The Sea Train

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"Nami!" Sanji lovingly calls out. "Akari!"

"Oh, I wonder what he has cooked up for us this time," Nami says.

I open my eyes, wiggling to sit out better in my chair. "I've accepted that I am a horrible cook, so I'm glad that we have Sanji."

"Ladies, I have prepared the potato paella, my newest invention," Sanji has a single bowl in his hand and two forks in the other. It's nice to see him relaxed and wearing a t-shirt. "Would you like to try some?"

Nami graciously takes the bowl and forks; I swing my legs to face her, taking a fork from Sanji as she does the same. Each of us fill our forks to take a bite. We hum, "Delicious."

Sanji, with hearts bursting out of him, rushes over to the railing to shout out at the waves. "I can die happy!"

I laugh, having to take a few seconds before taking another bite. "Well, I'm glad that we could make his life worth it."

"At least he has two things going for him," Nami waves her fork around. "He can cook and is handsome. Too bad that isn't outweighing him being completely obsessed with women."

I open my mouth to ask about that second half of her first statement, but Zoro interrupts me.

"Shut up, bastard! I'm trying to sleep!"

"Yes, yes," Sanji smugly smirks as he waves Zoro off. "I'm sorry for waking you up, Mr. Cactus."

"What's that, Dartboard!?"

"What was that!?" he turns back around; anger having quickly washed over his face.

"Dartboard eyebrow," Zoro growls.

"What!?"

"Luffy! Luffy!" Chopper and Usopp's cheering pulls me away from the fight.

I pop out of my seat, tossing my fork onto the little table where two ice-cold drinks sit now forgotten. My hands grip the railing as I look to see why the two were cheering for our captain.

Luffy bursts out of the storeroom, a cloud of what appears to be chalk following him. The moment he is covered in the white power, he freezes in a goofy position reminiscent of his frozen self.

Chopper is cheering, Usopp has two fingers in his mouth to amplify his whistle, and I'm failing to keep the laughter in.

"The Frozen Me!" He can't stay in his position long, considering her isn't actually frozen. It is only a few seconds later that he falls to the deck and the chalk blows off.

Chopper is rolling around as the laughter rolls through his body, Usopp is pounding the deck as the laughter explodes through him, and I have accepted that I can't hold the laughter in anymore, so I don't.

Nami lets out a huff, coming to stand next to me. "You almost died from that, how can you joke about it!?"

"He's fine now, so I'd rather laugh than dwell on what could have been," I wipe a tear from my eye.

Luffy is heartily laughing as he pats the chalk off his body. "Did it look real?" He looks up at us, but the want for an answer is instantly forgotten when he sees the bowl in Nami's hands. "Huh? Nami! What are you eating!? Akari, what is she eating!?"

"It was identical, Luffy!" Usopp answers his first question, clapping as he lets the laughter continue to spill out.

"It has potatoes," I giggle.

Luffy wastes no time to grab the railing next to me and pull himself up to our level and hang there. "Potato?" he grins.

"It's paella with potato," Nami answers.

"Hey, Sanji, I'm hungry too!" He waves his hand, trying to get the boy's attention.

"You're always hungry," I press a kiss to Luffy's cheek. "I'm sure Sanji made a whole pot, so no need to worry."

"Was it good?" Luffy looks at me with the sweetest smile on his face.

"Delicious," I pat his bicep.

"Is sleeping all you do around here!?" Sanji's voice snaps me back to the argument he's having with Zoro.

"I sleep whenever I want," Zoro snaps. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Those boys are never going to get along," I sigh.

"They're just letting off a little steam," Luffy chuckles.

"Robin!" Nami calls out, and I direct my attention to the other side of the ship where Robin has exited the kitchen.

"Robin, how are you feeling?" Chopper calls out, having quelled his laughs. "Do you feel cold?"

"Thanks to you, I feel great now," Robin beautifully smiles. She's changed into a black sweatshirt, black leggings, and simple white slippers to keep her warm. "Thanks, doctor."

"Okay, but don't push yourself. You should rest more." He is clearly overwhelmed at the praise as he shuffles around the deck with a big smile.

"You look happy," Usopp comments.

"No, I don't! Idiot!" He's still gushing with gratitude.

"You're super cute, Chopper!" I shout. "You deserve so much more praise!"

"Shut up!" He doesn't even come off an ounce mad.

"Ignore them," Nami reaches around me to grab Luffy's cheek, pulling his face around to look at Robin. "Even though you two suffered the same injury, don't feel obligated to get up just because this guy is being so lively."

"Hey, let go," Luffy whines.

"Robin, I'll make you something warm!" Sanji declares, having broken out of his anger at Zoro when he heard the woman speak. "What would you like?"

"Um, may I have a cup of coffee?" Robin politely asks.

"Of course!" he lovingly shouts, quickly heading for the stairs.

"Coffee sounds nice," Nami lets go of Luffy's cheek and heads for the stairs.

"We should get some of that potato stuff," Luffy grabs my hand.

"Do not flip me over this banister—Luffy!" I scream as he does just what I asked him not to do, but we somehow land on our feet.

"I'll never hurt you, my sweets," he whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of my ear. "It was fun though, yeah?"

"My heart is pounding in my ears."

He chuckles, pulling me towards the kitchen.

It doesn't take long for Luffy to get himself a bowl of the paella with Zoro, Chopper, and Usopp not far behind. I've had treats all day thanks to Sanji, so I wave off a bowl of my own. Then the boys head back outside to take seats on the railing and face the ocean (besides Zoro who stays on the upper part of the deck). I don't trust my balance enough, so I stay where my feet can land back on the deck and just hang onto the railing between Luffy and Chopper to look out at the ocean.

"He said it was paella, right?" Luffy's cheeks are full as he shoves the food in with his fingers. Every couple of bites he places a potato in my mouth. "Whatever it is, yum!"

"What's paella?" Chopper asks through a mouthful.

"A rice dish," I let my head fall to rest on Luffy's knee.

"Now Akari, you don't need to keep the truth from him," Usopp says, barely slowing down stuffing the food into his mouth to tell his tale. "It's the meat from the tail of the giant-monster, Paella! I killed it. It's body was one-hundred meters long!"

"Now come on-"

"One-hundred meters!" Chopper cuts me off. "That's amazing, Usopp!"

"It was nothing," Usopp grins. "I hadn't even eaten breakfast."

"You woke up early to kill it?"

"Chopper, do you remember what my title is?"

"Huh? Oh, ca-captain?"

"That's right! I am the great Captain Usopp!"

I roll my eyes, chuckling at the dorky boy. "You're something else, Usopp."

"Hey, what's that?" Zoro asks.

"Hm?" Luffy barely gets out with his mouth so full.

I lift my head off Luffy's knee to look back out to the sea, spotting the thing that is swimming through the waves. "Holy shit, it's a frog! A giant frog!"

"It's swimming freestyle! I wonder where he's going in such a hurry?"

"And look at all the scars along their belly!" I do my best to point at the figure. "And his hair is kind of in a topknot!"

"Dude, Luffy, frogs don't swim freestyle," Usopp huffs. "Akari, if you wanted to get back at me, figure up a different prank." He spots the frog out at see that is definitely swimming freestyle. "Ah! It does!"

"Everyone, let's catch him!" Luffy orders as they all hop back to the deck.

"Get the paddles, boys!" I release my hold on the railing.

"A frog swimming freestyle," Chopper muses.

"Full speed ahead!" Luffy calls out. "Two o'clock!"

"Hurry!" The laughter bubbles out of me.

It takes less than a minute for the four boys on deck to get the paddles out and start heading for the giant frog. Zoro and Chopper in his big-man form are on one paddle, while Luffy, Usopp, and I are on the other paddle. This means we are off the course that Nami has set for us, which is easy for our navigator to notice and rush out of the kitchen.

"Hey! Why are we changing direction!?"

"Um, hey, Nami, we found a huge frog," Luffy starts to explain.

"With scars all over his body!" I add, jumping to put all my weight in the downswing of the paddle.

"Yes, tons of scars! We have to catch him for BBQ no matter what!"

"We're going to eat it!" Chopper and Zoro exclaim in disbelief.

"We can't eat it!" I whine.

Nami frowns, turning on her heel to head back into the kitchen. A moment later she is back out with a pair of binoculars. "Is that a lighthouse?" She lowers the binoculars. "Why would there be a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere? Who could live there?"

"Did you find an island!?" Chopper asks.

"Maybe that's where the giant frog lives!" I suggest. "Maybe he's a lighthouse keeper!"

"It's just a lighthouse, but the Log Pose isn't pointing to it, so maybe it is where the frog lives!" Nami responds.

"What about the frog! Tell me where he is!" Luffy demands.

"No way!"

"Why must you try to eat every animal that we come across!" I whine.

"The frog is going in the direction of the lighthouse as well," Robin says.

"First you wash the frog with white wine," Sanji instructs. "Then you coat it with flour and fry it."

"Wait, Robin!" Nami screams.

"Sanji!" I blurt out. "Turn your chef brain off for a second!"

"Full speed ahead!" Luffy orders.

"I refuse!" I jump away from the paddle.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you!?" Nami screams.

My head perks up as I hear something far off in the distance, but I can't quite tell if it is my imagination. Being out at sea means you have to be alert every single second, and that means being sure that you heard or saw something. It is a little hard to zone in on the sound again with the chaos happening on deck.

"Hey! Hold up everyone!" Sanji calls out. "Do you hear a strange noise?"

The low hum of an engine quickly getting closer along with the low drone of a train whistle distinctly fills the air. All the way out here, it should be impossible for a train to be running. Even if it is, are there even any tracks? Can trains run on the water now like ships?

"What is that?" Chopper asks the thought that is on all our minds.

The frog lets out a cry as it jumps to a stop on something in the water.

"The frog stopped!" Nami shouts.

"Let's get him!" Luffy orders.

My eyes widen as we sail right in front of the frog, but I am looking the other way at the train that is barreling right at us. "Something is heading right for us!" I scramble back to the paddle, ready to put my all into rowing so we don't get obliterated.

"Huh?" Luffy grumbles.

"Back! Back!" Nami screams. "Turn one-hundred-eighty degrees!"

The five of us on the paddles put our all into getting out of the way of the train that is going to fast to stop if it wanted to. It doesn't seem like we have the speed after turning on a pin to go the other direction. After everything I've been through up to this point in my life, getting hit by a train was not something I thought I'd ever need to experience. Yet, here we are.

The Going Merry jumps out of the water was we sail back the way we came just as the train passes by. We're right by the lighthouse now, which does have a building next to it that is barely out of the water. I'm not sure if the scream filling the air is mine, but I do know that my lungs are empty. I don't even know how I'm still standing.

"What was that!?" So many voices jumble together.

"Hey! Frog, get out of there!" Luffy angerly shouts at the frog that is still standing in the train's path. "What are you doing!?"

"Kero," the frog stands his ground.

"What's that big metallic thing!?" Chopper asks.

"A ship!?" Usopp chokes out.

"I think it's a train!" I blurt out. "But how!?"

"It shouldn't be able to sail on the sea!" Nami exclaims.

"KERO!" the frog bellows.

In the next second, the train rams into the frog and sends him flying.

"He got hit!" Luffy shouts.

The train keeps going like it didn't just collide with a giant frog, disappearing into the distance.

"That ship was blowing smoke," Chopper says.

"It didn't have any sails, the front was a metal grate, and it was going faster than any ship I've ever seen," I shake my head.

"Someone came out of the building!" Zoro snaps, rushing over to the side of the ship that is next to the building. "She is calling for reinforcements."

Luffy grabs my hand, pulling us towards the side where everyone else is gathering to see who is at the building. There seems to be a little girl standing with her rabbit as an older lady stumbles into view.

"Ah, hey!" some older lady slurs. "What were you yelling about? I forgot." She lets out a loud burn, solidifying that she is drunk.

"You're too damn drunk!" Usopp screams.

"There's plenty of paella left, so that should help sober her up," I lean into Luffy's side. "Sanji! Get these people some of your delicious potato paella!"

"Right away, darling!" Sanji gushes, heading for the kitchen.

"I wonder if the frog is okay," Luffy says.

"You were going to eat him!" Chopper stares at Luffy.

"He purposely got hit," Zoro says. "He knew what he was up against."

"Better to get hit than be eaten," Usopp says. "He seemed tough, so maybe he swam away after he got hit."

"Here are the two bowls!" Sanji sings as he returns.

It doesn't take longer than a minute for Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and me to disembark to give the two females their bowls, and for the old lady to eat enough for her words to stop slurring nearly as much. At least she's sober enough to answer any questions from us.

"Hm, paella, you said?" the old woman questions. "This takes great with rum."

"Wow, delicious!" the young girl widely smiles.

"I'm glad you like it," I softly smile. My hand intertwined with Luffy's. "My name's Akari, and who might you be?"

"I'm Chimney!" the little girl answers. Her green hair is in pigtails that are reaching for the sky and the ends are puffy. She's wearing a short blue shirt over a yellow and green striped dress with a cute pair of sandals. "This is Gonbe, the cat," she motions to the rabbit that is chomping on some paella that was given to it. "That's my granny, Kokoro!"

"I thought you were train robbers!" Kokoro breaks into drunker laughter. Her green hair, like her granddaughters, looks to be parted into pigtails, but all of it is bushy. She's wearing a purple vest over a white long-sleeved shirt with a red with yellow polka dot tie, tan pants with red roses on the knees, black boots, and a tall conductor's hat. There is a wine bottle in her hand, and she has settled into a chair. She's overweight, and her mouth always seems to be turned up in a smile. It's hard to tell if she looks more like a frog or a dugong.

"I'm Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates," Luffy introduces himself.

"Really?" Chimney's eyes widen.

"Yup," he nods.

"Might as well dream big if you can," I send a wink Chimney's way.

"Um, Chimney, that was a steam-powered boat, right?" Nami asks. "But with its shape, how was it able to float?"

"You've never seen it before?" Chimney is still smiling from ear to ear. "I guess you don't see that anywhere else in the world! That's a sea train. Its name is Puffing Tom."

"Puffing Tom?"

"I knew it was a train, but I can't explain how it was floating on the water," I add.

"It's a steam-powered car that moves on the railroad in the sea!" Chimney explains. "It uses a steam engine to rotate the paddlesover the tracks."

"A railroad!" Usopp blurts out. He's taken a seat on the platform.

"Yeah! It's just beneath the surface of the water. The train moves from islands to islands every day, transporting passengers between islands. Sometimes it transports mail and packages too."

The four of us look over to the water to spot the tracks that become visible when the water lowers before a wave rushes by.

"Wow! There really is a railroad!" Usopp shouts.

"Yup!" Chimney says. "And you sailed right onto it! That was dangerous!"

"But no matter how you warn, the frog won't understand!" Luffy shakes his head. "Then you ram it flying. That was rude. Plus, he was our prey."

"We were not going to eat him," I playfully slap Luffy's chest.

"Ah...his name is Yokozuna," Chimney's face falls into a frown. "He has been a nuisance for a long time! He likes to compare his strength with others, and he has been trying to beat the train. He won't die from a crash like that. He will come back again!"

"So that's why he didn't run away," Luffy says. "That's some very cool fighting spirit!"

"What!? No! He causes nothing but headaches! He's broken the front of the train so many times already. Every time he tries it, he frightens the passengers too!"

"Is that so...Okay! I've decided that I won't eat him! I don't eat hardworking animals!"

"That's what made you change your mind! It's afrog!" Nami scolds.

"Also, you don't need to eat every single animal that you come across," I add.

"So...where do you want to go?" Kokoro takes a swig of her wine. "If you take the next train,

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