YOU LIAR, BAKANKY!" Franky snaps back, "TOM-SAN, DON'T FORGIVE HIM! HE ONLY MAKES WEIRD WEAPONS!!" Tom just laughs heartily, "TAHA...!!!!...!!...!!...!!...".

At the dinner table, Kokoro, a slender, attractive young woman with wavy blonde hair, serves food. Tom continues to laugh uproariously, "!!...!!...!!...!!...!!...!!...". Kokoro smiles and says, "YOU LAUGH TOO MUCH, TOM-SAN. SOMETHING GOT YOU GOOD." She then delivers some bad news: "OH YEAH, THE TRADE SHIP CARRYING THE WOOD... IT WAS TAKEN BY PIRATES AGAIN." She explains, "THE NUMBER OF PIRATES INCREASED AFTER THE PIRATE KING DIED. THIS TOWN'S FINISHED... IT'S BEEN SWALLOWED UP BY THE PIRATE AGE." Yokozuna croaks, "GERO GERO" while eating. A caption introduces her: "TOM'S WORKERS, BEAUTIFUL SECRETARY KOKORO".

Kokoro continues to explain the dire situation of Water Seven: "WE'RE LOSING ALL HOPE. WE GET FLOODED BY AQUA LAGUNA, AND WE CAN ONLY GET WOOD AND IRON FROM OTHER ISLANDS. THEN THE VIOLENT SEA AND THE PIRATES HALT THE TRADING." Panels show a pirate ship attacking a trade vessel, and citizens of Water Seven fighting over scarce resources. Kokoro adds, "THE ZOUSENJYOU PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING DESPERATELY FOR CUSTOMERS. PEOPLE ARE LOSING JOBS. IF WATER SEVEN IS LEFT ALONE... IT'LL BECOME A SHRIVELLED ISLAND... JUST WAITING FOR THE FLOOD." Tom listens quietly as he eats, while young Iceburg and Franky look solemn. Kokoro concludes, "THIS SAME WATER SEVEN... ONCE RANG IN AN AGE OF ITS OWN WITH ITS SHIPS."

Franky, inspired, looks up and says, "YEAH, I GUESS. TOM-SAN MADE A GREAT PIRATE SHIP TOO!!! HEY, TEACH ME THE BLUEPRINT OF A PIRATE SHIP!!" Tom bursts into laughter again, "!!H... H...!!!!H...!!!!...!!". Iceburg sighs, "TOM-SAN, YOU LAUGH TOO MUCH." Tom then looks at Franky with a serious, proud expression and says, "FRANKY, THERE ISN'T A SINGLE BLUEPRINT FOR A PIRATE SHIP IN THIS WHOLE WORLD!! IF THE SAILORS PAINT A SKULL ON THE FLAG, THEN IT'S A PIRATE SHIP. IF THEY PAINT A SEA GULL, IT'S A MARINE SHIP. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU BUILD, FRANKY. YOU MUST... THROW OUT YOUR CHEST WITH A DON!!!!" Later that night, Iceburg wakes up to find Tom working late under a lamp. He asks, "YOU'RE NOT GONNA SLEEP, TOM-SAN? WHAT'RE YOU DRAWING?" Tom, focused on his blueprints, replies, "... OH... THIS IS THE ISLAND'S... HOPE." Young Iceburg looks on, confused: "?".

Tom smiles warmly at his drawing, saying, "I THINK WATER SEVEN... CAN BE REVIVED WITH THIS THING." Outside, a crescent moon hangs in the night sky as a massive ship sails towards the island. The next morning, the townspeople of Water Seven gather in a panic at the docks. A massive, ornate ship has arrived. The crowd shouts, "THE JUDICATURE SHIP IS HERE!!!" and "WHAT'S A JUDICATURE SHIP?" Someone explains, "IT'S A MOVING COURT. WHO DID IT COME TO TRY!?" Suddenly, government officials push through the crowd, shouting, "MAKE WAY!!" and "HEY, WAIT!!! WHAT DID TOM-SAN DO!!? GIVE BACK OUR TOM-SAN!!!" Franky and Iceburg run through the crowd in sheer panic, with Franky screaming in terror, "TOM-SAN!!!" while Tom is led away, still laughing his signature laugh, "TAHHA!! H...!!...!!...!!...".

Inside the grand courtroom of the Judicature Ship, Tom stands before the judge's bench. The judge, a stern man with a mustache and glasses, addresses the court: "YOU'RE HERE NOW... IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. OF COURSE. IT'S A WORLDLY ISSUE." He then delivers the heavy accusation: "FOR THE CRIMINAL ACT OF BUILDING THE 'ORO JACKSON'... THE SHIP OF THE WORLD RENOWNED VILLAIN, GOLD ROGER... SHIPWRIGHT TOM WILL BE ACCOMPANIED TO ENIES LOBBY... WHERE HE WILL BE EXECUTED!!!" Tom stands silently, his expression serious and resolute, as the shocking sentence is handed down.

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